Single Slam: The Devil Wears Prada, I Am, Sordes Dominum, Monster Truck, Of Virtue, Sail, Carrion Vael, Modes, Ov Sulfur, Deadly Gangbang, Sickjoy, Hollywood Undead and Soulfly!

This week’s single slam features The Devil Wears Prada, I Am, Sordes Dominum, Monster Truck, Of Virtue, Sail, Carrion Vael, Modes, Ov Sulfur, Deadly Gangbang, Sickjoy, Hollywood Undead and Soulfly. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

The Devil Wears Prada – Salt

The Devil Wears Prada have announced their eighth album Color Decay. It will arrive on the 16th of September 2022 via Solid State Records. Accompanying the announcement, the band has shared the video for the new single “Salt”.

The band says:

‘Salt’ is a song about trying to move forward and then feeling like nothing ever changes, even when you’ve seemingly done everything right. It’s the sort of feeling that makes you question every move you’ve ever made. Initially, the lyrics were just about having trouble writing songs for our new record, but soon, we realized that this feeling of fighting only to be stagnant and held down applies to so much more in our lives. It was really a breakthrough track and allowed us to dive in even deeper into what became Color Decay.

Always a reason to celebrate is new The Devil Wears Prada music and once again, the band showcase their development. A track that has plenty of their metal intensity but is more focused on haunting and pretty melodies than anything else. A mix of heavy energy and modern, electronically-tinged melodramatics. It’s a very cool song that feels like The Devil Wears Prada but a band that has arrived at this point, older, wiser and more open to new ideas.

I Am – The Iron Gate

Texas thrash-death unit I Am will release their Eternal Steel full-length on 9th September via MNRK Heavy and have unveiled first single ‘The Iron Gate’.

A measured start gives way to the sound of old school inspired death metal. A track that ends up being warped by thrash elements so it’s not as cut and dry as saying it’s for death metal fans only. In fact, it’s a track that metal fans in general can get a kick out of because of the simple combination that is speed and heaviness. If you’re looking for a reason to head-bang yourself into oblivion, I Am has the track for you. Check it out here.

Sordes Dominum – Immortalis

LA Instrumental metal band Sordes Dominum have releases a video for “Mendacium Immortalis” taken from their upcoming EP “Immortalis”, available June 17th worldwide.

Oof, this is a heavy track but not only that, it’s a track that is dripping in gothic horror atmosphere. A track that is the soundtrack to a nightmare you just can’t wake up from. Sordes Dominum bring the crashing weight of their instrumental talents down upon the skull, like a gravestone dropped from a great height. The dark, moody and cinematic crunchiness is incredibly memorable. Check it out here.

Monster Truck – Golden Woman

Monster Truck explode back onto the scene with their incredible new song and music video for ‘Golden Woman’ ahead of their performance on the main stage at this weekend’s Download Festival.

Says Jon Harvey, bassist, and lead singer of Monster Truck:

The idea for “Golden Woman” came one afternoon as I was fiddling around on a kid’s guitar my father had bought my son. He got it at some garage sale and thought it perfect for little hands. I ended up picking it up, putting the strap over my head, and walking around with it all afternoon playing the main riff, and slowly crafting an arrangement. Jer and I then fine-tuned the song, and voila! Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere.

Groovy, energetic and fun, this is classic Monster Truck. Delivering a riotous blast of feel-good, dance-inducing rock music. The band are exuding a ton of energy and that is simply infectious, it’s near impossible to not want to sing along loudly to the chorus. You’ll have to be a stone cold git to not crack a smile once Monster Truck start rocking out here.

Of Virtue – Hypocrite

US metal quartet Of Virtue have unveiled their powerful new single / video ‘Hypocrite’ via Arising Empire Records.

The band comment:

‘Hypocrite’ is all about the negativity building up inside of us. Everything that you hate about yourself, looking at you in the mirror. We know who we are but we refuse to change, eroding our potential by burning bridges in the meantime.

