Singled Out is our weekly column to round-up the singles and new tracks from the past week dropped by bands we cover. Consider this our weekly mix to help keep you all on top of the latest releases from across the metallic and progressive spectrums. Read past entries here, and go on ahead below to get Singled Out!
Arkaik – “That Which Lies Hidden”
With the release of their second single “That Which Lies Hidden,” California’s tech-death maestros Arkaik‘s upcoming Lucid Dawn has become one of the most exciting albums that has yet to drop in 2015. They’ve been one of the most consistently-exciting groups to emerge from Unique Leader Records’ dense and dizzyingly fast roster and despite the huge lineup changes since Metamorphignition, it doesn’t sound like the band has lost any steam whatsoever. Picking up where other awesome groups like Decrepit Birth and Spawn of Possession left off, “That Which Lies Hidden” is a complete barnburner from start to finish. There’s also a healthy portion of chunky, chest-pounding chug riffs that would sound right at home on any Suffocation record. Arkaik have also been one of the more successful tech-death bands to actually manage to write a decent hook or a memorable riff, and this is no exception here. Lucid Dawn is really shaping up to be one of the best death metal albums of 2015. All aboard the (hype)rblast train!
-Kit Brown
Born of Osiris – “Free Fall”
Born of Osiris have been making all the right moves lately. This is the fourth single from their upcoming album Soul Sphere, and just like the previous two, it’s a solid return to their technical deathcore roots. Featuring leads similar to stuff on their debut The New Reign, syncopated riffs with small licks at the end or accentuated by keyboards, and chant-worthy vocal lines, “Free Fall” is yet another signal that the band’s upcoming album will be the release longtime fans have been waiting for, especially those who weren’t satisfied with their previous album Tomorrow We Die Alive.
-Noyan Tokgozoglu
The Hell – “I’ve Got Loads of Money”
I’ve got loads of money. I’ve got loads and loads and loads of money. I’ve got loads of money. I’ve got loads and loads and loads of money. Repetitive though it may be, The Hell are anything but cashing in on a cheap trick here: their chug-heavy, breakdown-ready mix sits lower than ever in the register, and listeners gotta be ready to let fists fly at any possible moment. Far from banking on their humorous lyrics, this track refuses to sit still, moving from heavy riff to heavy chug back to heavy riff on the drop of a dime. (Or should I say 10p piece?) It’s a classic banger, from the ridiculous intro to the outro breakdown and goofy, repetitive chorus. Listen to The Hell, right here, right now. You dick.
-Simon Handmaker
Horrendous – “Ozymandias”
Philly’s own harbingers of old school-influenced death metal Horrendous are about to release their third full-length album, entitled Anareta, and let me just tell you: it slays. It’s impressive enought that this album comes almost exactly a year after they released their second album, Ecdysis, but what’s even more impressive is how much this band has grown in the past year and the fact that Anareta surpasses its predecessor in almost every way. Take one listen to “Ozymandias,” I’m sure you’ll agree. The song starts on a more somber note before creeping into a head-flailing riff and a decidedly old-school groove, one that could resurrect Chuck Schuldiner with horns raised. The song has a distinctly progressive feel to it, with it’s constantly changing motifs and tempos, but as Horrendous are so eloquently proving, their songwriting is as smooth as butter and they have the musicianship to boot. There’s nothing horrendous about Horrendous.
-Aaron Lambert
Lost Soul – “Atlantis”
Blackened death metal act Lost Soul came back out of nowhere with their previous single, showing that they’re still on top of their game. But with “Atlantis”, they’re making a statement. They can still pull off the blastbeats-and-trem stuff, but they’re also aspiring to be more. This track sees them following in the footsteps of genre legends Behemoth in terms of adding more atmosphere to their sound. A gothic choir chant, spoken word over slow riffs, all these elements come together to create a song that’s more than just “turn it all to 11” – though they still do that as well. The end result is very satisfying and intriguing, as it makes one wonder how much more the band are capable now. Well, the album is coming out at the end of this month, so we’ll see!
-Noyan Tokgozoglu
Moving Mountains – “Deathless”
Moving Mountains are back. Did you not hear me? MOVING MOUNTAINS ARE BACK. They recently released a song titled “Deathless” that’s going to be on a split with Prawn that’s coming out in November. “Deathless” is a huge jump from their debut album Pneuma which came out in 2007, and as Stereogum said when they premiered it, “[Deathless] shows off the band at their most graceful apex.” Boy, are they not wrong. Although the song itself remains stagnant and doesn’t really build up as much, the last two minutes is an explosion of emotions that will catch the listener off guard. To quote vocalist Greg Dunn in the song, “It was everything, and all at once,” which is an accurate statement about the emotions felt and let out throughout this beautiful song.
-Mark Valentino
Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving – “Reprieve”
Evidently one LP of breathtaking and soul-crushing music wasn’t enough for the Australian post-jazz-drone (aren’t meaningless genre labels fun?) outfit Tangled Thoughts of Leaving. The band’s been teasing a separate EP of more drone-focused material ever since Yield To Despair‘s release, and today that EP, The Black Captain, was released to backers of Yield‘s crowdfunding campaign earlier this year. The band did, however, release one track publicly, the characteristically rumbling “Reprieve.” That “haunting meditation” I mentioned in my review of the album is in full force here, setting up a dark groove early on and building up momentum and tension throughout the track’s duration until it explodes at the 4-minute mark into what’s become a signature TToL cataclysmic wall of sound, only to pull it back from the brink by the end. It’s a TToL track through and through, and a good one at that. Hopefully the band will be making the EP public soon so we can all get a bit more doom and gloom in our lives!
-Nick Cusworth