Scottish gamercore band Blackwater are back with the final single from their forthcoming EP — a brutal, unrelenting metalcore homage to one of the most iconic survival horror franchises of all time: Resident Evil.
Titled “July, 1998 (feat. Killstreak)”, the new track pulls directly from the eerie, tape-hiss atmosphere of the original games, right down to a cameo from the narrator behind one of the most memorable start menus in gaming history. It is a love letter to a generation raised on Raccoon City — repackaged as chugging riffs, breakdowns and blast-beat driven catharsis.
For this release Blackwater join forces with US gamercore/deathcore outfit Killstreak, who bring a heavier, more feral edge to the track. The two bands trade off vocal duties and layer their respective styles into a single relentless piece — Blackwater's Scottish metalcore backbone underneath Killstreak's American deathcore aggression, both anchored by the shared gamercore ethos of building brutal music around video game culture.
The result is a track that leans hard into homage without slipping into pastiche. The Resident Evil narration threads through the mix like a fragment of a lost VHS tape, the guitars stack in tight, precise walls, and the breakdowns hit with the same dread-driven pacing that made the source material so unforgettable.
“July, 1998” closes out the single run leading into Blackwater's upcoming EP — a project the band describe as the culmination of their gamercore identity so far. Expect more nostalgia, more brutality, and more of the crossover-friendly songwriting that has been pulling attention from both metal and gaming audiences.
For fans of Killstreak, Spite, Bodysnatcher and Traitors — with a soft spot for Capcom's finest.
Stream “July, 1998 (feat. Killstreak)” on Spotify and all major platforms now, and keep an eye on Blackwater as the EP rollout continues.
— Metal Madness Weekly