Single Slam: Goat Monsoon, Avatar, Malvina, Empyre, Nita Strauss, Spiritworld, Pomegranate Tiger, Cliché Cult, Mister Misery, Katatonia, Vulvodynia, Moskito and Nickelback!

This week’s single slam features Goat Monsoon, Avatar, Malvina, Empyre, Nita Strauss, Spiritworld, Pomegranate Tiger, Cliché Cult, Mister Misery, Katatonia, Vulvodynia, Moskito and Nickelback. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Goat Monsoon – Pills

Essex-based stoner/doom/sludge/groove metal band, Goat Monsoon will release their long-awaited new single ‘Pills’ on Monday 31st October.

Goats rejoice! The Essex head-bangers are back and with a kick-ass track. One that grooves and moves with plenty of energy. The riffs are infectious, the bass hooks are wonderfully thick, the drums thump away and the vocals are brimming with intensity. It’s such a head-banger and it’s going to sound immense in a hot and sweaty venue. Goat Monsoon continue to show just why they are considered one of the best bands in the UK underground scene. Let’s just hope they don’t make us wait so long for new music next time! You can check it out upon release, here.

Avatar – Dance Devil Dance

The heavy metal, dark, madcap visionaries, collectively known as Avatar, have emerged from deep within the Swedish forest in which they have been working on their ninth studio album to grace fans and listeners with a brand-new song and title track, ‘Dance Devil Dance’. The new album, Dance Devil Dance, is due 17th February 2023.

Vocalist Johannes Eckerström states:

I woke up to the truth one day. With my heart pounding, and a heavy breath, I knew for sure. I am Satan. The snake and forbidden fruit with a longing for knowledge, freedom and agency. My feet were moving. I thought I was running, but I was dancing. A celebration. Yes, I am the Devil, and I believe that one day you can be the Devil too. It is my hope and ambition that this song will help you find your way there. As such, it’s a celebration of love, lust and democracy.

They’re back and bloody hell, do they have something stupidly catchy to offer. This first single is Avatar renewed, recognisable (thanks in part to Johannes’ vocals), but undeniably different too. Expect the unexpected but be confident that whatever they do, it’s going to be bloody good. Which this track is. A track that has some fun 80’s metal vibes and one hell of a catchy chorus. It’s varied, as all things Avatar often are, and the excitement in what this full album will offer has been greatly enhanced by this single. Check it out here.

Malvina – Thanatos

Malvina is a hardcore-punk trio from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their new single ‘Thanatos’ is out no and it depicts the darkest moment of the Brazilian 2016 coup d’état follow-up: the Covid-19 pandemic amid socioeconomic disintegration, under the Bolsonaro regime.

Short and sweet, this single is 90 seconds of anger, frustration and defiance as only punk rock crossed with metal can deliver. Malvina has something to say and they say it with passion here. Fast, furious and infectious punk metal.

Empyre – Relentless

UK rock band Empyre, who recently signed to Kscope, will release their new album ‘Relentless’ on 31st March next year. To celebrate this, they have released the first single from the new album, the title track.

After an instant hit of atmospheric melody and powerful vocals, Empyre transition wonderfully into a more robust heavy rock groove. One that gets more and more layered as the track goes on. It’s heartfelt and passionate, the track reaches a high when Empyre throw out a brief guitar solo, but the chorus is irrefutably memorable. Check it out here.

Nita Strauss – The Wolf You Feed (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)

Superstar guitarist and unstoppable force of nature, “Hurricane” Nita Strauss, has dropped a brand new single and accompanying music video, “The Wolf You Feed”. Which features the vocal talent of Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy

Speaking on her new release, NITA shares:

If you look back at old interviews from the last ten years, any time I was asked about collaborating with a vocalist in the future, Alissa White-Gluz was always the first name out of my mouth. She is truly one of my favourite vocalists and performers in the industry and creating this track together was everything I hoped it would be!

I’m very proud to release this track, especially now with everything else that’s going on. This time in history, whether in politics, music, social media, or our personal lives, has been an eye-opening look into the two wolves of a lot of people out there, and maybe this song will be a reminder that we all have the ability to choose how we respond to things.

A collaboration no-on knew we needed but now we have it, we can be mightily grateful. The insane guitar skills of Strauss combined with the insane vocals of White-Gluz is such an obvious pairing that it’s amazing they haven’t collaborated in the past. This is track is pure heavy head-banging noise, with Strauss throwing out some killer riffs and the White-Gluz nailing guttural and clean vocals as only she can. An exceptionally strong listen.

Spiritworld – Relic of Damnation

Spiritworld have revealed another new track, ‘Relic Of Damnation’, taken from their upcoming 2nd studio album, DEATHWESTERN, set for release via Century Media Records on 25th November.

Stu Folsom (Spiritworld’s leader and mastermind) comments:

‘Relic of Damnation’ has been my favourite riff on the record but was the biggest m’fer to finish. I knew I had a classic that brings back that Metallica, Slayer vibe I love so much, but I never liked the vocals and tried out three or four different rewrites after the demo. The very last night we worked on it, Theresa, Matt and I were fried and about to call it a night when I repurposed a verse from a country song I was writing and put it over the first verse. The vocals were done in one take and is my favorite vocal delivery on the album. I also love the vocals that trade off at the end between Justin Fornof and I. ‘Relic…’ is a banger and has been a staple of our live set since our first show! I’m so excited for people to finally have the studio recording!

The sum of several influences but filtered through hardcore heaviness, Spiritworld certainly offer a reason to head-bang until the neck aches with this new single. It’s like Slayer had a baby with Hatebreed and what’s not fun about that? At around 2:30 in length, it’s over far to quickly and does leave you wanting more. Roll on the 25th of November. Check it out here.

