The summer heat hitting the Northern Hemisphere did not stop an unrelenting schedule of superb releases in the month of June. i.liedtomyself dropped their debut EP, showcasing a shoegaze, ambient, and post-rock heart; Supernova were impassioned as ever on Promo 2025; and Breathing Below continued the onslaught of metalcore revival classics with the enthralling the body i left behind. Now we dive into other releases from June that caught our ears.
Ancient Hostility – Sing As Loud As You Can (Independent)
Formed from members of All In Vain and Dawn Ray’d, Ancient Hostility combine the timbres and folk tradition from the former band with the choral moments of the latter. Across Sing As Loud As You Can their three voices sing of anti-fascism and anarchism. “Hammer” and “Immigration Van” are modern folk standards made for picket lines, and “Police Patrol” is an old Bob Davenport piece that will have listeners scurrying to unpick the UK’s folk traditions. “Embers” is a triumphant call for anarchism and hope, and other pieces are more curious and personal (“Leaving” and “The Ballad of John Birch”). Sparse usage of concertina and violin provide the rest of the soundscape, mostly through interludes and only occasionally joining the voices. It makes for a very effective soundstage – these voices sing of solidarity, yet are so lonely and distant, as if crying for a chorus to join them. This release is only available through Bandcamp and Mirlo. – DT
Followship – follow.zip (Yie Or Die!)
Throwing out all the rules of post hardcore, follow.zip takes the adept Followship to strange new places. They absorb chiptune, cybergrind, EDM, and hyperpop aesthetics without ever losing touch of their swancore roots. Every track is a new adventure, with several favourites emerging for us: “thallish” brings a heaviness lives up to its name, “lexa.bro” is an acoustic duet observed in situ on the cutting room floor, and “ultravioletviolence”, the most extended cut, offers a vision for colourful beatdown that could easily become Followship’s entire sound. When it’s all put together, it somehow invokes the zany risk taking ride of classic abstract hip-hop records. – DT
FFO: fallingwithscissors, Closure in Moscow & AnimalJam
Outergods – Dethroned and Devoured (Apocalyptic Witchcraft)
Also recommended in our Mångata Festival preview piece, we couldn’t help but re-recommend Outergods a second time, particularly in reference to Dethroned and Devoured. It shows the band emerging from a line-up change in strong form. All the wildness of their debut is preserved, rendered with a precise mix. Disgusting riffs abound across the album, a cut above the chaos offered by many contemporaries. Features from Frontierer and Mnemic speak to the weirdness and range of the record. A key Outergods feature can be found across the record, especially “Phantasm” and the close of “Celestial Heretic” and “A Mausoleum at the Edge of Time”, where the band seep into milky dissonance over the blast beats, capturing the celestial atmosphere that their name hints at. – DT
FFO: Convulsing, Abyssal & I, Voidhanger’s entire roster
Entwine – To Burn For You (Independent)
Real metalcore™ that will have Twitter purists rejoicing, Entwine is every bit as raw as it is zany, a tried-and-true combination which already we’re seeing near mastery levels of on their debut EP, To Burn For You. Comprised of members of Abrupt Decay, it should come as no surprise that it’s an extremely tight release, with no compromises taken whatsoever. An instantly recognisable, distinctive snare tone stands tall against a plethora of riffs and monstrous howling screams to form what can only be described as a torrent of noise. With this release alone, Entwine have already positioned themselves as a leader in metalcore revival, and we truly hope that this is only the beginning. – JW
FFO: WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008, Long Goodbye & Azshara
TURIAN – Blood Quantum Blues (Wise Blood Records)
Blood Quantum Blues sees TURIAN take their trademark punishing metallic hardcore and incendiary lyrics to new heights with their fourth LP, pulling from a hugely diverse range of influences to create one of this year’s undoubtedly most unique and visceral records. Alongside the Seattle quintet’s powerful hardcore, anything from a healthy splash of chunky nu-metal throwback riffing, post-hardcore that sounds straight from a Propagandhi record to swirling, spacey progressive rock atmosphere makes an appearance, tempered by ominous, often psyched-out electronics constantly lurking beneath the surface. Belying the fiery defiance behind the creative process are the scathing lyrics, delivered in a passionately raw rasp, tackling the bloody violence still pervasive in American society from centuries of expansionist domination through the lens of guitarist Ryan and vocalist Vern Metzli-Moon’s Yaqui Indian heritage. Blood Quantum Blues is, in the band’s words, a “weapon of retribution” – one all the more potent in its vibrant and stunningly fresh musical incarnation. – LM
FFO: Converge, Snapcase & Refused
Silverlake Murder – Blackout (Independent)
Nu-core done right, Silverlake Murder are an act who’ve been consistently flying under the radar for some time now, and with the release of Blackout, now feels like as good a time as any for them to find their big break. A blistering, unrelenting cacophony of sound, there’s no room to breathe on Blackout. Oppressive as fuck, the drums alone are enough to set the tone, but when combined with chugging guitars and commanding vocals, something special emerges. Blackout is a showcase of the band’s capabilities and absolutely deserves your undivided attention. – JE
FFO: Graphic Nature, Mouthbreather & Chaos.Sequence
Sulk II – what happened to sulk I? (Independent)
What Sulk II have conjured up here is one of the most interesting and unique sounds that we’ve come across this year, weaving through melancholic moments, akin to that of the likes of Rotting Yellow and Fainting Dreams, and interlaced with moments of noise-come-screamo sections. With intros and interludes comprised of breakcore and jungle, what happened to sulk I? is a record that twists and turns, with a raw MP3-style production that gives it the feel of a found archive on the web. – JE
FFO: Fromjoy, rue & Fainting Dreams
Eyewash – Dividing Line (Independent)
The initial blend of shoegaze, grunge, and alternative sounds that Eyewash present on Dividing Line might be familiar now to many, yet what Eyewash do here shows that there continues to be new imaginations that can make the now coined “grunegaze” still sound absolutely captivating. The dual vocal offering shines, with Hines‘ dreamy vocals taking the lead. What makes Dividing Line that little more special is that Eyewash give the tracks moments to breathe; all three tracks include moments where the instrumental are permitted the space to simply groove and riff, with flair and juice. For anyone who has an affinity for this genre now in its prime, this EP should be a staple of their library. – JE
FFO: Swoon, Fleshwater & Bleed
Gorge – Gorge (Independent)
June was packed with heavy hitters that simply seemed intent on ripping ears off. The likes of Angel Shot, Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Mugshot were all feral and malicious in their nature. Adding to that is Gorge, whose relentless beatdown sound might just put them atop the food chain. This self-titled release pummels at each moment, with a snare that sounds like the crack of a machine gun. The vocals and guitars tear away at each moment, each commanding the record into a hellish whirlwind. For those looking for violence and chaos, Gorge will be the perfect record. – JE
FFO: Jesus Piece, Death Tax & Irruption