#blackmetal — Public Fediverse posts

Where souls get lost 2
#blackandwhite #photography #woodland #walking #blackmetal :unarist:

https://www.europesays.com/be-nl/143961/ Old Ruins – Mount Arreat #albumreview #Amusement #BE #België #Belgium #BlackMetal #Entertainment #MountArreat #Music #Muziek #OldRuins #SickTasteRecords #ZwareMetalen

https://www.europesays.com/nl/311577/ Old Ruins – Mount Arreat #albumreview #Amusement #BlackMetal #Dutch #Entertainment #MountArreat #Music #Muziek #Nederland #Nederlanden #Nederlands #Netherlands #NL #OldRuins #SickTasteRecords #ZwareMetalen

Listening to different eras of Bathory this morning. Started with a #vikingmetal album then went to their first album which was an early example of #blackmetal Might fuck around and listen to one of their albums from their brief thrash era in the 90s too.

#metal #heavymetal

Listening to different eras of Bathory this morning. Started with a #vikingmetal album then went to their first album which was an early example of #blackmetal Might fuck around and listen to one of their albums from their brief thrash era in the 90s too.

#metal #heavymetal

It only takes the opening 1-2-3-4 salvo of Scour Order to dare believe the eternally divisive Krallice are trying to make a return to their roots. Ever shifting, ever evolving, the dimensional bleed-triggering outfit have spent their entire career contorting black metal into their spacey, math-infused vision of weird. Receiving affirmations as conflicting as “forward thinking,” “genre transcending,” and “pile of unlistenable hipster wankery,” the band have spent the last eighteen years with a constant stream of activity and output, answering to and guided by no one but the calls of their own internal demonic wealth. Album fifteen, Scour Order arrives offering something of a constructional throwback, with the band returning to a two-guitar approach, as co-founder and studio producer extraordinaire Colin Marston returns to the strings after a long stint at the keys. Does this rebuild promise a return to the Cascadian expansiveness of yore, or to still more confusing territories ahead?

In tone and timbre, Scour Order tries to fuse the epic, treble-heavy canvas of Years Past Matter with the slightly thicker progressions of Ygg Huur. Excised are most of the synths and the rawer tones of records like Psychagogue, with the fractal-imploding counterpoint of the returning twin guitars used to immediate effect. Across the album, Colin and fellow guitarist/vocalist Mick Barr carry the listener from diseased harmonies to tense, sudden stutter-start riffing (“Kill the Guardian”, “Her Green Arms”) where certain progressions seem to linger just a few measures longer than they should, bolstered by the fantastic drumming of Lev Weinstein. His performance is of extra note, with the clarity of the mix (particularly after the more traditionally blackened mix of more recent fare) allowing his delightful snare fills (“Grievous Corrector”) and creatively applied cymbal transitions (“Unceasing Path”) real life and energy under the alien soundscapes.

In a broad sense, Scour Order opts for oppressive atmospheres over straight lead-pasta1 or riffy assaults. Many dissonant chord progressions are prolonged with more repetitions than you’d expect from modern Krallice, with a heavy emphasis on tension-building terms which get rode out to the breaking point. Unfortunately, this has the side-effect of rendering the release as more meandering than thrilling, though focused listens allow bright spots to crash through the surface. “Indecipherable Divinities” breaks out the synth for a brief time while the chords seamlessly transition into something almost spaced out and optimistic, having much in common spiritually with Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere in mood if not in form. Title track “Scour Order” manages an excellent fusion of its old-school vastness of vision with modern-day sheen and adventurousness, with vocals which could pass for death metal and an extended instrumental closing which rings of glorious catharsis.

Though the production is unsurprisingly excellent, it does serve to emphasize the album’s weaknesses as well. Bassist Nicholas McMaster is given tons of breathing room for his perpetual twanging to glide under the current of notes, though his own virtuosity can’t save cuts like the needlessly empty and sustained tremming of “Her Green Arms” or the wandering “Unceasing Path.” Krallice is too technically proficient a band to declare something to be “badly composed” without sounding stupid, but much of Scour Order is spent being taken on a journey of musical virtuosity with little in the way of the band’s penchant for lasting impact. Highlights certainly exist; the aforementioned synth in “Indecipherable Divinities”, the crash-out solo closing “Agonal Shining”, the almost mournful ending of “Living Useless Ritual” chief among them. But Krallice at their best exude skill in exhausting, engaging longform journeys, and it’s almost a foreign concept to discuss any of their works in terms of “highlights” and not in terms of songs.

The most stereotypical conclusion here would posit that “If you’re a fan of Krallice, you’ll like this; if you aren’t, this won’t change your mind.” Unfortunately, Scour Order falls well below the peak of the band’s best work in the modern or vintage era, while having enough warts that it might convince those who already don’t like them to like them just a little less. There really is plenty to enjoy for the seasoned fan in terms of familiarity of mood and presentation. Despite this, I cannot escape the fact that while albums like Crystalline Exhaustion (to say nothing of works like Dimensional Bleedthrough) pulled me in by virtue of their pillar-to-post sense of discovery, Scour Order sits in the respectable, yet disappointing tier of “sounds like another Krallice album.” The peaks are very high indeed, and the bookending tracks deserve to be included in playlists for newcomers to the band for the rest of forever. I have too much faith to declare this the first real assault of AMG’s Law of Diminishing Recordings, but time will tell if this is just a fine-tuning of the band’s musical vision for the future, or if future works are doomed to go be forgotten.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

It only takes the opening 1-2-3-4 salvo of Scour Order to dare believe the eternally divisive Krallice are trying to make a return to their roots. Ever shifting, ever evolving, the dimensional bleed-triggering outfit have spent their entire career contorting black metal into their spacey, math-infused vision of weird. Receiving affirmations as conflicting as “forward thinking,” “genre transcending,” and “pile of unlistenable hipster wankery,” the band have spent the last eighteen years with a constant stream of activity and output, answering to and guided by no one but the calls of their own internal demonic wealth. Album fifteen, Scour Order arrives offering something of a constructional throwback, with the band returning to a two-guitar approach, as co-founder and studio producer extraordinaire Colin Marston returns to the strings after a long stint at the keys. Does this rebuild promise a return to the Cascadian expansiveness of yore, or to still more confusing territories ahead?

In tone and timbre, Scour Order tries to fuse the epic, treble-heavy canvas of Years Past Matter with the slightly thicker progressions of Ygg Huur. Excised are most of the synths and the rawer tones of records like Psychagogue, with the fractal-imploding counterpoint of the returning twin guitars used to immediate effect. Across the album, Colin and fellow guitarist/vocalist Mick Barr carry the listener from diseased harmonies to tense, sudden stutter-start riffing (“Kill the Guardian”, “Her Green Arms”) where certain progressions seem to linger just a few measures longer than they should, bolstered by the fantastic drumming of Lev Weinstein. His performance is of extra note, with the clarity of the mix (particularly after the more traditionally blackened mix of more recent fare) allowing his delightful snare fills (“Grievous Corrector”) and creatively applied cymbal transitions (“Unceasing Path”) real life and energy under the alien soundscapes.

In a broad sense, Scour Order opts for oppressive atmospheres over straight lead-pasta1 or riffy assaults. Many dissonant chord progressions are prolonged with more repetitions than you’d expect from modern Krallice, with a heavy emphasis on tension-building terms which get rode out to the breaking point. Unfortunately, this has the side-effect of rendering the release as more meandering than thrilling, though focused listens allow bright spots to crash through the surface. “Indecipherable Divinities” breaks out the synth for a brief time while the chords seamlessly transition into something almost spaced out and optimistic, having much in common spiritually with Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere in mood if not in form. Title track “Scour Order” manages an excellent fusion of its old-school vastness of vision with modern-day sheen and adventurousness, with vocals which could pass for death metal and an extended instrumental closing which rings of glorious catharsis.

Though the production is unsurprisingly excellent, it does serve to emphasize the album’s weaknesses as well. Bassist Nicholas McMaster is given tons of breathing room for his perpetual twanging to glide under the current of notes, though his own virtuosity can’t save cuts like the needlessly empty and sustained tremming of “Her Green Arms” or the wandering “Unceasing Path.” Krallice is too technically proficient a band to declare something to be “badly composed” without sounding stupid, but much of Scour Order is spent being taken on a journey of musical virtuosity with little in the way of the band’s penchant for lasting impact. Highlights certainly exist; the aforementioned synth in “Indecipherable Divinities”, the crash-out solo closing “Agonal Shining”, the almost mournful ending of “Living Useless Ritual” chief among them. But Krallice at their best exude skill in exhausting, engaging longform journeys, and it’s almost a foreign concept to discuss any of their works in terms of “highlights” and not in terms of songs.

The most stereotypical conclusion here would posit that “If you’re a fan of Krallice, you’ll like this; if you aren’t, this won’t change your mind.” Unfortunately, Scour Order falls well below the peak of the band’s best work in the modern or vintage era, while having enough warts that it might convince those who already don’t like them to like them just a little less. There really is plenty to enjoy for the seasoned fan in terms of familiarity of mood and presentation. Despite this, I cannot escape the fact that while albums like Crystalline Exhaustion (to say nothing of works like Dimensional Bleedthrough) pulled me in by virtue of their pillar-to-post sense of discovery, Scour Order sits in the respectable, yet disappointing tier of “sounds like another Krallice album.” The peaks are very high indeed, and the bookending tracks deserve to be included in playlists for newcomers to the band for the rest of forever. I have too much faith to declare this the first real assault of AMG’s Law of Diminishing Recordings, but time will tell if this is just a fine-tuning of the band’s musical vision for the future, or if future works are doomed to go be forgotten.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

It only takes the opening 1-2-3-4 salvo of Scour Order to dare believe the eternally divisive Krallice are trying to make a return to their roots. Ever shifting, ever evolving, the dimensional bleed-triggering outfit have spent their entire career contorting black metal into their spacey, math-infused vision of weird. Receiving affirmations as conflicting as “forward thinking,” “genre transcending,” and “pile of unlistenable hipster wankery,” the band have spent the last eighteen years with a constant stream of activity and output, answering to and guided by no one but the calls of their own internal demonic wealth. Album fifteen, Scour Order arrives offering something of a constructional throwback, with the band returning to a two-guitar approach, as co-founder and studio producer extraordinaire Colin Marston returns to the strings after a long stint at the keys. Does this rebuild promise a return to the Cascadian expansiveness of yore, or to still more confusing territories ahead?

