Single Slam: Pike vs The Automaton, Future Palace, Oshiego, Cipher, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Ad Meloria, Fall to Spring, The End at the Beginning, Embryonic Devourment and Baest!

This week’s single slam features Pike vs The Automaton, Future Palace, Oshiego, Cipher, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Ad Meloria, Fall to Spring, The End at the Beginning, Embryonic Devourment and Baest. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Pike vs The Automaton – Alien Slut Mum

From rewriting the hard rock rulebook with his Grammy award-winning trio High on Fire, to reverse engineering doom metal with his genre-defining trio Sleep, Matt Pike has channelled his natural talents and chiselled a steely path straight to the heart of modern-day metal’s molten core.

On 18th February, Pike will release his debut solo LP, Pike vs The Automaton, via MNRK Heavy. Now, Pike has also released the first single ‘Alien Slut Mum’.

Pike vs The Automaton is advanced by the bizarrely titled track ‘Alien Slut Mum’. When asked for comment on the clip, Pike cryptically replies:

Four friends enter the woods, for a getaway, little did they know they would never return! Dogmen, Sasquach, Reptilians, or alien slut mum?!?! Where have they gone??

Madness. A track built on a foundation screaming that ‘heavy and noisy’ is the only way for things to be. The absolute roaring sound of the instruments alongside the other-worldly vocal style, this is not Sleep or High on Fire, that much is clear. What it is, is a brand-new entity in the psychedelic world and something that seems so natural for Matt Pike. Is it baffling? Is it insane? Is it a mind-fuck? Yes, to all and so much more. Be prepared to hear something exceptionally weird but with infectious brilliance.

Future Palace – Heads Up

The world has never been a gracious place. But for a long time mankind did not long as much for hope than during the last one and a half years.

With their new single ‘Heads Up’ the Berlin post-hardcore trio Future Palace wrote a bombastic hymn about the fight against depression, which arose above all in the hopeless impression of the pandemic and thus creates a profound relevance.

Comments singer Maria:

For me the song is a motivating ray of light in the pandemic. It is written honestly, bitterly and full of self-hatred, and yet it conveys the message that one literally must not despair, no matter how stressful the current situation in life is.

Simply burning with energy, the immediate thought upon listening to Heads Up surrounds the immense rhythmic catchiness of the track. The first chorus lights up the sky with its brightness but there’s this constant thought that Future Palace are holding back, waiting to explode. So, when they do, it’s not unsurprising but still damn good stuff. The band releasing some pent-up aggression before transitioning back into their freaking catchy-ass chorus. Check it out here.

Oshiego – Jaljalut

Singapore-based Death metal band Oshiego have set January 14th, 2022 as the international release date for their 5th full-length album Jaljalut. Which will be released by Seven Kings Productions.

In anticipation of that release, the band has dropped their new Single ‘Jaljalut’. Inspired by the 1,500-year-old Ode attributed to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, taken from the Shams al-Ma’ārif of the 13th century Sufi writer Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī al-Būnī.

A track of excess heaviness. The mysterious building intro that features horrifying guttural roars leads to a more traditional and old-school burst of death metal heaviness. Featuring a scathing riff style, percussion with flesh-pounding power and vocals that sound delectably evil. They’ve nailed the feeling of ancient mystery and power while staying true to the core of death metal. Check it out here.

Cipher – Laissés pour conte

Melodic death metal band Cipher have released a new single called ‘Laissés pour conte’. The song is taken from the band’s upcoming album, ‘Contes sanglants du passé’, which has a conceptual theme based on classic tales from the past. This one is based on the story of Hansel and Gretel.

The winding, complex and melodic guitars are what most will remember from this track. Serving as the backbone to a meaty and furious sounding slice of heaviness. This is a track that feels ‘fairy-tale’ like, a very dark one with the blackened style of vocals and chunky drum beat. Infinitely fascinating, this is a track that gets immediate replay as it’s got a ton of detail to uncover. Check it out here.

The Last Ten Seconds of Life – Birth of the Butcher

The Last Ten Seconds of Life return with new single ‘Birth of the Butcher’, taken from their upcoming self-titled album, out 28th January 2022 via their new label Unique Leader.

On the new track, the band state:

‘Birth of the Butcher’ is the next instalment in the series of the ‘Butcher’ character from our 2015 album Soulless Hymns. It is a prequel of brutality. A continued commentary on the human condition, the states of consciousness are predetermined and suffering is beyond repair.

A crushing slab of brutality, deathcore is alive and well heading into 2022. The Last Ten Seconds of Life go for bone-crunching heaviness and then, in an instant, showcase melody and clean singing to stop almost everyone in their tracks. It’s a surprising shift but not an unwelcome one, as it’s brief too. The majority of the track still completely focused on smashing heads and crushing bones. It’s an exciting and unique listen which isn’t always something you can say about deathcore. Check it out here.

