The Playlist 16/01/08

Ten songs you should hear now!

Apocalyptica, S.O.S. (Anything But Love)
You couldn’t have just anyone lending their voice to Apocalyptica’s colossal explosion of cello-metal So rather than roping in Napalm Death or Gallows to help them out, they’ve plumped for the silky smooth vocals of Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia. Wonderful.
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Coheed and Cambria, The Road and the Damned
A demo version it may be, but this is just as lush as the final version of the enormous ballad on last years’ awesome No World For Tomorrow. Cello-tastic!
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Panic! At The Disco, We’re So Starving
Their MySpace bills this as a rough version of a brand-spanking new track. But even though it’s sparse, you can’t help imagining all the theatrical pomp P!ATD will have hung off this ditty by the time it’s finished.
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Simple Plan, When I’m Gone
Yes, they make Blink 182 look like Discharge, but Canuck pop-punks Simple Plan don’t half write a killer tune. And, with songs like this, their forthcoming new album should be a winner.
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Korpiklaani, Korven Kuningas
The title of Finnish booze-warriors Korpiklaani’s new record means King of the Woods in their native tongue. With this gung-ho party tune, perhaps they should, in tribute to Manowar, crown themselves Kings of Folk Metal.
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Aiden, Moment
Conviction, Aiden’s storming 2007 record, was the wonderful sound of a band growing into something great. Here they are, stretching their wings into enormous anthem territory.
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Think: Fire, Between the Sheets
2008 is already shaping up as a quality year for British talent, and here we have Think:Fire dishing out big slices of melodic rock, matching Foo Fighters in the humming-on-the-toilet catchiness stakes.
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Jimmy Eat World, Always Be
Unless you exist solely for blastbeats and death-grunts, it’s impossible not to like Jimmy Eat World. Go on, try and hate Always Be’s wonderful, breezy chorus. See? You simply can’t.
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Cradle of Filth, The Foetus of a New Day Kicking
Nasty title, though that’s nothing on the Filth’s latest black metal onslaught. Like sneezing on your enemies, this is a dose of thoroughly agreeable wickedness.
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Rotten Sound, The Effects
First they steamroll you with some super-heavy slowness. Then, just as you’re getting into the groove, they move up to grind-factor-666, and proceed to rip your head off at speeds Jeremy Clarkson would consider excessive. Yep, you’ll love Rotten Sound.
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