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Weekly Rundown May 22 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released May 16 – May 22
A week for both unhinged aggression and conceptual exploration, predictability and surprises, mostly in its best forms.
Armored Saint – Emotion Factory Reset
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Time to go old school. Think Saxon and the like from the 70s with a bit of the 80s hair metal swagger and hard rock simplicity, and you’re there. Unfortunately, it’s also quite obvious that this is not, in fact, from 40 years ago, but that the musicians behind it has aged by that much. There’s plenty of charm, but it doesn’t quite make up for the flat-falling melodies, tired lyrics and fairly rigid rhythm- and vocal performance.
Highlights: “The Monochrome Blade” and “Cold Heavens”
As The Sun Falls – Songs From The Veil
Genre: Melodic death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Been too long since you got a fresh hit of Insomnium? I’d be surprised if this didn’t do it for you. As The Sun Falls (I mean, it’s all in the name, isn’t it?) make melancholic, atmospheric melodeath that sounds like it’s emanating from the deepest, darkest, most remote forests of Finnish winter. Thanks to a coldly vivid, mildly uplifting quality to the melodies, this doesn’t really feel depressing, nor come close to the bitterness of black metal.
As is typical with Finnish epic extreme metal, it’s not what you would call lean, but while it sounds nice and rich, it also doesn’t pack too elements into its production. Acoustics and background vocals are reserved for the calmer sections, and the guitars and drums mostly get to drive the rest. It’s not particularly characterful, and could benefit from a few more outstanding moments, but it certainly doesn’t feel derivative. From what I’ve heard it’s a step up for the band, that sees them balancing heaviness and thoughtfulness just as well as the very best in this corner of the subgenre.
Highlight: “As Night Devours”
Blindead 23 – Deuterium
Genre: Progressive extreme metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Newly reformed from the remnants of Blindead, which existed from 2003-2022, this new iteration of the band features an impressive lineup that draws its experience from such acts as Behemoth, Katatonia, Vltimas and more. And the talent behind the performances is quite obvious on “debut” album Deuterium. I’d describe it as a mix between the rhythmic smoothness and melodic cleans of Leprous with the driving, harsh brutality of Cult Of Luna at their heaviest.
While there’s absolutely a starkness to the sound, I wouldn’t describe it as harsh, instead going quite meaty and punchy when the intensity builds, more like death metal than black metal in that regard. Led by highly competent and expressive vocals, the progress of the album flows on mostly steady and patient currents, although with a few unexpected detours along the way. It requires focus, but rewards it by unlocking a whole host of different layers and deep immersion. A bit over-stuffed with atmosphere, but really well produced and mature-feeling in every way.
Highlights: “Deuterium” and “Immersion II”.
Dimmu Borgir – Grand Serpent Rising
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: We’re not exactly spoiled with Dimmu Borgir releases, so when a new one marches out of the mist, it’s always a bit of an occasion. As far as expectations go, it’s not the kind of black metal you think to take too seriously. Big, bombastic drama and catchy riffs, yes. Actual, sinister, unholy conviction? Perhaps not so much. In this regard, it seems the band have taken a few steps to slightly shift their image.
“Grand Serpent Rising” is a mountainous mass of an album, both in a good and bad way. It’s melodically quite intricate, and feels very mature and concise in its symphonic scale and tone. But it also feels a bit like moving through soup-thick fog with how densely it’s layered, with the instruments often fading into the background. Standout melodies and riffs get buried, making for an overall experience that’s a bit poor on highlights. That being said, it’s darkly majestic in an un-flippant way that I really didn’t expect, and feels aggressive and epic in a Keep of Kalessin kind of way that’s a welcome change of pace. I’ll understand people who find it a bit forgettable, but give it time to really sink in and I think you’ll appreciate just how much nuance there is.Highlights: “Ascent” and “Slik Minnes en Alkymist”
Makkmat – Syke Fantasier
Genre: Grindcore/punk
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Makkmat (worm food) is a ferociously aggressive, grindcore-driven punk band from my original home town of Bergen, Norway, which allows me the insider’s privilege of extra-layer amusement at some of their lyrics and song titles. So yes, I’m a bit biased, but if you’re a fan of the ragged-edge and extremely in-your-face end of the metal spectrum then there is plenty of objective reason that you should have a blast with “Syke Fantasier” (sick fantasies).
Most of the time they pour on ripsaw riffs and charging drums with shrieking vocals on top, keeping track lengths to a minimum (averaging just over 1 minute), and all of a sudden you’ve got a bit of death metal, hardcore, crust, and of course a few, obligatory samples. The stuff in between the standout tracks does blend together a bit if you’re not paying strict attention, but blink and the album takes a new, sharp turn in an attempt to snap your inattentive neck. It’s a sandpaper face slap of an experience that’s far from too chaotic to have fun with.
Highlight: “Shahed-136” and “Arna Verdenskrieg”
Membrance – Resa Marciana
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Sometimes you just gotta love a band that say “yes please” to pretty much all the classic, aggressive metal subgenres and proceed to splice it all together with great enthusiasm. On this latest release by Italian band Membrance you get death, black, thrash and heavy metal with a good bit of rock ‘n’ roll jump-around-ness and plenty of shred-y melody.
Now for the kicker: Is it actually well written and put together with purpose? Not really. It’s a bit of a mishmash with some fairly heavy handed rhythm work, and there’s little sense of an overarching idea for the album. It’s fun though, and plenty energetic. Try it, and see if it doesn’t put a big smile on your face.
Highlight: “Sentensa da resa”
Noituma – Yhdeksän sairautta
Genre: Folk/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Yes, despite what that album cover might lead you to believe, this is actually full-on Finnish folk metal that’s somewhat of a clash of traditional solemnness and punk rowdiness. You get hoarse-throated, belted-out vocals, classic doom riffs with a bit of black metal darkness to the tone, lots of energy but also plenty of melodic beauty from the violin and fun texture from the jaw harp.
This is not an impeccably put together album, nor expertly produced, nor well-matured in terms of concept. But it more than makes up for it with raw enthusiasm and well-balanced conflux of stylistic elements. It’s a bit like a proto-Finntroll if they decided to go the pagan route rather than the antic-y goblin-ear one.
Highlight: “Kynnen ja kulmahampaan laki”
Psyclops – Bound to Burn: Melody of the Martyr
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: If you think this is gonna be the type of conceptual, story-driven prog that treats tracks like chapters in a tale and absolutely blows up the runtime with spoken-word segments and wild, unending instrumental tangents, then you are right on at least one count. Yes, this is storytelling in musical form, but at less than 33 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome in the least. And sure, if you’re allergic to musical theater-reminiscent vocal delivery and a thematically driven flow, then it might not be your cup of tea. But you’ll be missing out on some great music.
The variation on the album is expertly managed, and ranges from chugging harshness to meditative pools of laid back, atmospheric melody. The vocals are wildly competent and display a wide spectrum of styles. It’s not the heaviest or most intense, but feels incredibly well-considered, with organic, reassuring pacing that’s devoid of tropes and never makes a single misstep. Will it win over a lot of people outside the prog sphere? Probably not. And that’s okay.
Highlights: “Consequences III: Swallowed Skies, Sea of Eyes (Pg. 12)” and “Indomitable I: Depths of Dissent (Pg. 26)
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown May 15 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released May 09 – May 15
A slightly low-profile week allowing some low-flying radar evaders to grab a bit of attention.
Acid Reign – Daze Of The Week
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: I wouldn’t worry too much if you’ve been sleeping on England’s Acid Reign, ’cause they’re one of those bands that have been sleeping on themselves for most of their career. After releasing two full-lengths at the end of the 80s, they called it quits in ’91 before reuniting in 2015. A new album didn’t manifest until 2019, and then a lot of lineup changes brings us here, with vocalist “H” as the only remaining original member.
So what do they sound like? It’s thrash that’s knocking on the door of melodic hardcore. Especially considering the vocal style I’m reminded of early, punky Rage Against. They manage to sound young and hungry for most of the album, delving into frantic high speed and mid-tempo grooves. The main issue is that, especially with the choruses, they’ve a few too many turns into fairly uninteresting and repetitive riff patterns. Most of the songs start out really well, but don’t always hold up. Still, they’ve got enough character to their sound that I really want to hear them crack on and punch it into the next gear, which I think they’re capable of.Highlight: “The Who of You”
Arroganz – Death Doom Punks
Genre: Death metal/punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: I mean, the album title kind of says it all, but I suppose I can offer a few more words. Arroganz are a German death metal band that play fast and loose with the rhythms, and unlike others of their ilk that are teetering on the edge of the blackened and doomy, they’ve got a fairly under-loaded production. This makes them light on their feet, despite the obvious, Asphyx-like harshness.
At the same time, this isn’t some tunnel-vision, hardcore-derived gang vocals-touting kind of thing. They take unexpected routes and do things to their grimy death metal base style that might catch you off guard if you’re unprepared. It’s a bit low on groove and pure heaviness, and doesn’t quite land with as much rebellious, up-yours attitude as I might have hoped for. But it’s damn refreshing to get the traditional morbidity served up in such an unconventional way, while still dedicating a significant amount of space to pure riff nastiness.Highlight: “Die For Nothing”
Atavistia – Old Gods Awaken
Genre: Folk/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Imagine a mashup of Finland’s Mors Principium Est and Finntroll, except it’s not Ensiferum and it’s not actually Finnish, although you’d be easily forgiven for assuming so. Atavistia are now on their fourth original full-length and going full-on pagan warrior on violent adventures. In contrast to 2023’s “Cosmic Warfare”, which was my introduction to them, the symphonic grandeur has been scaled back and the fun factor tuned up.
“Old Gods Awaken” is just as shred-y and dazzlingly melodic as you’d hope for, without ever really stepping into power metal. The balance between magical playfulness and aggression is handled just as well as you’d hope for, sending your mind straight to the glory days of the previously mentioned bands. Embracing this vibe though, while whole-hearted and producing plenty of satisfaction, leaves very little room for personality. It’s a great, tankard-whirling time that puts the band’s innovative powers on pause for the time being.
Highlight: “Mystic Tavern”
Defect Designer – Depressants
Genre: Experimental/avant-garde death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: If you think you might be able to appreciate death metal as an experimental jazz experience, then there’s hope for you and this album getting along. I came across Defect Designer back in 2024 with their album “Chitin”, which I found to be a refreshingly weird kind of dissonant death metal that did itself a huge favor by not taking itself too seriously. This attitude is even more pronounced on “Depressants”, as the album makes huge stylistic jumps and stays very structurally loose throughout the entirety of its 56+ minute runtime.
There are a few instances of blackened hostility, but also groove, prog rock, epic melody, alternative moodiness and other variations that make it seem like there are in fact three or four very different bands performing. Coherency is almost non-existent, and only about halfway through do I feel like they come to a vague consensus regarding the general direction they should be heading. Still, there’s a lot of cool moments on here, and none of it follows any sort of prog tropes or gives completely up on listenability.