In tone and timbre, Scour Order tries to fuse the epic, treble-heavy canvas of Years Past Matter with the slightly thicker progressions of Ygg Huur. Excised are most of the synths and the rawer tones of records like Psychagogue, with the fractal-imploding counterpoint of the returning twin guitars used to immediate effect. Across the album, Colin and fellow guitarist/vocalist Mick Barr carry the listener from diseased harmonies to tense, sudden stutter-start riffing (“Kill the Guardian”, “Her Green Arms”) where certain progressions seem to linger just a few measures longer than they should, bolstered by the fantastic drumming of Lev Weinstein. His performance is of extra note, with the clarity of the mix (particularly after the more traditionally blackened mix of more recent fare) allowing his delightful snare fills (“Grievous Corrector”) and creatively applied cymbal transitions (“Unceasing Path”) real life and energy under the alien soundscapes.

In a broad sense, Scour Order opts for oppressive atmospheres over straight lead-pasta1 or riffy assaults. Many dissonant chord progressions are prolonged with more repetitions than you’d expect from modern Krallice, with a heavy emphasis on tension-building terms which get rode out to the breaking point. Unfortunately, this has the side-effect of rendering the release as more meandering than thrilling, though focused listens allow bright spots to crash through the surface. “Indecipherable Divinities” breaks out the synth for a brief time while the chords seamlessly transition into something almost spaced out and optimistic, having much in common spiritually with Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere in mood if not in form. Title track “Scour Order” manages an excellent fusion of its old-school vastness of vision with modern-day sheen and adventurousness, with vocals which could pass for death metal and an extended instrumental closing which rings of glorious catharsis.

Though the production is unsurprisingly excellent, it does serve to emphasize the album’s weaknesses as well. Bassist Nicholas McMaster is given tons of breathing room for his perpetual twanging to glide under the current of notes, though his own virtuosity can’t save cuts like the needlessly empty and sustained tremming of “Her Green Arms” or the wandering “Unceasing Path.” Krallice is too technically proficient a band to declare something to be “badly composed” without sounding stupid, but much of Scour Order is spent being taken on a journey of musical virtuosity with little in the way of the band’s penchant for lasting impact. Highlights certainly exist; the aforementioned synth in “Indecipherable Divinities”, the crash-out solo closing “Agonal Shining”, the almost mournful ending of “Living Useless Ritual” chief among them. But Krallice at their best exude skill in exhausting, engaging longform journeys, and it’s almost a foreign concept to discuss any of their works in terms of “highlights” and not in terms of songs.

The most stereotypical conclusion here would posit that “If you’re a fan of Krallice, you’ll like this; if you aren’t, this won’t change your mind.” Unfortunately, Scour Order falls well below the peak of the band’s best work in the modern or vintage era, while having enough warts that it might convince those who already don’t like them to like them just a little less. There really is plenty to enjoy for the seasoned fan in terms of familiarity of mood and presentation. Despite this, I cannot escape the fact that while albums like Crystalline Exhaustion (to say nothing of works like Dimensional Bleedthrough) pulled me in by virtue of their pillar-to-post sense of discovery, Scour Order sits in the respectable, yet disappointing tier of “sounds like another Krallice album.” The peaks are very high indeed, and the bookending tracks deserve to be included in playlists for newcomers to the band for the rest of forever. I have too much faith to declare this the first real assault of AMG’s Law of Diminishing Recordings, but time will tell if this is just a fine-tuning of the band’s musical vision for the future, or if future works are doomed to go be forgotten.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

The Noctambulant – Revival Review

Did you know that black metal could be fun? Southern Florida’s The Noctambulant believe so, and on their…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2026 #3.0 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #Blues #Entertainment #review #Reviews #revival #rockabilly #Sep26 #TerminusHateCity #TheNoctambulant #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/773209/

I'm not so used to black metal but why not?

Srpnts - Beneath the Weight of Stars
https://youtu.be/ox4Efj-7AiI?si=WWRp_OBMA8qtpSWy
#music #musicvideo #video #blackmetal #srpnts #gemany

I'm not so used to black metal but why not?

Srpnts - Beneath the Weight of Stars
https://youtu.be/ox4Efj-7AiI?si=WWRp_OBMA8qtpSWy
#music #musicvideo #video #blackmetal #srpnts #gemany

I'm not so used to black metal but why not?

Srpnts - Beneath the Weight of Stars
https://youtu.be/ox4Efj-7AiI?si=WWRp_OBMA8qtpSWy
#music #musicvideo #video #blackmetal #srpnts #gemany

I'm not so used to black metal but why not?

Srpnts - Beneath the Weight of Stars
https://youtu.be/ox4Efj-7AiI?si=WWRp_OBMA8qtpSWy
#music #musicvideo #video #blackmetal #srpnts #gemany

I'm not so used to black metal but why not?

Srpnts - Beneath the Weight of Stars
https://youtu.be/ox4Efj-7AiI?si=WWRp_OBMA8qtpSWy
#music #musicvideo #video #blackmetal #srpnts #gemany

Did you know that black metal could be fun? Southern Florida’s The Noctambulant believe so, and on their third EP, Revival, they mix black metal, rockabilly, and southern gothic to create a potent mix that takes black metal and turns it into something more digestible but not too accessible. Searing speed, catchy choruses, and inspired solos bring to life a record that is as much black metal worship as it is an ode to the band’s southern roots. This mix seems like oil and water, so does The Noctambulant stick the landing or fall flat on their faces?

The Noctambulant come from the depths of what may be the most metal place in the world: Florida. Sweaty swamps, sticky shorts, and an endless stream of prehistoric beasts prowl the ancient subtropical forests. If 102 degrees and 100 percent humidity isn’t metal, I don’t know what is. Even as someone who makes a point of avoiding the southern parts of the US, I can’t help but respect their dedication to living in a perpetual hell. Now take all of that and start a black metal band that works to take down the biggest institutions in the South: organized religion. Despite the anachronistic intro, featuring samples and trap drumming, the rest of the record is a blazing-fast, straightforward piece of what can only be described as blackened-billy. E. Helvete’s vocals are perfectly pitched, from their raspy highs to the roaring lows, and the dual guitar dance of Helvete and Rev. Beaumont leads the record like a two-headed, twisted preacher. Lars G. offers a hellishly thick low end, and in a surprising turn for something so black metal-adjacent, the album is chock full of bass wankery and ripping guitar solos.

Revival bucks trends in other surprising ways, especially with its production. Eschewing the typically raw, borderline unlistenable nature of many smaller blackened acts, The Noctambulant sits somewhere in between. While the production is generally a step above their peers, the treble is too high at times, making the vocals sound ear-splitting in the mix, while the guitars fall by the wayside. Oddly enough, the low end thrums brightly throughout the record, establishing itself as a real highlight across the album. Thanks to a focus on southern roots and rockabilly inspiration, Revival is catchy and bouncing. “Skeleton Key,” “Killing Tree,” and “San Martino” are great examples of The Noctambulant at their best.

The Noctambulant describe their music as inspired by rockabilly, blues, goth rock, and American country. The final product says otherwise to my (albeit amateur) ears. Most of the album plays out as blackened thrash with some slight rockabilly elements; maybe those with a sharper sense for the genre can pick out rhythm and riffs that are truly inspired, but it wasn’t nearly the genre-mashup I was hoping for. As it stands, Revival is fun, if a bit samey, but for those who don’t typically enjoy black metal, The Noctambulant might be the solution. The finale, a cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand,” feels like the best representation of Revival’s mission statement, although it immediately reminded me of the soundtrack to 1994’s Dumb & Dumber.

Revival might be a crossover killer for those left wanting by typical black metal, but for us looking for something truly inspired, The Noctambulant keep it surprisingly safe. In a genre so open to experimentation and wild left turns, Revival could have been a real standout record in a crowded year of incredible music. The Noctambulant still bring the southern heat, but they fail to burn the world down. Hopefully their next record will cross that threshold into something truly special; for now, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this interesting, if a little safe, group of blackened-billy adherents.

Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Terminus Hate City
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

Did you know that black metal could be fun? Southern Florida’s The Noctambulant believe so, and on their third EP, Revival, they mix black metal, rockabilly, and southern gothic to create a potent mix that takes black metal and turns it into something more digestible but not too accessible. Searing speed, catchy choruses, and inspired solos bring to life a record that is as much black metal worship as it is an ode to the band’s southern roots. This mix seems like oil and water, so does The Noctambulant stick the landing or fall flat on their faces?

The Noctambulant come from the depths of what may be the most metal place in the world: Florida. Sweaty swamps, sticky shorts, and an endless stream of prehistoric beasts prowl the ancient subtropical forests. If 102 degrees and 100 percent humidity isn’t metal, I don’t know what is. Even as someone who makes a point of avoiding the southern parts of the US, I can’t help but respect their dedication to living in a perpetual hell. Now take all of that and start a black metal band that works to take down the biggest institutions in the South: organized religion. Despite the anachronistic intro, featuring samples and trap drumming, the rest of the record is a blazing-fast, straightforward piece of what can only be described as blackened-billy. E. Helvete’s vocals are perfectly pitched, from their raspy highs to the roaring lows, and the dual guitar dance of Helvete and Rev. Beaumont leads the record like a two-headed, twisted preacher. Lars G. offers a hellishly thick low end, and in a surprising turn for something so black metal-adjacent, the album is chock full of bass wankery and ripping guitar solos.

Revival bucks trends in other surprising ways, especially with its production. Eschewing the typically raw, borderline unlistenable nature of many smaller blackened acts, The Noctambulant sits somewhere in between. While the production is generally a step above their peers, the treble is too high at times, making the vocals sound ear-splitting in the mix, while the guitars fall by the wayside. Oddly enough, the low end thrums brightly throughout the record, establishing itself as a real highlight across the album. Thanks to a focus on southern roots and rockabilly inspiration, Revival is catchy and bouncing. “Skeleton Key,” “Killing Tree,” and “San Martino” are great examples of The Noctambulant at their best.

The Noctambulant describe their music as inspired by rockabilly, blues, goth rock, and American country. The final product says otherwise to my (albeit amateur) ears. Most of the album plays out as blackened thrash with some slight rockabilly elements; maybe those with a sharper sense for the genre can pick out rhythm and riffs that are truly inspired, but it wasn’t nearly the genre-mashup I was hoping for. As it stands, Revival is fun, if a bit samey, but for those who don’t typically enjoy black metal, The Noctambulant might be the solution. The finale, a cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand,” feels like the best representation of Revival’s mission statement, although it immediately reminded me of the soundtrack to 1994’s Dumb & Dumber.

Revival might be a crossover killer for those left wanting by typical black metal, but for us looking for something truly inspired, The Noctambulant keep it surprisingly safe. In a genre so open to experimentation and wild left turns, Revival could have been a real standout record in a crowded year of incredible music. The Noctambulant still bring the southern heat, but they fail to burn the world down. Hopefully their next record will cross that threshold into something truly special; for now, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this interesting, if a little safe, group of blackened-billy adherents.

Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Terminus Hate City
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

Did you know that black metal could be fun? Southern Florida’s The Noctambulant believe so, and on their third EP, Revival, they mix black metal, rockabilly, and southern gothic to create a potent mix that takes black metal and turns it into something more digestible but not too accessible. Searing speed, catchy choruses, and inspired solos bring to life a record that is as much black metal worship as it is an ode to the band’s southern roots. This mix seems like oil and water, so does The Noctambulant stick the landing or fall flat on their faces?

The Noctambulant come from the depths of what may be the most metal place in the world: Florida. Sweaty swamps, sticky shorts, and an endless stream of prehistoric beasts prowl the ancient subtropical forests. If 102 degrees and 100 percent humidity isn’t metal, I don’t know what is. Even as someone who makes a point of avoiding the southern parts of the US, I can’t help but respect their dedication to living in a perpetual hell. Now take all of that and start a black metal band that works to take down the biggest institutions in the South: organized religion. Despite the anachronistic intro, featuring samples and trap drumming, the rest of the record is a blazing-fast, straightforward piece of what can only be described as blackened-billy. E. Helvete’s vocals are perfectly pitched, from their raspy highs to the roaring lows, and the dual guitar dance of Helvete and Rev. Beaumont leads the record like a two-headed, twisted preacher. Lars G. offers a hellishly thick low end, and in a surprising turn for something so black metal-adjacent, the album is chock full of bass wankery and ripping guitar solos.

Revival bucks trends in other surprising ways, especially with its production. Eschewing the typically raw, borderline unlistenable nature of many smaller blackened acts, The Noctambulant sits somewhere in between. While the production is generally a step above their peers, the treble is too high at times, making the vocals sound ear-splitting in the mix, while the guitars fall by the wayside. Oddly enough, the low end thrums brightly throughout the record, establishing itself as a real highlight across the album. Thanks to a focus on southern roots and rockabilly inspiration, Revival is catchy and bouncing. “Skeleton Key,” “Killing Tree,” and “San Martino” are great examples of The Noctambulant at their best.

The Noctambulant describe their music as inspired by rockabilly, blues, goth rock, and American country. The final product says otherwise to my (albeit amateur) ears. Most of the album plays out as blackened thrash with some slight rockabilly elements; maybe those with a sharper sense for the genre can pick out rhythm and riffs that are truly inspired, but it wasn’t nearly the genre-mashup I was hoping for. As it stands, Revival is fun, if a bit samey, but for those who don’t typically enjoy black metal, The Noctambulant might be the solution. The finale, a cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand,” feels like the best representation of Revival’s mission statement, although it immediately reminded me of the soundtrack to 1994’s Dumb & Dumber.

Revival might be a crossover killer for those left wanting by typical black metal, but for us looking for something truly inspired, The Noctambulant keep it surprisingly safe. In a genre so open to experimentation and wild left turns, Revival could have been a real standout record in a crowded year of incredible music. The Noctambulant still bring the southern heat, but they fail to burn the world down. Hopefully their next record will cross that threshold into something truly special; for now, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this interesting, if a little safe, group of blackened-billy adherents.

Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Terminus Hate City
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

Did you know that black metal could be fun? Southern Florida’s The Noctambulant believe so, and on their third EP, Revival, they mix black metal, rockabilly, and southern gothic to create a potent mix that takes black metal and turns it into something more digestible but not too accessible. Searing speed, catchy choruses, and inspired solos bring to life a record that is as much black metal worship as it is an ode to the band’s southern roots. This mix seems like oil and water, so does The Noctambulant stick the landing or fall flat on their faces?

The Noctambulant come from the depths of what may be the most metal place in the world: Florida. Sweaty swamps, sticky shorts, and an endless stream of prehistoric beasts prowl the ancient subtropical forests. If 102 degrees and 100 percent humidity isn’t metal, I don’t know what is. Even as someone who makes a point of avoiding the southern parts of the US, I can’t help but respect their dedication to living in a perpetual hell. Now take all of that and start a black metal band that works to take down the biggest institutions in the South: organized religion. Despite the anachronistic intro, featuring samples and trap drumming, the rest of the record is a blazing-fast, straightforward piece of what can only be described as blackened-billy. E. Helvete’s vocals are perfectly pitched, from their raspy highs to the roaring lows, and the dual guitar dance of Helvete and Rev. Beaumont leads the record like a two-headed, twisted preacher. Lars G. offers a hellishly thick low end, and in a surprising turn for something so black metal-adjacent, the album is chock full of bass wankery and ripping guitar solos.

Revival bucks trends in other surprising ways, especially with its production. Eschewing the typically raw, borderline unlistenable nature of many smaller blackened acts, The Noctambulant sits somewhere in between. While the production is generally a step above their peers, the treble is too high at times, making the vocals sound ear-splitting in the mix, while the guitars fall by the wayside. Oddly enough, the low end thrums brightly throughout the record, establishing itself as a real highlight across the album. Thanks to a focus on southern roots and rockabilly inspiration, Revival is catchy and bouncing. “Skeleton Key,” “Killing Tree,” and “San Martino” are great examples of The Noctambulant at their best.

The Noctambulant describe their music as inspired by rockabilly, blues, goth rock, and American country. The final product says otherwise to my (albeit amateur) ears. Most of the album plays out as blackened thrash with some slight rockabilly elements; maybe those with a sharper sense for the genre can pick out rhythm and riffs that are truly inspired, but it wasn’t nearly the genre-mashup I was hoping for. As it stands, Revival is fun, if a bit samey, but for those who don’t typically enjoy black metal, The Noctambulant might be the solution. The finale, a cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand,” feels like the best representation of Revival’s mission statement, although it immediately reminded me of the soundtrack to 1994’s Dumb & Dumber.

Revival might be a crossover killer for those left wanting by typical black metal, but for us looking for something truly inspired, The Noctambulant keep it surprisingly safe. In a genre so open to experimentation and wild left turns, Revival could have been a real standout record in a crowded year of incredible music. The Noctambulant still bring the southern heat, but they fail to burn the world down. Hopefully their next record will cross that threshold into something truly special; for now, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this interesting, if a little safe, group of blackened-billy adherents.

Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Terminus Hate City
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

Did you know that black metal could be fun? Southern Florida’s The Noctambulant believe so, and on their third EP, Revival, they mix black metal, rockabilly, and southern gothic to create a potent mix that takes black metal and turns it into something more digestible but not too accessible. Searing speed, catchy choruses, and inspired solos bring to life a record that is as much black metal worship as it is an ode to the band’s southern roots. This mix seems like oil and water, so does The Noctambulant stick the landing or fall flat on their faces?

The Noctambulant come from the depths of what may be the most metal place in the world: Florida. Sweaty swamps, sticky shorts, and an endless stream of prehistoric beasts prowl the ancient subtropical forests. If 102 degrees and 100 percent humidity isn’t metal, I don’t know what is. Even as someone who makes a point of avoiding the southern parts of the US, I can’t help but respect their dedication to living in a perpetual hell. Now take all of that and start a black metal band that works to take down the biggest institutions in the South: organized religion. Despite the anachronistic intro, featuring samples and trap drumming, the rest of the record is a blazing-fast, straightforward piece of what can only be described as blackened-billy. E. Helvete’s vocals are perfectly pitched, from their raspy highs to the roaring lows, and the dual guitar dance of Helvete and Rev. Beaumont leads the record like a two-headed, twisted preacher. Lars G. offers a hellishly thick low end, and in a surprising turn for something so black metal-adjacent, the album is chock full of bass wankery and ripping guitar solos.

Revival bucks trends in other surprising ways, especially with its production. Eschewing the typically raw, borderline unlistenable nature of many smaller blackened acts, The Noctambulant sits somewhere in between. While the production is generally a step above their peers, the treble is too high at times, making the vocals sound ear-splitting in the mix, while the guitars fall by the wayside. Oddly enough, the low end thrums brightly throughout the record, establishing itself as a real highlight across the album. Thanks to a focus on southern roots and rockabilly inspiration, Revival is catchy and bouncing. “Skeleton Key,” “Killing Tree,” and “San Martino” are great examples of The Noctambulant at their best.

The Noctambulant describe their music as inspired by rockabilly, blues, goth rock, and American country. The final product says otherwise to my (albeit amateur) ears. Most of the album plays out as blackened thrash with some slight rockabilly elements; maybe those with a sharper sense for the genre can pick out rhythm and riffs that are truly inspired, but it wasn’t nearly the genre-mashup I was hoping for. As it stands, Revival is fun, if a bit samey, but for those who don’t typically enjoy black metal, The Noctambulant might be the solution. The finale, a cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand,” feels like the best representation of Revival’s mission statement, although it immediately reminded me of the soundtrack to 1994’s Dumb & Dumber.

Revival might be a crossover killer for those left wanting by typical black metal, but for us looking for something truly inspired, The Noctambulant keep it surprisingly safe. In a genre so open to experimentation and wild left turns, Revival could have been a real standout record in a crowded year of incredible music. The Noctambulant still bring the southern heat, but they fail to burn the world down. Hopefully their next record will cross that threshold into something truly special; for now, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this interesting, if a little safe, group of blackened-billy adherents.

Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Terminus Hate City
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 18th, 2026

Today's noise. https://haldoklcsillagok.bandcamp.com/album/full-discography

#MittwochMetalMix #HaldoklóCsillagok #BlackMetal

Today's noise. https://haldoklcsillagok.bandcamp.com/album/full-discography

#MittwochMetalMix #HaldoklóCsillagok #BlackMetal

Today's noise. https://haldoklcsillagok.bandcamp.com/album/full-discography

#MittwochMetalMix #HaldoklóCsillagok #BlackMetal

Today's noise. https://haldoklcsillagok.bandcamp.com/album/full-discography

#MittwochMetalMix #HaldoklóCsillagok #BlackMetal

Today's noise. https://haldoklcsillagok.bandcamp.com/album/full-discography

#MittwochMetalMix #HaldoklóCsillagok #BlackMetal

https://www.europesays.com/nl/310061/ Vingulmork – Barmhjertighetens Fallitt | Zware Metalen #albumreview #Amusement #BarmhjertighetensFallitt #BlackMetal #CrimeRecords #Dutch #Entertainment #LikskueProductions #Music #Muziek #Nederland #Nederlanden #Nederlands #Netherlands #NL #SchattenpfadeSupportCircle #vingulmork #ZwareMetalen

https://www.europesays.com/be-nl/142763/ Vingulmork – Barmhjertighetens Fallitt | Zware Metalen #albumreview #Amusement #BarmhjertighetensFallitt #BE #België #Belgium #BlackMetal #CrimeRecords #Entertainment #LikskueProductions #Music #Muziek #SchattenpfadeSupportCircle #vingulmork #ZwareMetalen

Mourir + Iffernet (both black metal, fr) x Schokoladen

Schokoladen, Monday, September 28 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

Initially the brainchild of former Plebeian Grandstand’s bassist Olivier L., MOURIR is the full-band follow-up to his one-man project Vermine. Bolstered by the addition of members from BRUIT ≤, Toucan & Drawers, the Toulouse-based quatuor quickly evolved in France’s most well kept extreme metal monstrosity, one eviscerating studio effort after another. Equally influenced by early norwegian forefathers as well as the dissonant approach of their fellow countrymen, MOURIR’s take on black metal is a non-stop barrage of majestic guitar leads, pounding sludge grooves, and bone-chilling ghoulish howls to new states of sonic anguish. Their new album “Nous, Le Venin” will be out on July 10th 2026 on Pelagic Records with scheduled appearances at Soulcrusher, Hellfest, Resurrection Fest, Rock In Bourlon.

