If you’re reading this in America, happy Thanksgiving to you! If you’re not reading this in America, get back to work.
It’s the end of November, which means the evenings are drawing in and we’re all a little colder, but we also get to start opening our advent calendars next week. A time of mixed fortunes.
No such conflict has come from our heavy metal musicians, however, as this week has given us another smattering of very, very good songs. Before we dive into them, first we need to see what you voted as the best song of last week. The likes of Lamb Of God, Svalbard and Converge all released quality stuff, but the winner of the poll was solo artist Vana with Pray. Congratulations!
This time, the playing field consists of Alissa White-Gluz, Sylosis, Rotten Sound, Girlschool and other talented folks, all of whom are vying for your approval. Whoever’s song wins this week will get an extra turkey leg at dinner*. Listen, vote and enjoy!
* they will not.
Alissa – The Room Where She Died
On Sunday (November 23), longtime Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz shockingly announced her departure from the band. Another surprise followed just a few hours later, albeit a much nicer one: the singer, now going mononymously as Alissa, was kicking off her solo career with the single The Room Where She Died. A near-seven-minute melodic metal track, it flaunts the extent of her range, from quasi-operatic cleans to bowel-rumbling snarls. No word on an album yet, but safe to say that more will come.
Sylosis – The New Flesh
One of Britain’s most reliable extreme metal bands, Sylosis once again brought the thunder with The New Flesh. The single’s a celebration of the quartet’s new lineup and finds them in genre-blurring form, accelerating from groove metal chords to a full-tilt thrash-a-thon. Then comes the lacerating guitar solo and one hell of a shout-along chorus. The song will appear on the band’s new album, also called The New Flesh, in February: the same month that they kick off their biggest European headline tour to date.
Rotten Sound – Idealist
Pressed for time? Rotten Sound have got your back. The Finnish grindcore brutes’ new single is a svelte 95 seconds, but it’ll leave marks that last way longer. Idealist is ugliness incarnate, hitting you with filthy guitar tones, unrelenting drums and the cataclysmic roars of frontman Keijo Niinimaa. Hold on to your fillings, because more will come on December 12, when the band unchain their new EP Mass Extinction. It has eight songs and doesn’t even scratch the 10-minute mark. No wasted space.
The first ladies of metal, Girlschool have been at it for more than 40 years, out-drinking Motörhead and scoring unlikely chart success. Their newest rager is a cover of Metallica’s Hit The Lights, and it’s every bit as snot-nosed as the original. Lead guitarist Jackie Chambers’ riffs explode out of the speakers, before Kim McAuliffe unloads a punkish wail worthy of Hetfield in his prime. The song will be on the Japanese edition of recent ’Tallica tribute album No Life ’Til Leather next month.
![Girlschool – Hit The Lights (feat Alcatrazz, feat Joe Stump) [Metallica Cover] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/yI5SpFIlj0g/maxresdefault.jpg)
The Hirsch Effekt – Das Nachsehen
Genre is but a plaything for German maestros The Hirsch Effekt, who for the last decade-and-a-bit have secretly been making Between The Buried And Me look like AC/DC. Das Nachsehen reiterates that this is a three-piece who know no rules, opening with ominous post-rock and German-language singing before building to a hardy, all-metal freakout. It’s a dynamic preview of the band’s new album, Der Brauch, which seems set to shatter more boundaries when it comes out on January 30.
Hawxx – Resistance Is Justified
Hawxx have run out of fuxx to give, lashing out with new single Resistance Is Justified. A rightfully furious track for our times, its chanting of ‘Free, free! Palestine!’ over sledgehammer guitars was inspired by the Filton 24: a group allegedly imprisoned for damaging weapons set to be used by Israel. The video is just as incendiary, compiling footage of protests, arrests and even coffins. Expect to hear more insubordination on the punk/metal trio’s as-yet-untitled second album, due out some time in the spring.
![Resistance Is Justified- HAWXX [Official Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gWcQGNHEiF8/maxresdefault.jpg)
Nanowar Of Steel – Feet & Greet
From the intense to the insane. Feet & Greet doesn’t kink-shame; it kink-courages, singing about sweaty soles as its video shoves its toes in your face for 202 seconds… whether you want it to or not. Musically, it’s almost as ludicrous, jiving along to the sound of euro-dance-flecked power metal. The single is taken from the parody-metal band’s upcoming release The Genghis Khan EP To End All Genghis Khan EPs, seemingly a swipe at Sabaton that we don’t understand but find hilarious all the same.
The Veer Union – Meet Your Maker
The Veer Union’s upcoming album may be called Reinvention, but new single Meet Your Maker sees the Canadians play to their strengths. Fans of Sleep Token and Bad Omens will surely find something to love in the song’s pop-metal melody-making – provided they aren’t put off by that music video with all the clowns in it. The album drops on February 20, and it’ll also feature recent singles Sunk Your Teeth In, Caught In The Crossfire, Sea Of Fire and My Empire. No clown on the cover, thank fuck.
Crown Magnetar – Desecrate Infinite
You know your death metal is gnarly when the snare makes St Anger sound like Back In Black. Desecrate Infinite, the latest blitzkrieg from Crown Magnetar, seems like it’s very upset and that it blames you specifically, charging forward with enough might to kill a rhino. The band released their EP Punishment back in March, so this new song may be the first taste of something new. Whatever does come next, there’s a chance it’ll fly through your window tied to a brick.
