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.
Ioanna Gika - "Roseate"
With the Chelsea Wolfe seal of approval and an opening slot on Deafheaven's current run, newly signed Sargent House artist Ioanna Gika is a boon for the dark ethereal electronic scene. The singer's angelic voice and ghostly reverberations on debut single "Roseate" form a delicate marriage with the progressive immediacy of the song's driving beat, a unique fusion of ballad and pulsating dance track. Gika's timbre and heart are inimitable here, and hint at the winsome promise of her solo career to come.
Euringer - "If It Ain't You Today It Will Be Tomorrow"
The self-proclaimed "Godfather of Soundcloud Rap," Jimmy Urine dropped the debut album from his new project Euringer today, and to fully achieve all the weird thrills of the record, he's enlisted a host of some of his rock-star friends. "If It Ain't You Today It Will Be Tomorrow" pulls System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian in to do his best end-of-the-world preacher voice, giving the song a real weight. (It's only fitting, given that the famous poem from which the song takes its title was written by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller.) The noise and chaos give way for surprising R&B refrains, playing sonic Russian roulette with the listener when it comes to what genre is next.
King Nine - "Paradise"
Long Island's King Nine come in hot with their new single "Paradise," which will appear on their forthcoming LP Death Rattle. In the fives years since their last full-length (Scared to Death), fellow natives Incendiary have shot to the top of the heap and Backtrack is heavily active again — leaving King Nine as one of the last in their class to come correct. Thankfully they do just that with "Paradise." This mid-paced mosh-ready marathon is furious as hell, nodding proudly to Sheer Terror, Merauder and the hard side in general, and fitting perfectly near any of the above along with early Trapped Under Ice, Xibalba and anything that drips attitude.
Babymetal - "Starlight"
Listen, forget what your pretentious trve kvlt metal bro says, Babymetal do, in fact, go the fuck in. Their newest song "Starlight" is a testament to this, showing a true change up in what their songs have sounded like. Earlier material has been on the faster, more traditional side of things. On the new track though, the band gleefully pulls from obvious the influences of Meshuggah and djent to create an awesome dichotomy in the sugary, sky-high pitch singing, and the ultra lows of the guitars. There aren't any corny segues into electronica like some of their other material, instead they deliver a tastefully ignorant breakdown that just seems to get lower and lower as the song goes. It might be the end of Yuimetal's role in the band, but it seems as though they're onto the next phase of what the band can be.
Unmaker - "Children of the Clouds"
Death rock's current upswing sees newcomers like Unmaker throwing genre-bending elements in the songwriting mix to set themselves apart, and on "Children of the Clouds," the group manage to use traditional stylistic elements like passionate howling vocals and icy, jangly guitar licks while making room for heavier percussion and punk-esque breakdowns to take the haunted-house dance floor feel to new goth heights. Cold yearning and tortured verses break into choral ascension, taking listeners on a tour of shape-shifting desperation that begs for repeat listens.
Soulfly - "Bite the Bullet"
Max Cavalera has long been one of metal's most prolific figureheads, and while his output hasn't always been up to his legacy, the Sepultura co-founder has had something of renaissance as of late, with full-album runs of Roots and Nailbomb's Point Blank seemingly reinvigorating him creatively. The last Cavalera Conspiracy album rips, as does Soulfly's latest, Ritual, out today. Standout cut "Bite the Bullet" opens with a noodly lead before slamming into classic Max mode, all chugging, bouncing riffs, tribal percussion and grizzled roars.
