Glam metal is back! Well, kind of. Tonight it looks like London will be replacing the Sunset Strip as the home of glam's biggest stars with rumours abounding that Motley Crue will be playing a secret show in Camden while Guns N' Roses headline British Summer Time over in Hyde Park. And if you're not all that excited about the live return of 80s behemoths, we've also got a healthy dose of new music for you to get stuck into.
First, the results of last week's vote! Two names emerged from last week's offering with a clear shot at the top as they left bronze medallists Sevendust in the dust, but ultimately there could only be one winner. German party metal band Electric Callboy took gold with an impressive showing, leaving symphonic metal newcomers Blackbriar with a very admirable second place.
This week it's all to play for as we bring you the latest songs from KK's Priest, 3Teeth and previous winners The Sun's Journey Through The Night, alongside newcomers Asinhell (a death metal band fronted by Volbeat's Michael Poulsen), Dogma and Disguised Malignance. What's more, with us now passing the six month mark for 2023, we've updated our big songs of the year playlist for your listening pleasure and stuck that at the bottom of the page. Happy Friday!
KK’s Priest - One More Shot At Glory
With KK’s Priest barely a week away from their first ever live show - at K.K. Downing’s own venue in Wolverhampton no less - the band have unveiled One More Shot At Glory, the first song taken from the band’s upcoming second album The Sinner Rides Again. As one half of Judas Priest’s legendary dual guitar assault, it shouldn’t be a surprise that One More Shot At Glory rides atop the same triumphant, bombastic notes as his former band (and in particular, the Painkiller track One Shot At Glory), tapping into the fist-pumping energy of classic heavy metal like it’s 1983 all over again.
3Teeth - Scorpion
After roaring back to life with the industrial stomp of Merchant Of The Void back in May, 3Teeth have now announced that their new album EndEx will be with us on September 22. The announcement also comes with new single Scorpion, a pulsating blast of electro-infused gothic industrial brilliance that’ll have you clamoring for the flashing lights and sweaty confines of a packed club.
Crypta - Trial Of Traitors
Massive 80s-style Possessed vibes abound on Crypta’s latest single Trial Of Traitors. The furious thrash-death rampage the band have made their bread-and-butter is still present and correct, but it’s in the dextrous wails of guitars that you can hear something sinister lurking under the extremity, feeling like a Hammer horror come to life.
Caskets - Better Way Out
Caskets’ latest single Better Way Out comes on as an interesting collision of styles, mixing anthemic metalcore, soulful alt-metal and even shades of pop punk. That might sound like a messy collision, but Caskets pull it out with a sense of character and cohesion that makes the song feel vibrant and impactful, the symphonic tinges that creep in towards the end adding to the song’s emotional core.
Asinhell - Fall Of The Loyal Warrior
Volbeat’s Michael Poulsen has never made a secret of the fact he loves extreme metal, the occasional Entombed homage even slipping into Volbeat’s catalogue. Asinhell is all about putting that death metal love front-and-centre however, the usually bombastic frontman dropping his usual boom for a gnarly growl that clearly worships at the altar of old school death metal. The first taste of Asinhell’s upcoming debut Impii Hora, Fall Of The Loyal Warrior thas us all kinds of excited for what is to come from the project.
Amaranthe - Damnation Flame
Baroque sensibilities abound on Amaranthe’s latest single Damnation Flame, the track combining organs with frenetic, addictive power metal stylings for an effect that feels like halfway between a haunted castle and a sinister circus. New growler Mikael Sehlin acquits himself nicely, adding a melodeath touch for extra spice, making this a delightfully addictive listen that’ll have you bouncing off the walls.
Oni - Underneath My Skin (feat. Kellin Quinn)
After teaming up with YouTuber Jared Dines on Silence In A Room Of Lies, Canada’s Oni are again in a collaborative mood as they partner with Sleeping With Sirens' Kellin Quinn on Underneath My Skin. The result is a propulsive, prog-tinged metalcore track with massive hooks, the vocal interplay lending the song an old school edge to bridge their more contemporary influences.
The Sun’s Journey Through The Night - Orion
Fresh from their recent run with Spectral Wound, extreme metallers The Sun’s Journey Through The Night have unveiled Orion, the final track of the band’s upcoming album Worldless. The sheer bluster of black metal gives way to post-metal like minimalism around halfway through the track while orchestral elements gently swell in the background, the final part of the song exploding with surprising emotional intensity, this track alone communicating a sense of an epic journey - something Worldless promises in spades.
Dogma - My First Peak
Just when you think Ghost might have the market cornered on the demonic nun game, Dogma blow the whole game wide open. Aesthetics aside, new single My First Peak certainly shares some similarities with everyone’s favourite Satanic Swedes, creeping along on classic heavy metal riffs that could come right from the 80s before unloading a colossal chorus that feels ready-made for massive venues. Consider us converts.
Disguised Malignance - Malignant Visions
Finnish newcomers Disguised Malignance come forth with blast-beat laden filth with their new single Malignant Visions. Stomping and grunting like someone choking a constipated bear, the track is utter bedlam in the most delightful of ways, their debut album Entering The Gateways due on September 29 sure to satiate the hunger for wretched, down-and-dirty extremity.
