The Weekly Wire playlist is still roaring, packed with 50 new songs each week and, here, we're recapping the Best Rock + Metal Songs of the Month for July with a mix of essential songs and choice selections from the Loudwire staff. Maybe you'll even discover a new band that rules!

The Essentials

You know these bands and you probably heard these songs the instant they came out — midnight Spotify lurkers, we see you...

  • Follow Loudwire's 'Best of the Month' playlist on Spotify here.

Anette Olzon, “Sick of You”
Angels & Airwaves, “Losing My Mind”
Badflower, “Family”
Between the Buried and Me, “Revolution in Limbo”
Bullet For My Valentine, “Parasite”
Cane Hill, “All We Know”
Carnifex, “Graveside Confessions”
Coheed & Cambria, “Shoulders”
Cradle of Filth, “Crawling King Chaos”
Crystal Lake, “Curse”
Deafheaven, “The Gnashing”
Don Broco, “Gumshield”
Employed to Serve,“Mark of the Grave”
Fuel, “Hard”
The Glorious Sons, “I Will Destroy the Void In You”
Ice Nine Kills, “Hip to Be Scared” Feat. Jacoby Shaddix
Iron Maiden, “The Writing on the Wall”
Melvins, “Night Goat” (acoustic)
Ministry, “Good Trouble”
Obscura, “Solaris”
Rivers of Nihil, “Clean”
Sabaton, “Kingdom Come” (Manowar cover)
Spiritbox,“Constance” (acoustic)
Thrice, “Scavengers”
Times of Grace, “Rescue”
Tremonti, “If Not For You”
Trivium, “In the Court of the Dragon”
Turnstile, “BLACKOUT”
Twelve Foot Ninja, “Start the Fire”
Underoath, “Damn Excuses”
Andrew W.K., “Everybody Sins”
Volbeat, “Don’t Tread on Me” (Metallica cover)
We Came as Romans, “Darkbloom”
Zeal & Ardor, “Erase”

STAFF PICKS

Joe DiVita

BAND: D.D. Verni and the Cadillac Band
SONG: “Cadillac Man”
RELEASED: July 13

When I got an email stating that Overkill bassist D.D. Verni had formed a swing band, I already knew it was going to be awesome. The logo looks like a classic diner sign (that’s a good thing, by the way) and the music that came pouring out of my speakers instantly had me hooked. Here, D.D. swaps his usual four strings for six and takes the lead vocal spot on the too-f’n-cool “Cadillac Man.” Without naming any names here, we’ll just go on the record as stating that this song annihilates similar attempts made by one of rock’s biggest figures earlier this year. You can KISS our you-know-what if you think otherwise...

BAND: Spirit Adrift
SONG: “Forge Your Future”
RELEASED: July 9

Is it bold to call “Forge Your Future” by Spirit Adrift the best classic-styled heavy metal songs of the last decade? Sure, but I’m not out to obscure the truth — just spittin’ honest facts. I can’t remember the last time I heard lyrics this powerful in a throwback metal track, which is a necessary component when considering its strength. Musically? Flawless. It doesn’t hurt that mainman Nate Garrett seems to share my same affinity for the seriously underrated Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath.

BAND: Portrait
SONG: “Phantom Fathomer”
RELEASED: July 9

Look at that, another classic metal pick! Sweden’s Portrait have been paying tribute to the olde ways for well over a decade now and their mastery of the craft as they near the release of their fifth album, At One With None, has only improved. What makes “Phantom Fathomer” so appealing are the dark overtones that Mercyful Fate played with so well. There’s a steady gallop, but nobody is charging into battle — no, it’s a rather nervous one, as if the rider knows their end is near and inevitable.

Lauryn Schaffner

BAND: Dorothy
SONG: “What’s Coming to Me”
RELEASED: July 9

She’s back, and I’d say she sounds better than ever, but Dorothy’s roar has always sounded fantastic. She’s definitely got a new aesthetic going on in her latest song “What’s Coming to Me” though, and it’s a thunderous stomper of a track that’s more reminiscent of her first album Rockisdead than its laid-back, California-esque follow-up 28 Days in the Valley. This is purely a rock ‘n’ roll song with bluesy roots and complemented by some Stevie Nicks-like harmonization. It’s not Dorothy’s first rodeo, but if “What’s Coming to Me” is your introduction to her, welcome.

BAND: Joyous Wolf
SONG: “Fearless”
RELEASED: July 30

Joyous Wolf are one of my absolute favorite rising rock bands. I tend to try and compare newer groups to older ones in order to describe their sound, and with these guys, I can’t, so that challenge alone makes them all the more exciting. “Fearless” is their latest release, and it’s packed with high energy, rock ‘n’ roll soul and a guitar solo that proves on its own just how seriously the members of this band take their instruments. The best part is that the video doesn’t even do their live performance justice — if you’ve ever seen them play, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

BAND: Bones Owens
SONG: “Rambler”
RELEASED: July 23

When I first saw the name “Rambler,” the first song that came to mind was “Ramblin’ Man” by the Allman Brothers Band. While Bones Owens doesn’t quite sound like the Allman Brothers, “Rambler” certainly has a southern twang to it. That riff? I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.

