Back with another round of interesting singles while we have the chance, before the spring releases start to pile up! This month we cover Electric Callboy, End Eve, Ghostkill, Jiluka, LustQueen, Mazari, Not Enough Space, Not Secured Loose Ends, Revocation, Schrodinger’s Dog, Season of Ghosts (pictured above), Stellvris, and Wraithstorm.
Electric Callboy “Elevator Operator”
Electric Callboy returns with another fun, energetic track that’s bound to stick in your head for weeks on end. A nice combination, one merges upbeat electronic and dance influences along with their metalcore-inspired riffing and moments of aggression, generates all of the band’s best qualities and pushes them right to the forefront. They continue to sit in their own musical space. (Electric Callboy official website)(Electric Callboy on Facebook)
End Eve “Taste It”
Val Gallo, the voice of End Eve, is an independent artist from Los Angeles, and “Taste It” is only her second single to date. It’s an intriguing mixture of a multitude of elements from metal to rock to pop, laced with industrial and electronic touches. A modern, genre-bending sound for sure, and “Taste It” feels raw and emotionally charged, elevating melodic hooks in the chorus, and a visceral breakdown later that’s pulsating as much with electronics as it is metallic power. (End Eve on Facebook)(End Eve on Instagram)
Ghost Kill “Breakaway”
A single to follow-up their 2024 self-titled EP, “Breakaway” sees Ghost Kill continuing to provide an ear-catching dynamic that swerves between haunting melodies and infectious aggression. Some plodding, mid-tempo riffs and screams give the track the backbone to move into more melodic territory, which doesn’t go for the easy route. Instead the melodies feel more eerie yet ethereal, providing an almost melancholic edge to the song to capitalize on. (Ghost Kill on Facebook)(Ghost Kill on Instagram)
Jiluka “Kvlt”
Harsh electronics, rapped vocals, gothic atmosphere, and frantic blastbeats all mix together in Jiluka’s latest song. The track never lacks for urgency as the abrasive tones and bombastic synths fight for attention against the heavy riff backdrop. Toss in an astonishing breakdown later in the track, and you can see how it’s consistently moving around from one thing to the next, though never loosing any coherence to it. (Jiluka official website)
LustQueen “Flag”
Another upbeat, rock-forward track from LustQueen. Yuina’s vocals absolutely soar in the chorus, and the driving rthyms behind her provide an added urgency to the music, and the moments of piano are a nice touch, without slowing down the song’s energy. The bass stands out nicely too, with a playful tone that works off of the guitarwork. Hopefully we continue to get LustQueen tracks frequently. (LustQueen official website)(LustQueen on X)
Mazari “Ushi no Koku Mairi”
マザリ, or Mazari, is a new 7-member alt idol group that is “cursed.” The song’s unique blend of traditional sounding Japanese instrumentation, heavy riffing, soaring melodies, and lots of addictive vocal melodies. They don’t shy away from some brutal screams either, making for a shocking and enticing performance. This is only their third single since their announcment back in October of last year, but it seems they’re already onto big things. (Mazari official website)(Mazari on X)
Not Enough Space “Solace in Silence”
An up-and-coming Florida-based metalcore act, Not Enough Space finds balance in providing some rather heavy moments and pairing them with more melodic ones. The two vocal approach gives them some layers to tie into the music, and the ‘get to the point’ runtime makes for a real ripper of a track. Lots of frantic riffing swirled into some standout melodic moments, even finding time for a breakdown and fiery guitar solo all in less than 3-minutes. (Not Enough Space on Instagram)(Not Enough Space on Facebook)
Not Secured, Loose Ends “VanilLament”
Alt idol act Not Secured, Loose Ends are back with their heavy yet melancholic sound for “VanilLament.” Some vicious moments with harsh riffing and screams trades blows with more somber and almost gloomy sounding sections that really stand out in the alt idol scene (which is still mostly geared in the ‘heavy yet upbeat’). It’s an intriguing cut that could offer some metal fans a nice entryway into the genre. (Not Secured, Loose Ends on X)
Revocation “Confines of Infinity”
A new stand-alone track from Revocation is brutal enough as is, but they went ahead and brought in Cattle Decapitation’s Travis Ryan to give it an even heavier touch. The track twists and turns through labyrinthine riffs and unrelenting energy, with just the right touch of an eerie atmosphere on top, particularly when the track slows down. It’s a riff monster, something Revocation always manages to produce to their best efforts. (Revocation official website)(Revocation on Instagram)
Schrodinger’s Dog “System Breaker”
Always quick to bring forth another track, Schrodinger’s Dog quickly returns with a buzzing, electronic song to sink your teeth into. The bouncing, futuristic electronics are given a rumbling metal-meets-industrial rhythm to them, bolstering the music into a catchy, pulsating hybrid. The chorus hits the most upbeat and energetic vibes, and is bound to stick into the head of anyone who encounters it. (Schrodinger’s Dog official website)(Schrodinger’s Dog on X)
Season of Ghosts “Lifeline”
Season of Ghosts return with their first new track since the pair they offered up in 2022. The futuristic electrometal band storm back with a vengeance, keeping their East-meets-West sound intact while increasing the visceral edge (including some solid growls from Sophia Aslanides). That said, there’s plenty of beauty doled out, with a potent chorus and lots of melodies, with propel the bursts of aggression with even more force. Ethereal with an explosive side, here’s hoping for more material soon from this unique group. (Season of Ghosts official website)(Season of Ghosts on Instagram)
Stellvris “Starships”
Yes, it’s a metal cover of a Nicki Minaj song. While some might be initially taken aback, Stellvris has been a consistently potent force in the modern metal world, and “Starships” is a fun and admittedly heavy take on the early ’10s track. The grooves are danceable and it does a good job of preserving the original while twisting it into heavy territory, it also goes into full on chaos as goes on with a massively aggressive breakdown. (Stellvris on Facebook)(Stellvris on Instagram)
Wraithstorm “Uniformity”
The first single from Wraithstorm to come from their upcoming album Revenant is the frantic melodeath cut “Uniformity.” The song manages to take that old school, urgent feeling that’s full of memorable riffs and hook-y melodies and recapture it quite effectively. An effective slowdown and build up later on really brings the melodies to the forefront. An album to watch for if you dig melodic death metal done right. (Wraithstorm on Facebook)(Wraithstorm on Bandcamp)