New cuts from Slaughter to Prevail, Sevendust, Serration and more.
This week’s curation of new tracks is important in that it showcases how heavy music continues to permeate among the new school and established veterans of the game. Additionally, this week’s shortlist spans nuanced subgenre, underscoring the variety of heavy music as a whole.
While everything resides on the heavier end of the spectrum, these tracks go from deathcore to heavy rock seamlessly and speak to the greater health of the culture – with noteworthy contributions clocking in from emerging artists and OG hitmakers simultaneously.
POLARIS – “NIGHTMARE” (SHARPTONE RECORDS)
The latest preview of the pending full length arriving in September from the Australian collective is bruising show of force coupled with the kind of real emotion and hostility that can make a good song great. The track also serves as an important tribute to departed guitarist Ryan Siew, who last month passed away at the young age of 26. For obvious reasons, there is real catharsis loaded on this track and the result is a real gut punch.
SEVENDUST – “SUPERFICIAL DRUG” (NAPALM RECORDS)
It’s impossible to refute the kind of durability that has made Sevendust truly built to not only last, but get better with each release. Celebrating the arrival of their fourteenth studio album (now available via Napalm Records – HERE), ‘Superficial Drug” is a masterclass of anthemic rock heavy, radio ready revelry. The trifecta of guitarist Clint Lowery, drummer Morgan Rose and frontman Lajon Witherspoon display the kind of creative synergy that suggest this trio where destined to make music together for good. A combination of chunky groove, anthemic vocals and dynamic percussion on “Superficial Drug” suggest Sevendust may have just found a new level.
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL – “VIKING” (SUMERIAN RECORDS)
Russian deathcore champions Slaughter to Prevail have given their latest single a proper release with the arrival and new visual for “Viking” and the final product is nothing short of pulverizing. With theb track having already been performed live on their recent tour, the band have captured their live intensity with a new visual that revisits their headlining trek and highlights the hard-hitting quality of the track that includes both Russian and English lyrics.
SERRATION – “SHROUD OF GNARLED TONGUES” (DAZE)
The Canadian collective have issued a clobbering first glimpse of their forthcoming full length, Simulations Of Hell. The band had the tough task of outpacing their previously released, “A Suicide Note in Midi Format” featuring Emma Boster of Dying Wish and managed to ratchet up the intensity with a sub 2-minute beatdown that puts the greater world of metalcore and metallic hardcore on notice.
WORM SHEPARD – “THE DYING HEAVENS” (UNIQUE LEADER RECORDS)
The kind of chaos controlled and weaponized in Worm Shepard’s latest is a marvel. A sample from the pending EP, The Sleeping Sun, “The Dying Heavens” is flawless representation of symphonic deathcore, showcasing the requisite muscle paired with skilled execution. Clocking in at nearly 7 minutes, there are some drastic tempo changes that make for some compositional theatrics and transform the track into a journey. This one slaps.
