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 mournful metalcore, savage deathcore, hellish powerviolence 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.
156/Silence – “From a Distance” Feat. Alex Reade
Pittsburgh metalcore crew 156/Silence take some big stylistic swings with their new album, From a Distance. While it often brings the heavy, its balladic title track generally plays out as a soft-sighing reprieve, the arrangement comprising elegiac piano and a sad-crooned duet between vocalist Jack Murray and Make Them Suffer’s Alex Reade.
That said, its lyrics on eternal yearning — plus an under-duress scream sesh from Murray in the bridge section — may land heavier than a ton of bricks for any unfortunate soul who’s been holding onto hope through an especially taxing long-distance relationship.
Darkest Hour – “Suffer Divine”
Haters be warned: D.C. aggressors Darkest Hour have their warpaint on, and they’re ready to attack.
The violently thrashed “Suffer Divine” finds the veteran act unloading on anyone spewing misogynistic rhetoric and hateful lies. The band are retaliating in heavy fashion, promising a serious comeuppance is on the way. The delivery method, at least for now, is an outstandingly raging single.
Nails – “Fear Based Life”
Todd Jones has been living his best life this summer while performing a series of reunion sets with his old teenage hardcore band, Carry On. That rules, but this week he reminded us — via a surprise two-song single — that he’s dedicated the bulk of his adult life to delivering the pain as the primary force behind Nails.
Mean and mid-tempo A-side “Fear Based Life” is a raw-stomped, near death ‘n’ roll-ish bash that finds Jones leaning into a series of fright-inducing licks. An existential terror coats his pointed lyrics, which are directed at a control freak living in a self-loathing “mental hell” of their own making.
Polaris – “WITHOUT YOU”
“Without You” is not a song that Polaris wanted to write, yet it’s one they felt they had to.
The Australian metalcore act’s latest single — their first in three years — was crafted as a tribute to their late guitarist Ryan Siew, who passed away in September of 2023. Swerving from brass-knuckled riff bombast towards an infectious chorus sung by bassist Jake Steinhauser, they contemplate death and how it leaves survivors “lost in the ether” of grief.
It’s a vulnerable piece that leaves no easy answers on how to reckon with loss. It’s nevertheless a powerful step forward for the band as they find their footing in Siew’s absence.
Rev3rent – “She Let the World Run Rampant”
“I always knew I would end up right here.”
Rev3rent vocalist Josh Bailey Guard 100 percent did not pen these opening squeals on “She Let the World Run Rampant” — the title track to the Apple Valley, California, deathcore quintet’s upcoming debut full-length — as meta-commentary about becoming one of Revolver’s 6 Best New Songs Right Now. And yet, the absolutely hammer-smashed intensity of the track destined it to become part of this week’s round-up.
The extreme ebb and flow includes speed-barrier-breaking blasts, globe-imploding breakdowns and reckless bass subs that crack like thunder. The riffs flay the ears. Guard is beastly beyond belief. All told, it’s got the office gasping.
Showing Teeth – “Make It Out”
Compared to the other fiercely feral singles released in the lead-up to Showing Teeth’s debut EP, A Fate Worse Than Loneliness, project leader Addison’s lyrics are decidedly easier to make out in “Make It Out.” That’s because she’s harnessing a more melodic flow than usual, mixing clean-sung moments with a handful of abrasive power-growls.
While steeped in bleak feelings (“I soak in my tragedy”), it’s one of Showing Teeth’s more hummable tracks. The drop-tuned chording comes complemented by almost Eighties-styled pop-metal arpeggio harmonies.
It’s a song we expect will hit big each night during Showing Teeth’s highly anticipated run of theater dates with PRESIDENT.