IFFERNET

Vendetta, La Harelle, Fiadh, Breathe Plastic

Born in Rouen in 2018, Iffernet presents black metal in an essential setting : guitar, drums and vocals. With two full length albums released in 2019 and 2022, through Vendetta, Breathe Plastic, WV

Sorcerer Productions and Rope or Guillotine, the duo played in Copenhagen, Berlin, Warsaw, Zagreb or Budapest, and took part to Roadburn Festival’s off-program in 2022 and twice to the Icelandic

Nordanpaunk Festival. Touring in France and Europe, Iffernet crafted special alliances with entities such as Turia, Sunken, Trespasser, Dolpo or Aerial Ruin, defending both a raw, atmospheric and earth-grounded vision of black metal. Following a split LP along with the Italian band Dolpo released in 2024, Iffernet released its third full length on March 20th, 2026

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/mourir-iffernet-both-black-metal-fr-x-schokoladen

MUTANT SEX DEMON (Finlàndia) presenta nou recopilatori: "Ex-Demon" #MutantSexDemon #BlackMetal #HeavyMetal #Punk #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouRecopilatori #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

MUTANT SEX DEMON (Finlàndia) presenta nou àlbum: "Nightmare Infusion" #MutantSexDemon #BlackMetal #HeavyMetal #Punk #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

PLAGUEBREEDER (Finlàndia) presenta nou single: "Tentaclean Majesty" #Plaguebreeder #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

ARCHGOAT (Finlàndia) presenta nou àlbum: "Nightbringer, Lightbringer" #Archgoat #DeathMetal #BlackMetal #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

VALLANANASTAJA (Finlàndia) presenta nou EP: "Auringon alla" #Vallananastaja #BlackMetal #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

MORTAL PROBATION (Finlàndia) presenta nova demo: "Eternal Hatred" #MortalProbation #BlackMetal #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NovaDemo #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

AOVUM (Finlàndia) presenta nou EP: "Martyrdom" #Aovum #BlackMetal #Electronica #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

PALAVAT JUURET (Finlàndia) presenta nou Split: "Palavat Juuret / Boreal Impaler" #PalavatJuuret #BlackMetal #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouSplit #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

MOONCITADEL (Finlàndia) presenta nou àlbum: "Hyperborean Combat Overlord" #Mooncitadel #BlackMetal #Setembre2026 #Finlàndia #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Now up on both music blogs:

LÆT - Tullhin

https://tuningintoobscure.wordpress.com/2026/09/05/laet-tullhin/

https://theshriekingfoxfunk.wordpress.com/2026/09/05/laet-tullhin/

#FolkMusic #blackmetal #FolkAmbient #Fiction #FantasyWorld #newmusic

Since the last Filter dropped, it still hasn’t stopped raining and storming in my neck of the woods. Consequently, my minions trudge evermore through the thin sheet metal of our ducts as the thunder rattles everything like so many dice in a tabletop nerd’s clutches.1 Yet I must press them and push them, for we have quotas to meet and ravenous appetites to sate.

So it is with shaky hands and discombobulated craniums that my grunts hand over the goods. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Thrashed Thrall

Ascended Master // Crepuscular Gloom [May 8th, 2026 – Self Released]

Death thrash is best thrash, if you ask this sponge. Something about this unholy combo really rustles my jimmies, especially when its executed with great speed and riff-centered fervor. Cincinnati’s Ascended Master nail that combination right into the grave, boasting a sound that’s three parts Death, one part Atheist, and a pinch of Blood Red Throne. With a sense of groove that gives barnburners “Blood Spilled Upon the Stars,” “Crepuscular Gloom,” and rabid closer “Xenopaleontology” a deadly swagger liable to cause fierce whiplash in all who would headbang to it, debut LP Crepuscular Gloom” is a record pumped full of testosterone and adrenaline. Speedy rippers like “Midnight Mother” and “Ghoul Queen” put the pedal to the metal with a ferocity more commonly associated with Kvaen or Hellripper in the modern pantheon, but the record’s natural engineering and coherent screams hark to earlier times where Death reigned supreme in the scene. However, it would be inaccurate to call it pure worship. Ascended Master have an intense personality and a particular ferocity that allows Crepuscular Gloom to integrate smoothly into their respective category without blending into the crowd. As their career develops from this point, I expect we’ll see their identity bloom and rise with greater distinction, further setting them apart and threatening year-end lists all around. Just wait, you’ll see!

ClarkKent’s Prehistoric Pulls

Ilienses Tree // Toward the Storm [May 1st, 2026 – Meuse Music Records]

Ilienses Tree sow their roots deep into the island the band originates from—Sardinia, just off the coast of Italy. Their name, Ilienses, refers to an ancient Nuragic civilization that, during the Bronze Age, built impressive stone tower structures that still stand today. While the band isn’t nearly so old, their second album, Toward the Storm, dabbles in the sort of slow, deliberate doom that speaks of the patience of those ancient ruins. They lean towards a style of funeral doom that has the brutal power of My Dying Bride, but their record also contains the unpredictable dynamic drumming of Oromet and sneaks into speedier death/doom territory akin to Paradise Lost and Novembers Doom. Ilienses Tree have a mastery over melancholic lead riffs, such as the one that opens “To Not Be Forgotten.” “Sudden Rain” flexes the band’s creative muscle most impressively. Beginning in a slow burn and anchored by a poignant guitar lead, the song has a sudden burst of energy, turns in a lovely duet between arpeggiated riffs and bass, and features several more memorable and distinct guitar leads. Though the songs average nine minutes, they fit neatly into a 38-minute record, and thanks to progressive structures, they never feel overlong. If you’d like some music that simultaneously hits you in the feels and provides a shot of adrenaline, then go towards, not away from, this storm.

Anna Fiori // Metztli [May 21st, 2026 – Self Released]

Sometimes symphonic metal bands grow a touch stale from a failure to innovate, relying too heavily on the gimmick of symphonic instruments. Anna Fiori, however, has created something pretty special, with a Mexican/Aztec twist on the genre. Her band mixes “pre-Hispanic instrumentation” with cinematic symphonics and heavy guitars to create thrilling high-energy music. While some songs hit a more poppy Beyond the Black mold (“En El Vacio”), others take a longer-form route. The nine-minute “Luna Llena (Xiki Noeso)” blends indigenous chants and flutes with orchestral elements that sometimes sound like an exciting score to a whimsical adventure film. The highlight, “Luna Menguante (Nimotemak),” contains a mix of cool riffs, flutes, and blast beats before taking us on a bonkers ride involving operatic singing, off-kilter pianos, a few solos, and perhaps the summoning of a demon or two. While the song compositions are tons of fun, Fiori’s performance ties it all together. She sings in the sweet poppy manner of Epica’s Simone Simons, the operatic style of many a Therion singer, and even some growls in the spirit of Seven Spires’s Adrienne Cowen, if not quite her power. Fiori even briefly raps on a couple of tracks, with a pretty impressive section on the outro track, “Tetzahuitl, Pt. 2: El Origen,” and goes off-script with an infectious laugh on “Entre Mil Voces.” Clearly she’s having a lot of fun. Metztli hits some of the familiar symphonic notes while injecting enough personality of its own to make for an entertaining, and sometimes wild, ride.

Grin Reaper’s Spring Fling

Beyond the Veil // Oblivion [May 1st, 2026 – Wormholedeath Records]

There’s little online information about Tokyo prog metallers Beyond the Veil,2 and while I don’t recall how I stumbled across debut Oblivion, I’m glad I did. Upon listening, I was immediately enamored by their familiar yet enchanting blend of drama and technicality. Fans of Opeth and Dream Theater will uncover a trove of unapologetic prog where Beyond the Veil weaves gorgeously conceived instrumentation into intricate compositions. Oblivion also embraces long-form arrangements, sporting six tracks ranging between seven-and-a-half and sixteen minutes each. Credit to Beyond the Veil, though, because even with such robust runtimes totaling over an hour, Oblivion never feels repetitive or bankrupt of ideas. Quite the opposite, in fact, as each listen reveals new knots to untangle and coils to unwind. Perhaps the facet I’ve come to appreciate the most as I revisit Oblivion is Beyond the Veil’s merger of piano, mellotron, and orchestrations with guitar, bass, and drums. They’re hardly the first band to do this, but each song sounds well-attuned to incorporating the right instrument for the right part rather than spotlighting heavy-handed wankery, allowing Oblivion to soar. While Beyond the Veil doesn’t break the mold with this one, getting lost in Oblivion never sounded so sweet.

Lago // Vigil [May 8th, 2026 – Everlasting Spew Records]

Vigil introduced me to Lago and their infectiously abrasive death metal, and this album is forty-two minutes of unhinged brutality flecked with melody. The blood of Immolation, Morbid Angel, and Incantation pumps through Lago’s veins, delivering unapologetic tangles of dissonant, jangling guitars, fuming blast beats, and murky bass runs beneath Cole Jacobsen’s devilishly demented gutturals. Lago’s brew is potent stuff, swirling and churning with caustic acid that will leave your eardrums scarred and cowed with nary a moment wasted. Complimenting the devastating filth Lago dredges is Gus Barr’s warbling lead guitar, which cuts through the grime with off-kilter shredding. “Behold, Ruin” and “Initiation Rite” hit with the immediacy and aplomb of Immolation, lurching onwards with Brian Miller’s timekeeping straight out of Close to a World Below’s playbook. Meanwhile, “Procession into Slaughter” and “The Land Was a Desert” launch into Azagthoth-tinged, otherworldly riffs. Everything about Lago screams danger, yet once the blood starts flowing it’s impossible to turn away from their murderously addictive violence. Once Vigil has its hooks in you, you won’t want them to Lago.