Ad Meloria – No Yellow Bricks

Ad Meloria is an alternative-rock band formed in Stockholm in 2019 with experienced musicians coming from Spain, Italy and Canary Islands. Their sound dances in between alternative, post/rock with some groovy elements and math vibes, all of that wrapped with the love from the hardcore scene from which all the members come from.

Following on from their debut EP; The Void, The Time, The Path which was released on the 14th of April 2021, they have now released the new single, No Yellow Bricks.

With deep rock groove and a similar strong sense of post-progressiveness, Ad Meloria showcase modern rock with a moodiness that is both captivating and thought-provoking. A co-ordinated and dynamic approach makes this particularly infectious. The blend of melody and rockier patterns with bursts of enthusiastic heaviness feels particularly vivid. It’s not what you might call ‘explosive’ but it feels like it could at any stage.

Fall to Spring – Destiny

German nu-metal outfit From Fall to Spring release their new single and video for ‘Destiny’, streaming now via Arising Empire.

The re-birth of nu-metal continues as Fall to Spring look to a sketchy past and attempt to modernise it The end result is sure to be polarising, especially as it’s a track that sounds way to much like early Linkin Park. Is it a rip-off? Of course not, there’s enough that makes Fall to Spring sound like their own thing but that chorus, while catchy, really skirts the line. Overly clean, lacking substance, far too disjointed and with a heavy breakdown that feels forced, this one is not hitting the mark. Check it out here.

The End at the Beginning – Exile

Italian metalcore act The End at the Beginning have released their new single “Exile”. The track features on the new album “Lightbringer”, which will be released on April 8th in partnership with Superbia Music.

About the new single the band says:

‘Exile’ is the first single from our new album ‘Lightbringer’. It is the second track and starts describing the fall of Lucifer into the abyss, who tears apart the clouds wrapped in flames and smoke. He therefore finds himself in the darkness and, despite being destroyed, the light still shines within him, like a distant dormant fire. The light disappears when, mindful of his heritage, he rises again to seek revenge swearing to corrupt the whole creation.

A dark and cold metalcore number, it’s the perfect accompaniment for the winter season. However, the ferocity is balanced perfectly with a powerful and surprisingly uplifting chorus. It’s metalcore 101 but, as always, who cares if it sounds this damn good? With riffs that sear through the soul, meaty groove and a strong blend of vocal styles, it’s a kick-ass metalcore listen. Check it out here.

Embryonic Devourment – Manipulation of the Senses

US death metallers Embryonic Devourment return with their brutal new single ‘Manipulation of the Senses’, and have announced their forthcoming album Heresy of The Highest Order, is due out on 25th February via Unique Leader.

Beginning in disjointed fashion, the opening flurry of Manipulation of the Senses is chaotic noise that has some appeal but needs more focus. Fear not, it’s just Embryonic Devourment showcasing a more simplistic style of technical death metal, something that becomes abundantly clear as the track progresses. Don’t be put off by the wild instrumentation and punctuating vocal style, this is an out and out slab of dirty sounding savagery. One that says Embryonic Devourment are way more talented and interesting than you might initially think. Check it out here.

Baest – Ecclesia

After Baest celebrated the release of their current long-player “Necro Sapiens” only a few months ago, the death metal powerhouse from Denmark is already in the starting blocks with their new single “Ecclesia”. Furthermore, the band announces their upcoming EP release “Justitia” that the guys are currently working on with full throttle.

The band comments:

’Ecclesia’ was the covenant that led to the demise of Necro Sapiens. A foul circle of preachers, with their eyes set for domination. Ecclesia is the first single of our forthcoming EP release Justitia. It concerns the birth of the necro society, the church of the decadent rule.

Recorded live in Lundgaard Studio, we continued the style of our 3rd record, emphasising our natural flow and groove, striving to make catchy and timeless heavy metal.

Ecclesia marks a creative and musical challenge, that we set for ourselves after the release of Necro Sapiens. We wanted to test our abilities and challenge ourselves and our listeners. How far can we push our sound, and how diverse can our releases be? Be the judge.

New Baest already? Yes fucking please. A band that can do no wrong, they’re coming off the back of a monumental album and this single continues this winning formula of complex heaviness with meaty instrumentation and a dark undercurrent.

The band sounds positively beastly… or should that be baestly? Regardless, this is a head-banger that slithers through the mind, changing direction so you can never quite grasp it’s tail to hold on too. A fascinating bout of head-banging inducing noise, only Baest can make this kind of heavy music sound so listenable.