Haggard Cat – I Hate It Here
Everyone’s favourite mental moggies are back. The first taste of Haggard Cat’s upcoming LP The Pain That Orbits Life – released May 8th via Church Road Records – whilst ‘I Hate It Here’ may have took almost five years to grace our ears, this track appears to be a testament to the saying that good things come to those who wait. A brilliant return from the noisenik hellraisers, here, Haggard Cat interfuse their adrenaline-charged alt-rock with additional synths and newfound progressive dynamism to brilliant effect. And yes, whilst the notion of Haggard Cat toying with prog and synths may be an odd prospect on paper, there’s no denying that it feels utterly natural here. ‘I Hate It Here’ feels like witnessing evolution first hand and stands as a wonderful return from one of the UK’s best. – Dan Hillier
Lightning Bolt – Cloud Core
Sounding akin to a mechanical calculator trying to divide by 0 whilst some poor 20th century mathematician warbles in horror at the carnage they’ve wrought, as one can imagine, the new single from Lightning Bolt is mad. But what else would you expect from the noise rock veterans. Ripped from their upcoming split EP with Japanese experimentalists OOIOO, ‘Cloud Core’ is four-and-a-half-minutes of high-pressure percussion and distorted fretwork that sounds as industrialist as it does deeply human. It’s utter brain scrambling and ear destroying nonsense, but there’s not a chance machines or AI could make music this weird and wonderful. – Dan Hillier
Wot Gorilla? – Clowns
Continuing to show that Wot Gorilla? have aged like only the finest of wines, ‘Clowns’ see’s the math-rock veterans sounding better than ever. The second single to be taken from their forthcoming LP Stay Home, ‘Clowns’ is a biting lambast of climate change denialism that’s delivered with a sense of technicality that perfectly sits between the realms of whimsy and urgency. Much like how their previous single ‘Young Man’s Game’ proved, it appears time has only tempered the band’s approach to math rock, with this single all containing pop sensibilities, post-hardcore leanings and prog inclinations in a way that’s simply concise and digestible. We may have been waiting a long 15 years for a new Wot Gorilla? record, but if this is anything to go by, it appears Stay Home may be well worth the wait. – Dan Hillier
Doodseskader – Weaponizing My Failures
If you were one of the Roadburners who discovered Doodseskader last year, you most likely left the festival as a fan. What sets this bilingual duo from Ghent apart from their peers is their effortless ability to blend multiple alternative genres without ever feeling convoluted or opportunistic. Based on their first two singles from the highly anticipated third album The Change Is Me, set for release 3rd April, there’s every reason to be excited. Their first track, ‘No Laughter Left In Me’, is a vibrant track infused with elements of hardcore, electronica, and experimental hip-hop. However, with their newest single “Weaponizing My Failures”, Doodseskader showcases a more introspective and emotional depth, drawing direct inspiration from shoegaze and post-metal. These lads aren’t here for the party; they give you the perfect soundtrack for your ride home. Forget about Amenra and Oathbreaker, because Doodseskader is where Belgian excellence is at right now. Until all is 45. – Nessie Spencer
It Happened One Night – Opinion Ender
Named after arguably the greatest romcom of all time, (made in 1934 and this reference is yet to be confirmed) It Happened One Night are a brand spanking new band from the depths of Detroit, Michigan. The “first five songs” ep (on which there is 7 songs just to fuck with you) contains the first single which is one minute, forty-nine seconds of brutal screamo, raw, rough and ready. Only to break briefly quite literally for a breather (if listened to closely enough). Setting the scene of hopefully what is to be a fierce debut release coming on the 13th of February. – Adam Vallely
The Barbarians of California – Bomb To A Knife Fight
Off the back of being announced to tour with Converge, Poison The Well & The Armed in May (crowdfunding for flights to be sent directly to the Noizze account please), The Barbarians Of California have released a song that very much lives up to its title. Epic, killer, brutal, brick to the head heaviness. Big oosh! Put earplugs in under your headphones because this will reverberate around your brain even if you poured concrete inside your ear canals. This is relentless and with a touch of humour through the lyrics and delivery, this is a must listen. If you want coaching on how to make heavy music, take notes from this. – Adam Vallely
Sun Guts – Sphyxia
Car Bomb axeman Greg Kubacki releases the final single, ‘Sphyxia’ of his upcoming solo debut album under the moniker Sun Guts. Out of all three singles, ‘Sphyxia’ is perhaps the most familiar yet when it comes to expectations regarding all things Car Bomb-related as it hits that sweet spot of being both polyrythmically unpredictable and gloriously chug-tastic, bringing to mind some of Meta‘s heaviest moments. Talk about having both the brains and the brawn. With this last palate teaser before the full course is served on February 10th, mathcore and prog fans have plenty to look forward to. Although the cooking is familiar, nothing beats a tried and tested recipe with a little extra spice to make things funkier. – Avrian O’Brien
