After a short pause, we’re back with another hard-hitting roundup of recent noise worth your attention. This week’s batch picks up where our last serious deep dive left off—spotlighting bands with something real to say and a sound to match our taste here on IDIOTEQ. From the militant vegan metalcore of DIVINE SENTENCE to the emotionally fractured chaos of GOOD TEAL and the long-overdue return of PYGMY LUSH, it’s a steady surge of fresh energy and honesty, carrying a lot of serious messages without losing its drive.
See the previous roundup here.
Swiss vegan metalcore force DIVINE SENTENCE unleash their long-awaited debut Killing Is A Cycle — a brutal, principled, and politically charged blast of 90s metalcore fury.
Out now via Bound By Modern Age and co-released with Inhumano, Black Heaven, and The Coming Strife. 100% of digital sales go to EBW Lebenshof, a vegan straight edge animal sanctuary.
Featuring guests from NOT WITHOUT PUNISHMENT, FALLEN GOD, and ROZEMARY.
FUGAZI just dropped Live at The Palace, Los Angeles, CA, USA – 03/08/99 (FLS1049), another gem from their legendary live archive.
New York’s tech-metal chaos machine CAR BOMB just dropped “Blindsides,” their first new single in five years and the lead track from their upcoming EP Tiles Whisper Dreams, due this August. Following 2019’s Mordial, the band’s latest output celebrates 25 years of relentless sonic mutation.
As always, CAR BOMB don’t ease you in. “Blindsides” is a vortex of broken time signatures, detuned guitars that sound like falling architecture, and rhythms that hit like collapsing buildings in zero gravity. It’s violent and cerebral at the same time, pushing their reputation for controlled chaos even further. The song arrives with a note of total surrender: disorientation is the rule, not the exception.
In tandem with “Blindsides,” the band also released a video for “Paroxysm,” another track from Tiles Whisper Dreams, signaling that CAR BOMB are back in full precision-strike mode.
With the EP self-released this August and fresh material more brutal than ever, CAR BOMB reaffirm their position as one of extreme music’s most forward-pushing forces.
North Carolina’s ADVENT return with God Is The End, their first new release since 2017’s Pain & Suffering.
The four-track EP, produced by Jeremy White, features guest spots from members of ENDS OF SANITY, A KNIFE IN THE DARK, and INVOKE. Drummer/vocalist Joe Musten (also of BELOVED) leads the charge as the band continues to push their crushing brand of hardcore forward.
The second single from MODERN LIFE IS WAR’s Life on the Moon hits like a slow ghost ride through memory, grief, and defiance. “Jackie Oh No” burns quiet at first—haunted and reflective—before unraveling into a storm.
Following the strange poetry of “Johnny Gone,” this new cut brings the Iowa veterans back into full emotional swing—gritty, layered, and alive with that worn-out ache that made them legends in the first place.
Full album drops September 5.
PEACE OF MIND are back with three new tracks—“Burned Alive,” “Born to Lose,” and the title track “Blood Is The Price” featuring Jem Siow of SPEED—now streaming ahead of their second LP due September 5 via Friends Press.
Tracked by Taylor Young at The Pit and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, the new material blends brute-force breakdowns, melodic tension, and socially-charged aggression.
With nearly 300 shows behind them and past tours alongside TERROR and SPEED, PEACE OF MIND is set to hit Europe, Southeast Asia, the US, and Australia in 2025.
Massive metalcore beast ten56. just dropped another slab of pure violence—“I Know Where You Sleep” is out now and it’s exactly as hostile as the title suggests. No buildup, no frills—just a cold stare into your spine and a breakdown that crushes everything in sight. This is the sixth track from their upcoming record IO, landing September 5.
Since Downer hit in 2021, ten56. have made it clear they’re not here to play nice. Tracks like “Earwig” and “PTY FCK” already hinted at the madness, but this one hits different—a suffocating pulse of fear, grief, and raw intent. Aaron Matts shifts between whisper threats and full-blown gutturals like he’s dragging you through drywall.
New Jersey’s GOOD TEAL have unveiled “Parasites!”, a shape-shifting blast of hardcore meets garage rock energy.
Packed with shifty time signatures, shrieking breakdowns, and moments of melodic drift, the track sets the tone for the band’s upcoming debut EP, due out August 15 via self-release.
