April is (almost) here! With this week's new releases, we're officially through a quarter of 2025 and already it's shaping up to be massive. Spiritbox, Killswitch Engage, Architects, Arch Enemy, Cradle Of Filth, Deafheaven... to think we've managed to cram that into the first three months of 2025 alone is insane. But, we're not done yet - not by a long shot!
That in mind, here are the results of last week's vote! We'd got a hefty mix of bands in the running last week, but the top three stormed ahead of the competition. In third place, retooled French metalcore mob Novelists gave us Say My Name, in turn being beat out by Dutch symphonic metallers Blackbriar. The overall winners though - by quite some distance - were Lord Of The Lost, the german industrial-goths slinking back into the darkness of earlier records with My Sanctuary.
We've got some big names back in the running this week with new singles from Evanescence and Linkin Park, but there's also slabs of heaviness from Ihma Tarikat, as well as rising stars aplenty in the likes of Employed To Serve, Volumes, Ten56 and more. Don't forget to cast your vote in the poll below - and have an excellent weekend!
Evanescence - Afterlife
Is a new Evanescence album round the corner? We might be a tad optimistic as vocalist Amy Lee confirmed the band are currently writing their next release, but you'll have to forgive our excitement given we've got new music to chew over this week in Afterlife. Taken from the soundtrack to Netflix's upcoming anime take on Devil May Cry, the track is a typically grandiose and emotive blast of melody from the sometime-nu metal veterans. Hopefully we won't be waiting too long for more.
Linkin Park - Up From The Bottom
Speaking of bands we'd be happy to see new music from... This week Linkin Park also released a brand new single in the form of Up From The Bottom. Taken from the upcoming deluxe edition of last year's From Zero - due May 16 - the track very much carries the triumphant, back-to-roots approach the band took on that album, hitting with a hale energy and massive hooks that are almost impossible to shake once you've heard them.
Imha Tarikat - Wicked Shrine
If you prefer your metal to be steeped in the explosive energy of the underground, you'd do well to heed German black metallers Imha Tarikat. The band have just announced fourth album Confessing Darkness for a June 20 release and lead single Wicked Shrine blurs the lines between imperious black metal and thundering death metal with an oh-so-headbangable riff and some sublime guitar breakouts that'll have you raising claws to the sky.
![Imha Tarikat - Wicked Shrine [Official Music Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9arW85f2_eg/maxresdefault.jpg)
Wednesday 13 - In Misery
The Duke of Spook, Wednesday 13 has been in the horrorcore game long enough now - 20 years just as a solo artist as of this year - to perfect the art of ghoulish rock'n'roll anthemia. Sure enough, In Misery is a massive wail-along that, even before new album Mid Death Crisis arrives next month on April 25, could easily be a live favourite.
Sálezianos - Temet Nosce
Considering just about everything in the country can kill you, Australia has proven a fertile breeding ground for mind-melting extreme metal. Sure enough, newcomers Sálezianos - featuring former Scar The Martyr vocalist Henry Derek - put on an absolute masterclass in resplendent extremity with Temet Nosce. Pendulous prog metal meets Akercocke-style black metal with some seriously big left-turns to keep you guessing throughout. We'll be keenly keeping an eye out for the album from this lot.
Onslaught - Iron Fist
Onslaught taking on one of Motorhead's most furious tracks? Sign us the fuck up! It's little surprise that the UK thrashers take to this track like a duck to water and it isn't made any less delightful by sounding exactly how you hope it would. Fast, fun and fucking brilliant. Fingers crossed they'll break this one out on their upcoming tour.
The Yagas - Life Of A Widow
After a few isolated singles showed her love for the darker sides of the sonic spectrum, Vera Farmiga's dark rock group The Yagas have announced their debut album Midnight Minuet will be with us in just under a month of April 25. To celebrate that fact, the group have unveiled new single Life Of A Widow, a darkly alluring slab of alt. rock with gothic overtures that has us plenty excited about the album release.
Split Chain - Bored. Tired. Torn.
With their UK tour kicking off today, it seems perfect timing that Bristol's Split Chain have announced their debut album motionblur for a July 11 release. Album launch single Born. Tired. Torn. shows off their nu metal meets shoegaze tendencies with thumping, anthemic sensibilities that prove there's so much more to the collision of styles than mindless Deftones aping. With festivals lined up including Slam Dunk, Mystic and Download, it's looking like a massive year for the band.
Esprit D’air - Zetsubou no Hikari
Esprit D'air like to mix things up. After the sci-fi noir tones of Lost Horizon, the band have dipped their toes in the chunky, clanging tones of nu metal on new single Zetsubou no Hikari. As ever, they approach the stylistic shift without losing sense of who they are and the Japanese band's identity is stamped all over the song, a soaring melodic chorus nailing the enormity of the band's ambitious creative vision.
Ten56. - Pig
French metalcore brutes Ten56 are back with a typically thudding track in Pig. There's no melodic reprieve to be found here; this is as nasty and tooth-grindingly furious as metalcore gets before crossing over into deathcore realms (and we wouldn't discount this in that field, in all honesty), nailing a visceral sensibility that will likely translate well to live audiences when the band undertake their first headline tour of the UK in September.
Employed To Serve - Breaks Me Down
With a little under a month until new album Fallen Star arrives - April 25 - Employed To Serve are seriously ramping up the excitement. They might kick harder than a mule with lead boots, but ETS have shown capacity for surprisingly tender melodies in recent years and Breaks Me Down puts those elements front and centre... for a while at least, before diving headfirst into sludgy, chunky metalcore riffing. We do love those twinkling synths though, we won't lie.
Amira Elfeky - My Forever Overdose
After a stunning guest spot on Architects' The Sky, The Earth & All Between with the track Judgement Day, LA's Amira Elfeky has stepped up with new EP Surrender, which came out today. Tie-in single My Forever Overdose showcases her own genre-blurring tendencies, an electro beat and serpentine vocal melody giving way to breakout alt. metal choruses and some chugging, hefty metalcore guitars towards the song's close. It's a potent mix, and more than reason enough to check Amira out live when she comes to the UK in June for select headline shows and an appearance at this year's Download Festival.
