Single Slam: Ihsahn, The Lonely Surf, Alleviate, Star Circus, Necrowitch, Enterprise Earth, Nightmare, Escuela Grind, Uragh, Morta Skuld, and Exit Eden!

This single slam features Ihsahn, The Lonely Surf, Alleviate, Star Circus, Necrowitch, Enterprise Earth, Nightmare, Escuela Grind, Uragh, Morta Skuld, and Exit Eden. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Ihsahn – Twice Born

Ihsahn has released the second single from his forthcoming eponymous album. ‘Twice Born’ is a fraught maelstrom of symphonic metal which continues the conceptual storyline from previous single, ‘Pilgrimage to Oblivion’.

New album, definitively titled Ihsahn, will be released on 16th February 2024 via Candlelight Records. Daring to push the realms of creative expressionism even further with his eighth studio offering, the Norwegian progressive metal visionary will release two melodically interlinked versions of the same album: one prog metal, one fully symphonic, both creating a cinematically-influenced masterpiece.

Accompanying the new single are two videos, one for each version (metal and orchestral).

This new album from Ihsahn is shaping up to be the most expansive and expressive thing the talented artist has ever released. This second single showcases two versions that are equally captivating. First, the heavier and progressive version that sounds simply massive. A cacophony of orchestral intensity blended with manic heaviness, wrapped up with a bow of detailed progressive twists. It’s a much more concise effort, but showcases the variety this new album is likely to have. Especially when you take into account the full orchestral version, which gives the overall piece of music such a different flavour. It’s stunning stuff… again.

The Lonely Surf – Happiness

Bournemouth, South Coast indie punks The Lonely Surf, have released their new single ‘Happiness’ via Disconnect Disconnect Records.

What a lovely piece of music this is. Indie rock with a pop-punk edge, that has a melodramatic feel but with bouncier rhythm. The vocals are great on this, really giving it an old school pop-punk tone, but it’s the overall melodic vein that runs through the entire track that really takes hold. Great stuff from The Lonely Surf. Check it out here.

Alleviate – Better

Metalcore supergroup Alleviate have released a video for their new single ‘Better’, out now via Arising Empire. The track follows their first two singles ‘Die for Me’ and ‘Broken’, which have garnered over 1.5 million streams on Spotify.

A potent blast of heavy metalcore, the potential behind Alleviate is beginning to really come to fruition and it’s crashing numbers like this that will turn heads. The group are sounding really hard and harsh here, but in an instant, transition to a great melodic chorus to give it that metalcore familiarity. Check it out here.

Star Circus – Gina in a Bottle

‘Gina in a Bottle is heavy rock band Star Circus’ first new release since they dropped their debut album ‘Separate Sides’ in December 2022. The song depicts the story of an alcohol-fuelled turbulent romance., derived from songwriter Dave Winkler’s own encounter with the scandalous ‘Gina’.

An awesome example of infectious heavy rock that just makes you want to throw the horns, air guitar, bang the head, and sing along loudly. Star Circus deliver a delightfully groovy slice of old-school tinged hard rock that embodies the word ‘anthem’. You’ll be humming and singing this in your head for days after hearing it.

Necrowitch – Ksar Al-Kufar

Necrowitch were forged from the blackened and most deathly pits of hell. These putrid French sorcerers recently announced their fifth and fieriest offering ‘Swords of Dajjal’. Now, Necrowitch are opening another fiery pit to hell with ‘Ksar Al-Kufar’. The second single off the new album.

Let darkness reign supreme, 2024 is about to be covered in clouds of blackness and the spreaders of this choking gloom is Necrowitch. Emerging from the fiery bowels of hell to unleash a frenzy of blackened atrocities, rooted in the old-world style of black metal. Intense mayhem is what comes from this new track and it’s very enjoyable. Check it out here.

Enterprise Earth – Casket of Rust

Enterprise Earth have released their latest heavy hitter ‘Casket of Rust’, taken from the band’s forthcoming new album Death: An Anthology, out on 2nd February via MNRK Heavy.

