Now Hear This: Alex Baker on the best new metal, punk and trap-doom

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… FIVE BLOODY AMAZING ARTISTS THAT YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO RIGHT NOW.

Hi, by the way, Alex here!

Sometimes when you know, you just know, and in 2019 vocalist Zach Williams packed up his entire life and drove for 24 hours across the States, to join a band that he’d only actually met once before. I’ll tell you what, I’m bloody glad that he did, because something very special has been born as a product of taking that chance: Dead Eyes. Their debut EP Stability is utter fire, mixing rap with metalcore, but the brilliance of Dead Eyes goes well beyond their incredible music. There’s a message in everything they do, one of self-belief, of support, and their connection to their fanbase as a result is incredible, with the band even inviting fans to their songwriting sessions. They are the real deal. Fall in love with them, right here and right now…

Doom-trap brilliance that is guaranteed to make metal purists cry, welcome to the gnarly and gritty world of Mimi Barks. Her latest single Suicide features twisted, rasping soundscapes with profound lyrics that dramatise the death of the previous chapters and identities in her life. Through all the fury of the music, the message is one of gratitude, of transformation and perpetual growth, and let me tell you this right now, these are the messages that people need to hear in modern society. Well, if we want to avoid the total collapse of our mental health and society generally. NO BIGGIE.

Sweden is home to some serious talent, with bands like Thrown, Blodet, Solence, Normandie, The Great Discord and so many others flying the blue and yellow flag. The latest Swedish addition to my show on Kerrang! Radio are the insanely talented Noija. With a shimmering, cinematic sound that will appeal to fans of PVRIS and modern-day Bring Me The Horizon, as well as a completely DIY ethic, which has led them to being totally self-produced, even down to their music videos, it is all love for these guys. Check out their single Take Your Love And Leave now.

Did someone say “range”? Oh my days, Future Static singer Amariah Cook is utterly commanding as she flips between guttural fury and lush clean passages. It’s the kind of voice that isn’t just great, but actually necessary to front a band where the instrumentation never sleeps. As Amriah’s voice soars, the band press through riff after riff generating relentless waves of sound. These guys were my Featured Artist Of The Week on the show a couple of weeks back, and it’s bloody easy to hear why.

From Northern Ireland to the deepest recesses of your mind, all hail Archives. Born during lockdown number one with the intention of writing music that would help people who are struggling, Archives blend stompy riffs that Slipknot fans will dig, the blasts and breakdowns of death metal, and cap it all off with a dual vocal assault from frontman Adam Holland and guitarist Stewart Ferguson. Old school metal fans may notice a certain resemblance in the clean vocals to Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory fame, and I must say, it’s bloody refreshing to hear clean male vocals in a metal band in the baritone range for once.

Listen to Alex Baker host Fresh Blood on Kerrang! Radio, Wednesday nights from 10pm