The V13 Fix #013 w/ Six Feet Under, The Day, BlackGold and more

Welcome to the latest The V13 Fix our weekly round-up of some of the best albums, singles and EPs to drop in our laps/inboxes this week. From pop to black metal to experimental pop to punk rock, there is something for everyone in this mix of new music. Check out and support all the bands and labels if you like what you hear and if there is a particular album you like, make sure you head over to Spotify and check out one of our specially curated playlists where there is more great new music added daily.

Alternatively, if you’re in a band or want one of your bands considered for inclusion get in touch. While we can’t guarantee every album or EP we receive will be included, there are still plenty of other ways we can support you.

So, without further ado, sit back, plug in your headphones and get this week’s V13 Fix of new music…

Sunnata
‘Chasing Shadows’
Self-Release

Warsaw doom metal quartet Sunnata describe their sound as Yob meets Alice In Chains. Their fifth album, Chasing Shadows, again sees the Polish doom purveyors exploring outside the boundaries of the genre. That being said, there is no avoiding the fact that their sombre, mind-bending sound is still a crushingly slow, suffocating experience. The guitars rumble and, if you have the strength to claw your way through the tar like density, there you will find emotion and an almost gentle, calming layer to their sound. The band describe reaching their fifth album as no joke but, listening to Chasing Shadows it would be a travestity if Sunnata hadn’t received the recognition they truly deserve.

Pick up your copy of Chasing Shadows online here.

Unleash The Archers
‘Phantoma’
Napalm Records

I can’t honestly admit to being anywhere near being a fan of much with the power metal tag so, when an album comes pitched as the “power metal album of the year”, it’s going to have to be something special. However, in vocal powerhouse Brittney Slayes, Unleash The Archers have someone who simply takes their conceptual power metal to another level. Her colossal voice is a necessity to hammer home the AI-inspired sixth album. Leading a faultless, immaculate display of musicianship which weaves through a maze of epic power metal taking in elements of prog and traditional metal along the way, the title of “Power Metal Album of the Year” might not mean much to this writer but, as far as contenders go, Phantoma has set the bar ridiculously high for the chasing pack.

Pick up your copy of online here.

Crownshift
‘Crownshift’
Nuclear Blast Records

Looking down the line-up of Finnish metallers Crownshift, you just know that before you’ve even hit play, their debut album is going to be hard to fault. With a wealth of talent in bands like Children of Bodom, Fintroll and Nightwish amongst others, how can you expect anything other than melodic metal perfection? Which is exactly what Crownshift delivers. An immaculate production, musicianship of the highest order and songs which pull all of the best elements of the aforementioned bands into pristine nuggets of thunderous Euro metal. Of course, this debut doesn’t reinvent the wheel but when you know you’re going to get an album of such epic quality, it is very easy to overlook that minor detail.

Pick up your copy of Crownshift online here.

The Day
‘The Kids Are Alright’

The second album from indie/dream pop duo The Day, The Kids Are Alright, comes from a somewhat dark place. When the world stopped just as the pair, Laura Loeters and Gregor Sonnenberg, were hitting their stride for another bout of touring, lockdown also came at a time when Loeters had relocated to Antwerp. Not only did the situation bring about a new way of recording for the pair but it introduced experiences of loneliness into the mix. Bringing about reflection, re-evalution of life and feelings of anxiety from being thrust into this unheard of situation, the pair honed all of this into a darker version of their dream-pop sound crafting an album that may come from a place of tension but one that the pair hopes offers its listeners reassurance that they can make a change.

Pick up your copy of The Kids Are Alright online here.

God Mother
‘Sinneseld’
Self-Released

It’s been nearly a decade since Swedish noise-rock troop God Mother caught the ear of Ben Weinmann (formerly of The Dillinger Escape Plan). With the title an archaic description for mental illness, this EP is inspired by the changing landscape and finds the Swede’s delivering an unsurprisingly unpredictable set of songs. From blasts of jagged math rock to cocksure splashes of rock and roll swagger, the Swedes output may not be as outright chaotic as material by Dillinger or Converge but when they veer from the infectious stomp of “Big Things Coming” to the 48-second “Human” where all hell breaks loose in an almost Napalm Deatheque way, they prove themselves to be full of surprises.

