How are we almost a third of the way through the year already? Granted, even a quick glance at the albums we've already got - VV, Metallica, In Flames, Babymetal - suggests we're already well into 2023, but we're only a week and a bit away from being a third through the year.
But that doesn't mean the new music is slowing down any time soon! Last week's vote is a perfect showcase of all the exciting new music still coming our way, but even in a week with some serious heavy hitters, The Raven Age triumphed again with their epic Serpent's Tongue, beating out a very solid Ghost showing in second place and Metallica in third.
As ever, this week there's all to play for as we have new music from the likes of Beartooth, Beartooth - Sunshine! Spiritbox, Skindred, Immortal and more all vying for supremacy. Of course, there's only one way they can win - and that's by getting your vote, which you can cast in the hadny poll below. Happy listening and have a brilliant weekend!
Beartooth - Sunshine!
Summer is right around the corner, and if you've been to the likes of Roadburn or Inferno the past few weeks, your festival season might have already kicked off. Metalcore mob Beartooth are clearly getting in the spirit with new single Sunshine!, leaning on pop punk tropes and dainty acoustic guitars before kicking the ever loving hell out of our ears in ways that only Caleb Shomo can.
Skindred - If I Could
No band writes anthemys quite like Skindred, their mixture of genre-bending instrumentation and massive vocal melodies helping to write the kind of tunes that inevitably sees them pull enormous crowds at festivals or fill venues up and down the UK. If I Could is exactly the kind of tune we've come to expect from the band, Benji's melodies and hooks begging to be heard screamed by thousands, whether that be on the band's support slot for Kiss in June or on their own headline jaunt in October.
Spiritbox - The Void
After staking a claim as possibly the most exciting new band in metal with their debut in 2021, expectations are sky high to see what Spiritbox can match it with on their next release. The Void is the first new taste of music we've had since last summer's Rotoscope EP, and feels like a headlong leap towards prog metal territories. Propulsive, shuddering drum beats and racing guitars are underpinned by shimmering electronica, all tied together with a massive vocal from Courtney LaPlante that shows are clearly taking advantage of the massive crowds they are pulling live to write bigger and bigger anthems.
Sleep Token - DYWTYLM
When we put Sleep Token on the cover of Metal Hammer back in January 2021, we knew special things were afoot with the band - but even we couldn't have seen just how far-reaching their mystery would become. With the news that their upcoming US tour has sold out, the band have released another taste of upcoming album Take Me Back To Eden with new single DYWTYLM. Gentle electronica and R&B rhythms as one of the softer songs we've heard from the band's upcoming record, but that's by no means a bad thing, Vessel filling the song with the kinds of hooks other bands would kill for.
The Amity Affliction - Not Without My Ghosts ft. Phem
Sticking to the similarly emotional territories they mined in February with single I See Dead People, The Amity Affliction have announced new album Not Without My Ghosts with a stark, minimalist title track that features guest vocals from singer Phem. Digging into the DNA of early emo, the track has a stunning fragility that makes it resonate even harder with each new listen, strings and piano perfectly underpinning a sense of melancholic grandeur.
Immortal - Wargod
If emotional melodies aren't really your bag then the imperious stomp of black metal legends Immortal should be much more suited to your tastes. Unlike the maelstrom of fury that was War Against All, Wargod is a relentless mid-paced trudge in full armour, vocalist Demonaz snarling with a venomous edge that reminds us why we loved this band in the first place.
Better Lovers - 30 Under 30
The shock split of Every Time I Die last year came as a major blow to fans, the band still firing on all cylinders even as communications seemingly broke down internally. Hints that members of the band would continue in some form (while former vocalist Keith Buckley forged his own path) have given rise to new project Better Lovers, featuring none other than former Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato up front. 30 Under 30 is a full-body assault, shireking tones and clattering riffs feeling like the best elements of ETID, Dillinger and the likes of Helmet are being explored in this new outfit. Count us very much in.
The Acacia Strain - CHAIN (feat. Jacob Lilly)
With two new albums due to arrive on May 12th, The Acacia Strain can't be accused of apathy as they explore the disparate sides of their sound. New single CHAIN shows off the dichotomy at the core of the band's music perfectly, going from raging blast beats to slow, sludgy nastiness in a tight just-over-one-minute package.
Static Abyss - Wormskinned
Aborted members Chris Reifert & Greg Wilkinson dig into the murky depths of death/doom with Static Abyss, the band's new single Wormskinned dredging up all the low-end nastiness you'd hope (and expect). Whether it's lurching, mid-paced riffs or all-out frenzied blastbeats, Wormskinned keeps the listener on their toes as it sinks its teeth in deep.
Bleeding Through - War Time
A beloved - if entirely underrated - force in 00s metalcore, Bleeding Through's War Time arrives five years since the band's last album, 2018's comeback Love Will Kill All. Never afraid to embrace their extreme metal influences, War Time has moments of almost black metal-like fury, the guitars in particular sounding like they'd fit neatly into the latest material from Immortal. Chuck a massive melodic chorus into the mix and it's plain to see: Bleeding Through are brilliant as ever, still pushing the sonic boundaries of metalcore in exciting new directions.
