Weekly Roundup: July 17th

Featuring Svalbard, Upon Stone, GUNSHIP, and more.

Owen Morawitz

Jul 16, 2023

MOSH PITHY:

A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.

Upon Stone – “Onyx Through The Heart”

Following the release of their stellar Where Wild Sorrows Grow EP (2021), San Fernando metallers Upon Stone announced their signing to Century Media Records. Well, now we’ve finally got the first taste of new material from their new home, and it’s a total melodeath rager—I’ve thrashed the living shit out of “Onyx Through the Heart” all week. The track was produced and mixed by Taylor Young (Drain, Suicide Silence), and it’s both a relentless run-through and lethal reimagining of classic 90s ‘Gothenburg Sound’ touchstones like At the Gates and In Flames. Watch the video for “Onyx Through The Heart” below:

With Honor – Boundless

Melodic hardcore veterans With Honor caught people’s attention back in 2021 with a seminal record reissue and some reunion shows, but the bug appears to have caught on in a big way. The Connecticut quintet have now announced the release of their third full-length LP and their first studio album in 18 years. Boundless arrives on September 8th through Pure Noise Records, and the band will follow that drop with a coveted slot of the Furnace Fest lineup, alongside a whole host of other hardcore/metalcore mainstays from the 2000s. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).

The Iron Roses – “Screaming For a Change”

I’m mainly familiar with Nathan Gray’s time in seminal hardcore outfit Boysetsfire, a group that made a name for themselves during the 90s/00s through relentless touring and political activism. Gray’s newest project, punk rock sextet The Iron Roses, are prepping their self-titled album via Iodine Recordings on October 20th, and it promises a sound “fueled by the injustices of our current times, [with] protest anthems that only a group of seasoned musicians could make. Still angry, still driven, and still screaming, this is a band that will never give up the fight.” Listen to “Screaming For a Change” here.

Svalbard – The Weight of the Mask

I’ve made no secret of my undying adoration for UK post-everything metal juggernaut Svalbard in this newsletter over the years. So it should come as little surprise that I’m incredibly excited for the release of the quartet’s highly anticipated new studio album, The Weight Of The Mask, due out on October 6th via Nuclear Blast Records. According to vocalist/guitarist Serena Cherry:

“If the previous record [2020’s When I Die, Will It Get Better?] was about facing your demons, then The Weight of The Mask is about fighting them with everything you've got. You can literally hear the depression transform into aggression in these songs.”

Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).

Clowns – “BISEXUAL AWAKENING”

After exploring more psychedelic territory on previous releases like 2019’s Nature/Nurture, Melbourne/Naarm-based punk rockers Clowns are aiming for a more “high-octane” experience on their follow-up record. New LP Endless (out Oct 20th via Fat Wreck Chords/Damaged Records) delves into 80s metal, new wave, and big-ass stadium synths, while new single “BISEXUAL AWAKENING” is a less-than-two-minute rager about coming to terms with same-sex attraction in a heteronormative world. Listen to “BISEXUAL AWAKENING” here.

Restless Spirit – Afterimage

Nothing beats the fuzzed-out quality of a good riff, and New York stoner rock trio Restless Spirit can drone away with the best of them. The group’s forthcoming third LP, Afterimage, is expected on October 6th through the good folks over at Magnetic Eye Records and sports deep-fried guitars, pounding rhythms, and raw vocals condensed into short, sharp tracks driven by tragedy and personal loss. I really enjoyed 2021’s Lovecraft-influenced Blood of the Old Gods, and fans of Sabbath, Type-O and The Sword will absolutely fuck with this. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).

Gunship – “Monster In Paradise” (feat. Milkie Way, Dave Lombardo, Tim Cappello, Tyler Bates)

It’s been a long wait, but synthwave trailblazers Gunship are finally back with a new studio record. Unicorn acts as the full-length follow-up to 2018’s incredible Dark All Day and drops on September 29th through Horsie In The Hedge. The group—comprised of Dan Haigh, Alex Westaway, and Alex Gingell—have packaged their new album with the tagline “Imagination Is A Weapon.” Lead single “Monster in Paradise” is a bonafide cyberpunk banger featuring a huge roster of collaborators, including infamous Lost Boys saxman Tim Cappello, frontwoman Milkie Way from Brit electro-punks Wargasm, legendary Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, and film composer, guitarist and esteemed friend of the show Tyler Bates. Watch the video for “Monster In Paradise” below:

Field of Flames – Suspend This Life…

Straight-edge crew Field of Flames hail from San Jose and do some of the sickest, classic second-wave metalcore revival shit out there, in my humble opinion. The group includes members of bands like Sunami, Extinguish, and Dare, and their full-length debut, the Constructing A War Against You LP, dropped last year. They’ve now come through with a dope three-track follow-up titled Suspend This Life…, which is out now through Streets of Hate and New Ethic Records. If you’re into stuff like Renounced and Inclination, along with old metalcore touchstones like Unbroken and 7 Angels 7 Plagues, then this is for you. Stream the three-track EP in full here (Spotify).

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HEAVY METTLE:

A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.

Sweeping Promises – Good Living Is Coming For You

I’m a little late to this one, but it’s been a hectic mid-year turning point, so cut me some slack. Okay? Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, Sweeping Promises are a rock duo made up of Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug. Mondal rocks the bass with barely contained riot-grrrl energy, while Schnug is an intricate and intentional guitarist/drummer; no extraneous notes—all feeling and purpose.

On Good Living Is Coming For You, the duo’s latest full-length, out now through Sub Pop Records, their creative synthesis yields curious and infectious results. To my ear, their new material feels super minimal in an almost maximal way; every instrument has a distinct place in a restrained lo-fi mix, and yet no sounds are wasted; as a cohesive whole, the record feels skeletal and steel-strong at the same time. There’s also a keen ear for rhythm and melody here that helps to form a unique and compelling sonic identity.

Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify

ERRONEOUS BOTCH:

With a diverse lineup pulling from all strains of Australian heavy music talent, we had Adam (Vestiges, Team Glasses Records) and Pip (Descent, Black Blood Audio) stop by The Pitch pod to discuss the launch of their inaugural festival, A Cold Day In BNE. We discuss their creative partnership and the logistics of pulling together a monster interstate lineup before running through a curated taster selection of tracks from the lineup’s imposing collective catalogue. Listen to the episode below:

The Pitch of Discontent