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Another week, another batch of singles 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. Here are just a few of the current singles catching our attention. Click on the artist’s name in bold, and follow the link to the respective YouTube video.
Brighton-based Amongst Liars return with new single “Underneath the Surface”, the follow-up to their Kerrang Radio-endorsed previous single “Repair Myself”, and again, the quartet impress with their ability to shake things up. It has some gentle progressive touches, in a Pineapple Thief kind of way, that thankfully avoid the self-indulgent tropes progressive metal can often spew. It also has some Mark Tremonti-sized riffs, and it’s not too difficult to imagine Tremonti’s trademark stank face when the breakdown kicks in at around 02:30 minutes in. Amonst Liars guitarist Leo Burdett has some killer moves, made all the more impressive with the fact that he has now also taken over lead vocal duties. That mid-section is as heavy as balls. One of those moments that will have listeners everywhere reaching for the volume knob. Lots of light and darkness to be found, with most of the light coming courtesy of Burdett’s ultra-clean vocals. Fantastic top-notch playing from all involved, with Adam Oarton taking the gold medal for his stunning, precise drum work.
Three studio albums since forming in 2015 is hardly prolific, but the quality of said three albums is what counts, and Finnish genre-mashers Beast In Black have made some bangers over the years. One of the most insane, fun, and memorable live acts that you could encounter, a Battle Beast show is very much a case of check your inhibitions at the door and just let yourself go. Cheesy Eurovision EDM, with lashings of guitar riffs, full-on drumming, and the insane vocals of Yannis Papadopoulos with hooks-a-plenty, are all the order of the day. And the new single “Fear The Beast” is all that amplified 1000%. Taken from the forthcoming fourth studio album, the details of which are thin on the ground, “Fear The Beast” is a choon. ABBA with double-kick drum blast beats? To an extent, yes. It’s sheer escapist fun. Papadopoulos excels at every turn, and his range is incredible. This is Beast In Black back after five years of touring the world, honing their craft and waiting until they have strong enough material before putting it down in the studio. Utterly bonkers. Don’t miss this band if they play near you. You will wake up the next morning with a face still hurting from smiling so much. Proof that a little bit of cheese is good for you.
Bobbie Dazzle – aka singer/songwriter and flautist Siân Greenaway – has dropped the first taste of her sophomore album Star Power (set to land October 2nd on Rise Records), in the guise of new single “Wonder”, and yeah, it’s a bit of a peach. Like the critically acclaimed debut album Fandabidozi, there are lashings of colour to be found on “Wonder”, so much that for four minutes and two seconds the world doesn’t seem so drab and bleak. The glam-progressive mash-up from the debut is still, thankfully, prevalent, but it’s the Bee Gees-esque guitar intro that reels the listener in from the off. “Jive Talking” vibes with size-ten platform boots stomping all over it. Unlike most singles, it’s almost thirty seconds of music (lots of guitar) before the vocals come in, and when they do, they are instantly recognisable as Bobbie. Loads of variety, with a gorgeous disco strut on two minutes that leads into a spacey, keys-filled midsection that gradually grows into a Lizzy-like Celtic jig. And the space normally reserved for a guitar solo is occupied by a flute solo. Magic. Would it be too cheesy a cliché to say that Bobbie Dazzle sparkles more and more each day?
Jesus. The new single from High Parasite is good shit. Led by Aaron Stainthorpe, formerly of My Dying Bride, and produced by Paradise Lost’s Gregor Mackintosh, “The Screams That Come” is a thick slab of what the band calls “Death Pop”. Gothic and dark, with some harsh vocals, but also light, melodic, hooky, and bloody memorable. Gothic industrial-ish in some places, the vocals from Stainthorpe are some of his best to date, and the production is spot on without being overpowering. The hooky guitar licks from Jonny Hunter hang around for days on end, but it’s the stellar work from the explosive engine room team of bassist Tombs and drummer Dan Brown that sticks out the most. This is a song best enjoyed cranked to the max. Not just for total enjoyment, but you notice more at high levels of volume, like the subtle electronic samples here and there. Aaron Stainthorpe, though, oooft, mate, take a bow.
