Here at Revolver, we're always on the hunt for new songs to bang our heads to — indeed, it's a big part of our jobs. With that in mind, here are the tracks released this week in hardcore, nu-metal, trad-metal and more that have been on heavy rotation at Revolver HQ. For your listening pleasure, we've also compiled the songs in an ever-evolving Spotify playlist.
Lamb of God - "Ditch"
When Randy Blythe is at his best, he sounds like Zeus striking down a lesser Olympian with the fury of a thousand lightning bolts. That's how he sounds at the beginning of "Ditch," one of the heaviest and mostly instantly gratifying knockers on Lamb of God's great new album, Omens. "I DON'T GIVE A GODDAMN," he commands with volcanic intensity, and his bandmates are right there to follow his proclamation with molten groove-metal instrumentation. Stand back.
Firewalker - "Cold Day"
Firewalker's return is a nice surprise. The Boston hardcore band hadn't dropped any music since 2019, but the sudden release of a three-song demo means they're back with something to say. One of the tracks is a nasty Subzero cover, but the original song, "Cold Day," is a promising step forward for the band. It's a borderless mash of Northeast metallic hardcore — a little bit of New York, a little bit of Boston — that's focused on great riffs, moshy stomp parts and vocalist Sophie Hendry's uniquely evil snarl.
Ripped to Shreds - "Violent Compulsion for Conquest"
A lot of new-gen death metal bands are doing a slightly more simplified version of old-school death metal, bringing in influences from hardcore and giving this new wave its own identity. Ripped to Shreds are part of the new era, but they have a more technical take on OSDM that shines through on "Violent Compulsion for Conquest." The way the intro verse chords ring out is cavernous, the guitar tones are razor-sharp and the solo on this track sounds like it requires a new fretboard every time its played due to friction burn.
Bleed - "Killing Time"
For the last few years, Texas has been a hot-spot for bands in the shoegaze/slowcore/grunge ecosystem, and Narrow Head are one of the leaders of that artistic cadre. Several members of the grunge-gaze group also have another band called Bleed, and their new song "Killing Time" sounds more like Deftones, Hum and Helmet than Smashing Pumpkins or Soundgarden. The clangy guitars and metalized production make it hit hard, but the song's hook still swoons like a Chino Moreno melody, nailing that sweet-and-salty flavor so many of us crave.
Ingested - "From Hollow Words"
Some metalheads can be really precious about the distinctions between death metal and deathcore, but Ingested are proof that all that hand-wringing about keeping the two genres separate from one another is a crock of shit. Their new song, "From Hollow Words," is a seamless blend of 21st century extreme-metal heaviness and modern-day deathcore chuggery. It's so goddamn crushing, with plenty of mosh fodder and a delectable back-and-forth between frontman Jason Evans and guest vocalist Sven de Caluwé of Aborted. The way they bellow, "Fuck. Your. Hollow words," is bone-chilling.
Ohhms - "Eaten Alive"
Ohhms make sludge-metal with a twist. The U.K. band dropped an LP a few years back that we likened to Neurosis and Mastodon, and if you love either of those bands, you'll probably like Ohhms. But the group's new song, "Eaten Alive," isn't paying homage to any one band in particular. It's a got a swinging urgency to its groove and a triumphant tenor to its hook that almost feels like it's going to become metalcore, but instead it winds up deconstructing into a rotating post-metal lick with drumming patterns that challenge the ear.
