This week’s roundup opens in the raw corners of hardcore, post-hardcore, and screamo—where new releases meet unearthed archives and small-label gems. From there, we move through recent updates in metalcore and heavier rock, before closing with a wider look at alt-rock, experimental projects, and metal.
CATHARSIS just released Hope Against Hope, a record that feels less like a comeback and more like a statement carved out of three decades in the trenches.
The songs circle around collapse, memory, and resistance — from the bleak opening of “Nocturne” to the anthemic weight of “We Live” and “Last Words.” The band frames hardcore not as a genre but as a way of living — a practice of rebellion and connection.
In their own words, this record comes from a place of refusing cynicism, holding onto the urgency of struggle, and affirming solidarity with those fighting oppression. Hope Against Hope is exactly that: a reminder that even in despair, there’s still ground to stand on, and still reasons to push forward.
Unearthed from a deep dive into the band’s personal archive, a never-before-heard 1985 soundboard recording from legendary punk innovators HÜSKER DÜ has just surfaced. Captured in Salt Lake City toward the end of a 90-show stretch, the set includes five tracks that would later land on Candy Apple Grey—at the time still unreleased and unknown to the crowd. The release marks the first step toward what may become a physical follow-up to Savage Young Dü, though organizers say more restoration work is still ahead.
The Salt Lake tape is part of a broader effort to digitize and restore surviving tour audio and ephemera. Additional recordings, like the January 30 set from First Avenue in Minneapolis, are also up now.
On a separate note, the limited 1985 tour shirt reprint was capped after one week, and printing is finishing up. Orders will begin shipping in the coming days.
Detroit punk/hardcore hybrid BIG LIFE have shared heir new EP The Cost of Progress 1 via Setterwind Records. Featuring members of The Black Dahlia Murder, Thunderbirds Are Now!, and Extra Arms, the band blends shoegaze haze with sharp-edged political urgency, diving into topics like corporate greed, climate collapse, and AI paranoia.
Following their Hüsker Dü cover and lead single “Out of Breath,” the EP offers a bleak but tightly wound soundtrack for the now—loud, anxious, and asking questions no one wants to answer. For locals, BIG LIFE open for Ultrabomb (featuring Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü) on August 3 at Small’s in Detroit.
Sydney metallic hardcore unit CURSES have dropped a new single, Bad Aura, out now via Kingpin Melbourne Records.
The track is the first glimpse into their upcoming EP Born From Pain.
Known for their sharp blend of metalcore intensity and punk grit, CURSES continue the momentum from their 2023 EP Phenomena with a leaner, more focused punch.
Tokyo’s ASUNOJOKEI quietly dropped Think of You, a new full-length set for official release on August 6 via Naghibloom/Vinyl Junkie. It briefly appeared on Bandcamp—long enough for us to catch two tracks, “Dawn” and “Stella”—before vanishing. Total fluke, but yeah, it’s a banger.
One new song was recovered and is now ready for streaming below.
The nine-track record moves through atmospheric post-black metal, shoegaze, and post-hardcore, blending harsh screams with melodic swells and shimmering textures. From the delicate pulse of “Dawn” to the gloom of “The Farewell Frost,” ASUNOJOKEI keep pushing the contrast. Hope it comes back soon.
Delayed Gratification Records has dropped The Brigade, the new 7” from Bloomington, Indiana straight edge crew WHAT COUNTS. The seven-track release clocks in at just under ten minutes, packing in youth crew grit, Midwest stomp, and no time wasted.
Recorded by Bill Stack at Green House and mixed/mastered by Will Hirst at Sonelab.
Los Angeles screamo outfit VIENTRE have released a new split with Mexican band NAÏVETÉ, available now via Tormentas Records. The digital edition dropped May 5, 2025, now available via VIENTRE’s Bandcamp.
The split will also see a physical CD release, paired with artwork by Trazos de Kraneoo. Described as a cross-border collaboration between Colombia and Mexico, the release expands VIENTRE’s discography of deeply cathartic post-hardcore, now counting 15 titles on Bandcamp.
The track “Errante,” clocking in at 4:30, sets the tone with its turbulent pacing and lyrical weight, continuing VIENTRE’s dedication to pairing sonic collapse with poetic introspection.
Sydney hardcore mainstays NO APOLOGIES have announced Life, their long-awaited sophomore LP, arriving August 29 via Last Ride Records.
Their first full-length since 2007’s Survival, the album marks a return to form for a band whose roots trace back over two decades, with founding members Pete Abordi and Peter Bursky still at the core. Recorded and produced by Elliott Gallart at Chameleon Studios, Life features ten new tracks, including the newly released single “Illness.”
The record sees NO APOLOGIES continuing their tradition of channeling personal confrontation into hardcore form—this time diving into themes of mortality, grief, and acceptance. The band is rounded out by long-time collaborators Andres Hyde (drums), Chris Wilson (guitar), and Patrick Taylor (bass), whose collective output also powers their other project, Sumeru. Guest appearances on the album include Jem Siow of Speed and Todd Jones of Nails, Carry On, and Terror.
Life blends thrash-driven riffing and groove-forward hardcore with a melodic sensibility, pushing the band’s sound beyond genre conventions. Available for pre-order now in multiple formats through Last Ride Records, the album comes with a clear release date policy: any combined orders will ship only once Life is in stock.
Atlanta’s blackened screamo outfit MALEVICH have released “Into Bliss,” the second single from their upcoming album Under a Gilded Sun, out August 22 via Church Road Records. The track features a vocal contribution from Lex of SUNROT, adding weight to a piece that shifts from brooding groove to explosive release.
“The lyrics are about the importance of connection with community despite the fact that connection inherently brings pain,” the band explains. Lex’s added voice and words reinforce the song’s central tension—how vulnerability and hurt often walk hand in hand.
Portland metalcore unit DYING WISH have announced their new album Flesh Stays Together, due out September 26 via SharpTone Records. The record’s first single, “I’ll Know You’re Not Around,” is streaming now alongside a video co-directed by Eric Richter and guitarist Pedro Carrillo.
Described by vocalist Emma Boster as “a journey of grief and a statement,” the album draws a bleak line through personal devastation and collective collapse. Boster explains the new single as “an acceptance of grief… a reflection on betrayal and abandonment,” while Carrillo adds that it “opens up where this band can go and how vulnerable things can be.”
Flesh Stays Together follows 2023’s Symptoms of Survival and was produced by Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Full of Hell). DYING WISH will join Poppy and MSPAINT on tour this fall before heading to Europe with Malevolence, Speed, and PSYCHO-FRAME.
Seattle hardcore pack CHOPPING BLOCK are back with Phony / Eyes Fall, a sharp, vicious two-song release that wastes no time. Clocking in at just under three minutes total, the double single dropped July 30 via Bandcamp and continues the band’s commitment to fast, raw hardcore with zero polish and zero compromise.
Following up 2024’s Seattle’s Hardcore EP on Brain Floss Records, CHOPPING BLOCK—Antonio, Matt, Brent, and Alex—keep it lean and relentless. “Phony” clocks in at 1:20, while “Eyes Fall” punches through in 1:28, both sounding like the musical equivalent of a concrete floor meeting a jaw. Still rooted in the band’s original ethos—“what hardcore sounds like when you close your eyes”—these tracks double down on urgency without wasting a breath.
MOUTHING has just released Demos, offering an early taste of their upcoming work. The first track, “portal 8476551,” is a haunting ambient intro, setting a reflective tone. But the second track, “i would die for hours,” is a total shift — pure hell, violent, and intense, with mind-bending energy that showcases the band’s raw power.
Hailing from Texas, MOUTHING delivers these demos as a preview of their future full-length album. With Mai handling vocals, noise, and art, and Ryan on guitar, drums, and bass, the duo blends experimental punk, hardcore, emoviolence, screamo into a sound that’s just out of this world.
We featured LA/Philly collective DEATH META in our latest piece on their chaotic debut MALWARE, out Sept 5 via Grind Select. Built from childhood trauma, myspace grind nostalgia, and glitching structure, the album bends deathcore and post-metal into something unstable and personal.
We spoke to the band about broken machines, VHS textures, and how an old ultrasound photo became the cover art. Read the full feature now.
Chicago’s mathy post-hardcore trio NEW GRASS just dropped 4/Sinking Heart, the next installment from their upcoming EP 4xNew Grass, due August 27 via Zegema Beach Records.
This double single features track 3, 4—a tangled, emotional slow-burn that builds from clean introspection to crashing urgency—and Sinking Heart, a shorter, sharper punch of melody and dissonance.
Originally a solo project by Lucio (2015–2021), NEW GRASS expanded into a full band in 2022 with Bryan and Luke joining the fold. Their latest work keeps the DIY edge alive while sharpening the sound into something more collective and tightly wound.
Baltimore hardcore wrecking crew END IT just dropped their new single Optical Delusions—the third and most unexpected cut from their upcoming full-length Wrong Side Of Heaven, out soon via Flatspot Records.
“Optical Delusions” is backed by a stop-motion parody of Celebrity Deathmatch titled Band Beatdown. Directed by Zooboy and Noah Haycock, the video follows the group through a hyperviolent claymation fantasy, fitting the track’s sharp blast of riffs and frontman Akil Godsey’s aggressive takedown of clout-chasers and fakes.
Clocking in at just under five minutes across three tracks, the release includes the previously shared bruisers “Life Sublime” and “Pale Horse,” with the title track delivering a fresh twist: a ripping guitar solo and a clean vocal break that nods toward BETTER LOVERS without ditching the band’s trademark groove.
The release lands three weeks after “Life Sublime,” a two-minute blast about lone-wolf survival and rejecting authority. The accompanying video, directed by Noah Haycock, Aaron Patrick, and Alex Futtersak, goes full retro mayhem—turning the band into video-game avatars who rob banks, chug beers, and flatten cop cars in surreal, pixelated violence.
END IT will support the album with an extensive North American tour, including support dates with Superheaven and two arena shows with Blink-182 in Missouri. The Wrong Side Of Heaven Tour will feature rotating support from Ends Of Sanity, Soul Blind, Bracewar, and others. Headline tickets go on sale Friday at 10AM via enditbchc.com.
Connecticut hardcore band BURNING HAND have unleashed their five-song EP Jawbreaker, now streaming everywhere.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Chaz at The Source Studio CT, with artwork by @sluump.e, the release delivers raw energy and hardcore spirit. The band gives props to The Tarrys, Crucial Point, and Cube Crew, while making their stance crystal clear: “All cops, idf, racists, homophobes, transphobes, zionists and beyond can fuck off.”
Founding bassist Chris Beattie has sued HATEBREED in Connecticut Superior Court (New Haven), singling out frontman Jamey Jasta (listed as James Shanahan). The filing calls Beattie the “driving force behind [Hatebreed’s] sound and identity until his sudden and baseless expulsion” last November and argues there was an “implied agreement” that he and Jasta co-owned the band. It also cites a 2015 deal with Jasta and drummer Matthew Byrne giving each 25% of merchandise revenue, with the other two members at 12.5% apiece.
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Beattie alleges late and inconsistent merch payouts, says requests for financial records in 2023–2024 went unanswered, and claims he was “terminated” over a Live Nation report of harassment at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut—an incident he denies. The suit seeks financial and emotional-distress damages and contends the band continues to sell merch using his likeness without paying him.
Denver noise-scorched punks CHEW THRU are set to drop their new EP Curb Cuts on September 5 via Braeburn Records. The band has previewed the release with “Hunter Hunter,” a two-minute blast now streaming via Bandcamp. Recorded and produced in Denver by Matt Rinehart and David Saylor, the EP features five tracks, including titles like “Grappling Hook,” “Force Field,” and the title cut.
