Single Slam: Burner, Gideon, Urzah, Slick Cage, CHUB, Garrow Hill, Outlier., Bokassa, Kulk, Shooting Daggers, Indecent Behaviour, and Din of Celestial Birds!

Today’s single slam features Burner, Gideon, Urzah, Slick Cage, CHUB, Garrow Hill, Outlier., Bokassa, Kulk, Shooting Daggers, Indecent Behaviour, and Din of Celestial Birds. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Burner – Sunrise, Parabellum

Blackened hardcore band, Burner have released the new video single ‘Sunrise, Parabellum’ featuring Matt Heafy of Trivium. The single is taken from their highly anticipated sophomore album ‘No One is Coming to Save Us’, out 25th September via Church Road Records.

Gawd damn, does this one hit hard. Burner are back and in a vitriolic mood, hammering the mind into mush with a brutal instrumental display and a vehement vocal showcase. They sound furious, but it’s fury coming from a very real place, which is what gives the track its sharpness. Matt Heafy’s guest spot is also really potent and memorable. This is going to be downright dangerous when played live.

Gideon – 4×4

Tuscaloosa, Alabama quartet Gideon have released their new track ‘4×4’ and the official music video via Sumerian Records.

It’s really hard to say anything positive about this new Gideon track. Country core? This direction they’ve been heading in is so boring and bland and this track embodies a lack of imagination. However, to make matters worse, the mix is bad, the lyrics are cringy, and it just feels like a big joke. I like Gideon, but this is not good music. Check it out here.

Urzah – The Call Beneath

Bristol based sludge metal band Urzah will release their new album ‘A Tranquil Void’ on June 5th via APF Records (Mastiff, Video Nasties, Swamp Coffin). They have now shared one final single before the album is out in the form of ‘The Call Beneath’.

The journey is almost over and what a delight it has been, especially as each track has showcased a unique side to Urzah and this final single is no different. It’s a track liable to give heart palpitations at first, but as it settles, it takes on a really hypnotic style that pushes progressive thinking forward while not steering too far away from the groove-infused sludge that embodies Urzah. The end part of the track, particularly the drumming, is really creative.

Slick Cage – Sink

Leeds-based art rock quintet Slick Cage have released their debut single, ‘Sink’.

You only get one chance at an impression, and Slick Cage make sure to leave a big one with their slice of alternative weirdness. A disjointed combination of ideas that genre bends in interesting ways, resulting in something that does stick in the mind. Clearly, they’re not afraid to experiment, and that makes the future quite exciting. Check it out here.

CHUB – Beans

CHUB, a crossover thrash/party punk band from Brighton & Eastbourne, are back with the single, ‘Beans’.

Says the band:

This is a re-recording of a song we self produced several years ago, lovingly remade in much higher quality along with a brand new cut of the ketchup-sodden music video for your enjoyment. It’s an ode to public sector workers and a rage against the system which treats them so unfairly, but despite the serious subject matter the tone is energetic and fun, and the video is pure nonsense. It was masterfully produced by the talented Jasper Lyons of Bad Habit Studios in Eastbourne, and we really hope you enjoy it!

I don’t need to tell you that Beans is a blast, because you already know that, right? This remade version improves the sound (and video) quality, making CHUB’s party punk and metal antics even more potent. They’re a fun band, but they’re a band with something to say too and this track combines the best of both worlds. I love it, even I’m not actually a big beans fan!

Garrow Hill – Eaten by Crows

Rising from the UK underground, Garrow Hill return with a new release that builds on everything they’ve been developing over the years. It is the new single and video, ‘Eaten by Crows’, followed by their five-track EP, ‘IX’, on July 31st.

A cool track with some obvious mainstream appeal, but with rawer underground aspects that give the track a bit more bite. It combines anthemic rock elements with punchier metallised and punk-infused rhythms and melodies, resulting in something quite memorable overall. Check it out here.

Outlier. – The Coffin

Outlier, the melodic hardcore band from Berkshire, have released their brand-new single, ‘The Coffin’.

A frantic start immediately gets the attention, and in an instant Outlier have a tight grip as the track develops further into a detailed and punchy melodic hardcore banger. It has got weight, is delivered with passion, and isn’t afraid to go wild, but is also quite infectious. Check it out here.

Bokassa – Doesn’t Matter If You Love It Here

Bokassa are back with their brand new single ‘Doesn’t Matter If You Love It Here’.

The Norwegian stoner punks have this to say about their new single:

‘Doesn’t Matter If You Love It Here’ is a song about something running its course and being beyond saving. Sort of like the relationship between humans and the natural resources on this earth, which has taken its toll because of our negligence.

