In a time where trends come and go as frequently as the seasons, we’re used to constantly changing popular forms of fashion, entertainment, and art. Despite the extreme cultural changes the world goes through quite frequently, one genre of music never seems to die out or lose its charm: metal. Sure, like all types of music and entertainment metal has evolved and changed over time. However, the thing that differentiates metal from any other genre of music is the unity and dedication of the fans from all over the world. This dedication is what has kept the genre alive and kept it growing for the past 50 years. And to show you the continuous growth of metal I am going to tell you about two young bands who were recently signed and are putting their eternal mark on metal.

The first band I will talk about is Void from Lafayette, Louisiana. Void was formed in 2019 and has shown people that young bands can still make some good classic thrash metal. They released their first full-length album Horrors of Reality in 2023, and they just recently signed to Shadow Kingdom Records this past summer. They have a sound similar to classic thrash bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Testament, and they will certainly get you headbanging with their fast, thrashy riffs and heavy drums. Their horror-themed lyrics and visuals have given Void a different image than many other metal bands and made their live performances look really cool. Void is currently working on a new album (the first of theirs with Shadow Kingdom) and the first single from the album, titled Return of the Phantom, will be released on November 30th.

I cannot talk about the life of metal without talking about Europe’s influence on the genre. Metal wasn’t only invented in Europe, but many European countries have been constantly producing some of the top metal bands in the world for decades. The most prominent of these countries are Sweden, Germany, and Norway. So in honor of metal’s European roots, the next band I will highlight is Neckbreakker from Silkeborg in Denmark. Neckbreakker formed in 2020 under the name Nakkeknaekker and rose to popularity quite quickly considering the pandemic, and how young the band members were. Listeners were attracted to Nakkeknaekker’s raw and classic death metal sound, similar to that of the classic Florida death metal bands. They sound like Slayer on steroids mixed with Morbid Angel and Obituary. Nakkeknaekker signed to the famous Nuclear Blast Records this past September, and that’s also when they subsequently changed their name to Neckbreakker. Along with the announcement of their signing, they released their first single, Horizon of Spikes. They have since released another, even heavier single called Shackled to a Corpse. Neckbreakker’s heavy guitar riffs, tight drums, and guttural vocals have made them extremely popular among metalheads all around the world, especially those like myself who particularly enjoy classic death metal. Neckbreakker will release its first full-length album, Within the Visceria, on December 6th. Be sure to support the band by listening to it!