#hellripper — Public Fediverse posts

Seems like the Filtration system is overburdened once again. Normally, my minions have to scavenge much longer to pick things up this early in the year, but 2026 is proving to be rich in moderately precious metallic ore. That just means I gotta push my team even harder to pull greater loads of filth from the ducts!

As I send them in for yet another round, please enjoy the spoils thus far exploited. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Tattered Tome

Overtoun // Death Drive Anthropology [February 13th, 2026 – Time to Kill Records]

Chilean progressive death thrash outfit Overtoun is what you get when you mix old school Death and Atheist with the proggier side of Pestilence, then amp the thrash up by a half turn. At a lofty 50 minutes, you’d expect third release Death Drive Anthropology to drag on, but to make that assumption is to criminally underestimate Overtoun’s creativity and versatility. Opening up the throttle in fine form, the one-two punch of “What Unites All (ft. Max Phelps) and “The Final Beat” manages to encompass many of these Chileans’ songwriting and performance skills in a scant 10 minutes. More introspective, nuanced songwriting takes center stage throughout Anthropology’s midsection, balancing smart melodies and minimalist atmosphere with complex guitar layering, proggy structures, and shreddy wizardry (“Dur Khrod,” “Jade, Gold, Obsidian,” “Yurei,” “Weeping”). The three-part “The Waves Suite” suite adds a mystical character to the affair that blends remarkably well with Overtoun’s more overt political messaging and emotional textures, which helps carry the record through its lengthy runtime without causing fatigue. It’s a neat record that’s modestly blemished by a bass presence that begs for more weight and wildness, especially considering the raw talent on hand. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a creative, thoughtful, and sophisticated entry into the death/thrash progosphere, Death Drive Anthropology makes a strong case.

Andy-War-Hall’s Primordial Pick-Up

The Grand Myth // Of Vultures and Dragons [February 26th, 2026 – Suncrusher Recordings]

I have a grossly limited capacity for seriousness. Yeah, I like my death metal progressive, technical, and thoughtful, much the way Brandon Bordman’s The Grand Myth deliver it on their latest record, Of Vultures and Dragons, but sometimes I just want fun, too. Of Vultures and Dragons, an adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ novel series Primitive War1 in which a rescue team searches a Vietnamese jungle for a missing platoon of Green Berets and fights for their lives against dinosaurs, has fun in spades. Utilizing a many-layered guitar attack (“Symbiotic Death”), shifting and propulsive rhythms (“Through the River Styx”), a wide cast of voice actors for brief narrative bits2 and surprisingly bright tones (“Agony”), The Grand Myth’s approach to progressive death metal isn’t revolutionary, but it’s deeply refreshing and engaging regardless. Though an absolute blast, The Grand Myth doesn’t spew embarrassingly stupid levels of campiness with their sci-fi dinosaur theming like Victorius. Rather, Of Vultures and Dragons can be fairly emotionally effective at times thanks to Bordman’s emotive clean/harsh vocals and elaborate soloing (“Pyre,” “Agony”). Nobody asks about your favorite dinosaur anymore,3 so feed your inner kid with The Grand Myth’s Of Vultures and Dragons now!

Saunders’ Sunken Shards

Puscifer// Normal Isn’t [February 6th, 2026 – Alchemy Recordings]

After losing track of recent offerings, I reacquainted myself with the latest LP from Puscifer, leaving me pleasantly surprised in the aftermath. The project featuring Tool/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan returned for their first hit out since 2020’s Existential Reckoning. Normal Isn’t finds the shape-shifting project embracing its quirky, gothy industrial rock and electronic elements through an angsty filter of guitar-driven arty rock, post-punk, and infectious songcraft. Age should not weary Maynard, as he still sounds angry, cynical, and on point vocally through a mostly engaging, catchy bag of tunes. The dueling vocal melodies with collaborator Carina Round’s ghostly singing work a treat amidst jittery beats, angular riffs and strong electronic overtones. Rhythmically, it is an interesting ride, drummer Gunnar Olsen putting in a top-notch performance, while there is a vaguely progressive edge underlying the hook-centric songwriting. Opener “Thrust” sets the album in motion with sticky hooks, a darkly humorous, unhinged Maynard performance, and a dose of spite. Other key highlights include “Bad Wolf,” “Self Evident,” “A Public Stoning,” and “ImpetuoUs.” Puscifer made a fine return with Normal Isn’t.

Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows // Inexorable Opposites [February 6th, 2026 – Magnetic Eye Records]

You’ve gotta love a sneaky name drop from our trusty commentariat. It has led to many great discoveries over the years. On this occasion, one of our dear commenters enlightened me to Melbourne psych-blues-doomers Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows with fourth LP, Inexorable Opposites. And it didn’t take long absorbing this latest slab of rustic Aussie coolness to be struck by the album’s slow-burning, addictive power, and gritty tones. Boasting an expansive, rugged sound built on layers of distortion and a weighty blend of psych-drenched blues and doom heaviness. Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows features old school, outlaw-driven lyrical content from mastermind and vocalist/guitarist Tim Coutts-Smith, meshing fictional tales of woe and adventure of character Jack Harlon, with relatable real-life struggles. Through the fuzz, thick jammy vibes, and Coutts-Smith distorted, menacing Aussie drawl, catchy songcraft shines through the muck and psych haze. From the tense, stoner-infected grit and catchy hooks of opener “Moss,” through to the stormy outback balladry of closer “To Die,” Inexorable Opposites is a hard-hitting, riffy delight, further evidenced through scorched earth, infectious cuts like “Venomous,” “Seer,” and the trippy, drug-addled “Mt. Macedon.”

Grin Reaper’s Reaped Recluse

Cold Communion // Monuments to Ruin [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Melodic death/doom isn’t a genre I dabble in often, but every now and again, one of its bands thwarts my defenses and wraps their tendrils around my precious listening time. Durham, North Carolina’s Cold Communion is one such band, featuring Barre Gambling (Daylight Dies) on guitar and Tim Rowland (Alchemy of Flesh, Silent Vigil) on everything else. If that sounds like an unfair split, take a spin and reassess, because Gambling’s performance defines Cold Communion’s melancholic character as much as Rowland’s emotive growl. Forgoing any long-form doom epics, Monuments to Ruin’s longest song comes in at five-and-a-half minutes, with the entire album clocking just forty-five. It’s a tidy platter, and both in song composition and mood shares ample common ground with Finnish sadbois Insomnium. Besides Monuments’ superior production, songs like “A Stillness Survival” and “When the Light Breaks” wouldn’t feel out of place on Across the Dark or One for Sorrow. And despite the somber trappings one might expect from doom-adjacency, there’s plenty of lively riffing and solos to find across Monuments to Ruin, adding a touch of boom to the gloom. In the end, Cold Communion doesn’t reinvent the genre or break new ground, but Monuments to Ruin offers a comfy chair by the fireside on a freezing cold day, and I’m perfectly content with that.

Mossgiver // Renewer [February 6th, 2026 – Sij MusicArt]

Atmospheric black metal often contrasts the beautiful with the bestial, typically prioritizing moods over hooks. ‘Twas a delight, then, to unearth Mossgiver’s Renewal, which deftly combines the two. Weaving together hypnotic passages flooded with strings, piano, flute, synths, double bass rolls, and the requisite blackened tremolos,4 Mossgiver’s mastermind Tilen Šimon (Ueldes) delivers the band’s best record to date. Above all, Renewer sounds like a celebration of nature in the vein of Autrest and Cân Bardd, evoking a whispering wind whipping at leaves or sunlight dappling a brook shaded by oaks and maples. Beyond the well-crafted soundtrack for a walk through the woods, Mossgiver etches emotion into the nooks and crannies of Renewer’s five tracks. From rousing string orchestrations (“I Bring the Spring with Me”) to soft-and-heavy tradeoffs pitting clean guitar and pan pipes against distorted guitar and blast beats (“Renewer”), Mossgiver shimmers with a lush backdrop of instrumentation rife with playfulness and pensiveness. The trio of primary songs5 revolve around powerful melodies that evolve over each track’s duration, with assorted instruments coming in and out to push refrains along. Renewer’s brisk thirty-four minutes showcase Mossgiver’s sticky compositions and leave me whistling its melodies for days at a time. Now throw on your hiking boots and get lost in the Moss.

Ossomancer // Banebdjed’s Path [February 28th, 2026 – Esoteric Evocations]

Six-and-a-half years removed from Ossomancer’s debut Artes Magickae, lone wolf and mastermind Kamose returns to tread Banebjed’s Path. Bursting with references to mythology and mysticism, Banebjed’s Path rumbles and shakes with arcane thunder. Although the backdrop and track names might recall the frenzied onslaught of Nile, Ossomancer instead conceives a realm recalling Aeternam, Iotunn, and Naglfar. Despite the scant thirty-four-minute runtime, Banebjed’s Path sprawls across diverse landscapes and textures. Opener “The Ogdoad Arrangement and the Osirian Creation” oscillates between In Flames melodies and a slinky crawl that could pass for a 90s Geddy Lee bass line played over synth injections from Rush’s 80s era. Follow-up track “Sobek – Cosmic Vibrations Devoured” features Kreator-bred riffing, while closing duo “A Sea of Sand, a Silver Star” and “Retraction into Kether” synthesize the ethereal atmospheres of Iotunn with the blackened assault of Naglfar. Through it all, Ossomancer sounds fabulous, as Banebjed’s Path flaunts an enviable DR 8 and a bodacious mix that spotlights its burly bass performance. Ossomancer’s sophomore outing is crammed with meloblack goodies, and though it’s not a long trek, the journey down Banebjed’s Path far transcends its distance.

Tyme’s Danish Dalliance

Ædel Fetich // Ædel Fetich [February 20th, 2026 – Deadbanger Productions]

That blinged-out pink dish-glove-clad hand is what first drew me to Denmark outfit Ædel Fetich’s self-titled debut. Then I clicked play and was taken on one of the more compelling “black” metal rides in recent memory. With roots primarily buried in the soil of the traditional second-wave, Ædel Fetich is rife with moments of rifferous tremolodic speed (“Ridderlig Lider,” “Madras”) and absolutely berserk guitar chaos (“Sort Magi”). There’s a Trhä-like sense of experimentation, and the rawness of the production enhances the oft-changing compositions, which, like weather in the Midwest, often shift on a dime without warning. Luckily, Ædel Fetich’s adept songwriting organically smooths these transitions, which could have easily come off stilted and jarring, but makes drawing direct comparisons to the Ædel Fetich sound difficult, as there’s a spectrum of other influences at play. There are tracks packed with punky punch (“Et Liv Fuld af Fejl,” “Ildtang”) or imbued with folky reverence (“Mit Billede af Dig”) and even some 80s pop—fans of the movie Flashdance shouldn’t have a problem finding the poppy easter egg hiding near the end of “Sort Magi.”6 Far and away the star of the show, however, is singer Skvat, whose performance is filled with as much black metal bravado as it is theatrical exuberance, his arsenal of shrieks, growls, hoots, howls, and operatic baritonations a refreshing treat, akin to if Mike Patton woke up one day deciding to record a Danish black metal album. Bottom line is, I really dig Ædel Fetich and think you will too.

Creeping Ivy’s Ashen Afterthought

Belzebong // The End is High [February 20th, 2026 – Heavy Psych Sounds]

In my humble opinion, lyrics are key to making stoner metal more than novelty music. If you’re referencing reefer in your album art, band name, and song titles, at least keep the reeferisms out of the songs themselves,7 or better yet, avoid vocals altogether. Taking this latter advice to heart is instrumental Polish four-piece Belzebong, who have been at it for almost 20 years now. On The End is High, their fourth full-length, Belzebong deal 35 minutes of fuzzed-out riffery described as “a new sermon for the final days.” While not as highbrow (huh huh) as the instrumental stoner metal of Bongripper, Belzebong are similarly ominous on opener (yes) “Bong & Chain,” which caps its ten-minute burn with creepy, haunting synths. From there, the band settle into material more akin to Bongzilla; sound clips adorn the chill grooves of “420 Horsemen,” “Hempnotized,” and “Reefer Mortis,” which closes things out with some solid Electric Wizard worship. If you instinctively (and understandably) recoil from music with marijuana aesthetics but dig the meditative repetition offered by stoner metal, consider sampling The End is High. It’s not exactly the caricature it advertises itself as.

Baguette’s Bygone Bounty

Sundecay // The Blood Lives Again [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Toronto’s Sundecay has been around for a while. These Canadian doomers spawned sometime prior to 2014, quietly releasing EP material every once in a blue moon. The Blood Lives Again is their first full-length release—their first signs of life since 2018 in general—and the time and care they took to develop their sound and songwriting prowess pays off here in spades. The doom and proto-doom inspirations from Black Sabbath to Saint Vitus are obvious (“Here Comes the Wizard”), complemented by other influences from proto-metal, psychedelic, and progressive music (“Silence Spoken”). The hefty, layered guitars have a nice fuzz without fully landing in stoner territory. Ambitious long-form tracks like “Will Dusk Defy Dawn” flow like water while carrying significant emotional heft. Lastly, a moody, reverb-heavy vocal performance crowns the classic doom trance the band is aiming for. At five tracks and some 43 minutes, The Blood Lives Again is a total vibe and flies by before you’ve even noticed. Fans of the ’70s should take notes!

Temple Balls // Temple Balls [February 13th, 2026 – Frontiers Music]

One of the most authentic ways you can honor rock music tradition is via questionable naming conventions. On an unrelated note, Temple Balls is a Finnish hard rock/glam rock band, and they’re fun as hell! They’re not particularly new around the block, either: the group formed in 2009, and self-titled Temple Balls is already their fifth album since debut Traded Dreams in 2017. 2023’s Avalanche felt like a watershed moment, a welcome surprise that brought some new life and energy to a fairly dated genre of Europeisms and Hanoi Rocks rehashes. Temple Balls proves that Avalanche wasn’t a one-off, continuing their extremely authentic throwback approach. The heavy/power-metal-meets-AOR direction of songwriting (“Flashback Dynamite,” “Soul Survivor”) gives it that extra guitar oomph and energy that melodic music like this requires to be anywhere near competitive. With great all-out vocals from Arde Teronen and gigantic hooks to match, it’s just a damn good time front to back. Though it will sadly be the last time we’ll hear Niko Vuorela’s guitar work on record (R.I.P., and fuck cancer), the self-titled is certainly a worthy final milestone for him—and hopefully, another beginning for his comrades.

ClarkKent’s Enchanting Earworm

Hela // A Reign to Conquer [February 27, 2026 – Ardua Music]

Just as it put a pause on many plans and projects, the COVID pandemic slowed down the output of Spain’s Hela. A Reign to Conquer marks their first record since 2019’s Vegvìsir, which was their third release since 2013. This brief hiatus brought new blood in the form of vocalist Raquel Navarro, though, in truth, the only consistency in Hela’s lineup is the other three members—Tano Giménez on bass, Miguel Fernández (The Holeum) on drums, and Julián Velasco (The Holeum) on guitars. They have a deep bond, first forged in 2009 with The Sand Collector before forming Hela just three years later. Though they brand Hela as melodic doom, and the band does have a little in common with Katatonia, I think it’s more accurate to describe them as dreamy progressive rock. Navarro is a major reason for this, with dreamy croons that guide listeners through breezy soundscapes. She bears a passing resemblance to Maud the Moth, though the music Hela plays is decidedly more metal than our Dolphin friend’s favorite nocturnal insect. Guitarist Velasco plays a hypnotizing mix of atmospheric fuzz, crushing doom, and melodic riffs that add some heft and crunch to the ethereal sound. A Reign to Conquer has plenty of layers to probe, rewarding listeners who bear with it for repeat listens. While my initial spins left me wanting, I’ve since become spellbound. Add to that some gorgeous artwork, and this is a nice addition to anyone’s vinyl collection. Hela yeah!

Spicie Forrest’s Vicious Vittles

A Wilhelm Scream8 // Cheap Heat [February 27th, 2026 – Creator-Destructor Records]

A Wilhelm Scream9 returns after a four-year hiatus with their eighth long player, Cheap Heat. Sounding like the best combination of The Story So Far and Rise Against, A Wilhelm Scream delivers an impressive tour de force so late in their career. Vocalist Nuno Pereira10 is the highlight of Cheap Heat, driving the album with urgency and passion (“Somebody’s Gonna Die,” “Fell Off”), but no one here is a slouch. The rhythm section—bassist Brian J. Robinson, rhythm guitarist Trevor Reilly, and drummer Nicholas Pasquale Angelini—gleefully tosses gas on Pereira’s bonfire (“I Got Tunnel Vision”) and delivers solid grooves (“Poison II”) and searing ragers (“Unsolving the Mystery”) that keep the energy cranked to 11 all through Cheap Heat. Hooks are by far the most common lead duty, and Ben Murray puts on a fucking clinic. Each note that rings out from his axe sounds like it fucking owns the place (“Run,” “Visitor: Unimpressed”). Cheap Heat is a smidge front-loaded with “Midnight Ghost” and “I Got Tunnel Vision” being album highlights, but no song on here is anything short of a barn burner. At a super tight 28 minutes, Cheap Heat hits hard and fast and gets the fuck out of Dodge before you’re even sure what hit you. I didn’t expect a 26-year-old hardcore outfit to knock my teeth out when I queued it up on a whim one morning, but Cheap Heat is proving to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

Lead Injector // Witching Attack [February 20th, 2026 – High Roller Records]

Who doesn’t like the combination of thrash’s unchained aggression and black metal’s cold hate? There’s never been a better pair. Lead Injector hit the ground running on debut LP Witching Attack. From the opening moments of “Siege Upon Heaven” to the closing moments of “Nuclear Antichrist,” Lead Injector is here to do two things: feed high-speed buckshot to God, skeletons, and anything else that gets in their way, and have a Hellripping good time. “Angel Destructor” and “Siege Upon Heaven” barrel pell-mell through searing riffs and blast beats, while groovier tracks like “Evil Executioner” and “Nuclear Antichrist” let black metal’s punk ancestry shine through. Heavy metal influences a la Judas Priest can be found injected into tracks like “Sacrifice This Bitch” and “M.C.C.I.” While nothing about Lead Injector’s sound is particularly new, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. This debut is a unique and retro spin on a tried-and-true formula that bodes well for a young band. Witching Attack is a killer time that Ash Williams would gladly spin while boomsticking Deadites alongside Lord Arthur’s army.

Seems like the Filtration system is overburdened once again. Normally, my minions have to scavenge much longer to pick things up this early in the year, but 2026 is proving to be rich in moderately precious metallic ore. That just means I gotta push my team even harder to pull greater loads of filth from the ducts!

As I send them in for yet another round, please enjoy the spoils thus far exploited. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Tattered Tome

Overtoun // Death Drive Anthropology [February 13th, 2026 – Time to Kill Records]

Chilean progressive death thrash outfit Overtoun is what you get when you mix old school Death and Atheist with the proggier side of Pestilence, then amp the thrash up by a half turn. At a lofty 50 minutes, you’d expect third release Death Drive Anthropology to drag on, but to make that assumption is to criminally underestimate Overtoun’s creativity and versatility. Opening up the throttle in fine form, the one-two punch of “What Unites All (ft. Max Phelps) and “The Final Beat” manages to encompass many of these Chileans’ songwriting and performance skills in a scant 10 minutes. More introspective, nuanced songwriting takes center stage throughout Anthropology’s midsection, balancing smart melodies and minimalist atmosphere with complex guitar layering, proggy structures, and shreddy wizardry (“Dur Khrod,” “Jade, Gold, Obsidian,” “Yurei,” “Weeping”). The three-part “The Waves Suite” suite adds a mystical character to the affair that blends remarkably well with Overtoun’s more overt political messaging and emotional textures, which helps carry the record through its lengthy runtime without causing fatigue. It’s a neat record that’s modestly blemished by a bass presence that begs for more weight and wildness, especially considering the raw talent on hand. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a creative, thoughtful, and sophisticated entry into the death/thrash progosphere, Death Drive Anthropology makes a strong case.

