Mandatory Jams: New Heat for the Week 11/17

Mandatory Jams: New Heat for the Week 11/17

- By Ramon Gonzales

Stream the latest from Keith Buckley's new iteration Many Eyes, the latest from icons Judas Priest and the soundtrack of the end of the world from sinister synthwave specialist, GOST.

If this week's selection of new singles offers any indication, the continued health of heavy music seems to be in one of the best places it has ever been. As genre divides continue to become a thing of the past and artists embrace a mixed bag of influences, the result is a stronger, more diverse culture and with that comes a plethora of new music that steers clear of repetition. 

Among the tracks that made this week's cut include entries from emerging artists, long-tenured metal icons and even savvy veterans of the game that have resurfaced with a refreshed, reinvigorated sound. Ultimately - the fans stand to benefit. 

Check this week's rundown of Mandatory Jams below. 

MANY EYES - "MYSTIC CORD"

Photo by Jena Yannone

The combination of Keith Buckley along with the brothers Nick and Charlie Bellmore are coalescing incredibly as Many Eyes. The trio's meld of weighty rock fury embraces the best parts of hardcore and metal - asserting a unique stylistic signature that goes beyond loud, heavy, confrontational rock. The band's brand is an articulate one, both from a lyrical and a compositional vantage point. "Mystic Cord" offers testament to that. 

WIND WALKERS - "THE OVERLOOK"

Photo by  Ian Urquhart

Massachusetts post-hardcore unit Wind Walkers has debuted arguably their best work to date with the release of their What If I Break? LP. Tracks like "The Overlook" shine as a clear example of the band's outside the box thinking and genre-melding approach to crafting anthemic, memorable heavy music. Fluidly weaving melodic verses and massive hooks, the five-piece pack a wallop with the latest single. 

NIGHT LOVELL (Featuring Freddie Dredd) - "FREAK" 

Photo by Dill35mm

G59 Record$ affiliate Night Lovell continues his commanding campaign towards the release of his  I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY LP. Delivering menacing bars over a rumbling thud produced by Outby16, Lovell trades quips with Freddie Dredd on yet another monstrous banger. The Ottawa-based underground phenom has become one of the most promising prospects in the space and singles like this showcase exactly why. 

JUDAS PRIEST - "TRIAL BY FIRE"

Photo via Knotfest
Iconic metal Gods Judas Priest have delivered the second preview of their forthcoming 19th studio album, Invincible Shield. "Trail By Fire" speaks to the longevity of a band serving more than five decades as leaders of the pack. Halford shines with a performance that is nothing short of legendary - underscoring that Priest still has plenty more where that came from. 
GOST - "JUDGEMENT / PROPHECY"
Asserting a masterful balance of musical extremity that sources elements ranging from black metal to synthwave, GOST will begin its second decade of disruption with the 2024 release of their Propehcy LP via Metal Blade Records. The introductory single in "Judgement / Prophecy" is a staggering show of force that perfectly soundtracks what Texas-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and GOST brain James Lollar shares is " an imaginative fall of the Western civilization, the biblical end of the world - the rise of Satan and Armageddon,"
Spot on. 
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