ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Two extra videos for this week! On the main show, we had Alex & Toby from Naarm/Melbourne metallers MÉLANCOLIA. Their uncompromising sophomore LP, random.access.misery, is out now through Greyscale and Nuclear Blast Records, and we spoke at length about why white is really more goth than black, why the future is forever shiny, blue, and chrome, why “blackened nu metal” is both a provocation and a challenge, and why the mighty fridge cigarette is the frostiest beverage of them all. Check it out in full below:
And for my ongoing Dispatch Bay series, Pete Abordi—one of the godfathers of Australian hardcore— muscled his way onto the show to chat about NO APOLOGIES and their insane new record, Life, out now through Last Ride Records. Pete gets into why it took so long between albums, not wanting to be just a “reunion” band, ideas of legacy, fatherhood, grief, and mortality, and why Australian hardcore is on top once again. You can check it out in full below:
SIDE A:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Post Heaven – “Exit Wound”
Last week heralded some stellar news for one of Naarm/Melbourne’s best underground artists. POST HEAVEN announced their signing to Greyscale Records, and the impending release of the quintet’s sophomore EP and debut for the label, The Space That’s In Between, arriving on October 3rd.
With intense live performances in support of Bloom, Trophy Eyes, and Touche Amore, alongside a diverse range of sonic influences—think alternative, grunge, post-hardcore; Glassjaw, Poison The Well, and Fleshwater—Post Heaven have already landed on my most anticipated EPs of 2025 list. Watch the video for “Exit Wound” below:
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The Brave – You Know I Love the Pain
After roaring to life once more with their 2024 comeback cut, “Breaking Out,” Meanjin/Brisbane-based alt-metallers THE BRAVE are back again with a seductive new offering.
The group’s latest single, “You Know I Love the Pain,” finds them at the dawn of a bold new era. Combining serpentine metalcore riffage with pulse-raising rhythms and a soaring chorus, the track marks the band’s first truly independent release: with writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and artwork—along with filming, directing, and editing for the track’s accompanying music video—all completed in-house. Stream the single here (DSPs).
Severed – “W.O.R.L.D”
The heavy hardcore space may be reaching a point of saturation, but a crowded field means nothing to Nipaluna/Hobart outfit SEVERED—especially when their music feels weaponised to weed out the weak-willed and thin the herd.
The latest three-track release from the five-piece, Seizure Dreams (out now through Bereave In God Records), builds off their impressive 2024 demo, integrating their destructive beatdown tendencies with a dark atmosphere of hostility and grim resignation. Watch the video for “W.O.R.L.D” below:
Excide – Bastard Hymns
Speaking of hardcore, remember when mosh parts and soaring alt-rock hooks sat side-by-side without nary a raised eyebrow? Well, if you long for the days when Snapcase, Quicksand, and Failure were ascendant, EXCIDE should have you covered.
With production from Austin Coupe (PSYCHO-FRAME), the group’s forthcoming LP, Bastard Hymns (expected on November 28th through SharpTone Records), follows on from the groove-oriented hardcore template laid down on 2022’s Deliberate Revolver LP and 2024’s Humdinger two-track. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (DSPs).
Poppy, Amy Lee & Courtney LaPlante – “End of You”
Now here’s something that’s had the Internet is various stages of anticipatory meltdown for weeks. “End of You” is a collaborative single between three of heavy music’s most iconic vocalists, both old and new: online sensation-come-rockstar POPPY, Evanescence frontwoman AMY LEE, and Spiritbox frontwoman COURTNEY LAPLANTE.
Given the calibre of talent in this team-up, it’s hardly surprising then that the track is a fierce rager with metalcore chugs saddled up comfortably against power-chord chorus moments and blissful three-way harmonies. Oh, and don’t forget those screams. Watch the video for “End of You” below:
SIDE B & FEATURE ALBUM:
Want more tracks? Well, I have some good news for you. I’ll be posting my Side B write-ups on SOFTCULT, CRIPPLING ALCOHOLISM, MANY EYES, and LA DISPUTE on the TPD Patreon. If you'd like to check them out, please consider becoming a Friend of the Show (for just $3 USD/$5 AUD per month).
By joining, you become part of our alternative music community, get access to our existing bonus content, and have the opportunity to send me a mildly threatening chat message with some new music you like. I’m deadly serious about this. I want your recommendations!!
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