The release was mixed by Rinehart and mastered by Felipe Patino at Greendoor Recordings, with cover photography by Matt Lamoureaux and contributions from Leah Cackowski and Derik Hendrickson on skits.
LA’s TOTAL MASSACRE has just dropped their new EP Gross Domestic Product. With the band’s signature political fury, the EP delivers four new tracks aimed at the fascists in power and the billionaires backing them. Their single “Satisfaction Guaranteed” has already been getting airplay on Faction Punk on Sirius XM, and next week, you’ll be able to hear their Six Strings Of Punk on the station as well.
Screamo / post hardcore band SININEN have released their debut seven-song cassette via Tomb Tree, marking the first screamo project from Elina and Gustav since the end of VIA FONDO. Titled I Was Upset Recently, the release blends the raw urgency of their former band with added depth and atmosphere, pushing their sound into thicker, more layered territory.
The three-piece leans into dense instrumental interplay, with standout grooves anchoring both the opener and closer. Fans of SUIS LA LUNE, RAEIN, and ØJNE will find familiar tension and release here, but filtered through a more expansive, textured lens. The tape is limited to 120 copies in multiple swirl variants, including pastel, broken forest, and a rare set of test dips.
Early 90s Texas hardcore bands SLEEPING BODY, VOICE OF REASON, and SUICIETY are finally getting the archival treatment they deserve. King of the Monsters and Protagonist Music are dropping a massive 3xLP on August 15th that pulls together their out-of-print 7”s, demos, unreleased recordings, and live sets — wrapped in a triple gatefold with flyers, photos, and all the grit of early ’90s Texas hardcore.
These three bands came up together in Dallas/Fort Worth, channeling political rage, DIY spirit, and chaotic live energy into something that still feels urgent today.
We’ve got the full interview with all three bands in our mag today, digging into the history, the politics, and what it means to put this music back into the world in 2025.
Baltimore hardcore trailblazers TURNSTILE have released Never Enough, a 14-song visual album now streaming on demand via AppleTV and Fandango. Previously screened in select theaters, the film is described as “dreams in motion” and offers a cinematic translation of the band’s balance between chaos and serenity.
Never Enough functions as both a standalone visual work and a deep dive into TURNSTILE’s aesthetic world, merging their explosive sound with textured, dreamlike imagery across all 14 tracks.
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FOX LAKE just dropped their debut full-length New World Heat on MNRK Heavy, along with a video for “Real Fast.” The Denver crew’s blend of hardcore, hip-hop, and metal hits quick and sharp, built on what they call a “new world heat” mentality — cut the excuses, push forward, no brakes.
We’ve got the full track-by-track from FOX LAKE here.
Formed in 2017, the band has been pushing their way out of metalcore’s usual frame, welding hardcore, hip-hop, and rock ’n’ roll into something far more volatile. The latest single “Real Fast” follows that logic. “We wanted to put out something that would hit like an uppercut and keep people curious,” the band explains, adding that the track was uniquely built around a sample from the ground up.
FOX LAKE will also head out this fall for the New World Heat tour, joined on various dates by Kaonashi, TEETH, Surfaced, Desmadre, fr3ak, and Extortionist. The run kicks off September 26 in Iowa City and stretches through the Pacific Northwest before wrapping in Spokane on October 19.
Brighton-based stompers AKU have released their new EP Evil Twin via Burning Water Records. Built from the same DNA as their debut Numbers Game, the record carries forward themes of existential pressure, political decay, and mental health, but sharpens them with a leaner, faster sound. Lead track “Better Than I Give” circles feelings of apathy in a collapsing world, marking a shift away from dense aggression toward speed and directness.
Formed in early 2024, AKU draw from the fury of The Rival Mob and Trash Talk while nodding to contemporary acts like Spy and Bib. Their presence has quickly escalated in the BN1 scene, landing them spots at Homegrown Festival, DIE Fest, and opening for The Jesus Lizard in Brighton.
Modena screamo unit KONOHA return with oceano / radica, two intense new tracks long present in their live sets, now finally available for streaming.
Out July 28 via a network of DIY labels, the release pairs emotional introspection with commentary on climate and societal collapse — and comes with a mini-tour vlog from Turkey via Mevzu Records.
We just featured the full story in our latest article.
Finnish punks SUMU just dropped their second EP Olipa Kerran Ihmisyys — four tracks that go straight for the throat of war-hungry leaders and the fallout from Finland’s current austerity politics.
Recorded mostly live to keep the raw edge intact, the EP runs just under 11 minutes, sharp and urgent the whole way through. If you’re into hardcore punk that’s as direct as it is pissed off, this one’s worth a spin.
Finnish raw-but-melodic hardcore punks ÄÄRETÖN KAPINA dropped a new three-track release on July 21, continuing their sharp pivot from earlier iskelmä, tango, and polkka-rooted outings like Tiskarin Polkka and Orpopojan Valssi. The latest material — “Mustaa Kultaa,” “Risti Vai Vasara,” and “Teurastaja” — keeps things brief and blown-out, each track clocking under two minutes.
Formed by seasoned Helsinki punks with decades of noise under their belts, ÄÄRETÖN KAPINA plays it straight and rough — no polish, no pretension. The production stays raw, the delivery urgent, and the riffs just melodic enough to stick without softening the punch.
We spoke with author Sahan Jayasuriya about his decade-long journey writing Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen — the first full account of the genre-defying Milwaukee band. The book captures the chaos, contradictions, and shifting sounds of one of the Midwest’s most underrated acts, with input from the band and voices like Steve Albini, Thurston Moore, and Neko Case.
Read our full interview now — digging into lost archives, Midwest isolation, and the legacy DIE KREUZEN left behind.
Berlin’s post-everything unit LÖRI and Finnish emoviolence crew LETTERBOMBS just dropped a six-track split via adagio830 and a tangle of other DIY labels including no funeral, dingleberry, and shove records. Released digitally on July 31, with vinyl shipping out August 8, the record carves out space for two different but equally volatile scenes to collide.
LÖRI leans into abstraction and weight, opening with the aptly untitled track and a follow-up called Celestial Bodybags. LETTERBOMBS counter with five tracks under two minutes each, peaking in bursts like the Storm Provides and Echoes, clocking in at 43 seconds.
Kansas City slow-burning post-hardcore veterans THE CASKET LOTTERY have shared a new video for “From Now to Now,” the third single off their upcoming LP Feel The Teeth, due August 29 via Iodine Recordings. Directed by Chris Mullins, the clip adds stark visuals to a track steeped in existential fatigue. We premiered the video at this location.
“It’s an existential crisis song about coming to terms with the understanding that no one really knows what’s going on,” says vocalist Nathan Ellis.
The ARMED’s new one, The Future Is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed, is pure fire — messy, furious, and totally alive. They’ve stripped away the mystery games and manifestos this time, and what’s left is just the band doing what they do best: detonating every idea they touch.
One second it’s noise-drenched d-beat chaos, the next it’s a hooky punk sing-along, then a shoegaze blowout dripping with saxophone. It’s all over the place but never aimless — like someone smashing every radio station at once and making it sound thrilling.
The record’s title says it all: it’s burn-it-down music, pissed off at the world’s collapse, but also crackling with the joy of creating something new from the wreckage. If you’ve ever wanted your hardcore to sound like demolition with a grin, this is it. Out now on Sargent House.
Slovenian post-metalcore band HEI’AN have released a new single and video for “What a Shame,” the latest track from their upcoming album Kiss Our Ghosts Goodbye, out September 25 via Blood Blast Distribution. Directed by Poland’s Grupa13, the video matches the track’s intensity, blending dark visuals with a sonic assault of drum & bass textures and one of the album’s heaviest breakdowns.
“This song targets those who blindly follow ideological, political, or religious figures without questioning what they truly support,” says vocalist Matic Blagonič. Written during a rise in hatred in Slovenia, the track channels anger and disillusionment into a message urging critical thought and self-reflection.
Belgian post-metal trio PSYCHONAUT have dropped a new single and video, “Stargazer,” taken from their upcoming album World Maker, out October 24 via Pelagic Records. Named after vocalist/guitarist Stefan De Graef’s newborn son — born in the rare “stargazer” position — the track shifts between stripped-back folk passages and crushing breakdowns, landing somewhere between hope and grief.
“Stargazer” arrives as the second preview of World Maker, a record shaped by seismic personal change. Written during the early stages of fatherhood and completed amid the terminal illness of both De Graef’s and bassist Thomas Michiels’ fathers, the album trades the band’s previous metaphysical themes for raw, immediate reflection. It’s not about looking beyond anymore — it’s about facing what’s right in front of you.
Produced with longtime collaborator Chiaran Verheyden (Hippotraktor) and supported by their live engineer Victor, World Maker sees PSYCHONAUT expand their dynamic range with Rhodes organ, tabla, and guest vocals from Anthe Huybrechts, while keeping their foundation of polyrhythms and massive riffs intact.
SCREAMING EYES, the anti-fascist hardcore punk band from Marseille, France, just dropped DEMO 2025 on Noise Merchant Records. The fast-paced, no-frills demo features four tracks of raw, high-energy punk that combines machine gun vocals with intense, passionate rhythms.
The band, which includes members from Idiopathique, aims to disrupt with their unapologetic message: “Screaming Eyes is for the freaks and the weirdos… that’s you!”
CROSSED KEYS are back with a new single, The Bottom Line, released August 1st, 2025 — and it hits fast, loud, and heartfelt in just 2 minutes and 22 seconds.
Built on the same sweat-soaked spirit that’s driven Philly basements for decades, this track sharpens their melodic punk edge without losing the grit.
New Jersey hardcore outfit GOOD TEAL have released a new single and video, “Excusing The Hurt,” taken from their upcoming self-titled EP due out August 15. The track follows the earlier single “Parasites!” and drills deep into frontman Reg Mason’s personal history, confronting childhood abuse with blistering honesty and a resolve to break the cycle.
“This was the hardest song for me to write,” Mason says, explaining that the lyrics went through multiple rewrites before finding the right voice to speak openly about trauma and its aftermath. The track’s second verse features longtime collaborator GINI’, presenting a contrasting yet parallel perspective of someone still lashing out from that same place of pain.
The video, directed and edited by Mason, mirrors the song’s introspection with a first-person narrative. The full EP drops August 15, with shows scheduled in Montclair, Baltimore, and Rutherford throughout the month.
Canadian grindcore/mathcore wrecking crew ABRUPT DECAY have released their full-length The Illusion of Our Choices In A World of No Options today, August 1. Tracked at Oodelally Studios in West Kelowna with Jordan Chase handling production, mixing, and mastering, the record stretches close to 45 minutes and plays out as a deliberately constructed whole rather than a collection of singles.
The album features a heavy slate of collaborations: Jay Breen (TRENCH) on “Hypothermia,” Reece Prain (DIPLOID) on “No Blessings,” Danny Mathews (CEL DAMAGE) on “Surreptitious,” and Colter Cuthbertson (KILLING OF A SACRED DEER) on “Fixation.” Cover art comes courtesy of Jérôme “Trëz” Oudot, with additional layout and design work from Lab.13.
FRIGÖRA, the Japanese hardcore band, is releasing Fullständig Frigörelse, a comprehensive 12″ vinyl that compiles their complete studio discography from 1995 to 1999. The LP includes the band’s self-titled 7″, their split with Diskonto, and the Dance of the Plague Bearer EP, along with three unreleased tracks.
