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Summer is well and truly upon us. And with it comes a whole heap of brilliant new releases to get stuck into. That in mind, here are the results of last week's vote!
The long wait for new Anthrax material meant anticipation was high and they nabbed a nifty third place with It's For The Kids, while newcomer Mother took second on Unholy. But our overall winner for the week - by some distance - was returning arena metal giants Five Finger Death Punch, who took the crown with Eye Of The Storm.
We're casting our gaze on the newer breed this week with some contemporary up-and-comers in the form of President, The Hu, Witch Club Satan and more covering everything from black and folk metal to thrash and hardcore. Don't forget to vote for your favourite in the poll below - and have an excellent weekend!
Witch Club Satan - The Kids Will Kill Us
With their first US tour starting in just a week, Witch Club Satan are back with another spiky slab of distinctly Norwegian black metal. A bleak song about the state of the world the next generation faces in 2026, it's as unrelentingly fierce and furious as we've come to expect from the Norwegian group. Fingers crossed album two will be with us before the end of the year.
SiM - Blindeyes (feat. Hanabie.)
Buoyant Japanese alt. metallers SiM are setting their sights on international conquest. Ahead of their return to the UK for Slam Dunk this weekend, they've teamed up with Hanabie.'s Yukina for a typically propulsive new song in Blindeyes, the lead single from their new album Hooman After All, due September 2. Part Skindred, part nu metal, all joyous outbursts, this lot are worth keeping your eyes on.
Einherjer - Dei Så Ser
A Viking metal power ballad? Sign us up! Einherjer might generally skew more towards black metal, but on their latest single Dei Så Ser - taken from new album Lifeblood, due June 19 - they trade away the bluster of a monastery raid in favour of a reflective song on the nature of death. It's gorgeously stark and feels like Wardruna taking on Nothing Else Matters.
Xcomm - Pirates ft. Ghostmane
Witch Club Satan might've warned us up top, but we clearly weren't expecting these particular kids to polish us off. LA hardcore punks Xcomm are on a frantic sprint with new track Pirates, taken from their debut album Time To Burn, which came out today, it's an absolute barn-burner of a track that drips in sweat and spilled spinal fluid.
President - Doom Loop
The meteoric rise of President continues with Doom Loop. Taken from their upcoming debut full-length Blood Of Your Empire, out September 4, the group are clearly pushing harder on their more electronic elements with this first single. Pulsing, synthy bass and pop-baiting vocals are later cut with chunky, hacking guitar lines that bring to mind the likes of Sleep Token or Don Broco, a big breakdown moment keeping at least one toe in alt. metal territory.
The Hu - Lost Soul (ft. Johnny Hawkins)
The Hu have always been one of metal's most distinctive bands, but even so we've never heard them sound quite like they do on Lost Soul. Drafting in Nothing More vocalist Johnny Hawkins, the distinctive mixture of bright melodies and guttural traditional Mongolian throat singing fascinating to behold while the song's stomping rhythm and electro underpinnings bring to mind 90s Rammstein. The Hu's new album Hun is due July 24.
Amberian Dawn - Unchained
Nightwish might be in a state of hibernation, by Amberian Dawn are waving the flag proudly for Finnish symphonic metal. New single Unchained taps into some of the genre's more power metal-adjacent roots, while adding their own heft and fury that is glorious to behold. Keep your eyes out for new album Temptation's Gates on June 26.
