Heavy Song of the Week is a Heavy Consequence feature that breaks down the best metal and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, the honor goes to Kittie’s comeback single, “Eyes Wide Open.”
For a band that has been on hiatus or recently reunited, the comeback single is a chance to reignite a career and revitalize a fan base. It consummates the comeback and serves as a sonic reference point for how an artist or band has evolved (or decentralized, in many cases) over the intervening years or decades.
This week, Canadian metallers Kittie released the epitome of the ideal comeback single in the form of “Eyes Wide Open.”
The band's first new song in 13 years offers a modern update to Kittie's formulaic sound, best exemplified by their acclaimed albums. Spit (2000) and Oracle (2001) – with tight metal groove riffs and a tight, no-nonsense arrangement. Vocalist Morgan Lander's commanding howls are a highlight, and the whole package is reminiscent of early Pantera and Machine Head with its blend of riffs and badass attitude.
Honorable mentions:
Deicide – “Cutting out the tongue”
There's something about seeing the classic Deicide demon medallion on the cover that makes us especially excited for the new album from the Florida death metal veterans. Banished by sin. It's a bold move to directly reference your most sacred work, and with that comes expectations and the preconceived notion that this album is cut from the same blasphemous cloth. Well, it sure seems like it is, if “Sever the Tongue” is any indication. It's an ornate form of brutality, with barrages of technical riffs and relentless gutturals from Glen Benton, who remains the most dedicated Satanist of Florida's first wave of death metallers.
Hot water music – “Threat”
Hot Water Music released a pair of singles following the announcement of their new album. votes. The track “Menace” is our pick of the two, as it delivers the multifaceted post-hardcore that has become the band's calling card over the past three decades. We are treated to Chuck Ragan's gruff but melodic vocals, big pop-punk chords and a bombastic chorus, via Chris Wollard's cleaner vocal delivery, which sounds like three hooks in one.
Sonic Universe – “I am”
Sonic Universe is a new band formed by Living Color frontman Corey Glover and Adrenaline Mob guitarist Mike Orlando. The music follows the same vibrant funk-metal formula that made Glover's main band arguably the face of the subgenre. If you like Living Color, a song like “I Am” will feel joyfully familiar, anchored in the charismatic presence of Glover himself.
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