Happy release day! Between Babymetal's new album The Other One and Paragon, the solo debut from Nightwish powerhouse Floor Jansen, not to mention a healthy offering of underground releases from the likes of Ov Sulfur, Keep Of Kalessin and Ne Obliviscaris, it feels like we're in one of the first truly stacked weeks of the year.
And with a stacked album release calendar comes a healthy offering of new singles to pick from - but first, the results from last week's vote! Little surprise that the return of Avenged Sevenfold after seven years took the crown for best metal song of the week, but it was fellow 00s metal heroes Atreyu that took a very admirable second place, with newcomers Atena filling out the podium with the emotionally powerful Oh My.
As ever, we've scoured the world of music this week to find you the very best new metal songs around. From unearthed brilliance from Linkin Park to all-new material from Skindred and Nita Strauss, right up to a last-single-before-release entry from Babymetal, there's plenty of variety to sink your teeth into this week. And, as ever, we want you to tell us which is your favourite in the handy vote below - so don't forget to have your say!
Linkin Park - Fighting Myself
It really does astound us that some of the recently unearthed songs from the upcoming Meteora reissue didn't make the original cut, considering the sheer quality Linkin Park display. Fighting Myself taps directly into the band's instincts for punchy nu metal anthems, shining a spotlight on the brilliant dynamic between Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda.
Babymetal - Mirror Mirror
We've had a steady stream of singles since Babymetal announced their return in late 2022, but Mirror Mirror marks the final single before their new album The Other One arrives with us. Interestingly, Mirror Mirror sees the band move in a more techy, almost prog metal dirtection you'd expect more from the likes of Periphery or Tesseract, infused with Babymetal's own entirely unique character that truly shines in a bright, massive chorus. We're glad the band are back and have arena dates set up for 2023: we can't imagine these songs being anything less than massive live.
Nita Strauss - Winner Takes All (feat. Alice Cooper)
It's fair to say fans were sad to see guitar hero Nita Strauss depart Alice Cooper's band in 2022 to join pop star Demi Lovato, but judging from recent developments it was less of a goodbye and more "see you later". Case in point, weeks after confirming she would be touring with Alice again in 2023, Nita has enlisted the shock rock legend for the meaty, hard-hitting Winner Takes All, a fantastic showcase for the magic the pair have been able to conjure together since 2014.
Skindred - Set Fazers
It's been over 20 years since Skindred shared their unique vision of reggae metal with the world on their brilliant (and, if we're being totally honest, underrated) debut Babylon. The band's sound has evolved plenty since then, but the inherent sense of genre-mashing enormity has been a consistent thread, with Set Fazers feeling like the truest realisation of just how far the band have come in becoming a beloved fixture of modern metal.
The Amity Affliction - It's Hell Down Here
Following from the study of grief that was I See Dead People, Australian metalcore heroes The Amity Affliction have announced new album Not Without My Ghosts will be with us on May 12. It's Hell Down Here soars on the empowering, emotional heft that has become The Amity Affliction's staple, shimmering guitar notes and explosive packages making this feel like the band's biggest statement of intent to date as they write songs clearly geared to the biggest venues imaginable. After the success of everyone from Architects and Bring Me The Horizon to Parkway Drive, how could they not shoot for the top?
Immortal - War Against All
We might've officially passed the Spring Equinox this week, but clearly nobody told black metal legends Immortal, who deigned to grace us with a slice of frosty, apoplectic fury. The title track from the band's upcoming tenth studio album (out May 26), War Against All is teeth-gnashing, skin flaying brilliance amidst an unending storm of black metal balefulness - everything a growing kvlt fan needs.
Empire State Bastard - Harvest
Biffy Clyro go mathcore. Okay, so that's not an entirely accurate summation of Empire State Bastard, the new project from Biffy frontman Simon Neil and Oceansize's Mike Vennart - with added Dave Lombardo for good measure - but it's definitely delightful hearing the musicians mine the frantic, ear-splitting sonics of Converge or Dillinger Escape Plan with a sense of measured noise rock more in keeping with the likes of St. Pierre Snake Invasion.
Calligram - Ex Sistere
Immortal aren't the only black metal denizens to resurface this week, London's own Calligram announcing new album Position|Momentum will be with us on July 14 with an utterly furious new single, Ex Sistere. Amidst a malestrom of blastbeats, and throat-rending shrieks comes a sense of driving melody that masks a d-beat style stomp that can otherwise creep into their sound, Ex Sistere feeling like a stylistic flourish from a band with plenty to offer when the new album arrives this summer.
Ignea - Dunes
The sheer sonic span of Ignea's Dunes marks it out as one of this week's most ambitious new singles, if nothing else. Spanning elements of serene symphonic metal, pulsing melodeath and classical flourishes that add a sense of global music heritage to their sound, Dunes is a fittingly ambitious showcase for the Ukrainian band's upcoming album Dreams Of Lands Unseen, out April 27.
The St Pierre Snake Invasion - The Overlook
It's astounding that we don't have more heavy songs about The Shining, with both Stephen King's original novel and the 1980 Stanley Kubrick directed movie holding a very special place in so many horror fans' hearts. The St Pierre Snake Invasion aren't missing their chance to salute the classic though, their angular post-hardcore perfectly complementing the mind-warping rabbit holes one can go down while looking into Kubrick-related conspiracies, The Overlook all about jutting, angular riffs and odd melodies that'll haunt you long after the track finishes.