Andy-War-Hall’s Primordial Pick-Up

The Grand Myth // Of Vultures and Dragons [February 26th, 2026 – Suncrusher Recordings]

I have a grossly limited capacity for seriousness. Yeah, I like my death metal progressive, technical, and thoughtful, much the way Brandon Bordman’s The Grand Myth deliver it on their latest record, Of Vultures and Dragons, but sometimes I just want fun, too. Of Vultures and Dragons, an adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ novel series Primitive War1 in which a rescue team searches a Vietnamese jungle for a missing platoon of Green Berets and fights for their lives against dinosaurs, has fun in spades. Utilizing a many-layered guitar attack (“Symbiotic Death”), shifting and propulsive rhythms (“Through the River Styx”), a wide cast of voice actors for brief narrative bits2 and surprisingly bright tones (“Agony”), The Grand Myth’s approach to progressive death metal isn’t revolutionary, but it’s deeply refreshing and engaging regardless. Though an absolute blast, The Grand Myth doesn’t spew embarrassingly stupid levels of campiness with their sci-fi dinosaur theming like Victorius. Rather, Of Vultures and Dragons can be fairly emotionally effective at times thanks to Bordman’s emotive clean/harsh vocals and elaborate soloing (“Pyre,” “Agony”). Nobody asks about your favorite dinosaur anymore,3 so feed your inner kid with The Grand Myth’s Of Vultures and Dragons now!

Saunders’ Sunken Shards

Puscifer// Normal Isn’t [February 6th, 2026 – Alchemy Recordings]

After losing track of recent offerings, I reacquainted myself with the latest LP from Puscifer, leaving me pleasantly surprised in the aftermath. The project featuring Tool/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan returned for their first hit out since 2020’s Existential Reckoning. Normal Isn’t finds the shape-shifting project embracing its quirky, gothy industrial rock and electronic elements through an angsty filter of guitar-driven arty rock, post-punk, and infectious songcraft. Age should not weary Maynard, as he still sounds angry, cynical, and on point vocally through a mostly engaging, catchy bag of tunes. The dueling vocal melodies with collaborator Carina Round’s ghostly singing work a treat amidst jittery beats, angular riffs and strong electronic overtones. Rhythmically, it is an interesting ride, drummer Gunnar Olsen putting in a top-notch performance, while there is a vaguely progressive edge underlying the hook-centric songwriting. Opener “Thrust” sets the album in motion with sticky hooks, a darkly humorous, unhinged Maynard performance, and a dose of spite. Other key highlights include “Bad Wolf,” “Self Evident,” “A Public Stoning,” and “ImpetuoUs.” Puscifer made a fine return with Normal Isn’t.

Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows // Inexorable Opposites [February 6th, 2026 – Magnetic Eye Records]

You’ve gotta love a sneaky name drop from our trusty commentariat. It has led to many great discoveries over the years. On this occasion, one of our dear commenters enlightened me to Melbourne psych-blues-doomers Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows with fourth LP, Inexorable Opposites. And it didn’t take long absorbing this latest slab of rustic Aussie coolness to be struck by the album’s slow-burning, addictive power, and gritty tones. Boasting an expansive, rugged sound built on layers of distortion and a weighty blend of psych-drenched blues and doom heaviness. Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows features old school, outlaw-driven lyrical content from mastermind and vocalist/guitarist Tim Coutts-Smith, meshing fictional tales of woe and adventure of character Jack Harlon, with relatable real-life struggles. Through the fuzz, thick jammy vibes, and Coutts-Smith distorted, menacing Aussie drawl, catchy songcraft shines through the muck and psych haze. From the tense, stoner-infected grit and catchy hooks of opener “Moss,” through to the stormy outback balladry of closer “To Die,” Inexorable Opposites is a hard-hitting, riffy delight, further evidenced through scorched earth, infectious cuts like “Venomous,” “Seer,” and the trippy, drug-addled “Mt. Macedon.”

Grin Reaper’s Reaped Recluse

Cold Communion // Monuments to Ruin [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Melodic death/doom isn’t a genre I dabble in often, but every now and again, one of its bands thwarts my defenses and wraps their tendrils around my precious listening time. Durham, North Carolina’s Cold Communion is one such band, featuring Barre Gambling (Daylight Dies) on guitar and Tim Rowland (Alchemy of Flesh, Silent Vigil) on everything else. If that sounds like an unfair split, take a spin and reassess, because Gambling’s performance defines Cold Communion’s melancholic character as much as Rowland’s emotive growl. Forgoing any long-form doom epics, Monuments to Ruin’s longest song comes in at five-and-a-half minutes, with the entire album clocking just forty-five. It’s a tidy platter, and both in song composition and mood shares ample common ground with Finnish sadbois Insomnium. Besides Monuments’ superior production, songs like “A Stillness Survival” and “When the Light Breaks” wouldn’t feel out of place on Across the Dark or One for Sorrow. And despite the somber trappings one might expect from doom-adjacency, there’s plenty of lively riffing and solos to find across Monuments to Ruin, adding a touch of boom to the gloom. In the end, Cold Communion doesn’t reinvent the genre or break new ground, but Monuments to Ruin offers a comfy chair by the fireside on a freezing cold day, and I’m perfectly content with that.

Mossgiver // Renewer [February 6th, 2026 – Sij MusicArt]

Atmospheric black metal often contrasts the beautiful with the bestial, typically prioritizing moods over hooks. ‘Twas a delight, then, to unearth Mossgiver’s Renewal, which deftly combines the two. Weaving together hypnotic passages flooded with strings, piano, flute, synths, double bass rolls, and the requisite blackened tremolos,4 Mossgiver’s mastermind Tilen Šimon (Ueldes) delivers the band’s best record to date. Above all, Renewer sounds like a celebration of nature in the vein of Autrest and Cân Bardd, evoking a whispering wind whipping at leaves or sunlight dappling a brook shaded by oaks and maples. Beyond the well-crafted soundtrack for a walk through the woods, Mossgiver etches emotion into the nooks and crannies of Renewer’s five tracks. From rousing string orchestrations (“I Bring the Spring with Me”) to soft-and-heavy tradeoffs pitting clean guitar and pan pipes against distorted guitar and blast beats (“Renewer”), Mossgiver shimmers with a lush backdrop of instrumentation rife with playfulness and pensiveness. The trio of primary songs5 revolve around powerful melodies that evolve over each track’s duration, with assorted instruments coming in and out to push refrains along. Renewer’s brisk thirty-four minutes showcase Mossgiver’s sticky compositions and leave me whistling its melodies for days at a time. Now throw on your hiking boots and get lost in the Moss.

Ossomancer // Banebdjed’s Path [February 28th, 2026 – Esoteric Evocations]

Six-and-a-half years removed from Ossomancer’s debut Artes Magickae, lone wolf and mastermind Kamose returns to tread Banebjed’s Path. Bursting with references to mythology and mysticism, Banebjed’s Path rumbles and shakes with arcane thunder. Although the backdrop and track names might recall the frenzied onslaught of Nile, Ossomancer instead conceives a realm recalling Aeternam, Iotunn, and Naglfar. Despite the scant thirty-four-minute runtime, Banebjed’s Path sprawls across diverse landscapes and textures. Opener “The Ogdoad Arrangement and the Osirian Creation” oscillates between In Flames melodies and a slinky crawl that could pass for a 90s Geddy Lee bass line played over synth injections from Rush’s 80s era. Follow-up track “Sobek – Cosmic Vibrations Devoured” features Kreator-bred riffing, while closing duo “A Sea of Sand, a Silver Star” and “Retraction into Kether” synthesize the ethereal atmospheres of Iotunn with the blackened assault of Naglfar. Through it all, Ossomancer sounds fabulous, as Banebjed’s Path flaunts an enviable DR 8 and a bodacious mix that spotlights its burly bass performance. Ossomancer’s sophomore outing is crammed with meloblack goodies, and though it’s not a long trek, the journey down Banebjed’s Path far transcends its distance.

Tyme’s Danish Dalliance

Ædel Fetich // Ædel Fetich [February 20th, 2026 – Deadbanger Productions]

That blinged-out pink dish-glove-clad hand is what first drew me to Denmark outfit Ædel Fetich’s self-titled debut. Then I clicked play and was taken on one of the more compelling “black” metal rides in recent memory. With roots primarily buried in the soil of the traditional second-wave, Ædel Fetich is rife with moments of rifferous tremolodic speed (“Ridderlig Lider,” “Madras”) and absolutely berserk guitar chaos (“Sort Magi”). There’s a Trhä-like sense of experimentation, and the rawness of the production enhances the oft-changing compositions, which, like weather in the Midwest, often shift on a dime without warning. Luckily, Ædel Fetich’s adept songwriting organically smooths these transitions, which could have easily come off stilted and jarring, but makes drawing direct comparisons to the Ædel Fetich sound difficult, as there’s a spectrum of other influences at play. There are tracks packed with punky punch (“Et Liv Fuld af Fejl,” “Ildtang”) or imbued with folky reverence (“Mit Billede af Dig”) and even some 80s pop—fans of the movie Flashdance shouldn’t have a problem finding the poppy easter egg hiding near the end of “Sort Magi.”6 Far and away the star of the show, however, is singer Skvat, whose performance is filled with as much black metal bravado as it is theatrical exuberance, his arsenal of shrieks, growls, hoots, howls, and operatic baritonations a refreshing treat, akin to if Mike Patton woke up one day deciding to record a Danish black metal album. Bottom line is, I really dig Ædel Fetich and think you will too.

Creeping Ivy’s Ashen Afterthought

Belzebong // The End is High [February 20th, 2026 – Heavy Psych Sounds]

In my humble opinion, lyrics are key to making stoner metal more than novelty music. If you’re referencing reefer in your album art, band name, and song titles, at least keep the reeferisms out of the songs themselves,7 or better yet, avoid vocals altogether. Taking this latter advice to heart is instrumental Polish four-piece Belzebong, who have been at it for almost 20 years now. On The End is High, their fourth full-length, Belzebong deal 35 minutes of fuzzed-out riffery described as “a new sermon for the final days.” While not as highbrow (huh huh) as the instrumental stoner metal of Bongripper, Belzebong are similarly ominous on opener (yes) “Bong & Chain,” which caps its ten-minute burn with creepy, haunting synths. From there, the band settle into material more akin to Bongzilla; sound clips adorn the chill grooves of “420 Horsemen,” “Hempnotized,” and “Reefer Mortis,” which closes things out with some solid Electric Wizard worship. If you instinctively (and understandably) recoil from music with marijuana aesthetics but dig the meditative repetition offered by stoner metal, consider sampling The End is High. It’s not exactly the caricature it advertises itself as.

Baguette’s Bygone Bounty

Sundecay // The Blood Lives Again [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Toronto’s Sundecay has been around for a while. These Canadian doomers spawned sometime prior to 2014, quietly releasing EP material every once in a blue moon. The Blood Lives Again is their first full-length release—their first signs of life since 2018 in general—and the time and care they took to develop their sound and songwriting prowess pays off here in spades. The doom and proto-doom inspirations from Black Sabbath to Saint Vitus are obvious (“Here Comes the Wizard”), complemented by other influences from proto-metal, psychedelic, and progressive music (“Silence Spoken”). The hefty, layered guitars have a nice fuzz without fully landing in stoner territory. Ambitious long-form tracks like “Will Dusk Defy Dawn” flow like water while carrying significant emotional heft. Lastly, a moody, reverb-heavy vocal performance crowns the classic doom trance the band is aiming for. At five tracks and some 43 minutes, The Blood Lives Again is a total vibe and flies by before you’ve even noticed. Fans of the ’70s should take notes!

Temple Balls // Temple Balls [February 13th, 2026 – Frontiers Music]

One of the most authentic ways you can honor rock music tradition is via questionable naming conventions. On an unrelated note, Temple Balls is a Finnish hard rock/glam rock band, and they’re fun as hell! They’re not particularly new around the block, either: the group formed in 2009, and self-titled Temple Balls is already their fifth album since debut Traded Dreams in 2017. 2023’s Avalanche felt like a watershed moment, a welcome surprise that brought some new life and energy to a fairly dated genre of Europeisms and Hanoi Rocks rehashes. Temple Balls proves that Avalanche wasn’t a one-off, continuing their extremely authentic throwback approach. The heavy/power-metal-meets-AOR direction of songwriting (“Flashback Dynamite,” “Soul Survivor”) gives it that extra guitar oomph and energy that melodic music like this requires to be anywhere near competitive. With great all-out vocals from Arde Teronen and gigantic hooks to match, it’s just a damn good time front to back. Though it will sadly be the last time we’ll hear Niko Vuorela’s guitar work on record (R.I.P., and fuck cancer), the self-titled is certainly a worthy final milestone for him—and hopefully, another beginning for his comrades.

ClarkKent’s Enchanting Earworm

Hela // A Reign to Conquer [February 27, 2026 – Ardua Music]

Just as it put a pause on many plans and projects, the COVID pandemic slowed down the output of Spain’s Hela. A Reign to Conquer marks their first record since 2019’s Vegvìsir, which was their third release since 2013. This brief hiatus brought new blood in the form of vocalist Raquel Navarro, though, in truth, the only consistency in Hela’s lineup is the other three members—Tano Giménez on bass, Miguel Fernández (The Holeum) on drums, and Julián Velasco (The Holeum) on guitars. They have a deep bond, first forged in 2009 with The Sand Collector before forming Hela just three years later. Though they brand Hela as melodic doom, and the band does have a little in common with Katatonia, I think it’s more accurate to describe them as dreamy progressive rock. Navarro is a major reason for this, with dreamy croons that guide listeners through breezy soundscapes. She bears a passing resemblance to Maud the Moth, though the music Hela plays is decidedly more metal than our Dolphin friend’s favorite nocturnal insect. Guitarist Velasco plays a hypnotizing mix of atmospheric fuzz, crushing doom, and melodic riffs that add some heft and crunch to the ethereal sound. A Reign to Conquer has plenty of layers to probe, rewarding listeners who bear with it for repeat listens. While my initial spins left me wanting, I’ve since become spellbound. Add to that some gorgeous artwork, and this is a nice addition to anyone’s vinyl collection. Hela yeah!

Spicie Forrest’s Vicious Vittles

A Wilhelm Scream8 // Cheap Heat [February 27th, 2026 – Creator-Destructor Records]

A Wilhelm Scream9 returns after a four-year hiatus with their eighth long player, Cheap Heat. Sounding like the best combination of The Story So Far and Rise Against, A Wilhelm Scream delivers an impressive tour de force so late in their career. Vocalist Nuno Pereira10 is the highlight of Cheap Heat, driving the album with urgency and passion (“Somebody’s Gonna Die,” “Fell Off”), but no one here is a slouch. The rhythm section—bassist Brian J. Robinson, rhythm guitarist Trevor Reilly, and drummer Nicholas Pasquale Angelini—gleefully tosses gas on Pereira’s bonfire (“I Got Tunnel Vision”) and delivers solid grooves (“Poison II”) and searing ragers (“Unsolving the Mystery”) that keep the energy cranked to 11 all through Cheap Heat. Hooks are by far the most common lead duty, and Ben Murray puts on a fucking clinic. Each note that rings out from his axe sounds like it fucking owns the place (“Run,” “Visitor: Unimpressed”). Cheap Heat is a smidge front-loaded with “Midnight Ghost” and “I Got Tunnel Vision” being album highlights, but no song on here is anything short of a barn burner. At a super tight 28 minutes, Cheap Heat hits hard and fast and gets the fuck out of Dodge before you’re even sure what hit you. I didn’t expect a 26-year-old hardcore outfit to knock my teeth out when I queued it up on a whim one morning, but Cheap Heat is proving to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

Lead Injector // Witching Attack [February 20th, 2026 – High Roller Records]

Who doesn’t like the combination of thrash’s unchained aggression and black metal’s cold hate? There’s never been a better pair. Lead Injector hit the ground running on debut LP Witching Attack. From the opening moments of “Siege Upon Heaven” to the closing moments of “Nuclear Antichrist,” Lead Injector is here to do two things: feed high-speed buckshot to God, skeletons, and anything else that gets in their way, and have a Hellripping good time. “Angel Destructor” and “Siege Upon Heaven” barrel pell-mell through searing riffs and blast beats, while groovier tracks like “Evil Executioner” and “Nuclear Antichrist” let black metal’s punk ancestry shine through. Heavy metal influences a la Judas Priest can be found injected into tracks like “Sacrifice This Bitch” and “M.C.C.I.” While nothing about Lead Injector’s sound is particularly new, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. This debut is a unique and retro spin on a tried-and-true formula that bodes well for a young band. Witching Attack is a killer time that Ash Williams would gladly spin while boomsticking Deadites alongside Lord Arthur’s army.

Seems like the Filtration system is overburdened once again. Normally, my minions have to scavenge much longer to pick things up this early in the year, but 2026 is proving to be rich in moderately precious metallic ore. That just means I gotta push my team even harder to pull greater loads of filth from the ducts!

As I send them in for yet another round, please enjoy the spoils thus far exploited. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Tattered Tome

Overtoun // Death Drive Anthropology [February 13th, 2026 – Time to Kill Records]

Chilean progressive death thrash outfit Overtoun is what you get when you mix old school Death and Atheist with the proggier side of Pestilence, then amp the thrash up by a half turn. At a lofty 50 minutes, you’d expect third release Death Drive Anthropology to drag on, but to make that assumption is to criminally underestimate Overtoun’s creativity and versatility. Opening up the throttle in fine form, the one-two punch of “What Unites All (ft. Max Phelps) and “The Final Beat” manages to encompass many of these Chileans’ songwriting and performance skills in a scant 10 minutes. More introspective, nuanced songwriting takes center stage throughout Anthropology’s midsection, balancing smart melodies and minimalist atmosphere with complex guitar layering, proggy structures, and shreddy wizardry (“Dur Khrod,” “Jade, Gold, Obsidian,” “Yurei,” “Weeping”). The three-part “The Waves Suite” suite adds a mystical character to the affair that blends remarkably well with Overtoun’s more overt political messaging and emotional textures, which helps carry the record through its lengthy runtime without causing fatigue. It’s a neat record that’s modestly blemished by a bass presence that begs for more weight and wildness, especially considering the raw talent on hand. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a creative, thoughtful, and sophisticated entry into the death/thrash progosphere, Death Drive Anthropology makes a strong case.

Andy-War-Hall’s Primordial Pick-Up

The Grand Myth // Of Vultures and Dragons [February 26th, 2026 – Suncrusher Recordings]

I have a grossly limited capacity for seriousness. Yeah, I like my death metal progressive, technical, and thoughtful, much the way Brandon Bordman’s The Grand Myth deliver it on their latest record, Of Vultures and Dragons, but sometimes I just want fun, too. Of Vultures and Dragons, an adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ novel series Primitive War1 in which a rescue team searches a Vietnamese jungle for a missing platoon of Green Berets and fights for their lives against dinosaurs, has fun in spades. Utilizing a many-layered guitar attack (“Symbiotic Death”), shifting and propulsive rhythms (“Through the River Styx”), a wide cast of voice actors for brief narrative bits2 and surprisingly bright tones (“Agony”), The Grand Myth’s approach to progressive death metal isn’t revolutionary, but it’s deeply refreshing and engaging regardless. Though an absolute blast, The Grand Myth doesn’t spew embarrassingly stupid levels of campiness with their sci-fi dinosaur theming like Victorius. Rather, Of Vultures and Dragons can be fairly emotionally effective at times thanks to Bordman’s emotive clean/harsh vocals and elaborate soloing (“Pyre,” “Agony”). Nobody asks about your favorite dinosaur anymore,3 so feed your inner kid with The Grand Myth’s Of Vultures and Dragons now!

Saunders’ Sunken Shards

Puscifer// Normal Isn’t [February 6th, 2026 – Alchemy Recordings]

After losing track of recent offerings, I reacquainted myself with the latest LP from Puscifer, leaving me pleasantly surprised in the aftermath. The project featuring Tool/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan returned for their first hit out since 2020’s Existential Reckoning. Normal Isn’t finds the shape-shifting project embracing its quirky, gothy industrial rock and electronic elements through an angsty filter of guitar-driven arty rock, post-punk, and infectious songcraft. Age should not weary Maynard, as he still sounds angry, cynical, and on point vocally through a mostly engaging, catchy bag of tunes. The dueling vocal melodies with collaborator Carina Round’s ghostly singing work a treat amidst jittery beats, angular riffs and strong electronic overtones. Rhythmically, it is an interesting ride, drummer Gunnar Olsen putting in a top-notch performance, while there is a vaguely progressive edge underlying the hook-centric songwriting. Opener “Thrust” sets the album in motion with sticky hooks, a darkly humorous, unhinged Maynard performance, and a dose of spite. Other key highlights include “Bad Wolf,” “Self Evident,” “A Public Stoning,” and “ImpetuoUs.” Puscifer made a fine return with Normal Isn’t.

Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows // Inexorable Opposites [February 6th, 2026 – Magnetic Eye Records]

You’ve gotta love a sneaky name drop from our trusty commentariat. It has led to many great discoveries over the years. On this occasion, one of our dear commenters enlightened me to Melbourne psych-blues-doomers Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows with fourth LP, Inexorable Opposites. And it didn’t take long absorbing this latest slab of rustic Aussie coolness to be struck by the album’s slow-burning, addictive power, and gritty tones. Boasting an expansive, rugged sound built on layers of distortion and a weighty blend of psych-drenched blues and doom heaviness. Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows features old school, outlaw-driven lyrical content from mastermind and vocalist/guitarist Tim Coutts-Smith, meshing fictional tales of woe and adventure of character Jack Harlon, with relatable real-life struggles. Through the fuzz, thick jammy vibes, and Coutts-Smith distorted, menacing Aussie drawl, catchy songcraft shines through the muck and psych haze. From the tense, stoner-infected grit and catchy hooks of opener “Moss,” through to the stormy outback balladry of closer “To Die,” Inexorable Opposites is a hard-hitting, riffy delight, further evidenced through scorched earth, infectious cuts like “Venomous,” “Seer,” and the trippy, drug-addled “Mt. Macedon.”

Grin Reaper’s Reaped Recluse

Cold Communion // Monuments to Ruin [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Melodic death/doom isn’t a genre I dabble in often, but every now and again, one of its bands thwarts my defenses and wraps their tendrils around my precious listening time. Durham, North Carolina’s Cold Communion is one such band, featuring Barre Gambling (Daylight Dies) on guitar and Tim Rowland (Alchemy of Flesh, Silent Vigil) on everything else. If that sounds like an unfair split, take a spin and reassess, because Gambling’s performance defines Cold Communion’s melancholic character as much as Rowland’s emotive growl. Forgoing any long-form doom epics, Monuments to Ruin’s longest song comes in at five-and-a-half minutes, with the entire album clocking just forty-five. It’s a tidy platter, and both in song composition and mood shares ample common ground with Finnish sadbois Insomnium. Besides Monuments’ superior production, songs like “A Stillness Survival” and “When the Light Breaks” wouldn’t feel out of place on Across the Dark or One for Sorrow. And despite the somber trappings one might expect from doom-adjacency, there’s plenty of lively riffing and solos to find across Monuments to Ruin, adding a touch of boom to the gloom. In the end, Cold Communion doesn’t reinvent the genre or break new ground, but Monuments to Ruin offers a comfy chair by the fireside on a freezing cold day, and I’m perfectly content with that.

Mossgiver // Renewer [February 6th, 2026 – Sij MusicArt]

Atmospheric black metal often contrasts the beautiful with the bestial, typically prioritizing moods over hooks. ‘Twas a delight, then, to unearth Mossgiver’s Renewal, which deftly combines the two. Weaving together hypnotic passages flooded with strings, piano, flute, synths, double bass rolls, and the requisite blackened tremolos,4 Mossgiver’s mastermind Tilen Šimon (Ueldes) delivers the band’s best record to date. Above all, Renewer sounds like a celebration of nature in the vein of Autrest and Cân Bardd, evoking a whispering wind whipping at leaves or sunlight dappling a brook shaded by oaks and maples. Beyond the well-crafted soundtrack for a walk through the woods, Mossgiver etches emotion into the nooks and crannies of Renewer’s five tracks. From rousing string orchestrations (“I Bring the Spring with Me”) to soft-and-heavy tradeoffs pitting clean guitar and pan pipes against distorted guitar and blast beats (“Renewer”), Mossgiver shimmers with a lush backdrop of instrumentation rife with playfulness and pensiveness. The trio of primary songs5 revolve around powerful melodies that evolve over each track’s duration, with assorted instruments coming in and out to push refrains along. Renewer’s brisk thirty-four minutes showcase Mossgiver’s sticky compositions and leave me whistling its melodies for days at a time. Now throw on your hiking boots and get lost in the Moss.

Ossomancer // Banebdjed’s Path [February 28th, 2026 – Esoteric Evocations]

Six-and-a-half years removed from Ossomancer’s debut Artes Magickae, lone wolf and mastermind Kamose returns to tread Banebjed’s Path. Bursting with references to mythology and mysticism, Banebjed’s Path rumbles and shakes with arcane thunder. Although the backdrop and track names might recall the frenzied onslaught of Nile, Ossomancer instead conceives a realm recalling Aeternam, Iotunn, and Naglfar. Despite the scant thirty-four-minute runtime, Banebjed’s Path sprawls across diverse landscapes and textures. Opener “The Ogdoad Arrangement and the Osirian Creation” oscillates between In Flames melodies and a slinky crawl that could pass for a 90s Geddy Lee bass line played over synth injections from Rush’s 80s era. Follow-up track “Sobek – Cosmic Vibrations Devoured” features Kreator-bred riffing, while closing duo “A Sea of Sand, a Silver Star” and “Retraction into Kether” synthesize the ethereal atmospheres of Iotunn with the blackened assault of Naglfar. Through it all, Ossomancer sounds fabulous, as Banebjed’s Path flaunts an enviable DR 8 and a bodacious mix that spotlights its burly bass performance. Ossomancer’s sophomore outing is crammed with meloblack goodies, and though it’s not a long trek, the journey down Banebjed’s Path far transcends its distance.

Tyme’s Danish Dalliance

Ædel Fetich // Ædel Fetich [February 20th, 2026 – Deadbanger Productions]

That blinged-out pink dish-glove-clad hand is what first drew me to Denmark outfit Ædel Fetich’s self-titled debut. Then I clicked play and was taken on one of the more compelling “black” metal rides in recent memory. With roots primarily buried in the soil of the traditional second-wave, Ædel Fetich is rife with moments of rifferous tremolodic speed (“Ridderlig Lider,” “Madras”) and absolutely berserk guitar chaos (“Sort Magi”). There’s a Trhä-like sense of experimentation, and the rawness of the production enhances the oft-changing compositions, which, like weather in the Midwest, often shift on a dime without warning. Luckily, Ædel Fetich’s adept songwriting organically smooths these transitions, which could have easily come off stilted and jarring, but makes drawing direct comparisons to the Ædel Fetich sound difficult, as there’s a spectrum of other influences at play. There are tracks packed with punky punch (“Et Liv Fuld af Fejl,” “Ildtang”) or imbued with folky reverence (“Mit Billede af Dig”) and even some 80s pop—fans of the movie Flashdance shouldn’t have a problem finding the poppy easter egg hiding near the end of “Sort Magi.”6 Far and away the star of the show, however, is singer Skvat, whose performance is filled with as much black metal bravado as it is theatrical exuberance, his arsenal of shrieks, growls, hoots, howls, and operatic baritonations a refreshing treat, akin to if Mike Patton woke up one day deciding to record a Danish black metal album. Bottom line is, I really dig Ædel Fetich and think you will too.

Creeping Ivy’s Ashen Afterthought

Belzebong // The End is High [February 20th, 2026 – Heavy Psych Sounds]

In my humble opinion, lyrics are key to making stoner metal more than novelty music. If you’re referencing reefer in your album art, band name, and song titles, at least keep the reeferisms out of the songs themselves,7 or better yet, avoid vocals altogether. Taking this latter advice to heart is instrumental Polish four-piece Belzebong, who have been at it for almost 20 years now. On The End is High, their fourth full-length, Belzebong deal 35 minutes of fuzzed-out riffery described as “a new sermon for the final days.” While not as highbrow (huh huh) as the instrumental stoner metal of Bongripper, Belzebong are similarly ominous on opener (yes) “Bong & Chain,” which caps its ten-minute burn with creepy, haunting synths. From there, the band settle into material more akin to Bongzilla; sound clips adorn the chill grooves of “420 Horsemen,” “Hempnotized,” and “Reefer Mortis,” which closes things out with some solid Electric Wizard worship. If you instinctively (and understandably) recoil from music with marijuana aesthetics but dig the meditative repetition offered by stoner metal, consider sampling The End is High. It’s not exactly the caricature it advertises itself as.

Baguette’s Bygone Bounty

Sundecay // The Blood Lives Again [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Toronto’s Sundecay has been around for a while. These Canadian doomers spawned sometime prior to 2014, quietly releasing EP material every once in a blue moon. The Blood Lives Again is their first full-length release—their first signs of life since 2018 in general—and the time and care they took to develop their sound and songwriting prowess pays off here in spades. The doom and proto-doom inspirations from Black Sabbath to Saint Vitus are obvious (“Here Comes the Wizard”), complemented by other influences from proto-metal, psychedelic, and progressive music (“Silence Spoken”). The hefty, layered guitars have a nice fuzz without fully landing in stoner territory. Ambitious long-form tracks like “Will Dusk Defy Dawn” flow like water while carrying significant emotional heft. Lastly, a moody, reverb-heavy vocal performance crowns the classic doom trance the band is aiming for. At five tracks and some 43 minutes, The Blood Lives Again is a total vibe and flies by before you’ve even noticed. Fans of the ’70s should take notes!

Temple Balls // Temple Balls [February 13th, 2026 – Frontiers Music]

One of the most authentic ways you can honor rock music tradition is via questionable naming conventions. On an unrelated note, Temple Balls is a Finnish hard rock/glam rock band, and they’re fun as hell! They’re not particularly new around the block, either: the group formed in 2009, and self-titled Temple Balls is already their fifth album since debut Traded Dreams in 2017. 2023’s Avalanche felt like a watershed moment, a welcome surprise that brought some new life and energy to a fairly dated genre of Europeisms and Hanoi Rocks rehashes. Temple Balls proves that Avalanche wasn’t a one-off, continuing their extremely authentic throwback approach. The heavy/power-metal-meets-AOR direction of songwriting (“Flashback Dynamite,” “Soul Survivor”) gives it that extra guitar oomph and energy that melodic music like this requires to be anywhere near competitive. With great all-out vocals from Arde Teronen and gigantic hooks to match, it’s just a damn good time front to back. Though it will sadly be the last time we’ll hear Niko Vuorela’s guitar work on record (R.I.P., and fuck cancer), the self-titled is certainly a worthy final milestone for him—and hopefully, another beginning for his comrades.

ClarkKent’s Enchanting Earworm

Hela // A Reign to Conquer [February 27, 2026 – Ardua Music]

Just as it put a pause on many plans and projects, the COVID pandemic slowed down the output of Spain’s Hela. A Reign to Conquer marks their first record since 2019’s Vegvìsir, which was their third release since 2013. This brief hiatus brought new blood in the form of vocalist Raquel Navarro, though, in truth, the only consistency in Hela’s lineup is the other three members—Tano Giménez on bass, Miguel Fernández (The Holeum) on drums, and Julián Velasco (The Holeum) on guitars. They have a deep bond, first forged in 2009 with The Sand Collector before forming Hela just three years later. Though they brand Hela as melodic doom, and the band does have a little in common with Katatonia, I think it’s more accurate to describe them as dreamy progressive rock. Navarro is a major reason for this, with dreamy croons that guide listeners through breezy soundscapes. She bears a passing resemblance to Maud the Moth, though the music Hela plays is decidedly more metal than our Dolphin friend’s favorite nocturnal insect. Guitarist Velasco plays a hypnotizing mix of atmospheric fuzz, crushing doom, and melodic riffs that add some heft and crunch to the ethereal sound. A Reign to Conquer has plenty of layers to probe, rewarding listeners who bear with it for repeat listens. While my initial spins left me wanting, I’ve since become spellbound. Add to that some gorgeous artwork, and this is a nice addition to anyone’s vinyl collection. Hela yeah!

Spicie Forrest’s Vicious Vittles

A Wilhelm Scream8 // Cheap Heat [February 27th, 2026 – Creator-Destructor Records]

A Wilhelm Scream9 returns after a four-year hiatus with their eighth long player, Cheap Heat. Sounding like the best combination of The Story So Far and Rise Against, A Wilhelm Scream delivers an impressive tour de force so late in their career. Vocalist Nuno Pereira10 is the highlight of Cheap Heat, driving the album with urgency and passion (“Somebody’s Gonna Die,” “Fell Off”), but no one here is a slouch. The rhythm section—bassist Brian J. Robinson, rhythm guitarist Trevor Reilly, and drummer Nicholas Pasquale Angelini—gleefully tosses gas on Pereira’s bonfire (“I Got Tunnel Vision”) and delivers solid grooves (“Poison II”) and searing ragers (“Unsolving the Mystery”) that keep the energy cranked to 11 all through Cheap Heat. Hooks are by far the most common lead duty, and Ben Murray puts on a fucking clinic. Each note that rings out from his axe sounds like it fucking owns the place (“Run,” “Visitor: Unimpressed”). Cheap Heat is a smidge front-loaded with “Midnight Ghost” and “I Got Tunnel Vision” being album highlights, but no song on here is anything short of a barn burner. At a super tight 28 minutes, Cheap Heat hits hard and fast and gets the fuck out of Dodge before you’re even sure what hit you. I didn’t expect a 26-year-old hardcore outfit to knock my teeth out when I queued it up on a whim one morning, but Cheap Heat is proving to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

Lead Injector // Witching Attack [February 20th, 2026 – High Roller Records]

Who doesn’t like the combination of thrash’s unchained aggression and black metal’s cold hate? There’s never been a better pair. Lead Injector hit the ground running on debut LP Witching Attack. From the opening moments of “Siege Upon Heaven” to the closing moments of “Nuclear Antichrist,” Lead Injector is here to do two things: feed high-speed buckshot to God, skeletons, and anything else that gets in their way, and have a Hellripping good time. “Angel Destructor” and “Siege Upon Heaven” barrel pell-mell through searing riffs and blast beats, while groovier tracks like “Evil Executioner” and “Nuclear Antichrist” let black metal’s punk ancestry shine through. Heavy metal influences a la Judas Priest can be found injected into tracks like “Sacrifice This Bitch” and “M.C.C.I.” While nothing about Lead Injector’s sound is particularly new, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. This debut is a unique and retro spin on a tried-and-true formula that bodes well for a young band. Witching Attack is a killer time that Ash Williams would gladly spin while boomsticking Deadites alongside Lord Arthur’s army.

Seems like the Filtration system is overburdened once again. Normally, my minions have to scavenge much longer to pick things up this early in the year, but 2026 is proving to be rich in moderately precious metallic ore. That just means I gotta push my team even harder to pull greater loads of filth from the ducts!

As I send them in for yet another round, please enjoy the spoils thus far exploited. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Tattered Tome

Overtoun // Death Drive Anthropology [February 13th, 2026 – Time to Kill Records]

Chilean progressive death thrash outfit Overtoun is what you get when you mix old school Death and Atheist with the proggier side of Pestilence, then amp the thrash up by a half turn. At a lofty 50 minutes, you’d expect third release Death Drive Anthropology to drag on, but to make that assumption is to criminally underestimate Overtoun’s creativity and versatility. Opening up the throttle in fine form, the one-two punch of “What Unites All (ft. Max Phelps) and “The Final Beat” manages to encompass many of these Chileans’ songwriting and performance skills in a scant 10 minutes. More introspective, nuanced songwriting takes center stage throughout Anthropology’s midsection, balancing smart melodies and minimalist atmosphere with complex guitar layering, proggy structures, and shreddy wizardry (“Dur Khrod,” “Jade, Gold, Obsidian,” “Yurei,” “Weeping”). The three-part “The Waves Suite” suite adds a mystical character to the affair that blends remarkably well with Overtoun’s more overt political messaging and emotional textures, which helps carry the record through its lengthy runtime without causing fatigue. It’s a neat record that’s modestly blemished by a bass presence that begs for more weight and wildness, especially considering the raw talent on hand. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a creative, thoughtful, and sophisticated entry into the death/thrash progosphere, Death Drive Anthropology makes a strong case.

Andy-War-Hall’s Primordial Pick-Up

The Grand Myth // Of Vultures and Dragons [February 26th, 2026 – Suncrusher Recordings]

I have a grossly limited capacity for seriousness. Yeah, I like my death metal progressive, technical, and thoughtful, much the way Brandon Bordman’s The Grand Myth deliver it on their latest record, Of Vultures and Dragons, but sometimes I just want fun, too. Of Vultures and Dragons, an adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ novel series Primitive War1 in which a rescue team searches a Vietnamese jungle for a missing platoon of Green Berets and fights for their lives against dinosaurs, has fun in spades. Utilizing a many-layered guitar attack (“Symbiotic Death”), shifting and propulsive rhythms (“Through the River Styx”), a wide cast of voice actors for brief narrative bits2 and surprisingly bright tones (“Agony”), The Grand Myth’s approach to progressive death metal isn’t revolutionary, but it’s deeply refreshing and engaging regardless. Though an absolute blast, The Grand Myth doesn’t spew embarrassingly stupid levels of campiness with their sci-fi dinosaur theming like Victorius. Rather, Of Vultures and Dragons can be fairly emotionally effective at times thanks to Bordman’s emotive clean/harsh vocals and elaborate soloing (“Pyre,” “Agony”). Nobody asks about your favorite dinosaur anymore,3 so feed your inner kid with The Grand Myth’s Of Vultures and Dragons now!

Saunders’ Sunken Shards

Puscifer// Normal Isn’t [February 6th, 2026 – Alchemy Recordings]

After losing track of recent offerings, I reacquainted myself with the latest LP from Puscifer, leaving me pleasantly surprised in the aftermath. The project featuring Tool/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan returned for their first hit out since 2020’s Existential Reckoning. Normal Isn’t finds the shape-shifting project embracing its quirky, gothy industrial rock and electronic elements through an angsty filter of guitar-driven arty rock, post-punk, and infectious songcraft. Age should not weary Maynard, as he still sounds angry, cynical, and on point vocally through a mostly engaging, catchy bag of tunes. The dueling vocal melodies with collaborator Carina Round’s ghostly singing work a treat amidst jittery beats, angular riffs and strong electronic overtones. Rhythmically, it is an interesting ride, drummer Gunnar Olsen putting in a top-notch performance, while there is a vaguely progressive edge underlying the hook-centric songwriting. Opener “Thrust” sets the album in motion with sticky hooks, a darkly humorous, unhinged Maynard performance, and a dose of spite. Other key highlights include “Bad Wolf,” “Self Evident,” “A Public Stoning,” and “ImpetuoUs.” Puscifer made a fine return with Normal Isn’t.

Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows // Inexorable Opposites [February 6th, 2026 – Magnetic Eye Records]

You’ve gotta love a sneaky name drop from our trusty commentariat. It has led to many great discoveries over the years. On this occasion, one of our dear commenters enlightened me to Melbourne psych-blues-doomers Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows with fourth LP, Inexorable Opposites. And it didn’t take long absorbing this latest slab of rustic Aussie coolness to be struck by the album’s slow-burning, addictive power, and gritty tones. Boasting an expansive, rugged sound built on layers of distortion and a weighty blend of psych-drenched blues and doom heaviness. Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows features old school, outlaw-driven lyrical content from mastermind and vocalist/guitarist Tim Coutts-Smith, meshing fictional tales of woe and adventure of character Jack Harlon, with relatable real-life struggles. Through the fuzz, thick jammy vibes, and Coutts-Smith distorted, menacing Aussie drawl, catchy songcraft shines through the muck and psych haze. From the tense, stoner-infected grit and catchy hooks of opener “Moss,” through to the stormy outback balladry of closer “To Die,” Inexorable Opposites is a hard-hitting, riffy delight, further evidenced through scorched earth, infectious cuts like “Venomous,” “Seer,” and the trippy, drug-addled “Mt. Macedon.”

Grin Reaper’s Reaped Recluse

Cold Communion // Monuments to Ruin [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Melodic death/doom isn’t a genre I dabble in often, but every now and again, one of its bands thwarts my defenses and wraps their tendrils around my precious listening time. Durham, North Carolina’s Cold Communion is one such band, featuring Barre Gambling (Daylight Dies) on guitar and Tim Rowland (Alchemy of Flesh, Silent Vigil) on everything else. If that sounds like an unfair split, take a spin and reassess, because Gambling’s performance defines Cold Communion’s melancholic character as much as Rowland’s emotive growl. Forgoing any long-form doom epics, Monuments to Ruin’s longest song comes in at five-and-a-half minutes, with the entire album clocking just forty-five. It’s a tidy platter, and both in song composition and mood shares ample common ground with Finnish sadbois Insomnium. Besides Monuments’ superior production, songs like “A Stillness Survival” and “When the Light Breaks” wouldn’t feel out of place on Across the Dark or One for Sorrow. And despite the somber trappings one might expect from doom-adjacency, there’s plenty of lively riffing and solos to find across Monuments to Ruin, adding a touch of boom to the gloom. In the end, Cold Communion doesn’t reinvent the genre or break new ground, but Monuments to Ruin offers a comfy chair by the fireside on a freezing cold day, and I’m perfectly content with that.