Pick up your copy of Sinneseld online here.

Bad Sounds
‘Escaping From A Violent Time’
Nettwerk

Essentially a best-of compilation of their four previous EPs along with a bonus track, Escaping From A Violent Time sees Bad Sounds deliver an album which will please their growing fanbase as much as it will confuse newcomers. Picked out as the best representation of their sound, Escaping From A Violent Time is the final chapter in this part of the Bad Sounds story. Comprising of two brothers, this album takes a soulful jaunt through a collection of personal anecdotes which will feel very familiar to fans of the indie pair while, at the same time, due to the expansive nature of their sounds, leave you no real indicator as to what direction the pair will head off into next.

Pick up your copy of Escaping From A Violent Time online here.

Six Feet Under
‘Killing For Revenge’
Metal Blade

Fronted by one of the more well-known vocalists in the death metal scene, Chris Barnes, death metal veterans Six Feet Under have taken a more route one approach with their new album, Killing For A Revenge. An album themed around revenge, from the get-go, Six Feet Under deliver the musical equivalent to a sledgehammer pummelled through the back of your skull. From the dark artwork to the onslaught of vicious death metal, to Barnes’ own guttural howls and gruesome lyrics, Barnes partnership with his former Cannibal Corpse bandmate Jack Owens has again come up trumps as the pair carve out a hellishly brutal peice of work.

Pick up your copy of Killing For Revenge online here.

BlackGold
‘Back With Another One’
Self-Release

Anonymous nu-metal troublemakers BlackGold are Back With Another One and, from the moment you hit play, you realise how much we all need BlackGold in our lives. A nostalgic trip down a nu-metal memory lane, Back With Another One is just gloriously over-the-top. DJ scratching and ridiculous hooks combine with Fred Durst-esque vocal stylings to create a sound that is completely nostalgic to those who remember the genre first time round but is, at the same time, just wonderful to immerse yourself into. Early on in the title track, their frontman spits “right now my job is to get you misfits fuckin’ moving” but, by that point, we’re already busting out our baseball caps and best nu-metal moves so, I’d say that was mission accomplished!

Pick up your copy of Back With Another One online here.

Jarki Monno
‘Charlie’ [Single]
Marshall Records

Dropped ahead of his upcoming appearance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend pop extraveganza this Summer, London vocalist Jarki Monno takes us into the world of Charlie and the emotional rollercoaster of a one-night stand. Emotional and heartfelt as it delves into the world of unrequited affection, “Charlie” sees rapper/songwriter Monno kick off this new chapter in his rising career with a sound that shows both confidence and vulnerability and with dreams of bigger things in the pipeline, including his debut album, the rising London songwriter couldn’t have started things off in a better way than with this single.

Pick up your copy of Charlie online here.

Take Offense
‘T.Otality’
MNRK Heavy

There’s nothing like the sound of a Cali thrash band in full flow which is exactly what you get with Take Offense who go for the jugular right from the off. Honing their vicious sound for nearly two decades now, the South Californian crew’s sound will feel very familiar to fans of the genre whose finely-tuned ears will pick out thrash, hardcore and speed metal influences. That being said, the thrash veterans are equally as open about the likes of Suicidal Tendancies skate/speed metal as they are about guitar Gods like Eddie Van Halen. Inspired themewise by their Mexican routes, T.Otality sounds like a band who’ve spent two decades fine-tuning their sound and are now hitting their stride.

Pick up your copy of T.Otality online here.

Shroud of Despondancy / LanzerRath
‘Split EP’
Northern Spire Productions

Carrying on from where their 2016 album Of Origin, Conflict, and Recurrence album ended, Michigan’s Shroud of Despondancy again take us into their cosmic black metal universe. For this split EP, they join forces with fellow locals LanzerRath to create three tracks which explore the expanse of the black metal genre. On the one hand, Shroud of Despondancy travel a more progressive journey, while still managing to explore outside the boundaries of black metal. LanzerRath stick to more traditional, raw black metal traits. Combined the pair create an EP that both pushes the boundaries of the genre while never forgetting the roots. Furthermore, at nearly forty minutes long, the three track give both contributors the opportunity to flex their black metal wings to create an expansive, challenging black metal masterpiece.

Pick up your copy of this Split EP online here.