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Another week, another hot batch of singles and EPs fresh out of the oven. A mixture of established names and some artists starting on their journey, all worthy of your attention, regardless of placement in the pecking order. Click on the artist’s name in bold, and follow the link to the respective social media pages.
Melissa Bonny releasing a solo album in 2026 is a no-brainer. Given how highly regarded the Swiss singer-songwriter is, it was only a matter of time. If there is any surprise in the news about the impending release of ‘Cherry Red Apocalypse’ (due January 23rd), then perhaps it could only be: what took so long? But given how busy she is with her day job, Ad Infinitum, as well as touring as a live vocalist with Kamelot, and performing with side project The Dark Side of The Moon, she gets a pass. Bonny is part of the impressive pack of a new breed of young, female Metal vocalists, that includes Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires, Avantasia) and Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade) – who both guest on the album – Zora Cock (Blackbriar), Kristin Starkey (Twilight Force, Temperance) and Marina La Torraca (Exit Eden, ex-Phantom Elite). ‘I’m a Monster’ is the lead single from ‘Cherry Red Apocalypse’ and highlights the depth of Bonny’s vocal talents. The chilling growl that launches the track hints at a heavy, harsh few minutes, but what follows is a perfect blend of smooth, clean vocals (Bonny’s enunciation is as stunning as ever) with an electronica touch to offset the heaviness. It’s uber-modern, catchy, and crosses genres. Interested to see which style Melissa goes with on the next single.
Hamburg-based singer-songwriter Hagen Brüggemann is gearing up for the release of his debut album, ‘Dysthymia’ (available September 5th), by releasing a double single: ‘Riding On The Waves/Lost In You’. Performed acoustically, both tracks are raw, unfiltered, and in the case of ‘Riding On The Waves’, brutally honest. Grunge-tinged, with some hooky guitar melodies, the focus is firmly on Hagen’s vocals, which are easy to get lost in and identify with. The stellar production helps, and it feels like both tracks were recorded right there and then, with the first take sufficing rather than overcooking both with polished production trickery. When music is this stripped-back, there are no hiding places, and although both are obviously deeply personal, especially ‘Lost In You’, the listener never feels like they are intruding.
As touched on earlier, Swiss singer/multi-instrumentalist Fabienne Erni is part of the new breed of young, female metal vocalists who – through Patreon and YouTube – are constantly mixing it up by delving into waters not normally swam by metal vocalists. Disney, showtunes, pop, K-pop, Anime themes. And metal, of course. You name it, these extraordinary talents make it look simple. On her debut solo single, ‘Sky’s Breath’, Fabi doesn’t stray too far from her day job with both Eluveitie and Illumishade, and the result is an intoxicating brew of modern metal and folk-inspired vibes. Opening with Fabi and her harp, ‘Sky’s Breath’ soon grows – thanks to some modern, progressive metal flourishes – into a powerful slice of multiple genres, with her stunning vocals very much the star of the show. Ultra-clean and oh-so-light, listening to the vocals is the aural equivalent of floating on the fluffiest of clouds. Uplifting background vocalisations lend soundtrack-like qualities to the track, and it’s easy to imagine this one featuring on a modern reboot of something like The Hunger Games franchise. Expect a full-length album in 2026, with more singles to come this year.
Tommy Johansson (Majestica, ex-Sabaton) and Kristin Starkey (Twilight Force, Temperance) have joined forces on 2 new videos released via their respective YouTube channels. Johansson’s cover versions have always been fantastic, featuring everything from Rainbow to ABBA (his version of Rainbow’s ‘Kill The King’ is pretty damn special). Ever since he duetted with the equally impressive Starkey on a riotous, power metal version of The Pogues’ Christmas classic ‘Fairytale of New York’, and more recently on a powerful tribute to Ozzy with ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’, more output has always been on the cards, and now the busy pair have delivered not one, but two tributes to Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf which highlight the depth of Steinman’s songwriting. First up is an insane version of ‘Dead Ringer For Love’, made famous, of course, by Meat Loaf and Cher back in 1981, and both performers have embraced the spirit of the original by recreating the famous promo video shot in a dive bar. Power metal-infused, it is such good fun that there are times during this updated video where the viewer can see Johansson breaking character and smiling as Starkey goes full-on Cher. Both vocals are as expected from Johansson (tenor) and Starkey (contralto), top-notch, and with Johansson performing all instruments (damn these guys that can multitask), the result is stunning. As is the second offering: uber-power ballad ‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’. Steinman-penned, made famous by Celine Dion in 1996, gazillion-selling, and according to Andrew Lloyd Webber, “the greatest love song ever written,” this is a modern take on the Meat Loaf and Marion Raven version from 2006, which came after years of legal arguments between Steinman and Meat Loaf. Stripped of many of the trademark Steinman-isms, it is not as glossy as the Celine Dion runaway juggernaut. Both voices play off each other perfectly and give some credence to Meat Loaf’s argument that the song was always intended as a duet.
