The Best New Riffs of the Week – 9 October 2026
Another Friday, another six reasons to turn the volume up. And this week, there's plenty going on beyond the music itself.
Trivium lead the charge with a fresh dose of modern metal, ELEINE prepare to bring their dark symphonic sound to UK stages, and The Dead Daisies introduce a familiar voice in a brand-new role. Meanwhile, Parkway Drive go orchestral, Orbit Culture add a little cinematic drama, and Sons of Silver make sure good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll gets its say.
Six tracks, six different flavours of heavy. Let's get into it.
1. Trivium – “Crown in the Grave”
Trivium are back, and they're not exactly easing themselves into things.
“Crown in the Grave” is the title track from their forthcoming eleventh studio album, due on 20 November via Roadrunner Records. With Alex Rüdinger behind the kit, the band deliver another combination of razor-sharp riffs, galloping rhythms and the kind of guitar work that Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu have spent years perfecting. Heavy, melodic and unmistakably Trivium, it's a fine reminder of why they've remained one of modern metal's most dependable names.
2. ELEINE – “Liars Linger”
Swedish symphonic metallers ELEINE are gathering momentum, and “Liars Linger” arrives at just the right moment.
Taken from their forthcoming fifth studio album, The Water Taste of Blood, the track brings together the band's trademark darkness, commanding vocals and crushing guitar work. There's plenty of atmosphere here, but ELEINE know when to let the riffs do the talking. Better still, their European and UK headline tour is about to get underway, with British dates coming up next week. A timely reminder that this music is built for the stage as much as the studio.
3. The Dead Daisies – “Lift Me Up”
New singer, new chapter, same appetite for proper hard rock.
“Lift Me Up” introduces former Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen as the new voice of The Dead Daisies, taking over from John Corabi. And this isn't simply a guest appearance or another trip through the band's back catalogue. It's fresh material, with a new album planned for 2027. Hansen brings his considerable vocal experience to a band that has always understood the value of a big riff and an even bigger chorus. The Daisies have changed singers before, but this particular combination could be very interesting indeed.
4. Parkway Drive – “Prey (Live at the Sydney Opera House)”
Parkway Drive have never been particularly interested in doing things by halves. Apparently, a full orchestra was the next logical step.
Recorded at the Sydney Opera House, this new live version of “Prey” takes one of the band's established crowd favourites and gives it a suitably enormous orchestral makeover. It's the first taste of HOME – Live at the Sydney Opera House, arriving on 4 December. The original already had enough firepower to shake a festival field, but the additional arrangements bring another level of drama to Winston McCall and company. Metalcore in a concert hall? Somehow, it makes perfect sense.
5. Orbit Culture feat. Tina Guo – “The Path I Walk”
Orbit Culture have never been short on atmosphere, but adding Tina Guo's cello to the equation takes things somewhere rather different.
This reimagined version of “The Path I Walk”, originally featured on Death Above Life, appears on the album's newly released deluxe edition. Guo's contribution adds a cinematic, almost haunting quality to the Swedish band's already imposing sound. It's a different kind of heaviness, one built as much on emotion and tension as outright aggression. A welcome reminder that sometimes the most powerful moments arrive when the guitars make room for something else.
6. Sons of Silver – “Fever Run”
After all that metal, orchestral drama and Scandinavian darkness, Sons of Silver arrive to bring things back to rock 'n' roll.
“Fever Run” is the latest single from the American rockers and a preview of their forthcoming second album. Built around a driving guitar riff from Kevin Haaland, the track combines Peter Argyropoulos' distinctive vocals with the sort of restless energy that gives classic rock its enduring appeal. No complicated formula, no unnecessary tricks. Just guitars, groove and a band that sounds like it's having a very good time making noise.
Keep the riffs coming
From Trivium's precision-engineered metal to Sons of Silver's unapologetic rock 'n' roll, this week's selection covers plenty of ground. And with ELEINE hitting UK stages, The Dead Daisies entering a new era and Parkway Drive taking metalcore into the concert hall, there's plenty more to look forward to.
All six tracks join The Best New Riffs, our regularly updated Spotify playlist featuring the songs keeping The Riff Collective speakers busy.
Turn it up. We'll bring more riffs next week.
The Riff Collective
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