Spring / Summer Preview: Three Metal Projects You Need to Pay Attention to
Designed by Casma
Leading into the New Year, artists send off their fans with the promise of new material. March has been the most exciting month of the year thus far. Brief announcements made during the holidays finally arrive; from singles to simple album art, giving fans a little something to mull over before receiving the final product they’ve been eager for. There is nothing more exciting than seeing these promises become manifest. Here are three metal projects you need to pay attention to:
Closed Casket Activities (Art by Daniel Danger)
Bite The Hook (Single) — Incendiary
Those who read our live review of Incendiary back in January are aware of their upcoming project announced during their set. Tuesday, March 14th we got an official release date, a title and taste of what to expect from LP4. “Bite The Hook” is a hostile anthem of self-reflection. It's upfront aggression with no sense of holding back, laden with lyrics of looking at the man in the mirror that stays true to their sound. Having heard “Jesus Bones” back in December and now “Bite the Hook,” I’m confident the surrounding tracks will complement each other greatly.
Change the Way You Think About Pain is set to release May 26th, 2023. Listen to “Bite The Hook” Here
Capitol Records (Art by Wes Lang)
Nobody (Single) — Avenged Sevenfold
Finally! After months of speculation, Avenged Sevenfold is back. Last week they released “Nobody,” serving as the lead single off their upcoming album Life Is But A Dream… The song received a lot of mixed reviews as fans were expecting a piece from their usual formula. In an effort to expand on their ever-evolving sound, they did not disappoint. “Nobody” delivers epic storytelling and conveys a feeling of existential dread. Like The Stage (2016), it took a few listens for the song to grow on me. This group has never let me down and I have no doubt that this record was written with great care over the last four years.
Life Is But A Dream… is set to release June 2nd, 2023. Listen to “Nobody” Here
Nuclear Blast Records (Art by Eliran Kantor)
Hellions (Single) — Fit For An Autopsy
On March 10th, Fit For An Autopsy confirmed another split EP with deathcore friends in Thy Art Is Murder and Malevolence. The Aggression Sessions is the follow-up to The Depression Sessions (2016) which featured two tracks from each group (one original, one cover). With the announcement, we received a brand new original, “Hellions.” It checks all the boxes for the top-tier quality fans come to envision for Fit at this point in their career.
“‘Hellions’ was a fun look back at some of our more brutal and fast-paced roots more akin to our earlier material…”
Tracklist
1. Hellions - FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
2. Until There Is No Longer - THY ART IS MURDER
3. Waste Of Myself - MALEVOLENCE
4. Under A Serpent Sun (At tThe Gates Cover) - FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
5. Hammer Smashed Face (Cannibal Corpse Cover) - THY ART IS MURDER
6. Left Outside Alone (Anastacia Cover) - MALEVOLENCE
The Aggression Sessions is set to release April 7th, 2023. Listen to “Hellions” Here