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Another week has been and gone, and it's time for The Soundcheck's "Soundcheck" segment, where each week we dive a bit deeper into 5 x of our favourite new releases that have dropped of late to carry you into the weekend - and beyond!
This week we've got a surprise drop from Canada's Spiritbox, Linkin Park's countdown finally materialises into confirmation of band members, a new song and more, Gojira release their internet-breaking Olympics track on streaming, Brisbane's UNI/VS get reflectively heavy, and TISM do exactly what you'd expect from a song titled '70s Football.
Spiritbox - Soft Spine (Single)
Today is an epic day for music lovers across the board with a heap of surprise and fan-fave releases; but it's especially a huge day for fans of Canadian legends Spiritbox, with the quartet surprise dropping a brand new track Soft Spine.
Soft Spine's release comes off the back of some cryptic posts teasing the new material, finally officially confirmed by the band with the caption (and opening lyrics) "You all deserve each other" with a post coinciding with the release earlier today.
An undisputed rager, Soft Spine is Spiritbox in full-blown heavy bounce mode that solidifies the band's legacy as bonafide superstars beyond the initial hype-fest that followed them earlier in their career. And while having a new Spiritbox song out in the world marks a welcome continuation from 2023's The Fear of Fear; it also hints at (hopefully) some incredible things yet to come.
Soft Spine is out now.
For more Spiritbox info, head here.
Linkin Park - The Emptiness Machine (Single) It's been a wild ride of late for fans attempting to keep up with the countdowns and swirling rumours surrounding the next phase for Linkin Park. But today, all was officially revealed to the public, with the band releasing a new single and video, The Emptiness Machine, announcing their new members Emily Armstrong (vocals) and Colin Brittain (drums), ticking off a livestream performance, confirming a new album, and announcing six upcoming arena shows in Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul and Bogota.
Needless to say, the hype has been huge for this moment, notably also being the group's official return following the devastating loss of Chester Bennington in 2017. But following rumours of everyone from Lzzy Hale through to Deryck Whibley taking on the formidable role as co-vocalist, Armstrong has officially stepped into the role. And while everyone will of course have their personal own take following the void left by Bennington, The Emptiness Machine channels the Linkin Park core DNA and definitely sparkles with the new additions, with those trademark Linkin Park infectious melodics and plenty of light and shade on full display.
The upcoming new album FROM ZERO, due out on November 15 via Warner Records, also offers a sentimental nod to the band's earlier days, as Mike Shinoda reveals: "Before LINKIN PARK, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future—embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what LINKIN PARK has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.”
The Emptiness Machine is out now. Watch the music video here.
FROM ZERO is due out November 15 via Warner Records.
For more Linkin Park info, head here.
Gojira - Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)
Nothing quite breeds camaraderie in the heavy music community quite like an international spotlight. For a genre that is still often thought of as an "underground" entity, despite it's global status and reputation for continually selling out festivals and headline shows across the globe, 2024 gave metal fans of all ages a chance to celebrate and band together thanks to one of the greats, with French icons Gojira memorably taking to the stage as part of the Olympic Games Paris opening ceremony; and damn, did the guys rise to the occasion.
Giving Gojira the boasting rights as being the first metal band to ever perform as part of the Olympics, the quartet went full spectacle mode in front of a giant global and mainstream audience, with a relentless and blistering performance of Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) lashing pyrotechnics against a lofty backdrop and the added gravitas of operatic dynamo Marina Viotti in a brief cameo.
This week, Gojira finally unleashed Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) onto streaming, allowing fans a chance to re-live that truly jaw-dropping moment that made us all feel proud to be lovers of heavy music. The memes may have been aplenty at the time, but this was a seriously exciting moment for heavy music, and one that won't be forgotten anytime soon.
Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) is out now. For more Gojira info, head here.
UNI/VS - A Chosen Death (Single) A little closer to home, Brisbane metalcore quartet UNI/VS released a brand new single this week, A Chosen Death. Emerging as the group's first new release in 2024, A Chosen Death hurls gripping emotion through chugs and oscillating brutality and beauty, furthering the group's increasingly trademark introspective brutality.
A post-pandemic exploration into life and the ever-imbalanced opinions and views fed through mainstream media, A Chosen Death also joins the announcement that UNI/VS will embark on an East Coast tour this October and November, heading to Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne and Adelaide later this year.
"We wanted to pose the question ‘Can we really trust the narrative of our elected leaders or that of whomever is pulling their strings?" the band says of their latest track. "We hope to invite critical thought and observation as well as hope that if we all speak our truth things may get better."
A Chosen Death is out now. Watch the music video here.
For more UNI/VS info, head here.
TISM - '70s Football (Single) There is genuinely no other band on this planet quite like TISM, and with each new release we are all firmly reminded that this is TISM's world, and we are merely existing within it.
Releasing a brand new single '70s Football today, taken from their impending new album DEATH TO ART due out October 4, the track's press material came loaded with plenty of....well let's just say that the direct quotes were coloured with a fistful of poetic license from the band, and perfectly capturing out the gleeful chaos we know and love from the anonymous collective (seriously grab a read immediately here).
But onto the tune itself, and '70s Football is exactly what you'd expect from TISM singing about '70s era footy; an instant classic dance track that worms its way into your brain and nervous system, potentially spurring you to day drink and/or flick some footy on (I'm not a footy watcher, so don't @ me if the season is over), while chanting "gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone".
TISM will be performing their first headline tour in 20 years starting next month, with their massive run, supported by Eskimo Joe, Machine Gun Fellatio, Ben Lee and The Mavis's heading to Brisbane on October 20, Melbourne on November 9 and Sydney on November 29.
'70s Football is out now. Watch the music video here.
For more TISM info, head here.
BY TIANA SPETER
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