Christ has risen, and so too has metal. In the week after Easter, we’ve been undoubtedly spoilt by large-scale singles from across the heavy music spectrum. Superstars as wide-ranging as Linkin Park, Sleep Token, Ghost, Sabaton, Machine Head and Slaughter To Prevail have all offered some new treats for your earholes, as have underground players from Employed To Serve to Full Of Hell.
As impatient as we are to hop amidst the melee, first there’s the matter of which song you voted as the best of last week. Against stiff competition from the likes of Rivers Of Nihil, Cryptopsy, Blood Command and The Devil Wears Prada, it was Scottish punk’n’roll act Bratakus who stood tall. Congratulations!
Now, the cycle repeats, and we need you to listen to another rich array of hard-rocking tracks before casting your pick as to which rules supreme. Here are the contenders…
Linkin Park – Unshatter
Linkin Park really are making up for lost time, huh? The nu metal frontrunners have gone from laying low for seven years to being unstoppably active, this week releasing rap-rock back-and-forth Unshatter: their second song since comeback album From Zero dropped just five months ago. You’ll find the audial attack, along with previous single Up From The Bottom, on a deluxe reissue of From Zero on May 16.
Sleep Token – Damocles
This morning, pop-metal genre-busters Sleep Token returned with… more pop-metal genre-busting. Damocles started by placing frontman Vessel’s croons on top of weepy piano notes, but it gradually evolved into something heavier, until the band’s all-consuming djent riffing struck at full force. It was another dynamic preview of new album Even In Arcadia, which drops via major label RCA on May 9, following on from already-beloved singles Emergence and Caramel.
Ghost – Peacefield
It’s a cliche to call an album “one of the most anticipated metal releases of the year so far”, but Ghost leave no other option. The Swedish anti-church built up to the brand-new Skeletá, out today, with several delectable singles, a change of frontman and the start of their headline-generating phone-free world tour. Peacefield was the last preview before the whole picture developed, teasing fans with a slice of unabashedly 80s rock’n’roll cheese.
Sabaton – Templars
With today’s single Templars, Sabaton ditched their usual topic of 20th-century warfare and journeyed back to the Middle Ages, weaving a myth about the last stand of an order of knights. Some things never change, however: the first taste of the power metal battalion’s as-yet-unannounced 11th album was still a charge of bold riffs, choirs and baritone vocals. Just as badass was the Game Of Thrones-esque music video that came with it.
Machine Head – Outsider
For new album Unatoned, out today, Machine Head leant towards more melodic terrain, possibly inspired by the Oakland thrashers’ recent re-embrace of festivals and a want to affirm their headliner status. Whatever the reason, though, fans have received such bangers as Unbound and Bonescraper fro, the shift, and latest single Outsider did a bang-up job of blending arena-ready hooks with knucklehead force. Expect to hear it blaring from a stadium-sized speaker near you soon!
Slaughter To Prevail – Russian Grizzly In America
Bear with us as we try to avoid making any grizzly puns. Just days after singer Alex Terrible adopted two bear cubs, Slaughter To Prevail reiterated their love of all things ursid on Russian Grizzly In America. The stampeding deathcore track was accompanied by the announcement of the now-Orlando-based outfit’s long-awaited new album, Grizzly, which will claw its way onto streaming services and store shelves on July 18.
Wargasm – Vigilantes
New nu metal torch-bearers Wargasm have shed the confines of being on a major record label and gone independent. The London duo self-released new song Vigilantes to mark their newfound freedom, but also proved that they’re the same electro-metal agitators they’ve always been. No news on album number two yet, but Sam Matlock and Milkie Way’s debut Venom dropped 18 months ago now so… something must be in the pipeline, right?
Bury Tomorrow – Forever The Night
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 10 years after breaking out of Southampton and onto the world’s stage, Bury Tomorrow are still dealing out the primo metalcore that brought them to the dance. But who’s complaining? Forever The Night, released this morning, was a flurry of melodic vocals, whirlwind guitar lines and lightspeed percussion. It marked single number five from new album Will You Haunt Me With That Same Patience, out on May 16.
Employed To Serve feat. Jesse Leach – Whose Side Are You On?
This week, Metal Hammer gave the new Employed To Serve album, Fallen Star, a 4.5-star review and said it had “riffs that rip your face off, breakdowns that blow your pants inside-out”. Whose Side Are You On?, featuring Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach, showed exactly what we were on about. It was a face-scrunching shot of adrenaline, but it wasn’t mindless either, as proven by that fist-pumping chorus. Make this band famous now.
Voyager – Seen Better Days
Aussie prog metal five-piece Voyager returned this week with Seen Better Days: their first song since frontman Danny Estrin was diagnosed with stage-four cancer 18 months ago. The lyrics candidly explored the past year-and-a-half, from the throes of treatment to the support the singer received from his fans. The track will be followed by the band’s first full-length shows since Estrin’s sickness, taking place in their hometown of Perth in June and July.
Full Of Hell – Knight’s Oath
Grindcore noisemakers Full Of Hell have gone synth-pop. Ha, as if! On latest single Knight’s Oath, the Maryland/Pennsylvanians were every bit the grimy fucks they’ve always been, roaring over discordant guitars. Meanwhile, the music video was a fever dream of anthropomorphic animals engaging in mediaeval warfare. It might make more sense in the full context of the band’s Broken Sword, Rotten Shield EP, out on May 16, but let’s be honest: it probably won’t.
Poison The Preacher – One Man Army
Hailing from Bogotá in Colombia, Poison The Preacher give hardcore/thrash metal a South American makeover. The four-piece say that they dabble in jazz and folk as well as riotous, Hatebreed-style speed, and their range will be heard in full when debut album Vs The World comes on May 23. For now, though, we have One Man Army, which landed on Thursday in a three-and-a-half-minute blitzkrieg of groove and fury.
