New metal music from this month offered plenty of surprises and crossing of genres. Spiritbox, one of heavy music’s most hyped new names, dropped a collaborative single with electronic artist Illenium. Knocked Loose frontman Bryan Garris lent his signature barks on Motionless in White’s aggressive song “Slaughterhouse”. On the underground side, metal bands like Wake, Inexorum, Conjurer, Kardashev and others are names to watch, as they each meld various styles of extreme metal for a sound as intense as it is innovative.
A familiar name under a new alias, Trivium’s frontman Matt Heafy released the debut album of his side project Ibaraki. A collaboration with long-time producer Ihsahn, Rashamon incorporates elements of styles like progressive and black metal while still remaining accessible to Trivium fans. Notably, the nine-minute epic “Rōnin” features snarling screamed vocals from Gerard Way. (If you’ve been out of the loop, My Chemical Romance recently dropped their first new song in years – and it’s a heavy one). Cave In also made an unexpected comeback with Heavy Pendulum, a driving, grungy heavy rock record that takes influence from Soundgarden both in sound and length. Below, I’ll delve into some of the songs and albums that caught my attention in May 2022. Picks include a rising metalcore act you should add to your radar, a pair of albums exploring Indigenous American heritage with extreme metal, and more.
Hollow Front – The Price of Dreaming
On their first UNFD release, Michigan metalcore band Hollow Front prove they are a name to watch. The Price of Dreaming has enough hooks, riffs, breakdowns, and variety to appeal to any fan of the genre. Stylistically, this band pulls influence from 2000s NWOAHM mainstays like Killswitch Engage, as well as current progressive metalcore groups like Erra or Invent Animate. They don’t break new ground or reinvent the genre, they play pure metalcore and they do it very well. Guitarist Dakota Alvarez splits vocal duties with Tyler Tate, and has more of a presence here in comparison to the band’s 2020 full-length Loose Threads. “Two Worlds Away” and “In the Spotlight” are softer and driven by Alvarez’s clean singing, and contrast with the aggressive, relentless tracks like “Heritage” and “Treading Water”. He has a knack for massive, soaring choruses, and “Thick as Blood” and the title track are prime examples of the band’s effective means of building up to a hook. The songwriting continues to improve, and Hollow Front is a band with tremendous potential to become one of the big names in the genre.
Wake – “Swallow the Light”
Wake, a band from Calgary, Alberta, is best described as a continuously developing extreme metal hybrid. The group initially started out playing grindcore, with albums like 2016’s Sowing the Seeds of a Worthless Tomorrow and 2018’s Misery Rites exhibiting the punishing tempos and short track lengths common to the genre. From there, this Canadian band gradually developed a blackened death metal sound in 2020 with Devouring Ruin and Confluence. “Swallow the Light” is a chaotic yet memorable track bolstered by melodic riffing from guitarists Arjun Gill and Rob LaChance. Wake plans to explore a post metal direction on their new album, with a goal of showing how heaviness can mean more than low tuning and chaos. In the band’s words, “The words ‘brutal’, ‘crushing’, ‘devastating’ are overused adjectives for extreme music. We wanted to force people to confront the idea that ‘brutal’ or ‘extreme’ ideas aren’t just blastbeats or angular tritones, or, more importantly, ‘brutal’ elements alongside pointedly passive elements can create their own experience that can channel both and neither.” This single from their upcoming July 22 album Thought Form Descent marks Wake’s first release on the Metal Blade Records roster.
Nechochwen – Kanawha Black
Initially started by Aaron Carey as a project that combined Appalachian folk music with traditional Native American instrumentation, Nechochwen (a Lenape word meaning “walks alone”) has gradually morphed into a black metal band while still retaining those original lyrical themes. One example is “The Murky Deep”, which describes a legend relating to the Horned Serpent, a supernatural monster of Native American lore that dragged prey down underwater. The album’s name Kanawha Black explores the history of the band’s home state of West Virginia, with the title referencing the Kanawha River and the black flint found in the region. In a recent interview with the Rez Metal Podcast, Aaron Carey said that the title is also an allusion to West Virginia’s “black cloud” of poverty and economic depression.
Overall, this is a diverse, very accessible black metal album with elements of progressive rock, doom and folk. Songs like the opening title track and “Visions, Dreams and Signs” fit comfortably under the black metal label, while “A Cure For The Winter Plagues” ventures into doom metal, and “The Murky Deep” is comparable to early Opeth. However, the main standout is “Generations of War”. A flute melody laid over driving riffs and blastbeats gives this blackened battle song an epic atmosphere. Overall, Kanawha Black is a solid album with excellent storytelling from a unique group. You can read an overview of the band’s discography here.
