Single Slam: Glassbone, Dimman, Show Me Your Universe, Parrilla, Signs of the Swarm, Paradox, RiseuP, Mass Sky Raid and Worse for Wear!

This week’s single slam features Glassbone, Dimman, Show Me Your Universe, Parrilla, Signs of the Swarm, Paradox, RiseuP, Mass Sky Raid and Worse for Wear. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Glassbone – Misery

New Parisian industrial metalcore quintet Glassbone have unveiled their powerful new single ‘Misery’, along with an intense music video.

The band comment:

Misery is born from the tortured vision of a lunatic prisoner of his own existence. It’s a pessimistic look at the modern world, how it affects the human race by breeding the self-hatred and leading to a total dehumanisation to make profits. It describes an eternal restart of an under pressure life until the ultimate deliverance.

Spitting fire, Glassbone initially seem like metalcore is their play area but as Misery goes on, other elements begin to sneak in. Touches of nu-metal and industrial, turning a fairly run of the mill track into something much more attention grabbing. It’s actually quite difficult to categorise as the track shifts and changes in unexpected ways. It certainly keeps you on your toes while being a chunky slab of metal.

Dimman – Morbus

Finnish modern melodic death metal band Dimman is set to release their debut album ‘Songs and Tales of Grievance’ on July 30th 2021 via Inverse Records. The third and final single is called ‘Morbus’.

Guitarist Mikael Haapala says:

Morbus is one of the heaviest songs on the album. The song was originally composed many years ago but it gained its definitive form after some collective arrangement. The song has a catchy main verse, which carries it into multiple different territories. Overall, Morbus describes the sickness that lies within humanity and the lies that surround us everywhere.

The melodic use of a piano is really notable here but when Dimman ramp up the metal, they really excel. The two vocal styles; one based in death metal and the other in symphonic makes for a familiar but quality contrast. Less about doing battle and more about complimenting each other. It’s got a lot of heavy energy but is also focused on delivering dark, cold but compelling melody. Check it out here.

Show Me Your Universe – Strawberry

Show Me Your Universe is a five-piece core band from France formed in 2015, composed of vocalist Jeremy Dubray, alongside guitarists Cyril Masset and Alexis Collas, bassist Alix Cayla and the drummer Valy Raffault.

They have now released a brand new single called ‘Strawberry’.

The band says this:

Strawberry was composed during the summer of 2019 in a different process than what we usually do, this time we were all jamming together, each bringing either an initial idea or a contribution to the overall idea.

Strawberry was made for live performance, with very rhythmic and heavy parts, simple and efficient choruses, and solos for the show. Theme-wise, we have a big reference to South Park about drugs (“They want to save the earth but they just smoke joints and stink”), while keeping the coma theme, which is the theme of the EP in general, illustrated by the vicious circle that is drugs. The video clip that accompanies this track follows this theme.

A kick ass start, the opening riff is class. Show Me Your Universe showcasing their ‘core’ sound with pride. Aggressive and intense but with melodic drops and an absolute killer breakdown at the end. There may not be anything particularly unique here but the band does such a solid job, it hardly matters. It’s memorable with enough small touches here to make it a touch more interesting then your run of the mill core bands. Check it out here.

Parrilla – Mannequin Complex

Ensnared by Venus is the first part of the Femme Fatale trilogy of EPs from Parrilla – an industrial metal force of nature, unafraid to detonate reckless sonic devices beneath the boundaries of the genre and dance amongst the wreckage.

Out on July 30th, the first single from the EP is called ‘Mannequin Complex’.

Always delivering something unique and interesting, Parrilla’s Mannequin Complex cold and gothic melody opening gives way to an absolute beast of a roar. The slamming of instruments is surprisingly heavy and throughout they add so much weight to Parrilla’s familiar industrial sound. A little bit weird, a hella bit exciting and impressively catchy, this is a kick-ass tune.

