Chances are if you attended alternative music festivals throughout the early to mid-2000s, you probably caught Australian drum & bass icons Pendulum in your travels at least twice - and now the band have signalled a comeback worthy of your attention as they grab one of the new-age metal scene's most recognised names for their latest single.
'Halo' is their new release in 5 years, which features Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck in a tasty collaboration that harks back to the group's collaboration with In Flames on their 2010 album Immersion. The synth/bass intro instantly smacks you in the face as it leads up to Tuck's infamous growls drawing us in with his accent, before opening up for the chorus, sharing vocals with vocalist Rob Swire. It's a catchy moment that should have you nodding along as it builds up to what seems like a breakdown/bass climax - but sadly, the song just ends... making me think that it flows into the next track on their forthcoming release.
Speaking of, there's a rumoured series of forthcoming EPs on the way, and while further details about the project are sketchy, we can only hope there are going to be collaborations galore, and we find Pendulum heading back into heavy territory with their hybrid electronic/metal sound that inspired a generation of followers, in turn, resulting in where the heavy music scene has landed over the past decade.
Pendulum have also returned to the Australian scene, joining the ranks at Mushroom / Virgin Music Group, a move that has Rob Swire excited for the future.
“We are pleased to be joining forces with Mushroom / Virgin and reuniting with Korda Marshall, a visionary who played a pivotal role in our journey back in 2006. After the successful release of ‘Hold Your Colour’, Korda was instrumental in propelling our career to new heights. His passion, commitment, and understanding of our music were transformative, and we look forward to this new chapter with a familiar face. We hope to make this phase of our career the most exciting one yet, and elevate our sound to unprecedented levels.”
Pendulum are part of the Australian Invasion of Download Festival UK's 20th Anniversary next week - which will find the group sharing the stage alongside Parkway Drive, Polaris, StandAtlantic, Redhook and The Amity Affliction across the four-date weekend. Stay tuned to our socials because we too are heading over to be part fo the epic celebration and will be catching up with Australians abroad, delivering you the BEST AfterFilm we've ever conceived - to tide over that FOMO until our next festival season down under.
Words by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownypaul
Refamiliarise yourself with Pendulum here
Stream 'Halo' here
https://open.spotify.com/track/3LAGAN83iudA3YEP39Xgkr?si=a52706803fa948fa