Mossgiver // Renewer [February 6th, 2026 – Sij MusicArt]

Atmospheric black metal often contrasts the beautiful with the bestial, typically prioritizing moods over hooks. ‘Twas a delight, then, to unearth Mossgiver’s Renewal, which deftly combines the two. Weaving together hypnotic passages flooded with strings, piano, flute, synths, double bass rolls, and the requisite blackened tremolos,4 Mossgiver’s mastermind Tilen Šimon (Ueldes) delivers the band’s best record to date. Above all, Renewer sounds like a celebration of nature in the vein of Autrest and Cân Bardd, evoking a whispering wind whipping at leaves or sunlight dappling a brook shaded by oaks and maples. Beyond the well-crafted soundtrack for a walk through the woods, Mossgiver etches emotion into the nooks and crannies of Renewer’s five tracks. From rousing string orchestrations (“I Bring the Spring with Me”) to soft-and-heavy tradeoffs pitting clean guitar and pan pipes against distorted guitar and blast beats (“Renewer”), Mossgiver shimmers with a lush backdrop of instrumentation rife with playfulness and pensiveness. The trio of primary songs5 revolve around powerful melodies that evolve over each track’s duration, with assorted instruments coming in and out to push refrains along. Renewer’s brisk thirty-four minutes showcase Mossgiver’s sticky compositions and leave me whistling its melodies for days at a time. Now throw on your hiking boots and get lost in the Moss.

Ossomancer // Banebdjed’s Path [February 28th, 2026 – Esoteric Evocations]

Six-and-a-half years removed from Ossomancer’s debut Artes Magickae, lone wolf and mastermind Kamose returns to tread Banebjed’s Path. Bursting with references to mythology and mysticism, Banebjed’s Path rumbles and shakes with arcane thunder. Although the backdrop and track names might recall the frenzied onslaught of Nile, Ossomancer instead conceives a realm recalling Aeternam, Iotunn, and Naglfar. Despite the scant thirty-four-minute runtime, Banebjed’s Path sprawls across diverse landscapes and textures. Opener “The Ogdoad Arrangement and the Osirian Creation” oscillates between In Flames melodies and a slinky crawl that could pass for a 90s Geddy Lee bass line played over synth injections from Rush’s 80s era. Follow-up track “Sobek – Cosmic Vibrations Devoured” features Kreator-bred riffing, while closing duo “A Sea of Sand, a Silver Star” and “Retraction into Kether” synthesize the ethereal atmospheres of Iotunn with the blackened assault of Naglfar. Through it all, Ossomancer sounds fabulous, as Banebjed’s Path flaunts an enviable DR 8 and a bodacious mix that spotlights its burly bass performance. Ossomancer’s sophomore outing is crammed with meloblack goodies, and though it’s not a long trek, the journey down Banebjed’s Path far transcends its distance.

Tyme’s Danish Dalliance

Ædel Fetich // Ædel Fetich [February 20th, 2026 – Deadbanger Productions]

That blinged-out pink dish-glove-clad hand is what first drew me to Denmark outfit Ædel Fetich’s self-titled debut. Then I clicked play and was taken on one of the more compelling “black” metal rides in recent memory. With roots primarily buried in the soil of the traditional second-wave, Ædel Fetich is rife with moments of rifferous tremolodic speed (“Ridderlig Lider,” “Madras”) and absolutely berserk guitar chaos (“Sort Magi”). There’s a Trhä-like sense of experimentation, and the rawness of the production enhances the oft-changing compositions, which, like weather in the Midwest, often shift on a dime without warning. Luckily, Ædel Fetich’s adept songwriting organically smooths these transitions, which could have easily come off stilted and jarring, but makes drawing direct comparisons to the Ædel Fetich sound difficult, as there’s a spectrum of other influences at play. There are tracks packed with punky punch (“Et Liv Fuld af Fejl,” “Ildtang”) or imbued with folky reverence (“Mit Billede af Dig”) and even some 80s pop—fans of the movie Flashdance shouldn’t have a problem finding the poppy easter egg hiding near the end of “Sort Magi.”6 Far and away the star of the show, however, is singer Skvat, whose performance is filled with as much black metal bravado as it is theatrical exuberance, his arsenal of shrieks, growls, hoots, howls, and operatic baritonations a refreshing treat, akin to if Mike Patton woke up one day deciding to record a Danish black metal album. Bottom line is, I really dig Ædel Fetich and think you will too.

Creeping Ivy’s Ashen Afterthought

Belzebong // The End is High [February 20th, 2026 – Heavy Psych Sounds]

In my humble opinion, lyrics are key to making stoner metal more than novelty music. If you’re referencing reefer in your album art, band name, and song titles, at least keep the reeferisms out of the songs themselves,7 or better yet, avoid vocals altogether. Taking this latter advice to heart is instrumental Polish four-piece Belzebong, who have been at it for almost 20 years now. On The End is High, their fourth full-length, Belzebong deal 35 minutes of fuzzed-out riffery described as “a new sermon for the final days.” While not as highbrow (huh huh) as the instrumental stoner metal of Bongripper, Belzebong are similarly ominous on opener (yes) “Bong & Chain,” which caps its ten-minute burn with creepy, haunting synths. From there, the band settle into material more akin to Bongzilla; sound clips adorn the chill grooves of “420 Horsemen,” “Hempnotized,” and “Reefer Mortis,” which closes things out with some solid Electric Wizard worship. If you instinctively (and understandably) recoil from music with marijuana aesthetics but dig the meditative repetition offered by stoner metal, consider sampling The End is High. It’s not exactly the caricature it advertises itself as.

Baguette’s Bygone Bounty

Sundecay // The Blood Lives Again [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Toronto’s Sundecay has been around for a while. These Canadian doomers spawned sometime prior to 2014, quietly releasing EP material every once in a blue moon. The Blood Lives Again is their first full-length release—their first signs of life since 2018 in general—and the time and care they took to develop their sound and songwriting prowess pays off here in spades. The doom and proto-doom inspirations from Black Sabbath to Saint Vitus are obvious (“Here Comes the Wizard”), complemented by other influences from proto-metal, psychedelic, and progressive music (“Silence Spoken”). The hefty, layered guitars have a nice fuzz without fully landing in stoner territory. Ambitious long-form tracks like “Will Dusk Defy Dawn” flow like water while carrying significant emotional heft. Lastly, a moody, reverb-heavy vocal performance crowns the classic doom trance the band is aiming for. At five tracks and some 43 minutes, The Blood Lives Again is a total vibe and flies by before you’ve even noticed. Fans of the ’70s should take notes!

Temple Balls // Temple Balls [February 13th, 2026 – Frontiers Music]

One of the most authentic ways you can honor rock music tradition is via questionable naming conventions. On an unrelated note, Temple Balls is a Finnish hard rock/glam rock band, and they’re fun as hell! They’re not particularly new around the block, either: the group formed in 2009, and self-titled Temple Balls is already their fifth album since debut Traded Dreams in 2017. 2023’s Avalanche felt like a watershed moment, a welcome surprise that brought some new life and energy to a fairly dated genre of Europeisms and Hanoi Rocks rehashes. Temple Balls proves that Avalanche wasn’t a one-off, continuing their extremely authentic throwback approach. The heavy/power-metal-meets-AOR direction of songwriting (“Flashback Dynamite,” “Soul Survivor”) gives it that extra guitar oomph and energy that melodic music like this requires to be anywhere near competitive. With great all-out vocals from Arde Teronen and gigantic hooks to match, it’s just a damn good time front to back. Though it will sadly be the last time we’ll hear Niko Vuorela’s guitar work on record (R.I.P., and fuck cancer), the self-titled is certainly a worthy final milestone for him—and hopefully, another beginning for his comrades.

ClarkKent’s Enchanting Earworm

Hela // A Reign to Conquer [February 27, 2026 – Ardua Music]

Just as it put a pause on many plans and projects, the COVID pandemic slowed down the output of Spain’s Hela. A Reign to Conquer marks their first record since 2019’s Vegvìsir, which was their third release since 2013. This brief hiatus brought new blood in the form of vocalist Raquel Navarro, though, in truth, the only consistency in Hela’s lineup is the other three members—Tano Giménez on bass, Miguel Fernández (The Holeum) on drums, and Julián Velasco (The Holeum) on guitars. They have a deep bond, first forged in 2009 with The Sand Collector before forming Hela just three years later. Though they brand Hela as melodic doom, and the band does have a little in common with Katatonia, I think it’s more accurate to describe them as dreamy progressive rock. Navarro is a major reason for this, with dreamy croons that guide listeners through breezy soundscapes. She bears a passing resemblance to Maud the Moth, though the music Hela plays is decidedly more metal than our Dolphin friend’s favorite nocturnal insect. Guitarist Velasco plays a hypnotizing mix of atmospheric fuzz, crushing doom, and melodic riffs that add some heft and crunch to the ethereal sound. A Reign to Conquer has plenty of layers to probe, rewarding listeners who bear with it for repeat listens. While my initial spins left me wanting, I’ve since become spellbound. Add to that some gorgeous artwork, and this is a nice addition to anyone’s vinyl collection. Hela yeah!

Spicie Forrest’s Vicious Vittles

A Wilhelm Scream8 // Cheap Heat [February 27th, 2026 – Creator-Destructor Records]

A Wilhelm Scream9 returns after a four-year hiatus with their eighth long player, Cheap Heat. Sounding like the best combination of The Story So Far and Rise Against, A Wilhelm Scream delivers an impressive tour de force so late in their career. Vocalist Nuno Pereira10 is the highlight of Cheap Heat, driving the album with urgency and passion (“Somebody’s Gonna Die,” “Fell Off”), but no one here is a slouch. The rhythm section—bassist Brian J. Robinson, rhythm guitarist Trevor Reilly, and drummer Nicholas Pasquale Angelini—gleefully tosses gas on Pereira’s bonfire (“I Got Tunnel Vision”) and delivers solid grooves (“Poison II”) and searing ragers (“Unsolving the Mystery”) that keep the energy cranked to 11 all through Cheap Heat. Hooks are by far the most common lead duty, and Ben Murray puts on a fucking clinic. Each note that rings out from his axe sounds like it fucking owns the place (“Run,” “Visitor: Unimpressed”). Cheap Heat is a smidge front-loaded with “Midnight Ghost” and “I Got Tunnel Vision” being album highlights, but no song on here is anything short of a barn burner. At a super tight 28 minutes, Cheap Heat hits hard and fast and gets the fuck out of Dodge before you’re even sure what hit you. I didn’t expect a 26-year-old hardcore outfit to knock my teeth out when I queued it up on a whim one morning, but Cheap Heat is proving to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

Lead Injector // Witching Attack [February 20th, 2026 – High Roller Records]

Who doesn’t like the combination of thrash’s unchained aggression and black metal’s cold hate? There’s never been a better pair. Lead Injector hit the ground running on debut LP Witching Attack. From the opening moments of “Siege Upon Heaven” to the closing moments of “Nuclear Antichrist,” Lead Injector is here to do two things: feed high-speed buckshot to God, skeletons, and anything else that gets in their way, and have a Hellripping good time. “Angel Destructor” and “Siege Upon Heaven” barrel pell-mell through searing riffs and blast beats, while groovier tracks like “Evil Executioner” and “Nuclear Antichrist” let black metal’s punk ancestry shine through. Heavy metal influences a la Judas Priest can be found injected into tracks like “Sacrifice This Bitch” and “M.C.C.I.” While nothing about Lead Injector’s sound is particularly new, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. This debut is a unique and retro spin on a tried-and-true formula that bodes well for a young band. Witching Attack is a killer time that Ash Williams would gladly spin while boomsticking Deadites alongside Lord Arthur’s army.

Seems like the Filtration system is overburdened once again. Normally, my minions have to scavenge much longer to pick things up this early in the year, but 2026 is proving to be rich in moderately precious metallic ore. That just means I gotta push my team even harder to pull greater loads of filth from the ducts!

As I send them in for yet another round, please enjoy the spoils thus far exploited. BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Tattered Tome

Overtoun // Death Drive Anthropology [February 13th, 2026 – Time to Kill Records]

Chilean progressive death thrash outfit Overtoun is what you get when you mix old school Death and Atheist with the proggier side of Pestilence, then amp the thrash up by a half turn. At a lofty 50 minutes, you’d expect third release Death Drive Anthropology to drag on, but to make that assumption is to criminally underestimate Overtoun’s creativity and versatility. Opening up the throttle in fine form, the one-two punch of “What Unites All (ft. Max Phelps) and “The Final Beat” manages to encompass many of these Chileans’ songwriting and performance skills in a scant 10 minutes. More introspective, nuanced songwriting takes center stage throughout Anthropology’s midsection, balancing smart melodies and minimalist atmosphere with complex guitar layering, proggy structures, and shreddy wizardry (“Dur Khrod,” “Jade, Gold, Obsidian,” “Yurei,” “Weeping”). The three-part “The Waves Suite” suite adds a mystical character to the affair that blends remarkably well with Overtoun’s more overt political messaging and emotional textures, which helps carry the record through its lengthy runtime without causing fatigue. It’s a neat record that’s modestly blemished by a bass presence that begs for more weight and wildness, especially considering the raw talent on hand. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a creative, thoughtful, and sophisticated entry into the death/thrash progosphere, Death Drive Anthropology makes a strong case.

Andy-War-Hall’s Primordial Pick-Up

The Grand Myth // Of Vultures and Dragons [February 26th, 2026 – Suncrusher Recordings]

I have a grossly limited capacity for seriousness. Yeah, I like my death metal progressive, technical, and thoughtful, much the way Brandon Bordman’s The Grand Myth deliver it on their latest record, Of Vultures and Dragons, but sometimes I just want fun, too. Of Vultures and Dragons, an adaptation of Ethan Pettus’ novel series Primitive War1 in which a rescue team searches a Vietnamese jungle for a missing platoon of Green Berets and fights for their lives against dinosaurs, has fun in spades. Utilizing a many-layered guitar attack (“Symbiotic Death”), shifting and propulsive rhythms (“Through the River Styx”), a wide cast of voice actors for brief narrative bits2 and surprisingly bright tones (“Agony”), The Grand Myth’s approach to progressive death metal isn’t revolutionary, but it’s deeply refreshing and engaging regardless. Though an absolute blast, The Grand Myth doesn’t spew embarrassingly stupid levels of campiness with their sci-fi dinosaur theming like Victorius. Rather, Of Vultures and Dragons can be fairly emotionally effective at times thanks to Bordman’s emotive clean/harsh vocals and elaborate soloing (“Pyre,” “Agony”). Nobody asks about your favorite dinosaur anymore,3 so feed your inner kid with The Grand Myth’s Of Vultures and Dragons now!

Saunders’ Sunken Shards

Puscifer// Normal Isn’t [February 6th, 2026 – Alchemy Recordings]

After losing track of recent offerings, I reacquainted myself with the latest LP from Puscifer, leaving me pleasantly surprised in the aftermath. The project featuring Tool/A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan returned for their first hit out since 2020’s Existential Reckoning. Normal Isn’t finds the shape-shifting project embracing its quirky, gothy industrial rock and electronic elements through an angsty filter of guitar-driven arty rock, post-punk, and infectious songcraft. Age should not weary Maynard, as he still sounds angry, cynical, and on point vocally through a mostly engaging, catchy bag of tunes. The dueling vocal melodies with collaborator Carina Round’s ghostly singing work a treat amidst jittery beats, angular riffs and strong electronic overtones. Rhythmically, it is an interesting ride, drummer Gunnar Olsen putting in a top-notch performance, while there is a vaguely progressive edge underlying the hook-centric songwriting. Opener “Thrust” sets the album in motion with sticky hooks, a darkly humorous, unhinged Maynard performance, and a dose of spite. Other key highlights include “Bad Wolf,” “Self Evident,” “A Public Stoning,” and “ImpetuoUs.” Puscifer made a fine return with Normal Isn’t.

Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows // Inexorable Opposites [February 6th, 2026 – Magnetic Eye Records]

You’ve gotta love a sneaky name drop from our trusty commentariat. It has led to many great discoveries over the years. On this occasion, one of our dear commenters enlightened me to Melbourne psych-blues-doomers Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows with fourth LP, Inexorable Opposites. And it didn’t take long absorbing this latest slab of rustic Aussie coolness to be struck by the album’s slow-burning, addictive power, and gritty tones. Boasting an expansive, rugged sound built on layers of distortion and a weighty blend of psych-drenched blues and doom heaviness. Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows features old school, outlaw-driven lyrical content from mastermind and vocalist/guitarist Tim Coutts-Smith, meshing fictional tales of woe and adventure of character Jack Harlon, with relatable real-life struggles. Through the fuzz, thick jammy vibes, and Coutts-Smith distorted, menacing Aussie drawl, catchy songcraft shines through the muck and psych haze. From the tense, stoner-infected grit and catchy hooks of opener “Moss,” through to the stormy outback balladry of closer “To Die,” Inexorable Opposites is a hard-hitting, riffy delight, further evidenced through scorched earth, infectious cuts like “Venomous,” “Seer,” and the trippy, drug-addled “Mt. Macedon.”

Grin Reaper’s Reaped Recluse

Cold Communion // Monuments to Ruin [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Melodic death/doom isn’t a genre I dabble in often, but every now and again, one of its bands thwarts my defenses and wraps their tendrils around my precious listening time. Durham, North Carolina’s Cold Communion is one such band, featuring Barre Gambling (Daylight Dies) on guitar and Tim Rowland (Alchemy of Flesh, Silent Vigil) on everything else. If that sounds like an unfair split, take a spin and reassess, because Gambling’s performance defines Cold Communion’s melancholic character as much as Rowland’s emotive growl. Forgoing any long-form doom epics, Monuments to Ruin’s longest song comes in at five-and-a-half minutes, with the entire album clocking just forty-five. It’s a tidy platter, and both in song composition and mood shares ample common ground with Finnish sadbois Insomnium. Besides Monuments’ superior production, songs like “A Stillness Survival” and “When the Light Breaks” wouldn’t feel out of place on Across the Dark or One for Sorrow. And despite the somber trappings one might expect from doom-adjacency, there’s plenty of lively riffing and solos to find across Monuments to Ruin, adding a touch of boom to the gloom. In the end, Cold Communion doesn’t reinvent the genre or break new ground, but Monuments to Ruin offers a comfy chair by the fireside on a freezing cold day, and I’m perfectly content with that.

Mossgiver // Renewer [February 6th, 2026 – Sij MusicArt]

Atmospheric black metal often contrasts the beautiful with the bestial, typically prioritizing moods over hooks. ‘Twas a delight, then, to unearth Mossgiver’s Renewal, which deftly combines the two. Weaving together hypnotic passages flooded with strings, piano, flute, synths, double bass rolls, and the requisite blackened tremolos,4 Mossgiver’s mastermind Tilen Šimon (Ueldes) delivers the band’s best record to date. Above all, Renewer sounds like a celebration of nature in the vein of Autrest and Cân Bardd, evoking a whispering wind whipping at leaves or sunlight dappling a brook shaded by oaks and maples. Beyond the well-crafted soundtrack for a walk through the woods, Mossgiver etches emotion into the nooks and crannies of Renewer’s five tracks. From rousing string orchestrations (“I Bring the Spring with Me”) to soft-and-heavy tradeoffs pitting clean guitar and pan pipes against distorted guitar and blast beats (“Renewer”), Mossgiver shimmers with a lush backdrop of instrumentation rife with playfulness and pensiveness. The trio of primary songs5 revolve around powerful melodies that evolve over each track’s duration, with assorted instruments coming in and out to push refrains along. Renewer’s brisk thirty-four minutes showcase Mossgiver’s sticky compositions and leave me whistling its melodies for days at a time. Now throw on your hiking boots and get lost in the Moss.