A track to stomp and groove too, Hypocrite is a bristling blast of power. Where the heaviness gets the blood thumping in the ears but a catchy chorus changes the vibe to such an extent, it’s hard to not be wowed. It’s a track with some serious bite but it’s also a track you can raise a fist and singalong to. Another banger from a band that is releasing bangers as though they’re going out of business. Check it out here.

Sail – Emotion Motional Ocean

Southwest-based metal four-piece Sail released their latest single Emotion Motional Ocean (EMO) on Friday 3rd June.

Speaking about the single, vocalist and lyricist Tim Kazer says:

You know the end of Pinocchio with the Whale? Monstro I think. I went back and watched a clip and Gepetto will not stop talking about dying. Like I don’t think there was a single person who made that film thinking “this one’s for the kids!”. Emotions can be that way sometimes though, like being eaten alive. That’s what Emotion Motional Ocean is. One big alt rock emotional monster munch.

Sail are such an awesome band and tracks like Emotion Motional Ocean prove it once and for all. A genuinely heartfelt, passionate and smile-inducing slab of strangeness. Though strangeness that is unbelievably captivating. Where the poppier sensibilities smash head-first into post-rock, grungy and psychedelic elements. That’s the simplest way to describe this track but there is so much more to it. There is one guarantee about this track and that is the fact that it will be stuck in your head for days after hearing it.

Carrion Vael – King of the Rhine

Melodic death metallers Carrion Vael return with explosive new album Abhorrent Obsessions, set for release on 12th August via Unique Leader. Ahead of the album release the band have delivered a new single, ‘King of The Rhine’.

Coming in hot, King of the Rhine is Carrion Vael making sure listeners are all to aware that this new album is going to be something of a beast. A beast with many limbs as Carrion Vael showcase deathcore touches, technical mastery, death metal ferocity and melodic heaviness on this track. As ‘in your face’ as it can possible get, there’s very little time to catch your breath over its five minute run. It will leave you gasping but you’ll be glad you subjected yourself to its suffocating style. Check it out here.

Modes – Infamous

Having taking inspiration from bands across the metal genre, old and new, Kent’s very own Modes are today thrilled to continue their journey with a blistering new offering called ‘Infamous’.

Modes frontman Ted Berry reveals about that the new single:

Infamous is a song we wrote to reflect on anger and past trauma that we have experienced. We wanted to put this into words to help others feel understood and seen. It’s only human to have been in situations that lead to feeling hurt, angry, and even disappointed in how you have been treated by others.

A heavyweight blast of metalcore (and more) intensity, Modes make one hell of an impact with this snarling, aggressive, pointed and meaningful track. Where impressively detailed instrumentation is complimented by a vocal style that is fiery and furious. It’s not catchy in the way that word normally means but there’s no denying Infamous has a serious infectious quality to it. It’s just an infection that compels you to pit rather than sing along. Check it out here.

Ov Sulfur – Wide Open

Vegas blackened deathcore band Ov Sulfur have just released a new track and music video for ‘Wide Open’ via their new label home Century Media Records.

States Ov Sulfur about the new track:

We’re excited to open your eyes (and ears) to the new chapter of Ov Sulfur. The song features some INSANE growls and shrieks from Ricky, which show just how far he’s come since his time in Suffokate. The music is similarly elevated, with the three (3!) breakdowns outdoing anything we’ve done before yet the chorus and dual solo bring some much-needed melody to the proceedings. Yes, at the risk of sounding like a cliché (I mean, we are a metal band who hates religion…), it’s our heaviest yet most melodic track yet.

Speaking of hating religion, this song is about waking up, pulling the veil from over your eyes and leaving the false faith in the past. FUCK THE SALVATION. LET US BE DAMNED!

A snarling and snarky blast of intense deathcore, Ov Sulfur are taking no prisoners with this brutal number. A track that has some downright heavy instrumentation and some devastating vocal growls but plenty of melody too. Melody that elevates it from being more than just a brash and intense death-infused metal track. A combination that might be familiar but with the modern production on this track, it’s got a freshness that excites. Check it out here.