Frontman Reg Mason—who also directed and edited the song’s disorienting video—describes “Parasites!” as a metaphor-heavy chronicle of emotional collapse: “The airport is where we go in our heads before leaving a relationship. The parasites are everything eating us up inside.” It’s raw, urgent, and unsettling—in all the right ways.
The band will support the release with shows in Montclair, Baltimore, and Rutherford, sharing stages with acts like MEMORIAL FIELD and DEPRESSIONISTA.
For fans of: SHOW ME THE BODY, THE ARMED, IDLES, FUGAZI.
KIAS (KIAS FANSURI) returns with a sharpened vision and new LP Swatantra, out September 19 via Dog Knights Productions (vinyl/digital) and Utarid Tapes (cassette). First single “Relung” is streaming now—dense, desperate, and carved from raw post-screamo instincts with a Malaysian heart.
The Kuala Lumpur outfit sheds their earlier emoviolence skin for a deeper, more atmospheric screamo pulse. New lineup, new name, same urgency. “Relung” sounds like it’s clawing out from inside itself.
French band RIVE drop their second EP Confidence — a heartfelt DIY burst of emo/post-hardcore out today on all platforms.
Still just Charles (drums) and Romain (guitar/vocals), the Normandy duo keep pushing their two-piece setup into emotionally rich territory, channeling the melodic tension of bands like BASEMENT, THURSDAY, and TOUCHE AMORE, with a French emo soul beating underneath.
French crust hardcore unit SPLIT have dropped a furious new single and video titled “Stained Soul“, a bleak, abrasive outburst born of inner war and societal decay.
Filmed in stark black and white, the video captures the urgency and volatility of a band with nothing to lose and everything to scream.
Led by Marvin Borges-Soares (formerly of STRUCTURES), SPLIT blends crust, sludge, and hardcore into a violent purge of trauma, addiction, and systemic rot.
The band recently got airplay on KEXP and is now setting sights on a US tour in 2026 — maybe a live session next year, too.
The new LP from Cleveland punks CRUELSTER is out now — Make Them Wonder Why — a 21-track blast of jagged, witty, and slightly deranged punk energy, released via Convulse Records.
It’s messy in the best way. Songs like “Jewelhunt,” “Belarus With My Baby,” and “Corkscrew” pack in raw urgency, weird humor, and the band’s signature off-kilter style. If you’ve followed their work — or bands like Knowso and Perverts Again — you already know this isn’t your typical hardcore record.
PYGMY LUSH’s long-lost album Totem finally sees release July 11, 2025, via Persistent Vision.
Recorded in 2016 at Kurt Ballou’s GodCity Studio, the 11-track LP marks the band’s first full-length in 14 years. Initially shelved with no clear path forward, the record captures the Virginia outfit’s signature tension between abrasive noise, introspective calm, and post-hardcore experimentation.
Key players include original members Chris and Mike Taylor and Mike Widman, joined by new rhythm section Andy Gale (drums) and Erin McCarley (bass, vocals). Together, they shape a heavy, forward-thinking sound rooted in punk, sludge, and noise rock.
With a return to the stage in late 2024 (Tiny Desk, Roadburn), PYGMY LUSH resume where they left off—uncompromising, unpredictable, and crucial. Totem marks their unfinished business.
Atlanta’s party-ready rap-rock outfit SILLY GOOSE have officially announced Keys to the City, their new full-length dropping October 10 via Blue Grape Music.
The record promises to be a full-on riot, stitched together with shout-along choruses, stadium-level riffs, and absurdist energy that somehow still sounds airtight. Alongside the announcement, they’ve released a double single—“Keys to the City” and “Now Dance”—plus a video shot in their home city that makes it clear they’re claiming ATL as their own, whether the government agrees or not.
Currently slated to tour North America with LANDMVRKS, THORNHILL, and RESOLVE, the band’s fall calendar includes Lollapalooza and Long Beach Warped Tour.
Canadian alt post hardcore band JUNKO DAYDREAM shared new single “Somebody Call The Ghostbusters“.
Sydney hardcore veterans NO APOLOGIES are officially back with Life, their first full-length since 2007’s Survival. Dropping August 29 via Last Ride Records.
