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 metal, hard rock and hardcore that have been on heavy rotation at Revolver HQ. For your listening pleasure, we've also compiled the songs in a Spotify playlist, which will grow each week.
Year of the Knife - "Fatal"
The newest signees of Pure Noise Records, hardcore crew Year of the Knife make their presence felt with "Fatal." There's more crunch than ever before in their music, adding some big-room heaviness to their tuneage. More than anything, the band sounds the angriest they've ever been, screaming, "There's nothing fucking left" over their march of chugs. The song dive-bombs into mosh part after mosh part, giving a formally heavy introduction to the uninitiated.
Periphery - "Blood Eagle"
Periphery's dedication to technical craft and ambitious output shines brightly on "Blood Eagle," a freewheeling song rife with changing personality and blistering aggression. The intricately composed piece bleeds carefully from chugging djent to soaring, operatic vocals over challenging progressive riffs. Polished and impressive, the track is a marker of maturity and gentle evolution in the band's repertoire.
Haram - (الحل (الممقاومة "The Solution (Is Resistance)"
Haram's take on hardcore is undeniably gritty, but on (الحل (الممقاومة "The Solution (Is Resistance)" the approach is equal parts upbeat fun and gnarly shredding. The song opens with a riff that wouldn't sound out of place on an obscure Eighties thrash tape, but the NYC firebrands add enough dirt to make it something else completely. The whirlwind pace never stops for air, adding alleyways of sound to the group's cacophony of punk and rebellion.
TR/ST - "Gone"
Cool, soothing and accented with the airy ennui of Robert Alfons, TR/ST's latest is a depressing love song dressed up and injected with dance floor anesthetics. Dreamy traveling scales plink lightly in the background while the hazy but direct beat and delicately layered synth lines give atmospheric cushion to the track's foundation. The song errs on the lighter side of the group's output, but their distinguished, engrossing sound remains intact on "Gone."
Devil Master - "Black Flame Candle"
The corpse-painted miscreant of Devil Master imagine a colorfully grim new world where "Black Flame Candle" serves as the soundtrack to occult rituals and satanic debauchery. The song skews punk rock but uses the tools of black metal to conjure the theatrical band's unique vision of evil — which is more refreshingly fun than it is genuinely frightening.
Show Me the Body - "Camp Orchestra"
It's hard to know what's in store at first on Show Me the Body's latest single "Camp Orchesta" as a slithering bass line enters with sex-charged patience while tenderly plucked off-kilter guitar kicks in. But once the song's two-minute intro completes its slow climb, unbridled fuzz and heavily distorted vocals open up the hard punk beat and the math-meets-hardcore rage arrives in short bursts of inspired arrangement. At once fresh and vintage-sounding, "Camp Orchestra" grinds the city streets much like the footsteps traced in its kinetic music video.