Rabab Al-Sharif

BAND: Nightlife
SONG: “New Low”
RELEASED: July 9

We live in a post-genre world where if, for instance, you love R&B, but you also find yourself wondering, “But what if this was heavy?” eventually someone will come along to fill that void in your life. Nightlife are definitely here to fill a void in the rock scene, offering a soulful, danceable earworm with djenty riffs that you won’t be able to get out of your head in the best way possible.

BAND: Crown Lands
SONG: “White Buffalo”
RELEASED: July 8

If you think rock music was way better back in its early days and/or prefer your tunes to be socially conscious, then do I have some good news for you. Canada’s Crown Lands offer up a fresh take on classic rock that will give you an opportunity to groove and learn something in the process. Plus, many have pointed out that singer Cody Bowles' voice at times sounds like the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne (maybe if Ozzy had taken better care of his vocal cords and body in general), and who doesn't love the sound of that?

BAND: Dying Wish
SONG: “Fragments of a Memory”
RELEASED: July 7

Man, that 2000s metalcore sound is alive and very well. The title track from Dying Wish’s upcoming album (out Oct. 1 via Sharptone) is heavy in more ways than one, traversing the rocky psychic territory of traumatic memories while sonically crushing you along the way.

BAND: Delaire The Liar
SONG: “Halloween”
RELEASED: July 19

This band gives off serious My Chemical Romance vibes in the sense that you can just tell that Delaire The Liar put everything they had (emotionally and physically) into this post-hardcore throwback. The whole proceeding feels like an exorcism of sorts, pushing everything to the brink to feel catharsis after expelling some sonic demons.

Chad Childers

BAND: Malice Machine
SONG: “Restrict”
RELEASED: July 17

Industrial rock hasn’t really had a breakout act in a while, but the duo of Syn and Ammo from Malice Machine are making me long for the industrial heavy ‘90s again with their latest single “Restrict.” Dark, danceable and with enough angsty aggression and ominous overtones to want to throw this on repeat over and over.

BAND: All Good Things Featuring Craig Mabbitt
SONG: “The Comeback”
RELEASED: July 22

All Good Things are making a strong case to be rock’s 2021 breakthrough act, with “The Comeback” being the latest strong offering from their upcoming A Hope in Hell debut album. The soaring anthem comes with an assist as Escape the Fate’s Craig Mabbitt lends some aggressive edge to this fist-to-the-sky rocker.

BAND: Meet Me @ The Altar
SONG: “Brighter Days (Are Before Us)”
RELEASED: July 30

Meet Me @ The Altar have understandably turned heads this year with “Hit Like a Girl” and “Feel a Thing,” but as the trio prepare for the release of their debut Model Citizen EP, it’s clear the well runs deep on quality cuts. The uplifting “Brighter Days (Are Before Us)” is brimming with vibrant energy, giving listeners crushing, fuzzed out guitars and pummeling beats while still delivering a sound that comes off melodically infectious. “Brighter Days” do indeed lie in wait for this up-and-coming group.

Toni Gonzalez
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BAND: Bighead, Yung Booke, Three Days Grace & Young Thug
SONG: "Emotions"
RELEASED: July 9

Since basically every new song we play on Loudwire Nights is always on the essentials list, I always look for something unexpected to add to the conversation, and so I bring you "Emotions." The song, which was produced by Bighead, features Yung Booke, Young Thug and Three Days Grace. To quote Bighead "this shit crazy" and genre blurring. It's probably not for the diehard TDG fans, but if you're in the mood for something different check it out.

Philip Trapp

BAND: As the Palaces Burn
SONG: "For the Weak"
RELEASED: July 26

As the Palaces Burn aren't a Lamb of God tribute act — yes, the group takes their name from the second album by the Randy Blythe-led metal mainstays — but the Brazilian-based outfit undoubtedly exists along that same continuum. Sure, vocalist Alyson Garcia frequently sings in a smooth style that's unlike Blythe's throaty growl. But the heavyweight musical chops and overall expressiveness found in "For the Weak," the new single from As the Palaces Burn's upcoming album, make it nearly as arresting as any recent offering from the Lamb.

BAND: The Linda Lindas
SONG: "Oh!"
RELEASED: July 21

The Lindas Lindas' no-bullshit "Racist, Sexist Boy" went so viral earlier this year that the young Los Angeles punkers were subsequently picked up by Epitaph Records. The band's first single since that signing — the curtly titled but tactfully executed "Oh!" — makes it clear that The Linda Lindas are here to stay. And it might just be the punk anthem of the summer, nevermind the bollocks.

Graham Hartmann

BAND: Møl
SONG: “Photophobic”
RELEASED: July 23

I love this band so much. In my opinion, Jord is the strongest blackgaze album since Deafheaven dropped Sunbather, and with those dudes going full-on shoegaze, Møl are poised to take the crown with their Nuclear Blast debut. I’m a sucker for the delay on those single notes. Please take my money and play Saint Vitus.

BAND: Green Lung
SONG: “Leaders of the Blind”
RELEASED: July 2

Thanks to Stoned Meadow of Doom, I’ve had my ear on Green Lung for a while now. There’s plenty of Sabbathian doom to be inhaled then forgotten about, but Green Lung have some really outstanding hooks that leave a lasting impression. Highly recommended if you dig bands like Graveyard or Uncle Acid.

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