Top 10 Emerging Bands That Will Make Their Mark In 2023
We may be closing towards the end of the first month of 2023, but as we still continue to reflect on 2022, it’s fair to say that last year was a bumper year for our world. Bands big and small took advantage of the first year with no COVID restrictions with tours galore and a myriad of exciting new talent broke onto the scene; looking at you HERIOT. With a new year comes future-gazing. These are ten bands we predict that will make their mark in 2023.
COPSE
If you prefer your black metal beautiful rather than brutal, blackened post-metallers COPSE should be your next cup of tea. Led by DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL co-vocalist Ed Gibbs, 2022’s Mara | Mondrem EP is the sound of a band wise beyond their years. Listening to COPSE is like injecting the post-hardcore-meets-post-metal pummelling of Loss-era DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL with steroids; opener Mara twists the intensity of MØL with ASTRONOID’s etherealness whilst Mondrem is a nine-minute mountain of beautiful riffs, bludgeoning blastbeats, and reverb-drenched atmosphere for you to climb.
Gibbs – joined by bassist Rob Collier, drummer Ryan Westwood, and guitarists Bono and Phil Vernon – haunts COPSE like a spectre does loved ones. His screams soundtrack a descent into existentialism, the suffocating refrain of “I am nothing, I feel nothing” melding itself to your mind like breakfast does to lunch. Alongside his bandmates’ cacophony of claustrophobia closing in on you, COPSE creates music for the moments you need someone to say it’s okay to not feel okay. In just two songs, COPSE have achieved what bands spend entire careers trying to do. And if that doesn’t excite you for their future, we don’t know what will.
GOING OFF
The first thing you need to know about GOING OFF is that they’re signed to Church Road Records, so it’s all you really need to know, right? Backed by EMPLOYED TO SERVE’s Justine Jones and Sammy Urwin, GOING OFF give hardcore a reality check: imagine Frankenstein’s monster made out of the monstrous sides of CANDY and GULCH learnt how to make music with the melodious sensibility of TRASH TALK and YOUR DEMISE and you’re on the money.
Following a one-two punch of EPs since starting up in 2019, GOING OFF are ready to rumble with 2023’s hardcore punk playbook in debut album What Makes You Tick?. If you’re into audible punishment, GOING OFF will keep you coming back for more: they’re the band who punch you in the face, kick you in the balls, and steal your money. If TURNSTILE’s hardcore-pop is a little too sugary for you to sip, you’ll want to keep GOING OFF on your radar as they skyrocket into every pit this side of Pittsburgh. Simply put, GOING OFF are unhinged, unforgiving, and utterly unforgettable.
FORLORN
After first emerging in 2020 with singles Emotionless and Erased, and a slew of singles that dropped throughout last year, the self-described ‘Midsommar metal’ collective look set to make 2023 theirs. An amalgamation of post-metal, hardcore, metal sensibilities and shimmering aural fragility are all thrown into a cauldron and the resulting sound is as unique as it is captivating.
The sway from sheer monstrous metal to ethereal passages where vocalist Megan Elliott shines is truly special and showcases a band at the top of their game; despite only having a handful of tracks in their locker. With the might of Silent Cult Recordings (the label that helped the likes of MIMI BARKS, PALM READER and FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS rise up the ranks) behind them, this year looks set to be one where the cult of the Midsommar metal collective expands.
FIXATION
Melodic metalcore is all the rage at the moment with the likes of HOLDING ABSENCE and AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS enjoying surges of popularity over the past several years. However, the boom in popularity for the style is not just a UK centric affair, it can be found in countries across the globe. Such is the case as Norwegian outfit FIXATION.
After making a buzz on home soil in 2020 through debut EP, Global Suicide, 2022 marked a momentous year for the quartet through the release of several new singles, showcasing their blend of emotionally driven alternative rock and a stunning vocal display from frontman Jonas W Hansen, as well as a triumphant outing at Norway’s premier rock festival; Tons Of Rock. And with their debut album set to drop this year, and a place at the gargantuan Download Festival, Norway’s answer to HOLDING ABSENCE looks destined to make their mark and cement their position as one of the most exciting new bands on the scene.
DEATH PILL
Embarking on recording your debut album is a mammoth task in itself but DEATH PILL, they faced an adverse challenge few bands will ever experience; the threat and horror of war. For the Ukrainian punk power trio, they were just three tracks into the mixing of their debut record when Russia launched their invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
With the war displacing the trio across the world, the conflict as well as their collective experience of standing up to the region’s conservatism, all adds fuel to the fire of their anger and it shows. First single, Pасцарапаю Ебало, is jam-packed of spit, venom and unadulterated exhilaration and showcases exactly how exciting this emerging talent can be. With their self-titled debut dropping next month, DEATH PILL will send shockwaves in the heavy music scene and make 2023 their breakout year.
