Welcome back to the Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the last few weeks. This selection takes in two very different sounding pop bangers from emerging artists from opposite ends of the globe, a very knowing synth based track from a familiar name, a cover tune from a prolific, well known act…and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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Although Slayer would become absolute legends of thrash and their third and fifth albums (‘Reign In Blood’ and ‘Seasons In The Abyss’) would be considered genre classics, the band’s formative years presented a less polished band in many ways. Their debut LP ‘Show No Mercy’ had the speed, but not necessarily the songs or production values. Tracks like ‘Evil Has No Boundaries’ and ‘Die By The Sword’ had a sense of force, but with Tom Araya’s vocal sounding like a man shouting into a bucket and the higher registers of Jeff Hanneman’s guitar cutting through everything at ear bleeding levels, it wouldn’t be until later, via the band’s live shows circa 1991, that the true potential in these songs would become clear. With several years’ distance, other numbers like ‘Fight Till Death’ and ‘Face The Slayer’ just sound a little naive, even if in 1983, Slayer’s speed and aggression was forging a new path for metal.
Mercers are a new band for 2026, but a couple of their members already have a foothold within the metal/alternative scenes. Two ex-members of nu-metal band Fony take a new musical direction here, bringing a genuine intensity to their work, and a more aggressive approach hits with a genuine immediacy on their new single ‘Cleanse/Repeat’.
Since their formation, Young Martyrs have been a reliable source for great singles. In particular, ‘Everyone Else Disappears’ presented a great radio friendly pop rock sound that provided an easy entry point into the band’s catalogue with its very melodic, chorus driven approach, while the Americana themed ‘Never Gave You The Blues’ offered a more mature angle in terms of songwriting, and the more recent ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ flaunted a more epic sound with its use of contrasting power chords and harmony driven vocals. All three of these recordings shared elements which could’ve been the work of three different bands, but in their own way, each showcased Young Martyrs as an act to keep an ear for in future.
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time out, we bring you a really noisy piece of retro indie rock with a shoegaze overtone, a collaboration that serves up some late 60s tones doused with a 90s coolness, a pleasingly mellow track dominated by an aching vocal, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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