The title track “Life” leads the charge — streaming now with a brand new video — offering blistering riffs, heartfelt vocals, and the heavy groove that’s always set NO APOLOGIES apart.
Featuring guest appearances from Jem Siow of SPEED and Todd Jones of NAILS/TERROR, the LP was crafted by core members Pete Abordi, Peter Bursky (also of SUMERU), along with Andres Hyde, Chris Wilson, and Patrick Taylor.
OMOIYARI is back with “Despair,” a follow-up to last year’s brutal statement piece “Forget My Face.”
All written and produced by El Tyler, formerly of AMORIST and HOUNDING, the track continues the project’s focus on technology’s chokehold on human expression and the internal wreckage it causes.
Polish pop-punk veterans CF98 are back with a sugar-rushed, shout-along summer anthem, “Nobody Wants To Party,” featuring Sammy Clifford of UK’s WSTR. Despite what the title claims, CF98 remain one of the most party-ready exports out of Poland—backed by relentless touring across Europe and Japan, and a catalog that blends positivity with high-octane punk energy.
Out now via SBÄM Records and Double Helix Records, the single teases the band’s upcoming full-length “Stupid Punk” set for October. Combining melodic punk hooks with just the right splash of emo-tinted nostalgia, CF98 once again prove why their infectious sound keeps the pits moving and the vibes lifted.
New York punk trio NECKSCARS drop a new video ahead of their upcoming LP Unhinged, out August 1 via Sell The Heart (US) and Engineer Records (UK).
The track pushes back against scene toxicity with sharp, melodic punk rock energy, thick in strucure, and super catchy, as always in their case.
BY A THREAD return with their first new music in 14 years. The Vancouver post-hardcore band have released a new single titled “Void”, and announced their third full-length album, Mirrored Life, set for release on September 12th via Spartan Records.
The album was self-produced, recorded by Stuart McKillop at Raincity Recorders, and mixed by John Franco. It reflects the band’s shift toward slower tempos and reverb-heavy arrangements while maintaining the emotional core of their early material.
BELMONT just dropped a new track, “Live A Lie,” and it rips—fast, sharp, and full of bite. Clocking in under three minutes, the single leans into their aggressive pop-punk roots but with a refined sense of technical flair. It’s a reminder of how tight this band can be when they let loose, all while threading catchy hooks through rhythmic chaos.
Judging by early fan reactions, expectations for the next album just went through the roof. If this is the direction they’re headed, BELMONT might be on their best run yet.
Detroit-area melodic hardcore punk rockers BIG LIFE have dropped a gripping new single and video titled “Out of Breath,” the first taste of their upcoming album The Cost of Progress, out August 1 via Setterwind Records.
The track cuts into the relentless erosion of society under corporate and political decay.
“Out of Breath” leans into BIG LIFE’s self-aware hybrid of HÜSKER DÜ-style melody and MINOR THREAT bite—minus the clichés. The band features current and former members of EXTRA ARMS, GREY GARDENS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, HIDEBEHIND, and THUNDERBIRDS ARE NOW!
MY OWN VOICE are joining the Time To Kill Records roster, with a new full-length set to drop later this year. One of Milan’s longest-standing hardcore acts, the band is gearing up to unleash their next chapter—still firmly rooted in old-school fury, but sharpened by over two decades of DIY resilience, melody, and grit.
While details on the record are still under wraps, the band isn’t sitting still—they’ll be tearing across Europe this summer with stops in Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. From squats to fests, it’s a full-force run through the underground circuit that helped shape them.
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MIDNIGHT PEG has dropped “The Hag.” Out now on Thousand Islands Records, the track is a dark, erotic burst of fury and folklore—where slinking melodies give way to serrated riffs and heaving breakdowns. It’s the latest preview of their sophomore LP Skinning, due this fall.
“The Hag” distorts the ancient archetype into a confrontational anthem of power, vengeance, and raw sexuality.
With comparisons to bands like AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS, DRUG CHURCH, and WHITE LUNG, MIDNIGHT PEG sound as vital and unpredictable as ever.
Philadelphia melodic hardcore band CROSSED KEYS return with a sharp, emotionally charged new single “Imposter Syndrome,” released July 11 via Dead Satellite Records.
