Single Slam: Ice Nine Kills, Sick Joy, Deficit, Tribe of Ghosts, Gideon, Shadow Mountains, Solothurn, Shields, Alterjoy, and Black Label Society!

Today’s single slam features Ice Nine Kills, Sick Joy, Deficit, Tribe of Ghosts, Gideon, Shadow Mountains, Solothurn, Shields, Alterjoy, and Black Label Society. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Ice Nine Kills – The Laugh Track

Ice Nine Kills invite you to “dance with the devil in the pale moonlight” with ‘The Laugh Track’, their riotous homage to Gotham City’s Clown Prince of Crime. The new song and cinematic music video riffs on the Joker, particularly as portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton’s gothic Batman.

‘The Laugh Track’ music video welcomes Matthew Lillard (Scream, Five Nights at Freddy’s, SLC Punk) and Phil Morris (Seinfeld, Smallville, Doom Patrol) to the INKverse, alongside returning collaborator Terry Kiser (Weekend at Bernie’s, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Weekend at Bernie’s II).

Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas spills:

Why be a brooding bat when you can have the last laugh? After all, Jack Nicholson got top billing in Batman ’89. While Michael Keaton’s haunted Bruce Wayne is outstanding, young Spencer was drawn more to the Clown Prince of Crime. ‘The Laugh Track’ is our homage to Tim Burton’s dark and gorgeous gothic Gotham. Batman ’89 took its comic book material seriously, but it was far from grounded, and never forgot to have fun. It’s the same tightrope we walk in ICE NINE KILLS, with broad, maniacal smiles.

Terry Kiser returns in the video (although the rumours of Miles’ demise are exaggerated). And it brings a warm human smile to my face to introduce Matthew Lillard and Phil Morris to the INKverse. Like Prince before us, ‘The Laugh Track’ will have you dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight.

How long until Ice Nine Kills are headlining major festivals around the world? Their popularity only seems to grow with each new release, and now that they’re expanding out of the horror world, and into more general cinema (albeit with a twisted outlook), there’s really nothing stopping them. It’s hard to listen to a track like this and not be underwhelmed by the lack of creativity to the metalcore on show, but the reality is, Ice Nine Kills are so much more than just what you hear and that is the difference maker. It’s a solid, anthemic, fun metalcore track, but when paired with the extravagant video, it’s a hell of a lot cooler. Aside from calling their brand, the ‘INKverse’, that’s cringe, or maybe I’m just too old to get it.

Sick Joy – Anything Goes

Sick Joy have unveiled their brand-new single, ‘Anything Goes’, the latest cut from their anticipated second album ‘More Forever’, set for release on 30th January 2026.

Speaking about the new single ‘Anything Goes’, vocalist and guitarist Mykl Barton explains:

Scratching like a rat at the door of your own existence. The devil, the hell, the demon – it’s all oneself. Get down onto your knees and stare into the eyes of your shadow. See what they have to say. See who you meet. You can drift so far from yourself that the foundations can shift without you even noticing. Denial is quiet and sneaky. It’s a slow rot that can rewrite who you are. There can become a comfort in familiar pain. Change, or you will be changed.

A unique as ever, this new Sick Joy track gets under the skin. Daringly weird, with a grungy and moody vein running through it, it fascinates. Where throbbing verses create a hypnotic feel, but a powered up alternative rock twisted chorus snaps things sharply into focus. It’s different, but that’s Sick Joy for you, and it leaves you wanting more. Check it out here.

Deficit – Deathstyle

Sydney-based nu-metal/hardcore group Deficit have announced their upcoming EP, ‘Deathstyle’, is set for release Friday 21st November. To mark the occasion, the band have unveiled the title track, offering up a taste of what’s to come.

With this new release, Deficit are set on solidifying their identity by introducing the term “Deathstyle”, a genre they’ve coined to capture the essence of their sound and ethos. Says the band:

Deathstyle is not only the title of the track, it’s the very embodiment of Deficit’s sound. “Death” refers to our roots in Metal, Hardcore, Death Metal, and Deathcore, while “Style” captures the groove, catchiness, and swagger that define our identity. It’s the definition of Deficit’s own unique genre.

While I can’t say if this attempt to coin their own genre will work, what I can say is that Deficit show exactly what they mean. Delivering a vibrant and hyperactive blast of groove that utilises an array of electronic effects to create a memorable mood. That it also happens to be extremely heavy is a bonus. Be warned, this one will get stuck in the brain matter.

Tribe of Ghosts – Nerve

Brighton’s industrial post-hardcore quartet Tribe Of Ghosts have released their brand-new single ‘Nerve’. ‘Nerve’ is the second installment of the brand-new EP ‘Open Wounds’. – adding malice to the collection of emotions explored on a record that knows no bounds. ‘Open Wounds’ personifies the dark, chaotic corners of industrial post-hardcore.
Says vocalist Beccy Blaker:

‘Nerve’ is the inner exploration of the pinnacle moment of redemption and revenge. There is a sense of release and acceptance of how the resentment towards this person is destroying you from the inside-out, but this person’s demise at your hands is all consuming beyond self-preservation.

