Single Slam: King 810, Chthonic, Rise of the Northstar, Death Angel, Vanitas, Blacklist Union, Part of the Theory, Believe in Nothing, Split Chain, Beyond Extinction, and Nailed to Obscurity!

Today’s single slam features King 810, Chthonic, Rise of the Northstar, Death Angel, Vanitas, Blacklist Union, Part of a Theory, Believe in Nothing, Split Chain, Beyond Extinction, and Nailed to Obscurity. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

King 810 – Rustbelt Nu Metal

Flint, Michigan – a huge part of America’s industrial rustbelt history, home to infamous trailblazers King 810, and the inspiration behind the band’s latest single and title track ‘Rustbelt Nu Metal’, out now. Recorded live on the spring equinox in one day in front of a live studio audience of 50 people, the music video flashes images of the harrowing reality of life on the streets of Flint; contaminated drinking water, gun fights, knife crime, unsafe sex work, and drug dependency.

These days you can never quite know what King 810 will bring as the group have entered very creative areas in recent times. Which does make this new track feel a bit regressive, even if its impassioned outburst of stark realism and honesty is notable. It’s raw and real, with reflective lyrics delivered with intensity. Not particularly exciting, but the short and sharp approach is welcome.

Chthonic – Endless Aeons

Taiwanese metal titans Chthonic return with new single ‘Endless Aeons’. The Taiwanese title of ‘Endless Aeons’ is ‘百萬遍 Pah-bān-piàn’, a Buddhist term describing the gathering of many people to chant Buddhist sutras. Ground-breaking as always, ‘Endless Aeons’ also features bassist Doris singing in the traditional Taiwanese enka style.

Lead vocalist Freddy Lim states:

CHTHONIC’s music is always about reincarnation and catastrophe – it’s very religious. In the past, our works told Taiwan’s ever-reincarnating catastrophes. When I discovered that actually someone close in my family is a victim of one of these catastrophes, it became personal, and started writing ‘Endless Aeons’ and other songs. When will these catastrophes be over? If we could start our lives all over again, would it be possible for us to be without remorse? This song is a question, and the answer.

A dynamic sounding return for Chthonic, one with layers of imagination warped by their heavy approach and experimental edges. Here we have a more cinematic style for Chthonic, which fits the dramatic subject matter, and the band deliver it with power and poise. As savage as it can be, it’s the melody that really cuts through. Check it out here.

Rise of the Northstar – Neo Paris

French iconic metal band Rise of the Northstar return with a brand-new single called ‘Neo Paris’. A three-minute reminder to the world of the band’s nationality, an anthemic tribute to their origins.

It’s great to have them back, and great to hear them sounding as intense as ever. This new Rise of the Northstar track is more than just a tribute to their origins, it’s a tribute to the genre-bending sound that defines them. Delivering old-school nu-metal vibes with modern rock infectiousness and tons of excitable crossover passion.

Death Angel – Wrath (Bring Fire)

Thrash legends Deaht Angel are back with their first new music in six years. In anticipation for their upcoming summer Summer of Wrath European Tour, the band have released a brand-new song called ‘Wrath (Bring Fire)’ via Nuclear Blast.

Hell, bloody, yeah, Death Angel are back and with a powerful blast of thrash gold. The kind of heavy head banging noise that you must turn up loud. Featuring ripping riffs, roaring vocals, pounding drumbeats, and just enough hyperactivity to get the heart beating fast in the chest. It’s wholly uncomplicated, but that just means we can focus on head banging until it hurts. Check it out here.

Vanitas – Lucid Dreams

Unstoppable cinematic progressive metal band Vanitas are back with a brand-new single called ‘Lucid Dreams’.

What an absolute quality run this band is on, and unsurprisingly, it continues with another heady and heavy experience here. Vanitas’ ability to sound like nothing else, but also so definable because of what they’ve put out already, is so impressive, and here they go the anthemic route more than anything else. It’s not just the vocals, which are immense, it’s the prevailing progressive power of the guitars and drums, as well as vibrant cinematic flourishes, that make this such an unforgettable listen. The chorus is spectacular. Check it out here.

Blacklist Union – Mississippi Moonhound

Blacklist Union continue to create their own irresistible & shamanistic blend of Stone Temple Pilots, Guns N’ Roses, Malfunkshun, The Cult & Mother Love Bone. Following the 2024 singles ‘Horns & Halos’ & ‘Hey Mr Superstar’, new single ‘Mississippi Moonhound’, captures the feeling of being haunted by your past while howling into the night for something more. It is the debut single from the forthcoming LP ‘Slay the Dragon’, the band’s 6th studio album.