Highlight: “Carte Blanche”.
Desiccation – Legatum Mortuorum
Genre: Doom/black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Do you ever get to places, physical or mental, that feel unsettling and alien in a way that makes you doubt you were ever really meant to get there, but something about it is so arresting that you can’t get yourself to leave? That’s what it feels like to me, being sucked into the soundscape of Desiccation’s sophomore full-length. It’s like wandering vast, stark, echoing halls of harsh light and deep shadow, and the immensity of it takes on a life of its own.
Speaking more plainly, this is blackened doom metal with a soft, round production that allows for an almost tangible presence of atmosphere. There’s sharp aggression and heavy riffs, but also melancholy melody that swells and abates gradually as a river level rises and falls. Not every song takes you to equally rewarding places, but at its best it’s both deeply immersive and more directly engaging with its steadfast rhythms and standout solos.
Highlights: “Lamentations Beyond the Veil”
Gozu – Gozu VI
Genre: Stoner rock/metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: I’m so happy that there are bands out there like Gozu to prove that stoner rock is more than just half-humorous southern grooves set to rock ‘n’ roll rhythms. Unlike last week’s Restless Spirit, this stands more firmly on the hard rock side, but knows how to bring the heaviness when a bit of headbanging is called for. While not a conceptual-feeling album, it’s also not straightforward. It visits doom, heavy metal, sludge, alternative and progressive hard rock, but also never letting its groovy motor choke.
Personally I find myself losing focus a couple of times as they let the energy wane, and not all of their hooks and melodies are quite strong enough to quickly pull me back in. But If you’re looking for semi-heavy crunch with strong writing, that dares to lean outside the box now and then, then look no further.Highlights: “Corinthian Leatherface” and “Corvette Summer”
Lorn – Searing Blood
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: With this Italian black metal project you get both jarring dissonance, progressive structural shifts and atmospheric melody that is both ethereal in feel and electronic in execution. These different sides to the music don’t clash as mush as they are allotted their separate spaces, which makes the experience a bit jumbled.
Tonally and technically, this is very clearly stark black metal, but it’s reaching for depths of expression that the aforementioned elements help it reach. On an album level it’s perhaps not joined together in the most elegant or cohesive way, but if you don’t mind the shifts in personality this is absolutely a characterful offering that suggests a very interesting direction for the band.
Highlight: “Gallows”
Periphery – A Pale White Dot
Genre: Progressive djent/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: I wouldn’t normally use “djent” as a subgenre term, but given the title of the band’s last album, I feel (once again) strangely compelled. On their latest non-numbered release, Periphery take a partial break from progressive complexity in order to better flex their stylistic range. The album encompasses everything from straight pop to symphonic deathcore, and for the most part the guys can’t help themselves but throw in a few dissonant chugs here and there and massively crank up the aggression to go with them.
So what this album does well is variation, and calling it unoriginal would be unfair. But at the same time, for significant parts of the album, it feels like the band taking a bit of a breather, not underperforming, but far from pushing their songwriting capabilities. And that’s okay. It’s not gonna win prog album of the year, but it plays around with expectations while delivering plenty of technical excellence and strong melody.Highlight: “Malevolent”
Pro-Pain – Stone Cold Anger
Genre: Hardcore/groove metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: If you’re craving some good old-fashioned coarse-groove hardcore, then you’ll be delighted at the return of NY’s Pro-Pain. This thing delivers exactly what it says on the tin from the very first second, and apart from a a small influx of melody it doesn’t veer from the path. I’m not gonna hold it too hard against it, but rhythm wise it’s pretty damn dull, and conceptually there are absolutely no surprises. It makes up for it with punk attitude and chunky riffs, and if that’s enough for you then by all means dig in and have your fill.
Tyrannus – Mournhold
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: It’s such a great feeling when a band you have no real expectations for proceed to bitch slap your blasé face, take you by the ear and pull you into a fresh musical landscape the like of which you didn’t realize how much you were ready to embrace. On the surface, this Scottish gang might strike you as straight-up blackened thrash metal with a bit of death metal monstrosity latched on, and not much else. But keep listening and they’ll keep showing new sides to themselves. There’s a whole underbelly of gothic-ish melody with a bit of a spacey feel to it, and it expands their style beyond the expected speed riff bad-assery.
But even as they build on their core sound, they never forget about the thrashing, bitter-tinged, rebellious energy that’s actually driving the music. Again and again they reach new highs of energetic, solo-tastic coolness reminiscent of Hellripper and Midnight, and it’s done with a highly convincing level of enthusiasm. Some of the slower, doom-leaning sections don’t quite hit as hard, but I think that with a bit more maturity we will see them nail these as well.Highlights: “Seize the Stars” and “Reignfall”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown May 08 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released May 02 – May 08
This week doesn’t hold back for a single second, throwing both surprises, affirmations and unexpected changes your way.
Darkthrone – Pre-Historic Metal
Genre: Heavy/black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: You can’t really accuse Darkthrone of not evolving their sound, because even as they seem to be mining the same primitive black metal ore as they did thirty years ago, the way they refine it is never quite the same. On the surface it might seem like we’re getting more of the same doomy, eccentric-occult proto-black metal as on 2022’s “Astral Fortress” and 2024’s “It Beckons Us All”, but just like those two were quite different in execution, so is this.
At its core it’s crunchy, riff-driven, mid-to-low tempo old school heavy metal, but with that unmistakable nihilistic tone to it. The production is suitably low-fi, but managing a more-than-decent low end heft this time around. It allows for a bit of punchy groove, while retaining the “secretly recorded in an abandoned warehouse basement” feel. It’s not quite the focused riff worship that I had hoped for given the name, and will divide the listener base on the perception of its stylistic charm, but has the band realizing what’s clearly been a very distinct vision for the album.Highlight: “They Found One Of My Graves”
Draconian – In Somnolent Ruin
Genre: Doom/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: You can forget about cheering up for the next hour if you decide to undertake this sonic journey. On their eighth full-length, Swedish long-going band Draconian fully embrace the doom side of their sound. This is very much in the vein of My Dying Bride, only perhaps a bit less miserable, a tad more “big” and epic, and a reserve of aggressive heaviness that actually borders death doom. Dark emotions are described with melancholy, gothic beauty, very much as you would expect from a band that dress like elves at a Victorian funeral.
Shocking absolutely no one, it’s an album that likes to take its time, and for the most part it’s a sublime thing to listen to, with excellent fullness, clarity and melodic impact. But if you’ve listened a bit to this kind of stuff before, you’re gonna end up finding a lot of similarities to comparable bands. And it does drag a fair bit at times, not helped by the addition of a 2,5 minute interlude, on an album that’s already packed with atmosphere. However, the different moods and levels of intensity are blended together masterfully, making for a near-impeccable listening flow.
Highlights: “The Monochrome Blade” and “Cold Heavens”
Eradikated – Wiring Of Violence
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Swedish thrashers Eradikated pour on all the traditional ingredients on their sophomore full-length. Versatile rhythms, banger-friendly chug sections, ripping solos and political commentary. If you’re looking for youthful energy mixed with technical precision and true genre adoration, look no further for a great time. If you apply a more critical mindset though, you’ll probably find it a bit lacking in ferocity and originality. I’d love to see them take this pleasing basis and run wild with it, discovering a more distinct voice of their own.
Highlight: “British Petroleum”
A Forest Of Stars – Stack Overflow In Corpse Pile Interface
Genre: Avant-garde black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Review: If you’ve never come across this British vaguely-black-metal band before, then best prepare yourself for an experience unlike anything else. This is violin-accompanied, lightly surrealist, dark contemporary art theater in sonic form. At once manic and composed, you’re presented with a rhythmically stable, beautifully melodic sound that flows steadily and shifts organically, with a half-spoken, highly dramatized vocal performance that radiates unhinged conviction.
As a black metal album, it’s far from the heaviest or most aggressive. Expectations of classic, technical genre traits must be abandoned. But the misanthropic mood is certainly there, and at times you’re taken aback by the unsettling force of it, not too different from that achieved by Blut Aus Nord. It doesn’t always manage the big, majestic turns as well as the smaller, understated ones, and overall I’m missing a bit of hair-raising grandeur, which I’m sure it could accommodate. But take it for what it is, and it will transport you far, far off the overtrodden center path and into the rarely imagined.
Highlights: “Street Level Vertigo” and “Roots Circle Usurpers”.
Frozen Soul – No Place Of Warmth
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: For an album called “No Place Of Warmth”, by a band called “Frozen Soul”, this is a decidedly toasty-sounding collection of death metal. In contrast to 2023’s “Glacial Domination” the Texans have stuffed in as much low-end boom as can possibly fit, to the point where, if you’re listening through particularly bass-accentuating headphones or speakers, it might get downright distracting. This is the band consciously charting a middle way between the old and new school of death metal, with both rusty, rotting morbidity and modern slam and breakdowns.
Fortunately, it does not come off as a calculated affair, and despite the typical “new band growing fast” antics of piling on guest performers, the album is saved from the whiff of poserdom by simply being damn cool. It clocks in at just over an ideal 35 minutes runtime, and has tracks as short as 53 seconds that go just as heavy as the rest, if not more. It’s also genuinely, straightforwardly and pleasingly brutal in that caveman manner that will excuse it pretty much anything. So unless you’re allergic to anything sounding post 90s, you’ll likely dig it.
Highlights: “Invoke War” and “Eyes of Despair”
IATT – Etheric Realms Of The Night
Genre: Progressive extreme metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: 2022’s “Magnum Opus” made some waves in the prog metal community, and rightly so. But now, four years later, can the band top their self-declared masterpiece? IATT is an indulgent kind of band, hovering around the spheres of black- and death metal and going, seemingly, wherever strikes them at any given moment. This is not the kind of album where you can expect an even flow. Mood, tone and instrumental approach can shift at a moment’s notice, and only a vague sense of direction is left as a guide.
This doesn’t fall into the category of “unhinged” prog, but it’s certainly exploratory to the degree that you feel like they’re making it up as they go. For my taste it’s too broken up, feeling fragmented rather than complex. But if you’re happy to let your prog take you through a labyrinth of unexpected impressions, then this will likely be just the kind of challenge that will tickle your brain in all the right spots.Highlights: “Somniphobia” and “Walk Amongst”
Ingested – Denigration
Genre: Brutal death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Full disclosure – my introduction to Ingested was their 2022 album “Ashes Lie Still”, and I absolutely loved it. Turns out, I loved it for pretty much all the things that the band figured “Denigration” could do without. This is a full-on return to their slamming origins, shedding pretty much any notion of melody, groove and technical complexity. Does that make it more focused? Absolutely. Does it also make them sound exactly like three dozen other, unimaginative bands in the same niche? Unfortunately, yes. It’s heavy as fuck, but not in any way that leaves a lasting impact.
