Weekly Roundup: November 25th
Featuring Architects, Coheed and Cambria, Spiritbox, and more.
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
What’s up? Shack Attack in the house! With their new four-track EP, Not Fuckin’ About out in the world, Grid and Danny from Naarm/Melbourne hardcore outfit Fever Shack joined the pod to run through their whirlwind rise.
We chat about finding their sound in the studio, touring shenanigans across Indonesia, supporting punk legends NOFX, and how the Frankston scene has helped usher in a new generation of punters hungry for something heavy, authentic and, above all, fun. You can check out our chat below:
Question: Have you subscribed to the TPD Patreon?
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Now, on with the words…
SIDE A:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Spiritbox – “Perfect Soul”
Well, 2025 is shaping up to be another banner year for metalcore (more on that later). Fresh off their second GRAMMY nomination for Best Metal Performance, Canadian juggernaut Spiritbox have announced the forthcoming release of their sophomore LP, Tsunami Sea, due out on March 7th via Rise/Pale Chord.
The record follows their smash-success debut, Eternal Blue, which dropped back in 2021. The quartet are set to join Bring Me The Horizon for some insane stadium shows in Brazil and Mexico City, alongside a support run for Linkin Park’s comeback World Tour. Onwards, upwards, etc. Watch the video for “Perfect Soul” below:
Haunted Horses – Dweller
Big shout out to the homie Justin Pearson for slinging this one my way. I wasn’t initially familiar with Haunted Horses, but they’ve been peddling their abrasive take on industrial noise-rock hellscapes for years. The Seattle outfit’s latest full-length, Dweller, arrives on Three One G on January 10th.
The record is billed as “a spiritual successor to their previous work, delving into intense, unsettling themes with renewed vigour: the fear and anxiety tied to the obliteration of one's self or identity, and the unknown outcome of this dissolution.” Fans of Chat Pile and KEN Mode should acquaint themselves ASAP. Stream the LP’s pre-release single/s here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
The Brave – “Breaking Out”
Speaking of homies, the boys in The Brave are finally firing things back up with the release of their comeback single “Breaking Out”. The Meanjin/Brisbane-based quintet previously released their sophomore album, Aura, in 2019 before taking a remarkably prescient hiatus right before the pandemic.
Their new material sounds energetic and expressive, and they’re about to hit the road for a run of dates with In Hearts Wake, Ocean Sleeper and Inertia in early 2025 to blow off those stage cobwebs. Godspeed, fellas *salute emoji*. Listen to “Breaking Out” here.
Killswitch Engage – This Consequence
It’s hard to think that 2000s metal OGs Killswitch Engage have crossed their twenty-fifth-anniversary milestone, but this is how time works, so here we are. The band’s ninth studio album, This Consequence, arrives on February 21st via Metal Blade Records and will be their first in five years following 2019’s Atonement. As vocalist Jesse Leach puts it:
“This Consequence, to me, is the combination of everything the past five years has thrown at us as a band, as humans, and society as a whole. This album is just as much about everybody and their stories as it is for me about my journey personally… I think it's the exact record we needed to make. I'm honored and proud of what we all were able to create and refine through this music and message.”
Stream the LP’s pre-release single/s here (Spotify).
Coheed and Cambria – “Searching For Tomorrow”
Have you watched my recent podcast mini-episode with Coheed and Cambria’s creative mastermind and resident riff-lord, Claudio Sanchez? If not, please do it for fifteen-year-old me wearing out his copy of IKSOSE:3 on a Sony Walkman while working various summer farm jobs to buy new PlayStation 2 games. Dig deep for him.
The latest instalment in the group’s ongoing Amory Wars saga, Vaxis Act III: The Father of Make-Believe, is due out on March 14th through Virgin Music Group. Listen to their new single, “Searching For Tomorrow,” my favourite Coheed song in years, here.
SIDE B:
More tracks for you. Deep cuts for the real heads. Still cool.
Twine – New Old Horse
Another new band on my radar this week is South Australian alt-country/noise-rock act Twine, who are dropping their debut album, New Old Horse, on December 6th via Kitty Records.
After honing their sound on stage with Mclusky, The Belair Lip Bombs, and Armlock, the quintet have composed “a tender yet eruptive exploration of wayward relationships and the aches of identity in flux.” Stream the LP’s pre-release single/s here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Architects – “Whiplash”
In yet more metalcore news, British heavy hitters Architects are back with a new studio album titled The Sky, The Earth & All Between, out February 28th via Epitaph Records. On their latest, extremely pissed-off single, drummer Dan Searle states:
“‘Whiplash’ marks the beginning of a new era for Architects. It is a song that speaks of tribalism, of a deepening chasm that lies between human beings based simply on opinions and beliefs. It gave us the opportunity to explore these concepts in a way that we haven't before, and for the first time in a while, it gave us fuel to write something truly ferocious.”
Watch the clip for “Whiplash” below:
Haters – Non-Violent
Do you, like me, enjoy listening to From Here To Infirmary and remarking to yourself—a hyper-fixated, deeply responsive audience-of-one—with an oh-so casual, “Damn, that still hits”? Cool. Well, you should probably check out QLD indie-punk/garage trio Haters and their new rollicking single.
“Last Night” was recorded with Cancer Bats’ Scott Middleton while on tour in Canada and features on the band’s debut album, Non-Violent (due out March 2025). Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
FEATURE ALBUM(S):
A closer, more in-depth look at new record(s) that tick my boxes.
Gloomy Reflections – Oath of the Paladins
What happens when you combine the aesthetic sensibilities and “escapist fantasies” of avant-garde dungeon synth with the quicksilver leads and hummable refrains of 70s trad metal and explicit NWOBHM worship? Well, dear reader, the answer is, of course, the blissful sonic reverie of “Paladin rock”.
Gloomy Reflections is a power-duo project from Lord Gordith (also of Quest Master) and Will Spectre (also of Spectre), and Oath of the Paladins (out now through Crypt of the Wizard) offers up seven tracks of “Synth drenched hard rock/heavy metal.” FFO: listening to Eternal Champion and Unto Others, Conan training montages on Youtube, and hard band promo shots with big fuck off swords.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify