What do you mean it’s the end of January already?! As fast as the first month of the year may have flown by, it’s actually been a banner period for heavy music. Megadeth released their retirement album to much jubilation, and we got continued excellence from the likes of Alter Bridge, Kreator and Poppy.
Before we can talk about the final week of this month, let’s reveal the results of last week’s poll. Megadeth and Silo put in great showings with Puppet Parade and Crawl In A Bottle respectively, but top of the pops was Mongolian stars The Hu and their track The Real You. Congrats!
Now, let’s wrap January up with a new slate. Skindred, Sevendust and Motionless In White are among the bands vying for your approval. Listen to everything they’ve got and vote for the best below.
Skindred – This Is The Sound
On their last record, the number-two-charting Smile, Skindred put some tender reggae tracks in between the usual ragga-metal bangers. Follow-up You Got This seems like it’ll smash the reset button, with both lead single You Got This and the brand-new This Is The Sound going all in on the heaviness. This second preview hits especially hard, featuring brutally down-tuned guitars beneath Benji Webbe’s frenetic vocals. The rest of the album drops via Earache on April 17 and will probably rattle your fillings.
Motionless In White – Afraid Of The Dark
Gothic metalcore’s founding fathers have returned with a track that can be best described as ‘crushingly positive’. Afraid Of The Dark opens with moody electronics before exploding into an absolute blitzkrieg, where frontman Chris Motionless unloads some surprisingly motivational lyrics. “Take the stage and siphon all the power from the pain,” he cries. “I turned my struggles into my strength!” No word on more music yet, but it’s been four years since the last album, so they must be keeping something at bay, right?
![Motionless In White - Afraid of the Dark [Official Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jolaO2Z6xCM/maxresdefault.jpg)
Sevendust – Is This The Real You?
The nu metal band that will not die (and thank goodness for it), Sevendust have announced their 15th album, One, for May 1. But that’s not the only bit of good news. Lajon Witherspoon and the boys have also released Is This The Real You?, a stomper that reaffirms their place as one of their genre’s most consistent forces. Study and prepare to sing along, because the band are about to tour Europe with Alter Bridge and will headline across North America from April to May.
Erra – Further Eden
Progressive metalcore firebrands Erra say they wanted some “lightness” for their latest single, which sounds worrying until you give it a listen. Further Eden is a capital-A anthem from the Alabama five-piece, built around the crystal-clean pipes of founding guitarist Jesse Cash. Don’t worry, though: screamer J.T. Cavey is quick to jump in and add plenty of muscle to the delicate singalongs. The track is the lead single from impending album Silence Outlives The Earth, due on March 6.
Marmozets – New York
One of the most underrated bands in modern British rock, Marmozets went on hiatus in 2018 to let singer Becca Macintyre and guitarist Jack Bottomley get married and have a kid. They announced their return in late 2025 with the splendid A Kiss From A Mother, and now they’ve kicked off their first album cycle in eight years with scathing single New York. This shot of fuzz and fizz precedes the full-length CO.WAR.DICE., due out on May 22 via Nettwerk Music Group.
Nervosa – Slave Machine
Nervosa have been white-knuckle thrash merchants for more than 15 years now, so it comes as no surprise that Slave Machine is an absolute face-melter. Pairing ferocious riffs and drums with the howls of singer/guitarist Prika Amaral, it’s an exhilarating snapshot of the album of the same name, set to come out via Napalm on April 3. The band claim it’s “the most brutal and melodic” thing they’ve ever made, and based on this first impression, it would be hard to disagree.
Møl – Hud
A truly genre-less band, Møl began as part of the blackgaze scene but now specialise in a singular blend of extremity, shoegaze, alt-rock and metalcore. Their new album, Dreamcrush, has as much in common with The Smashing Pumpkins as it does Deafheaven, and Hud is an excellent preview, ascending from post-rock to cathartic chug-a-lugging. Give it a listen, spin the entire album, then catch the band on their headline European tour once that kicks off on February 6, because no amount of this kind of thing is ever enough.
Winterfylleth – Heroes Of A Hundred Fields
Leaders of the UK black metal scene, Winterfylleth are back at their heathen best with Heroes Of A Hundred Fields. The lead single of upcoming album The Unyielding Season features all the familiar pleasures for genre fans, condensing cascading guitars, thrashing drums and ear-scraping vocals into a high-octane package. If that weren’t exciting enough, it also comes with a fiery and blood-soaked music video, full of scenes of mediaeval combat. Well, it’s probably not actual mediaeval combat, because there weren’t many cameras around back then…
Sweet Pill – Slow Burn
Philadelphia punks Sweet Pill find themselves wrestling with anxiety and overthinking on Slow Burn, the third single from their next album, Still There’s A Glow. “These thoughts I think of all the time, they oversaturate my mind,” sings vocalist Zayna Youssef. “Perception turns to black and white, my truth is blind.” The vulnerable poetry is underscored by juddering verses and then some big, melodic chords for the chorus – so, basically, this is everything you could ever want from a good ol’ punk song.
Mallavora – Lilith & Esther (feat. Banshee)
This is just gnarly. Lilith & Esther sees UK alt-/post-metal mavericks Mallavora join forced with trap metal artist Banshee and make some devastating noises. The band lay down a crushingly heavy backbone, then singer Jessica Douek and Banshee find themselves perfectly at odds, with the former’s pipes proving melodic and graceful while the latter’s are pure anarchy. The lyrics take aim at inequality in the metal scene and beyond, and Mallavora couldn’t have made more ear-grabbing music to underscore such a vital theme.
![Mallavora - Lilith & Esther Feat. Banshee [Official Audio] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SJYzfav5zjs/maxresdefault.jpg)
Deadnate – Morass
Deadnate are far from a household name, but they should be on the tip of your tongue if you like Gojira, The Ocean or Lamb Of God. Morass is the third single from the Danes’ album Mosaic, out in March, and it’s a six-minute stack of top-shelf riffs. The high-speed guitar tapping during the verses is especially invigorating, to the point where we can barely contain our excitement for when that March 27 release date rolls around. Mark it in your calendars, folks.
![Deadnate - Morass [Official Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CXIKV_-UNR4/maxresdefault.jpg)
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