BEYOND EXTINCTION
Teen deathcore upstarts BEYOND EXTINCTION has been blazing a trail in recent years with their potent blend of modern metalcore and classic death metal, billing their influences as everything from CANNIBAL CORPSE to PARKWAY DRIVE. In 2021, they deconstructed faces with their curb stomping EP The Fatal Flaws Of Humankind. Folding tech elements into sheer brutality on all levels gave the metal world reason to pay attention and the result is a 15 minute mini nuke of searing ferocity.
With their latest single Eyes Of God, Look Down Upon Me taken from their upcoming EP Nothing More Wretched, they’ve gone nastier than ever before, leaning closer to the current crop of heavy savants like GODEATER and BURNER, and culminating in a monster of a final breakdown that could shake the sturdiest to their core. For all the youth of the band members, they sound wiser than their years, lacing their venomous racket with a wicked expertise and maturity that evades even some of their oldest contemporaries. With a sterling live reputation across the country and upcoming spots in the Midlands with TO OBEY A TYRANT and headlining Ipswich’s Deadsoul Winterfest, 2023 looks set for BEYOND EXTINCTION to really put a stamp on your soul.
DEATH ENGINE
DEATH ENGINE may have been around a little longer than a lot of the bands on this list – their debut EP Amen actually celebrates its 10th anniversary this year – but 2023 still marks something of a fresh start for the French post-metal four-piece. With a new line-up, and a new perspective brought on by the general bleakness of the last couple of years, the quartet have in their back pockets their heaviest record yet, and easily one of the most apocalyptically powerful releases you’ll hear all year.
While holding onto the urgency you would expect from their roots in post-hardcore, the band have also expanded their sound to something altogether more dynamic and hypnotic, and they’ve even recruited BIRDS IN ROW drummer Joris Saïdani to provide one more reason to check them out should you need it. Next time people start talking about the CONJURERs and LLNNs of the world, these guys shouldn’t be far behind, and surely they’re a no-brainer for an ArcTanGent appearance. Hopefully we get a full UK tour soon too, because one gets the sense that the studio recordings of these tracks are very much just the tip of the iceberg.
ZULU
ZULU shot onto plenty of radars with the release of their first two EPs Our Day Will Come and My People… Hold On in 2019 and 2020 respectively, but it’s been a relatively long wait for the debut full-length A New Tomorrow which finally arrives this March. With the backing of the ever-dependable Flatspot Records, it’s surely one of the most anticipated hardcore releases of the year, and lead singles Fakin’ Tha Funk (You Get Did) and Where I’m From have already confirmed that it’s going to be an absolute rager.
Of course, we know that it won’t all be powerviolence either; the band’s work has always been dotted with samples from R&B, soul, funk, reggae and more in a proud celebration of Black triumph and Black musical history, and A New Tomorrow is no exception. Catch them in the UK as they return to Outbreak Festival for the second year running this June, or if you’re lucky enough to be in the US when they hit the road with SHOW ME THE BODY, JESUS PIECE, SCOWL and TRIPP JONES please know that we will haunt you if you miss them.
LAKE MALICE
LAKE MALICE have been turning heads in the alt-metal scene for a while now, but 2023 is the year the duo from Brighton are going to really make their impact. Blending trap beats with powerful riffs, along with frontwoman Alice Guala’s soaring vocals, they don’t sound quite like anybody else. Combine this with horror-style music videos and a defiant attitude, it’s difficult to not pay attention.
Though they only have four songs released at the moment, each one demonstrates their talent. The heavy riffs, from guitarist Blake Cornwall, are addictive, pushing each song into a new level of energy. The lyrics tell various stories, each song with a clear but angry message, and they seem to approach conversations nobody else is, like the rise of true crime obsessions and co-dependency in relationships. Alice’s voice is an unforgettable part of these songs, with both beautiful vocals and guttural screams. While fairly last minute, they stepped in to support ZEAL & ARDOR on some dates during their recent tour, and seemed to adapt to the bigger stages amazingly. With a slot at Download, and what is sure to be a busy year, LAKE MALICE will more than earn their place in wherever metal seems to be heading.
LOVE IS NOISE
We have two questions for you: Where do you want to go? What do you want to hear? When it comes to metalcore, people tend to have set expectations for what they’re about to hear, which usually includes, but not limited to, gnarly instrumentals, rough vocals and dirty breakdowns. And while that’s all well and good, there’s certainly room for more experimentation within the genre. It’s here we’re introduced to LOVE IS NOISE, a UK outfit formed in 2021 that can only be described as alternative metal meets shoegaze, with music that not only stands out but leaves you in a trance, pondering the lyrics you hear in their songs.
Having only formed just under two years back, the band have already racked up over 30,000 listeners on Spotify with single Azure, released in January 2022, receiving over 200,000 listens. And it’s no wonder, given that the song leaves you in a trance-like state as you take in the beauty of the production and musical style. For LOVE IS NOISE, their main inspiration comes from the likes of LOATHE, GLASSJAW and HERIOT, a variety of bands meaning a range in genres that comes together in the most stunning way possible.
Words: James Weaver, Ellis Heasley, Jack Press, Jack Terry, Millie Warwick, Charlotte Griffiths