As we sit in the Christmas gooch, it’s a good time to continue our run through of some of the songs released in the second half of 2025 that we missed first time round.
Hot Fiends – GUNK
Release Date: 3rd October 2025
Frenetic and energetic, ‘GUNK’ from UK south coast hardcore mob Hot Fiends oozes its influences. It feels like there’s some SOAD in there, some Mastodon and more than a touch of ETID. You may be sat there thinking ‘what a combination that is, must be a great track’. You would be right. Pulsating from start to finish, ‘GUNK’ is a window into the sheer energy that the band’s live shows struggle to contain.
NOAPOLOGY – Pull Me In
Release Date: 5th September 2025
Ukrainian hard rock-cum-alt-metal outfit NOAPOLOGY have been featured by Hardbeat a couple of times and for good reason. ‘Pull Me In’ is the latest in a string of tracks that blend together passionate hard rock with almost guitars that have a tinge of east-Asia about them – the sort of song that feels like it could have a Babymetal or Hanabie. collab on it. Good luck getting these choruses out of your head.
Tooth & Dagger – Survive
Release Date: 26th September 2025
British metalcore has been in an interesting place for the past decade. Bands have come and gone whilst sticking to the same tired template but it feels like recently bands like Tooth & Dagger are starting to diversify the scene. ‘Survive’ is a great example of this, a track that doesn’t just stick to what was ‘cool’ in the early noughties. Blending a mix of everything that has made alternative music fun in the past couple of decades, the track is consistently anthemic as it moves between heavy, dancey and downright dark.
The Threats – Digital People
Release Date: 6th October 2025
Punk has always had its finger on the pulse when it comes to being on the ‘right side of history’ and as the world becomes more and more complicated, it isn’t just politics that is in the crosshairs of bands. Here the subject is pretty clear – the inane swiping of social media that has turned generations of people into zombies. Packed with energy and rough vocals that fit the style perfectly. And no, the irony of you reading this thanks to social media isn’t lost on us.
Dark Entity – Asmodeus
Release Date: 12th September 2025
Sometimes it’s nice to have a song that knows its genre. ‘Asmodeus’ is described by Dark Entity as their ‘hype song’, a track specifically there to raise the energy in the room when played live and, seeing as it’s hard enough to keep the heart rate down sat at home listening to it, it seems clear that this riffy track is headbanging heaven.