Bleak Soul – Suffer Through
It’s mad to think it’s been exactly eight years since As It Is released their widely-cerebrated record Dial Tones. However, for previous member Benjamin Langford-Biss, now is not the time for rose-tinted retrospection. In contrary, it’s time to look towards the future, something they’re doing with their latest single under the Bleak Soul moniker, ‘Suffer Through’. The first of a string of monthly singles to come this year, ‘Suffer Through’ is a celebration of Langford-Biss’ newly embraced queerness that not only see’s them growing as artist, but Bleak Soul as a creative vessel and collective too. “What started as a song about the fact that I don’t remember dreams and our formative experiences, has now become a tribute to my late-blooming, long repressed queerness”, states Langford-Biss on the track. “Growing up where I did, surrounded by the fragile American Pie-esque masculinity, meant I didn’t come to realize things about myself until closer to my 30s. There is an underlying self-aware sarcasm with the chorus lyrics, in that I am fully aware I lived with straight privilege for the majority of my life, and have not faced the discrimination other members of our community have, for simply just existing. Bleak Soul isn’t my solo project anymore – we are a band composed of three LGBTQ+ people that I love dearly, and since my self-actualisation I’ve been pretty happy in life – not very on brand I know – so it was time to start looking outward and backwards for new inspiration. Our last record took a dig at the noise of people with nothing to say, and this time, this year, I feel we have some things to say.” – Dan Hillier
Full Of Hell x Primitive Man – Rubble Home
In the current age of fantastic and intriguing collaborations appearing week in week out, even the most hardcore of music fans will be treated to something special. And Full Of Hell and their friends in Primitive Man have crawled out of the mangiest cave of sounds to provide a disgustingly dark and offensive gift to us all. The lead single from ‘Suffocating Hallucination’ a gloomy mix of Primitive Man’s doomy heaviness and Full Of Hell’s chaotic, throat scratching grindcore. As insane as this all sounds the two work in a blood bond like harmony. Layer upon layers deafening noise accompanied by the varied vocal styles of Dylan Walker and Ethan Lee McCarthy is brutal but oh so satisfying. – Adam Vallely
JOHN – Hopper on the Dial
Kicking off 2023 with a slower affair than their usual high tempo rhythmic stylings, ‘Hopper on the Dial’ is a dream like affair. “The title eludes to the contemplative characters of Edward Hopper’s paintings” and this also shines through the grittiness of the music. John Newton’s vocals and Johnny Healey’s guitars offer an industrial harshness yet spatial dynamic. This track is certainly a reflection on the surroundings of the modern world. As John mentions the duo are “really pleased to be able to still feel like we’re developing as a band after almost a decade on the road.” And this is a grand example of the next steps JOHN are taking. – Adam Vallely
As Everything Unfolds – Ultraviolet
As Everything Unfolds have been drip-feeding singles teasing their new era for a couple of months now, and Ultraviolet, their second album, has just been announced accompanying the release of its title track. It’s a sonic departure unlike anything they’ve done before, introducing a nu-metal bounce in the riff and even scratches. That’s not to say it’s unrecognisable; it’s still easily identified as their work, but with a new slant on it that shows they’ve refused to stand still musically. The album itself is a document of how the band were thinking and feeling during its creation, from progressing musically to the frustration felt by everyone in an exceptionally difficult few years. Of the song itself, vocalist Charlie Rolfe explains “This song is about taking back control, and that internal power you feel in taking back the control. Using the overarching concept of ultraviolet light, it’s a great metaphor for how there’s now a new perspective on life in this new version of ourselves.” They’ve well and truly shown us that new version, and Ultraviolet can’t come soon enough. – Will Marshall
The Ocean – Preboreal
After half a year touring the planet in support of their phenomenal double album Phanerozoic, one would safe in assuming that The Ocean would be taking some well deserved time off. Such isn’t way the way of The Ocean though; to coincide with their upcoming tour with Karnivool, the Berlin-based post-metal titans are back with ‘Preboreal’. Whilst the sub-five minute track is far removed from the band’s more Odyssean work, the track see’s the band condensing their wide-angled approach to songwriting into short albeit powerful lamentation of our failing mental faculties a species. Perhaps this shorter track is a reflection of that, but regardless, this is set to rattle some stages when the band return to the road soon. – Dan Hiller
