If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Caleb Gowett New Idea Society is a musical project featuring Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man) and Mike Law (Wild Arrows, Eulcid). Their new single, "Lantern," is going to appeal to fans of their other bands without sounding like any of those other bands. Despite how laid back the song sounds, there is an underlying intensity throughout the track. It's both calming and energizing, and sounds like two artists pushing their sound forward. I get the feeling that Brodsky and Law are having fun experimenting on "Lantern." New Idea Society are an intriguing artist we can't wait to hear more from. Mike Law says that the band's new single  " ...evolved from one of the earliest demos for the album once we settled on a direction. The first few things I sent to Steve were a lot more visceral and raw than where we ended up. This one morphed into Steve’s lyrical vision and it was a cool and rare experience for me to sing someone else’s words ."...

Photo by Kat Bean Philadelphia's Poison Ruin have a new song out that's begging to be a punk anthem. What's interesting about "Guts (Lay Your Self Aside)" is that the new song is just about as straightforward as a punk song as you can get, but they've added just the slightest bit of psychedelia to the song. It's a fast and driving song that would make the Ramones proud with it's two and a half minute length. It's bouncy and heavy with hooks that draw you in, but there's just something a little trippy going on in the guitar. It's buzzy, but in a psychedelic way. Poison Ruin have quickly become one of our favorite current punk bands for little changes like this that help keep the genre from becoming stale. You can watch the video for "Guts (Lay Your Self Aside)" below. Hymns from the Hills is due out April 3 on Relapse Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Poison Ruin, check out the band's website . Upcoming...

Photo by Kat Bean Philadelphia punk group Poison Ruin just released the title track from their upcoming album, and you're gonna want to check this one out ASAP. While last month's "Eidolon" combined punk and metal, "Hymn from the Hills" is more of a straight up punk song... relatively speaking. Poison Ruin have their own take on the genre, and while it's undisputably punk, it doesn't exactly sound like what you imagine when you think of punk. The song is fast, but has this interesting edge that's both noise rock and New Wave. There's also an earthy feel to the song that makes me think of folk punk even though "Hymn from the Hills" is decidedly not folk punk. In a genre that can be repetitive over the last fifty or so years, it's great to see a band like Poison Ruin chart their own way. Mac Kennedy (frontman, lyricist, and guitarist) says of his band's latest single: "'Hymn from the Hills'  is about living on the...

Photo by Kat Bean Philadelphia's Poison Ruin have a new single out, and this one is huge. "Eidolon" is a monster of a song that is both punk and metal. The song might lean a little more into punk than metal, but it's still perfect for headbanging. It's a four minute track that barrels over and through the listener by pure force. Plus, the song has some of the best shredding out there today. It's a mixture of thrash and doom that's going to make you enjoy the song whether you want to or not. "Eidolon" is one of the most exciting songs I've heard in the punk/metal genre for quite some time, and if songs about bleak medieval imagery is your thing, welcome to the Poison Ruin fanclub. Lyricist/guitarist Mac Kennedy says of his band's latest single: “‘Eidolon’ is about being stuck in a broken reality, a cog in a fate-machine doomed to play out the same cursed loop until it fully breaks down. The ones who had the power to affect change have aban...

Photo by Julia Nikiforova I never thought I'd be bringing you a song from a Eurovision contender, but 2026 is a year of odd events. "Touch My Love and Die" is Myrkur's entry into the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, which sees eight contestants vying for Denmark's spot in the 2026 Eurovision contest. Myrkur is the musical project of Amalie Bruun, and this new track is an epic foray into Nordic mythology through a monster of a song. There are elements of pop music, metal, folk, and more. At times it sounds like it could be from an unreleased Broadway musical, at others it's borderline dark metal. It's a fascinating and endlessly engaging new song, and might just have me paying some attention to Eurovision this year. You can listen to "Touch My Love and Die" below. The single is out now on Relapse Records. For more on Myrkur, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook .

Sonic Praise  is one of the more batshit records I've listened to all year. It's this great mix of heavy metal riffs and 90s indie rock noise. Add to that psychedelia and African rhythms, and it's one of the most unique hard rock albums in years. Ecstatic Vision formed just last year in Philadelphia. At a time when most new bands are just finding their legs and sound, they signed to Relapse Records and already have a legendary live show.  The album opener, "Journey," isn't the best song on the album by far. I might have dismissed them based on just that song, but "Astral Plane" is fantastic. It's heavy as hell, funky, and just all around crazy. It goes on for 12 minutes, with a driving beat, rock riffs, horns, and just keeps changing throughout the entire run. For such a young band to have such a fleshed out sound that is so unique while it is completely accessible to both metalheads and indie fans, it's pretty great. You could even giv...