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, hardcore, metalcore 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.
Gatecreeper - "The Black Curtain"
Gatecreeper have never been a melodic death metal band. The Arizona crushers have always favored brute-strength riffs over sword-swinging leads, but their new song lifts "The Black Curtain" and lets some fist-pumping melody shine into their sound.
It's a really nice touch. Gatecreeper basically went as heavy as they could go on 2021's grindy An Unexpected Reality, so hearing them turn the other way and let moody death-rock vibes and mid-tempo groove enter their lexicon sounds really refreshing.
Ulcerate - "The Dawn Is Hollow"
Gatecreeper's new song would be the perfect accompaniment for driving through an epic mountain range. Ulcerate's latest banger is well-suited for watching that same mountain range crumble to dust during some kind of catastrophic disaster.
"Heavy" doesn't even do the sounds on "The Dawn Is Hollow" proper justice. This is purely explosive music. Unrelentingly dark and destructive death metal at its finest.
Terminal Nation - "Written By the Victor" (Feat. Todd Jones)
If Nails main man Todd Jones pops up in the credits of a track, you know you're in for something brutal. And let it be known: Terminal Nation's new song is really fucking brutal.
The torch-bearers for Arkansas hardcore sound more foreboding than ever on "Written By the Victor," and Jones' demonic growls bump an otherwise filthy breakdown up another couple notches on the holy fuck scale.
Imminence - "The Black"
Swedish metalcore troupe Imminence released their magnificently crushing single "Continuum" last month, and it feels like we're still getting our footing after its seismic impact.
The title-track from its new album, The Black, is similarly earth-shattering, though with a few more splotches of icy melody to offset the sheer rage of its djenty verses.
Erra - "Crawl Backwards Out of Heaven"
We've said it before and we'll say it again: Erra are legitimately unmatched when it comes to djent with actual leads. So many bands in that idiom rely solely on the low-and-slow chugs, but on "Crawl Backwards Out of Heaven," Erra top the concussive groove with not one but two awesome guitar melodies.
They make the glitchy, on-edge vibe of the song so much more enduring, and by the time the clean vocals come in toward the end, they don't sound as jarring as they would if it was only 0-0-0-0 hiccups for the last 36 bars.
What Counts - "Fly Over States"
The Bloomington, Indiana, hardcore scene is popping right now. Full Stride, Velocity and What Counts are three awesome straight-edge bands mining influence from the youth crew revival circa Floorpunch and the sock-your-friend funness of peak-era Lockin' Out Records.
What Counts just dropped a great new EP (featuring a Floorpunch cover, no less), and "Fly Over States" is a perfect little jaunt that wears their overlooked hardcore hamlet like a badge of honor. "Hoosier style!" the vocalist yelps before an addicting two-step mosh part. Hardcore.
