Andy Ford
November 7, 2021| Dan Hillier |FEATURES
Venom Prison, Dune Rats and Zetra – New Noizze: The 10 Must Listen Tracks Of The Week
Featuring songs about tax returns and vomit, here are the 10 best tracks released this past week.
Venom Prison – ‘Judges Of The Underworld’
Containing a total ear flayer of a central riff, a breakdown that makes oneself want to destroy a house with their forehead and more heat than the all bonfires lit over this weekend this combined, there’s no denying that the latest single from Venom Prison is one of the band’s strongest offerings to date. The first track to be taken from their wildly anticipated new record Erebos, ‘Judges Of The Underworld’ is a relentless musical assault that see’s the death metal quintet furthering their musical prowess whilst continuing to document the abject horrors of broken and irreparable systematic abuse in a way that’s harrowing poetic. “’Judges Of The Underworld’ deals with the crippling reality of people who face incarceration, who oftentimes are followed by violence over a lifetime,” state the band on the track. “This violence can present itself as a dominating factor in a context of structural poverty and racial inequality, creating roles in an individual’s life where they are not only the victim, but also witness and offender at different times in different situations. But the violence we address in our courts and prisons is judged out of social context and can therefore not lead to a fair and personalised resolution for people who are stuck in a cycle of violence and systematic oppression.” Erebos releases February 4th on Century Media, and if this single is anything to go by, it’ll be one of the most urgent, important and relentless albums of 2022. – Dan Hillier
Zetra – ‘The Raven’s Game’
Taken from the band’s upcoming extended play From Without, ‘The Raven’s Game’ is a perfect introduction to Zetra, a band that utilises a collective encyclopaedic knowledge of the heavy metal artform to create work that bridges both genres and time. Recorded with equipment and techniques that many would ignorantly dub obsolete in 2021, with it’s analogue synths and nostalgic riff ‘The Raven’s Game’ taps into the lo-fi vibes of the pioneering age all whilst sounding irrefutably modern with it’s sense of exploration and experimentation. It’s a sound of a band that knows the true value and power of handcrafted and analogue recording, and with the single harkening thoughts of original groundbreakers such as Type O Negative, Black Sabbath – as well as modern contemporaries such as Puppy and UNRE – Zetra is clearly what the scene needs in times of digital dependence. – Dan Hillier
Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – ‘Coil’
The second single from their hotly-anticipated collaborative album, Bloodmoon I, ‘Coil’ is a real slow-burner. Soft guitars underscore Chelsea Wolfe’s croon and the vocal interplay with Converge’s Jacob Bannon. The ethereal quality to Wolfe’s voice is mesmerising and the song winds gracefully at its outset. The eruption in its final moments is truly cathartic, the strings and minimalism of earlier giving way as the tempo picks up and the guitars crush. Searing leads are accentuated by Bannon’s desperate howl as the song crescendos at its conclusion; with this and the previously released ‘Blood Moon’, the album is shaping up to be something incredibly special. – Will Marshall
Der Weg einer Freiheit – ‘Immortal’
German black metallers Der Weg einer Freiheit have released a new single from their upcoming new album, Noktvrn. ‘Immortal’ takes a very different tack than some of their earlier work, with verses sung by dark folk artist Dávid Mako, aka The Devil’s Trade. These moments of foreboding intersperse the band’s blackened fury that proceed at a mid-paced stomp designed to wear down. The bold experimentalism is almost reminiscent of Zeal & Ardor as if re-imagined through a folky, gothic lens. It’s the sound of a bleak, unforgiving winter occasionally broken by the desolate sound of Mako and marks another chapter in Der Weg einer Freiheit’s experimentalist canon. – Will Marshall
Stand Atlantic – ‘Molotov [OK]’
Molotov is perhaps the most apt song title for this rip-roarer of a new single from Australian pop-punkers Stand Atlantic. The track is just over two minutes long and for a band with so much melodic talent this may be one of the furthest departures from their usual bubblegum-punk sound. ‘Molotov [OK]’ is a straight up fast-paced punk rager with Bonnie Fraser edging towards a harsher vocal and screaming her lungs out over the entire song. This heavier sound and level of angst and aggression is intensely infectious and fans will no doubt be stoked to hear it. The repeated line “Throw me like a molotov, we all fucking die alone” is sung for the majority of the song and it hits as hard as you’d expect. If this is the new chapter for Stand Atlantic then get ready to mosh hard. – Jac Holloway
