Lamb Of God – Sepsis
The Virginian metal legends Lamb Of God are back with their regularly scheduled slab of groove laden metal to kick your teeth in. ‘Sepsis’ is the first new music from the band in over three years and serves as their Century Media debut. Not as full throttle as you’d expect from Randy Blythe and co, at least initially, ‘Sepsis’ is a slow burner of a song that lumbers and sways its way into an intriguing part of the band’s catalogue. Described as a celebration of bands who influenced their journey that don’t get much notice outside of their native Richmond, Randy Blythe sounds as pissed off and vital as ever, particularly when it all kicks off in the last half of the song and it sounds like they did on their rather good last album, ‘Omens”. As statements for new eras go, this is a rager. – Chris Earl
HEALTH – Vibe Cop
Always intent on making new songs and blasts of sexy, almost industrial electronic music to soundtrack a warehouse BDSM rave, HEALTH‘s new track ‘Vibe Cop’ is another one for the pile, but in the best way. You can almost picture the strobes and feel the sweat as the opening pulse hits you, alongside a pretty fun, catchy riff from Lamb Of God‘s Willie Adler. With new album Conflict DLC a few months off, the trio have ensured that their fans are left on tenterhooks for new music, as they continue to evolve their sound to become simultaneously darker and yet more inviting, particularly in these darkened times of sanitisation and a seemingly unknown puritanism directive. HEALTH stands defiant in the face of those movements, and long may it do so. – Chris Earl
Show Me The Body – Sabotage (Beastie Boys cover)
New York banjo-wielding hardcore icons Show Me The Body have never been a band to stick to what’s expected of them, collaborating with rappers like Denzel Curry and Moor Mother one minute and shredding banjo-fuelled noise punk the next. Now, the trio have returned to drop one of the most chaotic covers of the Beastie Boys classic ‘Sabotage’, taking the original’s rowdy energy to another level with layers of feedback and noise backing frontman and lead banjoist Julian Cashwan Pratt’s spitting vocals and distinctive, twanging riffs. Paying homage to one of New York’s best known anthems, Show Me The Body bring ‘Sabotage’ up to date with their uniquely chaotic voice. – Rowan Bruce
Just Mustard – Endless Deathless
Taken from the band’s upcoming record We Were Just Here and dropping following the announcement of their run of shows alongside goth legends The Cure next summer, ‘Endless Deathless’ is a perfect introduction to a band many may be paying sudden attention to. A track that serves to be a wonderful fusion of danceable strobe-lit post punk and world eroding shoegaze that’s in the vein of My Bloody Valentine and Slow Crush, here, Ireland’s Just Mustard offer something that’s perfect listening for either the club dance floor or the literal end of the world. Dance music and shoegaze have long been strange bedfellows, ‘Endless Deathless’ shows there’s true chemistry between these genres yet. – Dan Hillier
Speed – Ain’t My Game
The second taste of their upcoming EP All My Angels out 23 October released by Flatspot Records and Last Ride Records, Speed‘s new single ‘Ain’t My Game’ is chock full of groove, bouncing drums and hardcore bark that belies its more tender origins. The EP deals with the impact of the band losing three close friends in recent years, and ‘Ain’t My Game’ sees them reflect on both their friends’ and their own ethos of living for the now and for yourself, instead of being caught up in anyone else’s idea of how things should be. In a hair over three minutes, Speed issue another timely reminder of hardcore’s enduring community spirit and their mastery of the genre. – Will Marshall
Unto Others – What I Did
Who doesn’t love a cheeky Halloween release? It’s the time of year when the aesthetic and true spookiness (Or indeed, campness) of metal can truly be allowed to thrive. Goth metal crew Unto Others are clearly fans of the holiday because they’re gearing up to release their second I Believe In Halloween EP on October 17th. ‘What I Did’ is the first track from that, and it’s a short, fun little track which sees Gabriel Franco narrating a short story about having one more drink that surely couldn’t turn the night he’s having on its head…right? It’s fun, a little dark and perfect listening for those dark October nights ahead. – Chris Earl
601 – Sleeper Cell (Feat. Hidden Mothers)
The second single to be lifted from the upcoming record We Are Not The Same – released November 7th via SeeHear Recordings – ‘Sleeper Cell’ sees breakbeat duo 601 uniting with Hidden Mothers’ Arian Malekpour to produce something unusual but most welcome. A meditative endeavour at odds with what one would expect from either the blackened stylings of Hidden Mothers or the frantic breakbeats of 601, ‘Sleeper Cell’ sees this unexpected collaboration probing the more ambient and atmospheric corners of 90s jungle while sounding wholly contemporary. One may be apprehensive about this collaboration, but ‘Sleeper Cell’ is ideal listening for both fans of ambient and junglists alike. – Dan Hillier
Matt Pryor – The Dishonesty
You probably know Matt Pryor for his work fronting The Get Up Kids. But it’s likely you haven’t heard him in this light. Taken from his upcoming solo record The Salton Sea – released November 14th via Big Scary Monsters / Nightshoes Syndicate – ‘The Dishonesty’ is an exposed documentation of Pryor’s long and difficult road to sobriety that harkens more thoughts of The Gaslight Anthem and The Menzingers than of any of the main project Pryor is known for. It’s a brilliant track, one vulnerable thematically and one perfectly autumnal sonically. – Dan Hillier
Ghold – Cauterise
Whilst this record may be taken from a record called Bludgeoning Simulations (released November 14th via Human Worth) and recorded in a remote studio in the windswept valleys of most rural Wales, ‘Cauterise’ is still more menacing than one would anticipate. A creeping, corrosive and viscous shot of sludge that forgoes obnoxious heaviness in favour of creating an atmosphere of total unease, this slab of noise sees Ghold viscerally animating that state of isolated tension that has long become inherent with modern living via sonic suffocation. It’s by far long removed from anything one would call pleasant, but there’s no denying ‘Cauterise’ is a song that truly mirrors the sorry and frightening state of our sociopolitical climate right now. – Dan Hillier
The Devil Wears Prada – Eyes
Coming hot off the heels of previous single ‘So Low’ comes ‘Eyes’, The Devil Wears Prada now exploring electronic territory in its intro before their now-trademark take on metalcore they’ve been refining and iterating on for years. Synth lines propel the song throughout through to its conclusion, offering a melodic counterpoint to their dual vocals. Of the song, DePoyster explains “‘Eyes’ is a song about desperately yearning for answers, wondering why you keep ending up in the same place without a clear path forward. When you’re caught in a wave of anxiety and the things you’ve been taught are of little help, you’re desperate for clarity and hope.” – Will Marshall