Weekly Roundup: August 7th
Weekly Roundup: August 7th
Featuring Green Lung, The Story So Far, Eighteen Visions, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Void of Vision – “Angel of Darkness”
Melbourne/Naarm trailblazers Void of Vision appear to be undergoing a kind of transformation. Clearly taking cues from the likes of Sleep Token, the press release for “Angel of Darkness” implores “witnesses” to observe the group’s metamorphosis:
“The human form of Jack Bergin is gone; his whereabouts unknown, for now. I am here to speak in his place, your Angel of Darkness. Human to some. A deadly kind of divine.”
The track features crushing alt metal textures fused with slick, angular pop flourishes, embracing “a broad range of influences spanning Charli XCX to Meshuggah.” Whatever changes are to come, I’m sure we can expect nothing less than a full-blown sonic evolution. Watch the video for “Angel of Darkness” below:
Homebody – Universal Language
Back in February, I put the spotlight on Alabama alt-rock duo Homebody and remarked on the group’s entrancing post-hardcore/alternative crossover. Now, armed with a shiny new single, the duo are back at it again, with a catchy, bass-heavy number called “Universal Language,” pushing and pulling their sound in curious new directions. Here’s hoping this is yet another teaser for a new project to come. Stream the single here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Eighteen Visions – “Fix Me”
Orange County metalcore luminaries Eighteen Visions have released the third single from their upcoming release, Purgatorio, which will see a physical edition through the recently revitalised Lambgoat Records. “Fix Me” follows on from previous singles “Rot of Humanity” and “Reality Killer,” which will be part of a planned three-part instalment. It also comes as the band whirl back up into release mode after 2020’s Inferno EP and the twentieth-anniversary re-release of their landmark Vanity LP. Listen to “Fix Me” here.
Green Lung – This Heathen Land
I first came across UK occult rockers Green Lung through a YouTube upload of 2019’sWoodland Rites, and then once hooked, I utterly devoured its stellar follow-up, 2021’s Black Harvest. With their penchant for “folklore, riffs, legends of Britain,” the group are finally unveiling their new full-length album and Nuclear Blast debut, This Heathen Land, which arrives on November 3rd. The quintet peddle an anthemic mix of classic rock, folk, and doom metal with a heavy dose of psychedelic elements and occultic imagery. It’s rock music for the blasphemers. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
The Story So Far – “Big Blind”
California alternative outfit The Story So Far are (finally) roaring back into business. The group’s last full-length record was the phenomenal Propose Dose, from all the way back in 2018, which was a well-received departure from their pop-punk roots, and since then, frontman Parker Cannon has kept busy doing his melodic hardcore project No Pressure with Pat Kennedy (Light Years) and Harry Corrigan (Regulate). The group are also heading overseas to support Blink-182 on their upcoming UK/EU tour, so this comeback release feels like a natural fit to start ramping things back up. Listen to “Big Blind” here.
Worn – Condensing Flesh
Wilkes-Barre hardcore bruisers Worn dropped their stellar debut LP Human Work back in 2021, and they also recently released a gnarly split EP with C4. The band's next release is set to be the Condensing Flesh EP, coming out on September 1st via From Within Records. Here’s what the band has to say about it:
“‘Entity and Form’ is about how desensitised we are as a culture to atrocities of war and how people are even able to view some of these acts as entertainment. Lyrically and sonically, Utopia Banished by Napalm Death was a big influence for the record, and this song reflects that.”
Stream the LP’s pre-release single/s here (Spotify).
Guilt Trip – “Broken Wings”
Manchester metallers Guilt Trip are gearing up for the release of their second full-length, Severance, their first full-length since signing to MLVLTD MUSIC—a label run by renowned UK group Malevolence—due out on September 22nd. The band are pairing crushing metallic hardcore with anthemic, soaring choruses and its quality tough stuff. These guys have been slogging it out in the touring trenches for years now, so I’m hoping this is the record to give them a well-deserved pop. Watch the video for “Broken Wings” below:
††† (Crosses) – Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete.
††† (Crosses)—yep, the emojis are the point, here—is the dark-pop project of Chino Moreno of Deftones notoriety and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, and together the duo haven’t released a full-length album in not quite a decade. Well, that is until now. Their new record is titled Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. and it comes out on October 13th via Warner Records. The LP follows last year’s PERMANENT.RADIANT EP and a score of remixes and covers, and also includes guest features with The Cure’s Robert Smith and rapper El-P of Run The Jewels fame. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2023 CUTS playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Teenage Wrist – Still Love
It’s no secret that I absolutely adore L.A. alt-rockers Teenage Wrist. I was a huge fan of 2021’s Earth Is a Black Hole, and now the duo’s full-length follow-up, Still Love, is out now through Epitaph Records. This new LP is broader and more expansive in scope and execution, with lead guitarist and vocalist Marshall Gallagher and drummer Anthony Salazar maturing as songwriters and musicians. As Gallagher puts it: “We just shot from the gut on this record and tried not to overanalyse things… and I think the record speaks for itself.”
Across Still Love, you can hear Teenage Wrist indulging in various moods and textures. “Cigarette Two-Step” throws down an unhinged gauntlet of droning heaviness with a wild guest feature from Fear Before The March Of Flames. Alongside the stellar title track (which features the always impeccable Softcult twins), “Humbug” repurposes a B-side from 2018’s Chrome Neon Jesus with Kamtin Mohager of Heavenward joining his former bandmates for a stroll down memory lane. And proving that everything is better with saxophone, the penultimate track, “Sprawled,” is everything I want from the duo: lush, patient, sun-drenched, and instantly evocative.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
As frontman for American heavy metallers Spirit Adrift, Nate Garrett is no stranger to writing quality riffs. With the group’s fifth full-length album, Ghost at the Gallows, almost upon us (it’s fantastic, FYI), Nate joined The Pitch pod last week for a stacked Hit List that acts as a fitting companion to his own “Top 10 Greatest Riff Writers of All Time” rundown. We talk Black Sabbath, Crowbar, Slayer, Pantera, Megadeth, and more. Check it out in full below: