Chat Pile – Pen I S Mall
The second track off the upcoming release Who Loves The Sun, is the usual unhinged, sludgy affair we’ve come to know and love from Chat Pile. The track is more reminiscent of their EP Remove Your Skin Please, a heady, heavy, horrid stomper, with Raygun Busch in a more screamy mood than usual. The kicker is the bong rip breakdown, which slaps, and will most likely reduce any venue they play to rubble. This is Chat Pile at their best, whacky, weird, yet strangely melodic in their affairs, whilst keeping that cutting edge that has garnered the band so much (warranted) attention over these last six or so years. – Rob Bown
Rezn – Aerial Birth
Rezn grace us with another soaring powerful post-metal offering. Replete with fuzzed out riffs, string section and soundscapes to match. The psychedelic stylings lope through the undergrowth of a forest, building a sense of landscape and story at once, as the ethereal vocals neatly canopy the sparse yet striking guitar work. The bass is also nice and present, quietly thrumming away its groovy doom laden dealings. Whilst not as heavy as the previous single ‘Cloudfall’, ‘Aerial Birth’ manages to capture a different kind of heaviness, more moody whilst being uplifting at the same time. This is a supremely well constructed track, infinite in its complexity, yet digestible enough to provide an earworm or two that’s sure to stick around long after it’s finished. – Rob Bown
Initiate – Numb the Pain
Hot off a raucous showing at Outbreak Festival, SoCal hardcore mob Initiate have unveiled their first new music since last year’s standalone single in EP With Love // With Rage out 7 August via their new home at Blue Grape Music. Lead single ‘Numb the Pain’ showcases their particular brand of hardcore well; grooving riffs and lead guitar lines that don’t shy away from melodicism, capped by Crystal Pak’s forceful bark shot through with emotion. Her singing takes on a more grungy tone, exposing the vulnerability that lies at the core of Initiate‘s writing. It’s a scorching reintroduction to one of hardcore’s most exciting rising voices. – Will Marshall
Future Palace – Tidal Waves
German metalcore trio Future Palace are on the cusp of their new album Resurgence, and with latest single ‘Tidal Waves’ they’re showing a vastly different side to them than fans may be used to. While previous singles like ‘Resurge’ and ‘Deep Blue’ have charted nu metal flecked waters with crunching guitars and electronic flourishes, ‘Tidal Waves’ is their version of a power ballad. Dedicated to her sister and about the love she holds for her, it’s an emotionally raw, vulnerable song driven by Maria Lessing’s vocal, her bandmates supporting with dramatic drums and washes of guitar. Electronics still skitter at the borders of the song, but are more synth-led this time. Lessing explains, “this is probably the most important song I have ever written. It was extremely hard for me to write and I have failed to write a good song about this very important topic over and over again these past years. To sum it up: This song is about true love and how it feels. It can be very hard to recognize true love, but I personally found it in the role of being a big sister. Being someone who protects, cares, and always finds the time and patience to be there. I tried, and still try, my best to keep my younger sister from the pain that I had to go through. Even though we already went through a lot of pain together in our lifes, but it made our bond only stronger. I feel like no one will ever truly understand you like a close sibling does.” – Will Marshall
Lifesick – At War With You
Lifesick have never been afraid to lean more into the metal side of metallic hardcore, specifically death metal and that’s on full show on their scathing new single, ‘At War With You’. The second new track from the Danes in a few months, this one is a smidge over two minutes of furious rage, driven by personal conflict. It’s a little bit dirty and the production gives it a filthy edge, which is only compounded by the latter half of the track’s bludgeoning double bass moments and crunching breakdowns. One of the most underrated metallic hardcore bands at the moment, Lifesick may be gearing up for another full length after their 2024 effort Loved By None, Hated By All and if that’s the case, keep an eye out for it if you love scuzzy, skull crushing heaviness. – Chris Earl
Negative Frame – Cut Throat
Thrashy hardcore London mob Negative Frame have built up a stellar reputation for themselves over the last few years with intense live shows and a vicious sound. With their debut full length Break the Ice scheduled to drop on 7 October, the newest track to drop from it is the emotionally heavy ‘Cut Throat’. A deeply personal track, the song deals with the deaths of two personal friends of vocalist Kesari Gorin. Dealing with the stages of grief, it may not seem obvious at first given the hard musical backdrop, but Kesari’s pained lyrics and vocal delivery come through and the track stands out amongst the already released singles for being heavily weighted in anguish. On the musical side, there’s more than enough stomp, riffs and a catharsis laden guitar solo to enjoy and it sets the stage for a strong debut. – Chris Earl
Against The Current – Always You & I
Though they’re yet to announce their new album, it’s clear one is approaching for alt rock trio Against The Current. Having recently celebrated their 15th anniversary with a global tour, they’re slowly rolling out songs that showcase different aspects of their new era. Previous single ‘Dead Man Walking’ was almost fatalistic, dealing with unfamiliarity and survival, while ‘Always You & I’ is far more cinematic in scope and romantic in tone. Conjuring widescreen melodies and a dramatic vocal performance from Chrissy Costanza, it’s a bold, triumphant declaration that this is perhaps their most adventurous body of work yet. – Will Marshall
Citizen – I Can See You Here
Stadium sized sad boys Citizen sure know how to make spectacular, almost ethereal pieces of music, don’t they? The third single from their upcoming August release Halcyon Blues, ‘I can See You From Here’ is a soaring slab of powerful, wistful alternative rock that simultaneously pulls on the heartstrings and makes you want to wave your arms in the air in contentment. The “When you hear about me, does that make you happy” line is begging to be screamed at the top of five thousand lungs in unison, and that’s where Citizen are these days, perched as one of the best rock acts in the world right now. This album sees the Ohio crew at top of their game, commanding the emotional state of enormous crowds and preparing to break hearts all over again come August. – Chris Earl
To The Grave – Nail Mary
As pissed off and angry as ever, To The Grave have unveiled their new song, ‘Nail Mary’, to a flood of praise from fans and backlash from a certain religious sect. Not a band to back down, the intense vocals from Dave Evans combined with the thick guitars vibrate through your speakers to create a grisly listen. Backed by a music video which is less graphic than the band normally release, To The Grave announce their new forthcoming album, Liberation Front. – Liam True
Mental Cruelty – The Serpent of Midgard
Against a backdrop of blast beats, the German deathcore heavyweights return with ‘The Serpent of Midgard’. A thunderous show of lyrical storytelling depicting the final battle between Thor and the serpent, with vocalist Lukas Nicolai hitting high and low screams to rumble the earth’s crust, as the guitar tone is ferocious as the band get low and slow before switching back to speedy riffs. – Liam True