Single Slam: Nailed to Obscurity, Sugar Spine, Krooked Tongue, Dissonants, The Fixer, Eviscerate the Crown, Hawxx, Enter Laughing, Ella Fence, Lionheart, Dryad and Obituary!

This week’s single slam features Nailed to Obscurity, Sugar Spine, Krooked Tongue, Dissonants, The Fixer, Eviscerate the Crown, Hawxx, Enter Laughing, Ella Fence, Lionheart, Dryad and Obituary. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Nailed to Obscurity – Clouded Frame

German melodic death metallers Nailed to Obscurity have released a new single and video titled ‘Clouded Frame’.

Says vocalist Raimund Ennenga:

Sometimes you struggle to get all the bits and pieces together to memorize a stroke of fate correctly, but you come to realize that certain details became unreachable. They stay hidden in the blind spot of your memory. You are standing in front of the ‘Clouded Frame’, but it’s just impossible to get a proper view of what’s inside.

We took this idea as the central image of the song ‘Clouded Frame’ which – in our point of view – really captures this emotion with its eruptive moments as well as its mellow and very fragile chorus.

The melo-death is strong with this one. Nailed to Obscurity showcasing a melodramatic tone alongside their usual penchant for robust heaviness. Plenty of reasons to head-bang but perhaps with a tear or two running down the face at the same time. The passion instrumentals mesh nicely with the two vocal styles; clean and pained, alongside guttural and angry.

Sugar Spine – Throat Full of Ash

Sugar Spine is an intense metal project from Sydney, Australia and has been viciously grabbing attention with its unique blend of metal styles, innovative lyrics and potent energy. Following on from their debut EP ‘Mirror Talk’ (which we gave 10/10), Sugar Spine has now released their new single Throat Full of Ash.

Sugar Spine are back and back with a bloody big bang. The immediate expulsion of intense heaviness immediately gets the hair standing up on the neck. Sugar Spine spitting and snarling with unrepented fury. The screams and squeals of the guitars are ear-splitting, the drumming is pure adrenaline, and the vocals are as scathing as it comes. It’s a thrill ride of mayhem. Check it out here.

Krooked Tongue – Lupines

Krooked Tongue are back with a new single called ‘Lupines’. The follow up to July’s release ‘When the Beaches Bleed’.

Explaining the single, vocalist and lyricist Oli Rainsford says:

‘Lupines is a sexy, psychedelic journey through a field of the most colourful flowers you could imagine, yet also stands to challenge you to use that imagination to fight the limitations of your mind. Lupines is a lesson in relinquishing control and enjoying the ride.

Some new Krooked Tongues is always welcome. Even more so when it’s as mood-altering and strange as Lupines is. The word ‘psychedelic’ is so prominent, yet the trippy nature of the melody is given an injection of catchy rockiness. Resulting in an energised listen that dissolves on the mind until you’re experiencing the full intent of the track. A very cool listen. Check it out here.

Dissonants – Grave Mind

Metalcore band Dissonants have released a brand-new single called ‘Grave Minds’. Having previously reached #1 in the UK metal chart and #4 in the UK Rock Chart, been placed as cover stars on the official ‘New Blood’ Spotify and now back shining in a whole new light. ‘Grave Mind’ is the next instalment of a complete re-shape and change in direction for the band.

An opening gambit of melody kicks into a chunky metal rhythm before the instruments all but disappear. Starry effects and smooth vocals takeover for a bit, the instruments then kick in again and the drama is enhanced. Further along, gruff and guttural vocals add another layer, giving this track the metalcore flavour most expect. An interesting listen, that wraps up with a punchy breakdown.

The Fixer – Depart

This is Where We Depart. The purveyors of Dark.Sexy.Loud. return with a new single & music video.

A slice of discordant groove, discombobulated rhythms and body-shaking energy. There’s some punk spirit to The Fixer’s new track, but it’s also quite rocking and with metal layers. Highlighted by the occasional background roar and a fun guitar solo. It’s a bloody catchy track overall though. Check it out here.

Eviscerate the Crown – Dear Colossus

Eviscerate the Crown are the unstoppable 5-piece outfit of fury from the Central Coast of Australia. The prog metal outfit have now released their new single, Dear Colossus.