Formed during the mid-’90s, FRIGÖRA’s music draws influence from classic Swedish hardcore bands like Mob 47 and Shitlickers, while pushing their own unique, frantic energy into the fold. Their aggressive sound paved the way for the noise-heavy, crust-infused bands that followed, including Ferocious X.
The release, out on General Speech Records, offers a deep dive into Frigöra’s intense, fast-paced style, making it a must-have for hardcore collectors and fans of raw punk.
TOUCH have announced their new 12″ EP Seasons, due out September 5th via Corbata Productions and Passion Means Struggle. Alongside the news, the band has shared the first single Rejoice, now streaming everywhere.
The Budapest hardcore band describes Seasons as an attempt to introduce fresh and innovative elements while holding onto their trademark sound.
Formed in Hungary, TOUCH have been pushing a groove-heavy, NYHC-inspired sound since their early days, blending reverb-heavy psyched-out fuzz and dive-bomb laden thrash with a hardcore backbone. Their past releases include Illusion of Truth (2016) and Rearrangement (2017, Chiller Than Most), which set the stage for a run of shows across Europe. Over the years, they’ve shared bills with TURNSTILE, GIVE, NO TURNING BACK, PRAISE, MENTAL, SOUL CONTROL, and BLACKLISTED, among others.
Iron Lung Records has announced Flags Are False (LUNGS-294), the debut LP from New Jersey hardcore unit ACID CASUALTIES, out September 5. Two tracks — “Langley” and the title cut — are streaming now, both clocking in under two minutes and ripping with the kind of raw, trashy authenticity the label calls “pitch perfect homage to 80’s USHC.”
Named after KORO’s 39-second blast “Acid Casualty,” the band lean fully into New Jersey’s loud, brash, and unapologetically aggressive punk lineage. Recorded by Justin Lombardo and mastered by Will Killingsworth, the record keeps things simple: fast songs, sharp riffs, and no pretension.
CONVERGE and COALESCE have announced Live at CBGBs, a double LP and digital release capturing both bands at their most primal during a 1996 show in New York City. Set to ship August 8 via Deathwish, the recording stands as a tribute to late friend and promoter Rich Hall, with proceeds going to the Hall family in perpetuity.
The 2xLP includes CONVERGE ripping through early staples like “The Saddest Day” and “Antithesis,” while COALESCE deliver crushing versions of “Harvest of Maturity,” “Grain of Salt,” and more. Transferred by Zach Weeks at God City and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, the release pairs sonic ferocity with stark packaging from J. Bannon and Branca Studio.
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DEAF CLUB have unveiled “Crap Circles,” the first taste of their upcoming album We Demand A Permanent State of Happiness, streaming now via Decibel. The track is a burst of abrasive noise-punk chaos — loud, fast, and willfully obnoxious.
Frontman Justin Pearson describes the song as a product of frustration and bleak observation: “I get bummed on myself for the lyrics I write and how they are always seeped in negativity. I don’t want to say the negative stuff I do, but I have no other artistic option.” He frames the title as a play on alien crop circles, imagining abduction as a way to discard human dogmas — religion, ego, disrespect, and the collective blindness to what actually matters.
The new record We Demand A Permanent State of Happiness pushes further into that tension between absurdity and fury, with “Crap Circles” setting the tone for the dissonance to come.
Cold oi punks PRORVA just surfaced with their new EP U cieni impieryj (“In the Shadow of Empires”), dropped this June exactly a year after their debut Recha. Built by Belarusian exiles tied to past outfits like Force Events, Teenage Warning, and Tidal Force, the Warsaw-based band frame exile, war, and urban decay through three stripped-down cuts: “U cieni impieryj,” “Smuha,” and “Dryhva.”
We already gave the record a first spin in our magazine this week and have invited PRORVA back for a full feature to dig deeper into their story.
UK hardcore bruisers CLOBBER just dropped their new single and now basically a new EP God Loves, Man Kills through Venn Records, packing three tracks into barely seven minutes. The set was recorded live at Soundlab Studios, produced and mixed by Jack Longman alongside Matt Williams, and mastered by Bob Cooper.
Opener “Do Less” barely hits two minutes, followed by the sharper “Be Someone” and the title track “God Loves, Man Kills,” all cut with the band’s raw, no-frills aggression. Short, fast, and to the point — another jagged statement from rowdy British punk rockers.
California’s own CORRUPT VISION just bundled up their recent chaos into one place with The Protocols of Anti-Ska (Discography 2021–2024), out now through No Time Records. The set runs through short blasts like “Fucking Coward,” “Product By Design,” and “Kill The Lights,” alongside covers and live takes pulled from shows at The Bread Shed and in-studio sessions.
TO BE GENTLE has quickly become one of the most vital voices in the modern emo/screamo underground, and the project shows no signs of slowing down. Just this week, Eve Beeker released the new single “Prayer For Hind Rajab”, dedicated to the six-year-old Palestinian girl murdered by the IOF in Gaza in January 2024. The track is raw, direct, and unflinching—its lyrics reading like testimony, mourning, and a promise of remembrance.
It follows on the heels of mid-July’s release of the sprawling new album I Am a Spiritual Being Having a Human Experience, which we covered in depth here on IDIOTEQ.
Across both works, TO BE GENTLE continues to define what screamo can be in 2025: unafraid of scale, unafraid of vulnerability, and unafraid of calling out violence.
METHO just detonated their debut full-length Metholated Spirit — 18 tracks in 25 minutes of fried, crooked punk chaos out now via Solar/Sonar. Featuring members of The Nation Blue, Mid Youth Crisis, and Split System, the Melbourne quartet slices through structure like it’s nothing, hammering out bursts that sometimes last seconds and still land harder than most.
Recorded live and filthy, with guest noise from Paul Dempsey and a “brute choir” that includes Joel Silbersher, this record lurches between baritone sax, sludge riffs, and panic-tempo anthems like “Sunk Cost,” “Lonely Time,” and the six-second face-slap “Strangely Athletic.” It’s messy, loud, and deeply satisfying in all the wrong ways.
Indonesian edgy alt-rockers FIRSTRATE have dropped their debut full-length Passage of Time, out now via Haum Entertainment. Based in Malang, the five-piece threads together nine tracks built around the fictional character Bagus—a composite figure channeling the band’s shared experiences with work, aging, and internal detours.
Influenced by names like The Menzingers, Oasis, and Fiddlehead, the album carries a rough melodic core, sharpened by bursts of emo grit and blue-collar reflection. “Springtime” and “Give In” laid the groundwork in 2024, but Passage of Time stretches wider—arranged as one continuous narrative, shaped collaboratively by all members, and recorded mostly at Self Recs Studio by drummer Alwan Hilal.
Surabaya’s Bimantara J. Lestarijono (Timeless) called it “a call from the east,” noting its blend of aggression and melody, “sincere and soulful hardcore” with a spirit grounded in “flannel and work jackets.” Cassettes and merch are on the way, with touring plans to follow.
Philadelphia’s SCARAB just dropped their debut full-length Burn After Listening on Rebirth Records, and it’s thirteen minutes of pure, ecstatic rage.
Fronted by Tyler Mullen (ex-YEAR OF THE KNIFE), the band takes every ounce of fury from their earlier demo and EPs and compresses it into a record that feels like being hit with a brick and smiling about it. It’s ugly, fast, and cathartic — the kind of hardcore that doesn’t bother with subtlety because it doesn’t need to.
With guest spots from Todd Jones (NAILS), George Hirsch (BLACKLISTED), and DFJ (INNUMERABLE FORMS), Burn After Listening already comes stamped with approval from some heavy names. But the real sell is how naturally Scarab channel disgust into something euphoric.
SNEER just unleashed their self-titled debut LP on Crew Cuts, and it’s a nasty, chorus-drenched blast of UKHC filth. Think CREEM or EXIT ORDER colliding with snarling UK82-style vocals — raw, fast, and soaked in venom.
What makes this one hit even harder are the weird electronic interludes scattered across the record — short, jarring breaks that twist the flow and make the hardcore punches land heavier. It’s chaotic, ugly, and feels like another good soundtrack for a collapsing world (there’s a bunch of them in this roundup).
DAVE HAUSE just put out the Look Alive EP, and it’s stacked. Along with the title track, you get Enough Hope, A Knife in the Mud, and Revisionist History, plus two live versions — one from Sing Us Home 2025 and one stripped acoustic take on Look Alive.
It’s Hause doing what he does best: mixing grit, melody, and that Philly urgency that makes every song feel lived-in.
Emo/post-hardcore/DIY punks MYHEARTYOURGLOVE surface with a debut full-length, “No Maps For This Distance,” recorded between bedrooms and living rooms and orbiting memory, loss, and becoming—held together by guitar strings, fuzz pedals, and a little humor.
The songs swing from the quiet ache of remembering to the loud catharsis of letting go, drifting from breakdowns to late nights playing SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007. Each track pulls from something real: the death of a friend, the noise of an old apartment, the helplessness of watching someone suffer, the strange comfort of childhood games.
The record walks the line between emo, post-hardcore, and nostalgic DIY punk, unfolding like journal entries from long drives and quiet mornings, more about honesty than answers.
Dreamy alt-rock shapeshifters FLESHWATER will return on September 5 with 2000: In Search Of The Endless Sky, their sophomore LP for Closed Casket Activities.
Tracked across multiple studios, the album merges shoegaze textures and heavy emotional weight, featuring drumming by David Haik (Pianos Become The Teeth) and engineering by Kurt Ballou and Kevin Bernstein, with a final master from Nick Townsend.
The band—originally a side project of Vein.fm’s Anthony DiDio and ex-drummer Matt Wood—has since evolved into its own entity. Vocalist Marisa Shirar fronts the record with soaring clarity, as heard on the bleak but anthemic lead single “Jetpack.” The lineup now includes Josian Omar Soto Ramos on drums, following Wood’s departure in 2023.
After a breakout debut and tours alongside Deftones, Chat Pile, and The Mars Volta, FLESHWATER doubled down on their sound—melancholic but melodic, grounded yet spaced-out. Their current US run with Angel Dust leads into more dates with Chat Pile, as 2000 builds toward release.
French post punks RANCOEUR just dropped their second full-length Fatalité via Tough Ain’t Enough, with Contra, Longshot and Kanal Hysterik also on board. The record packs nine new tracks plus an intro, with titles like “La Ville,” “L’Hiver,” and “Partir Sans Dire Adieu.”
New Jersey’s KIRKBY KISS have dropped their new LP Four Color Black, out today through Council Records (vinyl) and Protagonist Music (cassettes). The record was tracked at Frost Gauntlet Recording with Ben Karas and mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room, landing as the band’s most layered and complex effort to date while holding onto their raw hardcore-punk urgency.
English noise rock trio IRK will release their second LP The Seeing House this September via Nefarious Industries. Preorders for limited vinyl and CDs are live now at nefariousindustries.com/nef117.
Vocalist J.S. Gordon frames the record as a twisted follow-up to their long-silent debut: “After a long hot soak in the pure liquid glory of our first album a few hundred years ago, we finally decided to leave our respective Malibu penthouses to make a sophomore album that had one clearly defined goal – to do for a whole album of music what St. Anger did for the snare drum.”
Behind the sarcasm is a chaotic mix of sources—broken air conditioning rhythms, Moana lyrics rephrased by AI, and riffs apparently forged under questionable legal conditions. “Uniting these three unholy piss streams in a deluge of salty creativity has birthed The Seeing House,” Gordon adds. “An album about the abject horror of having a nice time.”
KNOWSO are back with Hypnotic Smack, their new LP out now via Sorry State Records. The Cleveland duo of Nathan Ward (CRUELSTER, PERVERTS AGAIN, THE CARP) and Jayson Gerycz (CLOUD NOTHINGS) lean hard into jittery rhythms, cracked electronics, and lyrics that read like doomscroll-poetry.
