Festival season is (almost) upon us! Granted, there's a few events that pop up early in the Spring calendar - Roadburn and Inferno, for one - but with May now officially upon us eyes are cast ahead to the fields and parking lots of the UK, Europe, North America and beyond.
But while we all love a good headline set, there's nothing like making a great discovery at a festival. In that spirit - and as we do every month - we've scouted high and low to find you some of the most exciting new bands around. This month there's a double-dose out of France thanks to No Terror In The Bang and Resolve, as well as boundary-pushing alt metal - or as they coin it, "melanin punk" - from Oxymorrons and utterly devastating extremity from Meth.
At the bottom of the page you'll find our handy playlist with the latest records from all of these bands - and those we've featured elsewhere this year - so don't forget to stick that on and discover something new to love this summer. Happy listening!
Oxymorrons
Oxymorrons have a lot to say, but one word you won’t find in their vocabulary? ‘Rest.’ The foursome, from Queens, New York, began releasing music back in 2015 – but shifted gears with their 2021 EP, Mohawks & Durags, with Fever 333’s Jason Aalon Butler featuring on the song Definition and serving as a mentor who would help get their music out to the wider world.
“He’s a big advocate for our community,” says guitarist Jafé Paulino. “It was great to meet someone that we felt understood us, and not just sonically – also culturally and what we stand for.”
Since then, they’ve been on a rocket ride of playing festivals and touring with some of their favourite artists, including supporting Bad Omens in North America and joining Corey Taylor on both sides of the Atlantic for his 2023 solo shows. Pinning the band down to just one genre is a struggle. Jafé and vocalist KI explain that the band’s own label of “melanin punk” – also the title of their debut album – accurately covers the vast influences in their music, from alternative and metal to rap, hip hop and punk.
Even beyond the stylistic concerns of their sound, “melanin punk” encompasses a wider culture and lifestyle shift in alternative music that uplifts Black and Brown artists in a way we’ve not really seen until recently.
“Oxymorrons is bigger than music,” Jafé says. “It’s bigger than us. It’s more about shifting the culture. I think with everything that happened during 2020 – socially, to race relations, to the music industry – it finally felt like everything was aligning. The general public was ready for it.”
“We always knew we could be part of the change,” KI continues. “It’s bigger than the music. All this great stuff is actually touching the hearts of the people.” Yasmine Summan
Melanin Punk is out now via Mascot
Sounds Like: Stomping alt metal with a throughline to modern pop and hip hop
For Fans Of: Ho99o9, Fever 333, Sleep Token
Listen To: Definition
Resolve
Since their formation in 2017, Resolve have set out to put French metalcore on the map. They’ve shared stages with genre heavyweights such as Every Time I Die, While She Sleeps and Architects, in a quest to become their country’s answer to those bands. Resolve’s 2021 debut, Between Me And The Machine, was a solid step in the right direction, but things really took off when their single Older Days – a collaboration with Ten56. and Paleface Swiss – became a surprise viral hit in August 2023.
Mixing electronic and trap influences with a three-part vocal line, Older Days clocked up more than 700,000 views on YouTube and one million streams on Spotify, catching Resolve by surprise. “We’re too old for TikTok and it even did well on there!” jokes vocalist Anthony Diliberto.
Resolve’s mixture of visceral brutality and hopeful melodies might be typical of modern metalcore, but they don’t want to be predictable. “We didn’t want to close our music off to be only metal and breakdowns,” Anthony says. “We’re an eclectic metal band, but we do love pop stuff too and want to do more.”
Resolve are now hoping to capitalise on their newfound internet stardom when they come to the UK in May. “We’ve never done a proper headline tour outside of France,” Anthony admits. “I’m really excited… although scared at the same time, because I don’t know what to expect or what British fans will make of us, but we really want this to translate well. We’re setting our sights high!” Jen Thomas
Human is out now via Arising Empire. Resolve's UK tour starts May 4.
Sounds Like: A cathartic soundtrack for your angriest days
For Fans Of: LANDMVRKS, Bad Omens, Ten56.
Listen To: Human
No Terror In The Bang
No Terror The Bang singer Sofia Bortoluzzi cannot contain her excitement following the French progressive metal band’s all-too-brief performance at Le 106 in the group’s hometown of Rouen.
“This was definitely the best show we’ve given so far!” she enthuses. “I was so excited before the show and a bit frustrated after it because it was too short. But it was amazing.”
No Terror In The Bang’s second album, Heal, straddles a twisted intersection where massive, stop-start riffing, deft rhythms and Sofia’s tormented, harsh tones collide with her clean, mezzo-soprano vocals backed by disconcerting piano notes. “I really like to have those two personalities,” she says. “Sometimes I need to expel all the anguish inside of me… but that fragile part of me is still there.”
No Terror In The Bang was formed by a group of friends teaching and studying at a conservatory, and take their name from Alfred Hitchcock’s description of how tension generated in anticipation of an act outweighs the shock of the act itself. Sofia is looking forward to ramping up the band’s live production.
“We would like to do something bigger,” she says. “A cinematic metal show. We are just starting out, but we have a vision.” Brian Aberback
Heal is out now via Klonosphere
Sounds Like: An unsettling cabaret that attacks and bewilders through a meeting of progressive metal and distressed performance art
For Fans Of: Jinjer, Sleep Token, Spiritbox
Listen To: Warrior
Meth.
If you plan on going to a Meth. show, be prepared to see vocalist Seb Alvarez bleed. Partly influenced by a childhood love for professional wrestling, the Chicago band’s physically punishing onstage antics – set to a sludge-spattered fusion of death metal and noise – are actually a vessel for deep emotional release.
“There’s this weird sense of relief,” Seb explains. “Everything that is stressing me out, I can feel escaping. But we also want to make people feel uncomfortable.”
That makes perfect sense when you consider the sheer intensity of the noise Meth. make, particularly on new record Shame. A furious, contorted and stark piece of experimental brutality, it has allowed Seb to purge the demons that plague his mind and body, from understanding a recent bipolar diagnosis to tackling his drinking habits.
“This record needed to be as visceral as humanly possible,” he admits. “We wanted to write something that felt really heavy and gross. So, I needed to sit and stew within myself and take things on in a more therapeutic way to achieve that. It’s been really complicated to feel that vulnerable, but it’s allowed the whole thing to be as natural as possible. It felt like the correct next step.” Jack Rogers
Shame is out now via Prosthetic
Sounds Like: Chaotic and cathartic post-hardcore that rips and tears at the heart and soul with reckless abandon
For Fans Of: Converge, Full Of Hell, The Body
Listen To: Doubt