There a couple of clear (and early) take aways from what this new EP has given us so far. The first is that Tribe of Ghosts are experimenting, and this EP is a dazzling showcase of this variety. The second is that this is coming from a completely natural place, part of their evolving sound and designed to challenge. Which it does, but it is a challenge that most will relish. This one has a lightening bolt to the brain feel, where the garish electronica, pop melodies, and shout of “nerve” proves to downright schizophrenic. It is special, but what isn’t when Tribe of Ghosts are involved!? Check it out here.

Gideon – Wrong One

Tuscaloosa, Alabama quartet Gideon has released their new single ‘Wrong One’ and the official music video (via Sumerian Records). It is Gideon’s second via their new label home, following ‘Til The Wheels Fall Off’, released earlier this summer.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Wrong One’, the band commented:

We wrote this song at a time when we were simply fed up with always giving folks the benefit of the doubt. Never mistake kindness for weakness.

A punchy head banger that spits and snarls with aggression. Gideon have something to say here and express that in vitriolic fashion. Heavy and groovy, there’s nothing ground-breaking here, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t have a blast with its straightforward meaty metal approach.

Shadow Mountains – Sinking Like a Stone

Shadow Mountains, the alt-rock band from Liverpool, have released their brand-new single, ‘Sinking Like a Stone’. A track that explores the weight of growing up too fast—and the fight to stay afloat.

There is plenty about this track that can be called remarkable, such as the gaze-like melodies, smooth vocals, and overall dramatic tone. However, it’s the use of orchestral elements, courtesy of a three-piece string ensemble, that stands out. Blended to perfection with Shadow Mountains’ exciting alternative rock sound. It’s a very powerful listen. Check it out here.

Solothurn – Hollow

Solothurn, the heavy, melodic, and alternative metal band from Belfast, Northern Ireland are back with their brand-new track, ‘Hollow’.

Solothurn’s ability to sound like several different things rolled into one never fails to impress and, once again, the genre-bending band delivers something highly memorable. A track with moody groove, touches of grunge, a big melodic chorus, and exciting progressive-sounding rhythms. Over its six-plus minute run time it expands in stylish fashion, injecting new ideas, but never losing its alternative metal core. Check it out here.

Shields – Wolfskin (feat. Left To Suffer’s Taylor Barber)

Acclaimed British metalcore band Shields have announced their new album, ‘Death & Connection’, to be released 30th January 2026, via Long Branch Records. In conjunction with the album announcement, Shields have also released their new single ‘Wolfskin’, featuring Left To Suffer’s Taylor Barber, who contributed guest vocals.

Comments Shields:

Death & Connection is a body of work born from the absence of the people who no longer hold space in our lives. This record was created from a necessity to express and soothe our deepest losses; however, that was never the intention — we simply set out to make an album we wanted to hear.

Yay! We have a new Shields song, and it is fire. The modern metalcore band bring the heavy here, in addictively stompy style. It’s downright wild, delivering an intense array of serrated instrumental parts and desperately destructive vocals. What an impression it leaves, and what an introduction to the new album it is.

Alterjoy – Gold Plated Hurt

Dark-pop solo powerhouse Alterjoy has shared the sparkling new single “Gold Plated Hurt” featuring rising alt-pop artist, RinRin.

Alterjoy shares:

‘Gold Plated Hurt’ is about someone who pretended to be a friend but was really using me for their own gain. On the surface, everything seemed fine, supportive, but underneath they were manipulative and self-serving. Eventually, they fully betrayed me, and the title Gold Plated Hurt is about that contrast: something that looks valuable or genuine on the outside but is fake and painful underneath.

An unexpected team up, but not an unwelcome one, Alterjoy’s dark pop ways mesh with the alternative power of RinRin in likable fashion, with neither’s style dominating over the other. They work great together, and the emotion that comes from the track’s subject matter comes through strongly via both artist’s vocals. Check it out here.

Black Label Society – Broken and Blind

Black Label Society have dropped their newest single ‘Broken and Blind’ via MNRK Heavy / Spinefarm Records. This is the band’s third single release, pre-dated by ‘Lord Humungus’ (2025) and ‘The Gallows’ (2024), leading up to the much-anticipated new Black Label Society album scheduled for early 2026.

What’s going on gang? This is Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society. This is a new song called ‘Broken and Blind’. The song is about peanut butter and chocolate and what happens when you don’t have any of it. My soul is broken and I’m blind with rage if I don’t have any peanut butter and chocolate, so there you go, it’s a new song called ‘Broken and Blind’. Thank you, have a great day.

Short and to the point, which always feels so rare for BLS, this groovy heavy rock effort takes the best parts of the band and puts them front and centre. You know what that means! Big riffs, cool hooks, great vocals, a potent guitar solo, and a chorus that everyone can sing along to. It’s nothing special, but it is highly listenable.