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 metalcore, djent-fusion, black 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.
Killswitch Engage – “Forever Aligned”
Though Jesse Leach may be howling hard about “the venom of… isolation” throughout the blistering, noise-bruised thrash verses of Killswitch Engage’s latest single, he and the rest of the group nevertheless sound perfectly attuned to each other on this first taste of the metalcore veterans’ forthcoming ninth full-length, This Consequence. “Forever Aligned,” indeed.
The song hits all the beats you could want from Killswitch, working in perfect harmony as a mix of barbarically primal riffage, massive-sounding guitars tones from master guitarist-producer Adam Dutkiewicz, and sing-along positivity within its anthemic chorus.
Spiritbox – “Perfect Soul”
Courtney LaPlante possesses one of the most impressively furious screaming voices in modern metal, but damned if it isn’t just as great to hear Spiritbox’s frontwoman pump the breaks on her innate aggression to dive into more melodic waters.
“Perfect Soul” marks the second preview from Spiritbox’s newly announced sophomore LP, Tsunami Sea, and the song is positively flooded with LaPlante’s full-bodied melodicism and ethereal vocal stacking. Guitarist Mike Stringer, meanwhile, offers lean but impactful chord work — at least until the pop-djenting bridge.
Grima – “Skull Gatherers”
This week, Siberian black-metal veterans Grima teased their forthcoming Nightside album with the “Skull Gatherers” single, which has been rattling around our domes ever since it dropped.
The masked group (imagine a Groot metal band) put on an expert display throughout, with their enigmatically depressive arrangement incorporating sigh-worthy guitar melancholy, heavy rhythms, bestial shrieking and a concluding melody fingered out on a traditional Russian bayan.
This is all to say, the song pushes our buttons in all the right ways.
Asymmetric Universe – “Opaco”
Italian brother duo Asymmetric Universe have been delivering some of the most fascinating fusion instrumentals of recent times. With “Opaco” — guitarist Federico Vese and sibling bass-thrummer Nicolò’s second single through prog hub Inside Out Music — they continue to vault us into the cosmos via a virtuosic command of their chosen instruments.
“Opaco” is a smooth-djent stunner that mixes quick-ringing, Polyphia-esque harmonics with aggressively percussive 8-string metal chunkery, progressive beatwork, Victor Wooten-inspired jazz-bass popping and more.
The brothers say it’s “the most technically challenging song” in their repertoire, though their raw talent and naturalistic performance style makes for an oddly chill listening experience.
Coheed and Cambria – “Searching for Tomorrow”
The Vaxis III era is upon us. This week, Coheed and Cambria officially confirmed that they’ve jumped back into sci-fi world-building mode, via their upcoming album, The Father of Make Believe. “Searching for Tomorrow” previews that 2025 project ahead of time.
The tune is one of Coheed’s more straightforward rockers, ultimately thriving on Eighties-worthy guitar hooks, neo-classical metal arpeggios and an effects-fucked guitar solo. The video, meanwhile, is a cartoonishly carnage-heavy display of laser-shooting battles scenes, full-band jam sessions and onion-cutting meal prep.
Coheed seem to be packing a ton into their next epic chapter.
Marilyn Manson – “Nod If You Understand”
“I won’t repent, this is what I was sent here for.”
Like many tracks on Manson’s comeback album, One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1, “Nod If You Understand” finds the shock rocker standing firm and resolute on his place in the world. He is who he is — a ticking time bomb unapologetically hellbent on destruction.
Sonically, the song — the heaviest on the new LP — accomplishes this through the singer’s gothic sneer and feral scream, anxiety-inducing bass scraping and an eventual drum explosion that, per Manson’s desires, might cause “towers to crumble.”