We've prepared ourselves for Download this weekend by filling the office with mud and drinking too much lager, but it's been worth it. We'll arrive at the festival fully acclimatised, with these tunes ringing in our shattered, filthy ears.
Opeth - Cusp Of Eternity Heralding new album Pale Communion (out August 25), the masters of death-doom-prog present this mysterious medieval monster. Catch ‘em at Download this weekend.
Throne — Tharsis Sleeps
This may be the most metal video ever made. Why? Because each frame in the video is made from hand-stitched denim. Seriously. Awards surely await.
Urban Voodoo Machine — Pipe And Slippers Man Is starts with a hint of Fiddler On The Roof-style violin before turning into a rambunctious, whiskey-soaked blast of New Orleans blues n’ roll. The video stars legendary Damned drummer Rat Scabies.
Dave Hause — Same Disease A song of hope, heartbreak and cheap hotel rooms from Dave’s celebrated debut album Devour. Dave is playing the Reading and Leeds festivals this summer.
Kobra And The Lotus — I Am, I Am
Kobra Paige and her gang will be supporting Kiss and Def Leppard on their co-headlining sweep across the US, so get there early. I Am, I Am is a thunderous piece of True Metal.
Sinner Sinners ft. Jesse Hughes – I Want You So Hard In which Eagles of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes joins Sinner Sinners for a boozy romp through the former’s I Want You So Hard.
Wolf — My Demon
For a moment we thought this was by an actual wolf, but it turns that wolves don’t have prehensile paws and can’t play guitar. Instead, it’s the rather excellent human heavy metal four-piece Örebro, Sweden.
J Mascis — Every Morning
The Dinosaur Jr. man is back with a fine slice of singalong acoustic sludge, with some typically ferocious fretwork on the solo.
