Spirits and oceans collide on this week’s edition of Metal Track of the Week. Along with a certain crustacean labelled form of metalcore making it’s long awaited resurgence. There have been some standout heavy metal albums released this week. But we’re not here for that, we’re here for the mighty single release. As it always is recently, there is a plethora of quality heavy metal releases to tussle for the crown. Once again let the battle commence.
As indicated there have been new releases this week with a nautical and a spiritual theme. Canadian progressive metalcore crew Spiritbox have unleashed their new single Circle With Me. The standout bass work is the highlight of the track, along with the destructive breakdown (obvs) and another terrific performance from vocalist Courtney Laplante. Spiritbox continue to weave their way through the world of musical genres, never straying far from hitting gold.
Moving to the waves, on the back of previous singles Shark Tooth and We Are Not Okay, Machine Head legend Rob Flynn has joined Oceans on their latest single Everyone I Love Is Broken, from their freshly released We Are Not Okay EP. Oceans partnered with a blog where people could write their own open stories about dealing with depression. The lyrics for Everyone I Love Is Broken is taken from the stories told. Rob Flynn has publicly written about his battle with depression, and is a perfect partner for this track.
Crawing out from the ocean, after a decade in the abyss, crabcore hath cometh. Pioneers of the metalcore sub-genre Attack Attack! have released their latest single Brachyura Bombshell. This new release brings a heap of that electro-core style and swagger, and the most over the top of chuggy breakdowns. After the release of All My Life, I was worried that the return of Attack Attack! had coincided with the retirement of the crabcore goodness they pioneered. With the release of Brachyura Bombshell – and it’s delicious slice of crabby nourishment, hopefully we’re back on track.
To coincide with the release of their standout new album Unstable, Californian nu-metal revivalists Tetrarch released their latest single Addicted. After channelling their inner Slipknot on previous release Negative Noise, Addicted slows things down for a pounding nu-metal style anthem. Putting their own modern take on nu-metal of old, Addicted deals with being consumed by that which is damaging to us, failing to break from our own obsessions.
Swedish purveyors of fantasy power metal Bloodbound are going to unfortunately gather a hoard of comparisons to their fellow countrymen Sabaton on their latest track March into War. Not just for the theme (which is textbook Sabaton), but the track itself would seamlessly fit onto any of their albums. It’s a bit of a change of pace for Bloodbound – literally. The slower pumping fists in the air heavy metal anthem is not really the usual outlet for Bloodbound. However put that all aside and just enjoy a feel good metal anthem!
Catastrophe is the latest track from the self proclaimed creators of metalcore Atreyu, and the genre melding misses the mark this time. The chorus would sound natural as the debut single from an American Idol winner, but the verse and breakdown heads straight for the Ice Nine Kills deathcore chugs. Oh and mixed in with some obligatory ‘woah-ohs’. Now of course there are plenty of time the softy-softy chorus and chuggy verse combo works in metalcore – hell it happens all over the place. But this track is trying too hard, and ironically is largely generic as a result.
Pioneers of the Gothenburg side of Swedish death metal At The Gates have returned with a new single Spectre of Extinction, the first track single 2018’s To Drink From The Night Itself. Their new album The Nightmare of Being will be released in July, and it is promising a new direction for the Swedish legends, whilst remaining true to the sound they helped initiate. Spectre of Extinction definitely feels more involved than the typical At The Gates style, and vocalist Tomas Lindberg is sounding as glorious as ever. I am anxious to see what a full album of this new venture can produce.
Longtime producers of metalcore Like Moths To Flames have released a double single, taken from cuts of their latest album recording, 2020’s No Eternity In Gold. Basilisk and Inherit the Tragedy present themselves as fine slices of – if not entirely standout – metalcore. It contains all the hallmarks of Like Moths to Flames releases, crushing technical rhythms, singalong chorus’ and pounding breakdowns. If you love it you love it, if you don’t then this is unlikely to change your mind.
Black metal plus haunting woodland terrain cliché alert? Moody melodic black metal band Sojourner have released the title track from their upcoming mini-EP Perennial. Mini-EP is a needless re-branding of a 2 track release – i.e. a single with a bonus/b-side track, but I’m not going to pretend I’m offended. However the clichéd corpse paint laden folks lost in a frozen forest scene has been replaced with a breathtaking look at the finest nature has to offer. Just to add to the bleak hopelessness of mankind’s destruction of our wondrous planet.
It was a tough one this week, it is every week when so many awesome new tracks are released. Attack Attack! bringing about the return of crabcore hit me square in the gooey bits. But this week’s Metal Track of the Week honour goes to Spiritbox with Circle With Me. After many singles and 2 EPs, their full length debut will be with us later this year. With the quality of the releases Spiritbox have blessed us with, they’re destined for the big league.
WINNER: Spiritbox – Circle With Me
Check out last week’s Metal Track of the Week
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