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, deathcore, thrash 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.
Metallica - "If Darkness Had a Son"
If you're an old-school Metallica fan who usually turns your nose up at the band's more recent material, seriously, give "If Darkness Had a Son" your ears. The third and best (so far) single from 72 Seasons is seven minutes of mid-tempo thrash that sinks right into that "Seek and Destroy" pocket and doesn't leave until it's well and done. James Hetfield's foreboding vocal lines are actually quite catchy, but it's great to hear Metallica take their time chewing on the riff before the singing comes in. No forced hook, no condensed runtime — just good 'ol fashioned boot-stomping Metallica.
Castle Rat - "Dagger Dragger"
Castle Rat are a ball. The Brooklyn quartet specialize in what they call "medieval fantasy doom metal," which is the most apt way of describing their D&D-influenced trad-metal romps like "Dagger Dragger." If you pine for more Sabbathian goodness in the vein of the Sword and Red Fang, but want the middle-ages imagery turned all the way up to 11, then Castle Rat are your new favorite band.
Scowl - "Shot Down"
Is "Shot Down" the best song Scowl have ever released? It's a compelling question. The Santa Cruz band's latest slab from their upcoming Psychic Dance Routine EP is a thrilling execution of tension and release. The sing-songy hook makes you want to finger snap and shuffle while the scathing hardcore verses make you want to plow over your enemies with a lawnmower. In Scowl's world, a song can do both.
Paleface Swiss - "Best Before: Death"
Last year, we include Paleface Swiss (formerly known as just Paleface) in our list of 10 rising deathcore bands pushing the genre forward. "Best Before: Death" proves they still deserve that title. Landing somewhere between the monstrous groove of Slipknot's Iowa and the breakdown-addled metalcore of Knocked Loose, the band's new single only gets heavier by the second, culminating in a monstrous, extended chug that's bound to spill blood in the live setting. Just the way we like it.
Underoath - "Let Go"
Underoath's 2022 album, Voyeurist, gave old-school fans reassurance that the metalcore mavens hadn't lost their way after 2018's decidedly un-heavy Erase Me. Last year's record was noisy, combustible and eclectic, and it seems like Underoath are continuing down that path for the foreseeable future. New single "Let Go" marries jostling metalcore with anthemic clean belting — a dynamic the band perfected 20 years back and can still pull off with ease.
Svalbard - "Eternal Spirits"
It'd been a minute since we last heard from Svalbard, the U.K. post-hardcore troupe whose 2020 LP, When I Die, Will I Get Better?, landed on our radar for heaters like "Open Wound" and "Listen to Someone." Now, a couple years after frontperson Serena Cherry launched a solo black-metal project, Svalbard are back with a ferocious new song called "Eternal Spirits." Shreddy, chuggy and fucking epic, with a twinge of black-metal pathos tossed in for added emotional dimension.