Jungle Rot – Cruel Face Of War
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Alright, if for at least a single release this week you’re hoping for the reassurance of genre faithfulness and relative predictability, then Jungle Rot are your guys. Active since 1992 and now on their 12th full-length album, the band are in no hurry to reinvent the formula. Like with the war machine that’s become the album’s actual cruel face, the intention here is grim, dependable, no-prisoners destruction.
The album feels rigid, with a clear set of objectives in mind. The thrashy, Sodom-reminiscent savagery is present, but not in the driving seat. It feels well-practiced at this point, and more than a few tracks land with a fairly by-the-numbers impact. The urgency is indeed lacking. At the same time it oozes malevolent groove, and the bad-assery of its abundant mid-tempo riffs cannot be denied.Highlight: “Apocalyptic Dawn”
Lyrre – Nothing Is Promised
Genre: Folk metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Strongly featuring the hurdy-gurdy will earn you a “medieval” trait in most people’s book, and that is certainly not to the detriment of Polish band Lyrre. Founded by ex-Eluveitie player Michalina Malisz, the band opts for an epic but fairly grounded sound, bringing to mind the perspective of a low-flying bird sweeping across misty forest landscapes.
It’s a strongly melodic kind of folk metal, but quite understated in comparison to some of the more symphonic or rowdy projects out there. At times it’s probably a bit too laid back, coasting on lazy rhythms and the effortless beauty of the vocals. But it’s also not overstated or tacky in any way, so feels a lot more genuine than most of its peers.
Highlight: “Still Human”
Panopticon – Det Hjemsøkte Hjertet
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Minnesota’s Panopticon is back with another mammoth undertaking of atmospheric black metal that sounds like it’s been crafted solely by elements found in the arctic wilderness. “Det Hjemsøkte Hjertet” (the haunted heart) joins typical folk elements like the use of violin, rousing rhythms and vibrant melodies with the obligatory cold harshness of the subgenre, giving you both the sun-bathed clearings and shadowy forest depths of northern winter.
This is just as mystical and multifaceted as you would hope it to be. It’s not looking to challenge you with abrupt rhythm changes or huge shifts in mood, and yet it feels like it travels a vast distance, braving bitter elements as well as basking in the full marvel of a living nature. It’s long, yes, but only very rarely does it feel dragged out, and offers so much more than the typical examples of the subgenre.
Highlights: “The Great Silence, Extinct” and “A Culture of Wilderness”
Restless Spirit – Restless Spirit
Genre: Stoner/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Let’s be real, the stoner/doom niche isn’t exactly one of the more innovative spheres of the metal realm. Throw on a wooly mammoth theme, crank the fuzz and set off at a lazy pace across imagined, warm-toned moonlit desert dunes while projecting psychedelic imagery, and you’ve pretty much nailed it. But the cool part of dealing with such obvious stereotypes is that defying them in only a few key areas will clearly set you apart. For Restless Spirit that means breaking through the smoke haze and delivering their groove with clarity and persistent energy.
On their fourth, self-titled release, we find them loaded with heavy metal adventurousness and melodic potency, while retaining classic doom heaviness and stoner cool, with a killer vocal performance. Effortlessly circumventing tropes, you still get an excellent balance of dynamic, even mildly complex rhythms, and straightforwardly engaging riffs. While not revolutionary in any way, it’s going all in on what makes the band both exciting and reliable.
Highlights: “The Burning Need” and “Desolation’s Wake”
Voidthrone – Dreaming Rat
Genre: Experimental black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: If you ever wondered what it would feel like to have a rat burrow its way into your brain, this might be as close as you can get to the sonic equivalent. Voidthrone is one of those bands that aim for the opposite of listener friendliness, which often results in some nightmarish form of death doom. This, however, doesn’t have anything near that kind of patience. What you get is a form of completely insane blackened death metal that would no doubt somehow manage to eat its way out of its padded cell.
There’s a raw fury to the album that’s only held back by its own, easily distracted form of madness, that has it shifting pace at a moment’s notice and jumping between dissonance, unnerving atmosphere and punishing riff assaults. On top is a vocal performance straight out of Satan’s mental ward, that moves between brutal-style gurgles, banshee shrieks, maniacal cackling and several other steps in between effortlessly. Boy have you got to be in the mood for this one, but if you are, then it might very well blow your mind.
Highlight: “I-I. Bergen” and “I-III. First Blood”
Yoth Iria – Gone With The Devil
Genre: Melodic black/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Greek melodic black metal band Yoth Iria are back and looking to make a statement. That statement being “WE WANT TO GET NOTICED!”. “Gone With The Devil” marks a significant turn from their cold, aggressive and menacingly atmospheric past into something far more (yes, I’m gonna say it) accessible. Don’t get me wrong, the vocals are still (fairly) snarly, and the guitars are still distorted, but the weight of extremity has all but evaporated. Add to that a worrying amount of filler-grade material and a full-on fantasy video game cover, and thing’s aren’t looking good.
But hold on. At its best the songwriting really is premium, and so are the performances. Yes, the danger has gone, but it’s still a darkly rousing, engrossing experience saturated with strong melody and a fair bit of heavy metal charm. I still think they can do far better in this slightly tamed-down version of themselves, but for all the new fans they are guaranteed to make, there is little doubt that they are fully able to improve.
Highlight: “The Blind Eye of Antichrist”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown May 01 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released April 25 – May 01
A for the most part heavy ass week that draws on the eternal, blood-red wellspring of death metal for its displays of neck-snapping displeasure.
Ashen Horde – The Harvest
Genre: Progressive death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Ashen Horde are a band that clearly don’t want you to care too hard which camp of extreme metal they actually belong to. Both tech death and progressive black metal are clearly present, but then they throw in some avant-garde-like clean sections here and there that break up the flow and drastically shifts the tone. It’s technically competent as all hell, and not without strong sections, but overall it’s quite unclear whether there was any sort of cohesive idea for the album from the onset.
Cage Fight – Exuvia
Genre: Groove metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Originally a thrashy, metallic hardcore band, Cage Fight make a bit of a departure on their sophomore full-length. I’d say that they’re now competing with bands like Lamb of God and Bleed From Within for level of groove, and is much closer to a metalcore band like Employed to Serve in their use of melody than a heavy hardcore band like Terror. It’s more versatile, slicker, more willing to dip into trendy traits like deathcore breakdowns, slams and pig squeal vocals. Does that mean it’s no longer good?
No, for what it is, this new direction of the band still packs a punch. It’s aggressive, highly energetic and avoiding getting stuck in mires of sappy emotion. It’s basically the same octagon warrior – super fit and lethal if you underestimate it – just with a more developed fashion sense. The rhythms get a bit predictable and stale at times, killing off some of the ferocity, but, even so, most of the songs have no trouble standing out. The gloves are firmly on, but this fighter will still give you a concussion if you don’t keep your guard up.
Highlight: “Pig”
Cognizance – In Light, No Shape
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Much like on 2024’s “Phantazein”, which I needed a little time to let grow on me, “In Light, No Shape” is not the kind of tech death that slaps you in the face with its exuberance. Again, this is closer to melodeath and progressive death metal than the inhuman speed extremes of the likes of Archspire or The Zenith Passage. The rhythms are still complicated, but in a way that makes the average listener more able to appreciate the thinking behind it.
While it feels more organic and approachable, it also feels a bit monochromatic in terms of mood, and it’s not the kind of album where you easily tell most of the tracks apart. Instead, you get moments as part of a cohesive listening experience that feels like you’re following the same agile beast on its exploratory way through the gloom. There are pauses and events along the way that provide spice and variation, but it’s all tackled with more or less the same demeanor. This is still a compelling and highly competent alternative to its more hyperactive subgenre peers, that rewards attention and multiple listens.
Highlight: “Witness Marks”
Creeping Flesh – God’s Acres Rife with Flesh Adorned
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Creeping Flesh join the ranks of rumbling, crunchy Swedish death metal that feel like it’s got the power to wring the top off mountains. On this album they’re heading down a doomy path of crawling pace and hydraulic press momentum. It’s heavy as all hell, but also far from the most engaging of its sort.
Devenial Verdict – Old Blood – Fresh Wounds
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Finnish band Devenial Verdict are quickly becoming one of the most-reviewed bands here on The Metal Dispatch thanks to their steady release frequency and consistent quality. Each album so far has seen a slightly different iteration of the band, but the core ingredients of aggressive, meaty death metal still remain. Sticking to the bread and butter of the genre has never been enough for these guys, and on “Old Blood – Fresh Wounds” we get a kind of groove-centric, moderately progressive iteration of their style. The production is warm and massively full, like a colossal sand dune toppling over you.
The guys like to play around with dissonance, and while it’s still present, it feels scaled back in favor of head-on beastly heaviness and Gojira-like prog-groove techniques. There’s a bit less melody and overall variety than on 2024’s “Blessing of Despair”, but it makes up for it with a touch of death doom ominousness and a never-ending supply of earth-shaking riffs.
Highlights: “Elysium” and “The Corinthian”
In Malice’s Wake – The Profound Darkness
Genre: Thrash/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Sometimes you just want your thrash metal to grow spikes out of its spine and rip your head off. Australian band In Malice’s Wake do indeed sound like there’s been some underworldly soul bargaining going on during the recording process. “The Profound Darkness” plays very much like regular mid-to-high-tempo thrash metal, but there’s a raging hellfire burning underneath it all. Every part of the performances has an extra level of infernal muscle behind it, raising the threat level far beyond your average shred fest.
This thing is all menace, almost like it delights in it. A fair bit of the time, that means it loses sight of the pedal-to-the-metal fun factor that is so important for thrash to feel vital. Instead you get growling, hellhound bloodthirst that does occasionally explode into a focused frenzy, looking to devour you with one of several snapping maws.
Highlight: “By Tongues of Demons”
Lair Of The Minotaur – I Hail I
Genre: Sludge/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: How about some Black Label Society-like doomy groove mixed with sludge hostility and crunchy thrash riffs? On “I Hail I”, Lair Of The Minotaur take on the mentality of classic Swedish death metal in their mix of pleasing, riff-driven badassery with skull-collecting monstrous malice.
It’s not what you would call a dynamic record, with many of the songs sticking to the same riff-and-rhythm formula throughout their runtime. But the uncompromising, near-industrial heaviness and locked-in, murderous mood hit you so square in the face that you’re left with lasting imprints of the song identities whether you like it or not. It’s an album that forces you to dig it through sheer force.Highlight: “Prowler Twin SIster”
Spell – Wretched Heart
Genre: Heavy/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Reviewing Spell’s 2022 release “Tragic Magic” I likened their sound to that of early Ghost, and I’ll repeat that sentiment for “Wretched Heart”. What truly sets them apart is their gothic-romantic approach to melody and synth-powered atmosphere, with more than a few nods to cheeky glam ballads. They cover it with a light layer of tomb flower morbidity and mostly stay within a classic, slow-tempo heavy metal instrumental realm, which produces some delicious solos and driving riffs.
