And with that, Halloween is over. Don't mourn the end of Spooky Season just yet though, as in the world of metal, as Ministry once put it, every day is Halloween. That's certainly the case this week as we bring you yet another fine selection of songs from the darker walks of life.
But first, the results of last week's vote! We had a fine selection of heavyweights and rising stars in the running last week, reflected in the final stats as Linkin Park stepped forward in third position. They were beat out by symphonic metal stars Epica, whose rollercoaster tie-in The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre) clearly struck a chord with fans, but the overall winners were emerging new heroes The Fear, whose new single White Noise - featuring Sleeping With Sirens' Kellinn Quinn - smashed the competition.
As ever, this week we've hunted high and low to find you the finest new music around, covering everything from squalling black metal to menacing doom, metalcore and beyond. Don't forget to vote for your favourite in the poll below - and have a fantastic weekend. Happy listening!
Powerflo - Drinkin' Beer And Gettin' Loud
Ice-T isn't the only hip hop icon to have his own metal band. Senen Reyes - better known as Cypress Hill's Sen Dog - is celebrating the louder side of life with new single Drinkin' Beer And Gettin' Loud. Taken from the freshly released Gorilla Warfare, released today, the track is a fun blast of bouncy, hardcore-adjacent rap metal with the kind of chorus you'll be chanting in no time.
The Halo Effect - March Of The Unheard
The Halo Effect's arsenal of massive melodeath anthems grows by the day. Latest single and new album title-track March Of The Unheard upholds their insanely high standard of Gothenburg sound brilliance, built around sublime lead guitars and Mikael Stanne's powerful howls to create something truly fit for arenas. While the band are playing smaller venues than that when they come to the UK in January, new album March Of The Unheard coming on January 10 to start 2025 with some top-class metal.
Raging Speedhorn - Nightwolf
UK sludge brutes Raging Speedhorn still hit hard as ever on latest single Nightwolf. A standalone single to accompany the news that the group have signed to Spinefarm Records, Nightwolf leans hard on the groove elements of their sound, squalling guitars and shrieking, fist-pumping vocals making the track feel like the heaviest track Pantera never made.
Avoid - Burn
Set to come to the UK in January as support for Silent Planet, Avoid are setting out their stall for 2025 with the careening Burn. Leaning on their more melodic aspects, Burn captures both the band's sleek radio appeal and the heft they can bring to bear in their more furious moments, exploding forth with big shout-along choruses that are perfectly suited to sweaty clubs.
Sicksense - Masquerade Parade
Sicksense might be unabashed nu metal revivalists, but latest single Masquerade Parade starts out more in the metalcore/melodeath realms fans of Vicky Psarakis will recognise from her former group The Agonist. Sonically jumping around from snarled, vicious thumping beats to nimble prog metal like melodies and nu metal flows, Masquerade... shows how diverse Sicksense can be while still bringing everything back together in a cohesive, delightful package. The band's debut Cross Me Twice is out February 14 and well worth exploring.
Havok - Death Is An Illusion
It's been four years since Havok's excellent V, and while the wait for another full-length will continue for a little while longer, the surprise arrival of the New Eyes EP should be cause for celebration for any fans of the 21st Century thrash revival. Lead single Death Is An Illusion delivers everything you could want from Havok in 2024; claw-inducing breakdowns, high-speed riffs, a bark-along refrain and the kind of bass tone that makes it sound like the band are playing on power pylons. Top notch.
Saltwound - Empty From The Start
Like having a car door slammed on your head repeatedly while an alarm goes off in the distance, Saltwound's Empty From The Start is all gut-rumbling bass, clattering drums and squealing guitars. It's a cocktail of sonic extremes that showcases the deathcore group's punishingly brutal sound, debut album The Temptation Of Pain out today and promising so much more violence to come.
Jar Of Blind Flies - Hell Is An Ocean
The doom is strong here. Newcomers from Brighton, Jar Of Blind Flies' latest single Hell Is An Ocean captures some of the impenetrable fuzz-doom of early grunge pioneers like Melvins, vocalist Maddy Jarvis seeding just enough of a pop hook amidst the rumble that you'll catch yourself humming along. Featured on the upcoming Small Pond Presents: Emerging 4, out November 15, best to keep eyes out for this lot in future.
Senna - Rain
The bright, sunny days shown in the video for Senna's Rain might feel a million miles away right now, but the band's bouncy prog metal stylings certainly bring some of that warmth back. The contrast of techy, nimble riffs and a massive, hooky chorus is striking, Senna feeling like Coheed And Cambria by way of Periphery, taking the very best of both bands and mixing them together to make something distinct and delightful.
The Fallen Prophets - The Wretched Offering
Lumbering death metal nastiness from South Africa, The Fallen Prophets' latest single The Wretched Offering comes from the band's new EP Primordial Instinct, released today. Played slow and low, Wretched Offering brings to mind the menacing nastiness of early 90s death metal, driven on clattering double-bass and gut yanking snarls.
Arimea - Leash
Arimea might broadly fall under the nu metal revival's banner, but the band's unique fusion of metalcore, thumping riffs and electronica elements shows there's a lot more to them than just a love for the past. If anything, Leash feels like a distinctly contemporary vision of metal in 2024, going from thunking rhythms to ascendant passages of melody with irresistible hooks. Taken from the band's upcoming EP Orchid Street - out November 28 - this lot are clearly worth keeping eyes on.
Skumlove - Ride Or Die
Bounding forth like an iron giant on a life or death mission, Skumlove show the mechanical heart of industrial metal still beats in Los Angeles on new single Ride Or Die. With shades of both Godflesh and Ministry in the mix, its safe to say Skumlove aren't beholden to the more pop-oriented wings of modern industrial, instead going for the jugular.
