Single Slam: Employed to Serve, This Gift is A Curse, Alchemize, Juliet’s Not Dead, Imperial Triumphant, Sure, Godeth, Royal Sorrow, Bleed from Within, Seven Blood, Eluveitie, Decrepit Youths, Hangman’s Chair, and Cradle of Filth!

Today’s single slam features Employed to Serve, This Gift is A Curse, Alchemize, Juliet’s Not Dead, Imperial Triumphant, Sure, Godeth, Royal Sorrow, Bleed from Within, Seven Blood, Eluveitie, Decrepit Youths, Hangman’s Chair, and Cradle of Filth. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Employed to Serve – Atonement (feat. Will Ramos of Lorna Shore)

Leading lights of British metal, Employed to Serve are back, not only to with a brand-new album announcement, ‘Fallen Star’, set for release on April 25th, 2025, but with a brand-new single called ‘Atonement’ which features Will Ramos of Lorna Shore.

Explains guitarist and song writer Sammy Urwin:

‘Atonement’ takes aim at those who try to lord their power over you. The only way to defeat these people is by rising above their behaviour and pushing forward on your own path. We wanted to lead with this single because it is the track that encompasses the ethos of Employed to Serve as a whole. We’re strong believers of working hard and not letting life and the negative people in it affect your goals and aspirations.

Woo! Employed to Serve are back and back with a heavy and aggressive banger. One that gets right up in the face from the start thanks to vocalist Justine’s spitting and snarling delivery. Then the guitars and drums hit, and what we have is something abrasive sounding, but with head banging qualities. If all of that wasn’t enough, the chorus hits, and we get clean singing from Will Ramos, a more rock vibe, and later, we get a guitar solo that rampages impressively. It’s a heavy metal anthem.

This Gift is A Curse – Ascension

Descending from the abyssal depths of the darkest recesses, This Gift is A Curse emerges once more to engulf the light on their latest single, ‘Ascension’. The track serves as the harrowing finisher to their forthcoming album, ‘Heir’, set to annihilate the earthen plane on Match 7th via Season of Mist.

A beast of a track with avant-garde aspects warped by the deafening destructiveness of black metal. Hell has cracked open, and this is the monstrous sound emerging from the pits of suffering below. Incredibly fast, absurdly intense, and grimly savage, the mind is battered to a pulp here, and no amount of odd twists and turns can ease the pain felt here. Check it out here.

Alchemize – Red Lights

Alchemize, the Manchester based 5-piece R&B/metal fusion band are back with their new single ‘Red Lights’, out now. This kickstarts 2025 for the band, following a very successful 2024 that culminated with them signing to UK label Year of the Rat Records.

The rapid rise that Alchemize has experienced is startling, but when you hear a track like Red Lights, it all makes so much sense. Genre-bending to a massive degree, effects-laden and melody-focused, while retaining a punchy heaviness that makes you want to head bang, hard. The unique feature of having three immensely talented vocalists is on display with mighty aplomb here. It’s another undeniable banger from a band on incredible form at the moment.

Juliet’s Not Dead – Sinner or Saint

Juliet’s Not Dead are an adrenaline fuelled, rock driven band with the sole intention of thrilling all. ‘This World Is Ours’ is the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut album and will be released February 7th, 2025. The latest single to be taken from the new album is ‘Sinner or Saint’ and it’s out now.

A hard hitting and energised rocking track, Juliet’s Not Dead deliver a rousing hit with so many infectious aspects. None more notable than the chorus, which has an arena like anthemic quality to it. It’s a really likeable listen that showcases simplicity can still be an absolute winner. Check it out here.

Imperial Triumphant – Lexington Delirium (feat. Tomas Haake)

Avant-death metal trio Imperial Triumphant will release their sixth full-length, ‘Goldstar’, via Century Media Records on 21st March. Their latest single, ‘Lexington Delirium’ (featuring the ominous spoken vocals of Tomas Haake), is out now.

Paying homage to classic New York City architecture (the video was filmed at the iconic Chrysler Building) in their inimitable way, Imperial Triumphant continue to show us just how they are developing as a band. Not changing, they are still as strange as ever, but evolving their creative skills to offer something more daringly and enigmatically accessible. As absurd as that might sound. It is a surreal experience, one that takes its time at the start, but ends up delivering a cacophony of heavy sounds as it goes on. As brilliant as it is fascinating.