Pomegranate Tiger – The Cryptographer

Prog metal sensation Pomegranate Tiger returns with his single, ‘The Cryptographer’, his first new music in seven years.

Pomegranate Tiger comments:

I’m super stoked to bring Pomegranate Tiger back to life after 7 years…It’s been a long a wait but hopefully everybody enjoys the new song and video. I really wanted to lean into focusing this composition on the dance between rhythmic synchronization and syncopation between the drums and guitar. This frantic sonic motion between the instrumentals embodies that same spirit simulating the frantic pace of technological innovation in the last 10 years that brought us Artificial Intelligence. I hope you all dig the new track!

A masterpiece of progressive and futuristic metal. Pomegranate Tiger has the riffs, the synthy bass lines and sci-fi vibes to create some nightmares tonight. It’s a complex undertaking that shows just how creative Pomegranate Tiger can be and that seven years has only enhanced his abilities. It’s a track that needs multiple listens to unpack but it’s so captivating, there’s no question that most will be playing this one over and over again.

Cliché Cult – Slippy

Cliché Cult are a 4 piece Indie outfit from Leeds, UK, consisting of Jimmy Sweeney (Vocals/Guitar), Robin Green (Drums), Jake Clayton (Guitar) and Jimmy Ingham (Bass). Formed in 2020, in the midst of the first nationwide lockdown in the UK, they have gone on to take the North of England by storm, releasing 5 singles up until now with their new single Slippy being the first as part of a collaboration with Blaggers Records.

A moody indie-rock vibe with plenty of catchiness, Cliché Cult’s new track has two major selling points. The first being the thickness of the bass, which sounds immense here, and the other being the impressive vocal drawl. Hitting an absolute high with the chorus. It’s an infectious listen that grows in stature the more it goes on.

Mister Misery – Welcome Insanity

Swedish horror metal quartet Mister Misery have released their brand new single ‘Welcome Insanity’, out now via Arising Empire. The single coincides with the band’s German headline tour, following their debut appearance at Wacken Open Air Festival this summer.

Vocalist/guitarist Harley Vendetta comments:

Although Mister Misery is about letting go of reality, it felt important to us that this song be the first release after we got back to the stages. Touching upon the darkness we all faced during the pandemic. All we want to do is to let this go and move on. This song defines our rise out of the lockdowns and we are so excited to present our most emotionally charged song to date, ‘Welcome Insanity’.

A gothic laden intro leads to a hefty, horror-heavy rhythm that has crunching riffs and cutting guttural vocals. The excitement brought to an instant high, ready for the soaring, cleaner chorus. Mister Misery making a sure that the anthemic quality of the single is at the forefront. It’s a sure-fire hit as it’s accessible horror. Check it out here.

Katatonia – Atrium

Masters of melancholic metal Katatonia carry on their legacy of rearranging the order of the heavy music universe, proudly presenting their hauntingly beautiful next studio album, Sky Void of Stars, out January 20, 2023 via Napalm Records. The first single, ‘Atrium’ is out now.

Delightful and delectable gloom as only Katatonia can do. This is an ethereal slice of beautiful misery and a fine example of what has made Katatonia so beloved. Gloominess you can relax to you, thanks, in part, to the soothing vocals. Musically, it’s not exactly massive progression but it is a tighter and refined Katatonia. It’s lovable.

Vulvodynia – Artificial Divinity

Brutal death metal slammers Vulvodynia have released their blistering new single / video ‘Artificial Divinity’ via Unique Leader Records.

The band commented:

‘Artificial Divinity’ is about the eventual evolution of humanity by means of A.I. The idea of the extinction of all biological matter, as A.I. becomes sentient and runs afoul of all of humanity’s perversions. We decided to use A.I. generated artwork to fully round off the theme!

We had been planning out what we thought the perfect single would consist of for a while. Combining elements from our old material, as well as giving the fans something they’ve never heard or experienced from us before, all while staying true to who we are as Vulvodynia. This song is a special one and we can’t wait to hear what you think!

Let’s fucking go! It’s Vulvodynia and you should know what that means by now! If you don’t… well, expect the most intense and brutal death metal imaginable. One that almost always features forward-thinking creativity. Which is exactly what we get with this beast of a track. Savagely heavy, darkly atmospheric and unbending in how it mixes technical sharpness with no-nonsense aggression. Check it out here.

Moskito – Sweet Fruit

Fearless UK band Moskito are back with their ‘Gritty, British, and in your face’ brand of fresh punk rock. Following the breath-taking launch of the band towards the end of 2021 they now return with their brand-new single ‘Sweet Fruit’ which is out now on all platforms.

It’s not easy for a band to infuse ‘Britishness’ into a track but bloody hell, do Moskito manage it. It’s got moody, dark and menacing vibes but wrapped up in an infectious punk-rock sound. Slightly indie leaning but with a much harder and heavier guitar sound to ensure head-bangers will get some joy out of this one too. Keep an eye on this band, they may be going places. Check it out here.

Nickelback – Those Days

Diamond-certified, multi-platinum selling Canadian rock band Nickelback has shared the official music video for ‘Those Days,’ the second single from their hotly anticipated new album, Get Rollin’, which is set for release on November 18th via BMG.

An ode to the ‘good times’, this is a more melodic Nickelback than what we’ve heard from the group on this new album so far. Yet, that doesn’t mean it’s lacking. It’s certainly not as it’s stupidly catchy. Watch this space, this one is going to be played just about everywhere as its appeal is to pretty much everyone in the entire world.