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I’ve always found solace in extreme music. In recent years, I’ve discovered similar comfort in different realms of non-Western sounds via sources like Excavated Shellac and Little Axe mixtapes. The unfamiliar sounds, timings and textures found within those and other portals have proven valuable. This is why I approached the video premiere of Untu’s “The Dukun’s Hand” with legitimate excitement. We’re hosting it ahead of its full release tomorrow. 

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Based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Untu are an experimental fusion of old school thrash/death metal and classical Javanese gamelan. A six-piece unit featuring typical rock instrumentation, a gong, and two demung players. A demung, for those unfamiliar with gamelan, is a traditional Indonesian instrument similar to a xylophone with heavy metal (!) keys atop a wood base. Each instrument is prominent on “The Dukun’s Hand,” the first single from Untu’s forthcoming Yet, I Smile EP. The song tells the diabolical tale of Ahmad Suradji, a dukun, or shaman, who ritually murdered 42 Indonesian women. The stark, black-and-white video is a stunning, folk horror reel that conveys the menace and terror surrounding Suradji’s encounter with his final victim. 

To set the scene and the macabre tableaux of “The Dukun’s Hand,” the demung tolls ominously. Soon, a foreboding vocal reminiscent of Ghost Reveries-era Opeth meanders in; its codeine lullaby dissolves into queasy, twisted metal. The intensity builds slowly, driven by the demung’s steady steel pulse and discarded Floridian death metal riffs, mirroring the dread of the doomed young woman walking through the plantation towards the dukun’s home. The steel pulse is rock-steady. The percussion both leads and leavens the carnage as the bloodlust erupts. As cinematic as it is disorienting, Untu’s metal and gamelan combination should appeal to all adventurous listeners. 

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Yet, I Smile releases December 6.

Letters. It’s all about letters. A series of handwritten thoughts, captured in time. When Crystal Park sat down to write the lyrics for Initiate’s new EP, she saw it as a series of intimate conversations, each signed with the valediction ‘With Love // With Rage’.

In many ways writing letters seems at odds with circle pits, sticky floors and sweat-stained air but then Initiate aren’t your typical hardcore band. Their 2023 album ‘Cerebral Circus’ proved they had something to say while operating inside the genre’s confines. In 2025 they released the single ‘Too Much’. It was a promise, a note. It suggested a different direction, post-metal, but it was a sealed envelope. This EP takes a step back, revisiting the sounds and ideas the album was built around and tightens the screws. It’s signed with a kiss.

‘Burn After Reading’ is a passionate love letter written to hardcore. With a punchy introduction, and a rapid d-beat from drummer John Hodge, it feels like a classic, but with the tone established, it shifts into something quite different. The riffs change, the feel changes – it’s like using a new font within the same paragraph, but it works. This is, of course, because its secret is this; the guitarists Draven Carter and Manning Gray provide the melodies while Crystal Park barks over the top. This retains the vicious, slightly rabid feel of hardcore while giving the song personality and nuance. It’s a brilliant trick, and one they use throughout the EP.

While Park flirted with clean vocals on ‘Cerebral Circus’, here they’re consigned to a little atmosphere in the background of ‘Future Saving Grace‘. Her singing voice pales in comparison to her arresting, nuanced screams. It makes for a great choice, especially as the guitarists have melody covered, with the clearest example being the repeating lines on ‘Shadowboxing’ intertwining like a snake.

Zach Tuch has his producer’s fingerprints all over the record. It’s pleasingly raw and retains all the little smudges that give it personality – for example, making the pick slides and feedback on ‘Delusions’ into part of the song’s character. It also gives bassist Michael Morles’s work space to stand out amongst the playful lead guitar.

The EP’s greatest strength is the writing. The songs work so well because the music is built as a series of interlinked sections, paragraphs if you prefer, which create structure amongst the powerful riffs. This is why the false intro to ‘Numb The Pain’ feels earned, and why the strange timing and odd, lumbering meter makes ‘Shadowboxing’ a heavyweight. On ‘Future Saving Grace’, it feels like they’re peeling back through layers until they expose the song’s beating heart, a clicking drum track and beautiful piano motif. It’s a great note to end on.

‘With Love // With Rage’ is a love letter. It’s intimate, passionate and will leave you hot under the collar.

IAN KENWORTHY

Nashville symphonic power metal band Valkyrie’s Fire has released a brand new single and accompanying music video titled “Cascade.” The track serves as the second preview from the group’s highly anticipated debut full length album, Out of Darkness, which is scheduled for release on September 18 via Eclipse Records.

Musically, the new track offers a mesmerizing and captivating experience, gracefully shifting away from the heavier aggression of their previous single “Burning Sky.” Thematically, “Cascade” focuses on the serene beauty of the night sky and the gradual transition from dusk to darkness. To visually capture this concept, the band worked with the production team at ProMotion LLC in Franklin, Tennessee, to create a performance focused music video set against shifting cosmic imagery. Frontwoman Bettie Floyd and co vocalist Adam Sanders intentionally utilized an all black wardrobe to allow the vibrant colors of the background to take center stage, providing a clean visual pairing for the soaring vocal melodies of the song.

Operating out of Nashville, the sextet continues to build a massive sound that directly rivals the European pioneers of the symphonic metal genre. The upcoming Out of Darkness record was produced and engineered by Joey Grimaldi, featuring mastering work by Mikael Sehlin of Amaranthe alongside striking cover art designed by Jan Yrlund. By blending grand orchestral arrangements with modern heavy metal production, Valkyrie’s Fire aims to deliver a powerful sonic statement when the new album officially arrives this September.

The post Valkyrie’s Fire Releases Immersive New Single and Music Video “Cascade” first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Let us travel back to the days when flannel shirts tied around the waist were all the rage, jeans were the only thing to wear, and music videos still dominated MTV. Songs by Nirvana, the Offspring, Sublime, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers filled the airwaves as alternative rock moved into the center of popular culture. Green Day began in California’s East Bay punk scene in 1987 and exploded into the mainstream with Dookie in 1994. The album’s sharp humor, frantic energy, and unforgettable melodies turned songs such as “Basket Case,” “Longview,” and “When I Come Around” into generational anthems.

The post 10 Green Day Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Missouri rock trio Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice bring a fresh, high-octane edge to classic rock, blues, and Southern rock. Composed of Nathan Bryce (guitar/vocals), Dylan Halacy (drums), and Jerry Paswaters (bass/vocals), the band recently spent three years touring globally as the backing band and support for Australian guitar prodigy Taj Farrant. 

Their latest single, “Panic Is the Norm,” is blues-rock anthem that blends late ’60s/early ’70s energy. It’s amazingly written and performed, with lots of tasty guitar parts – check out the solos – catchy and intense vocal lines, a quality arrangement (it features guest musician Clayton Doley laying down explosive, Jerry Lee Lewis-style keys) and overall very enjoyable from start to finish, in between a few genres. 

Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and follow Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice on social media if you like what you hear.