The energy you get from this iteration of Spell is all costumed charm and no heft. In fact, the whole thing feels rather feeble. But the delicate frailness is part of the album’s character. It’s the kind of sound you absorb for the vampiric, mansion-dwelling daydream factor. And it delivers this immersion almost impeccably.
Highlights: “Unquiet Graves” and “Wretched Heart”
Venom – Into Oblivion
Genre: Blackened speed/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Review: Here’s the one half of Venom that got to keep the unaltered band name, back with more unholiness forty-five years after the legendary debut album “Welcome To Hell”. In this day and age, what you’re getting is a kind of darkened heavy/speed metal with steadfast rhythms and the kind of “metal is religion” approach to lyrics that you’d expect from a band that’s looking nowhere but backwards. Yes, there are a few pretty cool riffs and solos on here, but for the most part it’s a fairly stiff and lukewarm affair with a wooly production.
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown April 24 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released April 18 – April 24
A week of double farewells, a return to form and assurances that the spirit of dark innovation and heaviness will live on.
Armed For Apocalypse – The Earth Is Breathing Beneath Me
Genre: Sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Apparently you’ve been bad, ’cause it’s time for a sonic beating. Armed For Apocalypse are a sludge band in deep worship of the sledgehammer riff, and guess what? You’re the recipient. On their third full-length they shed a good deal of the groove that made 2022’s “Ritual Violence” such a banger-friendly beast, and they have replaced it with a doom-oriented, morose kind of mood that gives the crushing heaviness an almost cruel quality.
There are still a good few instances of hardcore and grindcore ferocity to spice things up, but overall it’s a more serious-feeling album that seems to delight a bit too much in oppressiveness. It didn’t need to slow things down to be heavy, and some energy is lost in the process. Still, it’s far from stale, and just as relentless as you’d expect sludge of this caliber to be.Highlights: “FISTS LIKE FEATHERS” and “LOST WITHOUT A LIGHT”
At The Gates – The Ghost Of A Future Dead
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Review: Sigh… Writing this review feels a bit like writing a eulogy, but I’ll try to not make it read like that. At the Gates are back for a final time with their fourth album post 1995’s legendary “Slaughter of the Soul”, after reforming in 2010, and it’s their eighth full-length overall. On it you get a lot of the fairly solemn melody of 2021’s “The Nightmare Of Being”, but with the aggression turned way up and the thrashy groove and clarity of 2014’s “At War With Reality” returned. At the same time the variety and depth of the songwriting is the best it’s been in this modern era of the band, and there’s a fierceness and deft technicality in the performances that makes it feel almost youthful. There’s hardly a single track on here that in itself couldn’t make the argument for this band’s legendary status.
Objectively, this is a seriously strong Swedish old school melodeath album that’s not really trying to do anything but put the band’s subgenre-shaping stylistic essence on full display. Subjectively though, this is a gift that shakes the core. It’s the kind of album where you don’t want to let the last track play till the end, because then it would feel like a conclusion. The final conclusion. Alright, screw the “no eulogy” thing. RIP Tomas Lindberg.Highlights: “The Fever Mask” and “Tomb of Heaven”
Atreyu – The End Is Not The End
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Full disclosure, I was pretty into Atreyu’s brand of melodic metalcore back in the day, at least post their emo-laden beginning. But after 2007’s “Lead Sails Paper Anchor” my taste migrated towards heavier things, and I stopped paying attention. Brief re-visits through albums released in the wake of vocalist Alex Varkatzas’ departure did very little to rekindle my interest. But that changes with “The End is Not the End”. I won’t say that it’s a return to the early days, ’cause it’s not, but it feels like the creative energy is back.
The songs are unapologetically melodic, but there’s heaviness as well, and not the staccato, djent-obsessed stuff that’s been the fashion for the last few years. The band stick to their guns and prioritize groove and memorable songwriting. And it really works. There are a few songs that feel a bit too slick and by-the-numbers, but they are outnumbered by the really fun and energetic ones.Highlights: “Death Rattle” and “Ego Death”
Aversio Humanitatis – To Become the Endless Static
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Review: I’m not saying that this is what I wanted the new Gaerea album to sound like, but I am saying that (at least to me) it would have been a far more interesting way for them to evolve their sound. This is Spanish band Aversio Humanitatis’ third full-length in 15 years, so we can assume that they put some real thought into their compositions. This becomes evident anyway, as you get sucked into their dense, all-encompassing soundscape like a leaf into a cyclone. Inside rages a mighty gale made up of thundering riffs, an earthquake-level bass rumble and a colossus’ howl of a vocal performance, sweeping along with it great masses of semi-dissonant melody.
The tone is predictably dark and speaks of debilitating madness and suffering. This point is made early on, and I find myself wanting a bit more nuance and contrast towards the end of the album. But the fact that they’ve managed to compress such a monumental expression into a sub-35 minute runtime is pretty phenomenal, and keeps you from getting completely worn out. Seriously impressive stuff.
Highlights: “Long Stretch the Shadows” and “Blackened Mold Marrow”
Blood Countess – Imperatrix Sanguinis
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: This is a black metal band that’s out for blood. You get non-stop hostility and harshness apart from a 2-minute spooky interlude, with little interest shown towards melody or atmosphere. There are some cool thrash-like riffs in here as well, but they’re unfortunately mostly swallowed up in the mix. A little short on character, but full of sadistic energy.
Cnoc An Tursa – A Cry for the Slain
Genre: Melodic black/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: This Scottish band grab a hold of you with bony talons and dive straight into a world of epic, Celtic legend. This isn’t your typical Finnish-style, tankard-clanking, synth-infused solo fest of a folk sound, though. There’s a somber mood to the music, as it conveys lamentations from, and longing evocations of, a long lost time. All of this is carried on the back of hot-tempered yet melodic black metal with some classic heavy metal thrown in there to dampen the bitterness.
The immersion is great and the music itself quite engaging. It’s not the most distinct thing you’ll ever hear in terms of traditional influences, and its atmospheric tendencies do kind of dampen its aggressive energy overall. But the passion feels genuine, and they more than justify their stance on keeping their blackened folk metal serious rather than flippant.Highlight: “Cailleach and The Guardians of The Seven Stones”
Scimitar – Scimitarium II
Genre: Heavy/black/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Scimitar’s full-length debut “Scimitarium I” was a bit of an underground darling last year, but I unfortunately missed out on it completely. No worries, as the Danes are already back with the follow-up. For those still unfamiliar, this is blackened heavy metal that sounds like it’s being played in a cult’s secret hideout in some forgotten underground bunker.
There is very little about this that’s conventional, and yet I wouldn’t go so far as to call it progressive. The woe-stricken vocal style and tone provide a strong gothic flair, and there are absolutely gloomy atmospheric tendencies present, but for the most part the guitars and drums run wild on intense, speedy charges. They balance dissonance with ripping riffs and wicked lead guitar work, and occasionally focus their aggression into peaks of black metal harshness. It takes a bit of getting used to, and won’t necessarily be for fans of more classic, blackened thrash or speed riffing. But if you’re into bands doing their own thing, then you shouldn’t hesitate to jump on board.Highlights: “A Reverence Warning” and “Mobula Mobular”
Sepultura – The Cloud Of Unknowing (EP)
Genre: Groove/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: I don’t tend to review EPs for Metal Dispatch, but when a band like Sepultura decide to call it a career, you grab onto whatever they give you. “The Cloud of Unknowing” is a fairly brief experience that, a bit like 2020’s “Quadra” showcases the band from four different sides. You get all-out thrashing, calmer, ballad-like melody, progressive tribal aggression and slow-building groove with a hard hitting finish. It’s all well made, but there’s not all that much more to say about it, honestly. Nothing mind-blowing, but I’m very glad they go out with a short bang rather than try to drag out a full-length just for the sake of it.
Highlight: “All Souls Rising”
Six Feet Under – Next To Die
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Here we are again with another Six Feet Under album, and as usual reviewing it is a big question of what to prioritize. Clear improvements have been made since last time in terms of production, and if you’re on the lookout for uncomplicated old school death groove, there’s plenty to be found. The album cover is also pretty cool. Chris Barnes’ vocals are just as (severely) stunted, but he’s staying more in his range. But the good things are outweighed by some laughably bad stuff (chief among which are the whisper-vocals on “Ill Wishes”), and overall it’s almost entirely devoid of enthusiasm and originality. Still, there are some actual traces of irony, and general lack of seriousness, which is how it should (and needs) to be at this stage with these old timers.
Volcandra – Beyond The Will Of Mortals
Genre: Melodic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Volcandra quickly became one of my favorite melodic black metal bands with the 2022 EP “Border World” and 2024’s full-length “The Way of Ancients”. Their video game references are what pulled me in, and their playful attitude to songwriting is what made me stay. On “Beyond The Will Of Mortals” the band leave the references be and seek to carve out a dark fantasy realm of their own.
Their mix of epic melody with black metal sharpness and death metal force is just as strong as before, and they add to it with high energy thrash and a touch of heavy metal adventurousness. The mood swings between borderline bleakness and jolliness, which might be a bit too much for some, and I wish they would be a bit more consistent with their stylistic traits. But once you finish you’re left with the feeling of having been part of a grand tale.
Highlights: “Marauders of the Cosmic Vortex” and “Venom Marsh Enchantress”
Xorsist – Aberrations
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Did someone order classic Swedish death metal? As far as I’m concerned this stuff should always be on the menu for when you inevitably get that specific craving. Xorsist deliver the goods with a dark, doom-like tone that sends your mind straight to the graveyard. There are absolutely crunchy grooves and evil guitar solos to be found on here, but it’s more about straight savagery and gloom than crowd pleasing, this one.
At times that makes it fall in between two chairs, as they seem to build up to these massive moments of headbanging heaven, only to subvert expectations. And it does start to drag a bit towards the end. But that original, vicious spirit is there, which elevates it above the run-of-the-mill.Highlight: “Faceless”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown April 17 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released April 11 – April 17
It’s a week for fresh and emerging bands that still manage to sound like they’ve spent a lifetime on the scene.
(From last, last week) Bragging Rights – A Comedy Divine
Genre: Progressive sludge/groove metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: I’ve a shoutout to make from a couple of weeks back that I was too disorganized to review in time for its actual release date. Continuing steady on the same trajectory as last year’s “Carpe Jugulum”, this is early Gojira (although I’ll insist I can hear some “Magma”- and “Fortitude”-stuff in there this time) style dark prog metal that’s sludge-d, and also kind of doom-ed, down to an even, crushing pace propelled by balled-fist anger.
My main critique is that there’s not a lot of development going on from start to finish in many of the songs, so you’re locked in to the same kind of mood and rhythm for fairly long stretches. But it’s also full of hard hitting moments, especially in the second half, so well worth checking out if my initial description intrigued you.
