This week's short list of required listening ranges from seasoned veterans to emerging prospects - all of which submitted crucial additions to your new music playlist.
For purists, the current climate of genre lines in heavy music going away might cause some apprehension - a sense of hesitation that suggests the heath of aggressive art is less than. For the rest of us, the culture continues to flourish as artists from all generations and sub genre seem to be disregarding the conventional now more than ever in the name of progress. The result is compelling music, tracks that cut through the bulshit and excite us as an audience - truly reminding us what we love about the loud, the abrasive and the confrontational quality of all things heavy.
Such is the case with this week's shortlist. From seasoned veterans to emerging prospects, from industrial to hardcore, death metal to deathcore - this week's mandatory jams prioritize song above all else and it shows.
Check the collection below.
MINISTRY - "NEW RELIGION"
Photo by Derick Smith
Christening the band's 16th full length studio album, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, the latest offering from Ministry leans into the legends penchant for rock heavy fury. Backed by the likes of John Bechdel on keys, Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto on guitars, Roy Mayorga providing the beat and Paul D’Amour on the bass, iconic frontman Al Jourgensen dissects the current climate where the media is treated like aa a deity - making for a gloriously fucked up single.
SATANIC TEA CO. - "HUMAN TEA" (MALE TEARS REMIX)
Photo by Alan Bremner
Asserting the ability to repurpose their brutality in interesting, infectious ways, Satanic Tea Co. has refreshed their Matt McGachy assisted assault in "Human Tea" with the electro-pop expertise of duo Male Tears. Taking such an eviscerating track like the original and crafting such dancefloor-driven variation show the kind of range and wherewithal that make STC the kind of band with depth, along with the requisite devastation.
BOUNDARIES - "A PALE LIGHT LINGERS"
Photo by Sarah Holick
Connecticut collective Boundaries have unloaded a visceral sample from their forthcoming full length, Death Is Little More. Recruiting Loochie Keogh of Alpha Wolf to bolster the pure barrage of the track, "A Pale Light Lingers" conveys a sense of catharsis that explodes over a 3-minute onslaught. With production from Randy LeBoeuf (Gideon, The Acacia Strain, Kublai Khan TX), and the previous success of the eruptive "Easily Erased" - Boundaries are intent on making 2024 a breakout year for all the right reasons.
HO99O9 - "A MACHINE OF"
Photo by Finn Constantine
If you are still trying to find a lane that's a fit for Yeti Bones and theOGM, you're kinda missing the point of HO99O9. Sourcing the best of various styles and influences, authentically, the duo has made it clear that its chaos over category. Call it whatever the fuck you want, one thing becomes abundantly clear whenever HO99O9 drops - it slaps. "A Machine Of" is a brilliant disregard for genre confines and further proof that heavy music doesn't follow a formula.
INGESTED - "PANTHEON"
Photo by Eduardo Ruiz
Modern death metal horde Ingested continue to the blur the lines of classic brutality and modern aggression with the latest serving from their The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams full length due out next month. "Pantheon" underscores the band's embrace of old school heft while working towards the kind of walloping breakdown intended to incite violence in the live setting. Pure pummel, executed with relentlessness.
LIFE'S QUESTION - "WHEN I MEET GOD"
Photo by Kat Nijmeddin
Behind all of the obvious power of Life's Question's introductory single for their self-titled EP on Flatspot, there is a sense of reflection, introspection and poignance that anchors vocalist Josh Haynes' performance. While the track boasts a torrent of riffs and percussive punch, Haynes' ability to project makes for a compelling listen - beyond the usual dynamics of a heavy-hitting hardcore track. Substantiating their buzz and then some, "When I Meet God" suggests the ceiling is nowhere near for quartet.
From ambitious post-metal, to 70's-inspired Italian cinema soundtracks to hardcore's next breakout sensation, check this week's fresh slabs of essential new music.
From ambitious post-metal, to 70's-inspired Italian cinema soundtracks to hardcore's next breakout sensation, check this week's fresh slabs of essential new music.
Photo by Derick Smith
