Is it just us, or is it getting busy? It's well and truly sprinting into the most frantic times of the year now as festival season gets underway and new releases come thick and fast, but thankfully we're here to cut through the chatter and pick out some of the finest new sounds around.
That in mind, here are the results of last week's vote! As our weekly poll often proves, big names don't always necessitate big results and even in a week with a returning Loathe, Turnstile and Primus, the podium offered up some suprises. Finishing in third was the welcome return from Shadows Fall, while France's own metalcore maniacs Rise Of The Northstar took second place. But the crown went to newcomers Part Of The Theory, whose debut single Famished Mammon astounded with some incredible mixes of prog metal, symphonic elements and even Balkan folk.
We've gone for a real diverse spread again this week, bringing you the latest singles from Parkway Drive and Of Mice & Men, as well as indigenous metal from South America in the form of Mawiza, ever-brilliant Swedish melodeath masters Orbit Culture, clanging grindcore from Full Of Hell and even pounding power metal from Battle Beast.
As ever, we need you to tell us which songs excite you most, so don't forget to cast your vote below - and have an excellent weekend!
Parkway Drive - Sacred
Peak Parkway is back, baby! Granted, depending on where you stand on 2022's Darker Still, you might argue that they never went away but there's no denying that Sacred feels like the most triumphant Parkway tune in a while, bounding with the same kind of assured brilliance that made the likes of Bottom Feeder and Vice Grip colossal anthems. Chuck in some extra gruesome snarling and breakdowns at the midway point and it feels like a real statement of intent from the Aussies as they gear up for a massive second half of 2025, including a show at the Sydney Opera House and a full arena tour of the UK.
Health x Chelsea Wolfe - Mean
Industrial mavericks Health have made a habit of teaming up with some exceptionally talented artists in recent years and given her own industrial leanings in the past, it was perhaps only a matter of time before they joined forces with modern doom icon Chelsea Wolfe. Mean inhabits the dancier side of Health's industrial soundscapes, but retains just enough of Wolfe's own dark mystique to make it feel like you're in the darkned corner of an underground goth dance club.
Battle Beast - Last Goodbye
Prefer your metal to be buoyed by triumphant, trad metal tones? Battle Beast certainly have us covered on that front, bridging the likes of Judas Priest and Europe with fist-pumping beats, driving riffs and wails that could send a kennel into a frenzy. The Finns are apparently eyeing up a release date for their new album later this year - hopefully in time for their European tour to kick off in October.
Orbit Culture - The Tales Of War
Most recently seen opening the epic Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine double-bill in the UK back in January, Orbit Culture have a massive summer ahead - including a slot on the main stage of Download. Now, they're eyeing up breakout status with a first taste of new music in The Tales Of War. Mixing melodeath, thrash and old school heavy metal in a novel and fresh way, the single feels like a seriously big swing for a band who've only been getting more brilliant with each new release.
Attack Attack! - Dance (ft. Will Ramos)
Crab stances at the ready folks, Attack Attack! are back. Announcing their first new album in 13 years, the US metalcore mob have drafted in Lorna Shore's growler-in-chief for a track that swings between Electric Callboy style electronicore and poppy choruses with some colossal, crunching heft. New album Attack Attack! II is expected August 8, so best get limbering those limbs...
Halsey - Hand That Feeds (ft. Amy Lee)
The worlds of pop and metal are colliding. Megann The Stallion got the jump on the trend by teaming up with Spiritbox, while Charlie XCX has declared summer 2025 "Turnstile summer", but now we've also got Halsey teaming up with Evanescence icon Amy Lee to bridge the gap. Granted, it's not her first foray into alternative - 2020's If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - but Hand That Feeds (familiar title, eh?) combines some decidedly-NIN like existential dread with powerhouse vocals from both Halsey and Lee. Top stuff.
Full Of Hell - Broken Sword, Rotten Shield
From one extreme to, erm, proper extreme. Full Of Hell have a proven track record for shrieking, clattering extreme metal and Broken Sword, Rotten Shield is absolutely no exception. Hyperspeed grindcore with some delicious riffs and vocals that sound like a larynx after chewing glass, it's pure scabrous horror and we love it.
Mawiza - Wingkawnoam
Indigenous metal hailing from South America, Mawiza have been kicking around in one form or another for a decade now, but will release their third album Ül on July 18. Lead single Wingkawnoam shows off the band's stomping, thunderous chops, combining the shamanic chanting of their Mapuche culture with some colossal groove metal riffs to create something massive and distinct. There's an undeniable hint of Gojira to the thump, which isn't surprising considering Joe Duplantier pops up on the record.
Fantazmaz - Distortion
Sticking to South of the equator for a moment, Brazilian punks Fantazmaz also come sprinting out the gates this week with new single Distortion. Taken from their self-titled debut - coming July 4 - it's a high-speed blast of spiky, old-school punk that'll surely please fans of Discharge, GBH or even the hardest ends of The Distillers.
Of Mice & Men - Another Miracle
Fired up and cleary itching to bounce off the walls, Of Mice & Men's latest single leans hard on almost tech metal tones to create a rager. They've not done away with the anthemic choruses entirely though and the mosh-calls on this one feel especially potent as they gear up for a return to Europe and the UK at the end of this year.
Daedric - Night Mother
Given their heavy Elder Scrolls influence, it feels fitting that Texans Daedric should return just a few weeks after Oblivion Remastered. But while they might be inspired by the high fantasy series, that's where the power metal inclinations end; Night Mother is a grinding mix of industrial tones and melodeath bombast, the first taste of their second album. It's diverse, distinct and a brilliant reminder for why you need this band in your life.
Gaupa - Ten Of Twelve
Britain and the US might've ruled the roost for stoner rock in the 90s and 2000s, but in recent years Scandinavia has swiped the crown. You need only hear the undulating riffs of Gaupa's Ten Of Twelve to know just how fine a strand of old school fuzz is emerging from the region, the band weaving in psychedelic tones amidst Emma Näslund's ethereal vocal to create something which promises otherworldly delights. New EP Fyr comes July 4 and we can't wait to hear more.
