Single Slam: Battle Beast, Shields, Buried in Bermuda, Ba’al, Abigail Williams, and We Lost the Sea!

Today’s single slam features Battle Beast, Shields, Buried in Bermuda, Ba’al, Abigail Williams, and We Lost the Sea. You can read our thoughts about the latest singles from these bands below.

Battle Beast – Steelbound

Finnish powerhouse Battle Beast storms forward with unrelenting force, dropping their electrifying new single ‘Steelbound’, which also lends its name to their highly anticipated seventh studio album, set for release in October.

Says Janne Björkroth, the band’s keyboardist, producer, and composer of the track:

Steelbound is a song about all of us. About the power to resist injustice and the respect that belongs to everyone. Sometimes the settings can be a little off, but you can, and should, constantly adjust your attitudes.

As bombastic as ever, Battle Beast bring smile-inducing vibes and good feelings by the bucketload with this 80s-tinged banger. One that features danceable synth, immense vocals, and a ton of rock-infused, body shaking groove. It’s Battle Beast doing what they do so damn well.

Shields – Ab

British metalcore band Shields return with their powerful new single and video, ‘Ab’, out via Long Branch Records.

What a return this is, barely a minute of utter chaos. Shields’ fury is on garish display here and it kicks a ton of ass. Amazingly, it’s a track with some twists and turns too, ending in brutal fashion. Short and sweet, and with tons of replay value. Check it out here.

Buried in Bermuda – Torment

Brit riff merchants, Buried in Bermuda, have dropped their new single and video, ‘Torment’.

A polished head banger with strong alternative vibes given a fresher feel thanks to creative twists to the formula. Buried in Bermuda aren’t easy to categorise, but their mishmash of genres just makes them a unique rock and metal entity. One that leaves an impression when releasing satisfying tracks like this.

Ba’al – Well of Sorrows

UK post-black metal torchbearers Ba’al have just unveiled a new track titled, ‘Well of Sorrows’, the second single from their forthcoming second full-length album, ‘The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here’, due out on July 18th via Road to Masochist.

Vocalist Joe Stamps says:

‘Well of Sorrows’ is a short story told through the perspective of the recurring dream of someone who has lost someone close to them through suicide. While drenched in grief, sadness and regret, there is also a lot of love contained within too.

Every time I think this band has reached their peak, they prove me wrong, and I couldn’t be happier. Once again, they deliver an enthralling, gorgeous, intense, innovative, and unforgettable experience that comfortably es the eleven-minute mark without feeling it in the slightest. This is Ba’al at their absolute best, creating blackened post metal that embodies the style, but feels like nothing else in the genre too. They are one of the best to do it and the proof is with tracks like this. Check it out here.

Abigail Williams – Still Nights

American black metal band Abigail Williams previews its studio album ‘A Void Within Existence’ (out July 18th on Agonia Records) with a new single ‘Still Nights’.

A cacophony of black metal delivered in Abigail Williams’ inimitable style, this new single can be best summed up as four-ish minutes of raw noise. While it may not be breaking any new ground for the band, it still feels so creative. How about the drumming though? Outstanding. Check it out here.

We Lost the Sea – Everything Here is Black and Blinding

Australian post-rock band We Lost the Sea recently announced details of their fifth studio album ‘ A Single Flower’ which is due for release on Friday July 4th. The latest single from the album, ‘Everything Here is Black and Blinding’, is out now.

The band state:

This is technically We Lost The Sea’s first proper music video. It’s always been a challenge to try and make videos for songs as long as we write. So when we landed on this 7 minute banger, we decided to go for it. We enlisted the help of our friend, and fellow Bird’s Robe band dad, Simeon (SEIMS, Birdman), who is a TV guy by trade, to help us put this together.

He and the team did an incredible job and made it look like a million bucks (definitely did not cost a million bucks). The video follows a sole protagonist (the very talented Emma Dunstan) who dances and writhes her way around a cursed space to outrun her inner demons only to embrace the darkness in the end. To tie it in to the wider theme of the album it references inspiration from Frida Kahlo, a revolutionary, artist and somewhat cursed individual herself.

This song is meant to be a protest, a war cry against evil. It has two distinct halves that transition from dark to light which brings it into the world that we’ve created for the new record.

As beautiful as it is inspiring, We Lost the Sea’s creativity appears to be at an all-time high if this single (alongside the previous effort) is anything to go by. Not only is this post rock in its most elaborate form, but it shows off more of the band’s experimental side. Taking the listener on a journey like no other, it’s a stunner.