Think DEVO in a funhouse mirror colliding with THE FALL — tracks like “You Climb the Sphinx” and “Club Music Is the Soundtrack” twitch between dance-floor hypnosis and paranoid breakdown. Ward’s lines hit like half-paranoid koans (“every boss in America is a real estate agent”), while Gerycz keeps the pulse motorik and relentless.
It’s the kind of record that makes you want to move while making you uneasy about why you’re moving — absurd, nervy, and strangely addictive.
Scottish post-hardcore band DEAD OR AMERICAN have ended their six-year silence with “Time’s Up,” a new single arriving August 1 and featuring CONVERGE drummer Ben Koller. The track pays tribute to Rick Froberg (Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu), who passed away June 30, 2023, with both the song and cover art echoing his gritty aesthetic and sharp lyricism. The artwork includes elements drawn by Froberg himself during his final visit to Glasgow.
The single also serves a more personal purpose. Following the sudden illness of founding drummer Richard Carlin, who is currently in recovery and unable to play, the band enlisted Koller—also a fan of Froberg’s work—to record drums on the track. Proceeds from the song will go to Stroke Association Scotland, with the track available via all streaming platforms and a name-your-price option on Bandcamp.
DEAD OR AMERICAN are now piecing together a collaborative full-length, pulling in voices from across the Scottish music scene. No release date has been confirmed yet.
No Coast pop punk outfit REMATCH have dropped a new EP titled 6SPEED, out now with five tracks clocking in just under 14 minutes. Released July 30 via Rematch LLC, the EP includes songs like “Double Tap,” “Retrograde,” and title track “6SPEED.”
The band, known for their energetic delivery and punchy hooks, is heading back on the road this week with ETERNAL BOY. Tour dates include stops in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and upstate New York before wrapping in Washington, DC on August 8.
SELF SABØTAGE have dropped a new single, “Right Now”, via Nothing Less Records. The Los Angeles hardcore punk band describes it as a descent into “late night spirals, unanswered questions, the sound of your world unraveling around you.”
DIY “pop punk with breakdowns” crew PROTECT YOUR HEART dropped a new 2-tracker today, pairing up “Fever Dream” and “Talk” into one tight release clocking in under seven minutes. The Los Angeles five-piece continues pushing forward into 2025, sticking to their own rulebook and dialing in the same mix that got them noticed in the first place — hooks, breakdowns, and genre-agnostic songwriting.
The band — Matty McDonald, Jake Bratrude, Anthony Palazzole, Mauricio Prado, and Kean Bartelman — earned their stripes off the back of their 2022 LP “[re]introduction,” which triggered a string of firsts over the last two years: headline shows at the Viper Room, their first full tour, and a fresh merch line.
Tarragona punks BLOODY GUMS and French outfit BARREL KICK just dropped a split LP through Tough Ain’t Enough and Kick Your Asso Records. Each side packs four new tracks, with song titles ranging from “Genives Sagnant” and “La Dansa dels Espectres” to “Dumb Rock Fashion” and “To Die Alone.”
Skate punk rockers BROKEN YOLKS has dropped their second single, “Misery,” ahead of their upcoming full-length album The View of the Bystander, out on August 8 via High End Denim Records.
The Edmonton-based skatepunk trio dives into a haunting exploration of emotional pain, personifying it as a destructive yet familiar companion. The lyrics reflect on the toxic comfort of revisiting trauma, depression, or heartbreak—capturing the complex relationship we often develop with our darker thoughts.
Southern Lord Records has dropped Burn In Heaven II, the latest digital EP from LEATHER HEARSE, available now under a “pay what you want” model until August 4. The four-track release follows the first Burn In Heaven installment and continues the project’s mission of digging deeper into all that is heavy.
LEATHER HEARSE is helmed by Tannon Penland (LOINCLOTH, GAUCHISTE), with Lloyd Siege (ex-SLIANG LAOS) on vocals, Hannes Grossmann (TRIPTYKON, NECROPHAGIST, BLOTTED SCIENCE) on drums and production, Yevy Tushenko handling bass and ambience, and Tomas Phillips (LOINCLOTH, GAUCHISTE) contributing electronics. Recorded across Richmond, Raleigh, Nuremberg, and Los Angeles, the material blends crushing riff work, guttural vocals, and eerie ambient layers, all finalized at Grossmann’s Mordor Sound Studio.
Punk alt-rockers SADCULT just dropped a new standalone single, Unwind. Fuzzed-out guitars, 90s grunge angst, and early 2000s alt-rock crunch all meet in a track built for weirdos trying to break free from the grind. Think Smashing Pumpkins meets the melodic bite of early 00s punk.
“This song is about disconnecting from the version of yourself the world expects and just letting your weirdness breathe,” says frontman Sam Newland. Released July 18, the Weymouth trio back it up with a lo-fi VHS-style video that feels like suburban dissociation caught on tape. BBC recently dubbed them “the face of modern alt-rock.” Not far off.
London rock / punk rock trio DREAM NAILS have announced their third studio album You Wish, due out February 6, 2026 via Marshall Records. Alongside the announcement, the band dropped “Organoid,” a jagged, tech-dystopian anthem tackling digital-age paranoia, surveillance, and the commodification of human connection. “It’s about the fight to stay human in the outright insanity of the digital age,” says drummer Lucy Katz.
With Mimi Jasson now fronting the band on vocals and bass, and production by Ali Chant, the record sees DREAM NAILS evolve into a tighter, more experimental unit—blending punk grit with heavier, melodic textures and surreal themes. You Wish promises an introspective yet charged response to a world slipping further into algorithmic chaos.
Serbian hardcore veterans BLANKFILE just wrapped their first big European run, hitting five shows across Germany and Austria as openers for STICK TO YOUR GUNS. For a band that’s spent two decades grinding DIY tours across the Balkans, the invite from STYG’s camp marked a rare leap into larger rooms and new audiences.
We have a special tour report HERE.
California post-hardcore staples TOUCHÉ AMORÉ have released Live On BBC Radio 1: Vol 4, a four-song EP recorded for BBC sessions. Out today via Rise Records, the set captures raw cuts of “Come Heroine,” “Reminders,” and “Savoring,” closing with “Limelight” featuring guest vocals from Uri Avila.
LESSER MINDS just dropped their debut LP Good News For The Modern Man via State of Mind Recordings, and it’s 18 minutes of raw, scrappy NJHC done right. Ten tracks, all muscle, no filler — from the 54-second opener “A.D.I.D.A.LM” to the gnarly closer “Chainsaw.”
The record came together through a grind of mismatched schedules, other band commitments (members also play in HUNDREDS OF AU, KIRKBY KISS, DEMMERS), and the usual chaos of DIY life — but it holds together like steel. Fast, pissed, political, and straight to the point.
Midwest emo pop punk rockers THANKS! I HATE IT has just released a new single, “The Butterfly Tattoo Effect,” from their upcoming album Scatterbrain, which drops on September 26, 2025. The track is a sharp blend of angular guitars and punchy rhythms, with the band’s signature storytelling capturing everyday anxieties through a punk-driven lens.
In addition, the band has teased their second album, Scatterbrain, which promises to take their sound even further, incorporating new ideas and explorations. Scatterbrain is shaping up to be an essential release for fans of their fresh take on emo.
Alt rockers HAVE MERCY have released “tv glows,” the second single from their upcoming album the loneliest place i’ve ever been, out August 29 via Rude Records. The track leans into late-night melancholy, with Brian Swindle’s lyrics capturing the quiet dread of watching something meaningful slip away. “Did our little fight just ruin everything?” he asks, framing the song as a reflection on the slow drift between people who used to feel like home.
Musically, it’s drenched in 90s alt-rock haze—Swindle nods to the Gin Blossoms as a touchpoint—but stays grounded in the band’s signature emotional weight. The accompanying video follows the band on a back road at night, matching the song’s introspective tone. It’s a familiar move from HAVE MERCY: raw, unflashy, and sharply personal.
MINUS THE BEAR has shared a new music video for “Drilling,” directed and edited by Cheyne Smith. The video, which features the band jamming in the same rehearsal space where they first wrote the song two decades ago, is part of the rollout for the deluxe reissue of their 2005 album Menos el Oso.
The reissue, due August 22 via Suicide Squeeze, follows the earlier release of demo tracks “Hooray (Demo)” and “The Pig War (Demo).”
In addition to the video, Suicide Squeeze has announced a special 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Menos el Oso. This limited 2xLP pressing will feature a remastered version of the original album, along with five unreleased demos and an etching by bassist Cory Murchy.
Basque oi punk crew KALEKO URDANGAK just had their history sharpened into wax again — “The Essentials Vol.2” is out now via Tough Ain’t Enough and Longshot Music. The LP pulls together a run of their strongest cuts, hitting both digital and vinyl, with black and blue editions capped at 250 copies each.
The release lands “coinciding with the arrival of our friends to the American East Coast,” as the band put it, turning the drop into a transatlantic nod. The record comes bundled with a DinA2 poster and a six-page booklet of photos, a short band intro, and lyric translations, turning the compilation into more than just a spin — it’s documentation.
Carolina emo outfit TOURNEFORTE has rolled out a new single, “Make Good,” clocking in at just over two minutes. The Myrtle Beach band — James Uzzel, Kyle Brewster, Cody Constantine, and Mitchell Mayes — continues to drop concise snapshots of their Southern-tinged emo approach.
Earlier in 2024, TOURNEFORTE appeared in our magazine feature “Top Emo Records: classics meet under the radar gems,” highlighting their mix of introspection and regional flavor.
Roman slacker punks IDONT will release their debut album Halfway to Nowhere on August 30 via a joint effort from Dinomite Records, Inconsapevole Records, Let’s Goat Records, Scuderie Ducali Records, and V10 Records. Known as “the laziest band in the universe,” the trio started recording the album back in 2021—four years after their 2018 debut EP Grow Up—and wrapped up production only this past May.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Valerio Fisik at Hombrelobo Studio in Rome, Halfway to Nowhere is a love letter to ‘90s punk with a sharp ear for hooks. The 10-track album includes titles like “Tides In Reverse,” “Black Phillip,” and “Wacky Waving Inflatable Tube Guy,” and is now streaming across platforms. A vinyl edition limited to 100 copies is also available.
New York screamo unit ENNUI have released a new track titled Quarrelsome Heaven, a three-minute descent into familial collapse and raw emotional fracture. Out now via Bandcamp, the single blends piercing vocals and unrelenting instrumentation with bleak, autobiographical lyrics: “sixteen years old today, stage four I heard mom say… family shattered into scatters. screaming is all that fucking matters.”
Fronted by j.a. czerwinski and backed by additional vocals from Rebecca Maida, the song was recorded by Joey Saccente, mixed by Tyler Hodelin, and mastered by Will Killingsworth.
We just featured Stockholm’s SLUTAVVERKNING and their new EP Skräp, out Sept 5 via Feral Cuts. The band churns political absurdity, free-jazz filth, and blown-out punk into four raw new tracks, including lead single “Den mänskliga vredens arkitekter.”
It’s grotesque, volatile, and proudly unclassifiable. Read the full piece in our latest issue.
Melodic electro metallers I SEE STARS have announced their return with THE WHEEL, their first full-length since 2016’s Treehouse, landing September 12 via Sumerian Records. The band also released a new track, Eliminator, alongside an official visualizer, continuing the slow build that’s seen them drop five standalone singles over the past two years—all now confirmed as part of the album.
