The V13 Fix #017 w/Scene Queen, 200 Stab Wounds, Hey Violet & 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 check out our Spotify 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…

Split Iris
‘Bloodred Dusk’
Seek and Strike

It almost feels like every metal album coming out these days deals with the impending end of humanity and Bloodred Dusk, the new album from Finnish modern metallers Split Iris is no different. However, while the subject matter and their djent/tech/modern metal might follow tried and tested paths, the quality with which the Finns deliver their sound is second to none. These songs explore the despair of humanity’s implosion and are wrapped up in a dramatic, polished, crunchy soundtrack. Stuttering stop/start guitars, progressive melodies, skittish vocals which take you back to the days of Sikth and plenty of tech/djent grooves intertwine to create a quality musical buffet of modern metal.

Pick up your copy of Bloodred Dusk online here.

200 Stab Wounds
‘Manual Manic Procedures’
Metal Blade

Anyone who saw Cleveland’s death metal tank 200 Stab Wounds on the Cattle Decapitation tour earlier this year will know how devastating this extreme metal beast is. No surprise then that, from the opening phlegm-loosening “bleurgh” on opener “Hands of Eternity”, this is going to old-school-tinged modern death metal assault of the finest order. The listener is rewarded with a modern production that still captures that earthier feel demanded of this genre, meaning every bone-cracking beat, every guttural howl, and every buzzsaw riff can be heard in all their pungent glory. Essentially, the expectation of 200 Stab Wounds to deliver a death metal album of the highest quality in all components of the genre has been met in the form of this dirty, brutal, savage piece of death metal filth.

Pick up your copy of Manual Manic Procedures online here.

Crossfaith
‘ARK’
UNFD

A new album from Japanese genre-smashers Crossfaith is something to get very excited about. It feels like an age since one of the most exciting live bands on the planet has dropped new material and, as the pulsating rave-friendly intro kicks off their return, you can’t help but it think that it’s fucking good to have them back. A wall-shuddering mix of metal, punk, dance, and electronics, ARK is packed full of brutal head-pummelling earworms. ARK sees Crossfaith team up with the likes of SIM to create an album that will have metalheads and dance fans both losing their minds in the pit. Perfectly timed, Crossfaith has dropped their banging return, it just remains for you to strap in and hold on for the biggest sense mauling of your life.

Pick up your copy of ARK online here.

Neaera
‘All Is Dust’
Metal Blade Records

Having had their comeback curtailed in 2020 due to the pandemic, it comes as no surprise to find that the new album from German metallers, All Is Dust, is a bleak, ferocious effort. Featuring material re-written post-pandemic, All Is Dust finds Neaera in uncompromising, abrasive form for the eighth album of their two-decade career. Hints of fellow German metallers Heaven Shall Burn appear in the grooves of All Is Dust but, for the most part, the material is drenched in a frustrated rage unsurprising if this tension has been bottled up since pre-2020. Almost black metal in its ferocity, finds its musical roots deeply entrenched in the darker side of life and metal.

Pick up your copy of All Is Dust online here.

Hey Violet
‘Aftertaste’
Hopeless Records

After nearly ten years, alt-pop trio Hey Violet recently announced that their second album, Aftertaste would be their swansong. Thankfully, far from being a sombre offering to sign off with, Aftertaste is the kind of full stop on their decade-long career which shows fans exactly what they’re going to be missing. Glistening but edgy alt-pop bangers like “Uncomplicated” lay out the Hey Violet blueprint right in front of your eyes with their fun pop hooks and rock attitude. Sure, life will carry on as normal once the curtain comes down for Hey Violet but, as Aftertaste shows, everything will be that shade duller without the pop-rock three-piece around there adding a splash of colour to the day.

Pick up your copy of Aftertaste online here.

Scene Queen
‘Hot Singles In Your Area’
Hopeless Records

Everything about Scene Queen and her new album Hot Singles In Your Area screams for your attention. Everything is big. Everything is loud. Everything is in your face and then cranked up a notch. Scene Queen is one of the new breed of modern rock artists and, if you’re in her line of fire, then as the likes of “18+” plus warn you, you’ll sure as shit know about it. Packed with attitude and ridiculous pop hook lines, Hot Singles In Your Area is the soundtrack of modern emo/rock in 2024 whether you like it or not. An empowering, angst-laced record, these are songs which will rapidly become anthems for the new generation of rock fans in modern society.

Pick up your copy of Hot Singles In Your Area online here.

Kyle Daniel
‘Kentucky Gold’
Spinefarm Records

70s country rock is one of those generations of music which, as shown by artists like Kyle Daniel sounds timeless. Produced by The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston, The Lone Bellow’s Brian Elmquist and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Mike Krompass, is a massive-sounding, fist-pumping, wailing nod of appreciation back to an era which heavily influenced Daniel. Throwing everything from Led Zeppelin to Tom Petty into the mix with his own “Kentucky-friend rock”, Kentucky Gold is the kind of album which may be steeped in decades-old influences but kicks the ass of most music from the here and now.

Pick up your copy of Kentucky Gold online here.

Bridear
‘Born Again’
Psychomanteum Records

Over the last few years, while the number of bands emerging from the Japanese metal scene might not be massive, the quality has been top-notch. From the power metal fury of Love Bites to the new breed of bands like Hanabie, the metal scene is sitting up to take note. Another band to add to that list is Bridear who, having decamped to Sweden to work with legendary producer Fredrik Nordström on Born Again, have returned with a thundering demonstration of melody-tinged heavy metal. Melody, epic solos, and galloping riffs, the stuff all metal albums need to be made of!

Pick up your copy of Born Again online here.

Nothing More
‘Carnal’
Better Noise Music

If you look down the contributing guests on the fifth album, Carnal/, to see where quirky alt-rockers Nothing More sit in the general scheme of things. On the one hand, you have Disturbed frontman David Draiman while on the other you have I Prevail’s Eric V. Combined, you get the big anthemic arena rockers like “If It Doesn’t Hurt” and then you get the modern metal and glitchy electronics deployed on tracks like “Existential Dread”. The result is an album which effortlessly shows Nothing More’s ability to think and shift their alt-rock sound outside the box without ever sounding anything other than truly magnificent.

Pick up your copy of Carnal online here.