Doodswens – Doodswens
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: The sophomore release by three-piece Dutch black metal band Doodswens (death wish) takes you to a place where suffering is both expected and accepted. That’s not saying that it’s the sort of black metal that’s physically painful to listen to, but it invokes the feelings of being trapped in the darkness, addressing the different shades of agony that is your only companion.
The album deals with this through expressing wrath, bitterness and anguish through both vocals and instruments, delivering both full-on aggression with wicked riff assaults and more restrained, slow burn stewing. Compelling stuff that I hope can keep evolving into something even more distinct.Highlight: “Driven by Death”
Draken – Here Be Draken
Genre: Stoner metal/rock
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Here’s some genre bending stoner metal from Norway. Saying that you’re in for a bit of a trip and a truly diverse experience should be taken as me saying it’s really exciting and unconventional within reason, and not as a suggestion that this is some incoherent super-proggy whack-job.
The trio that is Draken utilize tons of spritely desert groove, some sludge and hardcore aggression, a bit of psychedelic and doom mood-altering, and plenty of heavy rock get-up-and-go-ness. The variety is great, and the creative effort both inspiring and engaging. The flow through the album becomes a bit tumultuous, as you get pulled in quite a few different directions, but at least to me that’s a big part of its charm.
Highlights: “Jólablót” and “Of Demise and Men”
Infestuous – Unfathomable Mutagenic Abominations
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Imagine the head-spider from “The Thing” on cocaine and flitting rabidly around biting and snarling at people while foaming copiously at the mouth, and that you’re watching it all played back at 3x speed. That pretty much sums up this brutal-style tech death debut album from Infestuous.
The duo behind the madness are usually preoccupied in The Black Dahlia Murder and Doctor Smoke, so you know there’s some talent involved, which becomes evident anyway if you just play the album. There are traces of melody and quite a few really clever rhythm transitions that took me by surprise, elevating it well beyond a randomly chaotic gore slinger. There’s definitely room for a lot more personality, but this is a solid starting point.Highlight: “Palace of Rot”
The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Dead Ones
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: The latest from these deathcore stompers is monumentally heavy, as you would expect, but judging by the way it moves I’d say that far from all of this heaviness is attained though muscle growth. It feels lumbering, dragging its boated mass along and occasionally rolling down a hill, as gravity would be the only thing capable of speeding it up. It’s pretty rad when it does, although painfully predictable rest of the time.
The Moon And The Nightspirit – Seed of the Formless
Genre: Melodic folk/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: A gothic-tinged, mildly progressive and silkily melodic kind of sound that exists vaguely inside a doom realm, but demonstrates too much flexibility and verve to be tied down to any one subgenre. There are dark trickles of black metal every now and then, but the vocals are mostly serenely beautiful, hovering between sadness and hopefulness. They do best in the middle of the extremes of aggression and solemnity, where the passion rolls steadily like waves and currents.
It fizzes out a bit towards the end, but there’s a good amount of energy further back, in between the calmer sections. Definitely one to get lost in.Highlight: “Astromorphosis”
Ordh – Blind In Abyssal Realms
Genre: Progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Progressive death is an exciting niche these days, as it attracts a lot of really creative talent, and can surf on the wave of the massive OSDM resurgence. It’s challenging both for the artists and the listeners, but the guys in Ordh seem to have got it right from the start. Not that they’re newbie musicians or anything, but the formula for this swirling vortex of chugging riffs, semi-dissonant melody and atmospheric doom feels like it must have taken quite a bit of consideration to nail down.
At its best it builds organically to spine chilling highs, delivering both savagery and complex technicality with a warm yet space-y kind of vibe holding it all together. Other times it gets quite lost going on curious tangents, and at the end I’m actually left wishing for a more bone-jarring impact. Still, mighty impressive stuff.Highlights: “Apis Bull” and “Blind in Abyssal Realms”
Pilori – Sans Adieu
Genre: Black metal/hardcore/grindcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Pilori is a French mostly black metal project that uses hardcore and grindcore ferocity to spice things up, with a bit of death heft to add to the impact. They strike an appealing balance between catchy, aggressive riffage and hooded atmospheric skulking in the shadows. A few of the songs feel a bit too similar, and overall I could have wished for bigger contrasts and more intensity, but it’s nonetheless a hard hitting and coherent album.
Highlight: “Lèse Majesté”
Reeking Aura – On The Promise Of The Moon
Genre: Progressive/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Reeking Aura’s brand of death metal isn’t progressive to the same degree that this week’s Ordh release is, but like a mycelium network it’s spread out beyond the controllable confines of the core subgenre and established connections with its neighbors. There’s a strong influx of insidious-toned melodeath, a bit of atmosphere and, to counter it, a good deal of brutal-style rhythm work and old school technicality. They weave it all together into a truly compelling whole that’s frankly unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, adding new layers and showing new sides of themselves pretty much every step of the way.
Although the vocals are, overall, quite versatile, they are also my main issue with the album, as the predominant style is the kind of unintelligible kitchen sink gurgle that could be fine poetry or a toad burping for all you know. I’ll likely never get the appeal, but that’s a personal problem. Even if you’re of the same opinion, you shouldn’t let it stop you from checking this out, as you’ll be missing out on a whole heap of excellence.Highlights: “What Only Worms Witness” and “Sifting for Fungal Inheritance (A Mildewy, Acrid Mulch”
Sabiendas – Puppeteer Of Doom
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Straight up, nasty death metal from these Germans, delighting in the subgenre’s most classic thematic realm of visceral horror. What you’re in for is a steady parade of headbanger-friendly riffs, pummeling drums and serrated vocals. The menace is ever-present, the energy level is just right, and the balance between savagery and groove works very well. Production wise it lacks a bit of edge and force, and creatively it’s no revelation. Just good ‘ol ear candy for the morbidly inclined.
Highlight: “Freak of Nature”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown April 10 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released April 04 – April 10
Death metal seems to have staged a coup this week, as it’s broken out of the obscure shadows and into dominating positions in the headlines.
Archspire – Too Fast To Die
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: There must be some significant pressure for bands that are talked about in the music community as “the heaviest”, “the most brutal”, “the most evil”, and, in the case of Archspire, “the fastest”, to keep outdoing themselves. Thankfully, at least to me, that’s not become an all-encompassing obsession on “Too Fast To Die”, contrary to what the title might lead you to expect. In fact, the title track is among the furthest from crossing into comedy as a result of its pace.
But don’t get me wrong, relentless speed and brain-tenderizing technicality are what we all crave from these guys, and they deliver like an ant hive on Red Bull. Crucially, they’re able to see the silliness in the extreme velocity, and lean into it as a balance to the obvious dedication that’s evident from their super tight and dynamic compositions. There are a few tracks that sound a bit “same old, same old”, but nothing remotely bad, and a good few mind blowing monsters of envelope-pushing tech death.Highlights: “Carrion Ladder” and “The Vessel”
Battlegrave – Enslavement
Genre: Thrash/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: This one took me by surprise, as I’d never heard of this Australian band before. What comes raging out of the speakers is a hyper aggressive strain of thrash that’s spread well into death metal and its neighboring extreme subgenres. Giving the band’s last, sophomore full-length a quick listen I instantly noted that “Enslavement” is a significant step up in production and tightness of the performances. I hear Scour-like blackgrind, Werewolves-style groove-forward death metal and the kind of deathcore-y tech death you’d expect from a band like Summoning the Lich.
It’s dark, with clear ambitions of expanding into an unsettling horror-themed soundscape. That’s not unwelcome, but ultimately the more atmosphere-loaded tracks in the second half of the album end up pulling in a slightly different direction than the high-energy, adrenaline-fueled tracks you get in the beginning, and so it feels a bit like a veering off from what initially built my enthusiasm. Still, it’s got great energy throughout and radiates a suitably foul mood.Highlights: “Bonesaw” and “The Grand Machine Of Despair”.
Immolation – Descent
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: It’s time for some death metal legends to step back into the spotlight. What’s immediately evident on their 12th full-length is that Immolation is the type of band that faithfully sticks to their core formula while not ignoring advances in production capabilities, and also not looking backwards in terms of technicality. This is a crisp and exceptionally tight sound that also rumbles like the advance of hell’s collected arsenal of siege engines. It knows exactly what it wants to be and doesn’t stray from the path or experiment.
But the guys have also far from given up on trying to impress. They strike a highly mature and confident balance between demanding sonic punishment and infernal groove that sounds well considered and convincingly ominous.Highlights: “Adversary” and “Descent”
Inferi – Heaven Wept
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: This is not gonna be an unique take in the least, but Inferi sound like The Black Dahlia Murder if they decided to openly pursue tech death. In fact, I think that this description is so accurate that if a sufficiently devil-may-care mood struck me on the day, I could leave the entire review at that. But it is not (quite) this day. The band are by no means newcomers, which becomes quite evident from their world-class technicality and ability to write songs compositions that are both impressively complex and accessibly melodic.
My main personal gripe is that even in such an insanely busy album, I’m struggling to find anything that sounds genuinely fresh. It’s fairly loaded with stylistic tropes, particularly in the vocal department. But it’s also effortlessly expansive, and both majestic and sharply aggressive at the same time.Highlight: “Godless Sky” and “The Rapture of Dead Light”
Lord Of The Lost – Opvs Noir Vol. 3
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Apparently Lord Of The Lost don’t think that there’s enough gothic metal being made these days (at least not good) and are intent on filling the void, as they’re already back with the third part in their “Opvs Noir” series, with both part 1 and 2 having been released last year. They still sound big, on the verge of symphonic, with the occasional leaning into industrial. Once again there are far too many ballad tracks for my taste, but the writing is mostly really good (although very on the nose), and a couple of the more attitude-laden tracks are probably gonna stick with me for a while.
Highlight: “My Funeral”
MIRE – Pale Reflection
Genre: Groove metal/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Existing somewhere between the technicality of Sylosis and the catchy groove of Bleed From Within, with the solid melodic sense of both, MIRE has finally followed up their 2021 debut “A New Found Rain”, which I had a pretty good time with. Their sound has been sharpened and added definition, and feels more emotionally charged this time around. There’s a heap of exciting tech-y guitar antics and some really cool riffs, but in the end the overall impression is not that of an inspired writing process, as it feels a bit stiff and unimaginative.
Highlight: “Pale Reflection”
Nukem – The Grave Remains
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: The river of thrash, once nearly run dry, now surges stronger than perhaps ever, and has provided yet another feral, clawing animal of an album, this time from sunny California. Nukem sound as pissed of and impatient as a thrash band should, with strained, shouted vocals (that sound quite a bit like those of Obituary’s John Tardy) and the kind of tone that convinces you there’s plenty in the world to be mad about. They slap you around with savage, charging speed as much as locked-in riff execution, an active, agile bass and some surprisingly melodic solo sections.