Speaking on the project, the band described it as “a time capsule capturing the past seven years of our lives.” Vocalist Devin Oliver added that parts of the record were written while dealing with serious health issues, including hospitalizations caused by intracranial hypertension. “There were a lot of moments writing this record where I didn’t want to be alive… I’m super grateful to not be in all that pain.”
Produced by David Bendeth and mostly mixed by Zakk Cervini, THE WHEEL includes 14 tracks—among them guest features from Palaye Royale and songs tied thematically to grief, fate, and creative survival. It opens with a literal spin of a digital wheel, an in-studio ritual that shaped the album’s structure and mood.
Chicago’s post hardcore trio HEAVY SEAS have dropped By Degrees via Engineer Records, Creep Records, and Cobra Cafe. Produced with J. Robbins in Baltimore, the record confronts unraveling relationships and personal upheaval across ten tracks.
Dean calls opener “To Breathe” a song about “feeling overwhelmed and questioning everything you thought life was,” while “Reflection” zeroes in on the collapse of bands and creative ties. Divorce, betrayal, and fractured bonds echo through cuts like “If Only I” and “Disconsolate.” We’ve got the full track-by-track from Jeff Dean up this week.
After a forced break due to health issues, OMOIYARI is back with Bleed, a punishing new track released July 26 via A Cozy Death. The solo project of El Tyler, the song marks a vocal and emotional comeback—raging against abandonment and physical limitation.
Blending 90s/00s metalcore energy with nu-metal grit, the track was entirely self-recorded and produced at home.
We featured the full story this week.
The Coming Strife Records has just released Los Siete Sellos, the debut full-length from Santiago, Chile’s MARTIRIO. The ten-track album delivers furious metallic hardcore, pulling from the legacy of bands like Arkangel and Reprisal while twisting the sound into something darker and more direct.
Featuring guest spots from Anxo (Faced Out) and Yarne (Everything Ends), the record burns through tracks like “Dentro del Holocausto” and “Preludio de una Guerra Inminente” with unrelenting force. Available now digitally, with 12” vinyl and CD preorders up through The Coming Strife.
Vancouver metalcore outfit SEASONS WORN will release their new two-track EP I Wish I Could Show You on August 8 via Rest Assured Records. Featuring the songs “How the World Changes Colour” and “A Series of Butterflies,” the release marks a turn toward faster, more chaotic territory, closing a chapter in the band’s evolving sound.
Formed by Conner Elmes (Place of Refuge) and Jeff D’Altroy (World of Pleasure, Juice), and joined by bassist Adam Green in 2020, SEASONS WORN have carved out their own space on the fringe of Vancouver’s scene. Drawing from Converge, Glassjaw, and Misery Signals, the band injects pop and hip-hop rhythm into a metallic framework that stays emotionally raw. “It’s the kind of record that lives at 2AM,” they write, “when you’re thinking about everyone you’ve ever known.”
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Sunderland melodic punks LEATHERFACE have released The Peel Sessions, a complete collection of their BBC John Peel recordings from the 1990s tracked at Maida Vale. Available as a digital album and in physical editions, the set includes limited vinyl colorways (marble, red, white, yellow, crystal; 250 of each for the latter four) and a CD sequenced exactly as the sessions were recorded.
The 12-song release spans staples like “I Want The Moon,” “Books,” “Do The Right Thing,” and “Peasant In Paradise.” Announcing the drop, the label notes, “It’s release day for these epic John Peel sessions… we will do our best to turn around all albums and get them to you. Thank you for your patience.”
Ukrainian groove hardcore unit ҐРУНТ ПАЛАЄ just dropped a new single “Бетонні Плити” via Neformat Family, marking their first release in over a year since the full-length Світ Зміниться. The track arrives just ahead of their set at Faine Misto Festival, where they’ll open the Dark Stage on August 1 at 15:00.
“We decided to record this one after winning the selection for Faine,” says drummer Maksym. “We’ve got a few new songs, but this one felt the most us—groove, two-step, tempo drops, dumb-dumb drums and breakdowns.” The band’s signature is all there: weight, crunch, and that swampy stomp.
Queens newcomers HARD TIMES NYC have dropped their debut EP End This Life, a five-track introduction soaked in classic NYHC grit and groove. Out now on streaming platforms, the EP delivers slow, heavy beatdowns and no-frills hardcore from a lineup stacked with veterans of One Second Thought, Dehumanized, Nightmarer, and Last Perfection.
Ugly in all the right ways.
Nu metalcore act BLACK COAST have dropped their new single “Hopeless”. The track, like much of the band’s work, doesn’t shy away from intensity, with a raw, gritty vibe matched by bold vocals and dark lyricism.
As a band that blends influences from grunge and metalcore, BLACK COAST continue to carve out their space, consistently evolving since their 2016 formation.
SKiN GRAFT Records has announced Taking Umbrage, the fourth full-length from avant-rock outliers YOWIE, due October 3. The first track unveiled, “Grimgribber,” is available now, showcasing the band’s dense, hyper-composed approach that sits somewhere between math rock, prog, RIO, and pure chaos.
This record marks YOWIE’s longest and most ambitious effort to date, assembled with an international lineup: founding drummer Defenestrator alongside Daniel Kennedy (Cleric, collaborations with John Zorn and Trey Spruance) and Jack Tickner (Basil’s Kite, solo microtonal work). Produced and recorded by the band with assistance from Matt Hollenberg and James Jones, and mixed/mastered by Rémy “R3myBoy” Deliers, Taking Umbrage carries YOWIE’s reputation for unnatural, counter-intuitive music that somehow still grooves.
Swedish anticapitalist jazz-punk unit SLUTAVVERKNING have dropped “Den mänskliga vredens arkitekter,” the lead track from their upcoming EP Skräp, out September 5th via Feral Cuts. Released July 28, the single continues the Stockholm band’s descent into grotesque, politically charged noise — a warped mix of punk abrasion, acid-jazz chaos, and theatrical delivery.
Formed in 2018 by Pelle Andersson, Jon Ekström, and Marcus Källström, the group has since expanded with Per Wiberg (ex-Opeth, Candlemass) on bass and Isak Hedtjärn (Fire! Orchestra, Grismask) on clarinet and saxophone, pushing their sound into even stranger territory. Andersson describes the new cut as an attempt at a “straight punk-rock song” derailed by Bonham-style drumming, squawking clarinet, and melodic bass lines — turning it into something unexpected.
Lyrically, Ekström frames the song as a corporate manifesto for outsourced extermination, spitting lines like “Vi är ett blodigt företag / i mänsklighetens tjänst” (“We are a bloody company / in the service of humanity”). His delivery, steeped in grotesque character work, collides with Hedtjärn’s guttural-to-chaotic woodwinds and Wiberg’s shifting bass runs, making Skräp sound every bit as volatile and unhinged as the band themselves.
Richmond noisemongers PRAYER GROUP are set to release their new MLP Strawberry via Reptilian Records on August 29th. The seven-track 10” is a twisted slice of post-hardcore noise rock built through rushed sessions, lineup shifts, and long-simmering frustration. Their latest lineup features Matt Voegel, Nate Dominy, Anthony Stout, and newcomer Carl Kranz (AU REVOIR), and the record stays close to the band’s chaotic live feel — ugly, erratic, and definitely not polished.
“Plagiarism,” the record’s opener, is streaming now and captures the band’s instinct for punk brevity fused with noisy abrasion — no surprise given their past shows alongside USA Nails, Multicult, and Ken Mode. Recorded partly at The Ward and Room 2B, with final touches from Chris Compton and Brad Boatwright, Strawberry is a wild detour pressed on a bastard 10” format.
Three release shows are booked for late August, hitting Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Richmond. As the band puts it, Strawberry is “like a lot of kids… this weird little 10” with this weird little boy on the cover. It’s not its fault; it’s just like that.”
German metal heavyweights HEAVEN SHALL BURN have announced a full-scale European tour for early 2026, backing their new album Heimat, released last month via Century Media Records. The run kicks off in the UK on February 20 and wraps up in Munich on March 21, hitting new territory for the band including Krakow, Brno, and Dublin.
Check out our recent interview HERE.
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Joining them on the road are THE HALO EFFECT, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, and FROZEN SOUL, with THE HALO EFFECT sitting out the UK and Ireland dates. Guitarist Maik Weichert promises the shows will “unleash the new songs” with a lineup of bands they’re “huge fans of.” The tour also supports the Pay With Your Blood campaign, encouraging blood donations in collaboration with Wacken Open Air — a cause close to vocalist Marcus Bischoff, who draws from his background as a nurse.
Albany-based nu metal heavy-hitters FLATWOUNDS have joined the roster at Blue Grape Music, the label behind acts like Superheaven and Gridiron. The announcement drops alongside the release of their new single case logic and its official video. “We feel this song sums up the ‘sound’ of Flatwounds quite well,” says vocalist Colin O’Hare, describing it as a reflection on “the flaws of humanity and the inherent misery of the human condition.”
FLATWOUNDS have been grinding through the underground with a string of self-released EPs—Down, Raw, and Drain—and tour dates with the likes of Eyehategod, Jigsaw Youth, and Show Me the Body. With thick guitars, a grim melodic edge, and a touring schedule stretching through August, the band continues to build momentum the long way—city by city, show by show.
The we’re all so blinded tour includes stops in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit, with select dates supported by Atheena.
BAD COP BAD COP has dropped a new track, “I4NI,” ahead of their upcoming album Lighten Up, set for release on September 19th via Fat Wreck Chords and Hopeless Records. The song brings the band’s trademark riot-grrrl energy, with a catchy melody and a message about pushing through hard times instead of seeking revenge.
The release comes after the Fat Wreck Chords and Hopeless Records merger, which brings together two big names in punk and alternative music. BAD COP BAD COP also announced an EU headline tour to back the new album. Linh Le explains the track’s message as, “Don’t fight back, fight forward,” calling for a more constructive way to deal with adversity.
Tokyo outfit GOOD GRIEF just shared a new single, “Grayscale,” out now on all platforms. The band, made up of Yasu (vocals), Matt (bass), Keisuke (guitar), So-ta (guitar), and Ryuto (drums), tag themselves as #TokyoSadBoys and play an emotionally-charged, melodic brand of pop punk with an emo filter.
The new track rides on washed-out leads and bittersweet vocal phrasing, full of longing but never too heavy-handed.
Poland’s underground keeps pushing forward, and we’ve just highlighted eight bands carving their own paths in our feature 8 bands from Poland defining new frontiers. At the center is KISU MIN, whose new single Je Suis dropped June 23 ahead of their album Rudolf Steiner House, out September 29 on Antena Krzyku. The band frame their work through a sharp social lens, tying raw alternative rock to ideas of education and rebuilding futures.
We’ve invited KISU MIN for a full feature to dive deeper into the new record and its vision.
FU MANCHU just dropped The Return Of… Live, their first official live album in two decades, and it’s as massive as you’d hope. Captured during their 2024 The Return of Tomorrow UK/EU tour, this release blends fan favorites like “Eatin’ Dust” and “Hell on Wheels” with brand new crushers like “Loch Ness Wrecking Machine” and “Hands of the Zodiac.”
Scott Hill and the crew sound fully locked in—riffs thick as concrete, grooves dialed in, crowd energy bleeding through every track. Mixed by longtime producer Jim Monroe and mastered by Carl Saff, it’s got that warm, raw sound that feels like standing right in front of the amps.
The live debut of tracks from Gigantoid, Clone of the Universe, and of course The Return of Tomorrow make this a must-grab for fans.
