Happy Valentine's! Granted, cuddly teddy bears and love hearts don't seem metal on the surface of it, but if you know that Saint Valentine was actually martyred and had his head lopped off, and given metal's penchant for doomed romance (Type O Negative, Black Sabbath, HIM... take your pick!) we'd say there's still plenty of reasons to celebrate today. Not least of which is a fresh batch of new songs for your listening pleasure.
But first, the results of last week's vote! There were some heavy hitters and oddities out in force, but it was established bands all round who took podium places in the end. Rivers Of Nihil's sax-laden House Of Light took an admirable third place, while Arch Enemy gleefuly dived into 80s grandstanding with Paper Tiger. The overall champions however were Spiritbox, that band's ascent looking unstoppable as they rack up Grammy nominations and pack out arenas like Alexandra Palace.
We've got another stacked line-up for you this week with new singles from Lacuna Coil, Lordi and Sicksense, as well as a re-recorded Ozzy Osbourne feature that adds an extra layer of poignance to the Prince Of Darkness's impending retirement. As ever, don't forget to cast your vote in the poll below - and have a fantastic weekend!
Billy Morrison ft. Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Stevens - Gods Of Rock N Roll
It's no surprise that Ozzy's dominated the headlines again this week as tickets went on sale for his Back To The Beginning farewell performance. But if there's a bittersweetness to the thought of the Prince Of Darkness hanging up his spurs for the final time, it's tempered by a reminder of the excellent music he's given us over the past 50+ years as best mate Billy Morrison released a re-recording of his 2015 Ozzy team-up Gods Of Rock N Roll. With an added symphonic swells, it's an extra poignant reminder that there's more to Ozzy than just Sabbath or even Crazy Train, his ballads among the best in heavy metal history.
Lacuna Coil - I Wish You Were Dead
How's that for a Valentine's sentiment? Lacuna Coil might've started out in the realms of goth metal, but they've steadily expanded their sound over the past 20+ years to incorporate other subgenres and styles. While they've generally gotten heavier over the past couple of albums - and the freshly released Sleepless Empire certainly doesn't break that trend - latest single I Wish You Were Dead is instead a straight-ahead club metal banger, the song's massive hook delivered with gusto by a band who're no strangers to singalongs.
Lordi - Hellizabeth
Almost 20 years since they won Eurovision and inspired countless oteher metal bands to participate in the competition, Lordi remain largely unchanged. They might dress like GWAR's more moderate cousins, but their sound is rooted in pure 80s heavy metal/hard rock cheese, like a collision between King Diamond and Toto. Hellizabeth delivers on that promise with an oh-so-brilliant chorus and some glorious guitar solos that'll have you pining for the days hairspray and latex.
Dawn Of Ouroboros - Slipping Burgandy
Oakland's Dawn Of Ouroboros have always struck a balance between explosive black metal and serene melody, but with producer Lewis Johns (Rolo Tomassi, Conjurer, Svalbard) twiddling the dials for their upcoming third album Bioluminescence - out March 7 - those elements seem more vivid and stark than ever before. Previous single Bioluminescence perfectly illustrated the dynamics at play, but with new song Slipping Burgandy add more of a grandiose sense of intrigue, only to bring everything crashing back down with a colossal breakout in the song's latter half. It's a thrilling spectacle, and has us excited for the album.
Sicksense - In This Carousel
Sicksense might be the nu metal flex for former Agonist vocalist Vicky Psarakis, but on latest single there's an air of Jinjer-like cosmic prog metal. From the shimmering opening guitars to Vicky's vocals which swing from smooth, lilting melodies to harsh, guttural screams, Sicksense capture the mood perfectly whilst infusing their own nu metal inspirations into the mix to create something completely immersive and brilliant. Keep your eyes out for their debut Cross Me Twice on March 28.
Tiktaalika - Lost Continent (ft. Tommy Rogers)
The pseudonym used by Haken guitarist Charlie Griffiths' solo output, Tiktaalika's latest single bridges epic, old school metal with a sense of extremity and prog weirdness for a delicious, super weird gumbo. Titled Lost Continent, the track features fellow modern prog metal champion Tommy Rogers of Between The Buried And Me, the pair joining forces to create a sumptuous buffet of riffs. Think Voivod by way of Urne and you've got a good sense of the expansive scope the song has.
Storm - Walking Dead
Metalcore has long been treated as the new kid on the block so far as metal subgenres goes (despite being popular for over 20 years by this point), but its reputation for bringing fresh-faced new talent to the metal scene still stands. It doesn't come much more fresh-faced than Storm, however; the 16-year old Norwegian artist has been making waves online and latest single Walking Dead offers a decidedly contemporary spin on the style with modern pop elements mixed in amidst the snarls, howls and breakdowns inherent to the genre.
Battlesnake - The Fathers Of Iron Flesh
Like riffs? Miss when metal bands were madder than a box of frogs? Battlesnake have you covered if so, the colourful Aussies making their return this week with The Fathers Of Iron Flesh, a strutting retro-rock sounding track that soon gives way to jolting breakouts (think Blood And Thunder by Mastodon). With the band returning to the UK this summer - for headline shows as well as festival appearances - it's a good time to familiarise yourselves with their quirky brand of old school rock'n'roll.
Imperial Triumphant - Pleasuredome (ft. Dave Lombardo & Tomas Haake)
Trust New York's avant-garde extreme metal masters Imperial Triumphant to come up with something utterly mind boggling. Latest single Pleasuredome starts out with lurking meance, only to burst out into what can only be described as a jazz take on the blastbeat that again transforms later into a tribal samba breakout. Thankfully they've got some serious talent behind the kit to help land the utter mania in the form of thrash legend Dave Lombardo, while Meshuggah's own sticksman Tomas Haake pops up... to do a spoken word bit. Yeah, fucking mad.
Tetrarch - Never Again (Parasite)
Tetrarch got the jump on almost everyone in the nu metal revival by becoming the movement's first rising stars, so seeing them gearing up for a third album is exciting stuff. The Ugly Side Of Me is set for a May 9 release and latest single Never Again (Parasite) hones in on the band's ear for hooky earworms, a song which bridges the likes of Korn and Linkin Park whilst offering its own sonic imprint. This feels like a future metal club banger.
BEX - Crybaby
Bouncy, infectious and buzzing with elecro punk intensity, BEX is a rising star of the nu gen. Latest single Crybaby captures the scene's genre-hopping tendencies with a wild-eyed magpie sensibility that sees the British artist mix pounding alt. rock riffs, pop choruses and lurching low-end that wouldn't feel amiss in 90s nu metal. The fact the track features songwriting credits by Sam Matlock of Wargasm only adds to the sense that BEX is clearly tapped in to this vibrant new wave.
Iron Form - Becoming The Blade
Metalcore newcomers Iron Form announce themselves with the emotive, thumping Becoming The Blade. Drawing heavily on post-hardcore, there's more than a hint of Svalbard's own ultra-emotional blasts of bracing noise to the single, which is hardly surprising given bandmemeber Alex Heffernan played with the group from 2019 to 2020. Taken from the band's debut EP Cut From Cold Blood, due March 21, it's another sign that British metal is in fine health.
![Iron Form - Become The Blade [Official visualiser] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-rmhw1dsNSI/maxresdefault.jpg)