Ossomancer // Banebdjed’s Path [February 28th, 2026 – Esoteric Evocations]

Six-and-a-half years removed from Ossomancer’s debut Artes Magickae, lone wolf and mastermind Kamose returns to tread Banebjed’s Path. Bursting with references to mythology and mysticism, Banebjed’s Path rumbles and shakes with arcane thunder. Although the backdrop and track names might recall the frenzied onslaught of Nile, Ossomancer instead conceives a realm recalling Aeternam, Iotunn, and Naglfar. Despite the scant thirty-four-minute runtime, Banebjed’s Path sprawls across diverse landscapes and textures. Opener “The Ogdoad Arrangement and the Osirian Creation” oscillates between In Flames melodies and a slinky crawl that could pass for a 90s Geddy Lee bass line played over synth injections from Rush’s 80s era. Follow-up track “Sobek – Cosmic Vibrations Devoured” features Kreator-bred riffing, while closing duo “A Sea of Sand, a Silver Star” and “Retraction into Kether” synthesize the ethereal atmospheres of Iotunn with the blackened assault of Naglfar. Through it all, Ossomancer sounds fabulous, as Banebjed’s Path flaunts an enviable DR 8 and a bodacious mix that spotlights its burly bass performance. Ossomancer’s sophomore outing is crammed with meloblack goodies, and though it’s not a long trek, the journey down Banebjed’s Path far transcends its distance.

Tyme’s Danish Dalliance

Ædel Fetich // Ædel Fetich [February 20th, 2026 – Deadbanger Productions]

That blinged-out pink dish-glove-clad hand is what first drew me to Denmark outfit Ædel Fetich’s self-titled debut. Then I clicked play and was taken on one of the more compelling “black” metal rides in recent memory. With roots primarily buried in the soil of the traditional second-wave, Ædel Fetich is rife with moments of rifferous tremolodic speed (“Ridderlig Lider,” “Madras”) and absolutely berserk guitar chaos (“Sort Magi”). There’s a Trhä-like sense of experimentation, and the rawness of the production enhances the oft-changing compositions, which, like weather in the Midwest, often shift on a dime without warning. Luckily, Ædel Fetich’s adept songwriting organically smooths these transitions, which could have easily come off stilted and jarring, but makes drawing direct comparisons to the Ædel Fetich sound difficult, as there’s a spectrum of other influences at play. There are tracks packed with punky punch (“Et Liv Fuld af Fejl,” “Ildtang”) or imbued with folky reverence (“Mit Billede af Dig”) and even some 80s pop—fans of the movie Flashdance shouldn’t have a problem finding the poppy easter egg hiding near the end of “Sort Magi.”6 Far and away the star of the show, however, is singer Skvat, whose performance is filled with as much black metal bravado as it is theatrical exuberance, his arsenal of shrieks, growls, hoots, howls, and operatic baritonations a refreshing treat, akin to if Mike Patton woke up one day deciding to record a Danish black metal album. Bottom line is, I really dig Ædel Fetich and think you will too.

Creeping Ivy’s Ashen Afterthought

Belzebong // The End is High [February 20th, 2026 – Heavy Psych Sounds]

In my humble opinion, lyrics are key to making stoner metal more than novelty music. If you’re referencing reefer in your album art, band name, and song titles, at least keep the reeferisms out of the songs themselves,7 or better yet, avoid vocals altogether. Taking this latter advice to heart is instrumental Polish four-piece Belzebong, who have been at it for almost 20 years now. On The End is High, their fourth full-length, Belzebong deal 35 minutes of fuzzed-out riffery described as “a new sermon for the final days.” While not as highbrow (huh huh) as the instrumental stoner metal of Bongripper, Belzebong are similarly ominous on opener (yes) “Bong & Chain,” which caps its ten-minute burn with creepy, haunting synths. From there, the band settle into material more akin to Bongzilla; sound clips adorn the chill grooves of “420 Horsemen,” “Hempnotized,” and “Reefer Mortis,” which closes things out with some solid Electric Wizard worship. If you instinctively (and understandably) recoil from music with marijuana aesthetics but dig the meditative repetition offered by stoner metal, consider sampling The End is High. It’s not exactly the caricature it advertises itself as.

Baguette’s Bygone Bounty

Sundecay // The Blood Lives Again [February 13th, 2026 – Self Released]

Toronto’s Sundecay has been around for a while. These Canadian doomers spawned sometime prior to 2014, quietly releasing EP material every once in a blue moon. The Blood Lives Again is their first full-length release—their first signs of life since 2018 in general—and the time and care they took to develop their sound and songwriting prowess pays off here in spades. The doom and proto-doom inspirations from Black Sabbath to Saint Vitus are obvious (“Here Comes the Wizard”), complemented by other influences from proto-metal, psychedelic, and progressive music (“Silence Spoken”). The hefty, layered guitars have a nice fuzz without fully landing in stoner territory. Ambitious long-form tracks like “Will Dusk Defy Dawn” flow like water while carrying significant emotional heft. Lastly, a moody, reverb-heavy vocal performance crowns the classic doom trance the band is aiming for. At five tracks and some 43 minutes, The Blood Lives Again is a total vibe and flies by before you’ve even noticed. Fans of the ’70s should take notes!

Temple Balls // Temple Balls [February 13th, 2026 – Frontiers Music]

One of the most authentic ways you can honor rock music tradition is via questionable naming conventions. On an unrelated note, Temple Balls is a Finnish hard rock/glam rock band, and they’re fun as hell! They’re not particularly new around the block, either: the group formed in 2009, and self-titled Temple Balls is already their fifth album since debut Traded Dreams in 2017. 2023’s Avalanche felt like a watershed moment, a welcome surprise that brought some new life and energy to a fairly dated genre of Europeisms and Hanoi Rocks rehashes. Temple Balls proves that Avalanche wasn’t a one-off, continuing their extremely authentic throwback approach. The heavy/power-metal-meets-AOR direction of songwriting (“Flashback Dynamite,” “Soul Survivor”) gives it that extra guitar oomph and energy that melodic music like this requires to be anywhere near competitive. With great all-out vocals from Arde Teronen and gigantic hooks to match, it’s just a damn good time front to back. Though it will sadly be the last time we’ll hear Niko Vuorela’s guitar work on record (R.I.P., and fuck cancer), the self-titled is certainly a worthy final milestone for him—and hopefully, another beginning for his comrades.

ClarkKent’s Enchanting Earworm

Hela // A Reign to Conquer [February 27, 2026 – Ardua Music]

Just as it put a pause on many plans and projects, the COVID pandemic slowed down the output of Spain’s Hela. A Reign to Conquer marks their first record since 2019’s Vegvìsir, which was their third release since 2013. This brief hiatus brought new blood in the form of vocalist Raquel Navarro, though, in truth, the only consistency in Hela’s lineup is the other three members—Tano Giménez on bass, Miguel Fernández (The Holeum) on drums, and Julián Velasco (The Holeum) on guitars. They have a deep bond, first forged in 2009 with The Sand Collector before forming Hela just three years later. Though they brand Hela as melodic doom, and the band does have a little in common with Katatonia, I think it’s more accurate to describe them as dreamy progressive rock. Navarro is a major reason for this, with dreamy croons that guide listeners through breezy soundscapes. She bears a passing resemblance to Maud the Moth, though the music Hela plays is decidedly more metal than our Dolphin friend’s favorite nocturnal insect. Guitarist Velasco plays a hypnotizing mix of atmospheric fuzz, crushing doom, and melodic riffs that add some heft and crunch to the ethereal sound. A Reign to Conquer has plenty of layers to probe, rewarding listeners who bear with it for repeat listens. While my initial spins left me wanting, I’ve since become spellbound. Add to that some gorgeous artwork, and this is a nice addition to anyone’s vinyl collection. Hela yeah!

Spicie Forrest’s Vicious Vittles

A Wilhelm Scream8 // Cheap Heat [February 27th, 2026 – Creator-Destructor Records]

A Wilhelm Scream9 returns after a four-year hiatus with their eighth long player, Cheap Heat. Sounding like the best combination of The Story So Far and Rise Against, A Wilhelm Scream delivers an impressive tour de force so late in their career. Vocalist Nuno Pereira10 is the highlight of Cheap Heat, driving the album with urgency and passion (“Somebody’s Gonna Die,” “Fell Off”), but no one here is a slouch. The rhythm section—bassist Brian J. Robinson, rhythm guitarist Trevor Reilly, and drummer Nicholas Pasquale Angelini—gleefully tosses gas on Pereira’s bonfire (“I Got Tunnel Vision”) and delivers solid grooves (“Poison II”) and searing ragers (“Unsolving the Mystery”) that keep the energy cranked to 11 all through Cheap Heat. Hooks are by far the most common lead duty, and Ben Murray puts on a fucking clinic. Each note that rings out from his axe sounds like it fucking owns the place (“Run,” “Visitor: Unimpressed”). Cheap Heat is a smidge front-loaded with “Midnight Ghost” and “I Got Tunnel Vision” being album highlights, but no song on here is anything short of a barn burner. At a super tight 28 minutes, Cheap Heat hits hard and fast and gets the fuck out of Dodge before you’re even sure what hit you. I didn’t expect a 26-year-old hardcore outfit to knock my teeth out when I queued it up on a whim one morning, but Cheap Heat is proving to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

Lead Injector // Witching Attack [February 20th, 2026 – High Roller Records]

Who doesn’t like the combination of thrash’s unchained aggression and black metal’s cold hate? There’s never been a better pair. Lead Injector hit the ground running on debut LP Witching Attack. From the opening moments of “Siege Upon Heaven” to the closing moments of “Nuclear Antichrist,” Lead Injector is here to do two things: feed high-speed buckshot to God, skeletons, and anything else that gets in their way, and have a Hellripping good time. “Angel Destructor” and “Siege Upon Heaven” barrel pell-mell through searing riffs and blast beats, while groovier tracks like “Evil Executioner” and “Nuclear Antichrist” let black metal’s punk ancestry shine through. Heavy metal influences a la Judas Priest can be found injected into tracks like “Sacrifice This Bitch” and “M.C.C.I.” While nothing about Lead Injector’s sound is particularly new, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. This debut is a unique and retro spin on a tried-and-true formula that bodes well for a young band. Witching Attack is a killer time that Ash Williams would gladly spin while boomsticking Deadites alongside Lord Arthur’s army.

For years, Scottish outfit Cnoc An Tursa lurked along the periphery of my awareness. I liked the few songs I’d heard, and I frequently saw them referenced while exploring similar artists. Yet their lack of output kept me at a distance; as I expanded my taste for folk metal, I didn’t want to fall in love with a band that had little to no appetite to get in the studio.1 For Cnoc An Tursa, you can lay aside your concerns, because they’re back after a nine-year wait to unveil third full-length A Cry for the Slain. This new opus perpetuates what Cnoc An Tursa has been doing since the band formed twenty years ago—writing blackened folk bangers fraught with grace, passion, and depth. After a prolonged absence, though, it becomes more and more difficult to bounce back if expectations outpace reality’s limitations. So, given the intervening years, does A Cry for the Slain elicit tears of joy or sorrow?

On A Cry for the Slain, Cnoc An Tursa draws upon the soundscapes of both their prior albums to hatch an experience that exists somewhere between them. Debut The Giants of Auld introduced the world to Cnoc An Tursa‘s distinctive Highland hijinx, melding rousing orchestrations with meloblack might. Of their two previous albums, A Cry for the Slain shares more in common with The Giants of Auld, harkening to the debut’s more direct songwriting than The Forty Five’s melancholic, key-drenched atmospheres. The Forty Five’s solemnity persists on A Cry for the Slain, but its application rings bittersweet as triumphant melodies dance between wistful choirs and forlorn evocations. While all three albums sound unmistakably like them, their latest takes earlier victories and forges them together into Cnoc An Tursa’s best album to date.

Throughout A Cry for the Slain, Cnoc An Tursa fuses ethereal majesty with blackened stylings and traditional melodies to create a gorgeous folk metal tapestry. The band’s allure lies with their finesse as they conjure captivating and earnest music, and the more I spin A Cry for the Slain, the more I appreciate its stark and stunning beauty. Crashing waves and reverb-laden guitars set the tone within the first track, “Na for Ghorma.” The mournful female vocals crescendo into an inevitable trudge that releases into furious trems and grating rasps on follow-up “The Caoineag.” Cnoc An Tursa consistently pits black metal acerbity against contemplative sorrow, deftly wending between complex atmospheres and emotions. This is perhaps best demonstrated on tracks “Baobhan Sith”2 and “Alba in My Heart,” where Cnoc An Tursa expertly controls song dynamics and tension with peaks and valleys in volume and pathos. Also, I’d be remiss not to mention my favorite track “Am Fear Liath Mòr,” which boasts an otherworldly quality and dextrous melodic leads that simultaneously remind me of “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” Iron Maiden, and Black Cross Hotel, yet still undeniably sounds like Cnoc An Tursa.

Despite succeeding on so many fronts, A Cry for the Slain flounders on penultimate track “Address to the Devil.” To be fair, it mostly falls victim to the heights of the preceding tracks, which all possess strong identities and exemplary writing. Comparatively, “Address to the Devil” stands out as missing the same soul. It starts promisingly enough, with frenzied tremolos lashing against scathing vocals, but from there the pace decelerates to a deliberate march. Soon enough, the song strips back to a twinkling synth and fabulous bass noodling, providing a solid core that ultimately lacks purpose or a melodic through-line to bring everything together.3 Besides “Address to the Devil,” I have no material complaints. The production and mix are smart and balanced, the forty-four-minute runtime is just right, and A Cry for the Slain’s replayability is relentless.

Cnoc An Tursa breaks their nine-year silence with a bang, and fans of their work should be pleased with A Cry for the Slain. As a newer convert, I’m disappointed I didn’t make the time to discover them earlier, but visiting their prior albums along with the new one has brought me immense, befolkened joy. I hope we don’t have to wait as long for their next outing, but until then, I’m content listening to A Cry for the Slain, knowing that time hasn’t dulled their ability to Cnoc one out of the park.

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 24th, 2026

New post: Gig Review: Hellripper / Schizophrenia / Devastator – The Saltbox, Nottingham (3rd April 2026) https://moshville.co.uk/reviews/gig-review/2026/04/gig-review-hellripper-schizophrenia-devastator-the-saltbox-nottingham-3rd-april-2026/ #Devastator #Hellripper #Schizophrenia

Tired? Irritable? Prone to bouts of melancholy that leave you feeling listless and unfocused, particularly as the weather changes? It could be seasonal affective disorder, but these symptoms can also typify a diet deficient in vitamin R(iff). If it’s the latter, Hellripper’s Coronach practically hemorrhages the cure for what ails you, parading pulse-pounding riffs, blistering solos, and enthralling grooves with palliative nonchalance. Unleashing Hellripper’s fourth album in under a decade, architect and sole member James McBain maintains a tried-and-true release schedule and, more importantly, a steady evolution of sophisticated songwriting that’s as compelling as it is emboldening. I won’t mince words—Coronach is an undeniable corker and succeeds as Hellripper’s greatest triumph to date. So run down to your local or digital dealer and grab some Coronach posthaste!

Expanding on the achievements of Hellripper’s previous albums, Coronach harnesses the charm of earlier releases and injects them with a lethal dose of vitality. Back in 2017, debut Coagulating Darkness bled its influences on its sleeve, from riffs dripping with warp-speed Venom to the guitar lead from “Bastard of Hades” pulled straight from Metallica’s “Hit the Lights.” The Affair of the Poisons shaped Hellripper’s identity with flurries of licks that, while still laced with influences, exuded a welcome dimension of originality. Three years ago, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ introduced knotted, longer-form compositions that pushed out the runtime while augmenting Hellripper’s arsenal of aural ammunition. With Coronach, Hellripper strikes a balance between the lengthier arrangements of Warlocks and the breakneck blackened bangers of yore, amplified by stellar performances throughout.

Coronach (24-bit HD audio) by Hellripper

Coronach overflows with electrifying instrumentation, and while McBain supplies most of Hellripper’s sonic ingredients, a few guests further enrich its proceedings. Searing leads and scorching solos set Coronach’s eight tracks aflame, boasting some of the hookiest guitar-playing I’ve heard this year. “Hunderprest” and “Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm” crackle with flashy fretwork, buoyed by longtime six-string contributor Joseph Quinlan (Desert Heretic). Similarly, “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite)” rumbles with snappy Motörheadstrong riffs before an acoustic guitar cuts in to transition the song into slinky grooves and heavy half-times. After some interplay, the pace ramps back up to close out on the intro riff. Hellripper has never lacked for earworms, yet Coronach unveils a mature understanding of dynamic songwriting that endows depth and complexity while never sounding forced or unnatural. Besides Quinlan, Jess Townsend contributes violin on “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned),” while singer Marianne returns to lend her vocals on a few tracks and Antonio Rodriguez reprises the bagpipes on closer “Coronach.” Vacuous’s Max Southall even bestows some percussive flair on “Mortercheyn.” Between himself and the talented musicians he’s assembled, it’s clear that while McBain is comfortable with his supporting cast, he’s determined not to put out the same album twice.

What impresses me most with Coronach is that McBain manages to broaden Hellripper’s auditory palette without ever losing the band’s core identity. “Hunderprest” and “Coronach” brim with the band’s trademark rippin’ riffs, yet the solos recall southern rock shredding à la Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Outlaws played at one-and-a-half speed. “Sculptor’s Cave,” meanwhile, channels what El Cuervo affectionately dubbed ‘Motörhead on cocaine’ energy during its “Rock ‘n’ Roll”-informed solo. A pervasive punk attitude also shimmers beneath the surface of Coronach, where the unadorned guitar refrains from “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite),” “Sculptor’s Cave,” and “Mortercheyn” evoke more technical versions of Bad Religion and The Offspring. Tying it all together and allowing the myriad influences to coalesce, the mix ensures this is the best Hellripper has sounded, retaining their raw edge while dialing back the ‘everything louder than everything else’ approach that afflicted past albums—The Affair of the Poisons in particular.

Doubtlessly, Hellripper has dropped their finest release so far with Coronach, though a few small adjustments could have boosted it to undisputed excellence. “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned)” runs a tad too long, and although I like “Mortercheyn,” it doesn’t quite live up to the heights of the other tracks. Even so, I unapologetically return to Coronach again and again with no signs of slowing down. Just remember—Coronach must be taken while driving or operating heavy machinery. If lethargy creeps in or your mouth runs dry from a chronic deficit of Vitamin R, just take one to two doses of Coronach (by ear) and wait for Hellripper’s restorative fix to kick in.1

Rating: Great!!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

Tired? Irritable? Prone to bouts of melancholy that leave you feeling listless and unfocused, particularly as the weather changes? It could be seasonal affective disorder, but these symptoms can also typify a diet deficient in vitamin R(iff). If it’s the latter, Hellripper’s Coronach practically hemorrhages the cure for what ails you, parading pulse-pounding riffs, blistering solos, and enthralling grooves with palliative nonchalance. Unleashing Hellripper’s fourth album in under a decade, architect and sole member James McBain maintains a tried-and-true release schedule and, more importantly, a steady evolution of sophisticated songwriting that’s as compelling as it is emboldening. I won’t mince words—Coronach is an undeniable corker and succeeds as Hellripper’s greatest triumph to date. So run down to your local or digital dealer and grab some Coronach posthaste!

Expanding on the achievements of Hellripper’s previous albums, Coronach harnesses the charm of earlier releases and injects them with a lethal dose of vitality. Back in 2017, debut Coagulating Darkness bled its influences on its sleeve, from riffs dripping with warp-speed Venom to the guitar lead from “Bastard of Hades” pulled straight from Metallica’s “Hit the Lights.” The Affair of the Poisons shaped Hellripper’s identity with flurries of licks that, while still laced with influences, exuded a welcome dimension of originality. Three years ago, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ introduced knotted, longer-form compositions that pushed out the runtime while augmenting Hellripper’s arsenal of aural ammunition. With Coronach, Hellripper strikes a balance between the lengthier arrangements of Warlocks and the breakneck blackened bangers of yore, amplified by stellar performances throughout.

