THE FRONT ROW

Alt-metal often thrives on catharsis, but few new releases feel as personal, or as combustible, as Rogue Awakening’s Remain Untamed. Released back in May and only now surfacing on our radar, this bruising, anthemic single from the Horsham-based five-piece channels defiance into something both scalding and strangely empowering.

At its core, Remain Untamed is a reclamation. Lead singer Kimberley uses her voice like a weapon, hurling back every insult and every attempt to diminish her. The lyrics read like a transcript of misogyny she’s been forced to endure,“I’m too much temptress / Too seductive / Too much tease.” But by throwing those lines into the spotlight, she robs them of their power. Instead, they become fuel.

Musically, Rogue Awakening have honed a punchier, more focused sound here. Crunching riffs from guitarist Josh drive the track forward with an industrial bite, pairing chugging low-end slabs with serrated melodic accents. It’s not metalcore exactly, there’s more classic alternative metal DNA here, but it shares the same adrenaline-charged urgency. Beneath the guitars, the rhythm section is relentlessly tight: the bass tone is thick and growling, and the drum kit is mixed to land every kick and snare like a gut punch.

What really lifts Remain Untamed beyond standard-issue heavy rock is how dynamic Kimberley’s performance is. She doesn’t just bellow over the verses, she moves fluidly between seething, lower-register confessions and raw-throated declarations. The chorus, with that repeated mantra “Your words are venom / And I am drained / I remain untamed,” hits like a liberating scream. There’s genuine vulnerability there, but also a refusal to bow. You can hear how personal this fight is, and that realness makes it land harder.

Production-wise, the single feels polished without sanding off the edges. The guitars retain their ragged character, and the vocals sit confidently at the forefront. If anything, you might wish the bridge, when Kimberley delivers the stark spoken lines “I will not be tamed by you / No, I will not submit to you”, had been allowed to breathe longer before the final chorus crashes back in. But even so, it’s a moment that perfectly crystallises what the track is about: refusing to shrink yourself to make others comfortable.

There are echoes here of early Halestorm and even Evanescence, though Rogue Awakening are less interested in theatrics and more focused on direct confrontation. You can imagine this song detonating live, a crowd shouting those words back at the stage, each repetition of “I remain untamed” feeling like a collective exorcism.

In an era where plenty of heavy bands are content to recycle vague rebellion slogans, Rogue Awakening have made something that feels pointed and personal. The power of Remain Untamed isn’t just in the riffs or the hooks, it’s in the specificity of Kimberley’s experience, laid bare without apology. That clarity of purpose is what makes this single stand out.

Late to the party or not, this is one of 2025’s most compelling underground metal releases so far. Turn it up and let it remind you that sometimes the heaviest thing isn’t the sound, it’s the truth behind it.

For fans of: Halestorm, Spiritbox, early Evanescence, In This Moment.