Curated by Monk

The Uber Rock Approved stampWelcome to another edition of the Über Rock Singles Club, which we have managed to keep up-and-running despite the numerous Covidications which we all have had to endure over the past 20 months, in order to bring you the hottest new sounds around. And once again we have another hitlist of superb sonic experiences to tickle you sonic senses, with 17 of my favourite tunes to have found their way on to the ÜRHQ deathdecks over the course of the past fortnight… Bearing in mind that we received more than 600 submissions, it was not an easy task to whittle them down to this all-too-short playlist…

You might want to order a stiff one for our first selection, as it is something of a bitter sweet choice, marking the end of an era for progressive metallers Sertraline, who are sounding a ‘Coda’ as they bid farewell to not only vocalist Lizzie Parry, who announced her departure some time ago, but also bassist Hendo, who also has decided to move on to pastures new. Well, if you’re going to bow out, you might as well do it as stylishly as this:

Covidications may still be plaguing the world, and borders may be starting to close again, but that doesn’t stop us traversing the Überverse and defying local restrictions, which means that we’re now heading to Switzerland to join noise rockers Coilguns in their Alpine ‘Burrows’, on of two tracks on their new 12” offering:

We’re still claiming sanctuary in the land of clocks and chocolate: fortunately, it is being provided by the ever-inventive avant-garde alchemists by the name of Zeal & Ardor, who are proving that they are indeed golden liars… but not when it comes to producing quality pieces of ethereal drama such as this:

We’re off to Hell next, quite literally. Well, the Californian equivalent anyway, as we meet up, once again, with the inimitable Jizzy Pearl, who promises that he’s gonna take us higher with the third appetizer to be lifted from his forthcoming new album, ‘Hell, CA’. Told ya we were going there…

While we’re in California we might as well hook up with the godfathers of skacore, 8 Kalacas, who combine nu-metal, hardcore punk and ska to superb effect, as exemplified by their latest release, the totally manic ‘R2rito’:

We traverse the States apace and head to South Carolina to enter the Witchpit and pay ‘The Blackened Fee’, released to celebrate the blackened sludge quartet’s signing to the ever-excellent Heavy Psych Records with this first taste of their imminent debut album:

Next up in our lockdown-defying travelogue, Swedish progressive dark pop/alt-rockers Port Noir are proving that they’re ‘All Class’ with their latest offering, which effortlessly blends the electro-metalcore of Enter Shikari with the dense nous of Royal Blood:

We dodge the border police to head into Finland, where dark metal overlords Amorphis are taking us on a trip to ‘The Moon’ with the typically atmospheric and hypnotic lead single from their forthcoming 14th studio album, which is due to land (see what we did there?) in February:

We’re back on ÜR’s home turf and delving into the Archives, as the Belfast progressive groovecore newcomers deliver a ‘Eulogy’ in this impactful, if somewhat raw around the edges, second single from their highly impressive debut album:

We’re keeping the emphasis on neck-breaking riffs and heavy breakdowns as we hop across to Yorkshire, from where InVisions are about to explode a major metal force, at least if this latest single is anything by which to judge. The quartet are about to head out on a club tour, and we highly recommend you catch them in the act, as it were…

We’re staying in the county of the dales to check into the Beauty School… there may be nothing beautiful to look at with these Leeds post-punks, but they do make some sweet music with their debut single, even if it doesn’t exactly live up to its title:

Next stop is our birthplace, as we head home to Wales to find NWoCR flag-wavers Scarlet Rebels declaring that not just they but rock ‘n’f’n’ roll as a whole is most definitely, and defiantly, alive in this fist-pumping, throat-stretching anthemic latest offering from their new album, which is due next month:

OK, we’re off on our international travels again, as we head to India where the insanely talented Girish And The Chronicles are unleashing their innermost ‘Primeval Desire’ with another superb slice of AOR-infused retro infectiousness. I tell you what, this dude has some gulder on him…

While we’re avoiding border restrictions, we might as well try and make our way home via another visit to the USofA and head for Detroit, where we find ourselves in the company of the resourceful Eva Under Fire, who is proving to be something of an ‘Unstoppable’ force with this Bonny and Clyde-inspired banger:

It’s short hop up the interstate to Chicago, where Knuckle Puck are going to teach us how to ‘Levitate’ with their latest slice of catchy pop punk:

The international border police are hot on our tails, so we’re hotfooting it back to dear ol’ Blighty, where we’re sure we’ll be well defended by ex-MMA fighter turned blues-rock maestro Kris Barras, whose been listening to ‘These Voices’ – as have we, and they demand to be heard, in the shape of his latest release:

Our final offering sees me heading back to my own ancestral homeland of Sweden, where we’re going to embark on an Acid’s Trip. Well, that’s the name of this rather excellent bunch of garage punk ‘n’ rollers who caught our attention earlier this year with their brilliant ‘Strings Of Soul’ album, from which they have now extracted one of my favourite songs, as they demonstrate that, like many of us, they give ‘No More Fucks’:

Well, that’s your fill for another session. With it edging closer to Christmas, and it being the season for giving and all that, we’re going to spoil you by reopening the Club again this time next week with another selection of the finest tunes to have tickled our eardrums between now and then This will be followed by a special seasonal edition on the 18th, in which we’ll be sharing our favourite festive tunes currently doing the rounds. So, in the meantime all that remains for me to say is keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on rockin’ with your favourite website \m/

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