Entheos – I Am the Void
Entheos are back at it again with their own disgusting brand of progressive death metal. This track brings something a little different to the table, marking an evolution in their sound. It starts out with a fuzzy melodic line that brings in the demonic growls of vocalist Channel Crabb. Crabb also flexes her clean vocal chops with some nice double tracked action, over a sparse soundscape of driving chord heavy guitar riffs and arena rock drumming. A haunting melody finishes it off, giving the impression of a track that acts as a fulcrum around which the musical ideas of the second half of the album will revolve. – Rob Bown
DieHumane – Oblivion
Occasionally, a musical left turn brings a pleasant surprise unforeseen. Formed in 2020, DieHumane sees former Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt team up with one time Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato. ‘Oblivion’ is the first taster from Diehumane’s debut album due out in May. It’s an enthralling six and half minutes’ slice of heavy, cathartic, doomy moodiness. Expansive in scope, it features several parts which takes you along many surprising paths. The opening guitar picking and clean vocals explodes into heavy doomy riffy goodness. At various stages, separate saxophone and piano breaks are applied, before leading to a glorious cathartic release as Garret West’s vocals take an intense turn. Multi-layered with keyboards, strings, and piano embellishments, combine to great effect. While lyrically, the themes of isolation and self-loathing borders on heart-breaking, the accompanying soundscapes is fittingly brave, widely expansive, and powerful on many levels. – Andy Little
Stoned Jesus – Thoughts and Prayers
Iconic Ukrainian psychedelic stoner rock trio Stoned Jesus deliver what they’re best known for, long, heavy grooves with new single ‘Thoughts and Prayers’. Lyrically taking aim at the large media presence but lack of real action over the war in their home country through a relatively restrained six and a half minute psych jam. With what might be one of the coolest riffs of their career so far, with a big Opeth influence shining through, and crooning vocals full of retro swagger, ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ is a great taste of things to come when Stoned Jesus’s latest full length album is released in March. – Tom Bruce
Sleep Token – Granite / Aqua Regia
Not content to drop two career-best songs earlier this month, anonymous collective Sleep Token have thrown a further two into the mix, this time marking an even greater musical expansion than before. The first, ‘Granite’, lulls into a false sense of security in its synths backing Vessel’s already-iconic vocal line, suggesting a huge breakdown to come. But it doesn’t – at least, not immediately. Instead, the band detour into R&B, as Vessel intones “I was more than just a body in your passenger seat / And you were more than just somebody I was destined to meet”. Naturally, their heavier tendencies do take over – but not before the halfway mark, when they’ve already made a case that they could pivot to being an R&B act with very little fuss and still write great songs. Then with ‘Aqua Regia’, the band that’ve just thrown out both R&B and funk songs, they throw in a soft, dreamy synth ballad. At this point, the eclecticism could very easily be off-putting or lead to half-baked songs that sound far too incongruous and dissimilar; but with Sleep Token, they don’t. The singular voice and creative vision of Vessel ensures that every song is unequivocally Sleep Token, despite the vast musical ground covered. Emotional, captivating and total earworms, all four singles have shown a breadth of influence and musical growth that suggests their (assumed) upcoming third album will send them stratospheric. – Will Marshall
Calva Louise – Third Class Citizen
Manchester based multi-cultured group Calva Louise have ventured a bold foray into new territory, having experimented with genre ranging through indie, punk, rock, and incorporating a wide array of electronic noise into their sound from day one, the band have finally snapped and gone all out heavy. “I’m not a fucking third class citizen” barks frontwoman Jess Allanic, as the band blast through a wild concoction of industrial noise, clanking metal sounds echoing like a hammer to an anvil, bolstering the filthy riffing of the guitar and intense pounding of the drums. “RESPECT MOTHERFUCKER”, this is Calva Louise at their most ferocious, angry, and outright feral. For the band to have taken such a huge leap in their sound and hit the ground running, you’d think this was the style of music they’ve been putting out from the get go. Only time will tell the plethora of sounds this band may yet be capable of, and we await with bated breath to see what one of the UK’s most exciting young bands will do next. – Elliot Grimmie