Not every track hits quite as hard, but the ones that do really hit the spot. It took 10 years for them to follow up their debut with this. Let’s hope the wind blows in their favor and they get to expand even further on this bangin’ foundation.Highlight: “Torture, Murder, Mutilate!” and “Into the Kill Zone”
Skaphos – The Descent
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: EDIT: After publishing this review it came to my attention that this album is in fact a compilation of re-recorded songs from the band’s first two albums. It’s not immediately evident, as they’ve renamed the tracks, and production wise it’s such a massive step up that some of it is hardly recognizable unless you’re already well familiar with their earlier work. In either case, it won’t change my score, but it’s worth keeping in mind that this is actually not original material, and doesn’t necessarily indicate the band’s stylistic trajectory for the future.
Ready for some deep sea terror? Last year’s “Cult of Uzura” was not this French blackened death metal band’s first outing into abyssal dread (it was their third), but it was the first I’d heard of them, and the album made my top 100 list of the year. I found it to be a refreshingly “dangerous”-sounding alternative to the much more by-the-numbers “The Shit of God” released that week by subgenre peers Behemoth. In comparison, “The Descent” feels more cleaned up, technically minded and, dare I say, modern (yuck?).
It doesn’t have the strongest opening tracks, but you quickly get the gist of its theme, and soon you’re being pummeled by unforgiving heaviness, with increasing measures of tribal savagery and atmospheric oppressiveness. I suppose you could say we’re making a… descent… into the realm of unspeakable subsea horror where this band is at its most outstanding, and, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck here for the duration. A little less wild? Sure. Still unsettling and brilliantly punishing? Hell yes. Also, that album art is just perfect.Highlights: “Mireborn” and “Horror Squid”
Spirit Adrift – Infinite Illumination
Genre: Doom/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: For someone who just got into these guys, it’s sad to learn that this will be their last album, as they announced their split-up last month. 2023’s ultra groovy, upbeat and memorably melodic “Ghost At The Gallows” was one of my favorite releases that year. That was the band leaning strongly into the heavy metal iteration of their sound. “Infinite Illumination” sees a significant step back into classic doom, with an accompanying gloomy mood. The riffs are punchier, the tone darker, the tempos slower, and there’s a mournful tinge to Nate Garrett’s vocals.
All that’s not to say that you can’t have fun with it. There’s plenty of groove still, and the solos taste just as sweet. But while the last album felt very in the moment, this sends the mind wandering. It doesn’t have quite the same memorable quality, but functions solidly as both a well-balanced, purposeful heavy/doom album and a full-circle statement.Highlights: “Where Once There Was An Ocean” and “Window Within”
Voidchaser – Interstellar I
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Voidchaser is a prog metal band that play around in both the accessibly melodic shallows and more extreme deep end of the pool. Most of the time it feel a bit like a space opera that keeps being yanked out of its comfort zone by the pull of black holes, passing through asteroid fields and getting chased by curious and/or hostile alien vessels.
It’s playfully technical and dense with electronic atmosphere rather than being rhythmically challenging, and succeeds in circumventing the most glaring tropes of the subgenre. Melodically it’s a bit uneven, but the nature of it changes so often that missteps are soon forgotten.Highlight: “Welcome to Terra Corp”
Vomitory – In Death Throes
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Vomitory are here to BLUUURGH! all over your fine senses and hack all your sitting surfaces apart with an axe until you’ve got no other choice but to stand up and headbang your way into the unloving embrace of the firmest chiropractor available. For those unfamiliar, this is a Swedish death metal band blending old school brutality and crunchy groove with thrashing riffs. Everything is ultra tight and performed at close to technical perfection, but not without artistic flourish and a love for the vileness of the subgenre. It is both bafflingly impressive and stirringly primal, with a sky high entertainment factor and complete disdain for trends.
The track “For Gore and Country” is probably the closest you you’re gonna get to a brutal death metal anthem before taking on traits of parody, and there’s simply not any songs on this album that doesn’t at least partially hit you with the same kind of lethal, infectious bloodlust. Not a conceptual revelation by any means, but holy hell does it lay waste.Highlights: “For Gore and Country” and “Two and a Half Men”
Witch Ripper – Through The Hourglass
Genre: Progressive sludge/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Review: Witch Ripper’s brand of progressive sludge inevitably prompts a few Mastodon comparisons, but as on 2023’s “The Flight After the Fall”, there’s no mistaking their stylistic distinctions if you spend more than just a few seconds listening. “Through The Hourglass” feels like a patient album where every song starts out in a different yet stable place and then goes exploring. And the band seems to know all the best places to discover entertainingly puzzling rhythm- and tonal shifts, and mind-nurturing, melodic rapture.
At its best it’s fascinatingly intricate, pleasant and satisfyingly grating at the same time. It feels highly mature and creatively challenging in a listener-friendly way, and the band is likely only a real “hit” away from blowing up at this point.Highlights: “The Portal” and “The Clock Queen”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
albums, Archspire, Battlegrave, black metal, death metal, grindcore, groove metal, Immolation, Inferi, Lord of the Lost, metal, metal albums out this week, MIRE, new metal releases, new releases, Nukem, progressive metal, review, Skaphos, spirit adrift, thrash metal, Voidchaser, vomitory, witch ripper -
Weekly Rundown April 03 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released March 28 – April 03
Sludge, stoner, prog, doom, thrash, death and black – this week has most every flavor on the dark- and extreme metal spectrum, and only personal taste can truly decide what’s superior.
Anasarca – Achlys
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: We start off the week with some intense German death metal – not strictly technical, not distinctly old school, not overly brutal, but also not even slightly merciful. It’s apocalyptically menacing, chunky and precise, prioritizing darkness over fun.
Apolaustic – No Plenitude Without Suffering
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: This Swiss melodic black metal project knows how to employ razor sharp technicality without slicing apart the grimness. Sure, this isn’t the bleakest or most misanthropic you’ll come across in its subgenre, but while there’s an epic quality to the tremolo-led melodies, it’s all shrouded in darkness. It digs its claws into you whenever you start to feel too serene, and lets off when you’ve been lashed adequately by the hurricane riffs and drums. The lead melodies aren’t the strongest, and overall I could’ve wished for more personality, but it’s an impressive debut that hits the sweet spot between tame and chaotic.
Highlight: “Fragments from a Misty Journey”
Bloody Valkyria – Requiem: Reveries Of The Dying
Genre: Melodic black/folk metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: When black metal gets all melodic and epic, the “folk” label is always sort of lurking, peeking out from behind the nearest tree trunk. When the black metal is also Finnish, you can practically taste the breath of the folk coming from right over your shoulder. This is at least how I’ll justify my applying it to Bloody Valkyria’s third full-length, even though, strictly speaking, there’s more epic doom and melodic death metal than there is folk. But absent it is not, and it has a distinctly medieval and perhaps surprisingly sentimental flavor to it. If you like the idea of Mors Principium Est clad in armor and draped in black cloaks, wandering steadfastly into the unknown of the great, open wilderness, then this album delivers. A bit too leisurely in the middle, maybe, but still grandiose in the best way and with a very strong finish.
Highlights: “My Beloved North” and “Always”
Corrosion Of Conformity – Good God/Baad Man
Genre: Stoner/sludge metal/punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Corrosion Of Conformity exists mostly outside the sphere of metal that I’ve actively listened to throughout my life, so expect no expert analysis of this, their 11th full-length. What they want you to have is unconventional, untamed stoner metal with a sludgy Southern feel, alternative mindset and plenty of punk rock energy. For me it’s a bit too uneven, like they’ve scattered a heap of tracks randomly across the record, that were all born of different states of mind. That being said, it goes perfectly with the band name. It’s rebellious, unbothered by expectations, free spirited and hard-hitting.
Highlights: “Gimme Some Moore” and “Baad Man”
Forlorn Citadel – An Oath Undone
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: If your D&D-campaigns are exclusively played by black metal fans, then this is what you need to have playing in the background. It’s all epic vibes with a bit of wraith-like snarling occasionally piercing through. Far too repetitive at times, and fairly odd in its contrasting moods of uplifting triumph and light-shy grimness. But pretty immersive if you’re in the right frame of mind.
Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: These Norwegian sad prog metallers are on a roll and already back after last year’s “Pt. I: The Shores of Melancholia”. For an album with the word “Melancholia” in the title, it’s in actuality quite upbeat in comparison to its successor. “Sanguis” is slower, and with several completely calm, acoustic songs and sections, so if you were missing energy last time ’round, you’re gonna find even less of it here. Look instead for melodic beauty and imaginative storytelling. The album takes you by the hand and guides you through a living maze of impressions – steadily rather than violently. If you’re all sold on the band’s style then you’ll absolutely love it. If you have doubts, then I doubt you’ll be convinced.
Highlight: “Sweet to the Point of Bitter”
Nervosa – Slave Machine
Genre: Melodic death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: If Angela Gossow-era Arch Enemy at its most aggressive was your jam and you wish nothing more than for a return to that, then despair not – Nervosa have you covered. Oh, and I hope you like thrash, ’cause there’s a lot of that on here as well. “Slave Machine” (anyone else immediately thinking “Doomsday Machine”?), the band’s sixth full-length, starts overflowing with badass riffs already at the halfway mark, and there’s no letup after that. It’s staunchly aggressive, tight and suitably impatient. It’s in the songwriting department that it comes up a bit short. Once you’ve heard the first three or four songs, you’ve got the whole thing figured out. There’s no lack in energy though, nor in solos, nor in groove, nor in commitment.
Highlights: “Slave Machine” and “Beast of Burden”
Solnegre – Anthems For The Grand Collapse
Genre: Doom/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Take heed of where I’ve placed the “doom” in the genre description, as this is not where you want to go for “unspeakable abomination encrusted with the collected evil that seeps through the cracks of the earth” kind of death doom. This is deep, atmospheric, heavy because it’s weighed down by dark emotion, and expansively melodic. I don’t think that all the vocal style variations included work quite as well, and it does rag a bit at times, but as a maturing step for a promising young band it’s definitely heading in the right direction.
Highlight: “The Axiom – Song for the Inert Part II”
Toxic Shock – Future Is Calling
Genre: Thrash metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: These Belgian crossover thrashers have been active since 2010, but only now are we getting their third full-length. Let’s hope their release frequency increases, ’cause I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this kind of crisp, riff-happy, up-yours-attitude goodness. This stuff is all riffs, coarse shouting and eager drums, mostly at groove-centric mid tempo pace. While I appreciate the headbang-ability, I do think the whole album would sound better sped up, or at least with a good portion of more frantic, pedal-to-the-metal speed thrashing. So while it could probably benefit from being a bit more unhinged, I thoroughly enjoyed myself all the way through.
Highlights: “HQ” and “Reborn”
Vanir – Wyrd
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: If you’ve been listening to these Danes for a while (they’ve been at it since 2009), then I suspect that you know exactly what to expect on their latest offering. This is war-marching melodic death metal, kind of like Amon Amarth but a little less anthemic and without the occasional style-ironic antics. You get lots of cool riffs, rousing melody and dark-tinged aggression, but aside from its technical qualities it’s fairly by-the-numbers.