Deadly Gangbang – Headache

Deadly Gangbang are a brand-new progressive nu-metalcore band who recently released the track, Headache, with an accompanying video.

Credit where credit is due, anyone who listens to this one minute and six second song will definitely remember Deadly Gangbang. Even if the thoughts going through the mind aren’t exactly good ones. This is a hard track to talk about as there’s so little to it and what it does can be called both awful and awesome. It’s a track of two halves, the first made up of annoying effects and spoken words. It almost feels like a joke. Then, the second half ups the game and the vocals become more intense and Deadly Gangbang explode into spin-kicking and fist-flailing heaviness. Then it’s over and most will probably be left scratching their head.

Sickjoy – don’t feel like dying

Ahead of the upcoming release of the release of their debut album, We’re All Gonna F***Ing Die, on July 8th on SO Recordings, Sickjoy have released the new single, ‘don’t feel like dying’.

Singer/guitarist, Mykl Barton shares:

It was the first song written for the album and was the catalyst for the tone and theme of the record. It came from a tentative break in the noise, covered in dirt, soaking wet looking over a trench. Pushing back and trying to appreciate the single moment of peace, after a period of trudging through the shit. Learning to let go, and that everything must pass. The lows, but also the highs. Don’t hold on to either too hard. You’ve got what you got, and had what you had. We’re all gonna fucking die, and no one gets a sequel, so let’s go!

Blending moody vibes with rockier groove and poppier touches, don’t feel like dying is a foot-tapper that is certainly a tad more laidback. Though that’s not to suggest it doesn’t have moments of fire, it’s just those surges are carefully measured and rarely explosive. What we have here is a track that has a radio friendly simplicity to it, guaranteed to appeal to a wide audience. Check it out here.

Hollywood Undead – City of the Dead

Platinum certified quintet Hollywood Undead have shared details of their highly anticipated new album Hotel Kalifornia. Set to be released on August 12th via BMG, Hotel Kalifornia marks the band’s 8th studio album and represents “a juxtaposition between the “haves” and the “have-nots”, highlighting the ongoing homelessness and cost of living crisis that is affecting the band’s home state of California. The record features recent singles ‘Wild In These Streets’ and ‘CHAOS’, as well as new release ‘City Of The Dead’.

On the one hand, you know exactly what you’re getting with Hollywood Dead but on the other, you never know quite what the rap rock/metal band will pull out next. Here, it’s the first statement that rings true as we get a generic and uninspired attempt to be anthemic. One that ticks all the Hollywood Undead boxes; rock melody, rapping, hip-hop infusions, singalong choruses etc. There’s nothing wrong with that, after all, Hollywood Undead have achieved massive success with that formula. It’s just that it sounds particularly bland here and other than the subject matter, this is a completely forgettable listen. Check it out here.

Soulfly – Scouring the Vile

Underground icon, extreme metal trailblazer, third world warrior, and leader of a diverse and dedicated tribe, Max Cavalera not only survives but thrives, blasting out riff after killer riff. The same spirit which launched Soulfly in 1997 summons impossibly heavy noise to this day, throwing down ten slabs of monstrous music on the band’s twelfth album, Totem which is set for release via Nuclear Blast on August 5th.

Now, the band have released the album’s second single entitled, Scouring the Vile featuring John Tardy of Obituary.

Max Cavalera comments:

Scouring the Vile is Soulfly’s personal fuck you letter to cancer! The lyrics are angered by the loss of loved ones. It was amazing to share the vocals with an old veteran, John Tardy of Obituary.

One of the things that makes Soulfly so endearing is that Soulfly do exactly what they do, unwaveringly and uncompromisingly. No-one is expecting some wild shift in sound or tone on this new album but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some tricks up their sleeve. Case in point, this thrash and death combo that has Obituary’s John Tardy as a major feature. It turns out it’s a match made in heaven. A hefty head-banger that will seriously please Soulfly fans while still offering up something fresher.