Spotify closed Q2 2025 with strong growth in its core business, adding 8 million Premium subscribers to reach 276 million globally—beating guidance by 3 million. Total monthly active users (MAUs) hit 696 million, up 11% year-over-year. Revenue rose to €4.193 billion ($4.75 billion), with Premium revenue making up €3.74 billion and ad-supported revenue hitting €453 million. The company also posted a €406 million ($460 million) operating profit, up 50% year-over-year.
Still, not all news around the platform has been positive. Experimental band XIU XIU announced the removal of their catalog from Spotify, citing ethical concerns over CEO Daniel Ek’s investment in military AI technology. In a conversation with Anthony Fantano, vocalist Jamie Stewart said, “We don’t want our music on a platform run by warmongering billionaires.” Stewart added that the band has long been uncomfortable with Spotify’s treatment of artists, and Ek’s role on the board of a weapons tech company pushed them to act. “It’s about conscience,” he said. “If nothing else, we hope it encourages people to think more critically about where their money goes.”
XIU XIU joins DEERHOOF in exiting the platform. Meanwhile, Spotify projects 710 million MAUs and 281 million Premium subscribers by the end of Q3, alongside €485 million in operating income—despite mounting criticism from segments of the independent music community.
Copenhagen’s experimental art rock trio POPTONES are set to release their second album Pure on September 26 via Happy Metal Records. Built across Denmark, India, and Italy, the 12-track record shifts from improvised sketches to layered chaos, pulling in vibraphone, lap steel, saxophone, and even UNO-card–guided sessions.
The first single “Skin of Sea” was written in just a few hours inside a house once linked to Danish Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag, and marked their first use of vibraphone and saxophone.
We’ve got a full interview with POPTONES this week, diving into their process and the record’s mix of intuition, grief, and abstraction.
Leeds six-piece VOLK SOUP are set to drop their debut 10p Jazz on October 3 through Dipterid Records and Cruel Nature. Tracked live with minimal second-guessing, the record strips instinct to the bone, with moments like “Reptilian Brain” built on blunt structures and “Meet Me by the Willow” stretched out by accident when saxophonist Ryan Geach hijacked a take.
“We don’t dillydally in search of the perfect take,” vocalist Harry Jones says, explaining the wing-it approach that shaped the album’s jagged edges. Live, he admits to steering audiences toward “discomfort, arousal, suspicion, anything but indifference.”
We’ve got a full feature with VOLK SOUP this week, diving into the record’s fractured process and the strange influences that fed it.
Pop-punk veterans TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET have dropped their new single “She’s the Shit” and announced their next full-length Ready to Roll, out September 12 via Pirates Press Records.
Tracked at The Blasting Room with Andrew Berlin and mastered by Jason Livermore, the record brings the band back to basics: fast, loud, fun, and zero overthinking. “This record came out of a place of just wanting to write songs that felt good to play,” they explain. “It reminded us why we started Teenage Bottlerocket in the first place.”
The band also shared love for their new label home, calling Pirates Press “the crew behind countless records we love and collect,” while noting that the switch comes with Fat Wreck’s full support. Expect multiple vinyl variants, a brown-and-gold theme nodding to Wyoming, and all the packaging flair that PPR is known for.
Punk rock supergroup ULTRABOMB lights the next U.S. run on August 1 at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, Wisconsin, backing latest album Dying To Smile. The loop cuts through the Midwest and East Coast before landing August 9 at Melody Inn Punk Rock Night in Indianapolis; Reno’s Boss’ Daughter is on every date except the finale.
Lineup pedigree is the point: Greg Norton (Hüsker Dü), Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Adolescents, D.I.), and Ryan Smith (Soul Asylum). Or as If It’s Too Loud put it, “It’s always a pleasure to hear punk and indie royalty still sounding as great and vital as Ultrabomb sounds here.” Expect sets built around Dying To Smile.
New York dream-grunge outfit GLIMMER have announced their debut LP Get Weak, set for release October 3, 2025. Vinyl and digital pre-orders are live now via Bandcamp, with two advance tracks—Dissolve and Sorrow Again—already streaming.
Recorded at Studio G in Brooklyn with Jeff Berner, and mastered by Will Yip, the 10-track record captures the band’s layered, fuzz-washed sound with a mix of shoegaze haze and alt-rock clarity. If Dissolve is any indication, Get Weak leans into slow burn melancholy and towering hooks without losing its rough edges.
GLIMMER is: Jeff Moore (vocals, guitar), Jaye Moore (drums), Johnny Nicholls (guitar), and Kevin Dobbins (bass). FFO: NOTHING, SWIRLIES, early SMASHING PUMPKINS.
PULLEY and FIRE SALE are teaming up for a joint 7” titled Split Personality, out September 5 via Negative Progression Records. The four-song release brings together Southern California skate-punk legacy and seasoned punk-rock firepower, with two new tracks from each band and limited-edition vinyl available for pre-order starting August 15.
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PULLEY’s side leans into reflection and resolve. “Torn Apart By Time” addresses distraction and commitment, while “Write A Note If You Leave” taps into grief, written in memory of vocalist Scott Radinsky’s mother. FIRE SALE, featuring former members of Face to Face, No Use For A Name, and The Ataris, respond with sharp-edged commentary: “An Archaic Construct” takes aim at behavioral expectations, and “Call Of The Void” explores intrusive thoughts and the edge of self-control.
UK alt-rock outfit BOSTON MANOR have premiered their full Audiotree Live session, available now via YouTube and streaming platforms. The set captures tracks from their 2024 full-length Sundiver, including “Floodlights on the Square,” “Container,” and “Why I Sleep,” alongside earlier cuts like “Foxglove” and “Sliding Doors.”
Recorded as part of Audiotree’s ongoing series, the performance is broken up by two interview segments with host Jason, where the band reflects on conceptual writing, balancing family life, and playing alongside diverse acts. Referencing their return to formative influences like Deftones, Portishead, and Garbage, BOSTON MANOR frame Sundiver as a product of introspection, written in the English countryside and shaped by newfound fatherhood.
Detroit ska-punk crew THE BOY DETECTIVE will release their sophomore album Disco Lunch on November 7 via Punkerton Records.
The first single, “Beth Truss,” drops August 15, produced by Roger Lima of Less Than Jake and mixed/mastered by Eric Taft. Described by vocalist Benny Capaul as “an ancient song dusted off and reformatted to sonically invoke singalongs and brain-eating choruses,” the track previews a record that leans hard into the band’s chaotic, horn-driven energy.
Formed in Michigan and known for their humor-soaked live shows, THE BOY DETECTIVE have expanded into a seven-piece lineup that embraces ska-core mayhem without losing the punch of punk. Disco Lunch follows 2024’s Art Theft and pulls from two decades of unreleased material and vault tracks, promising a mix of breakdowns, hooks, and unexpected turns.
Pennsylvania thrash/hardcore unit CRUEL BOMB will release their self-titled debut full-length on August 15. Clocking in at just over 32 minutes, the 11-track record comes wrapped in cover art by legendary illustrator Ed Repka and was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Eric Novroski at Novroski Studios.
Lead single “Target Neutralized” is out now with an accompanying video, setting the tone for a record built on speed and no-frills aggression. Formed in 2018, the Wilkes-Barre four-piece have already carved out their place in the underground with three EPs and a reputation for bruising live sets.
Drawing from Slayer, Power Trip, Anthrax, and Exodus, the band balances old-school thrash worship with a modern hardcore edge.
Melbourne’s IRREPARABLE will release their debut full-length The Fate Of All Life on October 17 via These Hands Melt. The record weaves black metal, goth, doom, and electronica into what the band calls “a personal apocalypse,” framed as a monument to cyclical suffering and death.
The trio — D.B. (guitar, electronics), N.M. (vocals), and M.B. (bass) — enlisted guest contributions from Carline Van Roos (vocals on “Exposed” and “Death In A Time Capsule”) and violinist Hayley Anderson (on “Forever Remain”). Recorded and mixed by D.B. and mastered by Dav Byrne at Iridium Audio, the album comes wrapped in artwork by Promathiart.
First single “Failure To Thrive” is streaming now, a six-minute descent that captures the bleak tone of the record.
As teased earlier this year, HARD CHILLER—featuring Joe Vannucchi (From Indian Lakes) and Steve Choi (RX Bandits, The Sound of Animals Fighting)—have released their debut LP Baby! today, August 1 via Born Losers Records. Described by the band as a contrast-heavy blend of “hard and chill,” the record draws clear lines to DEFTONES, HUM, and SMASHING PUMPKINS, layering weighty guitars with spacey, melodic textures.
HARD CHILLER will join THE SOUND OF ANIMALS FIGHTING (mentioned here) on a short West Coast run this September, including stops in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and Anaheim.
Punk lifers HOT WATER MUSIC and hardcore mainstays BANE will join forces for a co-headline U.S. tour this November, hitting nine dates across the Midwest and East Coast. The run kicks off November 5 in Cleveland Heights and includes stops in Chicago, Richmond, Philly, and Baltimore, wrapping up November 14 in Providence. A final solo set from HOT WATER MUSIC follows on November 15 in Hampton Beach. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
HOT WATER MUSIC are still riding high on Vows, their Brian McTernan-produced record that features guests from Turnstile, Thrice, Alexisonfire, and more. BANE, meanwhile, continue their long-awaited return with Boston 6:58 PM, a first-ever full release of their long out-of-print Cities EPs. Earlier this year, they also unveiled a fully remixed and remastered 25th anniversary edition of It All Comes Down to This, also handled by McTernan.
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TEEN SUICIDE have released Fade 2 Blue / New Tattoo, a new two-song single and their first material since 2022’s honeybee table at the butterfly feast. The tracks mark a return to the band’s signature home-recorded approach, with “Fade 2 Blue” delivering fuzzed-out hooks and “New Tattoo” dialing things back to fingerpicked guitar and soft harmonies.
Recorded before Niko and Flip joined the band, the songs feature only Sam Ray and Kit. “They’re very home-recorded, as so many of the best Teen Suicide songs have been over the years,” Ray explains, calling the single a teaser for a more surprising full-length in the works.
TEEN SUICIDE will appear at Levitation Fest in Austin on September 25 and Furnace Fest in Birmingham on October 3, before heading to the UK for dates in Brighton, Manchester, and London this December.
Power-pop/punk fusionists REX TYCOON release new album “No Limit 2 Luv” via Smartpunk Records today (August 1, 2025). Ten songs lean into power pop sensibilities, punk energy, and grooving riffs—swinging from beer-soaked basement parties to soul-searching drives—bookended by “Rock ‘N Roll Star” and “Jesus Drives.”
Tracked at Russian Recording in Bloomington, Indiana with Damion Schiralli and mastered by Mike Bridavsky, the LP follows years of basement EPs and singles. “No Limit 2 Luv feels like our official opening statement to the world,” the band says, adding that the throughline is “love… the beauty of it, the mystique of it, the pain that comes with it, and above all else, the unlimited possibilities of it,” and, bluntly: “The world is cruel… sometimes it feels like the love we have for each other is all that we have left to hold on to.”
Roman shoegaze/emo punks MINUS HERO dropped their fourth EP Ruyi on June 20, recorded once again at Loops Studio in Latina. The title nods to a Chinese restaurant the band used to gather at, but also to the phrase’s deeper meaning of satisfaction and fulfillment — a theme that runs through the four songs.
The band describe the release as “slower, deeper but yet poppier somehow,” still drawing from influences like Dinosaur Jr., Hüsker Dü, and Samiam while shifting into more reflective ground. Tracks like “Here” and “Deaf” frame moments of isolation and frustration against the reminder that, often, we already have what we need. We’ve got the full track-by-track breakdown up in our magazine this week.
