The Riffs of the Week (25/09/2026)
Friday means New Riffs! As usual, we've spent the week digging through new releases, singles and the occasional unexpected guitar-shaped object to find the tracks worth putting on a little louder.
This week's selection takes us from Dirty Honey's unapologetic hard-rock swagger and Europe's classic-rock muscle to DragonForce at maximum velocity, Greta Van Fleet continuing to stretch their sound, young British newcomers Rattlesnake making their debut, and Polyphia reminding everyone that apparently guitars can still do things nobody thought of yesterday.
Six tracks, six different flavours, one playlist. These are The Riffs of the Week.
Europe – The Devil's Back
Europe don't need to recreate The Final Countdown. Fortunately, they don't sound particularly interested in doing so either. “The Devil's Back” comes from Come This Madness, the band's new album arriving 25 September via Silver Lining Music, and finds them firmly in their modern hard-rock territory.
There's something satisfying about hearing a band with such an enormous back catalogue continuing to push forward rather than endlessly rebuilding the same 1980s monument. Joey Tempest and co. still know exactly where the riff belongs.
Dirty Honey – Lights Out
Dirty Honey have never seemed particularly interested in reinventing rock and roll. They'd rather make it sound dangerous again. “Lights Out” does exactly that, with a huge riff, plenty of swagger and the sort of groove that makes you instinctively reach for the volume control.
The track is one of the first tastes of the band's upcoming third album Catch My Butterfly, due 15 January 2027. Dirty Honey have also announced a 30-date European and UK headline tour for early next year, so the timing is fairly convenient: the lights are going out, and they're taking the show on the road.
DragonForce – Hunger Of The Beast
DragonForce have never really subscribed to the idea that power metal should take its time. “Hunger Of The Beast” arrives at full velocity, introducing the band's next chapter with former Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz behind the microphone.
It's the first single from DragonForce's upcoming tenth studio album, due in March 2027, and a pretty clear indication that the band aren't planning a quiet transition. If anything, they've simply added another engine to the machine.
Greta Van Fleet – Tear It Down
Greta Van Fleet continue the build-up to Palace For The People with “Tear It Down”, another preview of an album that looks set to show a broader side of the band. The track arrived on 18 September via Republic Records, with the full album following on 9 October.
There's still plenty of the enormous guitars and theatrical scale that brought them this far, but “Tear It Down” feels less concerned with simply recreating classic-rock history. The past is still in the room. It just isn't driving.
Rattlesnakes – Forever
One of the youngest bands in this week's selection, British newcomers Rattlesnakes are making their introduction with “Forever”, the latest single from their upcoming debut album Shadows of the Night. Due 30 October via Listenable Records, the record marks the beginning of what could be a very interesting chapter for this young band.
Fronted by a female vocalist and armed with a sound that feels considerably bigger than a debut should, “Forever” is a promising first look at what Rattlesnake have been building. Keep an eye on this one — they're only just getting started.
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Polyphia – With Eyes To See
Polyphia have never been particularly interested in staying inside one musical box, and “With Eyes To See” is another good reason why. The hypnotic instrumental track is the third single from Be Not Afraid, their fifth studio album, due 23 October via Rise Records.
The accompanying video takes the song somewhere considerably darker, mixing surreal imagery with flashes of real-world destruction and references to the redacted Epstein files. Musically, it continues the band's increasingly strange collision of progressive metal, electronic music, intricate guitar work and beat-driven production. Tim Henson describes the new album as moving between uplifting and genuinely unsettling extremes — and this one definitely lives closer to the latter.
Turn It Up
That's this week's six. No particular rules, no genre boundaries and certainly no requirement for guitars to behave themselves.
You can listen to all six tracks together on The Riff playlist on Spotify — and if one of these riffs has just ruined your plans for a quiet weekend, you're welcome.
The Riff Collective
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