Tzompantli – Tlazcaltiliztli
Tzompantli (which translates to ‘skull rack’) is a death doom metal project led by Brian Ortiz from Xibalba. While Ortiz’s primary band is named after the Mayan word for ‘underworld’, it is Tzompantli that fully centralizes themes of indigenous rituals and history. In honor of the band’s Mesoamerican roots, each track title is written in the indigenous Nahuatl language. The band also incorporates traditional tribal percussion instruments of huehuetl drums, shells, and shakers into their sound. As stated in the album notes, “Tlazcaltiliztli is dedicated, and an offering, to the indigenous peoples, nations & tribes of the North, South, East & West of the American continents.”
In other aspects, Tzompantli’s sepulchral riff-driven sound is similar to that of Xibalba, but with greater dynamics. Excellent production allows each crushing downtuned riff and bassline to be clearly heard. The opening two tracks “Yaohuehuetl” (‘war drums’) and “Tlatzintilli” (‘something begun; a creation’) progress from tribal drumming, to an ominous guitar line, to ferocious death metal riffage. The calculated, slow tempo and minor key melodic guitar sections throughout give the album an slight post metal sensibility as well, especially on the closing track “Yaotiacahuanetzli” ( ‘warrior blood’). At thirty-three minutes in length, Tlazcaltiliztli is succinct and brutal, never overstaying its welcome.
Cane Hill – “A Form of Protest”
Cane Hill never made it a goal to fit neatly into one category. This New Orleans-based group has pushed the boundaries and ventured outside their nu metal/metalcore sound before, with their acoustic EP Kill the Sun pulling influences from Alice in Chains’ classic Jar of Flies and americana music. Cane Hill’s latest song exemplifies the opposite end of the spectrum as frontman Elijah Witt growls over driving, downtuned riffs, with clean vocals nowhere in sight. “A Form of Protest” goes for the throat and is easily Cane Hill’s heaviest song to date. It is also their first song out under the Out of Line label, following a series of EPs released independently throughout the last two years. Elijah Witt has stated that this single is the first of a new “relentless and uncomprising era” for the band.
Satyr – “Vector”
Satyr plays technical post-hardcore that should appeal to fans of artists like Good Tiger, Fall of Troy or Dance Gavin Dance. Formed in 2016, they are a relatively new band on the scene, and have one full-length and one EP in their catalog. Locus was a promising 2020 debut from this Atlanta band, and was released independently. “Vector” is the introductory single from Satyr’s follow-up album, and is their first song released under Kill Iconic Records. Satyr has a lot going on instrumentally and incorporates uncommon time signatures into an accessible form. Their sound has the feel of a jam session with the guitarists Janald Long and Michael Campbell laying down a driving groove. The band’s second album Totem will be released on July 1, and a second single, “Attrition”, drops on June 3.
Oceans of Slumber – “Hearts of Stone”
Oceans of Slumber, a progressive/gothic metal band from Texas, released two songs from their upcoming album Starlight and Ash, which is set for a July 22 release date. Both singles, “The Waters Rising”, and “Hearts of Stone”, emphasize the gothic rock side of the band’s sound. These two are comparable to previous softer songs like “The Colors of Grace” and a gorgeous cover of The Moody Blues’ 1967 hit “Nights in White Satin”. Conversely, this unique and versatile band is also known for the chaotic black metal/doom influenced sound of tracks like “The Adorned Fathomless Creation” and progressive metal epics like “Winter” and “Pray for Fire”. It remains to be seen whether each track on Starlight and Ash will follow the same trajectory as the first two singles, or if the heavier side of Oceans of Slumber will be present as well. In either case, it’s hard to go wrong with vocals as commanding as frontwoman Cammie Gilbert’s soulful delivery, which remains the band’s most central component.
