Single Slam: Lordi, Rogue Awakening, To the Grave, Pearl Handled Revolver, Sicksense, and King Kraken!

Today’s single slam features Lordi, Rogue Awakening, To the Grave, Pearl Handled Revolver, Sicksense, and King Kraken. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Lordi – Hellizabeth

Iconic Finnish hard rock monster squad Lordi live up to their name and present a frightening music video for their latest single ‘Hellizabeth’. The track can also be found on their upcoming 19th studio album ‘Limited Deadition’, which will be released on March 21, 2025, via RPM.

Mr Lordi explains:

‘Hellizabeth’ is another typical LORDI song, both lyrically and musically. It’s styled in the vein of a horror film storyboard about a woman’s ghost house haunting experience. Musically, I think the main WOW moment is the weirdly progressive beginning of the song. It stems from childhood memories of trying to learn to play an instrument. It’s actually just the vocal melody of the verse being played in the style of a nine year-old, with the whole band playing the same thing in unison and nothing in between. That’s how at least my brain worked with music as a kid, before I realized ‘Oh, the vocal melody is different and the stuff in the background is supposed to give it harmony and chorus!’

Classic Lordi, infectious and likable, featuring egregious synth wrapped around a rocking chorus. It’s an accessible singalong with a solid feel, made even more enjoyable thanks to the ‘supernatural’ angle that comes through the music, and not just the video. It’s Lordi, you shouldn’t expect anything ground-breaking, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.

Rogue Awakening – Little Death

Rogue Awakening, the hard rock/alt metal band from Horsham, are back with a brand-new single called ‘Little Death’. Out Tuesday 18^th of February 2025. It’s about being stuck in an unhealthy and obsessive state of mind but wanting desperately to escape it.’

Hopefully you’re already aware that Rogue Awakening are one to be keeping a very close eye on, but if you’re new to the rocking experience that is this band, you’re coming in at a good time. They’re on fire, and this new single is a hard rock beast with thick riffs, groovy beats, and powerful vocals. Not only is it catchy, but it comes with interesting twists on the alt-metal formula, specifically a moodier tone. Check it out here upon release.

To the Grave – Forced Diet Reassignment

Australian deathcore unit To the Grave has dropped ‘Forced Diet Reassignment’, a new single via Unique Leader Records.

Dane Evans (vocals) comments:

‘Forced Diet Reassignment’ is just a fun one we ripped off the cutting room floor from ‘Everyone’s A Murderer’ (2024). We tried to turn it into something of an intro to the rest of the deeper cuts that may or may not see the light of day, throwing as many new and old elements of the band into such a short song almost for the sake of it. TTGHC.

Pure aggression playing out in ugly style and in less than two minutes, To the Grave crush it here. It’s as simple as that. Nothing complex; just bruising drums, scaring riffs, and cauterising vocals that deliver a deathcore sound that will make you wince. Check it out here.

Pearl Handled Revolver – Space Invader

Enigmatic UK dark rockers Pearl Handled Revolver are back with their deeply alluring new album, ‘Tales You Lose’, which arrives on Friday 18th April. The Bedford based quintet have now revealed their compelling new single and video, ‘Space Invader’.

As unique and lovable as ever, Pearl Handled Revolver continue to push boundaries in fascinating fashion with this new single. It’s weird, but it is wonderful, thanks to catchy bursts and several delightful twists and turns. While that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, after all, they genre-bend excessively, they still find fresh ways to capture the imagination. This one is going to get stuck in the head.

Sicksense – In This Carousel

Phoenix nu-metal juggernauts Sicksense, have unveiled their fourth single, ‘In This Carousel’, a deep and emotional track, showing the darker side of the band. This is taken from their upcoming debut full-length album, ‘Cross Me Twice’, out 28th March 2025 via Earache Records.

Sicksense continue to show off their diverse sound with a more melodic and melodramatic effort. One that delivers power in a different, but still enjoyable way. The focus being on the vocals, with both Rob the Ripper and Killer V sounding immense. There’s so much to unpack here. It’s a multiple time listen that delivers treat after treat each time. One of the best tracks the band has released so far. Check it out here.

King Kraken – Hero

Welsh metallers King Kraken have shared their brand new single and music video for ‘Hero’. The track is an emotionally charged powerhouse that the band holds very close to their hearts, playing an important part in the story of their upcoming second album ‘March of the Gods’, due for self-release on 18th April.

Written about the untimely passing of vocalist Mark Donoghue’s father, the lyrics speak of the irreplaceable void left by a loved one and the enduring legacy that they leave behind.

On the new single, the band comment:

This song came from a very personal place, a deep well of emotion. It’s a tribute to Mark’s dad, and it’s about the profound impact a father has on his children. We stripped things back for this one. No bombast, just raw emotion, soulful vocals, and a stripped-down arrangement that lets the music breathe. You’ll hear a side of us you might not expect, but it’s honest, it’s real, and it’s deeply moving.

Incredible. It simply doesn’t get more personal than this, and even though it’s such a different type of song for the band, they throw their all into delivering something so memorable. Who would have expected King Kraken to throw out something so dramatic, so powerful, and so heavy with emotion? Hugely impressive.