THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #1

Welcome to the Real Gone Singles Bar, a new feature where we explore some of the digital tracks that have been sent our way. We’ve always shied away from single coverage in the past, as the art of appreciating a full album is special, but listeners’ habits – and the way a lot of bands are releasing music – has changed. We’re now constantly finding ourselves with an inbox full of individual MP3s that fall by the wayside. Rounding up some of the best seemed like a good idea, and its something we’re hoping to take forward in tandem with our usual coverage. We hope you enjoy it and find something special enough to follow up!

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MOTHMAN & THE THUNDERBIRDS / WORLD EATERS – Split EP

In terms of heavy split releases, this shared venture between Philadelphia’s Mothman & The Thunderbirds and Ontario’s World Eaters will take some beating. Each band shares a very different kind of riff-based anger, but at the same time, their uncompromising sounds share a vision that, together, makes them a great fit. With just two songs apiece, it’s enough to make the listener aware of two underground bands that stand a chance of either thrilling or scaring the unwary. Either way, they’ve gained a reaction, so it’s all good.

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MOTHER OF GRAVES – In Somber Dreams EP

Hailing from Indiana, Mother of Graves take massive musical cues from My Dying Bride and early Paradise Lost and apply those sounds to the broader musical canvases of the likes of Swallow The Sun. From the off, the material on this debut EP (originally released in 2021) really values huge, dark melodies, but in order for those metallic backdrops to not sound too commercial – relatively speaking – a really abrasive melodic death metal growl has also been applied. This, at least at first, sounds like an act of slight self-sabotage since the bulk of the music would definitely be better suited to a Type O Negative influenced croon. There’s nothing about that voice – even at its most extreme – that will be too off-putting to the hardened doom fan, of course, but it might stop the material appealing to a broader spectrum of metal fans.

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