Back in 2012, five years after forming, Belgian metal crew X-POZED finally released their debut album. ‘Essence of Hope’ shared some strong material. For those who’d missed their earlier self-released EP, it was the kind of record that provided a strong musical introduction, with a couple of tracks that could certainly be cherry picked to show their range.
Throughout 2024, we’ve featured literally hundreds of new tracks in our weekly Singles Bar column. Never committed to any particular style or genre, the SB has become a haven for any new tracks that have caught our ear, and we’ve introduced people to a whole spectrum of new bands. There wasn’t time to cast a spotlight on everything we loved, however. So, as we get ready to wave goodbye to another great year for music, we’ve brought together a selection of twenty five great tracks that slipped under the radar during the second half of the year. These are more than mere leftovers – every track deserves a loving ear. We’ve got singer songwriters; we’ve got melodic prog; we’ve got a couple of metal-centric workouts, indie bangers, and even a pinch of blues. If you’re a regular visitor to the Singles Bar, we know you’ll find more stuff to love!
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Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar! This time out, we bring you a slab of garage punk, a synth based banger, a couple of tunes with a rock and metal core, and more besides. It represents another great round of shining a light on individual tracks from a musical underground, and in a couple of cases, definitely suggests more greatness ahead. As always, we hope you like what you hear…
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When thinking of groove metal, it’s easy to think of the standard tropes: huge riffs and grinding tones, often coupled with a growled vocal. Often, the results fall into a sound that draws from ‘Far Beyond Driven’ era Pantera, and ‘Ashes of The Wake’ era Lamb of God. Whenever bands borrow from these sources, the results are always impressive – despite Phil Anselmo’s insistence on ruining Pantera’s legacy in a number of ways – but once in a while, a groove metal band will come along who are just a little more interesting.
Welcome back to the Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. For lovers of synth based pop, this selection offers a couple of genuine treats. You’ll also find a superb acoustic reworking from a critically acclaimed singer songwriter, an industrial tinged rocker, some wholesome pop punk from Australia, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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