Mortemia is Morten Veland’s (Sirenia, founder of Tristiania) studio-based solo project. The concept is pretty simple; rather than a full-blown follow-up album to 2010’s debut album Misere Mortem, Veland has instead opted to go with a series of standalone singles over the years featuring guest vocalists like Marcela Bovio, Liv Kristine, Melissa Bonny, Brittney Slayes, to name but a few. His latest offering is a gorgeous cover of acclaimed composer Bear McCreary’s “Golden Leaves”, lifted from the soundtrack to The Rings of Power TV show. Given that the song is performed entirely in Elvish, it needed the right vocalist to bring McCreary’s composition to life, and Blackbriar’s Zora Cock was always going to be the only choice. One of the most intoxicating and enchanting vocalists out there (often referred to as Metal’s Kate Bush), Cock has the breathless qualities required for this collaboration. A lot heavier and punchier than the haunting original that features Benjamin Walker on vocals, this is almost as if Liv Tyler/Princess Arwen is performing the vocals. All instruments are by Morten Veland, and the highlight is his chugging guitar riffs that run in the background while Zora Cock does what she does best: steal the show.
“The Tower: Lean Into Fear” is the third single to be lifted from Arcani, the forthcoming new album from Italian melodic symphonic metallers Temperance. And without wishing to piss off co-vocalists Michele Guaitoli and Marco Pastorino, it is the best of the three singles released thus far. Eschewing the traditional three-way vocals that are often a Temperance trademark, “The Tower: Lean Into Fear” features the incredible Kristin Starkey on sole lead vocals. At the same time, Pastorino focuses on the guitar work (fantastic playing throughout). Guaitoli gets to put his feet up for a few minutes before being called into action for the huge gang vocal choruses. Less symphonic bombast than usual, the track has more of a traditional hard rock/metal vibe. Thick, heavy drums, killer guitar solos, and, of course, Starkey’s insane vocal range – she is a contralto, the lowest-pitched type of classical female singing voice. If you have ever imagined what Cher would sound like performing Dio material, then this might give you the answer. Starkey joining in 2023 was the best thing that could have happened to Temperance, and Arcani is shaping up to be something special. Catch the band on Kamelot’s UK & EU tour that runs throughout November 2026, with Exit Eden also on the bill; it is one of the strongest triple-bills of this sub-genre in some time.
These last few months have been a bit of a runaway-train experience for Satanic Doo-Wop duo Twin Temple. The duo, formed by the married couple Alexandra and Zachary James, were thrust into the spotlight after they were dropped from their supporting role on a tour by US country star Charley Crockett. Apparently, their Satanic imagery didn’t sit well with Crockett’s fanbase (God, guns, country – or whatever order it is this week), but the tables were turned when Twin Temple appeared on US talk show The Daily Show and were able to promote the forthcoming album, Doomed Lovers. Jack White offered them a gig with him that started the weirdest social media spat for some time, and before you could say “By Lucifer’s beard”, Twin Temple’s stock had risen considerably. Latest single, “Love You to Death”, produced by Shooter Jennings, has more of a Patsy Cline/Connie Francis influence than previously released material, which helped spawn the “Satanic Doo-Wop” tag. Beautifully paced, with the gorgeous vocals of Alexandra James at the forefront, it’s easy to see why the band might have been pushed forward for a Country music tour. The mega-bucks Country music machine ruling the roost in America would lap this up – if only they could take the stick out of their collective asses. Along with the previous single, the sax-infused “Haunt Me”, Doomed Lovers is shaping up to be something special. Hail Satan.
Photo credits:
High Parasite – MShoot Photography
Zora Cock – Jord Otto photography
Temperance – Alex Verona
