From having a triumphant return after a near-death experience, and living to tell the story about it, to unveiling a debut solo single, here are four top new songs that arrived this past week.

01) Fleshgod Apocalypse are back with new single, “Pendulum”

Fleshgod Apocalypse have recently announced their latest lineup change with bassist Paolo Rossi, who made the difficult decision to leave the band. Frontman Francesco Paoli has since switched from guitar to bass. At the same time, soprano vocalist Veronica Bordacchini has taken on all clean vocal parts, as these Italian symphonic death metal giants are now a five-piece moving forward. The group continues to show how unstoppable they are, which was heavily shown in 2021 following Paoli’s near-death experience after a mountain climbing incident. After watching the singer regain strength, the band was hungry to return to the stage, which they’ve since had. 

However, now the time has come to showcase new music with the latest lineup change and have a moment to finally reflect on the close call to death with their latest single, “Pendulum.” Released on Friday (8th), the song paints Paoli’s resilience and the band’s triumphant return after a hiatus. Known for their powerful orchestrations and operatic melodies, Fleshgod Apocalypse has been a unstoppable since 2007, releasing strong records like Agony and Veleno via Nuclear Blast Records. The new single, mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob Hansen, captures the band’s signature intensity, complemented by artwork from Italian artist Ludovico Cioffi and a music video directed by Martina L. McLean.

Paoli comments:

“Sometimes you have to die first to fully understand what life is.

This is the first song we release since my ‘dance’ with death, back in August 2021. It’s obvious that such a life changing event would have affected our music. It took a toll on me, physically and mentally, and sharing my experience is also part of my healing process. Pendulum is just the opening chapter of a bigger story, which is yet to be told… The music video, realized by visionary Italian director Martina L. McLean, turned my unfortunate incident into a monumental visual experience, an awe inspiring blend of obscure symbolism, surreal architectures and nightmarish mythological creatures. It perfectly portraits the struggle and the desperation of that day, a day of defeat… but also the day of my rebirth.”

Watch the clip below: