Single Slam: The Infernal Sea, Timelost, Waterlines, The Gems, St.Sinner, Caligula’s Horse, South of Salem, Shrapnel, Vanitas, Rough Justice, Banks Arcade, DragonForce, and Mountain Caller!

This single slam features The Infernal Sea, Timelost, Waterlines, The Gems, St.Sinner, Caligula’s Horse, South of Salem, Shrapnel, Vanitas, Rough Justice, Banks Arcade, DragonForce, and Mountain Caller. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

The Infernal Sea – Lord Abhorrent

UK black metal standouts The Infernal Sea have released their second single, ‘Lord Abhorrent’, taken from their forthcoming fourth studio album. Hellfenlic will be released on 26th January 2024 via Candlelight Records.

Comments The Infernal Sea on the new single:

‘Lord Abhorrent’ is the opening track from our forthcoming album Hellfenlic, a brutal opus that hits hard from the offset, setting the macabre tone for what follows on the album. It encapsulates all the key elements of The Infernal Sea’s signature sound and rams them down your throat.

The black metal is strong with this one. The Infernal Sea are taking absolutely no prisoners with a four-minute-odd blast of furious speed and heaviness. Coated with a delicious wickedness that long-term fans will be so familiar with. It’s chaos as only the best black metal can be, and The Infernal Sea represent the best of black metal.

Timelost – Eternal Vibe

Today marks a pivotal moment for Timelost (Philadelphia, PA), as they announce their highly anticipated second full-length album, “Drained,” through Church Road Records. The first single ‘Eternal Vibe’ is out now.

Says Shane (vocals/guitar):

‘Eternal Vibe’ is about not giving a fuck about anyone’s opinion anymore. Take your negativity elsewhere because I will not be listening.

A surprisingly bouncy 90s alternative and garage rock tune, Timelost showcase a brilliant foot-tapper with empathic groove here. It’s a track that proves to be catchier and catchier as it goes on. Exemplified by the killer chorus. As a first taste of the new album, it’s extremely rich. Check it out here.

Waterlines – Pretty Green Eyes // Elysium (Ultrabeat Cover)

Waterlines’ debut year as a band could not have gone any better; From tearing it up at Bloodstock to their first four singles all being equally well received, the Yorkshire / Manchester four piece have had a year to .

Always looking to mix things up and to entertain, Waterlines present their antidote to December’s annual onslaught of Christmas music and Christmas covers – a dance metal cover mashup of two club classics! They’ve taken Ultrabeat’s epic Pretty Green Eyes, given it a metal makeover, and then merged part of another Ultrabeat favourite Elysium onto the end for good measure.

Waterlines frontman Ben Mars explains what was behind their new creation:

We started to notice that when I was sound checking Britney and Backstreet Boys at our live shows people were really into it. Plus we’ve seen so many Spotify Unwrapped of heavy music fans who also have a sneaky Ariana Grande or Jessie Ware in there. We thought, why should people have to go elsewhere to get their pop fix? Come to Waterlines, we’ll happily sing noughties bangers and then drop a breakdown on you, all in a convenient three and a half minute package. You’re welcome, you cheeky sausages. WDGAF!

Man, if you’ve seen Waterlines live in recent times, chances are you’ll be very familiar with this mash-up cover. Let’s get this out of the way – how you feel about this is going to massively depend on how you feel about the originals. Hate them? You might struggle here. However, that doesn’t mean that Waterlines haven’t done something very cool and clever here. They really give both tracks a heavy and unique twist. Check it out here.

The Gems – Undiscovered Paths

Emerging Swedish rock band The Gems have unveiled their new single, the emotional ‘Undiscovered Paths’, taken from their debut album, Phoenix, out 26th January 2024 via Napalm Records.

The Gems continue to do a stellar job of selling this debut album, and if you’ve been loving everything so far, Undiscovered Paths isn’t going to change that. It finds the band in fine voice, delivering an old-school rock banger with plenty of heart and soul. It’s not the most interesting of tracks they have released so far, but it will be a crowd-pleaser.

St.Sinner – Dysphoria (feat. Belle Haven)

Canberra’s standout metalcore-rock group, St.Sinner, is make a welcome return, teaming up with David De La Hoz of Belle Haven. The track, “Dysphoria,” is a testament to the band’s versatile sound palette, assuring to resonate with a wide spectrum of heavy music enthusiasts.

Reflects vocalist Rory Maclean on the creation of the track:

Going in we were planning for a more metalcore based track but still wanted to dabble in polished clean vocals – exploring a theme that was pretty deeply personal for me. It ended up being written over the course of like, two afternoons – which is a weird thing for us, as it usually takes a little bit longer to bring a track to completion. This one everything just seemed to fit.