Redshift // Down the Wire [May 29th, 2026 – Pale Wizard Records]

As a massive Rush fan, Redshift’s Down the Wire immediately caught my attention with ample parallels. A power trio wielding buttery smooth bass lines, Lifeson-leaning chords, and Tiago Martins’ tender tenor call to mind Canada’s greatest export for all the right reasons. Yet Bath, England’s Redshift is more than a Rush clone, and on Down the Wire they bounce and whip in syncopated flurries and chromatic runs while dabbling with vocoded vocals and deathly roars. As the best prog does, Redshift explores vast territory in a commensurately brief runtime. Opener “The Routine” hits the Rush influence hard and early, but “The Clown” draws upon Synchestra-era Devin Townsend kookiness while “The Rogue” dabbles in Yesified eclecticism and even features guest keys from Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen). One thing Redshift steers away from is the self-seriousness associated with a lot of prog, and Down the Wire radiates a pervasive sense of fun. Trumpets and samba-coded melodies enliven “The Rogue” while “The Singer” assaults with fierce growls, wicked solos, and perfectly balanced instrumental interplay. Down the Wire fires on all cylinders, scorching with progressive songwriting and so much replayability that I regret not getting the chance to write a review in full. If you’re Down to the Wire and need a prog fix quickly, Redshift is a clever choice that won’t disappoint.

Spicie Forrest’s Nostalgic Nugget

Haste the Day // Dissenter [May 1st, 2026 – Solid State Records]

I haven’t heard the name Haste the Day since 2008. At the time, I was on the tail end of my metalcore phase and pushing into heavier styles, so while I recognized their quality, I didn’t latch on to them as I did other acts of their ilk. It’s a shame, because Dissenter is the sound of my adolescence. Slinging the same emo-flavored metalcore as early As I Lay Dying and August Burns Red, the Indianapolis-based six-piece offers 39 minutes of beautifully aching nostalgia. Stephen Keech’s lead vocals sound pushed and strained (complimentary), evoking the emotion of early Linkin Park (“Shallows,” “Grave”). Guitarists Scott Whelan, Brennan Chaulk, and Dave Krysl are so in sync, delivering stellar layered riffs and leads felt in the soul (“Burn”). When Michael Murphy’s bass comes to the fore, as on “Liminal,” he brings a heaviness and intensity that hurtles me back to middle school like it was just yesterday. Dissenter is a bit heavier and faster on the front end, but even the not-quite-overwrought power ballads of the back half maintain their drive and pacing thanks to Giuseppe Capolupo’s kit work (“Adrift,” “Escape”). For those of us who cut our teeth on acts like Haste the Day, late-career and comeback albums can be an anxious affair, but I’m happy to report that Dissenter is a worthy walk down memory lane.

Since the last Filter dropped, it still hasn’t stopped raining and storming in my neck of the woods. Consequently, my minions trudge evermore through the thin sheet metal of our ducts as the thunder rattles everything like so many dice in a tabletop nerd’s clutches.1 Yet I must press them and push them, for we have quotas to meet and ravenous appetites to sate.

So it is with shaky hands and discombobulated craniums that my grunts hand over the goods. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Thrashed Thrall

Ascended Master // Crepuscular Gloom [May 8th, 2026 – Self Released]

Death thrash is best thrash, if you ask this sponge. Something about this unholy combo really rustles my jimmies, especially when its executed with great speed and riff-centered fervor. Cincinnati’s Ascended Master nail that combination right into the grave, boasting a sound that’s three parts Death, one part Atheist, and a pinch of Blood Red Throne. With a sense of groove that gives barnburners “Blood Spilled Upon the Stars,” “Crepuscular Gloom,” and rabid closer “Xenopaleontology” a deadly swagger liable to cause fierce whiplash in all who would headbang to it, debut LP Crepuscular Gloom” is a record pumped full of testosterone and adrenaline. Speedy rippers like “Midnight Mother” and “Ghoul Queen” put the pedal to the metal with a ferocity more commonly associated with Kvaen or Hellripper in the modern pantheon, but the record’s natural engineering and coherent screams hark to earlier times where Death reigned supreme in the scene. However, it would be inaccurate to call it pure worship. Ascended Master have an intense personality and a particular ferocity that allows Crepuscular Gloom to integrate smoothly into their respective category without blending into the crowd. As their career develops from this point, I expect we’ll see their identity bloom and rise with greater distinction, further setting them apart and threatening year-end lists all around. Just wait, you’ll see!

ClarkKent’s Prehistoric Pulls

Ilienses Tree // Toward the Storm [May 1st, 2026 – Meuse Music Records]

Ilienses Tree sow their roots deep into the island the band originates from—Sardinia, just off the coast of Italy. Their name, Ilienses, refers to an ancient Nuragic civilization that, during the Bronze Age, built impressive stone tower structures that still stand today. While the band isn’t nearly so old, their second album, Toward the Storm, dabbles in the sort of slow, deliberate doom that speaks of the patience of those ancient ruins. They lean towards a style of funeral doom that has the brutal power of My Dying Bride, but their record also contains the unpredictable dynamic drumming of Oromet and sneaks into speedier death/doom territory akin to Paradise Lost and Novembers Doom. Ilienses Tree have a mastery over melancholic lead riffs, such as the one that opens “To Not Be Forgotten.” “Sudden Rain” flexes the band’s creative muscle most impressively. Beginning in a slow burn and anchored by a poignant guitar lead, the song has a sudden burst of energy, turns in a lovely duet between arpeggiated riffs and bass, and features several more memorable and distinct guitar leads. Though the songs average nine minutes, they fit neatly into a 38-minute record, and thanks to progressive structures, they never feel overlong. If you’d like some music that simultaneously hits you in the feels and provides a shot of adrenaline, then go towards, not away from, this storm.

Anna Fiori // Metztli [May 21st, 2026 – Self Released]

Sometimes symphonic metal bands grow a touch stale from a failure to innovate, relying too heavily on the gimmick of symphonic instruments. Anna Fiori, however, has created something pretty special, with a Mexican/Aztec twist on the genre. Her band mixes “pre-Hispanic instrumentation” with cinematic symphonics and heavy guitars to create thrilling high-energy music. While some songs hit a more poppy Beyond the Black mold (“En El Vacio”), others take a longer-form route. The nine-minute “Luna Llena (Xiki Noeso)” blends indigenous chants and flutes with orchestral elements that sometimes sound like an exciting score to a whimsical adventure film. The highlight, “Luna Menguante (Nimotemak),” contains a mix of cool riffs, flutes, and blast beats before taking us on a bonkers ride involving operatic singing, off-kilter pianos, a few solos, and perhaps the summoning of a demon or two. While the song compositions are tons of fun, Fiori’s performance ties it all together. She sings in the sweet poppy manner of Epica’s Simone Simons, the operatic style of many a Therion singer, and even some growls in the spirit of Seven Spires’s Adrienne Cowen, if not quite her power. Fiori even briefly raps on a couple of tracks, with a pretty impressive section on the outro track, “Tetzahuitl, Pt. 2: El Origen,” and goes off-script with an infectious laugh on “Entre Mil Voces.” Clearly she’s having a lot of fun. Metztli hits some of the familiar symphonic notes while injecting enough personality of its own to make for an entertaining, and sometimes wild, ride.

Grin Reaper’s Spring Fling

Beyond the Veil // Oblivion [May 1st, 2026 – Wormholedeath Records]

There’s little online information about Tokyo prog metallers Beyond the Veil,2 and while I don’t recall how I stumbled across debut Oblivion, I’m glad I did. Upon listening, I was immediately enamored by their familiar yet enchanting blend of drama and technicality. Fans of Opeth and Dream Theater will uncover a trove of unapologetic prog where Beyond the Veil weaves gorgeously conceived instrumentation into intricate compositions. Oblivion also embraces long-form arrangements, sporting six tracks ranging between seven-and-a-half and sixteen minutes each. Credit to Beyond the Veil, though, because even with such robust runtimes totaling over an hour, Oblivion never feels repetitive or bankrupt of ideas. Quite the opposite, in fact, as each listen reveals new knots to untangle and coils to unwind. Perhaps the facet I’ve come to appreciate the most as I revisit Oblivion is Beyond the Veil’s merger of piano, mellotron, and orchestrations with guitar, bass, and drums. They’re hardly the first band to do this, but each song sounds well-attuned to incorporating the right instrument for the right part rather than spotlighting heavy-handed wankery, allowing Oblivion to soar. While Beyond the Veil doesn’t break the mold with this one, getting lost in Oblivion never sounded so sweet.

Lago // Vigil [May 8th, 2026 – Everlasting Spew Records]

Vigil introduced me to Lago and their infectiously abrasive death metal, and this album is forty-two minutes of unhinged brutality flecked with melody. The blood of Immolation, Morbid Angel, and Incantation pumps through Lago’s veins, delivering unapologetic tangles of dissonant, jangling guitars, fuming blast beats, and murky bass runs beneath Cole Jacobsen’s devilishly demented gutturals. Lago’s brew is potent stuff, swirling and churning with caustic acid that will leave your eardrums scarred and cowed with nary a moment wasted. Complimenting the devastating filth Lago dredges is Gus Barr’s warbling lead guitar, which cuts through the grime with off-kilter shredding. “Behold, Ruin” and “Initiation Rite” hit with the immediacy and aplomb of Immolation, lurching onwards with Brian Miller’s timekeeping straight out of Close to a World Below’s playbook. Meanwhile, “Procession into Slaughter” and “The Land Was a Desert” launch into Azagthoth-tinged, otherworldly riffs. Everything about Lago screams danger, yet once the blood starts flowing it’s impossible to turn away from their murderously addictive violence. Once Vigil has its hooks in you, you won’t want them to Lago.

Redshift // Down the Wire [May 29th, 2026 – Pale Wizard Records]

As a massive Rush fan, Redshift’s Down the Wire immediately caught my attention with ample parallels. A power trio wielding buttery smooth bass lines, Lifeson-leaning chords, and Tiago Martins’ tender tenor call to mind Canada’s greatest export for all the right reasons. Yet Bath, England’s Redshift is more than a Rush clone, and on Down the Wire they bounce and whip in syncopated flurries and chromatic runs while dabbling with vocoded vocals and deathly roars. As the best prog does, Redshift explores vast territory in a commensurately brief runtime. Opener “The Routine” hits the Rush influence hard and early, but “The Clown” draws upon Synchestra-era Devin Townsend kookiness while “The Rogue” dabbles in Yesified eclecticism and even features guest keys from Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen). One thing Redshift steers away from is the self-seriousness associated with a lot of prog, and Down the Wire radiates a pervasive sense of fun. Trumpets and samba-coded melodies enliven “The Rogue” while “The Singer” assaults with fierce growls, wicked solos, and perfectly balanced instrumental interplay. Down the Wire fires on all cylinders, scorching with progressive songwriting and so much replayability that I regret not getting the chance to write a review in full. If you’re Down to the Wire and need a prog fix quickly, Redshift is a clever choice that won’t disappoint.