Coronach (24-bit HD audio) by Hellripper

Coronach overflows with electrifying instrumentation, and while McBain supplies most of Hellripper’s sonic ingredients, a few guests further enrich its proceedings. Searing leads and scorching solos set Coronach’s eight tracks aflame, boasting some of the hookiest guitar-playing I’ve heard this year. “Hunderprest” and “Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm” crackle with flashy fretwork, buoyed by longtime six-string contributor Joseph Quinlan (Desert Heretic). Similarly, “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite)” rumbles with snappy Motörheadstrong riffs before an acoustic guitar cuts in to transition the song into slinky grooves and heavy half-times. After some interplay, the pace ramps back up to close out on the intro riff. Hellripper has never lacked for earworms, yet Coronach unveils a mature understanding of dynamic songwriting that endows depth and complexity while never sounding forced or unnatural. Besides Quinlan, Jess Townsend contributes violin on “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned),” while singer Marianne returns to lend her vocals on a few tracks and Antonio Rodriguez reprises the bagpipes on closer “Coronach.” Vacuous’s Max Southall even bestows some percussive flair on “Mortercheyn.” Between himself and the talented musicians he’s assembled, it’s clear that while McBain is comfortable with his supporting cast, he’s determined not to put out the same album twice.

What impresses me most with Coronach is that McBain manages to broaden Hellripper’s auditory palette without ever losing the band’s core identity. “Hunderprest” and “Coronach” brim with the band’s trademark rippin’ riffs, yet the solos recall southern rock shredding à la Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Outlaws played at one-and-a-half speed. “Sculptor’s Cave,” meanwhile, channels what El Cuervo affectionately dubbed ‘Motörhead on cocaine’ energy during its “Rock ‘n’ Roll”-informed solo. A pervasive punk attitude also shimmers beneath the surface of Coronach, where the unadorned guitar refrains from “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite),” “Sculptor’s Cave,” and “Mortercheyn” evoke more technical versions of Bad Religion and The Offspring. Tying it all together and allowing the myriad influences to coalesce, the mix ensures this is the best Hellripper has sounded, retaining their raw edge while dialing back the ‘everything louder than everything else’ approach that afflicted past albums—The Affair of the Poisons in particular.

Doubtlessly, Hellripper has dropped their finest release so far with Coronach, though a few small adjustments could have boosted it to undisputed excellence. “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned)” runs a tad too long, and although I like “Mortercheyn,” it doesn’t quite live up to the heights of the other tracks. Even so, I unapologetically return to Coronach again and again with no signs of slowing down. Just remember—Coronach must be taken while driving or operating heavy machinery. If lethargy creeps in or your mouth runs dry from a chronic deficit of Vitamin R, just take one to two doses of Coronach (by ear) and wait for Hellripper’s restorative fix to kick in.1

Rating: Great!!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

Tired? Irritable? Prone to bouts of melancholy that leave you feeling listless and unfocused, particularly as the weather changes? It could be seasonal affective disorder, but these symptoms can also typify a diet deficient in vitamin R(iff). If it’s the latter, Hellripper’s Coronach practically hemorrhages the cure for what ails you, parading pulse-pounding riffs, blistering solos, and enthralling grooves with palliative nonchalance. Unleashing Hellripper’s fourth album in under a decade, architect and sole member James McBain maintains a tried-and-true release schedule and, more importantly, a steady evolution of sophisticated songwriting that’s as compelling as it is emboldening. I won’t mince words—Coronach is an undeniable corker and succeeds as Hellripper’s greatest triumph to date. So run down to your local or digital dealer and grab some Coronach posthaste!

Expanding on the achievements of Hellripper’s previous albums, Coronach harnesses the charm of earlier releases and injects them with a lethal dose of vitality. Back in 2017, debut Coagulating Darkness bled its influences on its sleeve, from riffs dripping with warp-speed Venom to the guitar lead from “Bastard of Hades” pulled straight from Metallica’s “Hit the Lights.” The Affair of the Poisons shaped Hellripper’s identity with flurries of licks that, while still laced with influences, exuded a welcome dimension of originality. Three years ago, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ introduced knotted, longer-form compositions that pushed out the runtime while augmenting Hellripper’s arsenal of aural ammunition. With Coronach, Hellripper strikes a balance between the lengthier arrangements of Warlocks and the breakneck blackened bangers of yore, amplified by stellar performances throughout.

Coronach (24-bit HD audio) by Hellripper

Coronach overflows with electrifying instrumentation, and while McBain supplies most of Hellripper’s sonic ingredients, a few guests further enrich its proceedings. Searing leads and scorching solos set Coronach’s eight tracks aflame, boasting some of the hookiest guitar-playing I’ve heard this year. “Hunderprest” and “Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm” crackle with flashy fretwork, buoyed by longtime six-string contributor Joseph Quinlan (Desert Heretic). Similarly, “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite)” rumbles with snappy Motörheadstrong riffs before an acoustic guitar cuts in to transition the song into slinky grooves and heavy half-times. After some interplay, the pace ramps back up to close out on the intro riff. Hellripper has never lacked for earworms, yet Coronach unveils a mature understanding of dynamic songwriting that endows depth and complexity while never sounding forced or unnatural. Besides Quinlan, Jess Townsend contributes violin on “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned),” while singer Marianne returns to lend her vocals on a few tracks and Antonio Rodriguez reprises the bagpipes on closer “Coronach.” Vacuous’s Max Southall even bestows some percussive flair on “Mortercheyn.” Between himself and the talented musicians he’s assembled, it’s clear that while McBain is comfortable with his supporting cast, he’s determined not to put out the same album twice.

What impresses me most with Coronach is that McBain manages to broaden Hellripper’s auditory palette without ever losing the band’s core identity. “Hunderprest” and “Coronach” brim with the band’s trademark rippin’ riffs, yet the solos recall southern rock shredding à la Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Outlaws played at one-and-a-half speed. “Sculptor’s Cave,” meanwhile, channels what El Cuervo affectionately dubbed ‘Motörhead on cocaine’ energy during its “Rock ‘n’ Roll”-informed solo. A pervasive punk attitude also shimmers beneath the surface of Coronach, where the unadorned guitar refrains from “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite),” “Sculptor’s Cave,” and “Mortercheyn” evoke more technical versions of Bad Religion and The Offspring. Tying it all together and allowing the myriad influences to coalesce, the mix ensures this is the best Hellripper has sounded, retaining their raw edge while dialing back the ‘everything louder than everything else’ approach that afflicted past albums—The Affair of the Poisons in particular.

Doubtlessly, Hellripper has dropped their finest release so far with Coronach, though a few small adjustments could have boosted it to undisputed excellence. “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned)” runs a tad too long, and although I like “Mortercheyn,” it doesn’t quite live up to the heights of the other tracks. Even so, I unapologetically return to Coronach again and again with no signs of slowing down. Just remember—Coronach must be taken while driving or operating heavy machinery. If lethargy creeps in or your mouth runs dry from a chronic deficit of Vitamin R, just take one to two doses of Coronach (by ear) and wait for Hellripper’s restorative fix to kick in.1

Rating: Great!!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

Tired? Irritable? Prone to bouts of melancholy that leave you feeling listless and unfocused, particularly as the weather changes? It could be seasonal affective disorder, but these symptoms can also typify a diet deficient in vitamin R(iff). If it’s the latter, Hellripper’s Coronach practically hemorrhages the cure for what ails you, parading pulse-pounding riffs, blistering solos, and enthralling grooves with palliative nonchalance. Unleashing Hellripper’s fourth album in under a decade, architect and sole member James McBain maintains a tried-and-true release schedule and, more importantly, a steady evolution of sophisticated songwriting that’s as compelling as it is emboldening. I won’t mince words—Coronach is an undeniable corker and succeeds as Hellripper’s greatest triumph to date. So run down to your local or digital dealer and grab some Coronach posthaste!

Expanding on the achievements of Hellripper’s previous albums, Coronach harnesses the charm of earlier releases and injects them with a lethal dose of vitality. Back in 2017, debut Coagulating Darkness bled its influences on its sleeve, from riffs dripping with warp-speed Venom to the guitar lead from “Bastard of Hades” pulled straight from Metallica’s “Hit the Lights.” The Affair of the Poisons shaped Hellripper’s identity with flurries of licks that, while still laced with influences, exuded a welcome dimension of originality. Three years ago, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ introduced knotted, longer-form compositions that pushed out the runtime while augmenting Hellripper’s arsenal of aural ammunition. With Coronach, Hellripper strikes a balance between the lengthier arrangements of Warlocks and the breakneck blackened bangers of yore, amplified by stellar performances throughout.

Coronach (24-bit HD audio) by Hellripper

Coronach overflows with electrifying instrumentation, and while McBain supplies most of Hellripper’s sonic ingredients, a few guests further enrich its proceedings. Searing leads and scorching solos set Coronach’s eight tracks aflame, boasting some of the hookiest guitar-playing I’ve heard this year. “Hunderprest” and “Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm” crackle with flashy fretwork, buoyed by longtime six-string contributor Joseph Quinlan (Desert Heretic). Similarly, “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite)” rumbles with snappy Motörheadstrong riffs before an acoustic guitar cuts in to transition the song into slinky grooves and heavy half-times. After some interplay, the pace ramps back up to close out on the intro riff. Hellripper has never lacked for earworms, yet Coronach unveils a mature understanding of dynamic songwriting that endows depth and complexity while never sounding forced or unnatural. Besides Quinlan, Jess Townsend contributes violin on “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned),” while singer Marianne returns to lend her vocals on a few tracks and Antonio Rodriguez reprises the bagpipes on closer “Coronach.” Vacuous’s Max Southall even bestows some percussive flair on “Mortercheyn.” Between himself and the talented musicians he’s assembled, it’s clear that while McBain is comfortable with his supporting cast, he’s determined not to put out the same album twice.

What impresses me most with Coronach is that McBain manages to broaden Hellripper’s auditory palette without ever losing the band’s core identity. “Hunderprest” and “Coronach” brim with the band’s trademark rippin’ riffs, yet the solos recall southern rock shredding à la Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Outlaws played at one-and-a-half speed. “Sculptor’s Cave,” meanwhile, channels what El Cuervo affectionately dubbed ‘Motörhead on cocaine’ energy during its “Rock ‘n’ Roll”-informed solo. A pervasive punk attitude also shimmers beneath the surface of Coronach, where the unadorned guitar refrains from “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite),” “Sculptor’s Cave,” and “Mortercheyn” evoke more technical versions of Bad Religion and The Offspring. Tying it all together and allowing the myriad influences to coalesce, the mix ensures this is the best Hellripper has sounded, retaining their raw edge while dialing back the ‘everything louder than everything else’ approach that afflicted past albums—The Affair of the Poisons in particular.

Doubtlessly, Hellripper has dropped their finest release so far with Coronach, though a few small adjustments could have boosted it to undisputed excellence. “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned)” runs a tad too long, and although I like “Mortercheyn,” it doesn’t quite live up to the heights of the other tracks. Even so, I unapologetically return to Coronach again and again with no signs of slowing down. Just remember—Coronach must be taken while driving or operating heavy machinery. If lethargy creeps in or your mouth runs dry from a chronic deficit of Vitamin R, just take one to two doses of Coronach (by ear) and wait for Hellripper’s restorative fix to kick in.1

Rating: Great!!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

Tired? Irritable? Prone to bouts of melancholy that leave you feeling listless and unfocused, particularly as the weather changes? It could be seasonal affective disorder, but these symptoms can also typify a diet deficient in vitamin R(iff). If it’s the latter, Hellripper’s Coronach practically hemorrhages the cure for what ails you, parading pulse-pounding riffs, blistering solos, and enthralling grooves with palliative nonchalance. Unleashing Hellripper’s fourth album in under a decade, architect and sole member James McBain maintains a tried-and-true release schedule and, more importantly, a steady evolution of sophisticated songwriting that’s as compelling as it is emboldening. I won’t mince words—Coronach is an undeniable corker and succeeds as Hellripper’s greatest triumph to date. So run down to your local or digital dealer and grab some Coronach posthaste!

Expanding on the achievements of Hellripper’s previous albums, Coronach harnesses the charm of earlier releases and injects them with a lethal dose of vitality. Back in 2017, debut Coagulating Darkness bled its influences on its sleeve, from riffs dripping with warp-speed Venom to the guitar lead from “Bastard of Hades” pulled straight from Metallica’s “Hit the Lights.” The Affair of the Poisons shaped Hellripper’s identity with flurries of licks that, while still laced with influences, exuded a welcome dimension of originality. Three years ago, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ introduced knotted, longer-form compositions that pushed out the runtime while augmenting Hellripper’s arsenal of aural ammunition. With Coronach, Hellripper strikes a balance between the lengthier arrangements of Warlocks and the breakneck blackened bangers of yore, amplified by stellar performances throughout.

Coronach (24-bit HD audio) by Hellripper

Coronach overflows with electrifying instrumentation, and while McBain supplies most of Hellripper’s sonic ingredients, a few guests further enrich its proceedings. Searing leads and scorching solos set Coronach’s eight tracks aflame, boasting some of the hookiest guitar-playing I’ve heard this year. “Hunderprest” and “Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm” crackle with flashy fretwork, buoyed by longtime six-string contributor Joseph Quinlan (Desert Heretic). Similarly, “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite)” rumbles with snappy Motörheadstrong riffs before an acoustic guitar cuts in to transition the song into slinky grooves and heavy half-times. After some interplay, the pace ramps back up to close out on the intro riff. Hellripper has never lacked for earworms, yet Coronach unveils a mature understanding of dynamic songwriting that endows depth and complexity while never sounding forced or unnatural. Besides Quinlan, Jess Townsend contributes violin on “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned),” while singer Marianne returns to lend her vocals on a few tracks and Antonio Rodriguez reprises the bagpipes on closer “Coronach.” Vacuous’s Max Southall even bestows some percussive flair on “Mortercheyn.” Between himself and the talented musicians he’s assembled, it’s clear that while McBain is comfortable with his supporting cast, he’s determined not to put out the same album twice.

What impresses me most with Coronach is that McBain manages to broaden Hellripper’s auditory palette without ever losing the band’s core identity. “Hunderprest” and “Coronach” brim with the band’s trademark rippin’ riffs, yet the solos recall southern rock shredding à la Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Outlaws played at one-and-a-half speed. “Sculptor’s Cave,” meanwhile, channels what El Cuervo affectionately dubbed ‘Motörhead on cocaine’ energy during its “Rock ‘n’ Roll”-informed solo. A pervasive punk attitude also shimmers beneath the surface of Coronach, where the unadorned guitar refrains from “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite),” “Sculptor’s Cave,” and “Mortercheyn” evoke more technical versions of Bad Religion and The Offspring. Tying it all together and allowing the myriad influences to coalesce, the mix ensures this is the best Hellripper has sounded, retaining their raw edge while dialing back the ‘everything louder than everything else’ approach that afflicted past albums—The Affair of the Poisons in particular.

Doubtlessly, Hellripper has dropped their finest release so far with Coronach, though a few small adjustments could have boosted it to undisputed excellence. “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned)” runs a tad too long, and although I like “Mortercheyn,” it doesn’t quite live up to the heights of the other tracks. Even so, I unapologetically return to Coronach again and again with no signs of slowing down. Just remember—Coronach must be taken while driving or operating heavy machinery. If lethargy creeps in or your mouth runs dry from a chronic deficit of Vitamin R, just take one to two doses of Coronach (by ear) and wait for Hellripper’s restorative fix to kick in.1

Rating: Great!!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium – Pérfida Contracção do Aço Review

By GardensTale

I’ve been doing this opinion-spewing thing long enough that I’m starting to forget some of my reviews, where even reading the prose I wrote myself is like reading someone else’s. However, this fate will not befall Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. Over 6 years since I wrote up Hóstia, two things still stand out in my mind like burning neon signs: the ludicrously, hilariously offensive cover art, and the unhinged vocals screaming the album title over infectious blackened heavy/thrash. Finally, the Portuguese have risen from their slumber once more, and one look at the album art suggests they haven’t given up on their quest to sweep the ‘offensive cover art’ awards.

Pérfida Contracção do Aço largely continues where Hóstia left off. A wild wail kicks off the blistering “Beata Fornicanda,” where the first wave black metal holds the most sway. Filii Nigrantium Infernalium’s mission statement is written in raging blastbeats and trilling melodic leads; fucking shit up in very short order. Yet it’s quickly clear that some screws have been tightened and rattling bolts fastened compared to Hóstia. The hoarse howling vocals remain every bit as insane, but the musicianship is more precise and more diverse, leaning less on sheer speed and madness to carry the music over any speedbumps. The pacing doesn’t get much higher than “Beata,” though barn-burner “Cristo.Rei.Animal.” certainly tries. But the other uptempo compositions like “Negros Hábitos” and ” Holocausto Molto Vivace Ma Non Troppo” thrive on the strength of the catchy thrash riffs. The title track even employs a diverse, almost progressive composition full of tempo changes both fast and slow, but never getting boring or tedious.

And that’s not the only curveball on Pérfida. “Comes Carne” announces itself with ominous horns and strings like an orchestra from Hell before it begins flipping between Black Sabbath doom and Hellripper destruction. Belathauzer’s vocals don’t lose any of their weird, twisted allure when the bpm plummets, taking on a more haunting quality like an insane priest. But this is taken to the next level with “Vaticanale,” the 10-minute penultimate epic. Repeating stanzas of simple mid-paced riffs gradually incorporate choirs, clarions, and chants until it is spun into a resplendent storm of blasphemy that would make Behemoth blush. Frankly, I would not have expected the same band that made the ramshackle Hóstia to be capable of a buildup so subtle yet effective, and it shows Filii Nigrantium Infernalium is not done growing as artists.

With growth come growing pains though, though the pangs are gentle. I love the buildup of “Vaticanale,” but it does take a long time to start properly building, and cutting down on waiting time at the start would have conserved more momentum. Furthermore, whilst I enjoy the more experimental material in the back half, its simpler tracks are a step down from their catchier and more engaging cousins from the front. A bit of a shuffle in the tracklist to improve the flow and consistency would be a welcome improvement. But these all seem barely worth mentioning, especially when all the small yet significant steps made include a really rather delicious production that balances rawness with fidelity and gives a lot of room to the sweet punky bass.

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium plays by its own rules. Once again the cover art is a study in ugliness, the album name has become even more complicated than the band name, and the vocals will put half the prospective listeners off on the first spin. But there is a ton of musical talent underneath this veneer of insanity, and though the improvements are incremental, Pérfida Contracção do Aço successfully refines and adjusts an already energetic and addictive formula. At this rate, it’s gonna turn real lethal, real damn soon.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Websites: filiinigrantiuminfernalium.bandcamp.com/album/p-rfida-contrac-o-do-a-o | facebook.com/FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Behemoth #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium #HeavyMetal #Hellripper #Nov24 #OsmoseProductions #PérfidaContracçãoDoAço #PortugueseMetal #Review #Reviews #ThrashMetal

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium – Pérfida Contracção do Aço Review

By GardensTale

I’ve been doing this opinion-spewing thing long enough that I’m starting to forget some of my reviews, where even reading the prose I wrote myself is like reading someone else’s. However, this fate will not befall Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. Over 6 years since I wrote up Hóstia, two things still stand out in my mind like burning neon signs: the ludicrously, hilariously offensive cover art, and the unhinged vocals screaming the album title over infectious blackened heavy/thrash. Finally, the Portuguese have risen from their slumber once more, and one look at the album art suggests they haven’t given up on their quest to sweep the ‘offensive cover art’ awards.

Pérfida Contracção do Aço largely continues where Hóstia left off. A wild wail kicks off the blistering “Beata Fornicanda,” where the first wave black metal holds the most sway. Filii Nigrantium Infernalium’s mission statement is written in raging blastbeats and trilling melodic leads; fucking shit up in very short order. Yet it’s quickly clear that some screws have been tightened and rattling bolts fastened compared to Hóstia. The hoarse howling vocals remain every bit as insane, but the musicianship is more precise and more diverse, leaning less on sheer speed and madness to carry the music over any speedbumps. The pacing doesn’t get much higher than “Beata,” though barn-burner “Cristo.Rei.Animal.” certainly tries. But the other uptempo compositions like “Negros Hábitos” and ” Holocausto Molto Vivace Ma Non Troppo” thrive on the strength of the catchy thrash riffs. The title track even employs a diverse, almost progressive composition full of tempo changes both fast and slow, but never getting boring or tedious.