What a cool track this is. St.Sinner showcase a lot of peaks and valleys here, hitting emotive harmonised highs and anthemic metalcore lows across its four-minute runtime. The added vocals of Belle Haven give it a different flavour, and certainly help enhance the emotion in the track. Check it out here.

Caligula’s Horse – The World Breathes with Me

Australian progressive metal outfit Caligula’s Horse have released their second single ‘The World Breathes with Me’ from their album ‘Charcoal Grace’, out on January 26th, 2024 via InsideOutMusic.

The band shares this about ‘The World Breathes with Me’:

‘The World Breathes with Me’ is a powerful musical journey that sets the stage for Charcoal Grace as a whole. It pulls right back to a bird’s eye view of what we saw and experienced during the years of the pandemic. While we did lose our faith in humanity, we ultimately reconnected in the understanding that we are all forever connected to one another through breath and to the world through each other.

Absolutely massive, and not just because of its ten-minute runtime. Massive because it features so much creativity, it’s startling. Deeply melodious, haunting and heavy as hell, Caligula’s Horse prove once again that they are one of the most exciting progressive metal bands out there right now. When a track this long feels like it goes by in a blur, you know you enjoyed the hell out of it.

South of Salem – Vultures

UK hard rock sensations South of Salem have unveiled their new single/video ‘Vultures’, taken from their highly-anticipated second album Death of The Party, to be released 19th January.

The band comment:

Our 3rd instalment from our album ‘Death of The Party’ is our heaviest yet! ‘Vultures’ is a classic heavy metal track with huge hooks and a blistering dual lead. Lyrically it’s a song is about the people that only want you when they need something. It deals with lies, deceit and manipulation, and how cutting ties and knowing your self-worth will soon separate the true friends from the vultures.

Ok, we now have it 100% confirmed that this new album is going to be a banger. It was pretty clear based off the previous singles, but this brash head-banger and body-shaker is the cherry on top. A ‘heavy’ South of Salem tune, with their inimitable infectiousness ever present. It’s a banger, simple as that. Check it out here.

Shrapnel – In Gravity (feat. Scott Kennedy)

UK thrash metallers Shrapnel have released their blazing new single, ‘In Gravity’, which features Scott Kennedy (Bleed from Within) via Candlelight Records.

Commenting on the new single, the band says:

‘In Gravity’ marks the launch of a new chapter for Shrapnel. We’ve channelled every bit of suffering, devastation, and emotion that we’ve experienced in recent years, and created the most hard-hitting and urgent song we’ve ever written. Never have we been so confident about our own material.

With Jens Bogren producing and Scott Kennedy from Bleed from Within on guest vocals, it’s been hard to keep our excitement under wraps. They’ve helped us raise the bar higher than ever and made ‘In Gravity’ a definitive statement that we are only looking forward. We can’t wait for everyone to us on this next stage of our journey.

Not only are Shrapnel a heavy freaking band on their own, but this new single features guest vocals from Bleed from Within’s Scott Kennedy to give it even more ‘grr’. The end result is a delightfully anthemic thrash hit, with one of the band’s strongest choruses. It compels you to head-bang, and few will be able to deny the urge to wreck some neck muscles. Check it out here.

Vanitas – I’m Here (Sonic Frontiers Cover)

After releasing a trio of singles in 2023 ‘Eventum’, ‘Between Lune & Eden’ and ‘Secrets’ Vanitas wrap up a year of success with their cover of “I’m Here” from the Sonic Frontiers OST.

Vanitas burst into the UK metal scene in 2022 with their debut self-titled EP and previous slots with the likes of Prog acts Monuments & Voyager and a recent slot with Star Wars Metallers ‘Galactic Empire’.

Vanitas show off their inspirations loud and proud with this cover; taking inspiration from Japanese video game soundtracks and as self-proclaimed nerds themselves- “I’m Here” seems a fitting cover for the band in their signature ‘cinematic djent’ sound, and comes just in time to celebrate the release of recent Sonic games “Sonic Superstars” and “Sonic Dream Team”.

The gamer in you will love this, but it’s the Vanitas fan in you that will keep you coming back. They’ve had a great year, and this wonderful cover caps it off strongly. Delivering exceptional melody, powerful vocals, and ‘heavying up’ in all the right places. It’s a very cool cover to hear, and enjoyable regardless of your Sonic Frontiers knowledge.

Rough Justice – Faith in Vain

Sheffield hardcore band Rough Justice have released their new single and music video for ‘Faith in Vain’. The track is taken from the band’s recently announced debut full length album ‘Faith in Vain’, due 12th January via MLVLTD.