Signs of the Swarm – Totem

US modern deathcore heavyweights Signs Of The Swarm have unveiled their new single / video ‘Totem’ and announced the release of forthcoming album, Absolvere, out 24th September 2021 via Unique Leader.

Drummer / producer Bobby Crow comments:

Totem is a solid cross section of what to expect from Absolvere. Crushing riffs collide with insane drumming, all layered underneath explosive yet memorable vocals. We turned Dave (vocals) up in the mix, yet it doesn’t take away from the musicality at all; it complements it. Oh yeah, and this is far from the heaviest track on the album, so get ready.

What an absolute beast of a track this is. Just short of 4 minutes, Signs of the Swarm smash their instruments over heads. The deathcore fury, the deathcore energy, the deathcore brutality… there’s no simpler way to describe to this track than to say that it is fucking heavy.

Paradox – The Visitors

Thrash stalwarts Paradox have released a brand-new single called ‘The Visitors’. Taken from their upcoming new album ‘Heresy II – End of A Legend’ which is set for release on the 24th September on AFM Records.

Thrash as it once was, thrash as it is now, thrash as it always will be. Paradox have unleashed a no-nonsense barrage of noise with The Visitors. 30 years of playing blistering metal hasn’t seen them mellow out or slow down and this track is every bit the thrash heavyweight you would hope it to be. Noisy, angry, in your face and delicious encouragement to head-bang. What more could you want? It’s thrash freaking metal. Check it out here.

RiseuP – Prophecy

Polish groove metal band RiseuP have revealed a new music video for the single “Prophecy” which features in-game footage from the Space Raiders In Space video game made by 2 Stupid Devs and Destructive Creations.

“Prophecy” is the second single from the band’s debut full-length album Destructive Machine’s Chilling Time 3:27. The album is scheduled for a worldwide release on August 6, 2021 via Eclipse Records.

Says vocalist Stanek:

We made the video using assets from a game called Space Raiders in Space which tells a story as old as civilization itself. When something new and unknown is discovered, it raises many different feelings in society however, among all of those feelings the most powerful one is fear. There is a small step from fear to hatred and (as we have seen throughout history), society is often swayed towards fear by those who seek power through manipulation of society.

The video is very cool but the song? It’s very fucking cool. A nasty slab of groove heaviness that features sharp guitar jabs, contemptuous vocals and crunchy drumbeats. A tempo drop in the latter part of the track is particularly filthy sounding and a heavy highlight of a track that is pretty brutal throughout.

Mass Sky Raid – Arrows

Mass Sky Raid, South East Queensland’s favourite sons of progressive music, are returning to the fray of the Australian music scene with new single ‘Arrows’.

The band say that it is:

sonically progressive, crossing genres and exploring both the heavier and more ambient lighter side of our sound. We think that Arrows gives the listener a journey – both vocally and musically – moving from anthemic heavier riff-driven moments to subtle open musical space, which compliments the lyrical journey of discovery and the struggle within the search to find meaning.

Very grand sounding, the mellow melodies are impressive, but the chorus is such an important part of the track. Lifting the energy up and giving things a much more anthemic feel. The bass is particularly strong, adding a lot of depth to the progressive sound of the guitars overall. Catchy and memorable. Check it out here.

Worse for Wear – Friends

Brisbane punk rock trio Worse for Wear are releasing their bouncing new single, “Friends”, and are accompanying the track with the announcement of their debut album, ‘Sure To Leave A Mark’, out Friday September 2nd, 2021.

Vocalist Curtis Heinz sheds some light on the inspiration behind the song:

Take a step back and look at what you have to be thankful for. Even though we can often wrestle with negative thoughts and feelings there is always something positive that you can try to focus on instead. Understanding its often easier said than done.

Very bouncy, very upbeat and very catchy. Friends is a feel-good track that is pure punk-rock gold. A strong lyrical message wrapped up in chorus driven energy that automatically makes you want to sing along loudly. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, you might need to get yourself checked out by a doctor.