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 goth-punk, death-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.
SPIRITWORLD - "Deathwestern"
SPIRITWORLD dare to ask the question, "What if Dwid from Integrity fronted a band that draws exclusively from Obituary and Power Trip?" The answer is their utterly ass-whooping new single, "Deathwestern," the full embodiment of the cowboy-killin' death-thrash sound they introduced on 2020's riff-licious Pagan Rhythms. The Vegas band have a very specific vision in mind, and they execute it perfectly on this track — bringing to mind images of circle-pitting stagecoaches and badass saloon shootouts.
Poppy - "FYB"
For a long time, Poppy's whole artistic persona was shrouded in mystery, and her genre-jumping output made it feel like she was always one step ahead of her audience finding out her inner truth. Lately, she's become much more unguarded. Picking up where last year's uncharacteristically straightforward and grungey Flux left off, "FYB" doesn't leave anything to the imagination, a pointed, biting punk tell-off that bears her wounds for all to see. "Fuck the world and it'll fuck you back," she snarls the way someone does when they're really hurting.
Avatar - "Valley of Disease"
Avatar might be the only band in the world who can tour with Iron Maiden one month and deathcore gang Veil of Maya the next, and both packages make total sense. The Swedish metal fronted by Johannes Eckerström are currently in new-album-writing mode, but they gave their fans something to chew on with "Valley of Disease," a pulverizing stomper with melodeath riffery, NWOBHM belting and some noxious breakdowns.
Varials - "Circles"
Varials have come a long way. Back in the mid-2010s, the Philly band came onto the scene with beatdown barrages made for bloodthirsty crowdkillers, and now, with a new vocalist behind the mic, Varials are dribbling out singles that sound like a completely different band from where they started. That's not a bad thing. "Circles" is a dreary, introspective power-ballad of the nu-metal variety, perfect for those who love Linkin Park, Deftones and being alone with their thoughts on rainy nights.
Punitive Damage - "Drawn Lines"
It's not easy to make hardcore sound fresh in 2022, especially the type of raw, back-to-basics hardcore punk that Vancouver's Punitive Damage specialize in. This band finds a way. "Drawn Lines" is just a taste of the throat-punching intensity that haunts their forthcoming debut, This is the Blackout, but it's a taste you won't forget. Vocalist Jerkova's screams are goddamn searing, and her bandmates give her a throttling instrumental that's rageful but also tuneful. Stick around until the LP drops, you won't be disappointed.
L.S. Dunes - "2022"
L.S. Dunes are a pandemic band, and "2022" is a pandemic song if ever there was one. The supergroup — featuring Circa Survive/Saosin singer Anthony Green and members of My Chemical Romance, Thursday and Coheed and Cambria — formed during the generational low-point of 2020, and "2022" bottles up the claustrophobic depression of that era and launches it into th sea. "If I can't make it 'til 2022/At least we'll see how long I can swim," Green excises with his nasally, crackling croon that balloons to a tortured scream as the instrumentation boils beneath. He made it, but damn.
