Here at Revolver, we're always on the hunt for great new music — 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.
Converge - "Reptilian"
"Reptilian" kicks off with a shimmering ambient texture followed by a clean guitar passage, a gorgeous and somewhat unexpected lead-in for metallic hardcore kings Converge. Ultimately, Jacob Bannon's vocals appear with the double-kick drum — and all of the beauty that once was is instantly replaced by the band's signature approach to ferocity. Yes, "Reptilian" rips, but while its brute force doesn't come as a shocker, it's nevertheless a marvel on a more macro level: It's hard to imagine anyone with a 27-year career in punk music that can keep marching onward with so few missteps. Chalk up another win for the Boston boys.
Blut Aus Nord - "Apostasis"
Blut Aus Nord have proven their worth as masters of the doomiverse yet again with "Apostasis," an infernal new track from their upcoming album, Deus Salutis Meae. A glorious, cosmic clusterfuck clocking in at five-and-a-half crushing minutes, "Apostasis" plays out as an aural translation of its title, borrowed from the Greek word for "revolt" or "deflection." As the mammoth riffs pour into the cavernous sonic space like a torrent of battery acid, a war rages, blast-beats and thunderous fills on one side, eerie Morricone synths on the other. If that all sounds a bit overwhelming, that's because it is — but to be blindsided by "Apostasis" is to sink into bliss.
Zao - "The Host Has Bared Its Teeth"
Less than a year after dropping The Well-Intentioned Virus, Zao's first album in seven years, the ever-shifting metalcore crew is still out for blood. The band isn't above self-inflicting wounds on "The Host Has Bared Its Teeth," our first taste of the group's upcoming Pyyrhic Victory EP: The track is essentially the musical equivalent of a cannibalization-in-progress, its saw-toothed guitars chipping away at Dan Weyandt's gurgling vocals with relish. Ahh, how we love the sound of a band tearing itself apart from the inside out!
Knife the Glitter - "Idiot City"
From 2007 to 2009, Knife the Glitter confused and wowed audiences in equal measure, creating tracks that showed off their ninja-like fretboard gymnastics while retaining a strong understanding of melody. Though the prog-metal band has long since passed on — notably lending guitarist Kevin Antreassian to the Dillinger Escape Plan — its long-awaited self-titled (and now final) LP is finally complete, due out December 22nd via Party Smasher Inc./Husaria. "Idiot City" is the first track to be revealed from the group's posthumous effort, a jaw-droppingly impressive six-minute journey that will not only make you hit repeat, but also make you wonder about the alternate-universe future of such a promising band.
Second Arrows - "Jitters"
Formed just last year, Second Arrows are a New Jersey four-piece featuring current and former members of Every Time I Die, Deadguy and Ensign. While the band technically qualifies as a metalcore supergroup, its songs fly in the face of standard practice, particularly "Jitters," one half of a pay-what-you-want twofer released via Bandcamp. From street punk to hardcore, sludge metal to hard rock, Second Arrows do it all on this barnstormer; hell, there's even a jazzy groove or two thrown in to keep the pit on their toes. Bullseye.
Primal Rite - "Antivenom"
Bay Area phenoms Primal Rite returned with a new single, "Antivenom," a track that rides the line between hardcore and crossover, pouring on the reverb for the muscular two-minute excursion. Led by Lucy's bloodthirsty hate bellow, the mostly half-speed track is ready made for the pit, complete with divebombs, hard af riffing and a guest solo vocal from Jeffrey Wang of the Bad Times Crew. Awesome as the song is, "Antivenom" isn't without its side effects — namely, a swell of anticipation for Primal Rite's upcoming album, Dirge of Escapism, due out early next year via Revealation. 2018 can't get here fast enough.