Hotly anticipated, Rough Justice set the bar for this debut album high with this bone-breaking and teeth-smashing blast of modern hardcore heaviness. Stompy and groovy, with some well-placed melodic touches, and with a breakdown that will make you cry. Based off this track alone, this album is going to be a contender for the gnarliest release of 2024. Check it out here.

Banks Arcade – More Want

Alongside a brand new single and video, More Want, the Melbourne “metal boyband” have also today announced the release of a brand new EP, with DEATH 2 due out on Friday 2 February 2024 via UNFD.

Speaking on their caustic new single, the band share:

More Want was written in a time where I was dealing with a lot of darkness and felt I was losing a grip on my sanity. The song was written in a frenzy and highlights chaotic self talk and someone who is on the edge of breaking. Every aspect of the song was made to highlight a volatile state of mind be aggressive and disconcerting.

It’s fair to say most expect a dynamic listen when it comes to Banks Arcade, and once again they live up to those expectations. Delivering one of the year’s most unusually intense releases. Erratic with the effects, and with garish ‘core’ heaviness. It’s chaotic as hell, but it’s such a fascinating listen, especially as it gets really weird. The embodiment of creativity, even if it might be too odd to appeal to everyone.

DragonForce – Power of the Saber Blade

Extreme power metal unit DragonForce are featured on Beat Saber’s Original Soundtrack 6 with their new song, ‘Power of the Saber Blade’, originally composed for the best-selling, award-winning VR game. DragonForce’s ‘Power of the Saber Blade’ is the fastest song ever introduced in Beat Saber at a mind-blowing 10.66 NPS (notes per second). The song comes alongside a gripping music video, drawing the listener into the exciting Beat Saber universe.

‘Power of the Saber Blade’ is part of the sixth installation of the Original Soundtrack, affectionately known as OST, which is a free release for all players. OST 6 will feature four songs, including other high-profile artists such as Lindsey Stirling, Camellia, and Far Out. All songs were exclusively composed for Beat Saber and will be world-wide premieres. DragonForce has been a community request for a long time, so the Beat Games team is honored to have a completely original song by them in Beat Saber.

DragonForce guitarist Herman Li comments:

It’s truly an honour for DragonForce to create an exclusive track for Beat Saber, a game we are wholeheartedly ionate about. We hope fans will discover the exhilaration of ‘Power of the Saber Blade,’ finding it both enjoyable and challenging across all levels. We’re eagerly anticipating the skillful attempts on Expert+.

As ‘cut and paste’ as it comes, Power of the Saber Blade is DragonForce 101. Which is perfectly fine, featuring all their manic speedy instrumentation and epic vocals as per usual, but it just comes and goes. Boring? It’s a fair summation. Check it out here.

Mountain Caller – March of the Göll

London based progressive rock trio Mountain Caller continue their musical voyage in the form of their second LP ‘Chronicle II: Hypergenesis’ which is set for release on January 26th, 2024, via Church Road Records. They have now released the third single from the album, ‘March of the Göll’.

The band’s bassist El Reeve had this to say about the track:

The music illustrates The Protagonist’s encounter with a being known as a Göll – a mysterious failsafe guarding the power she seeks following her studies in Dead Language. This darker, heavier track sees them engage in battle.

She hears it before she sees it: a slow, unrelenting lumbering through the trees around her, represented through the opening riff. The changes in dynamics and timbre, clean melodies between the main riff, see them circling each other and battle – time seeming to shift, halt and rush around them. The Göll is made of black, swirling smoke, and human faces contorted in agony form and dissipate across its surface.

The Protagonist reaches out into its mind as the more angular riff comes in, hoping to gain the advantage, but her own mind is flooded with the Göll’s feelings – fear, guilt, loneliness, a heavy and suffocating sadness. They both stop dead, staring at each other through their new understanding. The Göll is all of her dark burdens made manifest. She reaches out to touch it in comfort and its black smoke form unravels into wisps on the wind until it’s gone.

We wanted to create a new enemy for The Protagonist, but we’re determined to ensure it was an enemy that wasn’t simply “evil”. We were also interested in the idea of emotions manifesting as a creature, and in the idea of being able to physically do battle with them. Once we realised the concept of the Göll, we knew we wanted The Protagonist to be kind to it and to herself – the result needed to be dialogue and empathy.

Wow. Just… wow. Mountain Caller have stepped up so much from what we’ve heard with this new release, but this track is something else. The trio turn this discombobulating and disconcerting blast of groove-infused heaviness into something truly captivating by telling a story that comes through so strongly. It might be the ‘riffiest’ track they’ve released, but the entire experience is enhanced by ethereal melodies. It’s simply wonderful.