Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal, punk, and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, No. 1 goes to Deafheaven’s “Magnolia.”
Deafheaven bravely defied convention on their previous album, Infinite Granite. Gone were George Clarke’s harsh rasps, as the calmer and more melodic music demanded a different approach. At the time, it seemed like the end of the band’s black metal era, but the first single from upcoming album, Lonely People with Power, assures us that heavy music is not a thing of Deafheaven’s past.
It would appear Infinite Granite was an aside in Deafheaven’s illustrious career, as their new single “Magnolia” returns — with a vengeance — to the band’s black metal roots. Clarke’s vocals sound as harsh as ever here, as blast beats and tornadic riffs build to a crescendo that reaches full tilt during a Slayer-esque breakdown. This is the heaviest Deafheaven have sounded since the 2019 one-off “Black Brick,” and we’re absolutely here for it.
Honorable Mentions:
Behemoth – “The Sh*t Ov God”
Ah, The Sh*t Ov God. Behemoth really outdid themselves with the blasphemous title to their new record. Such directness was necessary according to the band’s mastermind Nergal, an outspoken Satanist and one of Poland’s most divisive musical figures. In line with Behemoth’s latter-era output, the title track for the LP is mostly death metal in sound — particularly Nergal’s guttural vocals and purposefully enunciated delivery — but remains conceptually informed by the black metal aesthetic. That main riff is a real headbanger, and Nergal’s morbid humor (“We are the sh*t of God!”) is something this type of metal — occasionally self-serious — could always use more of.
Jinjer – “Duél”
“Duél” is a prog-metal workout of the highest order — just listen to those virtuosic fills from drummer Vlad Ulasevich (we’d love to see one of those Drumeo clips of this song). Fans of recent albums by Gojira, Mastodon, and Tool should find solace here. Tatiana Shmayluk’s theatrical performance definitely has some Maynard vibes.
Poison the Well – “Trembling Level”
Poison the Well’s first song in 15 years serves as a career retrospective that purposefully evokes each era of the band. There’s the uptempo drive of pit-ready hardcore — coupled with spitfire vocals from Jeff Moreira — as well as the more melodic alt-rock moments that adorn their latter studio albums. “For me, I was trying to figure how to effectively incorporate elements from our whole discography into one song,” elaborated guitarist Ryan Primack. Longtime fans have been anticipating this moment, and there’s more to come, as the band also just inked a new record deal with SharpTone.