JSNBSHP – ‘Moon Beam’
JSNBSHP is the solo project of Jason Bishop and he just so happens to have released his much anticipated second single ‘Moon Beam’. Following years of playing/singing in bands this is a step out of that comfort zone to deliver his most honest and raw music to date. ‘Moon Beam’ follows his debut single ‘Solar Daze’ and juxtaposes it with a moody, melancholic and brooding tone and theme. Where ‘Solar Daze’ has an uplifting upbeat vibe that plays out like an alt-pop banger, ‘Moon Beam’ is a statement of self-reflection with darker lyrics and the feeling of introspective thinking. Where this may paint the picture that the song is nothing but dark and glum that couldn’t be further from the truth, the chorus soars and instrumentally the song has moments of space to build and create an emotive outpouring that really is impressive for only a second single. – Jac Holloway
Dune Rats – ‘UP’
We may be begrudgingly entering another grim winter on this side of the equator, but for those down under, it’s about to be a scorcher. Capturing the heat of the Aussie summer – and the joy of an unexpected tax refund – is the latest single from Brisbane scrap punks Dune Rats. Frustratingly catchy, ‘UP’ see’s Dunnies infusing their already sun-kissed take on publicly intoxicated punk with even more pop inspired warmth before pumping even more energy into the mix. “‘UP’ was written on the far South Coast of Australia in a small town called Eden. It was bloody freezing at the time, so it felt necessary to write a summer tune,” state the band. “We ended up making this feel-good banger that was way different from anything we’d written before. We stumbled across the song while having a good time fucking around and cracking each other up. At first, we were reluctant to show anyone because of how different it sounded but eventually thought fuck it and embraced the tuneski!” – Dan Hillier
Wilted Flower – ‘My Next Cigarette Burn/My Next Lover’
Wilted Flower have released two brand new tracks this week “My Next Cigarette Burn” and “My Next Lover” that play out as a main single and alternative version as an accompaniment. The main single ‘My Next Cigarette Burn’ is a beautifully raw and open song. As usual the duo’s stark honesty that often tackles dark themes and self-reflection is no different with this release. Wilted Flower have a way of tackling issues and subject matter that many artists are not quite as on-the-nose with but this raw emotion and outpouring is what separates them from the rest. A song of loss and death as well as considerations around self-harm and mental health all wrapped up in the woes and experiences in one’s life yet again Wilted Flower have delivered a stunner of a song. ‘My Next Cigarette Burn’ and ‘My Next Lover’ will be part of the duo’s upcoming EP Locked Doors & Hospital Beds which is being released on the 7th January, 2022. – Jac Holloway
Parla – ‘Possession’
Cardiff based Melodic Post Hardcore Rockers Parla have dropped their venomous new single “Possession” with all the grit and tenacity you could hope for. This whirlwind of a single features moments of reprieve with a slower section accompanied with distant vocals as well as a mostly clean chorus but the rest of the song comes out of the gates swinging and ends in exactly the same way. Riffs aplenty, guitar tones that have both groove and somehow sound like a chainsaw sounding off and vocals that shift from shouty bellows to shrieking growls. The mosh call into the breakdown comes out of left field and is a welcomed addition and the chorus has a soaring quality to it that doesn’t sound out of place at all. If you like your music a little off kilter and like to live in organised chaos look no further. – Jac Holloway
Party Cannon feat. Ross Sewage – ‘Nauseating and Unpalatable’
Yes, it’s that band with that logo, and with their new single Party Cannon are here ruin your birthday. The latest single from the party-slam legends, ‘Nauseating and Unpalatable’ is literally what it says on the tin. But honestly, what much did you expect a track taken from an album that features over 200 pictures of people vomming on the artwork? With the track featuring Exhumed frontman Ross Sewage (how apt), this five minute slammer is the musical equivalent of downing the most rankest of dirty pints; it’s vile, it’s abound to diminish your IQ by at least 30 points, it will most likely ruin your future prospects, but above all else, it’s just pure unhinged fun. With the band’s upcoming record Volumes Of Vomit being regurgitated January 14th via Gore House Productions, it’s clear that the party is just getting started with this track. – Dan Hillier
