Thank god for the weekend! It's feeling like winter is rapidly approaching this week, but we're not quite at the end of year yet with plenty of brilliant new albums to sink our teeth into as we hit the penultimate week of October.
That in mind, here's the results of last week's vote! Blackgold brought glory to the nu metal revival with Killaz landing a top three position (and if you like that, check out the last two tracks this week!), while Aussie newcomers Nika landed at number two. But ultimately, the crown could only go to the original symphonic metal queen as Tarja teamed up with Apocalyptica for something truly epic in Tango.
We've got a diverse bag for you again this week with new singles from Floor Jansen and Delain, plus a surprise drop from Machine Head. There's also a healthy showing from emergent and underground bands, so don't forget to cast your vote in the poll below - and have an excellent weekend!
Floor Jansen - Everything Is Moving On
It probably would've been a bit on-the-nose for this to have come out with last week's shock announcement that Floor Jansen had left Nightwish, but Everything Is Moving On feels like a perfect summation of the confident way the singer is approaching the future. More a pounding, triumphant old school metal track than the usual symphonic grandeur, it's a great showcase of her powerful voice and shows how she's expanding her repertoire on upcoming solo album Hytress, due January 15.
Delain - We Are Fire
Talk about a rough month for symphonic metal fans. Diana Leah has announced her departure from Delain after 2023's Dark Waters introduced her as the new singer of the group. Rather than recruit a direct replacement, Delain have announced plans for a star-studded new album that will feature figures including Marko Hietala and Sharon Den Adel. First single We Are Fire sees bandleader Martijn Westerholt recruit Eluveitie's Fabienne Erni, Italian singer Paolo Ribaldini and Noa Gruman of Sabaton's Legendary Orchestra for a typically bombastic and grandiose song.
Evil Invaders - D.S.S. (Death Strikes Suddenly)
Get some thrash in you! Kicking off with a delightful Araya howl, Belgians Evil Invaders are leaning hard on 80s speed with new single D.S.S. (Death Strikes Suddenly). If you're reeling from the recent death of Cronos, this might tackle the evil itch nicely, new album Weaponized Chaos set for a February 19 release, with the band touring the UK with Heathen the following month.
Vindicta - Idol(l)s
It's been a year since the line-up of Dogma fractured, and a little under that since former members of the demonic nun group formed Vindicta. Now they've announced they're signed to Napalm Records and put out new single Idol(l)s, a track that adds a spikier edge to the music they were making in their previous incarnation, seemingly poking fun at the situation its members found themselves in.
Machine Head - Sutures
Robb Flynn's barely let the dust settle on the Unatoned era and is already teasing new music. Sutures is a surprise new single from Machine Head, and feels like an especially feral and vicious release from the group, its hardest edges only slightly blunted by some big, chest-beating melodic passages.
Zilqy - Misfit Toys
Zilqy continue to be one of Japan's most difficult to pin down metal groups. On new single Misfit Toys the band mix hyperactive beats and heavy breakdowns with joyous, typically Japanese melodic choruses to great effect. Taken from the band's debut Birth Of Riot - which came out earlier this month - it shows they're another bright new voice to emerge from the island nation.
The Yagas - Runaway
It's been almost exactly 18 months since The Yagas released their debut album Midnight Minuet, a gloriously dark alt. metal album that saw actress Vera Farmiga embrace her inner goth. Now the group are back with a new single in Runaway, going full 80s with heavy synth and beats that feel like they should've been threaded into the DNA of movies like Lost Boys or Near Dark.
Shooting Daggers - T.R.L.T.
A short, sharp blast of 80s style hardcore punk, London's Shooting Daggers don't really need to reinvent any wheels when they make music this viscerally satisfying. Belligerent in the very best way, it's a great demonstration of this band's infectious energy.
Defences - Death Of A Dream
Defences are going big on old school nu metal vibes on Death Of A Dream. Chunky, downtuned guitars that make you want to bound around a pit, little record scratches and even electronic effects on Cherry Duesbury's vocals, it feels like a single that easily could've come right as the new millennium hit, but also doesn't feel dated for the fact.
Dead Signal - Follow The Signal
Sticking in the realms of nu metal inspiration, Italy's Dead Signal are combining the genre with explosive metalcore to great effect. Sounding like a collision of debut-era Slipknot and Impossibility Of Reasion-era Chimaira, Follow The Signal is the band's debut single and has us excited to see where they go next.
![Dead Signal - FOLLOW THE SIGNAL [Official Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lcEHbjWfqBs/maxresdefault.jpg)
