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, synthwave 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.
End It - "Hatekeeper"
End It have about 15 minutes of material to their name, but between the spotless quality of their 2020 EP, One Way Track, and their high-octane live shows, the Baltimore band have quickly become one of the most promising young acts in hardcore. Their new single "Hatekeeper" is a one-minute blast of everything they do best — NYHC-indebted songwriting that's fast but groovy, riffs that're catchy but toothy, and frontman Akil Godsey's superior vocal flavor and lyrical barbs hurled at hardcore haters.
Frayle - "Treacle and Revenge"
Frayle understand that atmosphere and vibes are as essential to great doom metal as the riffs. The Candlemass-approved Cleveland duo trickle gobs of enchanting melody and foggy ambience into songs like "Treacle and Revenge," meticulously building suspense so that when the giant hammerfall of distorted guitar comes down, it batters the mix with maximum impact.
Will Haven - "Wings of Mariposa"
Noisy post-hardcore vets Will Haven have returned with their first new offering in four years, and it's a welcome burst of fresh air in the always-busy micro-scene of chaotic hardcore music. It's really easy for bands in this vein to be effectively abrasive but completely unmemorable, and Will Haven skirt all the common traps entirely on "Wings of Mariposa." There's a halo of looped ambience ringing above the fracas at all times, and the juxtaposition between the down-tuned, almost djenty riffs and vocalist Grady Avenell's tortured screams sounds utterly twisted but also extremely listenable.
Yatra - "Reign of Terror"
Yatra were a perfectly good sludgy doom band, but my god have they found their calling in the land of death metal. The singles from the Maryland trio's forthcoming Prosthetic Records release have been a 180-degree turn from the stonery trudge of their past material. "Reign of Terror" sinks its teeth into a bloodied Bolt Thrower-style jaunt with Carcass-esque vocal snarls, occasionally picking up to a thrashy gallop just to drag it back down to a jagged churn.
Candy - "Transcend to Wet"
How far can a hardcore band flex the core tenets of the genre before it becomes something else entirely? Candy put that experiment to the test on "Transcend to Wet," another mercilessly heavy single from their forthcoming LP that synthesizes everything that turns up when you search the "hardcore" tag on Bandcamp — punk, grindy metal and the style of chaotically fast techno that scenesters in a different world from ours also refer to as "hardcore." Candy's world-bridging pays off.
Billy Howerdel - "Selfish Hearts"
It'd been 14 years since A Perfect Circle guitarist Billy Howerdel released any solo music, and it was anyone's guess what his long-awaited eponymous venture would actually sound like once it saw the light of day. So far, every single has pointed toward a gothy synth-wave opus, and tracks like "Selfish Heart" — gorgeously haunting, poignantly emotional, musically dense but still sneakily catchy — have us skirting to the edge of our seats to hear the full LP that's out next month.
