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 death metal, punk, folk-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.
Portrayal of Guilt - "...where the suffering never ends"
Portrayal of Guilt have gone from making some of the darkest screamo around to some of the darkest music period. The Austin trio unleashed blackened hardcore hell on their last single, "Possession," and their latest, "...where the suffering never ends," sinks even deeper into an obsidian chasm of trudging black-metal blasts, shrieking guitar noise and fiendish vocals.
Bullet for My Valentine - "Rainbow Veins"
The last few singles from Bullet for My Valentine's upcoming self-titled album are some of the heaviest songs they've ever released, and while "Rainbow Veins" doesn't wield the thrashy metalcore ferocity of "Knives" and "Parasite," it still offers a beastly breakdown in between its gothic textures and Linkin Park-y choruses. For being the softest taste of the record we've heard thus far, it still goes hard.
Marissa Nadler - "Couldn't Have Done the Killing"
Marissa Nadler has been making eerie, American singer-songwriter music with a twinge of black-metal for upwards of two decades now, and "Couldn't Have Done the Killing" sounds like an artist who's still honing their craft in new and rewarding ways. It's a haunting country song with a dazed dream-pop exterior, elegant vocal harmonies and a fucking tasty solo that floats down from the heavens above during its tuneful swell.
Veil of Maya - "Outrun"
Veil of Maya's music wouldn't sound particularly revelatory if they were still rehashing the techy deathcore from their early days, but whatever they're doing on "Outrun" certainly does. Frontman Lukas Magya uses tasteful auto-tune during the punchy hook that makes VoM sound like if The Weeknd picked up an eight-string. Suddenly, the instrumentation breaks into a trad-metal riff that sounds like Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" before somersaulting into a djenty breakdown to close things out. The level of finesse is breathtaking.
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes - "Off With His Head" Feat. Cassyette
We can always count on Frank Carter to provide us with a good time, and his new single with British punk-popper Cassyette is nothing short of a total barn-burner. Over a post-punky bassline and guitars that buzz like a beer can on top of a 4x12 cab, Carter and his English contemporary link voices for a glorious guillotine anthem that's presented with a soulful sing-song. "Lift your arms up to the sky/Pray to god before they shut your eyes," they belt in harmony before gleefully chanting its title with blood-thirsty excitement.
Genocide Pact - "Perverse Dominion"
We've been fans of Genocide Pact's uncompromising death-metal for a while now, and the first taste from their upcoming self-titled album hits all the displeasure centers that make them one of the finest young acts in the scene. The D.C. crew is made up of dudes who've done their time in hardcore bands, so despite how brooding and dismal "Perverse Dominion" is from the jump, it morphs into a churning mosh by the end that kids in the God's Hate and Harms Way pits can certainly get down to.