RADIO FREE ALICE, the Australian new wave alt rock post-punk band, has announced their new EP Empty Words, set for release on August 20, 2025. The EP features four tracks, including the recently premiered single “Toyota Camry,” which was first broadcast on BBC 6 Music. The band’s distinct sound, rooted in ‘80s basslines and sharp guitar riffs, is captured in the track, while its official video, directed by Finn Robilliard, complements the release.
In addition to the EP, Radio Free Alice will embark on their first headline North American tour this fall, with a performance at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta and two sold-out shows in New York City.
ANGELSPIT are back with their 12th album Red End, out August 7. Eleven tracks, 42 minutes of twisted 90s cyberpunk samples, pounding beats, and sharp-as-glass lyrics straight from Zoog Von Roc
Surf punk freaks SORRY FACE just dropped their debut album XD, a jagged eight-track set that lurches from beachy twang to full-on breakdown chaos. Think SWING KIDS moshing at a tiki party hosted by the B-52s, with Brandon Kaltenbaugh fronting it all in a nasal, side-eyed vocal sneer that’s part sasscore, part off-kilter lounge.
There’s Dick Dale worship on “butcher,” but it’s roughed up and reverb-choked, shaking loose into something closer to no-wave than nostalgia. Elsewhere, “past life” slips into a moodier zone, brushing up against twinkly CURE guitars and Morrissey drama, without ever losing that smirking undercurrent.
SORRY FACE might be too noisy for the surf crowd and too cheeky for the hardcore kids, but XD sounds like it was made without worrying about either. Self-released, loose-limbed, and weird in all the right places.
SAINTHOOD REPS have returned with a new single, “Dizzy,” and announced their upcoming full-length Dull Bliss, due out September 26 via Smartpunk Records. The track drifts between shoegaze haze and alt-rock clarity, with vocalist Cesco Montesanto calling it “a song about the anxiety I get when I try to open my mouth to talk to anybody about anything whatsoever.”
Originally a heavier cut, “Dizzy” took a turn toward Gin Blossoms and Nada Surf territory during writing. It’s one of eleven tracks on Dull Bliss, a record thematically caught between numbness and euphoria, exploring how the two can sometimes feel indistinguishable.
Montreal-based cathartic punk rockers THEE SOREHEADS have dropped “Ratlike,” the first single off their upcoming debut EP I’m Not Your Fucking Sex Doll, due out November 7 via Outhouse Records.
Written in a burst of rage following a racist and deeply personal breakup, the track captures what vocalist Maria describes as “stream of consciousness of rage” sparked by being called “ratlike” and having her identity attacked. “It honestly took like 5 minutes to have a finished song,” she says. “I wanted to write something that people could scream at concerts with us.”
Formed less than two years ago after a chance meeting at Bar L’Esco, the band blends a wide range of influences—from surf rock and emo to metal and swing—filtered through raw, unfiltered punk. With roots in musical theatre, jazz, and classical composition, Maria brings a different kind of fire to the band: “With THEE SOREHEADS, I feel like I have full freedom to own my anger… to call people out, claim my space, and empower others.” Ratlike follows the band’s earlier release Thee Wee Demos and sets the tone for what’s to come.
Sell The Heart Records has announced A 7 Step Guide to Happiness, a new 7-band split that promises to deliver some fresh and exclusive tracks.
Due out on October 24, 2025, the release features contributions from bands like Her Head’s on Fire, Hauntu, Neckscars, Shotclock, and more, each offering a unique sound that showcases their distinct styles. The 12″ vinyl edition, limited to 100 copies, comes with an exclusive B-side etching, designed by Demetrius Antuña of Hauntu.
The first single from the compilation, “Bound” by Her Head’s on Fire, is already available for streaming and pre-order. New singles will be dropped every two weeks leading up to the release date.
New York post-hardcore punk rockers NECKSCARS have released their sophomore full-length Unhinged today via Sell The Heart Records and Engineer Records. The 12-track album follows their 2021 debut Don’t Panic and finds the band stretching their sound while keeping the raw punk rock grit intact.
Montreal ska-punk mainstays THE PLANET SMASHERS return August 22 with On the Dancefloor, their first new studio album in years, released via Stomp Records.
Featuring 13 tracks soaked in brass and bounce, the record brings in heavyweight guests from the ska world—Neville Staple of The Specials, Charley “Aitch” Bembridge of The Selecter, and Sara Johnston of Bran Van 3000—tying the band’s third wave roots back to the 2Tone era.
Formed in 1994, THE PLANET SMASHERS have long held their place in the ska-punk canon, with past features in MTV’s Undergrads, Japanese cult anime Catman, and over 30 million streams to their name. “This was the funnest of our 10 albums to record,” says frontman Matt Collyer, pointing to the full-band input and legacy collaborations that shaped On the Dancefloor.
The lead single “Meet Me On The Dancefloor” leans into what the band does best—groove, charm, and unapologetic energy. It sets the tone for a release that isn’t just a throwback, but a reminder of ska’s power to move both bodies and minds.
San Diego heavy rock duo SISTERS have released their new single “Home Is Where The Heart Is,” a melodic yet crushing follow-up to the title track from their upcoming concept album Wings of Deliverance, out August 29 via Spartan Records. The track leans into the duo’s blend of soaring vocals and riff-laden heft, channeling the illusion of comfort offered by cult leader Jim Jones—“A place they identify with. Home,” says vocalist/guitarist Jason Blackmore.
Written and recorded by Blackmore and Mario Quintero (SPOTLIGHTS) in Quintero’s basement, Wings of Deliverance explores the psychological grip of religious extremism and power. Drawing influence from the Jonestown tragedy, the record merges alternative metal, industrial textures, and noise rock into an eight-track dive into control, belief, and collapse.
DARK SKY BURIAL (aka Shane Embury of Napalm Death, Venomous Concept, Brujeria) has unveiled a new single, Mask of Illusion, ahead of a full-length album due later this year via Consouling Sounds. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Russ Russell, the track adds a sharp new layer to the project: vocals.
Clocking in at just under five minutes, Mask of Illusion expands the dark ambient blueprint with spoken-word passages and atmospheric distortion, wrapped in themes of ego death and personal disintegration. “These masks of illusion / are now messengers of death,” Embury intones, turning inward after years of road time with Melvins and Napalm Death. “I feel guided towards a new path… terrifying as I just don’t know where it’s going to lead.”
Born at the start of the pandemic, DARK SKY BURIAL has always operated as a shadow outlet for Embury’s more experimental instincts. But this track—with its theatrical pacing, layered textures, and emotional directness—feels like a reset. Or a rebirth?
Shoegaze-drenched ravers NUCLEAR DAISIES just dropped their second album First Taste of Heaven via Portrayal of Guilt Records, a record that drags pre-Y2K trance nostalgia straight into the present. Somewhere between the Go soundtrack, early Grimes, and witch trap fragments, the band stitch hazy textures with indie rock structures, keeping one foot in the club and the other in the basement.
“We had clear visions of how we wanted certain songs to not only sound, but feel too,” the band said, pointing to the vampire rave scene from Blade as a touchstone — tense, pulsing, a little dangerous. Tracks like “Dandelion Wine” and “Infinite Joy” balance the shimmer, while “Honey In The Wound,” “Toad,” and “Fangs” throw harder punches, riding pulsing electronics into thick guitar crashes and eerie vocals. Guest review by Ricky Adams, now contributing to our magazine.
Nepal’s OUTCONTROLJOYS grew out of the ashes of hardcore outfits Anautho Prashna and Rog, with the project’s founder turning a post-band quarter-life lull into a shift toward shoegaze. What began as DIIV and Joy Division covers with a drum machine evolved into the 2021 EP Division and, later, Unturn in 2023.
The newest self-titled LP dives fully into the wall-of-sound approach, citing everything from My Bloody Valentine and Ride to Tokyo Shoegazer, Whirr, and Nothing as touchstones. “I wanted to fully dive into the wall of sound approach,” he explains, crediting Daniel’s mix and master for shaping the final vision.
While still a rarity in Nepal, the project points to a broader regional current — with Death of Heather, Sunlotus, Motifs, and others fueling what he calls one of the most vibrant shoegaze movements in Southeast Asia. The band discussed it in our special feature here.
Avant-garde project KAYO DOT drops eleventh studio album Every Rock, Every Half-Truth Under Reason today (August 1, 2025) via Prophecy Productions, reuniting the original line-up to mark 20 years since Choirs Of The Eye. Written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Toby Driver at Deciduous Murmur (Connecticut), it’s out in a 36-page 2CD artbook, ltd. gatefold marbled black & white double-vinyl, gatefold black double-vinyl, and Digipak CD, with artwork by Driver and layout by Łukasz Jaszak.
Driver frames the record as a response to algorithmic aesthetics—“to write in ways that resist prediction… a kind of countermeasure.” The band dubs the approach “liminal metal,” rejecting standard rock/metal contours for custom-designed microtonal organs and guitars, shifting emphasis to upper-spectrum textures and hauntological drift.
Crushing-heaviness-and-emotional-depth specialists PALLBEARER drop Live At Reggie’s, a new live album captured at their Chicago show in May, featuring a rare take on Black Sabbath’s “Over & Over.”
The release lands for Bandcamp Friday alongside expanded merch, including the long-requested Mind Burns Alive vinyl. As ever on Bandcamp Friday, purchases send maximum support directly to the artist.
Norwegian blackgaze outfit SUNDROWNED have unveiled their new single “Wisteria,” a cut from the upcoming album Higanbana. The track drifts between calm and eruption, folding shoegaze textures, black metal intensity, and sludge weight into something both crushing and luminous.
Described as “like the ocean” in its shifts, the song underscores the band’s pull toward balance — quiet to loud, light to heavy — carried through sprawling waves of sound. Higanbana is set to arrive soon, with “Wisteria” streaming now.
Norwegian slow-burners LES DUNES are back with their second full-length From Etne To The Edge Of Space, landing September 5 via Kapitän Platte. The Haugesund-based trio—featuring members of The Low Frequency In Stereo, Helldorado, and Undergrünnen—continue to work in that in-between space where post-rock and slowcore drift into each other without a rush to land.
Guitarist Per Andreas Haftorsen, drummer Morten Jackman, and bassist Per Steinar Lie build patient, cinematic tracks that feel like driving a coastal highway at 3am with nowhere to be. Lie puts it simply: “it feels like the vibe of the early days of The Low Frequency In Stereo.” Think Codeine covering Explosions In The Sky while staring out into freezing fog.
NAKED PREY, a new electronic duo out of Pécs, Hungary, have released their debut single “alive” — a slow-burning, synth-heavy piece that leans more into cinematic weight and distorted atmosphere than traditional synthwave gloss.
Formed in 2024, the project channels dark electronic textures with nods to rock, metal, and hardcore energy. It’s not surprising — one half of the duo also plays bass in blackened hardcore outfit CVLT OF GRACE. With plans to branch out sonically and collaborate across Hungary’s underground, NAKED PREY is setting the tone early: heavy, moody, and locked into their own pulse.
New York death metal outfit UNDEATH drop two surprise singles, “Enter Patient” and “Endless Graveyard,” mixed and mastered by Krallice’s Colin Marson, landing as they kick off their European/UK run today (August 1) at Dortmund Deathfest. “Surprise – two new singles for you, fresh off the fire. No roll-out, no ‘announcement for the announcement’, no gimmicks – just a pair of brand new, fully independently released Undeath tracks for you to enjoy right now.”
The itinerary hits Tilburg, Wiesbaden, Bristol, London, Norwich, Bloodstock Open Air (August 9), Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham, and wraps in Brighton with Mammoth Grinder, with Celestial Sanctuary and Mutagenic Host on select dates. Post-tour, the band says they’ll spend the rest of the year working on the follow-up to 2024’s “More Insane.”
