Happy Friday! Fancy a big ol' slab of piping hot new metal to jam in your ears? Well tough: you're gonna have to wait a couple more paragraphs so we can look at the results of last week's poll! Modern metalcore heavyweights Bad Omens and Italian goth metal icons Lacuna Coil both put up a solid fight, but it was the luscious latest from Alcest that absolutely stormed the vote, getting very nearly as much as the rest of the lineup put together! Wheew!
This week, we have everything from some returning glam metal icons to hearty blasts of power metal, deathcore, hardcore and everything in between. Scroll downwards to delve into it all, and come back up to near the top of the page to vote for your favourite. See you next week, yeah?
Knocked Loose - Suffocate (feat. Poppy)
How do you drive up hype levels even more for an album that is already one of the most anticipated heavy releases of 2024? Release a badass single featuring the ever-enigmatic Poppy packing a weirdly wonderful video and - best of all - a big, fat reggaeton breakdown right in the middle. The band to finally take proper, heavy-as-hell hardcore to the big leagues? You wouldn't bet against it. Now mosh.
Mötley Crüe - Dogs Of War
Mötley Crüe's comeback may have been controversial with the departure of Mick Mars, but to be fair to the sleaze-metal legends, they're packing riffs with this new single, new boy John 5 seemingly making his presence felt. Vince Neil is even sounding decent on it - whether that'll translate to the band's next live shows remains to be seen, of course. The video, meanwhile, is absolutely batshit. Fair play.
Hammerfall - Hail To The King
A marching, triumphant heavy metal anthem, Hammerfall channel their inner Manowar in this first glimpse of their latest studio album Avenge The Fallen, which will land in August. At this stage of their careers, the Swedes know their strengths and play to them magnificently: if this banger doesn't have you reaching for your nearest battleaxe and storming your nearest gates, we can't help you (NB: please don't go storming any gates).
Zeal & Ardor - To My Ilk
Manuel Gagneux has built his career on defying expectation, but it's safe to say that new Zeal & Ardor song To My Ilk is an interesting choice of lead single. Bereft of the heaviness or lurching unease that has characterised much of Gagneux's work thus far, it's nevertheless an absolute doozy of a track in its own right, a haunting (but beautiful), restrained, bluesy jam.
Born Of Osiris - Elevate
Illinois' finest, tech-heavy metal machines have penned another razor-sharp, super-catchy rager. The band will be headlining this year's Summer Slaughter tour across North America - an announcement that, as far as we know, has generated no controversy whatsoever. Anyway, here's what they say about Elevate: "Elevate embodies the essence of our roots. The combination of ethereal melodies with down-tuned guitars has helped inspire lyrics that evoke darker emotions." So now you know!
District 105 - Sad Melody
Alright, full transparency: this song was actually released last week, but we totally missed it and the damn thing slaps so hard we couldn't let it go uncelebrated. Pulverising metalcore from Saigon, Vietnam, Sad Melody is stacked with big riffs, bigger breakdowns and hooks aplenty. If you like your metallic hardcore with the sugar-sweet choruses amputated, this is for you.
Creeper - Love And Pain
A brooding, synthy slice of campy gothic drama, Love And Pain marks a welcome surprise bonus cut from last year's incredible Sanguivore album. The album gets an extended edition release today, and with the Southampton goth-punks due to play Download's main stage this year, what better time to delve even further into their wonderfully macabre, vampiric world?
Unleash The Archers - Seeking Vengeance
Another blast of bombastic, gung ho power metal, Seeking Vengeance proves in no uncertain terms that Unleash The Archer won't be chilling their shit any time soon. The Juno-winning Canadians unleash (hehe) their latest studio album, Phantoma, on May 10, and given what we've seen and heard of them so far, you'd be daft to bet against it accelerating their impressive ascent quite spectacularly.
Cognitive - A Pact Unholy
Everything you've heard so far just not tight, gnarly and squealy enough for you? Have a go on the latest, crushing cut from tech death metallers Cognitive, who'll have your head spinning in about 90 seconds flat. Lightspeed riffs, battering drumwork and lyrics that deal with, in the band's own words, "bloodmagic, summoning, and resurrection." It's about as metal as it gets, isn't it?
Dune - Refuge
Galloping thrash metal from Saudi Arabia, Refuge is taken from Dune's first ever EP, Years Of Chains, which arrives next month. Incredibly, 2024 marks the twentieth anniversary of Dune's formation, so whether you've been into them for a while or are new to their particular brand of noise, there's no bad time to get on board. Refuge may be a little rough around the edges, but there's no arguing with those riffs!
League Of Distortion - My Hate Will Go On
Don't panic! This isn't a terrible, inverted metal cover of Celine Dion! It's actually a bouncy, euphoric modern metal banger with a defiant message of seeking truth and justice even in the face of immense adversity. The track's energetic video sees the band performing in a boxing ring before getting blown up at the end. With League Of Distortion having only released their debut album in 2022, My Hate Will Go On is a surefire sign that they're only just getting started.
Death x Destiny - Dreamwalker
Sounding something like Tatu might do if they grew up listening to German power metal bands, Death x Destiny's new single is an irresistible blend of shimmering, 80s pop synths, crushing metal riffs and bleepy Eurotrance. It's a bold but compelling mix of sounds, and it further marks the hubby-wife duo, formed of The Browning's Jonny McBee and singer-songwriter Moon, as one of the most unique new bands in metal today.
