Here’s the idea: every week I’m picking five tracks from Africa that I couldn’t stop playing. They can be brand new, they can be 15 years old, they can be anything in between. This isn’t a chart, it isn’t a ranking, and it isn’t me pretending to be objective. It’s one person’s taste, quirks included, writing down the five African songs that owned the week.
There’s no fixed order either. I’m writing them the way they came back to me.
You’ll find all five in the official AFRICA.ROCKS Spotify playlist. Save it to your favourites, because I keep it updated constantly.
Vulvodynia “Entabeni”
(Entabeni / Unique Leader, 2024)
With Deathfeast Open Air 2026 looming, “Entabeni” lingers in my mind. Vulvodynia remains a defining force in South African extreme metal, now returning to the European underground circuit. Emerging from Durban in 2014, the band dropped Entabeni via Unique Leader in July 2024, capturing their current essence perfectly. The title track, featuring Damonteal Harris of PeelingFlesh, delivers relentless fury while weaving in a sense of place rarely found in deathcore.
The lyrics delve deep, rooted in African folklore. The band explains “Entabeni” translates to “the mountain” in isiZulu, framing the album with tales from old stories, verse, and heritage. The song itself explores ritual, torment, and the weight of tradition, mingling brutality with cultural depth. Timing amplifies its impact. Vulvodynia’s presence at Deathfeast pushes African language, lore, and artistry into spaces still dominated by Eurocentric narratives.
Hiraeth “Lucid”
(Aeonian EP / 984890 Records, 2020)
Ahead of their VIVA NOISE performance at Rumours Lounge on 1 May, “Lucid” resurfaces. The track thrives on duality, with harsh growls meeting ethereal vocals, crafting tension and release. It’s a battle between light and darkness, executed flawlessly. Striking balance, Hiraeth melds melody and aggression without compromise, standing as a prime example of their sound.
Fading Gray “Moving Parts”
(Single / Independent, 2025)
As Fading Gray advances in the Wacken Metal Battle, “Moving Parts” lingers. The Joburg band enters Sognage’s Room 2 heat on 7 March, riding momentum from their 2023 debut and 2024 finals run. In their AFRICA.ROCKS feature, they highlight ambitions beyond a single gig, forging connections and expanding touring routes. The track’s emotional rawness mirrors their live energy, showcasing a group hungry for growth.
Dikamba “Escolhas”
(Single – DK Records, 2023)
“Escolhas” has hit me in a different way this week. Part of that is personal: it is the first song I’m highlighting here that is sung in my mother tongue, Portuguese. That changes the connection straight away. The title means “Choices,” and the song carries that sense of consequence, pressure and reflection with real clarity.
It has also stayed close because Dikamba have just won Angola’s Wacken Metal Battle heat in Luanda and are now heading to the Africa finals in Johannesburg on 6 June 2026. In their AFRICA.ROCKS interview and follow-up coverage, the band framed that step as a chance to show that Angolan rock has its own identity and can stand on an international stage. “Escolhas” sits well in that moment. It sounds like a band carrying purpose with them as they move from the local stage in Luanda toward something bigger in Johannesburg.
Tagrest “Tagrest (Winter)”
(Epitome II – Sacred Tombs & Dynasties of Sand /
Adrar Mazmorra, 2025)
From the Kingdom of Morocco, Tagrest offer a different kind of weight with “Tagrest {Winter},” taken from Epitome II – Sacred Tombs & Dynasties of Sand. Where a lot of black metal pushes outward, this track turns inward. Sometimes, amidst the chaos, one has to relax, and “Tagrest {Winter}” feels built for that kind of pause. The band’s work draws from black metal roots, Amazigh culture, Moroccan history, and folklore, and this song brings those strands together in a way that feels patient and natural. The title says plenty on its own: Tagrest means “winter” in Tamazight, and the track carries that stillness without becoming empty or soft. It stays connected to the land, to memory, and to the band’s wider vision.
