Everyone says Australia has the best modern metal bands in the world; we appreciate the sentiment and kind words, however we in the land of Oz are squinting through our proverbial binoculars and discovering new creatures and critters in other corners of the globe. Whilst the past couple of decades have seen the greater areas of the USA and UK deliver impeccable shaping artists in droves, it feels like the 2020s is tilting towards Europe.
Of course, the Scandinavian region has seen stable growth of heavy music across sub-genres, particularly in Sweden with melodeath (and more recently experimental metalcore) and Norwegian with black metal pioneers - but in recent years we've also seen other areas emerge. From the heavy hitters Paleface Swiss and Breakdown of Sanity in Switzerland to the full range of explosive genre-fusing outfit Electric Callboy and the more aggressive group Half Me both reigning in Germany - Europe is stepping up.
However, nearby on the Eurorail is a particularly thriving area of the world when it comes to new-age metalcore and deathcore.
Sail your way down the French Riviera and you'll pick up on some of the loudest musical exports in the continent. The romantics of France are channelling their energy into the scene in droves and we're all about it. Yes, we were proud to see effusive metalers Gojira claim triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games - but let's go further underground. With the rise of post-hardcore, metalcore and eclectic vocals in the 00-10s, we saw the likes of Betraying The Martyrs pop up with breakdowns, keyboards and heavy harmonies that took our hearts.
Since then, we entered the COVID period and the young generation ditched the accordion and tambourin in exchange for downtuned guitars. In this feature, we showcase some of the best active French acts on our radar, in case you haven't discovered them yet. With acknowledgement for those not mentioned, an honourable mention goes out to less-active pop-punk Parisians Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and peers Villain Of The Story.
Novelists
It all starts in the beating heart of the country, Paris. Novelists have been around since 2013 and after introducing themselves with debut LP Souvenirs, they got a name for themselves and were seen touring with some of best in the game. With notable singles over the years like 'Scars', 'Heretic' and 'Smoke Signals', the now-five-piece can yield a crowd.
After some significant lineup changes, NextGen Novelists with femme-fatale vocalist Camille Contreras made their Australian debut, which was only last year - as part of Monolith Festival, alongside the likes of Coheed and Cambria, Periphery, Intervals and more. They also had their very own headliner on the Gold Coast which was a total ripper.
The powerful quintet most recently released 2024 EP Okapi, and fresh singles 'All For Nothing' and 'Say My Name' with hopefully another feature length in the pipes. Go through this discography and sail your way through the Seine River and listen to what real romance sounds like in the City of Love.
LANDMVRKS
We have been keeping a close eye on Landmvrks for a few years now. As they joined our digital streaming platform algorithms in recent years, eyebrows were raised and interests were piqued. As we take you further south in France, we find ourselves in Marseille. Either wander through the lively and artistic Cours Julien, or dust off your PS2 and relive your youthful memories of the city's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 skatepark (Wall of Sound do video games too now); anyway, you get the gist.
It's hard to not recognise 2016 release Hollow with iconic single 'Winter' and sophomore record Fantasy with its unforgettable title-track as well as the serenading 'Scars''; the latter upon which already features our first feature - Novelists... yeah these residents of France love a good collab. If you're up to date on the discography, jump on their latest record to hear them hit their peak, The Darkest Place I've Ever Been.
Landmvrks also first french-kissed Aussie shores last year after being invited down by Northlane for the Dante Tour, alongside ERRA and Banks Arcade. While the Marseille metalcore murder weapons were down here, they played a special headliner at The Workers Club, a small Melbourne bar - and we were there to experience it in all its perfection.
Later this week the band return to melt faces for their first headline tour with special guests Bad Juju (all shows except Perth) and heaven//alone (Perth only). Shows have started out selling fast - so be quick, especially if you can't stop listening to their latest album - oh mon Dieu!
Resolve
Let's jump back on the train and treat ourselves to a first-class carriage while we're at it. Stopping in Lyon, you can get ready for the gastronomical capital of the world; that's food, people. After you've indulged in escargot and beef bourguignon, search for the dark alleys and imagine yourself in a small club, catching Resolve for the very first time.
This four-piece have actually been around for quite some time, certainly longer than many of their peers already mentioned. It's only in recent years that the Arising Empire roster act made more of a mark across the globe, all the while blowing minds nationally for ages.
For a taste of when Resolve really entered the A-series, check out most recent record Between Me and The Machine and of course some of their absolute best material on 2023 album Human. With an epic collab single called 'Older Days' (which you've likely headbanged to before) the Frenchmen invited Marc Zelli of Paleface Swiss and Aaron Matts of ten56., but we'll talk about them in a minute.
We were lucky enough to recently catch Resolve in Australia with headliners ERRA as well as Silent Planet; it was a metalcore tour for the ages. Say Bonjour to our chat with Anthony Diliberto (vocals) and Antonin Carré (guitarist) and stretch your necks accordingly before hitting play on their forthcoming new music...
ten56.
Well let's finish this feature piece with some gutturals, shall we? Whilst metalcore has dominated this list, we can't forget some of our absolute favs, ten56. After reclaiming his spot in the scene after leaving Betraying The Martyrs, vocalist Aaron Matts formed this beastly deathcore animal. With COVID era singles that shaped debut album Downer (released in two parts), the Parisians unlocked nu-deathcore demolition.
From debut single 'Diazepam' and disgusting release 'Yenta', it doesn't take a rocket scientist to label the emotion with ten56. (it's anger or colère for the Francophiles among us). As the band enters 2025, they're already eyeing off their sophomore album after blowing our minds with earth-shattering breakdowns on tracks like 'Good Morning' and 'Earwig'.
We were beyond delighted to get our first taste of ten56. live in Australia at Alpha Wolf's CVLTFEST in Brisbane last year, where they joined Emmure on sideshows around the country.