Just when you think that you have an act all figured out, they throw a mind-fuck of a curveball that disorients the listener to the extent that said listener checks how many windows they have open, as it sounds like several tracks are playing at once. Take Danish experimental rock trio Poptones, their latest single, ‘Mirror World’, begins with wailing feedback before settling into some shoegaze-tinged vibes. So far, so dreamy. The rest will follow suit, yeah? Wrong. Here comes the crushing screamo vocals from guest performer Victor Kaas, vocalist of Copenhagen hardcore outfits EYES and LLNN. And it’s these brief outbursts of chaos offsetting the dreamier aspects of the single that make it so intriguing. Loads going on throughout the few minutes running time; creepy, unsettling noises in the background, heavy-as-fuck in places, with neck-straining breakdowns, it’s almost like Jesse Leach of Killswitch covering My Bloody Valentine, or The Jesus and the Mary Chain. Insanely different, and very good.
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Amanda Shires is set to release her eagerly-awaited new album ‘Nobody’s Girl’ on 26th September, and has served up a second single from the album, ‘Piece of Mind’, and it is a doozy. More rock-oriented than the intoxicating brand of Americana/country that the GRAMMY award-winning musician is normally associated with, ‘Piece of Mind’ is a stunning example of the power of incisive lyrics that will strike a chord with anyone who had the rug pulled out from under their feet in a relationship that ended messily. Shires says, “This one came when I was finally done being polite about pain. I wrote this song because I never got closure. ‘Piece of Mind’ became the place I said everything I didn’t get to say. Writing it gave me an ending. Not tidy. Not bitter. Just mine.” Shires says more in the opening few lines than most will get the chance to say in a lifetime: “If you think I could ever hate you, you’re wrong/But that was a real fucked up way to leave/‘Bout buckled when I heard and saw—/You on the ring cam whistling/Broke everything we built/And left me there to just deal with it.” Ouch. No missing the target there, that’s for sure. Had ‘Piece of Mind’ been played in a traditional Amanda Shires way, then it would have been an entirely different song. Here, it’s uptempo, more mainstream, hooky-as-hell, and, given the subject matter, actually strangely uplifting. A lot of people will find strength and comfort in this song.
Being made up of experienced players doesn’t necessarily mean that a band will gel. Too many cooks and all that. But Scottish noise-merchants Victory Or Die have hit the sweet spot that few new acts reach so quickly. The most recognisable name amongst the quartet would be frontman Jason Sweeney, who tread the boards for some time with Scottish melodic hard rockers The King Lot. Victory Or Die are an altogether heavier proposition than TKL, who have been on hiatus for some time now. Current VOD single ‘The Bone Trap’ is a bit of a bruiser. Immediate in a Ginger Wildheart-meets-Lemmy-over-at-Al-Jourgensen’s gaff kinda way, with Sweeney spitting out the lyrics in double-quick time, it is not hanging around. Powered by hard-hitting drummer Carlos Marin, it has a punk feel, like it was conjured up on the spot, there and then. Featuring a rather nifty guitar solo from AndyPaws Christie, it ticks all the boxes and urges further investigation. Need to blow the cobwebs off? Then strap this sucker on for size.
As Omar Little famously said: “You come at the King, you best not miss.” And on his latest single, rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. has not only come at the King, but he has hit the bullseye dead-centre. Tackling Nirvana is always a ballsy move, and one that sets the artist up to be shot to pieces by the “Name 3 B-sides” gatekeepers. Taking on the seminal ‘Something In The Way’ and daring to mix it up takes balls of King Kong proportions. But that is exactly what Wilson Jr. has done. Lifted from the forthcoming 4-track covers EP ‘Blankets’ – which will also feature his version of Temple of the Dog’s ‘Hunger Strike’ – Wilson Jr. has arguably come up with the definitive Nirvana cover. Less bleak and foreboding than the original, the Indiana-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter has still come up with a version that packs some mystery as well as heaps of menace. Almost ‘Nebraska’-era Springsteen-like in his vocal delivery, Wilson Jr. reels the listener in with his first few lines, and once the drums kick in, the listener is invested; hook, line, and sinker. The lengthy guitar solo that lands mid-song has to be heard. With what sounds like a mixture of lap steel and traditional guitar, it is something special.
