TORN OPEN - "THE WAY THINGS SHOULD END" (Blue Grape Music)

Jersey's reputation for destructive deathcore just got stronger. The latest addition to renegade heavy music collective Blue Grape Music, Torn Open rip groove-heavy riffs and violent bursts on their blood-soaked introduction, "The Way Things Should End". Sofia DeMasi spits venom on vocals with a punishing cadence from drummer Michael Karnage that even death metal purists can appreciate. 

POISON RÜIN - "HYMNS FROM THE HILLS" (Relapse Records)

Punk posture with extreme music pedigree, Philly's Poison Rüin embrace a DIY ethos with a self-recorded effort that challenges the conventional constructs of heavy music. Intentionally gritty, the band's meld of vibrant rhythms, foundational sonics and dark mythos make for a compelling listen - one dares to be different authentically rather than for effect. 

SLOPE - "TIDAL WAVE" - (Slope Gang/Fury Funk)

Germany's funk metal hybrid Slope compiles world rhythms and hard-hitting dynamics on their latest slab of groove-latent heft. It's not often a rock track feels danceable, and this is the infectious magic of Slope. High energy, obvious musicianship in execution and a powerful pulse that works for the dancefloor and circle pit. 

NAILED SHUT MA - "DUST TO DUST" (Promised Death Records)

Showing serious technical chops and explosive musical horsepower, the band's meld of hardcore heart and deathcore destruction results in a volatile, violent show of force that lays waste to everything in its path. An unrelenting sonic assault, "Dust to Dust" is a serious statement of intent pointing to the band's latest EP, a promise made, a promise kept. 

SLOW CRUSH - "QUE DU NOIR" (Pure Noise Records)

A brilliant b-side from the band's Thirst sessions, the French-forward cut offers a bleak sonic contrast to Slow Crush's typically bright, bold musical hue. Vocalist Isa Holliday delivers an emotionally-loaded performance with a kind of elegance that compliments the stylistically somber tone of the song. Among the standouts in the contemporary wave of shoegaze, Slow Crush, live up their name. 

BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. - "PUSHED BEYOND THE BRINK" (Nuclear Blast Records)

Setting out to deliver the most belligerent brand of beatdown in the game, Big Ass Truck continues to clobber the competition. "Pushed Beyond the Brink," the band's second serving since aligning with Nuclear Blast Records last year underscores the band's devastating stage show with a recorded soundtrack that empties the tank every time.

SACE6 - "COVET" (Sumerian Records)

There is audacity to SACE6 that has to be acknowledged if not commended. Combining R&B textures with sharply-produced, djent-adjacent heft, the result is a stylish, fluid meld of influences that makes efficient use of polar opposites. The band's latest entry is a daring, dramatic cut that moves the needle in modern metalcore and affirms the arrival of the genre's next promising prospect. 

FILTH IS ETERNAL - "HELLFIRE" (MNRK Heavy)

A potent amalgam of punk, grunge, hardcore and aggressive alternative, Filth Is Eternal more than lives up their Seattle lineage on their latest, Impossible World. On "Hellfire," the band's urgent delivery and straight-forward song dynamics make for a track that doesn't need added flair to be memorable. Powerful melodies, driving rock cadence and a well-placed solo make the track stick while serving as a powerful reminder of just how real the roots of the PNW are when it comes to time-tested rock music. 

A.A. WILLIAMS - "HOLD IT TOGETHER" (Reigning Phoenix Music)

Equally elegant and fragile, A.A. Williams continues to color outside the lines of extreme music. Crafting emotionally-charged compositions, Williams uses piano, drums, and guitars to craft high art in a sprawling six-minute epic, anchored by a vocal performance that speaks to the soul. Toeing a fine line between the bleak and beauty in extreme music, Williams remains a one-of-one in the space and songwriter that commands serious respect. 

BOUNDARIES - "SKIES CAST AMBER BLACK" (Sumerian Records)

Teaming with producer Drew Fulk, the introductory single on Sumerian Records is a chaotic, confrontational entry that asserts the band's corrosive meld of metallic hardcore, fueled by a unrelenting aggression and pure antagonism. From the jump, "Skies Cast Amber Black" puts pedal to the metal with a single that makes the most emphatic statement.