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.
Puscifer - "Apocalyptical"
Did you really think we were gonna get out of the COVID-19 crisis without Maynard James Keenan having something to say about it? In his art-rock group Puscifer's first new song since 2015, he and co-vocalist Carina Round face the end times with an infectious chorus of "Dumb dumb be damned" as a tidal wave of shimmering synths and pulsating beats push the listener dancing toward their doom. Whimsical yet also totally dark, the single has us desperately awaiting the fall release of Puscifer's as-yet-untitled new album — not to mention, a time when people stop hoarding toilet paper.
Gama Bomb - "Living for the Lockdown"
Dublin-based Gama Bomb dropped this week's choice thrash offering. "Living for the Lockdown" is nonstop speed metal for two-plus minutes, absolutely dizzying — almost nauseatingly so — but it's the extreme falsetto vocals that really make this cut so extremely fun. The single's music video doesn't hurt, either. Featuring a fuzzy monster bored as shit in quarantine, and the band members in a split-screen Zoom meeting that crushes any of your own, it's ridiculous in the most amazing way possible.
Xibalba - "Años En Infierno"
Pomona, California, metallic hardcore mainstays Xibalba haven't lifted their feet off the gas pedal. The long-running group may be planning to pull back on band activity to focus more on life outside of heavy music, but they're going out with a bang. Indeed, this mosh-inducing, ferociously groovy title track off their upcoming album Años En Infierno sounds like scorched earth.
Veil of Maya - "Outsider"
Chicago quartet Veil of Maya released a surprise single this week — and it unquestionably crushes. With vocalist Lukas Magyar growling over guitar squeals and pummeling drum beats, the song is an intense battering from all angles, typifying the group's excoriating metalcore-meets-djent assault. Make sure and stay for until the very end — that final, near-30-second breakdown might be the heaviest part you hear in awhile.
Executioner's Mask - "No Funeral"
Featuring vocals from Jay Gambit of noise-metal group Crowhurst, synth and drum programming by Ryan Wilson from Intestinal Disgorge, and guitar work courtesy of Craig Mickle of LACE, Executioner's Mask conjure a captivating modern take on Joy Division's stark post-punk and Sisters of Mercy's majestic goth rock. "No Funeral" is hazy, haunting and depressive, and it's just the kind of darkwave we're here for.
Cemican - "Yóok 'ol kaab Maya"
Like an Ancient Mexican answer to the HU or Heilung, Guadalajara-based folk-metal sextet Cemican embrace traditional indigenous instruments in their effort to resurrect the grandeur of their tribal heritage. Unlike those two bands, Cemican — whose name means "the duality of life and death" in the Aztecan language of Nahuatl — bring full-metal heaviness. Think Slipknot scoring Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. It all comes together brilliantly on this Adult Swim single, which touches on astral projection, sacred temples, walks with jaguars, and "water, fire, wind and earth as part of the mystical light."
