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.
Svalbard - "Open Wound"
Politically charged U.K. hardcore quartet Svalbard have blown open their typically much more straight-ahead and pummeling sound with new single "Open Wound," a soaring and bittersweet five-and-a-half-minute excursion that evokes the expansive post-metal of Mono while still maintaining the band's own tried-and-true fury. It's a jaw-dropping intro to the group's forthcoming full-length, When I Die, Will I Get Better?
Fit for a King - "God of Fire" Feat. Crystal Lake's Ryo Kinoshita
Opening with an electronic beat and distorted vocals, "God of Fire" quickly segues into far-beyond-crushing riffage and gnarlier-than-gnarly roars, the latter contributed in part by Ryo Kinoshita of Japanese metalcore crew Crystal Lake. It all makes for an almost absurdly heavy three-and-a-half minutes. Bow down to the god of fire? More like bow down to Fit for a King.
Greg Puciato - "Do You Need Me to Remind You?"
Greg Puciato continues to the raise the bar. If the former Dillinger Escape Plan singer's first solo single, "Fire for Water," evoked Ministry and Godflesh, and its follow-up, "Deep Set," suggested the slithering swagger of early Manson, his latest offering, "Do You Need Me to Remind You?," is a whole other beast — leaning into his sludgy, post-metal influences while showcasing his incomparable croon — and the most captivating taste of his forthcoming debut solo album, Child Soldier: Creator of God, so far.
Pallbearer- "Forgotten Days"
Modern doom-metal masters Pallbearer are back, and "Forgotten Days" — the title track off the group's forthcoming fourth LP — does not disappoint. Sweeping and melancholic, it carves out a shadow-cast yet verdant valley between the majesty of vintage Black Sabbath and the morbid romanticism of Type O Negative.
In Hearts Wake - "Dystopia"
"On the edge don't be fooled by all the shadows/Imagine what we're capable of if we just see through the lie." So goes the chorus of "Dystopia," the latest sinuous single from environmentally-minded Aussie metalcore veterans In Hearts Wake. At once headbangingly heavy, infectiously hooky and progressively structured, the dynamic anthem is a great example of what these guys are capable of.
Skeletal Remains - "Illusive Divinity"
For all you Morbid Angel devotees out there, look no further than "Illusive Divinity," the blistering latest single from Californian death dealers Skeletal Remains, for your fix. Packed with neck-snapping riffs and lava-loving leads, it's extreme metal at its finest. If blessed are the sick, then these guys are truly among the angels.