What a banger this is. One of the most intense songs you’ll hear all year. Eviscerate the Crown mixing progressive ideas with screaming deathcore and contemptuous metalcore. From the very first second to the last, the group throw their all into delivering an undeniable head-banger. A chaos-making pit opener, this band are on fire and tracks like this prove that.

Hawxx – The Worst Thing

Hailing from Greece, Wales, England, and Italy, London-based alt-metal quartet Hawxx have released their latest single, ‘The Worst Thing’.

Guitarist / vocalist Anna Papadimitriou comments:

The message of the song is simple; some people are just little sh*ts. And the sooner you realise that it’s not your responsibility to understand them better or bend over backwards, the sooner you will feel like the 10/10 fabulous gremlin you deserve to feel like. Essentially, it’s about understanding that other people’s behaviour isn’t a reflection on you and isn’t something you can control: The Worst Thing I can wish on you is to remain just who you are.

A sharp and pointed ‘riff-heavy’ track, The Worst Thing is in-your-face alt-metal with a chorus that kicks a lot of ass. The bursts of energy really nail the defiant edge the vocals have and it’s really cool to hear Hawxx just let loose at the end. The intensity taken up an extra notch up. Check it out here.

Enter Laughing – Met Me When I Landed

Enter Laughing are a North London-based psychedelic rock band, formed in January 2022. Their debut single ‘Met Me When I Landed’ describes the petty grievances that fester towards the end of a failing relationship.

Weird and bloody wonderful, this new band are certainly leaving an impression here as this debut single is extremely ‘out there’. It’s got a raw and rough London-punk-edge, utilising psychedelic effects to disrupt expectations but transports the mind into even stranger locales as it goes on. It needs a couple of listens to full appreciate but it certainly has impact. Check it out here.

Ella Fence – Firefly

‘Firefly’ is the latest single by Australian alt rocker Ella Fence, and it is out now via Archangel Records, subsidy of the Golden Robot Global Entertainment Group.

A very pretty track and leaning way towards the poppier end of the alt-rock scale. Firefly combines soft, heartfelt melody with Fence’s smooth, yet powerful, vocals. It’s got a lot of emotion in it, something that is enhanced as more and more layers are added. The effects adding to the peaceful nature of the track. It’s a nice sounding piece of music. Check it out here.

Lionheart – Hell on Earth

Fresh from the biggest headline tour of their career across Europe, heavy hardcore quintet Lionheart have released their new single ‘Hell on Earth, taken from their new album Welcome to The West Coast III, out 9th December via Arising Empire.

A band that never disappoints, Lionheart’s hooky hardcore heaviness is on full display here. The bounce, the groove, the crowd-killing heaviness and chant along vocals sounds awesome and Lionheart are spitting bullets here. The highlight? It’s the freaking breakdown of course!

Dryad – Brine Pool Aberration

Iowa City, IA based black metal band Dryad have released their new single, Brine Pool Aberration. It is the second track to be taken from the group’s forthcoming debut album, The Abyssal Plain, which is set for release via Prosthetic Records on January 20th.

A nasty bit of black metal, short and intense, the cacophony of noise that comes out of Dryad is harsh and hard to the ears. There’s nothing cute or calm about this song even if there are buried treasures to be unearthed throughout. A beastly black metal offering. Check it out here.

Obituary – The Wrong Time

Legendary Florida death metal icons Obituary return with their highly anticipated new album, Dying of Everything, out 13th January via Relapse Records. They have also unveiled the first single / video from the record, ‘The Wrong Time’.

Obituary comment:

We couldn’t be more excited to FINALLY get this new album out and into the hands of the fans! We chose ‘The Wrong Time’ for the first single as it is a true depiction of the sound, style and feel we went for in the studio and is a great taste of what you can expect from Dying of Everything.

The death metal legends return with one hell of a monstrous track. One that has the recognisable Obituary ‘groove’ and some disgustingly catchy and crunchy riffing. Hell, it’s probably as infectious as an Obituary track gets without compromising on the skull-crushing heaviness of the band’s death metal style. It’s a bit of a banger!