THE ÜBER ROCK SINGLES CLUB – NOISY NOVEMBER (VOLUME TWO)

Curated by Monk

Welcome 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…

Taking of Covid, we kick off with a song catchier than a dose of the corona in a nursing home, and that is the somewhat delayed new single from our favourite horror rockers, So Long Until The Séance, and their tale of ‘Carol Anne’. This was supposed to have been released last month, to coincide with the launch of their second album, the excellent, ÜR-approved ‘B-Movie Superstars’, but the video was delayed in post-production. Nevertheless, the delay has been worth the wait for this delicious slice of poptastic gorgeousness:

Our next offering is not, in fact, as new song, but a reworking of an older tune. ‘Midnight Queen’ was the debut single by NWoCR starlets Collateral, and now they have teamed up with one of the hardest working singers around, in the form of the legend that is Danny Vaughn for a new version of the track, which has also been given some valuable oomph on its bottom end:

We’re turning up the volume dial to “loud as fuck” now, as Bleed From Within herald the start of a new era in their career, with their signing to the Nuclear Blast imprint marked by the release of the fiercesome first single from their forthcoming new album, which is due to impact with the force of meteorite early next year. Fresh off the back of their support run with Bullet For My Valentine, ‘I Am Damnation’ will be played live for the first time during the band’s run of five headline shows this coming week:

Things have taken a decidedly weird twist here at the Singles Club, as we’ve been invaded by the guys in Nekrogoblikon, who are holding are brave barman hostage unless we meet their demand to play their new song ‘RIGHT NOW!’. Okay, keep yer ears on bais, ‘cos it’s up next:

Another collaboration up next, this time one between Chloe Trujillo – yes, the surname is a giveaway: she is the wife of Metallica bassist Rob – and New Zealand-born rocker Mark Dalbeth, aka Rav Medic, who have pulled together their eclectic backgrounds in cabaret, rap and hard rock in this second offering from their rather surprising musical union:

We’re keeping things quite eclectic, as alt-rockers Junction 28 take us to the ‘Edge Of Hatred’ with the atmospheric and evocative third single from their recent debut EP, ‘Before You Drown’:

Music has always been political and a prime example of this are protest punk duo Kill, The Icon. The band’s bassist and vocalist is Dr Nishant Joshi, who, at the beginning of the pandemic, sued then health secretary Matt Hancock over the lack of protection for healthcare workers. Debut single ‘Buddhist Monk’ is a brutal and uncompromising examination of the lengths people will go to raise awareness for their cause, exploring as it does the infamous self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc:

Fancy a snog? Before you get a chance to answer that, Puppy are planting one on us with their declarative new single, aptly titled ‘The Kiss’, which once again demonstrates why they are one of the most respected and admired band on the ÜK alt-metal scene:

We’re heading back across ‘The Ocean’, quite literally, as Texan doomsters Fostermother prepare us for the arrival of their new album of that name with lead single ‘Hedonist’, which is a glorious slice of fuzzed-up psyched-out stoner chaos:

Another change in musical mood, and we welcome one of the fastest rising acts on the progressive metal scene, a band who never fail to impress and simply get better and better with every release. They are Ukrainian powerhouses Jinjer, and they are delivering us full ‘Disclosure!’ with this incisive extract from their current album, the somewhat misnamed ‘Wallflowers’…

We’re staying in eastern Europe but heading north to the Baltic states for a Quickstrike of classic metal vibes from the Latvian quintet of the same name, who are proving that they are ‘None Of A Kind’ on the title track of their forthcoming debut album:

We head across the Baltic Sea for a triple dose of classic Scandi-rock. First up, Reckless Love have us staring into the ‘Eyes Of A Maniac’ with another (in)glorious slice of cheesy glam that once again transports us back to the Eighties quicker than Marty McFly can tie his shoelaces:

Next up, once more proving that nobody really does new-age hair metal better than the Swedes are erstwhile ÜR faves Crashdïet, who are taking us on a trip deep into ‘No Man’s Land’ with the first appetizer from their forthcoming sixth album… if the rest of it is as delicious as this, I’m already salivating over the next course:

Save The Noize is a charity set up at the end of 2020 to help Swedish musicians affected by the pandemic. Since then, its impact has expanded and the second single from this all-star project has attracted the support of not only musicians from all over Scandinavia (including members of Crashdiet, H.E.A.T, Dark Funeral and many more) but also the likes of Dee Snider, Nazareth’s Carl Sentence and Steel Panther frontman Michael Starr:

A change in mood as we head into the final few selections, and we head back to the good ol’ USofA to team up with our favourite bourbon-swigging hellbillies, as we once again visit Scattered Hamlet, who are giving us the ‘Lowdown’ on the latest single to be lifted from their hilariously brilliant ‘Stereo Overthrow’ LBUM:

Our penultimate offering is a powerful and emotive slice of progressive hardcore, as Once Human announce their ‘Cold Arrival’ back on the post-pandemic scene with this absolute banger (I believe that’s what the hip kids call it) of a lead track from their new album, ‘Scar Weaver’, which lands in February:

Kevin has finally managed to escape his chains and Is frantically ringing the bell for last orders, so we will leave you with a beautiful re-interpretation of a song which was powerful and evocative in its original form, but takes on a whole new dimension and meaning with the stunning, stripped back acoustic rendition. It’s the absolutely magnificent ‘Riptide’ by Seattle alt-rock legends Candlebox:

Well, that’s your lot for another week. We’ll be back again in a fortnight with another selection of the finest tunes to have tickled our eardrums between now and then, 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/