Void Of Light – Asymmetries
Genre: Atmospheric sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: As debut albums go, this is an exceptionally strong one. What this Scottish band do is expand on Ghost Brigade-like crunchy and crisp heaviness with contemplative atmosphere and melody, and without overdoing it to the point of inviting tediousness. Everything feels measured, and the transitions organic. It’s powerful, hits like a brick but also flows like a firm breeze through tall grass. There’s melancholy and vulnerability, but also blackened harshness, although this is, crucially, also not overdone. I hear a bit of Cult of Luna, some Enslaved at their more straightforwardly atmospheric, but also hints of melodeath-like, on-the-hunt aggression, which suits it well. This is a cohesive yet multi-layered album that sets the bar high for the future.
Highlights: “Silver Mask” and “The Passing Hours”
(From last week) Zerre – Rotting on a Golden Throne
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Most of the time I leave “misses” from earlier weeks lie, as I’ve usually got way too much new stuff to keep me busy. But this album greedily caught my attention and kept it in a vice grip throughout the entirety of its runtime. What we’ve got here is German old school thrash approaching crossover in the style of Municipal Waste and Power trip, with clear inspiration taken from early Anthrax and Metallica. It’s basically a non-stop assault of charging riffs and drums, with sharply barked vocals that fit the relentless, head-lobbing style perfectly. Whenever you think that they can’t possibly match the awesome riff you just banged your neck sore to on the previous track, they hit you with another. A pure shot of adrenaline that’s probably the best thrash I’ve heard since last year’s Warbringer record.
Highlights: “Deception of the Weak” and “Rotting on a Golden Throne”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown March 27 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released March 21 – March 27
This week is thick with quality, particularly in the cold and sinister part of the spectrum, but it’s far from all bleakness and misery.
Aggressive Perfector – Come Creeping Fiends
Genre: Speed/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: This has got to be just about as rock ‘n’ roll that black metal can possibly get. Never mind that you’re probably being lured into sacrificing yourself for some unspeakable summoning ritual, if it sounds this fun then it’s probably worth it. This is a crisp, direct sort of sound that still has fullness, but lacking even a gram of excess fat. It’s speed and heavy metal with raw, shouted vocals, bursting with solos, licks and scorched riffs. While it’s more mid-tempo than speedy, it sounds like they’re giving max effort on every track, hell bound to entertain, but not sacrificing the throat slitting attitude for the sake of your listening comfort.
Highlights: “Dead Undead” and “Fiend in You”
Bekor Qilish – Consecrated Abysses of Dread
Genre: Experimental death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: If you ever wondered what death metal performed by a black metal musician might sound like when infected with a computer virus made by aliens, then here’s a likely answer. While Abbath-like croaking, technical death riffs and prog drumming are at the core of this madness, each track sounds like it’s frantically trying to explore what it might sound like in the style of two or three different other genres of music at the same time. And the actual human behind the instruments and levers has to put up a constant fight to reign it in. But it appears to be a losing battle, as the music seems to get increasingly unconventional the further into the album we get. Describing it as “spasmic” and “glitchy” becomes gradually more apt. It’s a bit aimless and uneven, but still very cool.
Highlights: “No Solace At The Eschaton” and “Emptiness-Wrought Cognition”
Black Label Society – Engines Of Demolition
Genre: Heavy/doom metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: This gets more of a mention than a full review, as I’m a bit short on time this week, and it sounds pretty much exactly as you’d expect from Zakk and the rest of the biker gang. Crunchy, sludgy rock ‘n’ roll with punchy heaviness and doom groove, with quite a few ballad-y section thrown in in between. Oh, and there’s an Ozzy tribute at the end, which I can’t fault for being emotional, but would have liked to see contain some actual essence of what the Prince of Darkness actually represented, and still does.
Blasart – Depravatus Christianis Sacris
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Here’s some Chilean black metal that sounds like it’s bursting out of a yawning crack in consecrated earth, eager to corrupt and defile. It’s relentlessly aggressive but with a strong leaning into black ‘n’ roll, which grounds its rough presence and tumultuous progression in some easy-to-like groove and attitude. It’s lean, perhaps not demonstrating the tightest of performances, but that’s part of the charm, and it sound evil from horn tip to toe talon. And that album cover is one of the absolute best I’ve seen so far this year.
Highlight: “Ritus Impositionis Sacrilega” and “Vocatio Sanctis Phallus”
Chamber – This Is Goodbye…
Genre: Mathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: I had a pretty great time with this band’s 2023 offering “A Love To Kill For”, and this is more of the same sonic punishment. In fact, it’s even heavier. What you get is mercilessly slamming mathcore with a shrill dissonant streak that makes it seem a bit like it was designed with noise torture in mind. It’s technically brilliant, but less clinical than just simply calculatingly violent. At it’s best it’s hugely dynamic and goes from a near-inanimate state to crushing skulls in a nanosecond. At it’s worst it’s a bit too much of the same – on the verge of becoming predictable. It doesn’t last for two long though, and all of a sudden it comes up from behind to snap you in half.
Highlight: “scarlet ink”
Hellripper – Coronach
Genre: Black/speed metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Review: All hail the goat! Perhaps not the G.O.A.T., but if James keeps this up he’ll have some pretty strong arguments to make his case. The Scottich one-man-project Hellripper is back after 2023’s frankly god damn excellent “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” and judging by the album cover you might expect a slightly more reigned in, atmospheric and solemn approach on this one. Hell no, this is more epic and unapologetically face-melting than ever. I’d go so far as to say that several songs on here are pure masterpieces of balancing untamed, underground-feeling aggression with heavy metal likeability and timeless presence. It’s a fearless kind of album that dares to try different things and expand on the recipe, with great variation in tempos, playfulness and perceived level of darkness. This isn’t your standard flash fire of a blackened speed metal album that’s finished almost before you’re attuned to the inevitable production quirks. This is ambitious. It stretches out, perhaps a bit longer than some would find necessary, but there’s hardly a moment of pause, and certainly none wasted.
Highlights: “Hunderprest” and “Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm”
Hexenhorde – Sempiternal Witchery
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: A massive riff fest of a death thrash debut album, that just keeps on giving and giving and giving, its bloodlust never waning. There’s no real complexity or depth, it’s technically competent but much too preoccupied with delivering non-stop bad-assery to be particularly creative. It’s not the strongest in terms of songwriting, as several tracks kind of just even out or dip instead of peaking, but there’s so much groove and momentum that you can easily ignore it. It’s fast paces and over in just over 30 minutes, which feels spot on.
Highlight: “Deceiver’s Oath”
Power Paladin – Beyond The Reach Of Enchantment
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: The most important thing to know about this Icelandic band’s brand of power metal is that it’s good, honest, RIFF BASED power metal, which means that it’s possible to enjoy sober and not blasted from a festival stage. As the name suggests, Power Paladin know perfectly well who they’re making music for, and aren’t the least bit shy about it. It’s got D&D and classic fantasy pouring and radiating from it, and if you’ve got the slightest love for this genre I don’t understand how it couldn’t make you beam with happiness. It’s got great energy with some actual heft and hints of aggression, excellent technical performances and just heaps of nerdy-yet-rock ‘n’ roll-charm. Grab your sword and cape, you damn well know you want to.
Highlight: “Sword Vigor” and “Camelot Rock City”
Rivers Ablaze – Inexternal Dread
Genre: Progressive black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: This relatively fresh Hungarian band are already on their fifth full-length since their formation in 2019. With that kind of productivity you should expect a strong clarity of vision, and that’s evident on “Inexternal Dread”. What you get is a progressive black metal band that gazes as much into the cosmos as it does the dark, misty forests, and uses a lean, semi-technical form of death metal as a means of propulsion. It’s mostly quite harsh and gloomy, but allows itself the occasional drift into more serene melody that brings to mind folk-touched doom. There are both strong highlights on here as well as tracks that lack identity and is fairly easily forgotten, but if you’re ready for a hostile, fairly unsettling trip with tight instrumental work and moments of respite, then this will serve you well from start to finish.
Highlight: “Silent Orbit”
Varmia – lauks
Genre: Blackened death/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: If you like your blackened death metal sounding unsafe and a bit like it wasn’t actually intended for human comprehension, then this is likely up your alley. I’ve a soft spot for Varmia’s chaotic blend of early Behemoth savagery and Baltic tribal influences. It sounds raw, wild, more real somehow. That being said, there are more songs on this album that feel outright messy than not, and the Behemoth likeness is at times borderline imitative. It will largely depend on your expectations, but I’d take this over something polished and safe any day.
Highlight: “dzień, pół nocy”
Winterfylleth – The Unyielding Season
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Winterfylleth have already proved their ability to take melodic black metal into the realm of the atmospherically majestic without compromising on neither the aggression nor the bleakness on 2024’s excellent “The Imperious Horizon”. So it’s not really a surprise that they’re able to pull it off yet again on this one, but it still warrants saying. At times this feels like the very landscape of ancient, untouched lands swelling and then letting out an almighty sigh as the ground cracks, trees splinter and rivers vaporize. There’s ample aggression to counter the expansive melody, although if you’re not the patient kind, you’ll probably find yourself losing focus towards the end, as it does stretch out a fair bit. While I would have liked a more distinct difference in mood given the contrast in album art (snow covered mountain top vs burning forest) between this one and their previous effort, it’s still very much a continuation of what made that one great.
Highlights: “Echoes In The After” and “Heroes of a Hundred Fields”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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Weekly Rundown March 20 – 2026
Reviews of metal albums released March 14 – March 20
This week had a lot on its mind, with bands big and small, young and old and styles ranging from the deeply melodic to the intentionally ugly.
Chalice Of Suffering – The Raven Cries One Last Time
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Review: A funeral doom project that seeks to immerse you in lamenting melody, funeral bagpipes and all. The clean, instrumental sections work quite well, but the heaviness has no real… heaviness. Making the slooow buildups amount to not all that much.
Cultist – Spiritual Atrophy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Death metal does well being rough around the edges, as long as it it’s still competently performed and packs a punch. All of this checks out on Cultist’s second full-length. The production is kinda fuzzy and the vocals are buried in the mix, but there’s thunder in the low end, and a hunger to the riffs. Unfortunately, the songwriting is a bit all over the place, as they experiment with groove, dissonance, caveman barbarism, black metal evil, and more.
Crouch – Breaking The Catatonic State
Genre: Experimental sludge metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Stark, hard-hitting sludge metal drawing from both hardcore and doom, and refusing to stick to any one rhythm approach for more than a few moments at a time. It’s dissonant, combative and unpredictable, which at its best feels intellectually stimulating, and at its worst quite tiresome.
Dawn Of Ashes – Anatomy Of Suffering
Genre: Electronic/industrial/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Smear on your corpse paint but switch out your bullet belt with a bandolier of colorful vial shots. It’s time to rave for Satan. Dawn of Ashes is a Los Angeles-based industrial black metal band that’s completely embraced EDM/EBM on this, their 12th (!) full-length release. The synths are spooky, the beats are steady and the vibes are hypnotic. Not my jam, but I’d take this over pretty much any generic dancefloor music.