Sure – Keep on Living

Channeling Depeche Mode’s timeless hooks, NIN’s experimentations, and Health’s modern production, French trio Sure continues to alter post-modern disarray into visceral melodies, irresistible dance-floor beats, and a fearlessly versatile voice. Their new single, ‘Keep on Living’ is out now.

Explains the band:

‘Keep On Living’ is a fast-paced emotional whirlwind that takes THE CURE & NEW ORDER’s heritage on the dance floor. Visceral guitar leads underline the lyrics, which dive into teenage torment, back to a not so distant era where being Queer was synonymous with paranoia and secrets, and where dancing could be an act of resistance.

A very easy track to enjoy, especially if you like experimental dance floor style anthems, Sure hit a career high with something incredibly infectious and meaningful. The melody, the smoothness of the vocals, the energetic upticks, the danceable beats, it’s a track with so much to offer, that you’ll be listening to this one time and time again. Outstanding stuff. Check it out here.

Godeth – Fleshmonger

Yorkshire metallers Godeth are kicking off their 2025 with a literal blast with their new single ‘Fleshmonger’.

Godeth give some insight into their new single Fleshmonger:

We wrote Fleshmonger in just a few days – it came together quickly and naturally and that’s exactly the kind of raw energy we wanted to capture. It’s aggressively heavy, with a groove that we feel hits harder than anything we’ve done before. We truly believe it’s our strongest track yet. To match its power, we filmed the music video at the legendary Boom in Leeds—one of the city’s most iconic venues, closing its doors in 2025. It felt like the perfect place to bring this song to life – raw, intense, and full of attitude.

Fleshmonger’s lyrics express the disillusionment of forward-thinking individuals with the persistent warmongering of nations. War benefits the elite, who manipulate the masses to serve their interests. The average person shares more in common with the victims of war than with the corrupt leaders driving it.

The sound of a pissed off band, Godeth have a wildness about them here that may be familiar but feels more intense than ever. The groove is still there, of course, but it’s a stompy and aggressive track that highlights the best of this band. Raucous riffing, feral vocals, and massive, pounding percussion. Heads were made to be banged to tracks like this.

Royal Sorrow – Evergreen

Helsinki-based, alternative metal outfit Royal Sorrow recently signed an international deal with insideOutMusic and now the band kicks off 2025 with their brand-new track, ‘Evergreen’.

The fuss about this band is warranted, and any more proof needed comes via this dramatic anthem that oozes big, alternative sounds. Their approach, while uncomplicated, is one filled with focus and passion. It’s clear that Royal Sorrow want everything to sound so smooth and that is the case here. The chorus alone will win over many. Check it out here.

Bleed from Within – A Hope in Hell

Bleed From Within have released the video for their new single ‘A Hope in Hell’. The latest cut from new album ‘Zenith’, that’s set for release on the 4th of April via Nuclear Blast Records.

On the new single, the band comment:

‘A Hope in Hell’ is one of the more melodic cuts from our latest album and one that we all connected with early in the writing process. The evolution of this song is a great indicator of what we’ve explored on our latest release; we’ve pushed ourselves melodically, but also found a dark and heavy groove that really underpins our sound. Looking at the lyrics, life doesn’t get any easier and everyone you know is dealing with its challenges. We are caught in repeating cycles of adversity and hardship, but our perception can change once we accept that growth is on the other side of such things. Take from that what you will, just know that we’re rooting for you. Enjoy.

A different taste of what Bleed from Within have to offer, this new single is melodic, but that doesn’t mean it lacks in power or passion. Far from it in fact, as the vocals in particular, are sounding huge, and it’s really cool to hear such strong clean singing. Throw in some great riffs and what we have is another Bleed from Within banger. Check it out here.

Seven Blood – Monsters

German-based alternative outfit Seven Blood have released their brand new single and music video for ‘Monsters’. The track follows the release of their previous single ‘As We Bleed’, the cathartic ‘House ≠ Home’ and their debut release ‘Killing from the Inside’, all of which are available for streaming now.

