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Nothing says summer like massive tunes. Actually, that's a lie - we'll take a cold beer in the sunshine any time - but with festival season well underway and the Autumn release scheduling filling in quickly, it's definitely feeling like we're hitting the peak of the year.
But, before we get to any new tunes, how about a round-up of last week's winners? Noisy hardcore brutes Chat Pile took an admirable third place - narrowly beating Bring Me The Horizon - while hardcore heroes Madball landed second with Tethered. The overall winners for the week however were returning doom metallers Khemmis, whose Gilded Chambers proved too good to pass up.
As ever, we've hunted far and wide to bring you this week's selection. There's Belarusian post-black metal (with a doomy spin), Indian symphonic deathcore, gothic metalcore, black metal and beyond all for you to explore. Don't forget to cast your vote in the poll below - and have an excellent weekend!
Poppy - Dying To Forget
Let's kick off with a rager, shall we? Poppy has released a music video for the high-speed smasher Dying To Forget, taken from the album Empty Hands which came earlier this year. In September, she returns to the UK for her first arena headline tour of the UK. With more bangers like this one, we can expect that to be a wild night.
Vindicta - The Face Of The Clown
Vindicta sure are living up to their name on their debut single. Former members of Dogma who left in a very public and acrimonious split last year, this new group of demonic nuns are clearly taking aim at their past situation with first single The Face Of The Clown. Every lyric of the song seems aimed at the entity behind Dogma's rise, lines like "see you choking on your strings" (with a cheeky Dogma musical throwback) leaving no mystery about how they feel now they're working on new music. Musically, it's very much a continuation of the symphonically underpinned classic heavy metal of their own group, though there's a strange vocal shift halfway through the song where a male vocalist comes in. Either way, it's a suitably dramatic start to their new band.
Mork - Ferdamann
Too warm? Here's a bit of frosty Norwegian black metal to cool you off. Now on their eighth album, there's some wonderfully simple and straight ahead about Mork's approach to BM, Ferdamann offering up choppy, vicious riffs whilst maintained a conservative, controlled air. The subtle strings that pop up add some flashes of beauty, but otherwise this is pure tooth-gnashing force. Check out their new album Monolitt today.
Sleep - Have Spacesuit, Will Travel
Have Sleep really "returned"? Eight years since their last album, the stoner metal legends have announced a tour for later this year and released riffy new single Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, but fans will quickly notice that the line-up has undergone a significant shift. Bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros is the only longterm member of the band still standing, recruiting Melvins legend Dale Crover on drums and Bubba Dupree of hardcore punks Void on guitar. This first single suggests a straight-ahead stoner sound, though it'll be worth keeping eyes on to see if they expand out into more progressive realms in future.
Dymna Lotva - The Boat Of Despair (ft. Aaron Stainthorpe)
Dymna Lotva have been through a hell of a lot to make their fourth album (and you can read all about that in Perran Helyes' excellent feature). Vyraj is finally coming on August 7 however, and latest single The Boat Of Despair sees the Belarusian band team up with former My Dying Bride vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe to create a dense, gothic monolith.
![Dymna Lotva - The Boat Of Despair (Ладдзя Роспачы) (feat. Aaron Stainthorpe) [Official Music Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3WvDkXLPqzI/maxresdefault.jpg)
Myrath - Through The Seasons
Seven albums and 25 years in, Myrath are sounding grander than ever. Mixing elements of prog and symphonic metal, the Tunisian/French band are at their most grandiose on new single Through The Seasons. Taken from new album Wilderness Of Mirrors, it's a gorgeous track that perfectly demonstrates their larger-than-life sound.
Dark Helm - Throne
The change of pace on Dark Helm's Throne isn't so much whiplash inducing as enough to take your whole damn head off. One second it's a swelling symphony, only to suddenly launch headfirst into pummelling deathcore with a bassline that sounds like someone playing on a train track. The Indian deathcore band mix those two elements throughout the track, creating something fascinating and brutal.
Motionless In White - R.I.P. (feat. Skyler Gray)
"If you ever leave, it would be the end of me/I would die but I'd never rest in peace." Let's face it: that's a killer hook, so it's no surprise it's front and centre in Motionless In White's new single R.I.P., a gothic slab of modern alt metal. Taken from the band's new album Decades, due July 17, it makes great use of MiW's sense of flair and drama to create something anthemic.
![Motionless in White - R.I.P. (feat. Skylar Grey) [Official Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OeRIoWmQA6k/maxresdefault.jpg)
The Big Hell - Harder
Hailing from the West Midlands, there's no shortage of bands for The Big Hell to look up to. Rather than be cowed in the shadow of Sabbath, Priest and Napalm Death, The Big Hell are making an almighty racket that shows the region's brilliance is still alive and well. Harder comes from the group's upcoming second album, and is a full, slobbering blast of noisy, extreme punk.
Flesh Creep - Flake
More noisy Brummies? Oh go on then. Falling closer to the hardcore punk spectrum, Flesh Creep's new single Flake comes on like a furious runaway train, clattering into everything in its path and making a glorious racket on the way. Keep your eyes out for new EP Glimmer on July 17.
Battlesnake - I Killed Satan
Australia's Battlesnake are one of those bands that seem to get wilder every time you look back at them. Their new single has the air of Lordi's The Devil Is A Loser, a very tongue-in-cheek blast of trad metal with Monty Python like humour. If Venom had more self awareness, they'd probably have written this. They'll be back in the UK this summer, supporting Cancer Bats and performing at both 2000 Trees and ArcTanGent.
Burner - Blood River
There's something ferally unhinged about Burner's Blood River, and we suspect it might be Burner themselves. The British band let loose some vicious sounds on their 2023 debut It All Returns To Nothing and it's looking like follow-up No One Is Coming To Save Us will follow suit, newest single Blood River chucking elements of hardcore and death metal into a blender and chugging down the mush before anyone can accuse it of being deathcore.
![Burner - Blood River [Official Audio] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YX2G8YupN4Q/maxresdefault.jpg)