Decipher – Thelema
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Decipher are a Greek band playing a death-leaning, riff-driven variant of black metal with modest hints at melody, although nothing like the epic stuff you’d expect from fellow countrymen Rotting Christ, and certainly not Septicflesh. This is focused, bitter-sounding and actually a bit understated, although it’s not the type o thing that gets lost in a hazy forest lake of misery. I don’t quite find enough on it that really catches my attention, but all the right elements are in place, and performed without fault for that proper unholy feeling.
Highlight: “Return to Naught”
Dragsholm – The Bloodlines Of Bram
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: Although not demonstrating the very tightest of performances, this is growling, gutsy black metal with just enough epic-toned melody to call it entertaining, and more than enough crunchy death metal riffing to invite some serious headbanging.
Egregore – It Echoes In The Wild
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: This one has a bit of that Veilburner madness to it, and I’m all here for it. While it sounds plenty demonic and enveloped in clouds of witch cauldron fumes, instead of diving for the abyss, this aims to captivate you with a seductive, complex dance of shifting rhythm patterns, charging riffs and heavy metal gallops and dive bombs that would be right at home on a blackened thrash or speed album. It channels a lot of that Venom-esque, rough-around-the-edges, “just go for it” kind of sensory overwhelming aggression that doesn’t need a lot of fancy production wizardry or dazzling technicality, but is rooted in classic techniques. Another thing that I love about it is that it just doesn’t tire. Apart from on the epic closing track, there’s very little, if anything in the way of atmospheric breaks or “restful” sections. It constantly moves forward, eager to shock, corrupt and amaze, and is filled to the brim with highlights.
Highlight: “Voice on The West Wind” and “Servants of the Second Death”
Empire Of Disease – While Everything Collapses
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Review: If you’re into old school melodeath riffs, then this one is plain enjoyable from start to finish. That’s not to say that it’s without weaknesses – the vocals are a bit lacking in range and force, it’s certainly not rewriting any books in terms of originality, and they’re mixing modern and classic elements seemingly as the mood takes them. But the spirit of it is a real headbanger, and that I admire.
Evermore – Mournbraid
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: No, not Nevermore. While this is on the slightly darker side for power metal, it’s still certainly not short on soaring vocals and epic choruses. It tries to add a shade of solemnity, but it’s mostly a veneer that’s easily broken through with thrashy riffs and vibrant solos.
Exodus – Goliath
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: You know what time it is when Exodus enters the fray. Time to windmill-headbang your neck into a rubik’s cube-level puzzle for your chiropractor to solve while getting spitefully shouted at and pulled into the flames of damnation. That being said, if you were hoping for a ferocious, pedal-to-the-metal death race kind of thrash album, you might find your enthusiasm waning fairly quickly, as this is a distinctly mid-paced kind of affair. Suits me just fine, as the menace factor is palpable. This is not an experimental sort of Exodus record, as it sounds like they had a very good idea of what this should sound like, and so it feels confident and coherent. But not all of it is as memorable, and the 54-minute + runtime feels unnecessary. It’s a great riffing time with an awesome vocal performance, that’s a bit short on surprises.
Highlights: “3111” and “Promise You This”
Gaerea – Loss
Genre: Blackened metalcore
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Generally, I try to keep personal expectations from influencing my rating of a new album as much as possible, but with a track record like that of Gaerea, it’s hard to stay neutral. I completely adored their last two albums in particular. That adoration ruptures violently with “Loss”, as if the great eye on the cover of 2024’s “Coma” were to burst in a cascade of blood and gelatinous tissue. I don’t pay much attention to the lore or goings on of bands in between releases, or the singles they release leading up to a new album, as I want my reaction to be as raw as possible. So the stylistic shift I was presented with on “Loss” came as a miserable shock to me. What it makes me realize is that Gaerea was balancing on top of a precipice two years ago. A precipice they have now plummeted from the other side of. They have all but left the realm of black metal behind as if it was a relic, and embraced slick, emotional, symphonically majestic and at times even pop-oriented metalcore. And so, rating this as a darkly cinematic metalcore album, it’s solid in most ways. It sounds rich, melodically expansive, if a tad generic, and with a buttery smooth production, managing big highs and lows of intensity effortlessly, with obvious vocal and instrumental talent to back it up. But not quite enough hard-hitting aggression or awe-inspiring technicality to counter the towering mass of soft sentimentality – a balance that many now-peers in the sphere of metalcore and melodic deathcore really excel at achieving. As someone struggling not to look backwards, this to me feels like a sappy, trend-chasing dismissal of the actual tonal depth, complexity and heaviness of the past. Quite possibly my DOTY (disappointment of the year).
Highlight: “Hellbound”
Graufar – Via Necropolis
Genre: Melodic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Mixing piercing vocals with classic tremolo, beastly death metal riffs and gloomy melodies, this feels like an old school melodeath album that died and resurrected as an undead in a long-forgotten necropolis. It worships at both the altar of primitive chugs and that of atmospherically backed grandeur, taking you on a tour of most of the elements that makes melodic black metal great. It’s not complex or what I’d call impressively layered, but it’s got the same consistent instrumental focus and sinister vibes all the way throughout, making it easy to like and very hard to get tired of.
Highlights: “Blizzard and Blaze”
Gutvoid – Liminal Shrines
Genre: Progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: This is old school death metal lured out of its cave with treats and led gloriously astray on a brain-spinning excursion through an unpredictably morphing landscape. It’s not quite as weird as I probably make it sound, but it’s certainly not straightforward. The gurgling, coarse brutality is constant, as is the rolling heaviness and the tone of utter menace, but it travels on progressive rhythms and picks up echoes of ancient atmosphere and deviously slithering melody. It’s not at all unnecessarily dissonant or chaotic, it feels patient and deliberate, but rarely fails to surprise with its numerous twists and turns.
Highlights: “Lead Me Beyond the Sleeping I” and “Spell Reliquary”
Hanging Garden – Isle Of Bliss
Genre: Melodic doom/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: Now in their 9th full-length, Hanging Garden aren’t anything near newcomers to the scene of Finnish melodic doom/death, but the fame of such similar-sounding peers as Insomnium, Swallow the Sun and Amorphis has so far eluded them. And while I highly doubt that “Isle Of Bliss” will be the album to break them into the mainstream, it certainly makes a strong argument for giving this 7-strong collection of solemn doomsayers the credit that they’re due. While not without force or scope, this is the kind of atmospheric extreme doom that you let carry you away into wispy lands of lamenting over what could have been, not the kind that ushers you to bellow your lungs out from a majestic mountaintop. It’s thickly layered in instrumental beauty, with some meaty riffs and varied vocal styles, and while a bit monotonous for short stretches, it’s far less ponderous than a lot of other contemporary doom projects.
Highlights: “Isle of Bliss” and “To Outlive the Nine Ravens”
Hautajaisyö – Surun paino
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: It would take some pretty shoddy craftsmanship for me not to have a good time with crunchy, old-school-style Scandinavian death metal, and Finnish band Hautajaisyö are in absolutely no danger of incurring my displeasure. Thrashy riffing, monstrous vocals and a relentlessly dark and threatening demeanor all work very well for them. The songwriting could definitely be stronger, with some slightly halting rhythm transitions and jumbled buildups, but the essence of it is pure menace.
Highlight: “Maan Nielemä”
Iron Firmament – In the Land of Pre-Human Kings
Genre: Atmospheric/raw black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Review: This is an album that, unless you are already familiar with Iron Firmament’s earlier work, will likely surprise you with its depth. What immediately strikes you is that this is raw black metal, so unless that is very specifically your jam, it will take a little time getting used to the speakers-muffled-by-a-thick-duvet sound quality. The album cover very aptly points to the thematic nature of epic dark fantasy, and hints to the fact that you’ll be invited to lose yourself in wanderings under the shadows of ancient ruins and among the debris of recent battlefields. I actually found myself caught off guard a couple of times at just how well the atmosphere is integrated with the cold, blasting bitterness, and found my appreciation growing steadily every minute that I spent with it.
Highlights: “Atlantis in Permafrost” and “The Coast of Worlds”
Karmian – Horror Vacui
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: An Italian melodic death metal band that pull strongly from that early Amon Amarth “marching of the horde”-sound, but also from classic death metal acts like Cannibal Corpse. In the end though, they transform this foundation with a mindset for modern, technical playfulness and a great love for groove. There are some real bangers on here, which are unfortunately offset by a few clear stumbles.
Necrogore – Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Review: The debut full-length of this Italian band, thrusting you face first into a mound of steaming gore and laughing as you gag. This is filthy, massively crusty old-school-brutal death metal without a shred of pity or remorse. It’s coarse, fairly chaotic and ugly, with little in terms of groove or steady rhythms to hold on to.
Papa Necrose – Anthropomorphy Execution
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: This hitherto unknown to me Brazilian death metal band reminds me a lot of Ripped To Shreds on this, their fourth full length, and in my book that’s a promising starting point to say the least. Extremely riff-happy, raw-throated and gleefully malevolent towards religion and the catholic church in particular, with a playful attitude to serving up a variety of engaging rhythm approaches, it’s making all the right arguments to turn to the dark side. Also packed with tasty solos and a splash of that Sepultura/Soulfly tribal vibe, the only real thing holding it back is a tendency to unnecessarily stretch out certain song sections, maybe intended as contrasting breaks in the ferocity. The result is perhaps not the best flow out there, but it keeps grabbing your attention and stays energetic and inventive to the very end.
Highlights: “Hammered in the Mind” and “Cathedral of Death”.
The Silver – Looking Glass Hymnal Blue
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: Sporting obvious talent from Horrendous and Crypt Sermon, and very little in terms of stylistic influence from those bands, The Silver is a sort-of-supergroup that plays progressive, atmospheric and slightly avant-garde melodic black metal, and it’s a hoot of a time. That being said, the tone is mostly on the cold and sorrow-tinged side, so it doesn’t come off as whacky or whimsical in any way, but it’s also far too agile and technically interesting to get you properly immersed in any sort of pool of misery. Mixing clean and harsh vocals and instruments into a complex, vital drama cast in blue moonlight, it’s a strong statement of creativity and versatility that has great potential for even further exploration.
Highlight: “Tendrils”
Via Doloris – Guerre et Paix
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Review: What the realm of atmospheric black metal can’t claim to have in abundance is strong individual band personality. But, being the solo project of guitarist Gildas le Pape, you can very quickly hear the foundations of a strong melodic signature in the guitar work in particular, and it goes a long way by itself. Helped by a great production and avoidance of the biggest and most tired tropes of the subgenre, this is a beautifully flowing and subtly distinct piece of black metal that balances fluid melody with nocturnal ire.
Highlight: “Un Franc Soleil”
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band, or need to give an album another shot, why not pop a comment down below?
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