Spicie Forrest’s Nostalgic Nugget

Haste the Day // Dissenter [May 1st, 2026 – Solid State Records]

I haven’t heard the name Haste the Day since 2008. At the time, I was on the tail end of my metalcore phase and pushing into heavier styles, so while I recognized their quality, I didn’t latch on to them as I did other acts of their ilk. It’s a shame, because Dissenter is the sound of my adolescence. Slinging the same emo-flavored metalcore as early As I Lay Dying and August Burns Red, the Indianapolis-based six-piece offers 39 minutes of beautifully aching nostalgia. Stephen Keech’s lead vocals sound pushed and strained (complimentary), evoking the emotion of early Linkin Park (“Shallows,” “Grave”). Guitarists Scott Whelan, Brennan Chaulk, and Dave Krysl are so in sync, delivering stellar layered riffs and leads felt in the soul (“Burn”). When Michael Murphy’s bass comes to the fore, as on “Liminal,” he brings a heaviness and intensity that hurtles me back to middle school like it was just yesterday. Dissenter is a bit heavier and faster on the front end, but even the not-quite-overwrought power ballads of the back half maintain their drive and pacing thanks to Giuseppe Capolupo’s kit work (“Adrift,” “Escape”). For those of us who cut our teeth on acts like Haste the Day, late-career and comeback albums can be an anxious affair, but I’m happy to report that Dissenter is a worthy walk down memory lane.

Since the last Filter dropped, it still hasn’t stopped raining and storming in my neck of the woods. Consequently, my minions trudge evermore through the thin sheet metal of our ducts as the thunder rattles everything like so many dice in a tabletop nerd’s clutches.1 Yet I must press them and push them, for we have quotas to meet and ravenous appetites to sate.

So it is with shaky hands and discombobulated craniums that my grunts hand over the goods. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Thrashed Thrall

Ascended Master // Crepuscular Gloom [May 8th, 2026 – Self Released]

Death thrash is best thrash, if you ask this sponge. Something about this unholy combo really rustles my jimmies, especially when its executed with great speed and riff-centered fervor. Cincinnati’s Ascended Master nail that combination right into the grave, boasting a sound that’s three parts Death, one part Atheist, and a pinch of Blood Red Throne. With a sense of groove that gives barnburners “Blood Spilled Upon the Stars,” “Crepuscular Gloom,” and rabid closer “Xenopaleontology” a deadly swagger liable to cause fierce whiplash in all who would headbang to it, debut LP Crepuscular Gloom” is a record pumped full of testosterone and adrenaline. Speedy rippers like “Midnight Mother” and “Ghoul Queen” put the pedal to the metal with a ferocity more commonly associated with Kvaen or Hellripper in the modern pantheon, but the record’s natural engineering and coherent screams hark to earlier times where Death reigned supreme in the scene. However, it would be inaccurate to call it pure worship. Ascended Master have an intense personality and a particular ferocity that allows Crepuscular Gloom to integrate smoothly into their respective category without blending into the crowd. As their career develops from this point, I expect we’ll see their identity bloom and rise with greater distinction, further setting them apart and threatening year-end lists all around. Just wait, you’ll see!

ClarkKent’s Prehistoric Pulls

Ilienses Tree // Toward the Storm [May 1st, 2026 – Meuse Music Records]

Ilienses Tree sow their roots deep into the island the band originates from—Sardinia, just off the coast of Italy. Their name, Ilienses, refers to an ancient Nuragic civilization that, during the Bronze Age, built impressive stone tower structures that still stand today. While the band isn’t nearly so old, their second album, Toward the Storm, dabbles in the sort of slow, deliberate doom that speaks of the patience of those ancient ruins. They lean towards a style of funeral doom that has the brutal power of My Dying Bride, but their record also contains the unpredictable dynamic drumming of Oromet and sneaks into speedier death/doom territory akin to Paradise Lost and Novembers Doom. Ilienses Tree have a mastery over melancholic lead riffs, such as the one that opens “To Not Be Forgotten.” “Sudden Rain” flexes the band’s creative muscle most impressively. Beginning in a slow burn and anchored by a poignant guitar lead, the song has a sudden burst of energy, turns in a lovely duet between arpeggiated riffs and bass, and features several more memorable and distinct guitar leads. Though the songs average nine minutes, they fit neatly into a 38-minute record, and thanks to progressive structures, they never feel overlong. If you’d like some music that simultaneously hits you in the feels and provides a shot of adrenaline, then go towards, not away from, this storm.

Anna Fiori // Metztli [May 21st, 2026 – Self Released]

Sometimes symphonic metal bands grow a touch stale from a failure to innovate, relying too heavily on the gimmick of symphonic instruments. Anna Fiori, however, has created something pretty special, with a Mexican/Aztec twist on the genre. Her band mixes “pre-Hispanic instrumentation” with cinematic symphonics and heavy guitars to create thrilling high-energy music. While some songs hit a more poppy Beyond the Black mold (“En El Vacio”), others take a longer-form route. The nine-minute “Luna Llena (Xiki Noeso)” blends indigenous chants and flutes with orchestral elements that sometimes sound like an exciting score to a whimsical adventure film. The highlight, “Luna Menguante (Nimotemak),” contains a mix of cool riffs, flutes, and blast beats before taking us on a bonkers ride involving operatic singing, off-kilter pianos, a few solos, and perhaps the summoning of a demon or two. While the song compositions are tons of fun, Fiori’s performance ties it all together. She sings in the sweet poppy manner of Epica’s Simone Simons, the operatic style of many a Therion singer, and even some growls in the spirit of Seven Spires’s Adrienne Cowen, if not quite her power. Fiori even briefly raps on a couple of tracks, with a pretty impressive section on the outro track, “Tetzahuitl, Pt. 2: El Origen,” and goes off-script with an infectious laugh on “Entre Mil Voces.” Clearly she’s having a lot of fun. Metztli hits some of the familiar symphonic notes while injecting enough personality of its own to make for an entertaining, and sometimes wild, ride.

Grin Reaper’s Spring Fling

Beyond the Veil // Oblivion [May 1st, 2026 – Wormholedeath Records]

There’s little online information about Tokyo prog metallers Beyond the Veil,2 and while I don’t recall how I stumbled across debut Oblivion, I’m glad I did. Upon listening, I was immediately enamored by their familiar yet enchanting blend of drama and technicality. Fans of Opeth and Dream Theater will uncover a trove of unapologetic prog where Beyond the Veil weaves gorgeously conceived instrumentation into intricate compositions. Oblivion also embraces long-form arrangements, sporting six tracks ranging between seven-and-a-half and sixteen minutes each. Credit to Beyond the Veil, though, because even with such robust runtimes totaling over an hour, Oblivion never feels repetitive or bankrupt of ideas. Quite the opposite, in fact, as each listen reveals new knots to untangle and coils to unwind. Perhaps the facet I’ve come to appreciate the most as I revisit Oblivion is Beyond the Veil’s merger of piano, mellotron, and orchestrations with guitar, bass, and drums. They’re hardly the first band to do this, but each song sounds well-attuned to incorporating the right instrument for the right part rather than spotlighting heavy-handed wankery, allowing Oblivion to soar. While Beyond the Veil doesn’t break the mold with this one, getting lost in Oblivion never sounded so sweet.

Lago // Vigil [May 8th, 2026 – Everlasting Spew Records]

Vigil introduced me to Lago and their infectiously abrasive death metal, and this album is forty-two minutes of unhinged brutality flecked with melody. The blood of Immolation, Morbid Angel, and Incantation pumps through Lago’s veins, delivering unapologetic tangles of dissonant, jangling guitars, fuming blast beats, and murky bass runs beneath Cole Jacobsen’s devilishly demented gutturals. Lago’s brew is potent stuff, swirling and churning with caustic acid that will leave your eardrums scarred and cowed with nary a moment wasted. Complimenting the devastating filth Lago dredges is Gus Barr’s warbling lead guitar, which cuts through the grime with off-kilter shredding. “Behold, Ruin” and “Initiation Rite” hit with the immediacy and aplomb of Immolation, lurching onwards with Brian Miller’s timekeeping straight out of Close to a World Below’s playbook. Meanwhile, “Procession into Slaughter” and “The Land Was a Desert” launch into Azagthoth-tinged, otherworldly riffs. Everything about Lago screams danger, yet once the blood starts flowing it’s impossible to turn away from their murderously addictive violence. Once Vigil has its hooks in you, you won’t want them to Lago.

Redshift // Down the Wire [May 29th, 2026 – Pale Wizard Records]

As a massive Rush fan, Redshift’s Down the Wire immediately caught my attention with ample parallels. A power trio wielding buttery smooth bass lines, Lifeson-leaning chords, and Tiago Martins’ tender tenor call to mind Canada’s greatest export for all the right reasons. Yet Bath, England’s Redshift is more than a Rush clone, and on Down the Wire they bounce and whip in syncopated flurries and chromatic runs while dabbling with vocoded vocals and deathly roars. As the best prog does, Redshift explores vast territory in a commensurately brief runtime. Opener “The Routine” hits the Rush influence hard and early, but “The Clown” draws upon Synchestra-era Devin Townsend kookiness while “The Rogue” dabbles in Yesified eclecticism and even features guest keys from Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen). One thing Redshift steers away from is the self-seriousness associated with a lot of prog, and Down the Wire radiates a pervasive sense of fun. Trumpets and samba-coded melodies enliven “The Rogue” while “The Singer” assaults with fierce growls, wicked solos, and perfectly balanced instrumental interplay. Down the Wire fires on all cylinders, scorching with progressive songwriting and so much replayability that I regret not getting the chance to write a review in full. If you’re Down to the Wire and need a prog fix quickly, Redshift is a clever choice that won’t disappoint.