Formed in 2016, CROSSED KEYS is powered by scene mainstays: vocalist Joshua Alvarez (Halo of Snakes, Cinepunx), drummer Dave Wagenschutz (KID DYNAMITE, INK & DAGGER), bassist Andrew Wellbrock (ZOLOF THE ROCK & ROLL DESTROYER), and guitarists Beau Brendley (THE CURSE) and Dave Adoff (STEP AHEAD).
MIRACLE BLOOD are taking Hello Hell on the road. The Boston punk/metallic noise rock trio kicks off their summer tour tonight in Buffalo, hitting 20+ cities across the US through August 2nd, including shows with SALVATION, NEQUIENT, BÖND BREAKR, KALEIDOSCOPE CRUX, and MERC.
Their latest LP, Hello Hell, out now on Nefarious Industries, dials up the chaos: jagged, sludgy, and unhinged, but still with that twisted catchiness they’re known for.
Catch their live-in-studio video for “Prepare for Breakfast” and grab vinyl, CD, or cassette via Bandcamp.
GOLDFINGER have released their new single “Freaking Out a Bit,” featuring Mark Hoppus of BLINK-182.
Denver melodic metalcore band DROP DEAD, GORGEOUS are officially back with “Six Feet,” their first new music in over a decade. The track is out now via the revived Artery Foundation label, along with a video premiering on Revolver Magazine.
The reunited lineup features three original members and finds the band leaning back into their signature emotional intensity—produced by Elliot Polokoff and mastered by Kris Crummett.
Known for shaping mid-2000s post-hardcore alongside acts like MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE and THE USED, the band is ready to pick up where they left off, without clinging to the past. Tour dates include stops in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio this October.
It’s definitely not hardcore. But how can we not talk about DEFTONES? The Sacramento legends return August 22 with Private Music, their first full-length in five years. The new single, “My Mind Is a Mountain,” is already out, and it’s a massive, slow-burning track that does everything a Deftones song should do — and maybe more.
Co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz (who also worked on Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan), the record was written and recorded over the past year and a half between California and Nashville.
The band sounds both refreshed and weathered — and in a new in-depth interview with Zane Lowe, Chino Moreno and Stephen Carpenter talk about sobriety, diabetes, burnout, and coming back with purpose.
The North American tour starts the same day the album drops, with Phantogram, Idles, and Barbarians of California joining on select dates. European and UK shows follow in 2026, featuring support from Denzel Curry and Drug Church.
You probably didn’t expect to see this in our magazine — but if LIL WAYNE is stepping into heavy music territory, we’re not about to miss it.
LUCIFENA is kicking down the door to a whole new era: she’s the first female rock artist signed to LIL WAYNE’s Young Money label — and she’s doing it loud. Her new single “Tyrant” features none other than Weezy himself, dropping bars and a guitar solo over a searing hardcore/metal backdrop. It’s heavy, it’s raw, and it’s qquite genre-breaking.
LIL WAYNE didn’t just co-sign it; he played on it, rapped on it, and made it his too.
Denver’s CHÈW THRU just dropped “Hunter Hunter,” a ripping 2-minute blast from their upcoming album Curb Cuts, out September 5 via Braeburn Records. Fast, raw, and thrashy with a punk heart — recorded and produced by the band themselves and mastered by Felipe Patino.
Big shift in punk rock history this week: Hopeless Records is officially acquiring the catalog of Fat Wreck Chords, the iconic label founded in 1990 by NOFX’s Mike and Erin Burkett. The move isn’t just a business deal—it’s a full-on reset. As part of the acquisition, all unrecouped balances for currently signed bands will be wiped clean. That means if a band still owed money from past advances, that debt is now erased. Any future sales go straight to the artists. “No strings, no fine print,” the official statement says. Just a clean slate.
Meanwhile, NOFX may have played their final show in 2024, but they’re still active in the studio. Their new release ‘NOFX A-Z’ kicks off with ‘A-H’, now up for pre-order. The 26-track project spans demos, rarities, and unreleased versions of classic tracks—one for every letter of the alphabet. First single “Barcelona” is out now. Find it here.
Another unreleased LP, ‘Everybody Else Is Insane,’ is still in the vault, but word is it could drop later this year. NOFX might be off the stage, but they’re not off the radar.
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