City & Colour – Rain When I Die (Alice In Chains cover)
City & Colour, the enchanting indie-folk project of Dallas Green (who, funnily enough, also plays in the relatively obscure, totally unknown Ontarian metalcore band Alexisonfire), has graced us with his latest EP, Covers, Pt. 4. Are you ready to be in your feels? Because this cover of one of the most underrated Alice In Chains songs will get you there. Picture this: it’s Friday night, and you’re painfully single, bored, broke, and still pissed off from that infuriating meeting that absolutely should have been an email. As you lie in bed and press play, Dallas Green starts singing to heal your wounds with his lush guitar melodies and soulful voice, offering a beautiful reinterpretation of a song originally brought to life by the late, legendary Layne Staley. The entire EP embodies this captivating magnetism—ethereal, pure, and ever faithful to the essence of the originals. A hidden gem that deserves all the love in the world – Nessie Spencer
Mothica – Save Your Roses
After introducing her new ‘Rockica’ arc with previous single ‘Evergreen Misery’, McKenzie Ellis, better known as alt-pop musician Mothica has unveiled a new song and EP, the latter, Something In Between, out 20 February on her new home at SharpTone Records. The new single, ‘Save Your Roses’, opens with a crunching, modern metalcore riff, while the chorus is an immediate earworm. Never one to shy away from tough topics, she explains, “the verses are about how intoxicating it is to lose yourself in drugs, and mirrors my experience with sobriety. The lyric in the chorus ‘Don’t save your roses for my grave’ is inspired by a conversation I had with a fan after one of my shows in Paris. They said ‘I believe we should give people their flowers while they’re here.’ That stuck with me, that we often tell people how much they mean to us only after they’re gone.” – Will Marshall
Froglord – They Came From Saturn
2026 is poised to be one hell of a year for sludge lovers, featuring highly anticipated albums from Corrosion of Conformity, Soul of Anubis, Desert Storm, and Witchrot, but also thanks to the return of the legendary Acid Bath to European shores this summer. The UK sludge scene has a lot to offer as well, particularly with Bristol-based band Froglord, who have re-recorded some of their tracks in a new collection titled Lower and Slower Vol. 1, which will be released on 4th March. The first track, ‘They Came From Saturn’, originally featured on their 2021 album The Mystic Toad and provides a heavy and atmospheric experience that immerses listeners in their psychedelic, Iommi-inspired sound. To top it off, all digital proceeds and 50% of merch profits will be donated to the WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust), a longstanding nationwide conservation charity dedicated to protecting and restoring wetlands for wildlife and people. Slow sludgy riffs with a purpose, what’s not to love? – Nessie Spencer
Bucket – Nonsense
Swirling noise, a banging,foot tapping drum beat, feeling like a panic at the disco, then chucking in some Dillinger Escape Plan-esque mathcore for good measure. Throwing you around the worlds of alternative musical genres as the band state, “‘Nonsense’ was mixed and engineered by Dublin electronic producer James Eager (Lankum, The Scratch), with the band pulling as much from electronic music as from noise rock and hardcore.” Bucket are well worth checking out at ArcTanGent this year. – Adam Vallely
The Silver – Two Candles
Following their 2021 debut album Ward Of Roses, Philadelphia’s The Silver announce their sophomore LP Looking Glass Hymnal Blue with lead single ‘Two Candles’, a nine minute long dramatic piece that sets the stage for what appears to be a conceptual story marked both by impossible yearning and haunted tragedy. Featuring members of Horrendous and Crypt Sermon, The Silver tackle black metal with a broad scope and experimental approach, weaving its feral, icy aggression with a theatrical, gothic and romantic tone to bring their vision to life. Shakesperian tirades over lost love meet blast beats, tremolo riffs and hair-raising shrieks, with an emphasis on technicality and experimentation that prevents any potential campiness from casting a shade over such a prospect. Looking Glass Hymnal Blue comes out on 20 March and will be one of Gilead Media’s final releases. – Avrian O’Brien
Fightmilk – Sounds Like A You Problem
The last several years have seen everyone harden in some respect. Be it emotionally, spiritually or quite literally physically, the adversity and never-ceasing trauma that has characterised post-pandemic life has caused all of us to strengthen our resolves in some way or form. Fightmilk are no exception and ‘Sounds Like A You Problem’ shows this throughly. A tale of surviving abuse, here, the power-pop gang callous their approach and grit their sound in order to present something unapologetically confrontational. Granted, all the sprightly spirit and non-stop hooks that have defined Fightmilk remain unaltered, but still, this is far more muscular than one might expect from this band. – Dan Hillier