Heavy Music of the Week is a characteristic on Heavy ipromiseyoumedia breaking down the highest metallic, punk, and exhausting rock tracks you might want to hear each Friday. This week, No. 1 goes to HEALTH’s new single “ORDINARY LOSS.”
HEALTH have described their new album as one among “anger, worry, and catharsis,” and the band’s resolution to announce it amidst this week’s information cycle — on September eleventh of all days — appears calculated to a point. Singer Jacob Duzsik just about sums it up in his album-announce quote, one of many extra eye-opening press launch quotes we’ve encountered in a while:
“The long run is shit and the telephone you might be studying this on is making it worse, however please don’t put it down.”
The misanthropy extends to the music itself, as heard on the opening observe and lead single “ORDINARY LOSS.” Electro-industrial percussion kilos away by a claustrophobic combine, the one concession to melody being Duzsik’s unmistakable, clean-sung coos. However even these are used to move some grim phrases (“All that’s left is unhappiness” … “The lifeless are blessed with no desires”). Harsh music for harsher occasions.
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Honorable Mentions:
AFI – “Holy Visions”
“Holy Visions” is one other fantastic instance of AFI‘s present sonic route, which is principally full-blown ’80s gothic new-wave worship. If there’s one knock on this observe versus the earlier single — a HSOTW choice — it’s that AFI get a little bit too ’80s trope-y right here, whereas “Behind the Clock” noticed the band exploring an open-ended association that was extra distinct in character. Nonetheless, that is topshelf stuff should you’re available in the market for goth new wave in 2025.
Dangerous Omens – “Impose”
Dangerous Omens proceed to subvert expectations, ditching metallic and metalcore solely on the R&B-tinged “Impose.” The usage of breakbeats and digital textures ends in a melodic cascade that rises and falls in quantity. Singer Noah Sebastian follows go well with, his emotive vocals remaining regular and unwavering, by no means fairly rising to a scream. The band put on this fashion nicely — possibly too nicely, not less than for the contingency of followers preferring when Dangerous Omens hold it extra metalcore.
Coheed and Cambria – “Key Entity Extraction VII: Yuko the Trivial”
When you don’t sustain with Coheed and Cambria‘s ongoing world-building idea albums — the band has its personal saga of sci-fi lore at this level — approaching a tune titled “Key Entity Extraction VII: Yuko the Trivial” may seem to be leaping into the proverbial deep finish. Fortunately, you don’t have to know a lot in regards to the band’s “entities” or storylines to get pleasure from their newest single. This four-minute pop rocker is as accessible as something within the band’s canon, and even when the lyrics are knowledgeable by a story, they’re common sufficient to face on their very own.