Speaking on the single’s lyrics, vocalist Travis Worland commented:

Lyrically, it touches on the death of yourself in a relationship. You’re killing of anything you had in order to appease another person and destroying pieces of yourself. You built this casket for so long that it has time to decay and rust before you bury yourself in it.

This new album is going to be killer, and so far, it appears to have no filler. This new track is deliciously dark and wicked, but with the lovable savagery this band is so good at. Yet, it also showcases more layers to their heavy sound, adding in really egregious elements of the blacker side of metal. The end result is an exceptionally listenable, but harsh, head-banger.

Nightmare – Eternal Winter

French heavy metal pioneers Nightmare have released the single ‘Eternal Winter’, re-recorded with new vocalist Barbara Mogore, via AFM Records. Originally released on the band’s 2009 classic album, Insurrection.

Says bassist and founding member Yves Campion:

With Barbara joining the band in September 2022, jumping immediately into live performances with Full Metal Holiday in Mallorca (October 2022), 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in January 2023 and an extensive European tour together with labelmates Rhapsody of Fire in spring 2023, we have improved into new highlights and goals reached by Barbara’s talent to perform! Now, we are back to the studio for the recordings of what should be our most ambitious album so far, bringing Nightmare to new horizons, be ready to expect the unexpected.

It’s all about Barbara here, and there’s no better track to showcase what her vocals can bring to the Nightmare table. This beloved track given fresh treatment (sounding a bit chunkier too) by vocals that growl and soar in equal measures. If this is the first time you’re hearing this track, you’re going to find one hell of a head-banger. Check it out here.

Escuela Grind – Meat Magnet

USA extreme metal powerhouse, Escuela Grind, will release their new EP, DDEEAATHHMMEETTAALL, on 12th January 2024 via MNRK Heavy. The quartet have now released their new single ‘Meat Magnet’, featuring the legendary Napalm Death vocalist Barney Greenway.

A wonderfully groovy effort from Escuela Grind, albeit one that features all the expected extreme heaviness we have come to expect from that band. Teaming up with the legendary vocalist from Napalm Death to make this track even more chaotic and commanding. It’s another pit track, but that’s par for the course with Escuela Grind’s mega-metal sound. Check it out here.

Uragh – Monarch

Uragh, the progressive, alternative, and modern metal band based in Dublin, Ireland, have released their new single, ‘Monarch’. Taken from their upcoming debut album “Maelstrom”, which is due early next year.

Where the f**k have these guys been hiding!? This is a banger track that is nasty and heavy, but has so much intricate detail that you can’t help but be fascinated by it. Although it’s hard to take notes when you’re banging your head as hard as this track demands you do. The blend of garish power, raw speed, and technical features is exceptionally memorable. Watch out for these guys in 2024, they have something special about them.

Morta Skuld – We Rise We Fall

Legendary death metal outfit Morta Skuld have announced details on their new album ‘‘Creation Undone’ which is out on 23rd February via Peaceville. They have also shared first single ‘We Rise We Fall’.

Get those neck muscles well and truly warmed up, they’re going to be needed here as Morta Skuld return with one hell of a bang. The old-school death metaller’s are bringing the heavy here and it is delightfully wicked. Brash brutality with no fluff, it’s a straight-forward slice of savagery. Check it out here.

Exit Eden – Separate Ways (Journey Cover)

Symphonic metal unit Exit Eden, consisting of Clémentine Delauney (Visions of Atlantis), Anna Brunner (League of Distortion) and Marina La Torraca (Phantom Elite), reveal their second new single, a dramatic cover of one of Journey’s biggest hits, ‘Separate Ways’.

Exit Eden state:

Our version of this Journey classic is a tribute to rock ‘n roll and timeless tunes. We are thrilled to retell this musical tale with our own voices and share it with you today.

A great song covered by a great band, given a different vibe, but still ultimately very familiar. The trio of voices that make up Exit Eden do this track a lot of justice, but also add more weight to their overall vibe too. Exit Eden are all about vocal grandeur, and this cover showcases that well. Although, the track being given a symphonic touch is pretty damn cool too.