Talk about a dramatic week in metal. From the retirement of Judas Priest’s Ian Hill to the departure of Floor Jansen from Nightwish, it feels like we’re hitting a serious period of change as we head inexorably towards the end of the year. But, the new releases keep coming.
So let’s start with the results of last week’s vote! The announcement of a new Trivium album helped them sail into third place, while Calva Louise excited us with new music in the form of La Promesa. But the overall winners for the week were sludge metallers Black Royal, proving there are more than a few Extremophiles in the world.
As ever, we’ve hunted far and wide to find you the best new music around this week. Tarja Turunen has released a brilliant new song with Apocalyptica, and we’ve got a nu metal bop from Blackgold, but further afield there’s Indian prog metal from Fallen Letters, Japanese post-hardcore (with a decidedly blackened bent) in Heaven In Her Arms and some seriously nasty extreme songs out there too (hello, Underdark). Don’t forget to vote for your favourite below, and have an excellent weekend!
Tarja – Tango (ft. Apocalyptica)
Talk about timing. Floor Jansen’s departure from Nightwish has made major headlines this week, but Tarja Turunen continues to prove there’s life after playing in symphonic metal’s biggest band with her latest single Tango. Teaming up with fellow Finns Apocalyptica, it’s a typically grandiose and elegant track, Tarja’s voice soaring atop with those inimitable almost operatic intonations. Taken from Frisson Noir, which came out over the summer, it’s a gorgeous track well worth your time.
Nordjevel – Unbound In Death
Taking a headlong leap off the other end of the metal spectrum, Nordjevel’s Unbound In Death is pure sonic anarchy. Screeching high notes, relentless blast beats and blackened snarls make for a vicious assault on the senses, the Norwegians hewing close to the sound that put their country on the metal map whilst also not mindlessly following old formulas. New album Damnous is out December 11, though we won’t hold our breath for a Christmas number one.
Heilung – Læknisgaldr
While it was no secret Heilung were back in the studio after a break, we’ll admit we’re amazed their new record is arriving this side of 2027. Sagas + Ambient is out December 11, and lead single Læknisgaldr finds the Nordic folk group on typically ethereal form, Maria Franz’s voice providing much of the thrust of the song with its haunting tones. We’re not sure what the band mean that Sagas… is an “in between” album, but we look forward to whatever they’ve got planned next.
Blackgold – Killaz (ft. Woes)
And now, for something completely different. We’re still waiting on a major breakout star for the nu metal revival (one that isn’t just one of the OGs, at least), but Blackgold never fail to excite. Teaming up with US rapper Woes, the British band have produced a straight-up, bop-your-head banger. Riffs might be in short supply, but if you love the rock-friendly hip hop crossover vibes of Cypress Hill, that main beat is irresistible.
Tortured Demon – Apocalypse
Trivium, but make it more thrash. That’s the vibe we’re getting from the UK’s Tortured Demon, the thrashers chucking snarls and a reverence for old school metal that brings to mind the Florida band’s first couple of records, Apocalypse brimming with an enthusiasm and knowledge of what makes a great tune with a big, sing-along chorus that doesn’t dial back on the intensity. With a new album expected in 2027, we’re looking forward to hearing what else the band can come up with.
Fallen Letters – Hiraeth
If you’re looking for something a bit more intricate, we reckon you can’t go wrong with Indian prog metallers Fallen Letters. On new single Hiraeth the band evoke a sense of melancholy that is utterly gorgeous and captivating, bringing to mind the likes of Porcupine Tree or Opeth (whom the band supported earlier this year), with an oh-so-satisfying saxophone solo slotting in elegantly around the three-and-a-half-minute mark. Fallen Letters released their debut album last year, so we’re now keenly looking ahead to 2027 and hopefully more music to come.
Heaven In Her Arms – The Moon That Falls Only Here
Named for a song on Converge’s Jane Doe, Heaven In Her Arms are post-hardcore veterans from Japan. But for their first album in almost a decade, there’s also an almost post-black-metal sense of despair infused into the track, the elegant piano lines and explosive riffs of The Moon That Falls Only Here bringing to mind Harakiri For The Sky. It’s a seriously ambitious track, and comes from new album The End Of Purification, out November 13.
Reliqa – Serum
Australia has its own ecosystem when it comes to “-core” suffix bands. Even so, Reliqa feels like something very different to what we’ve come to expect from down under, new single Serum very sparing with its metalcore parts in favour of making something altogether more atmospheric and loose, though when it drops the breakdown there’s something very 2010s tech metal about it all. If this is their bid to shift towards more prog territories, you can colour us very interested.
Brightshade – Modern Horrors
Firing off like colossal pistons, there’s a bouncy groove in the riff to Brightshade’s Modern Horrors that ends up leaping in some surprising directions as they traverse alt. metal, nu metal and metalcore. It’s got a killer hook and brings its own gravitas, spelling good things for next year when the band play Radar Festival in the UK.
Nika – Circles
Returning to Australia’s fertile metal scene, Melbourne’s Nika are making an oh-so-satisfying racket on Circles. Hefty, djenty riffs meet buoyant vocal melodies that feel primed for radio. There’s no major, ascendant hook but that helps the song not feel like its running along a pre-set track, offering something fresh and familiar at the same time.
Grymheart – Demon Of Dreams
Trying to nail down Grymheart’s Demon Of Dreams to a single subgenre might just give you an anyeurism. Jaunty guitars lend the track a folk metal-ish air (though there’s no panpipes in sight), and there’s also something decidedly trad metal about the song’s composition. But when those throaty snarls come in, you know we’re in the realms of blackened… well, something, not quite black’n’roll, but also definitely not in the usual realms of blackened thrash, death metal etc. either. Fun probably isn’t the best word to associate with it, but we won’t deny it made us want to launch around – and new album Wake Not The Beast is out November 20.
Underdark – Death Of A Toolmaker
If jaunty, blackened energy isn’t your thing, perhaps you’d be better served by an unstoppable tidal wave of pure extreme metal horror. Underdark have announced their new album O Come Forth Annihilation for a November 6 release with the impressively bleak Death Of A Toolmaker, a track which sees the UK band embrace their darkest, most vicious impulses to create something properly disquieting.