May Release Tracker
Singles
Suicide Silence – “Thinking in Tongues” (May 3, deathcore)
Wake – “Swallow the Light” (May 4, deathgrind/post-metal)
Thousand Below – “Venenosa” (May 4, post-hardcore)
Stray From the Path – “III” (May 4, hardcore)
Cabal/Joe Badoloto – “Magno Interitus” (May 4, deathcore)
Soulfly – “Superstition” (May 5, thrash)
Inexorum – “Equinox Vigil” (May 5, melodic death/black metal)
Satyr – “Vector” (May 6, post-hardcore)
Zillakami/Jeris Johnson – “Raining Blood” (May 6, trap metal)
Polyphia – “Playing God” (May 10, instrumental prog metal)
Spite – “Hangman” (May 12, deathcore)
Greg Puciato – “Never Wanted That” (May 12, alternative metal)
Bleed From Within – “Flesh and Stone” (May 12, symphonic metal/metalcore)
My Chemical Romance – “The Foundations of Decay” (May 12, emo/punk/doom)
Oceans of Slumber – “Hearts of Stone” (May 13, gothic rock/progressive metal)
Motionless in White/Bryan Garris – “Slaughterhouse” (May 13, metalcore)
Illenium/Spiritbox – “Shivering” (May 13, electronic/metalcore)
Soilwork – “Övergivenheten” (May 13, melodic death metal)
The Hu – “This is Mongol” (May 13, Mongolian folk metal)
Lorna Shore – “Sun//Eater” (May 13, symphonic deathcore)
The Wise Man’s Fear – “What Went Wrong” (May 15, metalcore)
Thrice – “Dead Wake/Scavengers (acoustic)” (May 17, alternative rock)
Psycroptic – “Rend Asunder” (May 17, technical death metal)
Scarcity – “II” (May 17, experimental black metal)
Astronoid – “Human” (May 18, post metal/shoegaze)
Cane Hill – “A Form of Protest” (May 18, hardcore/djent)
Kardashev – “Glass Phantoms” (May 18, deathgaze)
Bleeding Through – “Rage” (May 19, gothic metal/metalcore)
Wormrot – “Grieve/Weeping Willow/Voiceless Choir” (May 19, grindcore)
Municipal Waste – “High Speed Steel” (May 19, thrash)
Alexisonfire – “Sans Soleil” (May 19, post-hardcore)
Arch Enemy – “Sunset Over the Empire” (May 20, melodic death metal)
Negatives – “Pinbacker” (May 20, progressive metalcore)
Imperial Triumphant – “Maximalist Scream” (May 20, avante-garde/jazz/black metal)
Grey Daze – “Starting to Fly” (May 20, grunge/alternative metal) [vocals and original song released in 1994]
Eighteen April – “Polaris” (May 22, metalcore)
Greylotus – “Chiaroscuro” (May 23, progressive/technical death metal)
LIMBS – “Slow Burn” (May 24, hardcore/metalcore)
Miss May I – “Bleed Together” (May 25, metalcore)
Inanimate Existence – “Into the Underworld” (May 25, technical death metal)
Aviana – “Anomaly” (May 25, electronic rock/metalcore)
Brand of Sacrifice/Ryo Kinoshita – “Demon King” (May 25, deathcore)
Emberthrone – “A Bitter Path” (May 26, death metal)
Conjurer – “Cracks in the Pyre” (May 26, post metal/sludge)
Yatra – “Reign of Terror” (May 26, death metal)
In Disarray/Kyle Anderson – “Illuminator” (May 27, deathcore)
Bullet For My Valentine – “Stitches” (May 27, metalcore)
Krisiun – “Serpent Messiah” (May 27, death metal)
Oceans – “I Want To Be Whole Again” (May 27, alternative metal)
Will Haven – “Wings of Mariposa” (May 27, hardcore)
In Hearts Wake – “W2HA” (May 30, metalcore)
thoughtcrimes – “Panopticon” (May 31, mathcore)
Albums/EPs
Terror – Pain Into Power (May 6, hardcore)
Ibaraki – Rashomon (May 6, progressive metal/black metal from Matt Heafy of Trivium)
Tzompantli – Tlazcaltiliztli (May 6, death/doom metal)
Tómarúm – Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons (May 6, technical death metal/black metal)
Upon A Burning Body – Fury (May 6, deathcore)
Halestorm – Back From the Dead (May 6, hard rock)
Three Days Grace – Explosions (May 6, hard rock)
Silverstein – Misery Made Me (May 6, post-hardcore)
Windwaker – Love Language (May 6, electronic rock/metalcore)
Massic – Cognisant (May 13, hardcore/groove metal)
Primitive Man – Insurmountable (May 13, death doom)
Nechochwen – Kanawha Black (May 13, black metal)
Moon Tooth – Phototroph (May 13, progressive/stoner rock)
Jungle Rot – A Call to Arms (May 13, death metal)
Misery Index – Complete Control (May 13, death metal)
Amiensus – All Paths Lead to Death (May 16, progressive black metal) [digital release, EP from 2017]
Cave In – Heavy Pendulum (May 20, hardcore/post-rock)
Baest – Justita (May 27, brutal death metal)
Scary Kids Scaring Kids – Out of Light (May 27, post-hardcore)
Black Void – Antithesis (May 27, black metal/crust punk)
Hollow Front – The Price of Dreaming (May 27, progressive metalcore)
IATT – Magnum Opus (May 27, progressive metal/symphonic black metal)
Notions – Notions (May 27, nu metal/rapcore)
Black Lung – Dark Waves (May 27, doom metal)
New Fury Media’s May Features from the Underground
Candy – “Human Condition Above Human Opinion”
Your Ghost in Glass – “Choke”
Hollow Intent – “Fake It”
Mortem Obscuram – “The Unseen Monarch”
Ticked Off – “Coward”
Sever the Memories – “Inherit My Misery”
Sever the Memories – “Plastic Kingdom”
Suffer – “The Narrow”
Left to Suffer – “Fatal Attraction”
Exanimate – “Bloom”
I, the Oracle – “Undertow”
Micah Arris – “What Have I Become”
