A WILHELM SCREAM Announce New Album Cheap Heat, Drop Vicious Lead Single "Midnight Ghost"

Long-running punk and hardcore trailblazers A Wilhelm Scream have officially announced their sixth full-length studio album, Cheap Heat, set for release on February 27 via Creator-Destructor Records.

Arriving just over three years after 2022's Lose Your Delusion, Cheap Heat finds A Wilhelm Scream firing on all cylinders with ten adrenaline-fueled tracks that push their signature melodic hardcore sound into darker, more aggressive territory. The album draws heavily from the nihilistic menace of 2005's Ruiner while channeling the technical ferocity and razor-sharp precision of 2007's landmark Career Suicide, which is pretty evident in this first single.

Vocalist Nuno Pereira describes the record as a defining moment for the band: "This record, and the process of recording it, are both a testament to and a celebration of the firepower and dedication our band has for our music. It has vitriolic energy behind every vocal, soaring guitars relentlessly shredding, and that sinister tongue-in-cheek shit we specialize in. This will go down as our best work to date. Guaranteed."

True to their reputation, A Wilhelm Scream continue to exist entirely on their own terms. Never chasing trends, breaking up, or softening their edges, the band remains one of punk's most resilient underdogs. Cheap Heat embraces that identity fully, leaning into a darker narrative approach inspired by the wrestling term "cheap heat" — a villain drawing instant negative reaction from the crowd.

A Wilhelm Scream guitarist and vocalist Trevor Reilly explains the thematic shift: "Our last album was more personal and earnestly poetic in our way, so the only place to go next lyrically was back down in the gutter where we thrive. We embraced our dark side on this one. Dove into sociopathy, personality disorders, concepts of evil, nature vs nurture… There are no good guys here."

Cheap Heat was produced and mixed by Trevor Reilly at the band's hometown Anchor End Studio, with mastering handled by his father Joe Reilly at Black & Blue Mastering. The album also marks the first full-length appearance of Ben Murray (Light This City, Heartsounds, Darkness Everywhere) on second guitar, joining Pereira, Reilly, drummer Nicholas Angelini, and bassist Brian Robinson.

Group vocals across the record feature contributions from Jon Teves, Sean O'Brien, and the band themselves. The album artwork was created by Tyler DiPaola. Pre-order Cheap Heat here (and here on Bandcamp).

The first taste of Cheap Heat arrives with the lead single "Midnight Ghost," accompanied by a music video directed by Mike Rivkees. Murray describes the track as an ideal introduction to the record's darker tone: "'Midnight Ghost' is definitely one of my favorite songs off the upcoming record. It has a darker mood while still hitting listeners with tons of intensity and energy. We all wrote this one together in Trevor's studio, trading riffs and ideas naturally — it really captures the spirit of the record."

Catch A Wilhelm Scream at one of the dates below and get your tickets here.

w/ Death By Stereo & Doomsday

2/19 Phoenix, AZ Rebel Lounge
2/20 Las Vegas, NV Backstage Bar
2/21 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
2/24 Seattle, WA El Corazon
2/25 Vancouver, BC Wise Hall
2/26 Portland, OR Dante’s
2/27 San Francisco, CA Neck Of The Woods
2/28 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
3/1 San Diego, CA The Casbah

Openers TBD

3/6 Hobart, TAS Republic Bar
3/7 Adelaide, SA Ed Castle
3/8 Melbourne, VIC Stay Gold
3/11 Newcastle, NSW Hamilton Station Hotel
3/13 Brisbane, QLD Crowbar
3/14 Sydney, NSW Crowbar
3/15 Wollongong, NSW La La La’s
3/18 Tokyo, Japan Shinjuku Catshole
3/19 Nagoya, Japan Tsurumai Daytrip
3/20 Osaka, Japan Yogibo Holy Mountain
3/21 Yamanashi, Japan Kofu Conviction
3/22 Tokyo, Japan Shinjuku ACB