A track you can groove to, in old-school hard rock style, while having easily definable anthemic qualities that give it wider appeal, this new Blacklist Union track is a foot-tapper and finger-snapper. Which are words that underplay the tracks power to some degree. Rest assured, it gets under skin, and try as you might, it will be stuck in your head for hours afterwards.

Part of the Theory – Famished Mammon

Part of the Theory is a progressive soundtrack band that combines a modern, edgy sound with cinematic orchestrations. All of which, and more, can be experienced on their debut single, ‘Famished Mammon’.

Very cool, very imaginative, and very repeatable, Part of the Theory have a grand sound, but it’s also a sound that you can bang your head to. Not only is it uniquely cinematic sounding, but their progressive approach feels fresh. It’s extremely interesting music, challenging, but also addictive. Their debut single!? A lot of people are going to love this. Check it out here.

Believe in Nothing – Complete Desolation

Believe In Nothing have released their second new single ‘Complete Desolation’, which serves as a stark reminder of the unimaginable evil taking place in our world at any given moment.

Says the band:

The song “Complete Desolation” is an early song we wrote that helped shape the overall sound of the band. It forces you into a future where the wars have been fought, and the mistakes have been made. Primal horror and an economy of pain are all that remain.

Discomfort in aural form, although even that brief description doesn’t fully convey the wretchedness that is on display here. Believe in Nothing aimed to create something disturbing, something that stays with you even though you’d rather it didn’t, and their mission is seriously accomplished here. It’s easy to call this noise, especially as it comes in such obnoxious style, but it’s so clever, you can’t help but be mesmerised by it.

Split Chain – Subside

Hotly-tipped Bristol nu-gaze band, Split Chain, have released new single, ‘Subside’, taken from their eagerly anticipated debut album, ‘motionblur’, released July 11th on Epitaph Records.

Speaking of the new single, ‘Subside’, frontman Bert Martinez-Cowles says:

‘Subside’ is a call-out song to the antagonists in everybody’s life. It’s a break out from the judgemental, close-minded people who consistently try to bring you down to their shitty level. ‘Subside’ is the realisation that you are under no obligation to anyone and owe nothing to any of those people. Free yourself from the dead weight in your life and allow yourself to grow past them so you can thrive and live life in a way that works for you.

A stronger flavour of rawness and an overall aggressive tone, blended with dramatic ‘gazey’ elements, Split Chain are very unique listening experience. Something that is encapsulated in less than three bright and brilliant minutes here. There’s some early-noughties alternative vibes, touches of Deftones, but there’s nothing dated about it. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Check it out here.

Beyond Extinction – Winter Sun

Essex’s own death metallers Beyond Extinction have released their brand new single and music video for ‘Winter Sun’.

On the new single, vocalist Jasper Harmer comments:

We’ve allowed ourselves to explore more creatively with this song, relying less on the onslaught of heavy, low tuned riffs to convey the weight of the track. Danny drew a more atmospheric card, providing a canvas for the story and lyrics of a god abandoning his children to create a piece that is as acutely heavy as it is spacious. ‘Winter Sun’ delivers a sound which expands over the approaching direction that the band is going to take, widening the borders of the down-tuned, slow sound at the core of Beyond Extinction while nailing home our heaviest moments in its execution.

Would anyone really be complaining if Beyond Extinction carried on exactly where they left off? I think not, but that’s not what the band clearly want to do as this new single sees them experimenting and trying out some new things. It just so happens that this still results in a brutalising listen. The slow tempo is addictively sickening, but it’s all about a breakdown that goes so freaking hard. Check it out here.

Nailed To Obscurity – Overcast

Nailed To Obscurity are excited to reveal the name and release date of their fifth studio album, ‘Generation of The Void’, which will be out on September 5th, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. Alongside the announcement of the pre-order, a music video for the new single ‘Overcast’ has been unveiled.

Nailed To Obscurity commented:

We are beyond excited to finally share this with all of you. Generation Of The Void marks a new era for Nailed To Obscurity — heavier, darker, more dynamic than anything we’ve ever done before. This album is the result of years of evolution, and it’s our most atmospheric and intense journey yet, pushing every boundary we’ve ever set for ourselves.

‘Overcast’ captures the bleakness of a world in ruins — a driving, post-apocalyptic anthem with a haunting melody and an eruption of raw, relentless energy. It’s a song about finding the strength to move on when everything familiar has turned to dust. We can’t wait to play this one live on our upcoming headline tour this fall!

A little slow off the mark, even though the guitar tone is promising, when this track gets going (and you’ll know when), it really turns into a beastly head banger with powerful riffs, crunchy drumming, and vitriolic vocals. What seemed fairly unimaginative turns into something quite spectacular, a riffy slice of blackened death metal as only this band is capable of producing.