Happy Valentine's! Granted, cuddly teddy bears and love hearts don't seem metal on the surface of it, but if you know that Saint Valentine was actually martyred and had his head lopped off, and given metal's penchant for doomed romance (Type O Negative, Black Sabbath, HIM... take your pick!) we'd say there's still plenty of reasons to celebrate today. Not least of which is a fresh batch of new songs for your listening pleasure.
But first, the results of last week's vote! There were some heavy hitters and oddities out in force, but it was established bands all round who took podium places in the end. Rivers Of Nihil's sax-laden House Of Light took an admirable third place, while Arch Enemy gleefuly dived into 80s grandstanding with Paper Tiger. The overall champions however were Spiritbox, that band's ascent looking unstoppable as they rack up Grammy nominations and pack out arenas like Alexandra Palace.