Vocalist Azaria Nasiri states:

‘Monsters’ is about the demons that haunt you and pull you down in dark moments. It’s a song that for me is about what it means to be haunted by depression, but I think everyone will be able to relate to the monsters hiding in their own story.

For guitarist Oli Arnold, the song strikes a particularly personal chord:

When I was about thirteen years old, my best friend died very suddenly,” he reveals. “The tragedy of that moment has shaped my life more than any other. I began suffering from panic attacks, and my parents weren’t capable of handling that situation. For a long time I didn’t feel connected to people. My childhood ended that day. It’s only now that I’m really able to begin to process that experience and to write about its impact on me.

The long-term impact of this track comes from the vocals and lyrics, dark and honest words sung with immense power and passion. However, that’s given even more weight by a hefty instrumental section that smoothly pulls back to a more melodic style when needed. Everything comes together impressively in the chorus, which will get stuck in your head.

Eluveitie – The Prodigal Ones

Eluveitie have announced their first new record in six years. ‘Ànv’ will be released on 25th April 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band has also shared the second single ‘The Prodigal Ones’, taken from the upcoming album.

Eluveitie frontman Chrigel Glanzmann comments:

Hard to express how excited we are to share this one with you all! Musically combining the heavy pounding Elu classics like ‘Luxtos’, ‘Inis Mona’ or even ‘King’ with some new, maybe unexpected ideas, we feel that this song most of all comes like a punch in the face and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do! Lyrically it actually opens the big theme of Ànv – these ancient words, several thousands of years old, our upcoming album is based on.

It should not come as much of a surprise to learn that this new Eluveitie track is huge sounding. After all, it’s a major part of their reputation, and all their familiar elements are on show here. Expressive riffing, intense hooks, two vocals (clean and harsh) that work together so well, and layers of orchestral melody that makes the whole thing sound larger than life. It’s a brilliant track. Check it out here.

Decrepit Youths – Love Psycho Kill Machine

Decrepit Youths will drop their debut EP, ‘Love Psycho Kill Machine’, on March 21st, 2025. The powerhouse quartet have also revealed the EPs namesake as an engrossing brand-new single.

One part EDM-infused anthemic club hit, one part intense and heavy rock head banger, this new single is very cool. It’s also very infectious, and a lot of that comes from a clever dual vocal performance that sees the two singers balance each others style well. Alongside that, thick drums and big riffs, what more could you want?

Hangman’s Chair – In Disguise

Ahead of their next studio album, ‘Saddiction’, due on 14th February 2025 via Nuclear Blast, French doom metal pioneers Hangman’s Chair are back with their new single ‘In Disguise’.

Speaking about the new single:

Weather, debts, long time since failure, low motivational level, feeling of a need to take action… already depressed? January 20th, more commonly known as “Blue Monday”, what a perfect day to release our third single “In Disguise”. A last fix before the launching of SADDICTION on Valentine’s day. Enjoy!

It does seem as though more and more people are discovering the brilliance of Hangman’s Chair, and they thoroughly deserve all the success they are getting. Not just because of their back catalogue, but because of a track like this. Sensationally moody with some of the thickest bass thrums heard is some time, the clean singing and methodical beat captures the imagination early on, and then it’s just a joy to see how it transforms as it goes on. It ends in incredible fashion too. Check it out here.

Cradle of Filth – To Live Deliciously

GRAMMY Award-nominated extreme metal institution Cradle Of Filth have unveiled their upcoming 14th studio album, ‘The Screaming Of The Valkyries’, out March 21, 2025 via Napalm Records. Alongside the album announcement, they have also released the brand-new single, ‘To Live Deliciously’.

Cradle of Filth master of ceremonies Dani Filth says about the new track:

The song is about the celebration of life. Of indulging in everything unfettered from the conformities of religion, fashion or state. Free from guilt or constraint. As nature intended. It could be read as a hedonistic life code. And a positive one if not done at the expense or the suffering of others. To delight in simply’ being’. Being alive and free in the here and now.

Combining a devolution of their sound with an evolution of their sound, Cradle of Filth have found the perfect balance of old-school riff-driven blackened heaviness and lavish symphonic elements. A combination that works to each band members talents and highlights the strength in Dani Filth’s trademark growls and scowls. It’s a head banger, a salacious one, and you don’t often get to say that about this band.