This one really stuck out this week. The new song ‘Bitch Don’t Come For Me’ from Rue Vox at first seems like some random dance club banger with some “basic bitches” talking about what happened to them at the club. But somehow at some point the beat gets some distorted guitars mixed through that makes the song disturbingly catchy and fun. And talking about disturbing, the video that goes along with the song has some proper gore going on in it, make sure you check that out! When we first hit play, we didn’t expect it, but we ended up wanting to play the track more than once throughout the week. The rather unique sound, the fun video, the always solid vocals by special guest Heidi Shepherd (Butcher Babies),… it simply worked for us!

Enter Shikari has always been something truly unique and special, more often than not setting the tone for new trends or inspiring new acts. While they’re not bringing the demented and rabid kind of music as their beginning years, everything they release is still different and damn solid. With the single ‘The Void Stares Back’ they prove yet again how consistently amazing they are. By having special guests Wargasm along for the ride, they bring in another act that has been doing thing according to their own rules and that has been steadily on the rise. The song bounces between soaring and catchy rock, crunchy alternative metal/rock and banging electronic beats. Parts of the track reminds us even of The Prodigy at the top of their game and when they hit the chorus with the 3 vocals, the track really goes into the epic territory. Add a rather trippy and Matrix-like music video to that and you got yourself the formula for success.

Enter Shikari is on tour right now, get your tickets here.

Out of nowhere, the legendary Finnish black metal band …And Oceans hit us with a brand new track. ‘Cloud Heads‘ doesn’t hold back one bit and straight after the first seconds of synths, drags you along a rabid melodic black metal ride with Vreth‘s bone-chilling scream. The track is a pure feast for anyone who is into old school black metal. There is a traditional ferociousness to it that some might say is missing with a lot more modern sounding black metal acts. The video itself fittingly takes us on a black-and-white trip through the different scenery where the band members are playing, going from impressive underground caves to (surprise surprise) the forest. If this is the kind of brutishness we can expect from their upcoming new album, January 2023 can’t be here quick enough!

2022 will be the year that GRIMM discovered Dirty Shirt. Earlier we were highly amused by their single (and video for) ‘Dope-A-Min’, their new full-length ‘Get Your Dose Now!’ is a blast and our people who caught them at Hellfest couldn’t shut up about them. These Transylvanian band of misfits mix so many different genres into a unique sound that will brighten up your day and was baptized as “folkcore”. You’ll find hints of metal, balkan, folk, hardcore,… and at times they remind us of acts like Russkaja and such. This week they were back with a brand new single ‘Hot For Summer’, right at the end of summer throwing the perfect summer hit at us. Again, a super catchy tune that will get stuck in your head like crazy, with the right amount of pounding guitar riffs and heaviness and bouncy balkan music inspired bits. Seriously, we can’t get enough of this! I bet you can’t either…

The Californian label Seek & Strike has brought us quite a few hard-hitting bands of late. They caught our attention with Orbit Culture and have been consistently surprised by the many solid and refreshing bands they are having on their roster. So when a brand new single coming from that label drops by, we of course take a moment to properly check it out. And what a track it was again this time around! The Polish metalcore outfit Demeted treated us with ‘Lunacy‘, a song that straight from the start hits hard with some groovy riffing, which continues even when the more melodic chorus bit comes in with the clean vocals. The single could easily challenge some of the big names during the genre’s heydays, but take it even further by really bringing in a modern sound and production. This will speak to a lot of people and so it did to us. Demeted is on our radar now, looking forward what else these guys might gift us in the future!

Deathcore is really on the rise right now. And while there are some amazing new bands popping up constantly, it’s good to see that the “oldies” are still able to deliver some nasty punches as well. After 20 years of existence, the loss of their original vocalist and a highly divisive album half a decade ago, Suicide Silence is back with the first track of their upcoming new album! And holy crap! ‘You Must Die’ has turned into a classic old school deathcore punch in the gut that’ll make you gasp for air. Starting off at an excruciating pace and along the way slowing things down bit by bit while getting heavier and heavier. Check out the matching music video where they start of full of energy and the virility that matches the high pace to see them age throughout the video, step by step matching the song slowing down, until they collapse and die at the end. Some very clever storytelling and videography there, and an absolute banger of a track! We can’t wait for that new album to hit the shelves!