Spicie Forrest’s Nostalgic Nugget

Haste the Day // Dissenter [May 1st, 2026 – Solid State Records]

I haven’t heard the name Haste the Day since 2008. At the time, I was on the tail end of my metalcore phase and pushing into heavier styles, so while I recognized their quality, I didn’t latch on to them as I did other acts of their ilk. It’s a shame, because Dissenter is the sound of my adolescence. Slinging the same emo-flavored metalcore as early As I Lay Dying and August Burns Red, the Indianapolis-based six-piece offers 39 minutes of beautifully aching nostalgia. Stephen Keech’s lead vocals sound pushed and strained (complimentary), evoking the emotion of early Linkin Park (“Shallows,” “Grave”). Guitarists Scott Whelan, Brennan Chaulk, and Dave Krysl are so in sync, delivering stellar layered riffs and leads felt in the soul (“Burn”). When Michael Murphy’s bass comes to the fore, as on “Liminal,” he brings a heaviness and intensity that hurtles me back to middle school like it was just yesterday. Dissenter is a bit heavier and faster on the front end, but even the not-quite-overwrought power ballads of the back half maintain their drive and pacing thanks to Giuseppe Capolupo’s kit work (“Adrift,” “Escape”). For those of us who cut our teeth on acts like Haste the Day, late-career and comeback albums can be an anxious affair, but I’m happy to report that Dissenter is a worthy walk down memory lane.

Since the last Filter dropped, it still hasn’t stopped raining and storming in my neck of the woods. Consequently, my minions trudge evermore through the thin sheet metal of our ducts as the thunder rattles everything like so many dice in a tabletop nerd’s clutches.1 Yet I must press them and push them, for we have quotas to meet and ravenous appetites to sate.

So it is with shaky hands and discombobulated craniums that my grunts hand over the goods. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Thrashed Thrall

Ascended Master // Crepuscular Gloom [May 8th, 2026 – Self Released]

Death thrash is best thrash, if you ask this sponge. Something about this unholy combo really rustles my jimmies, especially when its executed with great speed and riff-centered fervor. Cincinnati’s Ascended Master nail that combination right into the grave, boasting a sound that’s three parts Death, one part Atheist, and a pinch of Blood Red Throne. With a sense of groove that gives barnburners “Blood Spilled Upon the Stars,” “Crepuscular Gloom,” and rabid closer “Xenopaleontology” a deadly swagger liable to cause fierce whiplash in all who would headbang to it, debut LP Crepuscular Gloom” is a record pumped full of testosterone and adrenaline. Speedy rippers like “Midnight Mother” and “Ghoul Queen” put the pedal to the metal with a ferocity more commonly associated with Kvaen or Hellripper in the modern pantheon, but the record’s natural engineering and coherent screams hark to earlier times where Death reigned supreme in the scene. However, it would be inaccurate to call it pure worship. Ascended Master have an intense personality and a particular ferocity that allows Crepuscular Gloom to integrate smoothly into their respective category without blending into the crowd. As their career develops from this point, I expect we’ll see their identity bloom and rise with greater distinction, further setting them apart and threatening year-end lists all around. Just wait, you’ll see!

ClarkKent’s Prehistoric Pulls

Ilienses Tree // Toward the Storm [May 1st, 2026 – Meuse Music Records]

Ilienses Tree sow their roots deep into the island the band originates from—Sardinia, just off the coast of Italy. Their name, Ilienses, refers to an ancient Nuragic civilization that, during the Bronze Age, built impressive stone tower structures that still stand today. While the band isn’t nearly so old, their second album, Toward the Storm, dabbles in the sort of slow, deliberate doom that speaks of the patience of those ancient ruins. They lean towards a style of funeral doom that has the brutal power of My Dying Bride, but their record also contains the unpredictable dynamic drumming of Oromet and sneaks into speedier death/doom territory akin to Paradise Lost and Novembers Doom. Ilienses Tree have a mastery over melancholic lead riffs, such as the one that opens “To Not Be Forgotten.” “Sudden Rain” flexes the band’s creative muscle most impressively. Beginning in a slow burn and anchored by a poignant guitar lead, the song has a sudden burst of energy, turns in a lovely duet between arpeggiated riffs and bass, and features several more memorable and distinct guitar leads. Though the songs average nine minutes, they fit neatly into a 38-minute record, and thanks to progressive structures, they never feel overlong. If you’d like some music that simultaneously hits you in the feels and provides a shot of adrenaline, then go towards, not away from, this storm.

Anna Fiori // Metztli [May 21st, 2026 – Self Released]

Sometimes symphonic metal bands grow a touch stale from a failure to innovate, relying too heavily on the gimmick of symphonic instruments. Anna Fiori, however, has created something pretty special, with a Mexican/Aztec twist on the genre. Her band mixes “pre-Hispanic instrumentation” with cinematic symphonics and heavy guitars to create thrilling high-energy music. While some songs hit a more poppy Beyond the Black mold (“En El Vacio”), others take a longer-form route. The nine-minute “Luna Llena (Xiki Noeso)” blends indigenous chants and flutes with orchestral elements that sometimes sound like an exciting score to a whimsical adventure film. The highlight, “Luna Menguante (Nimotemak),” contains a mix of cool riffs, flutes, and blast beats before taking us on a bonkers ride involving operatic singing, off-kilter pianos, a few solos, and perhaps the summoning of a demon or two. While the song compositions are tons of fun, Fiori’s performance ties it all together. She sings in the sweet poppy manner of Epica’s Simone Simons, the operatic style of many a Therion singer, and even some growls in the spirit of Seven Spires’s Adrienne Cowen, if not quite her power. Fiori even briefly raps on a couple of tracks, with a pretty impressive section on the outro track, “Tetzahuitl, Pt. 2: El Origen,” and goes off-script with an infectious laugh on “Entre Mil Voces.” Clearly she’s having a lot of fun. Metztli hits some of the familiar symphonic notes while injecting enough personality of its own to make for an entertaining, and sometimes wild, ride.

Grin Reaper’s Spring Fling

Beyond the Veil // Oblivion [May 1st, 2026 – Wormholedeath Records]

There’s little online information about Tokyo prog metallers Beyond the Veil,2 and while I don’t recall how I stumbled across debut Oblivion, I’m glad I did. Upon listening, I was immediately enamored by their familiar yet enchanting blend of drama and technicality. Fans of Opeth and Dream Theater will uncover a trove of unapologetic prog where Beyond the Veil weaves gorgeously conceived instrumentation into intricate compositions. Oblivion also embraces long-form arrangements, sporting six tracks ranging between seven-and-a-half and sixteen minutes each. Credit to Beyond the Veil, though, because even with such robust runtimes totaling over an hour, Oblivion never feels repetitive or bankrupt of ideas. Quite the opposite, in fact, as each listen reveals new knots to untangle and coils to unwind. Perhaps the facet I’ve come to appreciate the most as I revisit Oblivion is Beyond the Veil’s merger of piano, mellotron, and orchestrations with guitar, bass, and drums. They’re hardly the first band to do this, but each song sounds well-attuned to incorporating the right instrument for the right part rather than spotlighting heavy-handed wankery, allowing Oblivion to soar. While Beyond the Veil doesn’t break the mold with this one, getting lost in Oblivion never sounded so sweet.

Lago // Vigil [May 8th, 2026 – Everlasting Spew Records]

Vigil introduced me to Lago and their infectiously abrasive death metal, and this album is forty-two minutes of unhinged brutality flecked with melody. The blood of Immolation, Morbid Angel, and Incantation pumps through Lago’s veins, delivering unapologetic tangles of dissonant, jangling guitars, fuming blast beats, and murky bass runs beneath Cole Jacobsen’s devilishly demented gutturals. Lago’s brew is potent stuff, swirling and churning with caustic acid that will leave your eardrums scarred and cowed with nary a moment wasted. Complimenting the devastating filth Lago dredges is Gus Barr’s warbling lead guitar, which cuts through the grime with off-kilter shredding. “Behold, Ruin” and “Initiation Rite” hit with the immediacy and aplomb of Immolation, lurching onwards with Brian Miller’s timekeeping straight out of Close to a World Below’s playbook. Meanwhile, “Procession into Slaughter” and “The Land Was a Desert” launch into Azagthoth-tinged, otherworldly riffs. Everything about Lago screams danger, yet once the blood starts flowing it’s impossible to turn away from their murderously addictive violence. Once Vigil has its hooks in you, you won’t want them to Lago.

Redshift // Down the Wire [May 29th, 2026 – Pale Wizard Records]

As a massive Rush fan, Redshift’s Down the Wire immediately caught my attention with ample parallels. A power trio wielding buttery smooth bass lines, Lifeson-leaning chords, and Tiago Martins’ tender tenor call to mind Canada’s greatest export for all the right reasons. Yet Bath, England’s Redshift is more than a Rush clone, and on Down the Wire they bounce and whip in syncopated flurries and chromatic runs while dabbling with vocoded vocals and deathly roars. As the best prog does, Redshift explores vast territory in a commensurately brief runtime. Opener “The Routine” hits the Rush influence hard and early, but “The Clown” draws upon Synchestra-era Devin Townsend kookiness while “The Rogue” dabbles in Yesified eclecticism and even features guest keys from Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen). One thing Redshift steers away from is the self-seriousness associated with a lot of prog, and Down the Wire radiates a pervasive sense of fun. Trumpets and samba-coded melodies enliven “The Rogue” while “The Singer” assaults with fierce growls, wicked solos, and perfectly balanced instrumental interplay. Down the Wire fires on all cylinders, scorching with progressive songwriting and so much replayability that I regret not getting the chance to write a review in full. If you’re Down to the Wire and need a prog fix quickly, Redshift is a clever choice that won’t disappoint.

Spicie Forrest’s Nostalgic Nugget

Haste the Day // Dissenter [May 1st, 2026 – Solid State Records]

I haven’t heard the name Haste the Day since 2008. At the time, I was on the tail end of my metalcore phase and pushing into heavier styles, so while I recognized their quality, I didn’t latch on to them as I did other acts of their ilk. It’s a shame, because Dissenter is the sound of my adolescence. Slinging the same emo-flavored metalcore as early As I Lay Dying and August Burns Red, the Indianapolis-based six-piece offers 39 minutes of beautifully aching nostalgia. Stephen Keech’s lead vocals sound pushed and strained (complimentary), evoking the emotion of early Linkin Park (“Shallows,” “Grave”). Guitarists Scott Whelan, Brennan Chaulk, and Dave Krysl are so in sync, delivering stellar layered riffs and leads felt in the soul (“Burn”). When Michael Murphy’s bass comes to the fore, as on “Liminal,” he brings a heaviness and intensity that hurtles me back to middle school like it was just yesterday. Dissenter is a bit heavier and faster on the front end, but even the not-quite-overwrought power ballads of the back half maintain their drive and pacing thanks to Giuseppe Capolupo’s kit work (“Adrift,” “Escape”). For those of us who cut our teeth on acts like Haste the Day, late-career and comeback albums can be an anxious affair, but I’m happy to report that Dissenter is a worthy walk down memory lane.

Since the last Filter dropped, it still hasn’t stopped raining and storming in my neck of the woods. Consequently, my minions trudge evermore through the thin sheet metal of our ducts as the thunder rattles everything like so many dice in a tabletop nerd’s clutches.1 Yet I must press them and push them, for we have quotas to meet and ravenous appetites to sate.

