Richard HolmesThe Rushonrock team have only just recovered from 2021. But we’ve managed to pick ourselves up and shine a spotlight on a raft of sizzling new rock and metal artists.
From glacial doom and vicious death metal to classic rock and AOR, there’s a wave of emerging talent about to hit.
Get ready.
Arð
Arð’s ethereal, windswept doom hymns evoke the majestic landscapes of Northumberland, the home of its creator, Mark Deeks.
And Arð – which translates as ‘native land’ in the old dialect of the kingdom of Northumbria – is rooted in the region’s heritage
Known for his work with Winterfylleth, Deeks is an accomplished musical director, composer, pianist and arranger, and he’s wielded his extraordinary talents to tell stories of Saint Cuthbert, a seventh century monk and the patron saint of Northumbria.
Featuring cellist Jo Quail and produced by Conan’s Chris Fielding, Arð’s debut album, Take Up My Bones, is set for a February 18 release on Prophecy Productions.
Check out Arð – and get a little history lesson – here.
Rich Holmes
As The World Dies
With Memoriam guitarist Scott Fairfax in the mix, you just know that As The World Dies are going to raise hell.
Indeed, from what we’ve heard from the quintet – which features members of Nottinghamshire’s Pemphigoid – fans of Grave and Bolt Thrower will be in for a deathly treat.
And in a further boost to the band’s cred, Memoriam vocalist Karl Willets, Benediction’s David Ingram and Massacre’s Kam Lee have all lent their roars to As The World Dies’ debut album.
Expect total carnage when Agonist is released via Transcending Obscurity Records on March 25.
And expect some stellar song writing too.
Check out As The World Dies here.
RH
Elles Bailey
Rushonrock-approved blues, rock and soul songstress Elles Bailey has been building up to latest album Shining In The Half Light for five years or more.
And while she’s hardly a newcomer, this will surely be the year when the brilliant Bristolian blasts into the mainstream and makes the rock world sit up and take notice.
Multi-award winner Bailey drops her most assured set yet on February 25 and from what we’ve heard so far it’s a seismic step forward.
Latest single Sunshine City boasts an addictive ZZ Top-style groove and namechecks Tom Petty.
Need we say more…
Simon Rushworth
Herzschlager
Missing Disfear? Well disfear not.
Herzschlager have you covered.
The creation of Allfather’s Tom Ballard and Alan Cordner, Herzschlager trade in raging torrents of crusty d-beat and snappy hardcore.
And they’re exceedingly good at it.
2021’s All The Nights Are Done debut EP, with its snotty swagger, showed what the pair are capable of.
But it sounds like that was just the start.
There’s more on the way in 2022 from the UK duo.
Get ready.
Dive into Herzschlager here.
RH
Hidden Mothers
Straddling black metal, post rock and hardcore, Sheffield’s Hidden Mothers are a rising force in the UK underground.
Their intense, self-titled debut EP landed in 2020 and since then, the quintet have been turning heads and opening minds.
This year will see the band appear at Leeds’ Strangeforms Festival and black metal shindig The Ruin Of Jorvik, and they’ll be hitting stages with the likes of Wolfbastard and Pupil Slicer too.
If that’s not enough, Hidden Mothers promise that new music is coming in 2022.
We can’t wait.
Check out Hidden Mothers here.
RH
Jack J Hutchinson
Much like Bailey (see above), innovative rock and roll chameleon Jack J Hutchinson has proved he can do it all during the last half decade.
And after cutting his teeth as a bluesman and deftly turning his hand to classic rock, 2022 is when the Hutch gets heavy.
Sounding more and more like hero Zack Wylde there’s more than a hint of doom and stoner on upcoming long player The Hammer Falls.
But those classic blues roots have still been allowed to grow as evidenced on latest single Straight To Hell.
Pledgers have already received signed CD copies with limited edition vinyls out this month…
…and the official release is set to follow on February 4.
SR
Kurokuma
Kurokuma’s debut album, Born of Obsidian, has been eagerly awaited in the sludge, stoner metal and psych rock scenes.
That’s because the Sheffield trio (pictured top) have been taking their jaw dropping live performances across the stages of Desertfest, Brutal Assault and Bloodstock in recent years… as week as teasing us with EPs such as Dope Rider.
Inspired by the ancient history of Mesoamerican civilisations, Born of Obsidian promises to be a psychedelics-laced kaleidoscope of hypnotic percussion, shamanic riffs and sky cracking heaviness.
And the record has been produced by Chicago úber-producer Sanford Parker, no less.
Look out for the album on February 4.
Get a taste of Kurokuma here.
RH
Conner Smith
Viral hit I Hate Alabama catapulted Conner Smith in to country music’s big leagues.
But the breakout star hasn’t wasted any time building on a growing reputation for writing rootsy, relatable, future American songbook classics.
Six-track debut Didn’t Go Too Far drops on Friday and features I Hate Alabama and Daniel Ross co-write Learn From It.
What we learnt from both of those songs — and the rest — is that Smith stands on the precipice of global stardom.
And after signing his first record deal aged just nine some would say it’s about time!
SR
The Big Deal
Are The Big Deal the real deal?
According to our most trusted sources the melodic rockers from Serbia have what it takes to breathe new life into a genre in rude health.
And the band’s 2022 debut via Frontiers has been hotly tipped as one of the must-hear albums of the year.
Vocalists Novena Brankovic and Ana Nikolic look and sound the part on a robust cover of the Europe classic Rock The Night.
But the band’s take on Nightwish‘s Amaranth is even better!
The Big Deal? Deal us in.
SR
VRSTY
Boasting as many earworm hooks as they do successive consonants, alt metal newbies VRSTY could be the band you’re looking for to shake up the senses and redefine rock.
Spinefarm Records debut Welcome Home drops later this month following a pandemic-forced delay at the back end of 2021.
But a flurry of singles means there are reference points aplenty where the post-hardcore genre benders are concerned.
Sick is the perfect starting point as VRSTY meddle in Linkin Park-esque nu-metal.
But trying to categorise this killer band is like trying to live your entire life without vowels. Vrtlly mpssbl.
SR