There's a growing body of opinion that suggests Wolfgang Van Halen is on his way to genuine superstardom ("I think he and his band are gonna save rock'n'roll" - Lizzy Hale), and Mammoth have just taken another step towards greatness by winning our latest Tracks Of The Week competition. So congratulations to him.
And congratulations to Dirty Honey, who took home the second-place prize with their cover of Bad Company's Rock Steady, and to the excellent Die Spitz, who came in third with their very own Riding With My Girls.
Below, you'll find another eight eager rockin' beavers. Don't forget to vote for your favourite.
The Southern River Band - All Over Town
It’s invariably a good day when these Aussies release a new single, for the simple reason that it just always seems to be an absolute winner. All Over Town is no exception, with Cal Kramer and co hopping light-footed from bluesy acoustic notes into a big, juicy gut-punch of a riff and a boogieing mix of rock’n’roll and cowboy-booted sugar. Straight-ahead stuff but smartly written, with gear shifts and a melody that keep you guessing just enough. Oh, and they’ve got a new album, Easier Said Than Done, coming out next month.
Des Rocs - This Land
The New York rock maverick’s new one was written for the Borderlands video game soundtrack. Gritty, vibey and punching you right in the face (in a good way), This Land stomps and swaggers like dinosaurs on a dancefloor – with some smoky outlaw streaks in the background of those verses. “They were describing exactly where my heart lies,” he says, of that first call from the Borderlands team, asking him if he’d write something. “Rock n’ roll that’s loud, raw, unfiltered, built for a foreign landscape. This song has that unhinged wild energy, the one I felt when I first picked up a guitar. It’s real and it’s rowdy, just like the music I worshipped growing up.”
Luna Marble - Crazy Lovin’
With a breath of outlaw mystique that breaks into a slow, percussive beat straight out of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain – plus a video full of lovely horses, which we enjoyed – the young Manchester troupe’s brooding five-minute (and pretty much fat-free) rocker swirls heady blues and psychedelic 70s rock tastes into a commanding package. Fans of Rival Sons, Greta Van Fleet and Creeping Jean would do well to give them a spin. Nice.
Karnivool - Aozora
Back with their first album in 12 years (In Verses, coming out in February) Aussie progressive hard rockers set their comeback bar high with this moody, cleverly textured yet super-oomphy newbie – spread over a dark, enveloping six minutes. “The whole theme for that song is escaping, or waiting to escape,” says vocalist Ian Kenny. "Trying to find a way to escape yourself. The idea of finding freedom in the blue. Trying to find freedom amongst the complications of just being human. We’re so weird, you know? Trying to understand that at different times along the road, sometimes you end up with more questions than answers.”
Chez Kane - Reckless
You want 80s? As in fully hairsprayed, synths, sax n’ Simmons 80s with cream and neon-lit glace cherries on top? This glossy-maned banger is all those things. Think Bon Jovi and H.E.A.T doing Irene Cara’s What A Feeling, and you’re in the right ballpark. “Raw, real, and unapologetically sexy. It’s the first taste of everything we’ve been building,” Chez says, of this opening statement from her latest collaboration with Danny Rexon (Crazy Lixx frontman by day). “Bigger sounds, bolder vibes, and reckless energy. I can’t wait for you to feel it as much as I do”. Just be aware of the video, if you’re in a shared office.
Black Stone Cherry - Neon Eyes
The first track released from the Kentucky foursome’s upcoming EP Celebrate (it’s due to come out in March 2026), Neon Eyes is a thumping, grungy hard rocker that started life as a soundcheck riff – eventually blossoming into the slick yet gritty, Audioslave-infused beast it is now. “For 'Neon Eyes' we had the riff recorded on an iPhone and immediately wrote a song around it when we first started writing for this EP,” the band explain. “We knew we wanted the main riff to also be the chorus so once we landed on the title, everything fell into place. A classic BSC banger.”
Gyasi - Apple Tree
Fresh from a stint playing guitar with the reformed Alice Cooper band, Gyasi's excellent new single Apple Tree comes from the Bowie/Mott school of classic piano-glam, sounding very much like a song that's been funnelled in from 1971 without paying much heed to anything that's occurred in the intervening years. "Sometimes you have to let go of expectations and just venture into the musical void and see what happens," he says.
Royal Republic - Stayin' Alive
It feels almost inevitable that the latest release from Royal Republic's Blastbeaters project finds the Swedish disco rock’n’rollers covering the Bee Gees' classic Stayin' Alive (the previous two singles were covers of songs by Shocking Blue and the Pointer Sisters). And, just as inevitably, they've done a brilliant job, amping up the original's strutting riff, ramping up energy levels, and turning the song into a genuine party-metal anthem. Gloriously silly, but mainly glorious.
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