Here at Revolver, we're always on the hunt for new songs to bang our heads to — indeed, it's a big part of our jobs. With that in mind, here are the tracks released this week in hardcore, post-metal, metalcore and more that have been on heavy rotation at Revolver HQ. For your listening pleasure, we've also compiled the songs in an ever-evolving Spotify playlist.
Mindforce - "Words Fail"
Mindforce offer something of a "choose-your-own-adventure" riff in the opening of their latest "Words Fail," thanks to a knuckle-dragging intro that lets you dance to the slow groove or settle into a solid headbang. The section is quickly kneecapped by a group chant starting at the 30-second mark, though, and the crowd rousing continues for the remainder of this micro-track. Sharpened guitar licks slash through cyclical riffing, building to an abrupt cutoff that leaves you wanting more. It's the perfect interlude for an album or live setting, so expect to hear it build up to something even harder.
Dead Cross - "Heart Reformer"
The first two minutes of Dead Cross's latest shredder "Hear Reformer" sounds like dudes who were present for the birth of crossover thrash (true) putting their own updated spin on the genre (they are). As the song dives deeper into Pattonian hysterics, it evolves to sprout textures and tentacles, becoming an exploration of grief and survival no doubt related to the cancer treatment and recovery of guitarist Michael Crain who has said, "My will to live and be with my brothers Justin, Dave, Mike, and co-producer Ross Robinson, got me out of bed and running into the studio every day to get it all on tape."
Black Math Horseman - "The Bough"
Part Lynch-worshipping shoegaze, part tripped-out psych rock, Black Math Horseman's epic "The Bough" is a nearly eight-minute journey through galloping soundscapes, quiet enchantment, and wavering echoes that sound like the soundtrack to an unsteady dream. Longtime Chelsea Wolfe collaborator Ben Chisolm mastered the record which aligns with the similarly mysterious atmospheres evoked by both acts, but BMH dive deeper into a feeling of controlled paranoia that sounds like a retro-rock revival without the schmaltziness of lesser talents who attempt it.
Orbit Culture - "Vultures of North"
It's hard to decide if the pristine production makes this more terrifying or if the horror that persists in spite of the cleanliness, but one thing everyone can agree on — this slays. The automatic weaponry of the snare-and-bass interplay is enough to make you run for cover, but the hair-singeing vocals and malevolent discordance are something straight from a movie set on the day Earth slides into Hell.
L.S. Dunes - "Permanent Rebellion"
Post-hardcore supergroups have never been quite this super. L.S. Dunes, comprised of members of Thursday, Circa Survive, My Chemical Romance, and more, burst onto the scene with "Permanent Rebellion" just this morning, giving us the romance of lyrical sing-song/screamcore interplay that rings out in the hearts of aging emos and punks everywhere. Executed with the mastery you'd expect from such a seasoned group, the track is nonstop, dynamic fun and showed up just in time to drum up some autumnal back-to-school nostalgia for those of us who finished senior year 15 or more years ago.
Botch - "One Twenty Two"
Botch released their first new song in 20 years this week and, if this hard swing right out of the gate illustrates anything, they clearly still have plenty to say. Guitarist David Knudson wrote the track while pent up during the lockdown and dealing with his frustration by writing "something heavy." The two-minute neck snapper achieves that moniker with ease, bringing back a signature Botch breakdown at 40 seconds as the track briefly descends into tightly curated chaos, then it swings back around, repeats the cycle, and halts on a dime.
