By a Thread
It appears that Vancouver, B.C., Canada's By a Thread has continued their pattern of suddenly releasing a new album over a decade after the last! And, like the rest of their discography, Mirrored Life does not disappoint. The new material definitely has some of that growth and "maturity" type of thing happening, finding a number of compositions exploring more spacious and subdued passages, but you're still in for soaring vocals aplenty, and opener "Void" is a high-energy hookfest that proves right off the bat that they've still got it (as does later high mark, "Radiation"). If for any reason this is your first exposure to the band, I must beg you to check out all of their earlier work, too—some of the most underrated hard-hitting, emo-tinged post-hardcore out there. Seriously.
Mirrored Life is out now through the great Spartan Records (or Bandcamp) on metallic silver or metallic gold vinyl. Devil Dog's got you covered in Europe. Additional exclusive variants are available through Dine Alone, RevHQ, and Thirty Something. If you must stream, Spotify, Apple Music, and other sources exist.
Dazzling Killmen
Dazzling Killmen is a name that I've been familiar with and almost certainly investigated in the past, but for whatever reason things didn't click until this reissue of their long-out-of-print debut full-length from 1992 started making the rounds. It strikes my ears as the textbook definition of angular, mathy noise rock—a niche that they were no doubt helping to mold beyond its infancy 35 years ago. In rare instances, atypical passages hit me with a hint of hardcore or even "emo" influence, but this material is far less "indie"-sounding than some. For the most part, be prepared for a chaotically aggressive edge—frantic and almost jazzy at times, and not without melody, though it all hits with much more of that trademark noise rock skronk than anything. Also cool is that the work somehow manages to carry a certain sense of looseness while being performed tight as shit. Totally the kind of thing that a narrow-minded hardcore/metal dork like me wouldn't "get" back in the day, but as a grizzled old man, I'm like, "Yeah, clearly, this is great!"
Skin Graft Records has reissued Dig Out the Switch primarily on LP. The CDs are made-on-demand, and I'm not sure how that'll turn out yet, as my copy hasn't arrived at the time of this writing. Hit up Bandcamp for both physical and digital; or stream through Spotify, Apple Music, and all that.
Staple
I believe I saw mention of Staple somewhere on Instagram in a context that cited them being heavily influenced by '90s hardcore act Strain (members of which are coincidentally now in By a Thread above), and that piqued my interest immediately. Indeed, that comparison does make sense given the Los Angeles group's penchant for a form of metallic hardcore that centers around dense, mid-paced power chord rhythms and a pounding type of tempo/delivery, though the vocal style reminds me more of Cold as Life (another high compliment). As with so many such acts these days, they're not exactly breaking new ground, but to draw inspiration from lesser-discussed groups like Strain is a welcome change of pace from the norm, and Staple has the chops to do it right. Keep an eye out...
Act of Faith is available on digital or disc via Walking on Water through Bandcamp. Stream using Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
Verminizer
Amongst the latest from Verminizer (ex-Watchmaker, ex-Abhorred, etc.) is an appearance on a four-way split CD—aptly titled Tetrological Mortar Storm—alongside fellow über-extreme underground grind fanatics Bvrt Bacharach, Goat Felch (yikes), and Psycho. This not being a neighborhood of grindcore that I spend much time in, Verminizer has been my primary focus, and the brashness of their over-the-top ferocity herein is perhaps best exemplified by the fact that their contributions are at least twice as loud as every other band! I will say, though, as earsplitting and relentless as their attack may be, these compositions are managing to weave much more graspable riffs into place—hell, on at least one occasion you can actually decipher a hint of bass guitar!? Listener mileage will surely vary, but curious fans of blistering drum machine grind that borders on caustic, noisy thrash should take note.
A cooperative release between Killeveryone International and Fudgeworthy Records, Tetrological Mortar Storm is available digitally and on CD in a DVD case with always eye-catching artwork from Verminizer vocalist Brian Vocal Terror. It doesn't appear to be streaming, which might be just as well, as I feel like this would probably melt Spotify. Wait, on second thought, that might actually be an excellent achievement!?
Vicious Rumors
I literally hadn't ever listened to anything Vicious Rumors had done since 1994, but this album also came highly recommended on Instagram, and the song "Dogs of War" ripped so hard that I ordered a copy right away. I'm pretty shocked that a once-mighty heavy metal band who's been releasing albums for 40 years and undergone a million lineup changes (two O.G.s do remain) is dishing out something this enjoyable in 2025, I must say. My only mild complaint is that some of the drums sound too digital, so certain fills can jump out and interrupt the listening experience a bit (this is most notable in the opening track and not too bothersome elsewhere), but... killer riffs, strong vocal performance, admirable songwriting... they really pulled it off here. A truly pleasant surprise that's got a damn good chance of impressing other hard-headed skeptics like me.
The Devil's Asylum is out now on Steamhammer, CD or LP. Google it and you can find copies through plenty of other outlets, too. Bandcamp's got your digital; and Spotify and Apple Music and such will cover those who stream.
Void
Louisiana thrashers Void had landed on my radar a few times recently, but to be honest with you I ignored them for weeks because the band name and new album's cover art didn't really inspire me to dig any deeper. But then a friend hit me up about 'em and made a loose comparison to tech-thrash legends Realm, so I couldn't help but go check this out ASAP. The band's aesthetic would imply something of the more traditional/power metal variety, but while such influences are certainly present, the overall vibe is much more reminiscent of classic technical thrash metal—think the aforementioned Realm, Toxik, etc. Fast-paced and energetic with strong melodic undercurrents, tactfully restrained keyboards, and vocals that shift between the conventional thrash semi-shout; singing; and the occasional high-end, Destruction-esque shriek. I'm absolutely blown away. This is extremely impressive material and really recaptures characteristics of this form of metal that you almost never properly encounter these days. Shit, this might even be one of the year's finest!?
Forbidden Morals is out now on all formats through Shadow Kingdom Records, as well as on Bandcamp. If you'd prefer streaming for some reason, look to Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