And that’s not the only curveball on Pérfida. “Comes Carne” announces itself with ominous horns and strings like an orchestra from Hell before it begins flipping between Black Sabbath doom and Hellripper destruction. Belathauzer’s vocals don’t lose any of their weird, twisted allure when the bpm plummets, taking on a more haunting quality like an insane priest. But this is taken to the next level with “Vaticanale,” the 10-minute penultimate epic. Repeating stanzas of simple mid-paced riffs gradually incorporate choirs, clarions, and chants until it is spun into a resplendent storm of blasphemy that would make Behemoth blush. Frankly, I would not have expected the same band that made the ramshackle Hóstia to be capable of a buildup so subtle yet effective, and it shows Filii Nigrantium Infernalium is not done growing as artists.

With growth come growing pains though, though the pangs are gentle. I love the buildup of “Vaticanale,” but it does take a long time to start properly building, and cutting down on waiting time at the start would have conserved more momentum. Furthermore, whilst I enjoy the more experimental material in the back half, its simpler tracks are a step down from their catchier and more engaging cousins from the front. A bit of a shuffle in the tracklist to improve the flow and consistency would be a welcome improvement. But these all seem barely worth mentioning, especially when all the small yet significant steps made include a really rather delicious production that balances rawness with fidelity and gives a lot of room to the sweet punky bass.

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium plays by its own rules. Once again the cover art is a study in ugliness, the album name has become even more complicated than the band name, and the vocals will put half the prospective listeners off on the first spin. But there is a ton of musical talent underneath this veneer of insanity, and though the improvements are incremental, Pérfida Contracção do Aço successfully refines and adjusts an already energetic and addictive formula. At this rate, it’s gonna turn real lethal, real damn soon.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Websites: filiinigrantiuminfernalium.bandcamp.com/album/p-rfida-contrac-o-do-a-o | facebook.com/FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Behemoth #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium #HeavyMetal #Hellripper #Nov24 #OsmoseProductions #PérfidaContracçãoDoAço #PortugueseMetal #Review #Reviews #ThrashMetal

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium – Pérfida Contracção do Aço Review

By GardensTale

I’ve been doing this opinion-spewing thing long enough that I’m starting to forget some of my reviews, where even reading the prose I wrote myself is like reading someone else’s. However, this fate will not befall Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. Over 6 years since I wrote up Hóstia, two things still stand out in my mind like burning neon signs: the ludicrously, hilariously offensive cover art, and the unhinged vocals screaming the album title over infectious blackened heavy/thrash. Finally, the Portuguese have risen from their slumber once more, and one look at the album art suggests they haven’t given up on their quest to sweep the ‘offensive cover art’ awards.

Pérfida Contracção do Aço largely continues where Hóstia left off. A wild wail kicks off the blistering “Beata Fornicanda,” where the first wave black metal holds the most sway. Filii Nigrantium Infernalium’s mission statement is written in raging blastbeats and trilling melodic leads; fucking shit up in very short order. Yet it’s quickly clear that some screws have been tightened and rattling bolts fastened compared to Hóstia. The hoarse howling vocals remain every bit as insane, but the musicianship is more precise and more diverse, leaning less on sheer speed and madness to carry the music over any speedbumps. The pacing doesn’t get much higher than “Beata,” though barn-burner “Cristo.Rei.Animal.” certainly tries. But the other uptempo compositions like “Negros Hábitos” and ” Holocausto Molto Vivace Ma Non Troppo” thrive on the strength of the catchy thrash riffs. The title track even employs a diverse, almost progressive composition full of tempo changes both fast and slow, but never getting boring or tedious.

And that’s not the only curveball on Pérfida. “Comes Carne” announces itself with ominous horns and strings like an orchestra from Hell before it begins flipping between Black Sabbath doom and Hellripper destruction. Belathauzer’s vocals don’t lose any of their weird, twisted allure when the bpm plummets, taking on a more haunting quality like an insane priest. But this is taken to the next level with “Vaticanale,” the 10-minute penultimate epic. Repeating stanzas of simple mid-paced riffs gradually incorporate choirs, clarions, and chants until it is spun into a resplendent storm of blasphemy that would make Behemoth blush. Frankly, I would not have expected the same band that made the ramshackle Hóstia to be capable of a buildup so subtle yet effective, and it shows Filii Nigrantium Infernalium is not done growing as artists.

With growth come growing pains though, though the pangs are gentle. I love the buildup of “Vaticanale,” but it does take a long time to start properly building, and cutting down on waiting time at the start would have conserved more momentum. Furthermore, whilst I enjoy the more experimental material in the back half, its simpler tracks are a step down from their catchier and more engaging cousins from the front. A bit of a shuffle in the tracklist to improve the flow and consistency would be a welcome improvement. But these all seem barely worth mentioning, especially when all the small yet significant steps made include a really rather delicious production that balances rawness with fidelity and gives a lot of room to the sweet punky bass.

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium plays by its own rules. Once again the cover art is a study in ugliness, the album name has become even more complicated than the band name, and the vocals will put half the prospective listeners off on the first spin. But there is a ton of musical talent underneath this veneer of insanity, and though the improvements are incremental, Pérfida Contracção do Aço successfully refines and adjusts an already energetic and addictive formula. At this rate, it’s gonna turn real lethal, real damn soon.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Websites: filiinigrantiuminfernalium.bandcamp.com/album/p-rfida-contrac-o-do-a-o | facebook.com/FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Behemoth #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium #HeavyMetal #Hellripper #Nov24 #OsmoseProductions #PérfidaContracçãoDoAço #PortugueseMetal #Review #Reviews #ThrashMetal

For this #ThrashThursday I am beding the genre boundaries a bit and nomitate a song that symbolises my last night:

🎵 Goat Vomit Nightmare by #Hellripper
▶️ https://song.link/at/i/1654771965

...just replace 🐐 with 🧒

#BlackNRoll #BlackMetal #ThrashMetal

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
LINKIN PARK Returns, DEVILDRIVER Loses Their Guitarists & Other Top Stories You Might've Missed This Week

https://metalinjection.net/injection-reflection/linkin-park-returns-devildriver-loses-their-guitarists-other-top-stories-you-mightve-missed-this-week

#LinkinPark #Behemoth #Scorpions #DevilDriver #MikeSpreitzer #ChrisAdler #CoreyTaylor #Slipknot #Wasp #Vitriol #Hellripper #Mastodon #LambOfGod

Bloodstock 2024: Mosh’s Review (Thursday / Friday)

Well... that was fun. Another Bloodstock done and a different e

https://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/gig-review/2024/08/bloodstock-2024-moshs-review-thursday-friday/

#GigReviews #Absolence #AcidAge #Bloodstock #BornZero #Clutch #Crowley #DeathCollector #DesertStorm #Disposable #Evergrey #Hammer #Hatebreed #Hellripper #Igorrr #KingKraken #KrakenWaker #Lemmy #Nervosa #Opeth #RottingChrist #SouthOfSalem #Tailgunner #TheVintageCaravan

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalSucks
Wraith’s Matt Sokol Names 10 Modern Thrash Bands That Would Have Killed It in the 80s
These bands would have slayed the 80s.

https://www.metalsucks.net/2024/06/06/wraiths-matt-sokol-names-10-modern-thrash-bands-that-would-have-killed-it-in-the-80s/

#ThrashMetal #Wraith #MattSokol #Havok #Warbringer #Midnight #MunicipalWaste #Bat #Hellripper #PowerTrip #Fugitive #Enforced #ToxicHolocaust

Heavy Moves Heavy 2023 – AMG’s Ultimate Workout Playlist

By Ferox

Before I was press-ganged into the Skull Pit, I, Ferox, began curating an exercise playlist named Heavy Moves Heavy. For nearly a decade, I alone reaped the benefits of this creation–many were the hours spent preening aboard my Squat Yacht, mixing oils so that I could marvel at the glistening gainz unlocked by the List. My indentured servitude is your good fortune, because a new and improved version of the Heavy Moves Heavy playlist is now available to all readers of AMG in good standing.1 The lifters among us have spent countless hours in the Exercise Oubliette testing these songs for tensile strength and ideological purity. Enjoy–but don’t listen if you are being screened for PEDs in the near future. This music will cause your free testosterone levels to skyrocket even as it adds length and sheen to your back pelt.

Only a blind master of epic poetry could capture the feats of strength performed by the lifters of AMG in 2023. We did have a bard wandering around the Hall, but no one has seen him since the last n00b uprising was put down. Suffice it to say that 2023 saw the List spur our Fearsome Five on to ever-more-epic achievements. These are the songs that got us there.

Whose contributions are best? What omissions expose us as dilettantes? Add your comments and song suggestions below. The song suggestions will be subjected to a remorseless testing process we call The Winnowing, and those that survive will be added to the master list. The comments will of course be ignored.

To the list!

Kenstrosity Bursts Through His Own Workout Gear:

“Askoma (Sorethroat)” // Massen (Gentle Brutality) – I am a psychopathic gym goer. If I can’t listen to huge grooves, massively thick guitars and meaty growls, I want to pump iron in silence. Thankfully, Massen refuse to let me work out without a soundtrack brimming with those exact parameters, and thereby allows me to break PRs on the reg.

“Catapulted into Hyperspace” // Nothingness (Supraliminal) – An unbelievably hooky death metal monster, “Catapulted into Hyperspace” has been my iron giant for almost a full year. The incredible momentum with which this song pushes my body should destroy me. Yet, the crazy swagger held in these riffs enlivens my nerves and oxygenates my blood like nothing else.

“Clockwork God” // Tardigrade Inferno (Burn the Circus) – Have you seen the physique of your average circus acrobat? Those fuckers are seriously jacked and shredded, yet lithe and agile. Hence, when the chunky chugs of “Clockwork God” enter my earballs, I can see my future, and it shows me at peak physical condition. All thanks to a vengeful little water bear.

“Destined to be Killed” // Phlebotomized (Clouds of Confusion) – Phlebotomized may be one of the weirder death metal bands to feature on this list, but “Destined to be Killed” is nothing short of a ripper. Great for those high-intensity intervals, the blistering blasts and tempered marches held here make for a great workout banger.

“Elysiism” // Wormhole (Almost Human) – Form is everything. Form is the only path to heavy. Once you get there, you’ll want a companion that understands what heavy means. Slam is that companion, and “Elysiism” contains one of the best set of slamming riffs of the year, hands down. Get it in you and watch your gainz balloon past your wildest expectations!

“Lift the Blindfold” // Crypta (Shades of Sorrow) – Sometimes you really just need something classic and thrashy to get the blood hot and the muscles flexing. Crypta understood the assignment with “Lift the Blindfold,” a clinic in shredding riffs and thrashy energy sure to get you movin’ and groovin’ with gusto.

“Liquified Mind” // Outer Heaven (Infinite Psychic Depths) – The bar is pressing into my traps. I’m deep in this squat and failure is approaching fast. There’s nothing I can do, I’m not going to make it back to start position. “Liquified Mind” starts playing and all of a sudden, I’ve pumped out three more reps as if I’m on autopilot. Such is the power of filthy, grooving, massive death metal.

“Ode to the Meatsaw” // Vomitory (All Heads are Gonna Roll) – Nothing beats an arena banger, an anthemic, fist-pumping slab of chunky death for the gym. That’s where Vomitory’s “Ode to the Meatsaw” shines in full glory, carving up bodies with a meatsaw as I sculpt mine with dumbbells. What more could a gym rat like me ask for?

“Symphony of a Dying Star” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Versatility is a virtue. Variety is key to an adaptable body. So, when I want to swap between high-intensity cardio, intervals, or just pick up a heavy thing and put it back down again, the powerful genre-swapping talents of Mental Cruelty’s “Symphony of a Dying Star” serve me brilliantly.

“Tormenting Fungal Infestation” // Vomitheist (NekroFuneral) – I love a mid-tempo banger to fuel my weightlifting hour, and there’s no better fodder for that than Vomitheist’s “Tormenting Fungal Infestation.” Ideal for any gym session where metered, disciplined breaths are essential to an effective movement, this song will keep you in the pocket all day long.

Ferox vs. The Curlers in the Squat Rack:

“In But Not Of” // Afterbirth (In But Not Of) – The shotgun marriage of post-metal crescendoes and a climactic brutal death freakout makes for the (Workout) Song O’ The Year. The end of this song will leave you well and truly berzerkified and ready to do less than prudent things to yourself.

“Breath of Satan” // Svartkonst (May the Night Fall) – Stop fucking around and focus. “Breath of Satan” is a fleeting blast of blistering intensity that’s guaranteed to help you accomplish ONE THING before the rest of the List does its work.

“Castle of Grief” // Carnosus (Visions of Infinihility) – Carnosus’s tech death onslaught is spry and engaging enough to keep you distracted from the suffering that is only now commencing. The saucy rolled tongue flourish midway through is a reliable font of joy in troubled times.

“Manuscripts of Madness” // Xoth (Exogalactic) – Certain dullards crossed their arms at Xoth’s latest, but do they even lift? This track infuses melodeath into the band’s pan-genre stew, and its sing-along chorus is just the thing to keep you tumescent during the early-mid workout blues.

“Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags” // Hellripper (Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags) – Here’s a black thrash epic to lose yourself in while you can still recognize the concept of “fun.” It’s gonna hurt from here on out, so you might as well make the most of this track.

“Throatsaw” // Autopsy (Ashes, Organs, Blood, and Crypts) – Only “Throatsaw” is real. This List could be “Throatsaw” repeated fifty times and still be equally effective.

“Mother of Ghouls” // Nexorum (Tongue of Thorns) – “Too many riffs,” sniffed a dainty staffer about Nexorum’s debut album. God help that timid soul if he’s ever exposed to this track from the band’s follow-up, which showcases riffs on riffs AND the Guitar Solo O’ The Year (Slayer-Inspired Division).

“Bastard Creature” // Angerot (The Profound Recreant) – A bit o’ bombast to help you puff your chest out for the endgame. “Rejoice in the birth of the bastard creature!” Angerot is talking about you, in whatever new form you take after finishing this workout.

“Pitch Black Resolve/Nickel Grass Mosaic” // Gridlink (Coronet Jupiter) – Here’s a grind double shot to keep you moving after your brain quits on you.2 This slice of tuneful madness sets a relentless marching pace and will not hesitate to holler at you until the thing is done.

“Throne ov the Morning Star” // Plaguewielder (Hot Graves) – Pick up something heavy and walk across the gym with it before softness sets in. You need an iron grip to get through life unscathed by the handshakes of farmers. Grip strength blowouts are the one trve way to finish any workout and this track will help you attain those Meathooks Ov Doom.

Thus Spoke and the Smiting of the Half-Depth Heretics:

“Join me in Armageddon” // Thy Art is Murder (Godlike) – Say whatever you’re going to say about TAiM, this is exactly the kind of anthemic banger you need when you’re chucking heavy stuff about. So what are you waiting for? Come and join me in armageddon the gym.

“Enlighten Through Agony” // Dying Fetus (Make Them Beg for Death) – Fun fact: I’d never listened to Dying Fetus before this year—DON’T COME FOR ME PLEASE OK, I’M WORKING ON IT. The rhythm on this thing, the brutality, the incredibly appropriate title. Time to get enlightened.

“Leper by the Grace of God” // God Disease (Apocalyptic Doom) – Dark, brutal, and dragging. This is the resting-bitch-face workout accompaniment you absolutely cannot do without on a playlist like this. Plus, it has an awesome, haunting solo that I personally find very motivating.

“Serrated Jaws” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – Tell me these aren’t the perfect lyrics for lifting: “Go for the kill//Tighten the grip//Stare into the eyes of fear.” Yeah, I didn’t think so. The real ones get their spot from the music like this.

“Manhunt” // To the Grave (Director’s Cuts) – I would stick the whole album here if I could, but this one gets the most plays. Pure menace and rage. And the way those “TRUST MEEE…“’s are delivered…chills. And gains.

“Taufbefehl” // Nightmarer (Deformity Adrift) – Having a title I can barely pronounce correctly doesn’t stop me from wanting to belt it out every time I hear it alongside those glorious concrete-head-smashing chord-and-beat combos each chorus. Stone-cold banger and perfect for lifting.

“Mortal Shells” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Oh my word, that descending minor melody surge that is the chorus of this song, blastbeats coming in, symphonics soaring, “THIS EEARRTH FORRRSAAKES MEE” makes me feel fucking invincible. And it will make you feel invincible too.

“The Insignificants” // Cattle Decapitation (Terrasite) – It’s angry, it’s nihilistic, its rhythms are on point. And it ends with an utterly bleak and brilliant sung/screamed refrain that is just the right balance between brooding and motivating. Weird but it works.

“Catastrophize” // Humanity’s Last Breath (Ashen) – “Ugh why is there so much deathcore on this playlist, Thus?” “Shut up,” I say, as I put another plate on the pendulum squat for you, “this one’s going to help.” It just beat album neighbor “Death Spiral” to make it here and you’re gonna feel its worth.

“Hammer from the Howling Void” // Sulphur Aeon (Seven Crowns and Seven Seals) – This song is just kind of epic. Its driving urgent melodies, group shouts and wails, and grand scale are like a shield of armor. It’s also possessed of a chorus with that ideal lifting tempo. You are the hammer from the howling void. Embrace it.

Holdeneye Practices Radical Body Acceptance:

“Unholy Hell” // Mystic Prophecy (Hellriot) – Mystic Prophecy has been delivering the beef for over twenty years, and this year’s album was especially beefy. “Unholy Hell” is a plodding groove-fest that makes me feel like I’m taking a 40 oz tomahawk steak to the face and swallowing it whole. Thank you, sir, may I have another?

“War Remains” // Enforced (War Remains) – Few bands can bring forth my deeply repressed primal rage like Enforced. “War Remains” has a snarling groove that just won’t quit, and I’ve been using it as a performance-enhancing sound-substance all year.

“Blood Blind” // Cannibal Corpse (Chaos Horrific) – While “Blood Blind” may not be my favorite CC gym song ever, it’s damn close. Corpsegrinder’s vocal build-up over the the chugging riff that leads up to the song’s “chorus” makes me see more red than any Cannibal Corpse album cover can hope to muster.

“Academia” // Finality (Technocracy) – One of the most ferocious album-openers I heard all year, “Academia” has been helping me dominate gym class ever since its release. Intensely melodic and powerfully groovy, this power/thrash barnburner will give you a doctorate in gainz.

“Best Served Cold” // Frozen Soul (Glacial Domination) – Current research shows that cold exposure can inhibit muscle growth and strength gain, but I’ve found that Frozen Soul has the opposite effect. Not only does “Best Served Cold” contain enough groove to fuel an entire workout, it also reminds you how to best enjoy your protein shake to refuel after.

“Mountain of Power” // All for Metal (Legends) – Do I really need to say anything about this one? It’s a song about a mountainous man of enormous strength with spoken word parts performed by a mountainous man of enormous strength. This is pure Holdeneye-bait.

“Tithe (The Money Song)” // By Fire and Sword (Glory)- When you’re trying to give 110% in the gym, sometimes that last 10% can be hard to come by. “Tithe” mentions building up kingdoms with our sweat and tells us to ‘remember that the pain is brief.’ With that kind of motivation, how can we not blow right past our preconceived limitations?

“Confined” // Disguised Malignance (Entering the Gateways) – I couldn’t let Steel corner the market on grimy old-school death metal, so I offer you “Confined,” one of the grooviest tracks of the year. If you’re like me, you’ll have a tough time keeping your arms confined within your sleeves after listening to this one.

“Power Surge” // Cruel Force (Dawn of the Axe) – No Heavy Moves Heavy playlist would be complete without some old-timey metal sounds, and “Power Surge” delivers its ancient payload with lethal precision. I dare you not to feel a surge in power as the intro gives way to the speedy main riff.

“Sword of Mars” // Warcrab (The Howling Silence) – “Sword of Mars” uses burly Bolt Thrower tremolos with hate-filled sludgy hardcore vocals to transform its listeners into statues of blade-wielding Greek (or Roman) gods. Queue this one up and experience divine results.

Steel Druhm Feeds the Floor to Posers:

“Slimebreeder” // Rotpit (Let There Be Rot) – No-nonsense, stupid heavy OSDM for no-nonsense stupid heavy gym days, Rotpit has the goods and the slime you need for the gainz and the pain. Feed this slime directly into your leg day. Not FDA approved.

“Cerebral Ingestion” // Carnal Tomb (Embalmed in Decay) – Mid-tempo caveman grooves heavy enough to pulp a power rack and with enough forward momentum to power you through any kind of exercise rigor. Just the right levels of ugly, brutal and gross,

“Vortex of Blood” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – D-beating Swedeath goes grandly in the gym and Grand Cadaver drags a big stinking corpse into the room with this one. Entombed and Dismember-isms run like an everflowing stream directly into your veins and make you a better version of your crappy self.

