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, nu-metal, trad-metal 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.
Slipknot - "H377"
As on every album since Vol. 3, there're plenty of highly melodic moments on Slipknot's new album, and some of those — such as the almost Queen-like intro, "Adderall" — are the THE END, SO FAR's most interesting passages. But the Iowa Nine also haven't forgotten where they came from. Buried in the back of the tracklist is "H377," the album's heaviest banger that marries the unvarnished brutality of Iowa with the tractor-combine shreddiness that permeated the best tracks on All Hope is Gone. Even the gang-chanted chorus is pulverizing as fuck.
High Command - "Siege Warfare"
Are you ever out in the yard messing around with your collection of medieval weapons, and you just wish you had the perfect musical accompaniment for testing out your battering ram? High Command have got you covered. "Siege Warfare" is thrash-metal for people who think gunpowder is overrated, packed to the gills with sword-swinging riffage and groovy tempo changes that mimic the swift motion of a guillotine's blade. On guard!
Lorna Shore - "Pain Remains II: After All I've Done, I'll Disappear"
Lorna Shore haven't been stingy about previewing their new album, Pain Remains, but of all the five singles we've heard thus far, "Pain Remains II: After All I've Done, I'll Disappear" is our favorite. The title is a mouthful but the song — part two of an album-ending trilogy — delivers on the drama, with some of Will Ramos' most intensely macabre shrieks yet, and a knockout performance from the band, especially those baroque strings and shreddy leads.
Dead Cross - "Christian Missile Crisis"
Firstly, hilarious title. Secondly, holy shit, this track rips. Dead Cross' members — Faith No More/Mr. Bungle frontman Mike Patton, ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, Locust guitarist Justin Pearson and Retox bassist Michael Crain — have a collective discography that's virtually unbeatable, but the material they've wrote for this band is superb. "Christian Missile Crisis" is thrashy as hell for some parts, chuggy during others, and buck-fucking-wild in between when Patton lets his quirky voice off the leash. It sounds a little bit like everything these guys have ever done, and also like something else entirely.
Restraining Order - "Fight Back"
Restraining Order play the type of music that makes you want to stomp down the street with a gang of mischievous friends, roll up your sleeves and start brawling with a bunch of drunken sailors. Their 2019 LP, This World is Too Much, is essential listening, and their new tune, "Fight Back," proves they've still got a lot to say. It's classic Boston hardcore with a splash of Oi! in the vocals, calling back to their Massachusetts forefathers in Slapshot but with a production style that sounds in-line with today's sonic standards.
Darko - "Evolving" (Feat. Shaolin G)
Rap and deathcore aren't always a winning combo, but Darko have it down. The duo of Chelsea Grin vocalist Tom Barber and Emmure guitarist Josh Miller must've discovered the cheat code for making monstrously groovy deathcore, because "Evolving" is relentlessly heavy from its incendiary first few seconds to its closing breakdown that sounds like a chemical plant exploding. Rapper Shaolin G (who appeared on last year's SeeYouSpaceCowboy record) adds a nice touch of variation with his menacing vocal delivery. This band is onto something.
