It's the most wonderful time of the year... No, we're not talking about Christmas - that's alright, we guess - but the run-up to Halloween, where seemingly everything gets an extra lick of black paint and pure spooky vibes. Perfect for a slew of new horror movies, horror-themed videos and general tomfoolery across the heavy music spectrum. Bliss!
But, we digress. Here are the results of last week's vote! It was a tight-run race for top position, nu metal newcomers Uncured taking third place and edging out OG nu metal icon Serj Tankian. Just behind them were fellow up-and-comers Eschalon, the furious Delirium clearly striking a chord with fans. Not enough to unseat our winners however, naughty nuns Dogma taking the crown with a decidedly heavy metal version of Madonna's Like A Virgin.
The weird and wonderful selections still keep coming this week, as we've got everything from dwarf metallers Wind Rose to disco-loving Finns Turmion Katilot, as well as new music from the likes of Lacuna Coil, Coheed And Cambria and Soilwork, among others. As ever, we need you to tell us which band excites you most, so don't forget to cast your vote in the poll below - and have a fantastic weekend!
Lacuna Coil - Oxygen
Lacuna Coil have never made a secret of their heavier inclinations, but new single Oxygen will no doubt be a wake-up call to anyone who has them purely pegged as "the gothic band". In fact, while Cristina Scabbia delivers the kind of powerhouse chorus we've come to expect of the band, the verses hit with such force that you'd be forgiven for thinking they'd accidentally switched to being a metalcore group in the five years since their last record. Thankfully, we won't have to wait too long to find out where they're headed next; new album Sleepless Empire is expected for a February 14 2025 release.
Coheed And Cambria - Blind Side Sonny
It's Coheed And Cambria, but now how you'll remember them. New single Blind Side Sonny takes the prog metal veterans in a decidedly shriekier direction, almost winding the clocks right back to their post-hardcore roots in the early 2000s. It's a thrilling new (old?) direction and has us very excited for what they might have in store on their next record.
Soilwork - Spirit Of No Return
Currently on tour with In Flames and Arch Enemy, Soilwork are clearly flexing their melodeath veteran status on latest single Spirit Of No Return. The big news personnel-wise is that live guitarist Simon Johansson has officially joined their ranks, and clearly Bjorn Strid and co. are looking to show off their new axeman as the track soars on arena-sized leads that could come straight from metal's megadome-filling glory days.
Wind Rose - The Great Feast Underground
"I am a dwarf and I live in a hole." Okay, so Diggy Diggy Hole wasn't an original Wind Rose song, but the band's breakthrough hit sets out their mission so perfectly it might as well have been. Latest single The Great Feast Underground is yet more high-energy folk metal from the self-proclaimed dwarf metallers, evoking the boozy energy of early Korpiklaani whilst delivering some real hammer-wielding heft. We dare say the calls of "alcohol" in the chorus will be ringing out loud and proud when the band's European tour with Powerwolf and Hammerfall gets underway this weekend.
Bunuel - Class
What if Nine Inch Nails loved the Butthole Surfers as much as they did Ministry? It's a bit reductionist, but it goes some way to describe the fascinating and vitriolic collision of styles at the heart of Bunuel's latest single Class, Eugene S. Robinson howling and wailing over retro industrial riffs that could easily have popped up on a demo of Head Like A Hole. Taken from new album Mansuetude, out October 25, Class is a wild taste of things to come from the band.
Slope - Fury Funk
There could be no better title for Slope's latest single, Fury Funk bouncing along on a Turnstile-meets-Beastie-Boys bop so potent you can practically feel your legs defying gravity with each riff. The German hardcore troupe showed off with panache on Freak Dreams earlier this year, but this new track pushes them even further into Red Hot Chilli Peppers territory, feeling all the more infectious for the fact.
Alt Blk Era - Come On Outside
Over 30 years since the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Deftones first introduced the idea of mixing shoegaze and alt. metal, Alt Blk Era prove the fusion remains potent and bewitching. New single Come On Outside dives deep on dreamy tones and massive hooks. It spells massive things ahead for the group, debut album Rave Immortal set for release on January 24.
Sylosis - The Path (ft. Debbie Gough)
A surprise release, Sylosis's new EP The Path adds yet more fuel to the fire when it comes to highlighting them as some of Britain's most underrated metal heroes. Across five tracks of veering, swooping riffs they absolutely slam the listener off the walls, but extra credit has to go to EP opener - and title track - The Path, which seems them draft in Heriot's Debbie Gough for a throat-shredding guest vocal. You love to see it.
Turmion Katilot - Pulssi
Turmion Katilot do love a good dancefloor filler. Longtime champions of 'disco metal', latest single Pulssi has some of the eurodance cheese of Electric Callboy to its pumpable beats, just bouncy enough that its not hard to imagine a room full of metalheads losing their shit.
Drowning Pool - Revolution (The Final Amen)
Trust nu metal veterans Drowning Pool to come around with the kind of swaggering, roar-along dancefloor-filling metal track that would have ruled the airwaves 20 years ago. While the times have certainly changed, appetites for such hooky metal tracks surely haven't, Revolution (The Final Amen) galloping forth with bullheaded brilliance.
Pridian - Near Dark
Estonia doesn't often get much of a look in when it comes to the global metal stage, but newcomers Pridian clearly seek to change that. Thunking, thumping metalcore, the group have just signed a deal with Century Media and new single Near Dark captures a sense of boundless ambition, tapping into the techy, heftier end of modern metalcore to produce an absolute bruiser.