Bokassa doing Bokassa things, which if you know this band, is a very good thing. Filled with rocking stoner energy and catchy groove. It’s a bit of a throwback, perfectly encapsulating the band and what we all love about them. This one will get stuck in the mind.

Kulk – An Endless Knife

Norwich based doom duo Kulk have announced their new album ‘Choosing to Die’, out 28th August via Church Road Records. Along with news of the album, Kulk have also released their new video single ‘An Endless Knife’.

Says the band:

An Endless Knife is about growing up. When we’re younger, sometimes it feels like we’re invincible. Like everyone we know and love are constant parts of the universe. When that reality is shattered, it changes how we see the world. You come to realise we are all just a couple of bad days from the worst. At the same time, it feels devastating. It reminds us to look after each other.

Rarely does wailing feedback create such a tense feel, but that’s Kulk for you and when it finally breaks, it doesn’t any less uncomfortable. The band delivering a hefty, heavy, and harsh sound that will make you gurn, either in disgust or pleasure. Either way, Kulk leaves an impression. Check it out here.

Shooting Daggers – My Oh My

Following their recent single which featured Refused’s Dennis Lyxzén, London punk band Shooting Daggers have shared the 2nd track from their upcoming mini-album ’The Real Life Thing’, which is out on 5th June via New Heavy Sounds (Cwfen, Death Pill, MWWB).

According to the band, the new single ‘My Oh My’ is “a song about hope:

We must keep faith, because hope and resilience is what drives change, and we have to hold on to it. It’s about freedom for every country suffering the consequences of hegemony and the greed for power. It’s also about freedom for all animals, and an end to suffering in all its forms.

Shooting Daggers are one of the most underrated modern punk bands in the country, but it does feel like more people are beginning to pay attention to them. Something that’s helping is the expansion of their sound and this new single embodies that. A highly rock focused affair that makes melody sound both heartfelt and hopeful. As it goes on, its power only increases, becoming more intense, but not losing the thoughtfulness and soulfulness that runs through it like a thick vein.

Indecent Behaviour – Land of Eagerness

After performing at Rock am Ring, Rock im Park and touring with Neck Deep, zebrahead and Donots, German pop punk up-and-comers Indecent Behavior return with their single ‘Land of Eagerness‘.

Indecent Behavior singer Henrik Bergmann comments on the new single:

Every day we are told that we need more. More possessions, more status, more impact. We are expected to show what we have so that others believe we are someone. But what is left of a person when they live only to meet other people’s expectations? While money disappears for nothing, people buy things they never wanted in the first place. Not because they need them. Not because they love them. But simply to impress. To belong. To survive in a world that confuses value with effect and replaces personality with consumption. And all of this happens because society teaches us that recognition matters more than honesty. That you have to drive when you could walk. That you have to own when you could do without. That you have to keep up, even when you have already lost yourself in the process. ‘Land Of Eagerness’ is a song about exactly that emptiness. About people sacrificing their money, their convictions, and eventually themselves, just to live up to an image that was never truly theirs. About a world full of pressure, full of rules, full of false promises. About a society that keeps telling us to have more while leaving us feeling less and less. Ten years ago, the song was first released on Indecent Behavior’s debut EP Slaves to the Rules. To mark its 10th anniversary, the band is now releasing a new re-recorded version of the track. But its message is just as bitter today as it was back then. Maybe even more so. Because the pressure to present yourself has only grown stronger. Because people are still trying to fill emptiness with things they do not need, just to impress people who give them nothing in return. A song full of energy and anger that raises the question too often drowned out by all the noise: What do you really feel anymore?

Not only as fun as ever, but filled with hearty fire and soulful meaning, this new Indecent Behaviour track will put a smile on faces. It’s a sharp listen with a notable amount of punky rawness, but its energy and drive is beyond addictive. Check it out here.

Din of Celestial Birds – Takeoffs & Landings

‘Takeoffs & Landings’ is the title track and first single to be taken from Din of Celestial Bird’s forthcoming album. A concept album all about adventure, travel, and the journey of life, literally and figuratively, encompassing all the stresses and triumphs. Din Of Celestial Birds will be flying beside their new label Big Scary Monsters. ‘Takeoffs & Landings’ will land on August 7th on vinyl, CD, digital and streaming.

Who had one of the most uplifting songs of the year being released by Din of Celestial Birds on their bingo card? This new track is gorgeous, with soul buoying properties, but it’s how cathartic it feels that makes the difference. Din of Celestial Birds ability to make a person feel is second to none, but here they prove they are far from a one-trick pony. This new album is going to be very special.