Why go out with a whimper when you can go out with a high-voltage, high-velocity, high-volume bang? Wrap up May with some tracks that will have you begging for mercy. Push play if you dare, maggot:
Spread Thin | Factory Job
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Spread Thin are a Wisconsin hardcore quartet who are set to release their hostile debut album World of Snakes on July 26. In anticipation, here’s the video for Factory Job, a gritty and succinct look at the band’s unique blend of powerviolence, grind and sludge that will draw in new fans and please existing ones. “Working in a factory sucks,” they say. “It’s very straining on your body, tedious, and downright cruel sometimes. You may end up working one for years and years until boom one day you get to retire. By that point, your body will more than likely be so worn out you don’t get to enjoy life at that point. This song is just a venting session for anyone out there who has had it, and damn near at the point where sanity is getting hard to maintain.” Factory Job encapsulates the dynamic and speed fluctuations that define World of Snakes, and offers a powerful introduction to the band’s sound and sets the stage for the subsequent singles.”
Paradox Rift | Doomsayer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Released on May 10, Paradox Rift’s latest album Ensnared is the followup to their 2022 demo Dismembered by Dogs and their 2019 self-titled EP. A caustic collection of extreme metal, it conveys the evolution and maturity of their musical style. In the single Doomsayer, the lyrics aim to make a comparison between human frailness and the will to persevere. The band add: “Here’s a track that clearly sounds different from the rest of the album. Rooted in an almost blackened metal style with tremolo guitar parts and a slow and steady pulse on the drums. The song picks up a bit in the beginning with an almost sarcastic guitar part that leads into a sort of breakdown chorus.” The track stemmed from the band’s love for the ominous feelings of despair and mystique that seem to surround the black metal genre. Though they don’t claim it to be in that genre, it was what inspired the style and emotion of the song.”
Narcotic Wasteland | Barbarian
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kicking off their 2024 summer tour dates on May 31 — guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade‘s 50th birthday and the 10th anniversary of their self-titled debut album — Narcotic Wastlend unshackle their latest single Barbarian. The song will be featured on the band’s forthcoming third full-length Digital Cordyceps, due later this year. Toler-Wade comments on the new track: “Barbarian is one of my favorite songs I have written so far. The guitar work is thrashy but also has a neo-classical element to it. I love the mid-tempo churning bass drums that is no secret at this point. Lyrically the song is about my personal feelings on how I want to live my life, but also an observation of what is going on in the world right now. I am sure I am not the only one who sees we are living in an oligarchic society. Meaning we are in a society where only a chosen few have most of the political power. This has always disgusted me. I never needed a political leader or organized religion to tell me how to act, what to read or listen to, and who to vote for. I think it is all complete self-serving bullshit and I refuse to have any part in it.”
Vicolo Inferno | Suspended
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vicolo Inferno just released their third studio album Circles. Instinctive, energetic, melodic, dark, and intense, it is the quartet’s most mature and experimental recording. Like its predecessor, it dances among various colors of the soul, from the most intimate and convoluted to the angry, to the amused and ironic. “It is said that the third album is canonically the one of awareness,” the band say. “It is certainly the one in which we put more care into arranging the songs, where we experimented with some stylistic figures never used by us before, both in music and in singing. For once, we would like to venture to say that we think it is our best album (although it is always difficult to say which child you love most) for ideas and execution, but as always, the hope is to reach the audience, which will be the judge in deciding whether our feelings hit the mark or not.”
Dune | Years Of Chains
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Get ready to experience the raw power of thrash metal infused with cultural influences in the debut EP from Saudi Arabia’s Dune. Years Of Chains clocks in at a succinct 18 minutes, with four tracks full of tasty riffs, engaging vocals, and metal elements that keep listeners engaged and offer something new every playthrough. The EP is a testament to the band’s relentless pursuit of heavy music with an aggressive feel and melodies.“Years of Chains” is an EP that we wrote years ago but didn’t get a chance to properly record due to multiple difficulties coming our way,” they say. “After years we have chosen a list of the songs from the originals we have for the EP. The recording process was fun yet we looked for perfection to make the songs as we imagined them with the best quality that we could make.” Known for their unique fusion of thrash metal with djent, nu metal, oriental, and groove metal influences, Dune’s sound is a sonic journey that defies traditional genre boundaries.”