It was the year 2019, and in Helsinki we attended to an event called ‘Prime Time‘, basically a showcasing of the music company Prime Collective with a mission to show Finland what Denmark had to offer of great bands. The headliner that night was APHYXION, and to this day that show has burnt that band name in our collective minds. We remember that show being a kickass showing of melodic death metal with some of the newer tracks like ‘Sleepwalkers’ having some metalcore elements mixed in, bringing a more updated and modern sounding version of melodeath. And that’s clearly what the band still stands for with their latest single ‘Oceans of Time’! The first ever APHYXION song having a featured artist under the form of Germany’s Chaosbay, builds up the tension bit by bit until it explodes into a wrecking ball of a metal track with its crunchy riffs about halfway, while having a extremely melodic chorus returning throughout the track. A very well written song that fits in perfectly with the contemporary “modern metal” movement without getting lost among the rest.

In 2020, Tallah blew us away with their fresh take on the often much despised nu metal genre. The ferociousness and unfiltered rawness reminded us of some bands of those early years and since a bunch of us grew up during the heydays of nu metal, we can get really excited when a band puts new life into the genre by making some quality stuff! And that’s exactly what Tallah was doing. With some talented musicians, including Mike Portnoy‘s son as one of the founders of the band, they really rose above most of their contemporary colleagues. They’re about to release their 2nd full-length ‘The Generation of Danger’ and unleashed another single of that album with ‘Shaken (not stirred)’ last week. The single is another schooling in how to do nu metal, and how to do it well in modern times. Early work of Slipknot, Mudvayne and similar bands come to mind and while this track seems to be more melodic and approachable than most of their other songs despite the rather unpredictable rhythms, those who got lulled into a feeling of safety get a roundhouse kick in the face in the last minute where they go heavy as fuck.

Tallah‘s new album ‘The Generation of Danger’ is set for release on November 18 via Earache Records.

The boys of STAKE are at it again! After a summer filled with utterly destroying every stage they were on, they unleashed another track of their upcoming new album ‘LOVE, DEATH and DECAY‘ upon the world. ‘Deadlock Eyes‘ is another absolutely crushing piece of music that will get all the sludge/post-metal fans go wild. We easily hear early Mastodon here, but with somewhat more of a frantic type of energy. And just wait until the very end where they blow everyone to smithereens with some damn heavy riffs. Please make sure you also check out the video that goes with it where the whole band has engulfed themselves into a steam-punk Mad Max kind of environment. Somehow it works exceptionally well.

The new STAKE album ‘LOVE, DEATH and DECAY‘ is set for release on September 30 via Hassle Records.

Back in 2017 we saw tears roll aplenty when HIM was doing one of their goodbye shows as one of the headliners of Tuska 2017. For many people, that band was and is still a monumental part of their youth and lives. So when suddenly Ville Valo, the charismatic vocalist of His Infernal Majesty, released a brand new solo track under the moniker “VV“, we saw the world go wild. The oh so recognizable voice of “love metal” is back and the song ‘Echolocate Your Love‘ could’ve easily be part of the extensive catalogue of his former band, including a just as mesmerizingly gorgeous video to go along with it. A fantastic song that took us back a couple of decades with some proper nostalgia feelings.

Catch VV/Ville Valo live in 2023, during which he’ll play some selected shows, including an already announced spot on the Tuska 2023 line-up!

The Portland based duo HOAXED have been catching the attention of quite some people during 2022. They already rocked the stage with popular acts like Unto Others, Blackwater Holylight and the ever-mighty Amorphis, showing their worth in a live setting and now they jumped into our field of sight with the new single ‘The Call‘. Their captivating brand of dark rock with gothic touches, some classic heavy metal in the veins of Black Sabbath and the right amount of Americana, brings a standout sound of which we really want to hear more. And the fittingly dark and haunting video only elevated that feeling.

HOAXED‘s debut full-length ‘Two Shadows’ is set for release on October 28 via Relapse Records, pre-order here.

Those who know Seas On The Moon already, know that these Moldovan brothers create some amazing music. The past couple of years they’ve unveiled one after the other progressive metal track as singles, usually featuring some amazing vocalist to lift up and complement their compositions. This time we see fellow Moldovan artist Eissa Morphide return to deliver some cracking vocals on the track ‘The Warrior’. The track itself builds up with some captivating proggy soundscapes and gorgeous clean vocals by Morphide, to then at the end explode in a crushing section with her letting some demons out with some surprising growls and screams. Yet another massive track by this duo that you definitely want to keep an eye on!

Bombshell alert! These Dutchies are not holding back any punches! The Dutch melodeath/metalcore outfit For I Am King unleashed a blistering track with ‘Liars‘ and as soon as we heard the first 10 seconds we knew that this easily was one of the singles of the week. Hit play and get blown away by the bloodcurdling scream from vocalist Alma, followed by some crazy guitar play and off we go. There is not a single second they take the foot of the pedal, with a monstrous groove somewhat reminiscent of some of the best work of bands like Lamb of God but more vicious. If this is an early taste of things to come in the nearby future from this band, we can hardly hold back the excitement for hearing more!