Rise Of The Northstar – One Love
Hip-hop beats and distorted vocals bring in the new era of nu-hardcore outfit Rise Of The Northstar, a hefty stomper of a track perfect for banging your head to. We haven’t had a new record from the French crossover crew since 2018, but now they’re back, better than ever and ready to shake the world with their unique breed of hip-hop hardcore. A French band who sing primarily in English (though they do also use French sometimes), taking lyrical influences from Japanese culture and media, whilst maintaining an air of street camaraderie, ‘One Love’ is a big, bulky heavy hitter, each kick of the drum, each crunch of the guitar hitting like the delivery of a charged up punch to the face in a street fight. Hopefully the release of new music in 2023 may see the band hitting UK shores for the first time since 2019, as the future feels bolder and brighter than ever for this band, with ‘One Love’ serving as a colossal reminder that this band haven’t and won’t be losing their edge any time soon. – Elliot Grimmie
Black Honey- Up Against It
It’s going to be a big year for Brighton based indie rock band Black Honey with their upcoming third album A Fistful of Peaches generating a ton of buzz. Their latest single Up Against It, with fuzzed out instruments reminiscent of Pixies, lilting vocals from frontwoman Izzy B. Philips and chunky, lo-fi production, is definitely building anticipation for the full length release. This is Black Honey at their most unique and interesting, sounding different to any of their previous work while keeping their unique signature. – Tom Bruce
City and Colour – Underground
The long awaited and much anticipated wait is over, City and Colour – aka Dallas Green – has released his new single ‘Underground’ alongside the announcing his seventh album The Love Still Held Me Near. This news follows City and Colour’s return in November, 2022 with the first single from the album ‘Meant To Be’. Green says the album was born out of unimaginable loss and the journey through the subsequent grief and heartache. The album explores these feelings as well as the need to reach inside oneself to find the comfort that leads to the light once again. ‘Underground’ features Green’s signature croon alongside thoughtful lyrics and themes. discussing living in the present and making the most of every day, being dictated by love and freedom rather than fear and loathing. – Jac Holloway
Half Happy – Runaway Girl
Cardiff’s Half Happy are back with their pleasantly airy and melodically stunning single, ‘Runaway Girl’. The indie dreampop outfit effortlessly combine angelic tones and an uplifting and ambient backdrop of sound with an element of groove that juxtaposes prominent drum and riff patterns. Citing influences such as Wolf Alice, The Maria’s and Men I Trust amongst others the band are very much pushing through their infancy with finesse and consideration. The band recently announced they are part of the Forté Project, an artist development scheme supporting a variety of rising and upcoming Welsh artists looking to make a name for themselves. This usually incorporates being bought into a network of eclectic artists/genres and provides help in accessing the incredible network of live opportunities Cardiff has to offer. A great opportunity for a band looking to bring their fresh take on the genre to the masses. – Jac Holloway
Black Coast – Mercy
Invoking a creeping atmosphere akin to oldschool Deftones or Crazy Town tracks, with otherworldly guitar prongs played with a softer touch, Black Coast’s latest track ‘Mercy’ is a masterclass in portraying the calm before the storm. The track lulls forward in a sleepy, exhausted motion before bursting to life as vocalist Charlie Hewitt flex’s how far his vocals have come since the bands inception, both his harsh and clean singing capability tighter than ever before, the band are able to deliver huge nu-metal tracks that sound like they’re straight from the glory days of early noughties Linkin Park and Papa Roach, with a huge, memorable chorus and a crushing bridge that harkens back to the band’s earlier hardcore influence. The track is taken from their upcoming self-titled EP, due for release in April. If you haven’t checked this criminally understated band out yet, with a kickass new track and more new music on the way, now is the time to let Black Coast into your ears. – Elliot Grimmie