It's Friday, Friday, got to get your fresh heavy fix on Friday. That's right Maniacs it is finally Friday which means it is time to kick off the weekend with the first Friday Fire of the year.
With so many new heavy releases dropping every week, it can be hard to know what to listen to, so we've taken it upon ourselves to do the heavy lifting, sorting the 'hell yeah' from the 'hell meh' you don't have to. Now, let's light up the Friday Fire!
BabyMetal - Metal Kingdom
BabyMetal are back doing what they do best on Metal Kingdom. Previewing their forthcoming concept album The Other One (due for release on March 24th on Cooking Vinyl), Metal Kingdom is an inspired piece of worldbuilding which drops us into the 'Metalverse' where BabyMetal are said to experience 10 different parallel universes. Intriguing. Starting out subtle, this one ends with a bang and follows Divine Attack - Shingeki and Monochrome in giving us a glimpse of The Other One
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Enter Shikari - (pls) set me on fire
(pls) set me on fire heralds the next stage in Enter Shikari's evolution. The very first words we hear from Enter Shikari 2.0 don’t come in the form of a question this time, but a command: “Please set me on fire”. In other words, ignite the spark inside us and set us free. This may be a new Enter Shikari but they’ve lost nothing in their flair for bold opening gambits. Arriving accompanied by a video directed by vocalist Rou Reynolds, (pls) set me on fire is a seamless blend of everything that has made Enter Shikari the irresistible force they've become. The new album A Kiss For The Whole World drops on April 21st, pre-orders are available now.
Fall Out Boy - Love From The Other Side
The first single from Fall Out Boy's newly announced eighth full-length, So Much (For) Stardust, Love From The Other Side sees Fall Out Boy return to a more guitar-driven, rockier soundscape, with vocalist Patrick Stump's smooth vocals soaring atop an energetic pop-punk song with some seriously danceable rhythms. Fall Out Boy reunited with producer Neil Avron who worked with the band on the iconic three record run of From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High and Folie à Deux to make So Much (For) Stardust and you can hear elements of each of those releases in Love From The Other Side.
So Much (For) Stardust is available to pre-order in various formats here.
Metallica - Screaming Suicide
The second single from their forthcoming full-length 72 Seasons Screaming Suicide picks up where the first single Lux Aeterna kicked off, infusing some old-school Metallica vibes into a new-school Metallica headspace. Arriving accompanied by a film clip directed by Tim Saccenti, it is a track that asks you to reflect upon an uncomfortable truth while you headbang.
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Story Of The Year - War
Knotfest Australia act Story Of The Year, take listeners on a journey with War. With verses that quickly build up to a hard-hitting chorus and wicked guitar riffs, War is a cautionary tale of revenge. War appears on Tear Me To Pieces which is set for a release on March 10th via SharpTone Records. The new album is distinctly, invitingly, loudly Story Of The Year. Heartache, desperation, motivation, toxic relationships, pain, loss, anger - all of the essential ingredients of the classic Story Of The Year sound. Fans can pre-save Tear Me To Pieces here.
The full lineup for Knotfest Australia is comprised of Slipknot, Parkway Drive, Megadeth, Trivium, Northlane, Amon Amarth, In Flames, Knocked Loose, Spiritbox, Story Of The Year, Alpha Wolf, Void Of Vision, Bad Omens and Malevolence.
Tickets for Sydney and Brisbane are still available for purchase here.
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Listen to the best new heavy tracks via the Metal Maniacs playlist.
