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Another week has been and gone, and it's time for The Soundcheck's "Soundcheck" segment, where we dive a bit deeper into 5 x of our favourite new releases that have dropped this week to carry you into the weekend - and beyond!
This week we've got: the insatiable new team-up from Mastodon and Lamb of God, a nuanced nautical masterpiece from Nightwish, indie rock darlings Slowly Slowly drop a new gem, NTH RD grip the senses with an existential anthem, and Yours Truly drop a killer new music video in the midst of supporting Thirty Seconds To Mars.
Mastodon & Lamb of God - Floods Of Triton (Single) A pairing worthy of the gods themselves, the brand new single Floods Of Triton sees Mastodon and Lamb of God collaborating in sensational fashion.
Named for the Greek god of the sea, and son of Poseidon, Triton, Floods Of Triton seamlessly intertwines both bands' earlier sonic trademarks throughout, while also resoundingly serving as a reminder as to why these two bands continue to be so revered and celebrated in the heavy metal and global music scene.
Recorded in Mastodon's West End Sound in Atlanta, Floods Of Triton also fittingly arrives off the back of the Ashes Of Leviathan Tour, with Mastodon and Lamb of God teaming up to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Mastodon's Leviathan and Lamb of God's Ashes of the Wake.
Aussie fans will get the chance to catch Mastodon live in action this December, with the revered Atlanta quartet lined up to appear at Good Things Festival. Meanwhile, Lamb of God most recently performed down under earlier this year as part of Knotfest.
Floods Of Triton is out now. Watch the visualiser here.
For more Mastodon info, head here.
For more Lamb Of God info, head here.
Nightwish - An Ocean Of Strange Islands (Single)
Still in the ocean vein, this week Finnish symphonic metal collective Nightwish have released another cut taken from their upcoming new album, with new track An Ocean Of Strange Islands out now ahead of the release of the band's tenth studio album Yesterwynde next week.
An Ocean Of Strange Islands is full of cavernous beauty, orchestral flourishes and pulsating urgency. With nautical theatricality underlining proceedings, An Ocean Of Strange Islands also flexes the extremely stacked talent that Nightwish possess, notably Floor Jansen's powerhouse vocal performance, scalpel-like guitarwork and relentless percussion.
"The song An Ocean Of Strange Islands gives you sheer heaviness with its massive guitars, epic orchestrations and phenomenal vocals by Floor Jansen. Classic Nightwish at its best! - Tuomas Holopainen, Nightwish keyboardist and composer
Textually following in the footsteps of previous albums Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015) and Human. :||: Nature. (2020), Yesterwynde is imminently approaching its release on September 20 to satiate lovers of symphonic metal and its breathtaking surrounds.
An Ocean Of Strange Islands is out now.
Yesterwynde is due out September 20 via Nuclear Blast Records.
For more Nightwish info, head here.
Slowly Slowly - Forgiving Spree (Single) Today we get not just a brand new track from Melbourne indie rockers Slowly Slowly, but also the confirmation of the band's fifth studio album: and, as luck would have it, they both share the same name. Forgiving Spree is the latest single officially out in the world today from the quartet, with the Forgiving Spree broader album set for release on January 24 next year.
Slowly Slowly have been steadily glowing up their sonic creations over the years, and their latest single presents as a modern-day celebration of the likes of Bruce Springsteen and The Killers; a dynamic yet affable singalong-ready romp, full of ruminations, soft grooves and melodics designed to burrow deep into your soul.
Recently releasing singles Gimme The Wrench and All Time, Forgiving Spree heralds its upcoming album namesake while also showcasing the tail-end of the album's overall writing process.
"Forgiving Spree' was written at the end of the writing period for the album. It's a song about moving on, real deep lasting change, and the act of forgiveness as a tool to achieve it. It is also a reminder that forgiveness can be a tool used to move forward, let go, grow. and not look back" - Ben Stewart, vocalist
Forgiving Spree (single) is out now. Watch the music video here.
Forgiving Spree (album) is due out January 24 (2025).
For more Slowly Slowly info, head here.
NTH RD - Remember (Single)
Melbourne metalcore quartet NTH RD have been steadily growing their name in the alternative musical landscape since first emerging in 2022 via their debut EP Panic. From jamming Metallica covers in their garage as kids through to the present day, NTH RD are a very fun package blended with big soundscapes, dynamic melodics and riffs ready to rattle some bones. And this week, they've returned with a captivating take on the agility of human memory and the transient nature of existence via their brand new single Remember.
A stadium-ready track that balances cascading percussion, emphatic vocals and soaring choruses, Remember also hurls in elasticated guitars, a screeching breakdown and some melodic complexities along the way that certainly signposts NTH RD as a band definitely worth watching as they continue to explore and sharpen their unique take on the metalcore realm.
"In shaping the release for this track, we sought to expand on the universe and themes that we’d established so far with NTH RD. And in searching for the 'next step' for the band, we arrived at what we feel is the most authentic representation of ourselves and our vision to date." - NTH RD
Remember also comes armed with a brand new music video that was directed and produced by Crow River Visuals' Jackson Bentley (Windwaker, Make Them Suffer, Banks Arcade).
Yours Truly - Back 2 U (Video) Last month we featured the brand new album TOXIC that had just dropped from Sydney alternative trio Yours Truly, and we couldn't be more thrilled today to celebrate yet another new addition from the band that dropped this week, with the arrival of a killer new music video for TOXIC's opening track (and Soundcheck fave) Back 2 U.
Released on the same day as Yours Truly's first show supporting Thirty Seconds To Mars on all three dates of their huge Australian run this week, the video for Back 2 U is an extremely fun conclusion to the TOXIC journey, with the video showcasing the trio in kaleidoscopic and dynamic fashion.
With their name now firmly cemented on a global scale, Yours Truly retain their versatility moving into their sophomore album chapter, while also expanding beyond any stylistic confines or expectations. Produced by Ocean Grove’s Sam Bassal and mixed by Daniel Braunstein (Spiritbox, Dayseeker), TOXIC ultimately nods to the fun pop-punk essence of earlier Yours Truly works while also demonstrating a boldness to step forward and explore heavy rhythms and, at times, darker direction.
For fans in Sydney and Brisbane headed to check out Thirty Seconds To Mars this weekend, do yourself a favour and get out early to catch Yours Truly in action!
Back 2 U video is out now. Watch the music video here.
TOXIC (album) is out now via UNFD.
For more Yours Truly info, head here.
BY TIANA SPETER
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