2025 is seriously heating up - both literally (if you're in the UK at least) and metaphorically as new releases and tours are being announced at breakneck pace. But if you're finding it all a bit much to keep up with fear not, that's what we're here for!
That in mind, here are the results of last week's vote! There were some seriously big names in the running last week with new singles from Ghost, Machine Head, Sleep Token, Sabaton and so much more all in the running. But when it came to the fan vote, the return of Aussie prog metallers Voyager generated enough excitement to nab them third place, with Ghost's Peacefield taking second place. The overall winners though were Colombian thrashers Poison The Preacher, who trounced the competition with One Man Army.
This week we've got a diverse selection for your listening pleasure. There's new music from Turnstile and House Of Protection, rising stars in Cwfen, Rise Of The Northstar and Believe In Nothing and even the long-awaited return of Liverpool's Loathe. As ever, we need you to tell us which song excites you most, so don't forget to cast your vote in the poll below - and have a fantastic weekend!
Loathe - Gifted Every Strength
They're baaaaaack! Loathe haven't exactly been inactive since the release of The Things They Believe in 2021, but the groundswell of excitement about a potential new album has been persistent since they cancelled tour dates in 2022 to apparently finish their next album. Three years later, we're getting our first proper glimpse of where the Liverpudlian band are headed; the Deftones-y nu metal vibes they pivoted to on 2021's I Let It In... are maintained, but there's also a delightful return to clanging tech that feels more akin to their debut. It's exciting stuff, and delightful to have them back.
Death Angel - Wrath (Bring Fire)
Mark Osegueda has been kept plenty busy lately fronting Kerry King's solo project, but with his main squeeze Death Angel back on the road this summer it's high time we get some fresh thrash offerings. Wrath (Bring Fire) is pretty much everything you'd expect from Death Angel in the 21st Century, all hyperspeed riffing and imperious vocalisations from Osegueda. New album later this year? We can but hope.
Cwfen - Bodies
Scottish newcomers Cwfen invoke the spirit of cosmic doom on latest single Bodies. Taken from their upcoming debut Sorrows, out May 30, the track taps into the thick, ethereal spirit of modern doom innovators Chelsea Wolfe and King Woman, going heavy on the atmospherics to craft something utterly bewitching.
Turnstile - Seein' Stars / Birds
There's a little over a month to go until we get Turnstile's new album Never Enough on June 6, so to tide us over the hardcore stars have unveiled a double-single in Seein' Stars and Birds. It's testament to just how diverse their sound is that the singles are drastically different; Seein' Stars offers up serene melodies and hazy 90s nostalgia (with added vocals from Paramore's Hayley Williams), while Birds is the familiar, high-intensity workout that makes their live shows so thrilling, with riffs for days.
![TURNSTILE - SEEIN’ STARS / BIRDS [OFFICIAL VIDEO] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/a95G2GzB3t0/maxresdefault.jpg)
Heaven Shall Burn - Confounder
Now in their 30th year, Heaven Shall Burn only grow better with age. Confounder is the latest single taken from Heimat, due June 27, and the single balances out the band's penchant for extremity with an almost metalcore like melodicism, those sweeping guitars feeling like they wouldn't be out of place in mid-00s songs by the likes of All That Remains or Killswitch.
Primus - Little Lord Fentanyl
With over three decades' experience making metal as freaky as possible, we probably shouldn't be surprised that the new Primus song is weird as hell. Moreso considering it features a guest appearance from Tool's Maynard James Keenan and marks the first official appearance from new drummer John Hoffman after the departure of Tim Alexander last year. Funky, psychedelic and just plain weird, Little Lord Fentanyl is pure brain-melting oddness - and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Shadows Fall - Souls Devoured
Loathe aren't the only band making a long-awaited comeback in 2025. Returning to live duty in 2021, Shadows Fall unveiled stand-alone single In The Grey last year that gave us a glimpse at how they were sounding after over a decade of inactivity. Souls Devoured picks up from that single and shows they're arguably heavier than ever, adding more melodeath to their repertoire than was apparent in their turn-of-the-millennium output as they helped popularise the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and shift metalcore into the mainstream.
Chthonic - Endless Aeons
Chthonic's importance to the spread of metal in Asia can never be overstated. Now in their 30th year, the Taiwanese band remain a boundary-pushing creative force, new single Endless Aeons folding in elements of extreme metal and Taiwanese folk music to create something expansive and glorious. It's epic in the truest sense of the word.
Part Of The Theory - Famished Mammon
Part Of The Theory - Famished Mammon
Newcomers based out of Athens, Part Of The Theory are making a seriously ambitious opening statement with their debut single Famished Mammon. Combining undulating prog metal basslines with Balkan folk and symphonic elements, the track is gorgeous and colossal.
Rise of The Northstar - Neo Paris
Bridging hardcore swagger with the nu metal revival, Rise Of The Northstar's Neo Paris swings for the fences with bounding rhythms and turntable scratches aplenty. It's a typically colourful offering from the French band and has us wanting to bounce off the walls until the support beams come down.
Nailed To Obscurity - Overcast
Summer? Not if Nailed To Obscurity can help it. The dour Germans have always had an inclination towards the frosty tones of Scandinavian melodeath and doom, and Overcast is no exception to that with gloriously bleak tones delivered amidst thundering, imperious riffs and some intricate guitar-work. Taken from the band's forthcoming fifth record Generation Of The Void, due September 5, it's a reminder that no matter how glorious the summer might seem, winter's chill is never too far away.
Dead7 - Hole
Sleek, modern metalcore out of St. Louis, Dead7's latest single Hole offers up some Bring Me The Horizon style sonic shifts as the band balance out some dropped-deadweight riffs alongside surprisingly smooth and sleek radio-friendly choruses. Taken from upcoming album Love What You Can While You Still Got Something Left To Love, due July 11, it suggests some serious ambition from the newcomers.
Believe In Nothing - Complete Desolation
They say you should never judge a book by it's cover, but you can sometimes tell a lot by a song title. That's certainly the case for Believe In Nothing's latest single Complete Desolation, a fitting title for a track that dives headlong into despairing, abyssal doom metal and seems perfectly content with drowning at the bottom of the world's muckiest swamp. We love it.
![Believe In Nothing - Complete Desolation [Official video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/n95gAHT5qP4/maxresdefault.jpg)
