Throne by Matt Cruz
Throne by Matt Cruz kicks the door open and refuses to apologize.
This track leans hard into 90s grunge DNA. Thick guitars. Dissonant chords. Tight fills that sound like a band locked in the same room, actually listening to each other. No loose ends here.
Coming right after The One, Throne shows Matt’s heavier side with confidence. The playing feels deliberate. The vocals stay gritty but controlled, never sloppy. It sounds loud because it wants to be, not because it has to be.
Lyrically, the song plays a smart trick. The verses speak from the mind of someone who can’t admit they’re wrong. “Guilt is just a lie” hits like a red flag waved proudly. You know this person. Everyone does.
Then the bridge drops. The breakdown and solo feel like bottled frustration finally cracking. It’s heavy, sharp, and satisfying. The production stays clean without sanding off the rough edges. Throne doesn’t beg for approval. It stands there, arms crossed, daring you to argue back.
Go Away by OBXIDION
This one sounds happy until you actually listen.
Within the first few seconds, the hook grabs you and refuses to let go. At 2:48, it’s built for repeat plays and easy playlist love. The sound stays upbeat and bright, sitting comfortably in indie-pop rock territory.
But underneath that shine sits something heavier. “Make it go away” doesn’t feel casual. It lands like a quiet cry for help dressed up as a singalong. The chorus is the real weapon here. Big. Chantable. Instantly stuck in your head. You catch yourself singing it before realizing why it hits so hard.
OBXIDION knows how to balance emotion without dragging the mood down. The song feels light, but not empty. Sad, but still fun. This is the kind of track you blast with friends, then replay alone later.
Red Pearl by Shadows Of Earth
This track runs fast and sharp, blending rock, punk, and pop into a tight 153 bpm rush. Swedish songwriting gives it structure and bite, while the Italian vocals add character and edge. The mix feels intentional, not chaotic.
Lyrically, Red Pearl stays mysterious on purpose. It doesn’t explain itself. It drops ideas, then lets you finish the story. That open-ended approach makes the song stick longer than expected.
The energy feels raw, but the execution stays clean. You can hear how carefully this was recorded, mixed, and mastered. Every part sits where it should. Fans of Green Day, and Hero the Band and such will feel at home right away. Fast hooks. Forward momentum. No overthinking. Red Pearl sounds like a band that respects your time and your ears.
If this style already lives in your playlists, this track won’t feel like a suggestion. It’ll feel like a requirement.
How the Cruel by EELS! EELS! EELS!
This sounds like trouble with good timing. It pulls from heavy blues roots but refuses to stay there. It leans into garage rock energy without fully committing, which makes it more interesting. The fuzzy guitar does the dirty work, while the vocals stay surprisingly clean. That contrast keeps the song tense in the best way.
The melody sticks fast. Not in a cheap hook way. More like it sneaks up on you, then hangs around longer than expected. The lyrics feel real and grounded, not dramatic for attention. You can tell someone actually sat with these words before recording them.
There’s a haunted feeling running through the song, like it’s carrying old stories but telling them in modern language. It sounds rough, but never careless. Everything feels intentional.
If you’re into punk rock but want something with weight and grit, this fits nicely. It doesn’t shout to prove a point. It lets the groove and the message do the work. Would this hit harder live in a small room with bad lighting? Yeah. Absolutely.
Merry Chriztmaz by ZUGAR
This one sounds like Christmas got fed through a distortion pedal and came out swinging. This groove-heavy track doesn’t care about holiday cheer. It cares about riffs, momentum, and attitude.
Thrash roots show up fast, but the groove keeps it grounded and punchy instead of chaotic. You feel the Anthrax energy right away, with flashes of Pantera-style weight pushing everything forward. The production stays raw on purpose. It’s rough around the edges, but never sloppy. That grit fits the song’s personality and keeps it feeling alive. Every riff lands hard, and the rhythm section keeps things tight and aggressive.
What really sells it is the humor. ZUGAR doesn’t take the holiday theme seriously, and that’s the point. The dark jokes land because the band commits fully instead of winking at the camera. The polished music video adds another layer, showing a band that knows who they are and leans into it.
This feels like a reset moment. Leaner. Louder. Sharper. If your holiday playlist needs riffs instead of bells, this one earns its spot.