Melodic metalcore mainstays THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have parted ways with bassist Mason Nagy, who announced his exit today via social media: “I have decided to leave The Devil Wears Prada,” thanking fans, crew, and bandmates for their “endless support.” Nagy first came aboard as a session player in 2018 for The Act, was formally introduced on the band’s Prada Pod (episode 33), and went on to record two albums and an EP.
Context around the camp: the band dropped new single “For You” in April ahead of the Metalcore Spring Break Tour with Erra, Kingdom Of Giants, and Acres, and shared in February that a new album is expected this year. Next up is an Australian run with Bullet For My Valentine celebrating 20 years of The Poison (following BFMV’s split with Trivium on the U.S. leg). As of now, the band hasn’t commented on Nagy’s departure.
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SANGUISUGABOGG has unleashed the NSFW video for their new single, “Rotted Entanglement,” ahead of the release of their upcoming album Hideous Aftermath on October 10 via Century Media. Directed by vocalist Devin Swank and Josh Nunn, the video is as grotesque and brutal as you’d expect from the band, offering fans a glimpse into their most focused and brutal record to date.
The band also announced a November headline tour with support from Despised Icon, Defeated Sanity, and Corpsepile. Hideous Aftermath follows their previous gore-obsessed works, showcasing a more refined yet equally violent sound. Produced by Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, the album marks a new chapter for SANGUISUGABOGG.
BLOOD HOWL has dropped a new track, Dire en Caul as part of their ongoing push into experimental black metal. The song is described as “to speak from beyond the veil of birth,” dealing with themes of existential reflection and the darkness that comes with it. The track continues the band’s trend of blending raw metal with intense, atmospheric elements.
Tennessee deathcore outfit AUTUMN LIES BURIED have scored a 4/5 review from France’s Metallian Magazine for their latest EP Mob Mentality, out now via Exitus Stratagem Records. Reviewer Michaël Schmitt praised the release as “a clever mix of rap and metal,” calling it a “breath of fresh air” and highlighting the band’s high energy and socially conscious lyrics.
The EP, produced by Dusty Mahann and mixed/mastered by Chris Whited, features five tracks including the recent single “Told Off Witta Sawed Off,” which includes a guest spot from FILTH’s Dustin Jamaal Mitchell. Directed by Criket Camacho, the video tackles online posturing and fake bravado. “The only thing we want from those plotting our downfall is a whole lotta ‘leave me alone,’” the band states.
Mob Mentality follows a sharp blend of deathcore brutality with hardcore swagger and rap-inflected cadence, drawing comparisons to THE ACACIA STRAIN, TECH N9NE, and LEFT TO SUFFER. A second EP is expected later this year.
UK deathcore brutalists WRITHE have dropped their second single of the year, Devourer, along with a lyric video soaked in cosmic dread. The track builds on the universe introduced in Host, continuing a story of apocalyptic scale where a godlike beast devours entire worlds on command. “The city of bones is all that remains,” the band states, describing the aftermath with a tone that’s more prophecy than promo.
The band’s latest chapter follows their lineup shift, with Jack Tyrrell stepping in on vocals and pushing the band deeper into their narrative-heavy, technically dense territory. On Devourer, blast beats and breakdowns hit with surgical intent, wrapped in an atmosphere as oppressive as the story it tells.
WRITHE will take this new era on the road in August, joining Beyond Extinction and To Obey A Tyrant for a short UK run. It’s a fitting live test for a band trading in scale, weight, and total annihilation.
Transylvanian grinders TREASONDOM just dropped “The Growing Distance,” the first taste of their upcoming full-length The Flesh Consumes The Mind, due this August via Defense Records and Maximed Records. Clocking in at just over two minutes, the track carries the band’s trademark collision of 90s death metal, thrash, and old-school grindcore sharpened by crust punk edges.
CAR BOMB just dropped their first new material in six years — Tiles Whisper Dreams, a self-released EP that also marks their 25th anniversary as a band. The New York mathcore veterans still sound like no one else: dizzying time shifts, death-groove detonations, alien guitar effects, and the kind of chaos that leaves you disoriented in the best way possible.
The EP is out now, and the band will be touring the UK and Europe with BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT. Their planned Australian run with ANIMALS AS LEADERS was scrapped due to an injury in the AAL camp.
GRAVE HEX has premiered their new single, “Steeping Master Worm Flesh,” via Toilet Ov Hell, offering a brutal taste of their upcoming debut album, Vermian Death, out August 22, 2025. The track, which comes straight from Finland’s death-drenched underground, is a grotesque mix of rotting riffs and punk-infused brutality, placing GRAVE HEX firmly in the filthy tradition of death metal bands like Autopsy, Undergang, and Morbific.
With their debut album, Vermian Death, the band continues to push the boundaries of putrid death metal. The record, recorded in three sessions during the summer of 2024, is a savage, cavernous assault steeped in primal themes. The album also features a menacing cover art by Slimeweaver. GRAVE HEX, which formed in Helsinki in 2024, is gearing up to bring their bestial death metal to the live stage in 2025.
Polish extreme metal institution BEHEMOTH will reissue their 1998 full-length Pandemonic Incantations on September 12 via Metal Blade Records. The release marks over 25 years since the album first pushed the band beyond their early black metal beginnings, channeling a sharper, more expansive fusion of death and black metal that would define their future sound.
The reissue comes with seven bonus tracks, including the Bewitching The Pomerania EP and rare rough mixes, alongside a 20-page booklet packed with archival material and new interviews. The artwork has been reimagined by Eliran Kantor, echoing the original while bringing a fresh visual weight. “To this day, I often hear from fans who say it’s their favourite BEHEMOTH record,” says founding member Nergal, calling the album “a milestone” shaped in part by Inferno’s first appearance behind the kit.
More than just a reissue, this edition aims to cement Pandemonic Incantations as a defining document in the evolution of late-’90s extreme metal — raw, flawed, and essential.
Melbourne absurdist agitators DREGG have officially signed with Fearless Records, marking a new chapter for the band’s chaotic blend of metal, hardcore, and rap. Alongside the announcement, they’ve dropped a new video for “Dress Down,” a track originally featured on last year’s The Art of Everything. Directed by Joel Wilson, the clip stands as the band’s most cinematic project yet, filmed over four days in their hometown.
Speaking about the track, DREGG explained, “‘Dress Down’ was driven by frustration, betrayal, and a relentless desire to reinvent ourselves.” They add that the song—and its unfiltered aggression—is about breaking ground sonically and reflecting where they’re at now. Known for satirical theatrics and no allegiance to political binaries, the band continue to challenge norms and push discomfort as a tool for expression.
Fearless will now reissue The Art of Everything, giving the record new legs. “We’re super psyched about joining Fearless… it’s a dream come true,” the band shared.
Atmospheric post-black metal band CORRIDORÉ has premiered the video for their track “Like Moths” at Decibel Magazine. The song comes from their forthcoming full-length Abandon, out August 22 via Hypaethral Records. Known for their expansive sound that blends post-rock, black metal, and shoegaze, the band continues to explore themes of grief and isolation, as highlighted in the nine-minute track.
Bassist/vocalist Eric Andraska shared that “Like Moths” reflects the painful pull of the past, saying, “It’s about the harsh dichotomy of having to go forward with ‘our hearts open wide,’ but also acknowledging that we’ve given up.” Directed by Jorge Torres Torres, the video pairs intense, esoteric imagery of bull riders and mannequins with the song’s shifting moods, from somber to sludgy. The full album was recorded by Dustin Sisson and mastered by Carl Saff.
NON SERVIAM has released Φαλαινομανιτάρι, a surreal collaborative work by HIVERLUCIDE and SPACESEER that blends whale song, mushroom-generated sound, and deep experimental textures. Out now digitally, with a limited cassette available via Syrup Moose Records, the album drifts in an alien ocean of sound—part natural phenomenon, part nightmare folklore.
The release arrives with an accompanying narrative: a bioluminescent mushroom-whale, spotted from a photosynthetic lighthouse, ignites panic along the fictional Qyo coastline. The music mirrors that hallucinatory imagery—unsettling, organic, and impossible to classify. Artwork by Sludgework captures the same eerie tension that pulses through the album’s core.
Balearic post-metal misfits MARASME have returned with Fel, a record too melodic for sludge, too raw for post-black, too restless to sit still. Released July 25 via Discos Macarras, Eternal Juggernaut, Nafra Records, and Quebranta Records, the album is a gut-punch of contradictions—six tracks driven equally by heart and instinct.
Produced by Toni Salvà at Diorama Sound and mastered by Magnus Lindberg, Fel captures a band in freefall through genre, carving out something harsh, melodic, and defiantly out-of-place. “Too many blast beats for post-metal; too melodic for sludge; too primitive for post-black,” they admit. “Fel” is dedicated to the memory of Pere-James Llompart Collins (1981–2024), and it sounds like it.
PILLARS OF A TWISTED CITY has unveiled Brimstone Prophecies, their latest EP, now streaming on Bandcamp. Recorded in the remote Clayoquot Sound of Canada, the EP blends cinematic textures with influences from post-punk, black metal, and classical music. Tracks like “Brimstone Prophecy” and “Sapphire” dive deep into dark, immersive soundscapes that reflect the band’s intense and atmospheric style.
The band also announced a performance in Vancouver on September 6, 2025, at Green Auto. Brimstone Prophecies, which was recorded and mixed by Johnny Stewart, features mastering by Greg Mindorff and Sound Suite Labs. The EP is available for digital purchase and download, offering fans a chance to connect with the band’s evolving sound.
UK sludge-death unit TRUDGER are back with a new music video for “Occupied Frequency,” premiering ahead of the release of their long-awaited second album Void Quest, due out this August via Floodlit Recordings. Directed and edited by Jack Kavanagh, the clip captures the band in their hometown practice space at Barnsley Live Art—raw, claustrophobic, and locked in.
The track is one of the band’s most direct assaults to date, combining grinding riffs, a sharp thrash finale, and a dense production courtesy of label head Joe Clayton (Pijn) at Manchester’s No Studio. Vocalist Chris Parkinson describes it as “a rumination on humankind’s potentially naive desire to make contact with intelligent life,” noting that the video weaves in declassified military UAP footage and archival NASA clips to mirror the track’s themes.
Void Quest marks TRUDGER’s return after more than a decade in stasis. Last active in 2015, the Barnsley four-piece left a mark on the UK underground with their 2014 debut Dormiveglia and live runs alongside Conan, Dvne, Primitive Man, and Downfall of Gaia.
PUSCIFER have released In Case You Were Napping, a digital-only retrospective spanning 18 years of studio work. The 15-track collection, out now via Puscifer Entertainment/Alchemy Recordings/BMG, curates highlights from the band’s discography including “Momma Sed,” “The Humbling River,” and “Conditions Of My Parole,” alongside deeper cuts like the Milla Jovovich-assisted “The Mission – M Is For Milla Mix” and the Sessanta tour closer “Grand Canyon.”
The release arrives ahead of the band’s upcoming full-length, slated for 2026. As a preview, PUSCIFER will perform the new, still-untitled album in full during two sets at Exchange L.A. on August 11. The 8 p.m. slot is sold out; limited tickets remain for the earlier 5 p.m. showing.
Formed by Maynard James Keenan with Mat Mitchell and Carina Round, PUSCIFER has evolved beyond its art-rock roots into a hybrid of multimedia, surrealism, and darkly electronic rock. In Case You Were Napping offers a snapshot of that journey—equal parts theatrical, groovy, and alien.