“Cremator” // Dripping Decay (Festering Grotesquieries) – Short, sharp, shocking and so good at getting you all geeked up for that next big lift. This is Slaughter-core all day and that means thrashing, nasty heaviness in your face. You need this 2-minute adrenaline injection.

“Nemesis” // Serpent Corpse (Blood Sabbath) – When you fortify classic OSDM with massive, bone-crunching riffs and a scuzzy sound profile, it brings forth your worst angels. “Nemesis” borrows from Autopsy but goes nuclear with it and the results are tailor-made for gym idiots.

“Decrowned” // Vomitory (All Heads Are Gonna Roll) – Vomitory have been cranking out gym-friendly animalistic death forever, and “Decrowned” is a great example of their knuckle-dragging art. That fat chug at 1:55 will loosen your molars and make you feel things. Vomit: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

“The Surgeon” // Overkill (Scorched) – A non-death metal song?? Hell yes, because Overkill is all about fists, broken bottles, and rusty shanks. 100% NJ attitude in one 5-minute dose. If that doesn’t get you in a focused place, no amount of preworkout will help your sorry ass.

“Planetary Obliteration” // Re-Buried (Repulsive Nature) – On the ragged edge of OSDM and slam lies this sick twist of a bastard. Feel the muscles in your arms and legs contort and start to fracture your skeletal system as the primal beatdowns blast your feeble mind. It’s obnoxious, brutish, and sounds like deadlifts gone very wrong.

“Me the Nothing” // Metal Church (Congregation of Annihilation) – An atypically heavy, grinding, vicious cut from the elder statesmen in Metal Church. There is simply no way to blast this and not feel the aggression surging in your blood. The insane vocals at chorus time will make you grind your teeth and hunger for weight.

“Who Told Me” // Prong (State of Emergency) – Prong supplied many songs to the Lift Lists ov Steel over the years, and “Who Told Me” is the latest nugget of New York-style hostility to get up in your face and make you want to brawl Jersey Shore idiots. Poke somebody in the chest after a personal best.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AllForMetal #Angerot #Autopsy #ByFireAndSword #CannibalCorpse #CarnalTomb #Carnosus #CattleDecapitation #CruelForce #Crypta #DisguisedMalignance #DrippingDecay #DyingFetus #Enforced #Finality #FrozenSoul #GodDisease #GrandCadaver #Gridlink #HeavyMovesHeavy #Hellripper #HumanitySLastBreath #Massen #MentalCruelty #MetalChurch #MysticProphecy #Nexorum #Nightmarer #Nothingness #OuterHeaven #Overkill #Phlebotomized #Plaguewielder #Prong #ReBuried #Rotpit #SerpentCorpse #SulphurAeon #Svartkonst #TardigradeInferno #ThyArtIsMurder #ToTheGrave #Vomitheist #Vomitory #Warcrab #Wormhole #Xoth

Heavy Moves Heavy 2023 – AMG’s Ultimate Workout Playlist

By Ferox

Before I was press-ganged into the Skull Pit, I, Ferox, began curating an exercise playlist named Heavy Moves Heavy. For nearly a decade, I alone reaped the benefits of this creation–many were the hours spent preening aboard my Squat Yacht, mixing oils so that I could marvel at the glistening gainz unlocked by the List. My indentured servitude is your good fortune, because a new and improved version of the Heavy Moves Heavy playlist is now available to all readers of AMG in good standing.1 The lifters among us have spent countless hours in the Exercise Oubliette testing these songs for tensile strength and ideological purity. Enjoy–but don’t listen if you are being screened for PEDs in the near future. This music will cause your free testosterone levels to skyrocket even as it adds length and sheen to your back pelt.

Only a blind master of epic poetry could capture the feats of strength performed by the lifters of AMG in 2023. We did have a bard wandering around the Hall, but no one has seen him since the last n00b uprising was put down. Suffice it to say that 2023 saw the List spur our Fearsome Five on to ever-more-epic achievements. These are the songs that got us there.

Whose contributions are best? What omissions expose us as dilettantes? Add your comments and song suggestions below. The song suggestions will be subjected to a remorseless testing process we call The Winnowing, and those that survive will be added to the master list. The comments will of course be ignored.

To the list!

Kenstrosity Bursts Through His Own Workout Gear:

“Askoma (Sorethroat)” // Massen (Gentle Brutality) – I am a psychopathic gym goer. If I can’t listen to huge grooves, massively thick guitars and meaty growls, I want to pump iron in silence. Thankfully, Massen refuse to let me work out without a soundtrack brimming with those exact parameters, and thereby allows me to break PRs on the reg.

“Catapulted into Hyperspace” // Nothingness (Supraliminal) – An unbelievably hooky death metal monster, “Catapulted into Hyperspace” has been my iron giant for almost a full year. The incredible momentum with which this song pushes my body should destroy me. Yet, the crazy swagger held in these riffs enlivens my nerves and oxygenates my blood like nothing else.

“Clockwork God” // Tardigrade Inferno (Burn the Circus) – Have you seen the physique of your average circus acrobat? Those fuckers are seriously jacked and shredded, yet lithe and agile. Hence, when the chunky chugs of “Clockwork God” enter my earballs, I can see my future, and it shows me at peak physical condition. All thanks to a vengeful little water bear.

“Destined to be Killed” // Phlebotomized (Clouds of Confusion) – Phlebotomized may be one of the weirder death metal bands to feature on this list, but “Destined to be Killed” is nothing short of a ripper. Great for those high-intensity intervals, the blistering blasts and tempered marches held here make for a great workout banger.

“Elysiism” // Wormhole (Almost Human) – Form is everything. Form is the only path to heavy. Once you get there, you’ll want a companion that understands what heavy means. Slam is that companion, and “Elysiism” contains one of the best set of slamming riffs of the year, hands down. Get it in you and watch your gainz balloon past your wildest expectations!

“Lift the Blindfold” // Crypta (Shades of Sorrow) – Sometimes you really just need something classic and thrashy to get the blood hot and the muscles flexing. Crypta understood the assignment with “Lift the Blindfold,” a clinic in shredding riffs and thrashy energy sure to get you movin’ and groovin’ with gusto.

“Liquified Mind” // Outer Heaven (Infinite Psychic Depths) – The bar is pressing into my traps. I’m deep in this squat and failure is approaching fast. There’s nothing I can do, I’m not going to make it back to start position. “Liquified Mind” starts playing and all of a sudden, I’ve pumped out three more reps as if I’m on autopilot. Such is the power of filthy, grooving, massive death metal.

“Ode to the Meatsaw” // Vomitory (All Heads are Gonna Roll) – Nothing beats an arena banger, an anthemic, fist-pumping slab of chunky death for the gym. That’s where Vomitory’s “Ode to the Meatsaw” shines in full glory, carving up bodies with a meatsaw as I sculpt mine with dumbbells. What more could a gym rat like me ask for?

“Symphony of a Dying Star” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Versatility is a virtue. Variety is key to an adaptable body. So, when I want to swap between high-intensity cardio, intervals, or just pick up a heavy thing and put it back down again, the powerful genre-swapping talents of Mental Cruelty’s “Symphony of a Dying Star” serve me brilliantly.

“Tormenting Fungal Infestation” // Vomitheist (NekroFuneral) – I love a mid-tempo banger to fuel my weightlifting hour, and there’s no better fodder for that than Vomitheist’s “Tormenting Fungal Infestation.” Ideal for any gym session where metered, disciplined breaths are essential to an effective movement, this song will keep you in the pocket all day long.

Ferox vs. The Curlers in the Squat Rack:

“In But Not Of” // Afterbirth (In But Not Of) – The shotgun marriage of post-metal crescendoes and a climactic brutal death freakout makes for the (Workout) Song O’ The Year. The end of this song will leave you well and truly berzerkified and ready to do less than prudent things to yourself.

“Breath of Satan” // Svartkonst (May the Night Fall) – Stop fucking around and focus. “Breath of Satan” is a fleeting blast of blistering intensity that’s guaranteed to help you accomplish ONE THING before the rest of the List does its work.

“Castle of Grief” // Carnosus (Visions of Infinihility) – Carnosus’s tech death onslaught is spry and engaging enough to keep you distracted from the suffering that is only now commencing. The saucy rolled tongue flourish midway through is a reliable font of joy in troubled times.

“Manuscripts of Madness” // Xoth (Exogalactic) – Certain dullards crossed their arms at Xoth’s latest, but do they even lift? This track infuses melodeath into the band’s pan-genre stew, and its sing-along chorus is just the thing to keep you tumescent during the early-mid workout blues.

“Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags” // Hellripper (Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags) – Here’s a black thrash epic to lose yourself in while you can still recognize the concept of “fun.” It’s gonna hurt from here on out, so you might as well make the most of this track.

“Throatsaw” // Autopsy (Ashes, Organs, Blood, and Crypts) – Only “Throatsaw” is real. This List could be “Throatsaw” repeated fifty times and still be equally effective.

“Mother of Ghouls” // Nexorum (Tongue of Thorns) – “Too many riffs,” sniffed a dainty staffer about Nexorum’s debut album. God help that timid soul if he’s ever exposed to this track from the band’s follow-up, which showcases riffs on riffs AND the Guitar Solo O’ The Year (Slayer-Inspired Division).

“Bastard Creature” // Angerot (The Profound Recreant) – A bit o’ bombast to help you puff your chest out for the endgame. “Rejoice in the birth of the bastard creature!” Angerot is talking about you, in whatever new form you take after finishing this workout.

“Pitch Black Resolve/Nickel Grass Mosaic” // Gridlink (Coronet Jupiter) – Here’s a grind double shot to keep you moving after your brain quits on you.2 This slice of tuneful madness sets a relentless marching pace and will not hesitate to holler at you until the thing is done.

“Throne ov the Morning Star” // Plaguewielder (Hot Graves) – Pick up something heavy and walk across the gym with it before softness sets in. You need an iron grip to get through life unscathed by the handshakes of farmers. Grip strength blowouts are the one trve way to finish any workout and this track will help you attain those Meathooks Ov Doom.

Thus Spoke and the Smiting of the Half-Depth Heretics:

“Join me in Armageddon” // Thy Art is Murder (Godlike) – Say whatever you’re going to say about TAiM, this is exactly the kind of anthemic banger you need when you’re chucking heavy stuff about. So what are you waiting for? Come and join me in armageddon the gym.

“Enlighten Through Agony” // Dying Fetus (Make Them Beg for Death) – Fun fact: I’d never listened to Dying Fetus before this year—DON’T COME FOR ME PLEASE OK, I’M WORKING ON IT. The rhythm on this thing, the brutality, the incredibly appropriate title. Time to get enlightened.

“Leper by the Grace of God” // God Disease (Apocalyptic Doom) – Dark, brutal, and dragging. This is the resting-bitch-face workout accompaniment you absolutely cannot do without on a playlist like this. Plus, it has an awesome, haunting solo that I personally find very motivating.

“Serrated Jaws” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – Tell me these aren’t the perfect lyrics for lifting: “Go for the kill//Tighten the grip//Stare into the eyes of fear.” Yeah, I didn’t think so. The real ones get their spot from the music like this.

“Manhunt” // To the Grave (Director’s Cuts) – I would stick the whole album here if I could, but this one gets the most plays. Pure menace and rage. And the way those “TRUST MEEE…“’s are delivered…chills. And gains.

“Taufbefehl” // Nightmarer (Deformity Adrift) – Having a title I can barely pronounce correctly doesn’t stop me from wanting to belt it out every time I hear it alongside those glorious concrete-head-smashing chord-and-beat combos each chorus. Stone-cold banger and perfect for lifting.

“Mortal Shells” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Oh my word, that descending minor melody surge that is the chorus of this song, blastbeats coming in, symphonics soaring, “THIS EEARRTH FORRRSAAKES MEE” makes me feel fucking invincible. And it will make you feel invincible too.

“The Insignificants” // Cattle Decapitation (Terrasite) – It’s angry, it’s nihilistic, its rhythms are on point. And it ends with an utterly bleak and brilliant sung/screamed refrain that is just the right balance between brooding and motivating. Weird but it works.

“Catastrophize” // Humanity’s Last Breath (Ashen) – “Ugh why is there so much deathcore on this playlist, Thus?” “Shut up,” I say, as I put another plate on the pendulum squat for you, “this one’s going to help.” It just beat album neighbor “Death Spiral” to make it here and you’re gonna feel its worth.

“Hammer from the Howling Void” // Sulphur Aeon (Seven Crowns and Seven Seals) – This song is just kind of epic. Its driving urgent melodies, group shouts and wails, and grand scale are like a shield of armor. It’s also possessed of a chorus with that ideal lifting tempo. You are the hammer from the howling void. Embrace it.

Holdeneye Practices Radical Body Acceptance:

“Unholy Hell” // Mystic Prophecy (Hellriot) – Mystic Prophecy has been delivering the beef for over twenty years, and this year’s album was especially beefy. “Unholy Hell” is a plodding groove-fest that makes me feel like I’m taking a 40 oz tomahawk steak to the face and swallowing it whole. Thank you, sir, may I have another?

“War Remains” // Enforced (War Remains) – Few bands can bring forth my deeply repressed primal rage like Enforced. “War Remains” has a snarling groove that just won’t quit, and I’ve been using it as a performance-enhancing sound-substance all year.

“Blood Blind” // Cannibal Corpse (Chaos Horrific) – While “Blood Blind” may not be my favorite CC gym song ever, it’s damn close. Corpsegrinder’s vocal build-up over the the chugging riff that leads up to the song’s “chorus” makes me see more red than any Cannibal Corpse album cover can hope to muster.

“Academia” // Finality (Technocracy) – One of the most ferocious album-openers I heard all year, “Academia” has been helping me dominate gym class ever since its release. Intensely melodic and powerfully groovy, this power/thrash barnburner will give you a doctorate in gainz.

“Best Served Cold” // Frozen Soul (Glacial Domination) – Current research shows that cold exposure can inhibit muscle growth and strength gain, but I’ve found that Frozen Soul has the opposite effect. Not only does “Best Served Cold” contain enough groove to fuel an entire workout, it also reminds you how to best enjoy your protein shake to refuel after.

“Mountain of Power” // All for Metal (Legends) – Do I really need to say anything about this one? It’s a song about a mountainous man of enormous strength with spoken word parts performed by a mountainous man of enormous strength. This is pure Holdeneye-bait.

“Tithe (The Money Song)” // By Fire and Sword (Glory)- When you’re trying to give 110% in the gym, sometimes that last 10% can be hard to come by. “Tithe” mentions building up kingdoms with our sweat and tells us to ‘remember that the pain is brief.’ With that kind of motivation, how can we not blow right past our preconceived limitations?

“Confined” // Disguised Malignance (Entering the Gateways) – I couldn’t let Steel corner the market on grimy old-school death metal, so I offer you “Confined,” one of the grooviest tracks of the year. If you’re like me, you’ll have a tough time keeping your arms confined within your sleeves after listening to this one.

“Power Surge” // Cruel Force (Dawn of the Axe) – No Heavy Moves Heavy playlist would be complete without some old-timey metal sounds, and “Power Surge” delivers its ancient payload with lethal precision. I dare you not to feel a surge in power as the intro gives way to the speedy main riff.

“Sword of Mars” // Warcrab (The Howling Silence) – “Sword of Mars” uses burly Bolt Thrower tremolos with hate-filled sludgy hardcore vocals to transform its listeners into statues of blade-wielding Greek (or Roman) gods. Queue this one up and experience divine results.

Steel Druhm Feeds the Floor to Posers:

“Slimebreeder” // Rotpit (Let There Be Rot) – No-nonsense, stupid heavy OSDM for no-nonsense stupid heavy gym days, Rotpit has the goods and the slime you need for the gainz and the pain. Feed this slime directly into your leg day. Not FDA approved.

“Cerebral Ingestion” // Carnal Tomb (Embalmed in Decay) – Mid-tempo caveman grooves heavy enough to pulp a power rack and with enough forward momentum to power you through any kind of exercise rigor. Just the right levels of ugly, brutal and gross,

“Vortex of Blood” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – D-beating Swedeath goes grandly in the gym and Grand Cadaver drags a big stinking corpse into the room with this one. Entombed and Dismember-isms run like an everflowing stream directly into your veins and make you a better version of your crappy self.

“Cremator” // Dripping Decay (Festering Grotesquieries) – Short, sharp, shocking and so good at getting you all geeked up for that next big lift. This is Slaughter-core all day and that means thrashing, nasty heaviness in your face. You need this 2-minute adrenaline injection.

“Nemesis” // Serpent Corpse (Blood Sabbath) – When you fortify classic OSDM with massive, bone-crunching riffs and a scuzzy sound profile, it brings forth your worst angels. “Nemesis” borrows from Autopsy but goes nuclear with it and the results are tailor-made for gym idiots.

“Decrowned” // Vomitory (All Heads Are Gonna Roll) – Vomitory have been cranking out gym-friendly animalistic death forever, and “Decrowned” is a great example of their knuckle-dragging art. That fat chug at 1:55 will loosen your molars and make you feel things. Vomit: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

“The Surgeon” // Overkill (Scorched) – A non-death metal song?? Hell yes, because Overkill is all about fists, broken bottles, and rusty shanks. 100% NJ attitude in one 5-minute dose. If that doesn’t get you in a focused place, no amount of preworkout will help your sorry ass.

“Planetary Obliteration” // Re-Buried (Repulsive Nature) – On the ragged edge of OSDM and slam lies this sick twist of a bastard. Feel the muscles in your arms and legs contort and start to fracture your skeletal system as the primal beatdowns blast your feeble mind. It’s obnoxious, brutish, and sounds like deadlifts gone very wrong.

“Me the Nothing” // Metal Church (Congregation of Annihilation) – An atypically heavy, grinding, vicious cut from the elder statesmen in Metal Church. There is simply no way to blast this and not feel the aggression surging in your blood. The insane vocals at chorus time will make you grind your teeth and hunger for weight.

“Who Told Me” // Prong (State of Emergency) – Prong supplied many songs to the Lift Lists ov Steel over the years, and “Who Told Me” is the latest nugget of New York-style hostility to get up in your face and make you want to brawl Jersey Shore idiots. Poke somebody in the chest after a personal best.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AllForMetal #Angerot #Autopsy #ByFireAndSword #CannibalCorpse #CarnalTomb #Carnosus #CattleDecapitation #CruelForce #Crypta #DisguisedMalignance #DrippingDecay #DyingFetus #Enforced #Finality #FrozenSoul #GodDisease #GrandCadaver #Gridlink #HeavyMovesHeavy #Hellripper #HumanitySLastBreath #Massen #MentalCruelty #MetalChurch #MysticProphecy #Nexorum #Nightmarer #Nothingness #OuterHeaven #Overkill #Phlebotomized #Plaguewielder #Prong #ReBuried #Rotpit #SerpentCorpse #SulphurAeon #Svartkonst #TardigradeInferno #ThyArtIsMurder #ToTheGrave #Vomitheist #Vomitory #Warcrab #Wormhole #Xoth

Pretty happy with my #BandcampFriday haul!

#Fetid #Wormwitch #SpiritPossession and #Hellripper – three bands from Cascadia, and one from Scotland (close enough!). 🤘🏻

Here's my updated #AOTY2023 list:

1. #Obituary - Dying Of Everything 4/5
2. #Screamer - Kingmaker 4/5
2. #Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags 4/5
3. #Memoriam - Rise To Power 3,5/5
4. #TwilightForce - At The Heart Of Wintervale 3,5/5
5. #AllMyShadows - Eerie Monsters 3/5
6. #AirRaid - Fatal Encounter 3/5 *NEW*
7. #MONOINC - Ravenblack 3/5
8. #AllOutWar - Celestial Rot 3/5
9. #Leiþa - Reue 3/5
10. #InFlames - Foregone 2,5/5
11. #Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars 2/5

#TomsAOTY2023

Hellripper will fight Screamer for the number 2 spot on my #AOTY2023 list. But who knows, maybe not even Obituary is safe? Let the battle begin! 🤘

#TomsAOTY2023:

1. #Obituary - Dying Of Everything 4/5
2. #Screamer - Kingmaker 4/5
2. #Hellripper - Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags 4/5 *NEW*
3. #Memoriam - Rise To Power 3,5/5
4. #TwilightForce - At The Heart Of Wintervale 3,5/5