Chosen by DJ Astrocreep
It’s DJ Astrocreep here, back on the wheels of steel, guiding you all through this latest edition of our ever popular Singles Club feature. With just shy of 200 tracks to choose from, it’s taken a lot of shortlisting to narrow it down to our final choices – let’s get straight to the music, then!
Palm Ghosts are my first choice for this feature, with their debut single ‘Better To Know’ evoking thoughts of 80’s new wave, combined well with a contemporary modern indie-rock sound, with the overall effect harkening to the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen’s ‘Lips Like Sugar’ – plenty of melody with some pretty hypnotic guitars!
In a similar vein to Palm Ghosts, we have LA newcomers The Paranoyds with ‘Oxytocin’, bringing a more modern punk rock meets 60’s garage sound to our ears, in a manner that wouldn’t sound out of place alongside greats like L7. This track is a great introduction to an act that could become something big, should they continue on their current tack.
Moving back towards an alt-rock sound, we have Materia, with their second single from their upcoming album ‘The Rising’, ‘Shadows’. While occasionally moving into the alt-metal sound, this single stands to be of interest to fans of such acts as Deftones, combining melodic vocals with a musical backing that veers well between both rock and metal.
Sum 41 are setting out to show they’ve lost none of their spirit with new track ’45 (A Matter Of Time)’, from their just released album, ‘Order In Decline‘. A single that shows their punk fight is still waging on is a worthy addition, even if it is a bit more rock based than we may have previously associated with the likes of Sum 41!
Keeping to the punk feel, we have anarchic oddballs Waco with their latest ditty, ‘Levenshulme Lover’. While the name, based on an area of my home from home of Manchester, may have caught my attention at first, their catchy, likeable DIY punk feel caught my ears and held them – raw, full of attitude, but not without its own melody!
Time to step the heaviness back up now, with London sludgers Gurt and ‘Rolling Stoned’. They have garnered quite the reputation for themselves on the UK doom and stoner circuit with their heavy live performances, being full of energy and big riffs – listen for yourself what the excitement is all about!
Staying heavy, we have a modern take on melodic hardcore now, with the beasts of Moorhaven providing sounds that should please the ears of fans of such acts as Killswitch Engage, albeit with a slightly more punk tinge to their musical leanings.
Speaking of Killswitch Engage, we would be rather remiss to not include their new track ‘I Am Broken Too’, which is a slice of KSE’s classic melodic metal sound off the old block, a welcome addition to their older releases. Relying more heavily on the melodic side of their vocals than some previous tracks, it provides a new way forward for the band to try that side of their persona, which they do with aplomb.
Time for some electro-rock now, with IAMWARFACE combining an 80’s electro sound with a more contemporary alt-rock sound in latest track ‘Say My Name’. An intruiging mix of genres means they can do themselves justice with a pretty broad range of appeal, whether you like Depeche Mode or you’re more into Muse or Queens Of The Stone Age!
Scouse melodic hard rockers Fugitive keep the spirit of the great 70s and 80s rock acts alive with new single ‘Two Hearts’. Vocal harmonies, soft and capable guitar work work well together with the powerful bass and drums to create a track that would fit well alongside some of the AOR bands of old.
Palaye Royale have gone a slightly strange route with their latest offerings, releasing two singles in successive weeks and basing them on their forthcoming ‘Neutopian’ graphic novel! Musically, there is a definite alt-rock sound to the latest of the two, ‘Nervous Breakdown’, tinged with something that hints at layers of darkness beneath their initial veneer – a sign of things to come?
Burning Witches look set to continue setting the musical world alight (sorry/not sorry!) with their latest single ‘Wings of Steel’. Bringing forth memories of simpler times, back in the 80’s thrash/NWOBHM, this all female act have absolutely smashed it out of the park with this latest offering, doling out another slice of vibrant melodic thrash goodness!
A delve into the world of the strange now…well, Richard “Kid” Strange, that is, with his Doctors Of Madness group returning after a 40 year hiatus, as covered live by myself last year! Having had the likes of The Sex Pistols, Joy Division and The Jam support them in times past, the pre-punk act show no signs of losing their finger from the pulse of society, amid a plethora of guests across the album. ‘Make It Stop’ is a blast from a rock ‘n’ roll era that had as much punk fight in its veins as some of their illutrious support acts!
American pop-punkers The Dollyrots celebrate their ‘Animal’ side, with a heavy dose of rock added into their sound, giving us a nice introduction into the summer months with something to keep your blood pumping in this warmer weather with this upbeat new single.
A continuation of that punk spirit now, as Aussie skate punkers The Decline release third single ‘Brovine’ from their forthcoming album ‘Flash Gordon Ramsay Street’. A combination of all things good in their chosen arena, they combine melody, musicanship and power to create a stirring animal rights punk track.
Staying down under, pirate party metallers Lagerstein celebrate the art of downing a drink from your own shoe with newest release ‘Shoey Song’. Melodic modern metal with the jist being firmly of good fun and partying at its finest!
Taking the melodic side that seems to be pervading this Singles Club instalment and setting it well and truly to one side are blackened death metallers Blood Of The Wolf, with pummeling, aggression fuelled single ‘The Sword Is My Light And My Salvation’. Blast beats, heaviness and roaring vocals combine for something that should tickle the musical tastebuds of our heavier end readership!
Something a touch more laid back for our penultimate track, as bluesy rockers Henry’s Funeral Shoe have ‘High Shoulders Everywhere’ with their new single. They demonstrate a good nod towards the blues greats, mixed in with a decent dose of rock to refresh parts that some similar acts seem unable to reach!
To finish us off for this instalment of the Singles Club, mysterious yet melodic rockers Sleep Token seem to be proving themselves a force for good with their musical stylings, with their third offering ‘Levitate’ from forthcoming debut release ‘Sundowning’ showing their soft and entrancing side of modern rock.
Monk will be back up to bat for our next edition of the Singles Club, keep it rocking and turned up to 11 until then!
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