Your guide to new rock, metal and punk bands worldwide
Our final New Band of the Week of 2023 takes us over to the east coast of Northern Ireland to discover punk rock quartet The New Normal. The band have crafted a lively punk sound that they describe as "loud and angry" and tell us "if you've ever played any of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games, we are for you!"
Underground rock band Wildchains is on a mission to deliver change in the Portuguese music scene with a boundary-free sound that embodies the classic rock'n'roll spirit and they describe as "raw, genuine and energetic."
Blue straggler stars are known lovingly in the astronomy community as "the weird grandparents of the galaxy." And there's an argument that the deliciously fuzz-laden "fuzz pop bangers" of West Sussex trio Blue Stragglers share some common ground with their astronomical counterparts.
Strap yourself in for the stunning sound of Australian band To Octavia, who fuse gripping and energetic alternative metal with emo hooks and catchy synths that they describe as "emotional, emotional, emotional."
Italian band Gone Feral have honed a fascinating metalcore sound that fuses crushing breakdowns and intense vocals with more melodic sections and aggressive and dreamy synths.
Cheltenham band Quiet Pills offer up an enthralling indie sound with edges of rock and shoegaze that they describe as "angsty Joy Division."
London-based band Black Pines have mastered the art of anthemic rock in a powerful and encapsulating sound that they describe as "bold, broody bangers."
Over the years, we've taken delight in covering bands from all over the world. But I don't think I ever thought we'd be bringing you a thrash band from the Indian Ocean. Yet that's exactly what we're doing with the exciting old-school sound of Lomor, who hail from Réunion Island, a French overseas department near Madagascar and Mauritius.
Aggressive but romantic may sound like the ultimate musical oxymoron, but Stoke-on-Trent band Death Of Me have achieved it in style with an encapsulating post-hardcore sound that they describe as "atmospheric, aggressive and emotional."
Northern Irish band ForeignWolf have honed an explosive and diverse sound that draws on elements of punk, rock and metal and is as punchy as it is deliciously captivating.
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