Single Slam: Spiritbox, Taylor McCluskey, Bailer, The Robot’s Guide To Living , Lordi, The Nightmares, The Howling Tides, Halestorm, Prompts, The Bloody Nerve, Harley & the Wolf and Motionless in White!

This week’s single slam features Spiritbox, Taylor McCluskey, Bailer, The Robot’s Guide To Living , Lordi, The Nightmares, The Howling Tides, Halestorm, Prompts, The Bloody Nerve, Harley & the Wolf and Motionless in White. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Spiritbox – Hurt You

Spiritbox have unveiled a brand-new track titled ‘Hurt You’, from their highly anticipated debut album, ‘Eternal Blue’, set for release on September 17th on Rise Records.

To use some modern terminology – this track slaps.

Heavy beats, fiery metal blasts, moving melodic moments and so much more. It’s Spiritbox doing what they so very well. It’s not the most complex track they’re released nor is the most captivating but when you hear tracks like this you can believe the hype is real. The breakdown is stonking.

Taylor McCluskey – Freedom Fighter

Montreal based alternative rock artist Taylor McCluskey is a musician, filmmaker and actor who’s appeared in films like Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Star Trek (2009) and TV shows. As a musician, he is the founding member of The Maddest Of Madmen and The MFICs and has made four solo albums, the most recent being 2020’s Star God.

Taylor McCluskey recently released a new single titled ‘Freedom Fighter.’

Energetic and foot-tapping. The urgency in the guitar is nice, a short drum solo is fun, the bass is solid and the vocals are smooth and easy to listen too. The groove is quite infectious and takes hold surprisingly quick. A crowd-pleasing effort, it’s the sort of song that would have mass appeal. Check it out here.

Bailer – Cruel Master

Irish quartet Bailer have announced their long-awaited debut album Disposable Youth, due for release on 12th November 2021 via Blood Blast Distribution. To celebrate, the metallic hardcore outfit have shared a video for their new single ‘Cruel Master’, featuring Conjurer’s Brady Deeprose.

As dangerous sounding as always, Bailer create tension with this track. Tension that never fully unwinds regardless of how wild they get. The hardcore stompiness, the building ferocity, the careening riff work and guest vocals make this one hell of a track.

The Robot’s Guide to Living – Cure Me

The Robot’s Guide to Living is a multi-generational pop punk band stemming from Southern Utah. They have released their new single ‘Cure Me.’

Oh yeah, this is a banger of a pop-punk track. Rousing, spirited and of course, beguiling as hell. With punchier riffs and drums then you might expect, Cure Me certainly leans towards the heavier side of things. However, that really works in its favour against the clean vocals and the short melodic drop that crops up. What a chorus though! Check it out here.

Lordi – Believe Me

Lordi have released a brand-new song called ‘Believe Me’, out now on AFM Records.

Lordi and disco combining to create something that is bastard child of ABBA, KISS or the Bee Gees in the late 70s. Yes, this is not a joke. Even more amazing though is that it’s actually pretty good. Lordi nails the ‘disco’ vibe and when they hit the chorus it is particularly danceable. Far more fun than it has any right to be, it gets stuck in the head and you’ll find yourself humming it long afterwards.

The Nightmares – Frankenstein

The Nightmares are a gang of ghoulish, good time, party punks from Dover, Kent. Known for
their happy go lucky attitude and thunderstorm songs, they have been pushing their brand of indie/grunge/punk weirdness into the world since 2017.

Their latest single ‘Frankenstein’ is out now.

Good times for sure, dead tongue jammed in cheeks and with some dirty punk attitudes, The Nightmares are sending bolts of electricity through bodies with this number. Groovy and fun, it’s enough to wake the dead and start a party in graveyards. Check it out here.

The Howling Tides – Thalia

Off the back of their recent high-profile festival successes at Steelhouse, Planet Rockstock, Rock and Blues and — most recently — Bloodstock, dynamic 4-piece Staffordshire, UK, hard rockers The Howling Tides release their brand-new single and premiere the video for ‘Thalia’.

A bit of funk, a bit of blues and plenty of rock, The Howling Tides bring us a catchy ditty that makes you want to move. Energetic, fun and thoughtful, the riffs are killer. Though the bass and drums add some thump to things and the smooth vocals go down really nicely.

Halestorm – Back from the Dead

Grammy-winning hard rock band Halestorm reveal ‘Back From The Dead,’ their first new song since 2018’s Vicious album, and the first single from their upcoming album expected in 2022.

Heavy riffing, emotive and power-driven vocals, thick bass lines and pounding drums – this is Halestorm 101. However, that’s not a complaint. They’re a band that do what they do so very well and this new track is proof of that. Smart tempo changes, a strong chorus… this is a Halestorm anthem. Check it out here.

Prompts – Asphyxiate (feat. Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake)

Tokyo, Japan metalcore band Prompts have released a brand-new track called Asphyxiate. The track features Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake.

Chaotic speed and crushing heaviness from a hyper-active band, Prompts bring stomping groove and an intensity that has drawing from the genres of metalcore, deathcore and nu-metal for something modern and fresh sounding. The vehemence in the vocals, the savagery of the instrumentation, the off-kilter tempos… it’s fierce as hell.

The Bloody Nerve – Roads

The Bloody Nerve’s brand new single ‘Roads’ – is out today as is their 3 track EP (Act 1). This single concludes Act 1 of their Concept Album ‘All Blood, No Treasure’.

This is a weird one but one you’ll easily fall in love with. Bluesy rock and roll with punk spirit, The Bloody Nerve have crafted one of 2021’s most infectious songs. The chorus absolutely slays but the tone shifts are stunning. The switch from rock and roll to dirty blues around the midpoint is simply fantastic. Check it out here.

Harley & the Wolf – Lost Hope & Mixed Blessings

The four-piece alt rock band from Northern Ireland, Harley & the Wolf have released their new single, Lost Hope & Mixed Blessings.

Pensive melodies, powerful alt rock groove and an impressive chorus, Harley & the Wolf combine melodrama and foot-tapping catchiness to great effect. Not exactly a track to get you moving, more swaying and it calls back to the height of ‘emo’ but in the best way possible. You’ll feel this track in your heart and soul. Check it out here.

Motionless in White – Timebomb

Motionless in White have dropped a brand-new single called ‘Timebomb’, which is available to stream or purchase at all DSPs now.

If someone was to ask you to sum up metalcore in a single track, hit play on this one. That’s not a dig – far from it. Timebomb is everything good about metalcore in that it rages and rages, but offsets the fury with clean vocals and melody. It’s also everything bad about metalcore. It doesn’t challenge, you might not be able to pick it out of a line-up and seems tailormade for the radio.