Metal Track of the Week: Beartooth and Evile bring the Devastation

Thankfully, for the sake of this week’s edition of Metal Track of the Week, there has been no new material from Howard Jones. Last week just wasn’t fair when the aforementioned legendary vocalist is kicking ass once again. In his absence this week we have had some storming new tracks from Beartooth, Evile, Born Of Osiris and Max Cavalera‘s new project Go Ahead And Die. That is their band name by the way. I wasn’t just intentionally being cruel!

American metalcore crew Beartooth surprise released a new track this week. Devastation has a strong industrialised feel to the main riff, but there is no mistaking the typical Beartooth sound. Caleb Shomo‘s trademark screamo/pop punk vocals and a brutal breakdown. With the new Attack Attack! material being so disappointing, it’s good to see these guys are still slaying. Confusingly it has been implied that this is a one off track whilst we wait for Beartooth‘s new album. Ah well, more Beartooth is never a bad thing!

Continuing their rebirth after close to a decade in exile, UK thrashers Evile released their second new single Gore. Showcasing the new lineup following the departure of former frontman Matt Drake – with his brother Ol taking on lead vocal duties, the speed, aggression and energy closely associated with thrash metal is thrust full force into your face with reckless abandon. Featuring a guest appearance by The Big Bang Theory’s Brian Posehn. If you didn’t know, he has his own comedy themed classic/thrash metal band Posehn. Now you know, you’re welcome.

The new project from Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera with his son Igor, Go Ahead And Die demonstrated their first new material this week. New track A Truckload of Bodies takes a dirty, scraggy, lo-fi path through old school thrash influenced death metal. Clear punk influences shine through, as early thrash itself was shaped by. If the full album follows this path we’re in for a treat. When this is the material we are going to continue to get from young Cavalera once Max retires, safe hands we are left in. There is definitely a resurgence in old school death metal going on presently, and when the young blood leads the way it has a little extra sizzle.

The master of relentlessly rapid cover tracks, and YouTube star Nic Nocturnal released his second track The Edge Of Time from his new band Termina with vocalist Andy Cizek. If you have never checked out any of Andy Cizek‘s work you are missing out. He is a terrific vocalist who gives us his full range again on this track – death growls, screamo, soaring cleans, he can do it all effortlessly. With fellow YouTube star Jared Dines recently collaborating with Matt Heafy and Howard Jones, there appears to be an uptake of online stars transitioning to more typical music releases. Clearly a sign of how music distribution has moved in the modern age.

Djenty progressive metalcore ensemble Born Of Osiris gave us new music this week with White Nile. Bassist Nick Rossi has transferred to guitar duties, in the new look lineup. Makes no difference to what Born Of Osiris do best – pump out consistently top drawer math metal. Every stereotypical djent staccato rhythm, chug and bend is present and accounted for. But these fellows have always put everything together faultlessly, and continue to here with their new track.

Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil is slowly infiltrating every metalcore band, and does so again this week with While She Sleeps. He’s clearly stick scratching that itch from before Biffy turned away from their aggressive punk tinged beginnings. It can sometimes be difficult to separate all the bands that sounds like Architects copies. But this is a decent track from While She Sleeps, if not particularly stand out from the metalcore crowd. The track highlights the band’s mental health struggles, and advocates for every one of us to do the same. Dealing with the current worldly ongoings takes a serious toll on all the mental health of us all, and I appreciate the effort they are taking to highlight and try to tackles these issues. Kudos.

If you’re craving some classic heavy metal, full of galloping rhythms, singalong choruses with fists raised, Burning Witches have your remedy. Coming from their upcoming fourth album The Witch of The North, new single Flight of the Valkyries has all the 80s power metal you could wish for. It starts off a little flat and a bit too 90s grunge until it kicks in after a minute and a half when the gallops come in. Musically there are plenty of terrific riffs, however the vocals are a little…meh. Might just be poorly mixed but they just don’t sound right which lets down the track.

Dutch gothic metal crew Blackbriar released a new track in Deadly Diminuendo off their forthcoming album The Cause of Shipwreck. Still early in their career, the clear parallels to bands like Epica and Eleine are obvious. Closer to this than say the gothic rock bands like Beyond The Black, it will be interesting to see what they put together on their first full length release. I have only recently been introduced to Blackbriar, but I shall be giving them closer attention now for sure.

It’s a tough one this week. There have been plenty of worthy contenders for Metal Track of the Week, rather than one obviously standing above them all. The seriously groovy main riff to Devastation is almost enough to give Beartooth the win – and it is a terrific track. But I have to give this weeks nod to Evile with their storming new track Gore. It is everything you want from a modern thrash metal track. Evile are back and slaying with the best once again.

WINNER: Evile – Gore

Check out last week’s Metal Track Of The Week.

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