So it is with shaky hands and discombobulated craniums that my grunts hand over the goods. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Thrashed Thrall

Ascended Master // Crepuscular Gloom [May 8th, 2026 – Self Released]

Death thrash is best thrash, if you ask this sponge. Something about this unholy combo really rustles my jimmies, especially when its executed with great speed and riff-centered fervor. Cincinnati’s Ascended Master nail that combination right into the grave, boasting a sound that’s three parts Death, one part Atheist, and a pinch of Blood Red Throne. With a sense of groove that gives barnburners “Blood Spilled Upon the Stars,” “Crepuscular Gloom,” and rabid closer “Xenopaleontology” a deadly swagger liable to cause fierce whiplash in all who would headbang to it, debut LP Crepuscular Gloom” is a record pumped full of testosterone and adrenaline. Speedy rippers like “Midnight Mother” and “Ghoul Queen” put the pedal to the metal with a ferocity more commonly associated with Kvaen or Hellripper in the modern pantheon, but the record’s natural engineering and coherent screams hark to earlier times where Death reigned supreme in the scene. However, it would be inaccurate to call it pure worship. Ascended Master have an intense personality and a particular ferocity that allows Crepuscular Gloom to integrate smoothly into their respective category without blending into the crowd. As their career develops from this point, I expect we’ll see their identity bloom and rise with greater distinction, further setting them apart and threatening year-end lists all around. Just wait, you’ll see!

ClarkKent’s Prehistoric Pulls

Ilienses Tree // Toward the Storm [May 1st, 2026 – Meuse Music Records]

Ilienses Tree sow their roots deep into the island the band originates from—Sardinia, just off the coast of Italy. Their name, Ilienses, refers to an ancient Nuragic civilization that, during the Bronze Age, built impressive stone tower structures that still stand today. While the band isn’t nearly so old, their second album, Toward the Storm, dabbles in the sort of slow, deliberate doom that speaks of the patience of those ancient ruins. They lean towards a style of funeral doom that has the brutal power of My Dying Bride, but their record also contains the unpredictable dynamic drumming of Oromet and sneaks into speedier death/doom territory akin to Paradise Lost and Novembers Doom. Ilienses Tree have a mastery over melancholic lead riffs, such as the one that opens “To Not Be Forgotten.” “Sudden Rain” flexes the band’s creative muscle most impressively. Beginning in a slow burn and anchored by a poignant guitar lead, the song has a sudden burst of energy, turns in a lovely duet between arpeggiated riffs and bass, and features several more memorable and distinct guitar leads. Though the songs average nine minutes, they fit neatly into a 38-minute record, and thanks to progressive structures, they never feel overlong. If you’d like some music that simultaneously hits you in the feels and provides a shot of adrenaline, then go towards, not away from, this storm.

Anna Fiori // Metztli [May 21st, 2026 – Self Released]

Sometimes symphonic metal bands grow a touch stale from a failure to innovate, relying too heavily on the gimmick of symphonic instruments. Anna Fiori, however, has created something pretty special, with a Mexican/Aztec twist on the genre. Her band mixes “pre-Hispanic instrumentation” with cinematic symphonics and heavy guitars to create thrilling high-energy music. While some songs hit a more poppy Beyond the Black mold (“En El Vacio”), others take a longer-form route. The nine-minute “Luna Llena (Xiki Noeso)” blends indigenous chants and flutes with orchestral elements that sometimes sound like an exciting score to a whimsical adventure film. The highlight, “Luna Menguante (Nimotemak),” contains a mix of cool riffs, flutes, and blast beats before taking us on a bonkers ride involving operatic singing, off-kilter pianos, a few solos, and perhaps the summoning of a demon or two. While the song compositions are tons of fun, Fiori’s performance ties it all together. She sings in the sweet poppy manner of Epica’s Simone Simons, the operatic style of many a Therion singer, and even some growls in the spirit of Seven Spires’s Adrienne Cowen, if not quite her power. Fiori even briefly raps on a couple of tracks, with a pretty impressive section on the outro track, “Tetzahuitl, Pt. 2: El Origen,” and goes off-script with an infectious laugh on “Entre Mil Voces.” Clearly she’s having a lot of fun. Metztli hits some of the familiar symphonic notes while injecting enough personality of its own to make for an entertaining, and sometimes wild, ride.

Grin Reaper’s Spring Fling

Beyond the Veil // Oblivion [May 1st, 2026 – Wormholedeath Records]

There’s little online information about Tokyo prog metallers Beyond the Veil,2 and while I don’t recall how I stumbled across debut Oblivion, I’m glad I did. Upon listening, I was immediately enamored by their familiar yet enchanting blend of drama and technicality. Fans of Opeth and Dream Theater will uncover a trove of unapologetic prog where Beyond the Veil weaves gorgeously conceived instrumentation into intricate compositions. Oblivion also embraces long-form arrangements, sporting six tracks ranging between seven-and-a-half and sixteen minutes each. Credit to Beyond the Veil, though, because even with such robust runtimes totaling over an hour, Oblivion never feels repetitive or bankrupt of ideas. Quite the opposite, in fact, as each listen reveals new knots to untangle and coils to unwind. Perhaps the facet I’ve come to appreciate the most as I revisit Oblivion is Beyond the Veil’s merger of piano, mellotron, and orchestrations with guitar, bass, and drums. They’re hardly the first band to do this, but each song sounds well-attuned to incorporating the right instrument for the right part rather than spotlighting heavy-handed wankery, allowing Oblivion to soar. While Beyond the Veil doesn’t break the mold with this one, getting lost in Oblivion never sounded so sweet.

Lago // Vigil [May 8th, 2026 – Everlasting Spew Records]

Vigil introduced me to Lago and their infectiously abrasive death metal, and this album is forty-two minutes of unhinged brutality flecked with melody. The blood of Immolation, Morbid Angel, and Incantation pumps through Lago’s veins, delivering unapologetic tangles of dissonant, jangling guitars, fuming blast beats, and murky bass runs beneath Cole Jacobsen’s devilishly demented gutturals. Lago’s brew is potent stuff, swirling and churning with caustic acid that will leave your eardrums scarred and cowed with nary a moment wasted. Complimenting the devastating filth Lago dredges is Gus Barr’s warbling lead guitar, which cuts through the grime with off-kilter shredding. “Behold, Ruin” and “Initiation Rite” hit with the immediacy and aplomb of Immolation, lurching onwards with Brian Miller’s timekeeping straight out of Close to a World Below’s playbook. Meanwhile, “Procession into Slaughter” and “The Land Was a Desert” launch into Azagthoth-tinged, otherworldly riffs. Everything about Lago screams danger, yet once the blood starts flowing it’s impossible to turn away from their murderously addictive violence. Once Vigil has its hooks in you, you won’t want them to Lago.

Redshift // Down the Wire [May 29th, 2026 – Pale Wizard Records]

As a massive Rush fan, Redshift’s Down the Wire immediately caught my attention with ample parallels. A power trio wielding buttery smooth bass lines, Lifeson-leaning chords, and Tiago Martins’ tender tenor call to mind Canada’s greatest export for all the right reasons. Yet Bath, England’s Redshift is more than a Rush clone, and on Down the Wire they bounce and whip in syncopated flurries and chromatic runs while dabbling with vocoded vocals and deathly roars. As the best prog does, Redshift explores vast territory in a commensurately brief runtime. Opener “The Routine” hits the Rush influence hard and early, but “The Clown” draws upon Synchestra-era Devin Townsend kookiness while “The Rogue” dabbles in Yesified eclecticism and even features guest keys from Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen). One thing Redshift steers away from is the self-seriousness associated with a lot of prog, and Down the Wire radiates a pervasive sense of fun. Trumpets and samba-coded melodies enliven “The Rogue” while “The Singer” assaults with fierce growls, wicked solos, and perfectly balanced instrumental interplay. Down the Wire fires on all cylinders, scorching with progressive songwriting and so much replayability that I regret not getting the chance to write a review in full. If you’re Down to the Wire and need a prog fix quickly, Redshift is a clever choice that won’t disappoint.

Spicie Forrest’s Nostalgic Nugget

Haste the Day // Dissenter [May 1st, 2026 – Solid State Records]

I haven’t heard the name Haste the Day since 2008. At the time, I was on the tail end of my metalcore phase and pushing into heavier styles, so while I recognized their quality, I didn’t latch on to them as I did other acts of their ilk. It’s a shame, because Dissenter is the sound of my adolescence. Slinging the same emo-flavored metalcore as early As I Lay Dying and August Burns Red, the Indianapolis-based six-piece offers 39 minutes of beautifully aching nostalgia. Stephen Keech’s lead vocals sound pushed and strained (complimentary), evoking the emotion of early Linkin Park (“Shallows,” “Grave”). Guitarists Scott Whelan, Brennan Chaulk, and Dave Krysl are so in sync, delivering stellar layered riffs and leads felt in the soul (“Burn”). When Michael Murphy’s bass comes to the fore, as on “Liminal,” he brings a heaviness and intensity that hurtles me back to middle school like it was just yesterday. Dissenter is a bit heavier and faster on the front end, but even the not-quite-overwrought power ballads of the back half maintain their drive and pacing thanks to Giuseppe Capolupo’s kit work (“Adrift,” “Escape”). For those of us who cut our teeth on acts like Haste the Day, late-career and comeback albums can be an anxious affair, but I’m happy to report that Dissenter is a worthy walk down memory lane.

Niveous – Cult of the Void Star
#BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #MelodicBlackMetal #Metal #atmosphericblackmetal #deathdoom #doommetal #postrock #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/cult-of-the-void-star

Niveous – Cult of the Void Star
#BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #MelodicBlackMetal #Metal #atmosphericblackmetal #deathdoom #doommetal #postrock #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/cult-of-the-void-star

Niveous – Cult of the Void Star
#BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #MelodicBlackMetal #Metal #atmosphericblackmetal #deathdoom #doommetal #postrock #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/cult-of-the-void-star

Niveous – Cult of the Void Star
#BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #MelodicBlackMetal #Metal #atmosphericblackmetal #deathdoom #doommetal #postrock #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/cult-of-the-void-star

Niveous – Cult of the Void Star
#BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #MelodicBlackMetal #Metal #atmosphericblackmetal #deathdoom #doommetal #postrock #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/cult-of-the-void-star

Wills Dissolve – The Heavens Are Not On Fire...
#BlackMetal #Metal #Opeth #PostBlackMetal #atmosphericblackmetal #deathdoom #doommetal #novembersdoom #postrock #Amadora
CC BY-NC (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial) #ccmusic
https://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-heavens-are-not-on-fire