Weekly Digest, Week 03 / 2026

A compact but stylistically divergent group of releases awaits this week, from Carrion Vael, Death Cult, Marianas Rest and Total Annihilation.

We've some big names showing up in January, and here's the first real taste:

Kreator – Krushers Of The World (thrash metal)

Ov Sulfur – Endless (symphonic deathcore)

Soen – Reliance (progressive metal/hard rock)

Soulbound – sYn (industrial/alternative metal)

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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK

Total Annihilation - Mountains of Madness

Genre: Thrash/death metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 4/5

Country of origin: Switzerland

This is the perfect sound to accompany an album cover adorned by carnivorous mountaintops and a good 'ol pile of skulls. From the very first few seconds you're in no doubt that you're in for an absolute ripper of a rough-edged thrash record adorning itself unabashedly with the morbid trappings of old school death metal. No distractions, no unwarranted experimentation, just a snarling, chasing-the-scent killing spree of racing drums and frantically clawing riffs. It's a great mix of grooves and wildly thrashing gallops, constantly switching techniques to keep it interesting and going from menacing, mid-tempo pacing to maniacal whirlwind strikes. If the Kreator album dropping this week wasn't to your taste, I highly recommend giving this a shot.

Highlights: "The Art Of Torture" and "Chokehold"

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Death Cult - Death Cult

Genre: Sludge metal/hardcore

Subjective rating: 3.5/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: France

A howling, barely controlled tumble down a pit of existential despair, where you're repeatedly stomped on by massive manifestations of humanity's collective woes. This is the debut full-length of French sludgecore band Death Cult, and it seems they've unleashed enough pent up anger to sustain a good handful of albums, all in one go. It's dark, coarse, with massive, chugging riffs and a tone so heavy it sounds like it would crack apart a concrete floor. A few sections get slightly repetitive, and the slower sections drag a bit, but they also build pressure, raising expectations for the next release of crushing fury.

Highlight: "Feeling Of Death"

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Carrion Vael – Slay Utterly

Genre: Technical/melodic death metal/deathcore

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: USA

As interpretations of sonic carnage go, this is an extravagant one. Very much in the vein of bands like Summoning the Lich, Carrion Vael play distinctly technical and symphonic-leaning modern melodeath with vocal and rhythmic styles that will appeal just as much, if not more, to fans of melodic deathcore. They employ a massive, relentless sound that seeks to stampede all over you repeatedly, but there are also thematic intros of contrasting musical styles employing acoustic instruments and clean vocals, allowing you to reset before the next onslaught. While not exactly boundary-pushing, the album is loaded with bangers, performed with awesome precision, strong melodic aptitude and a clear desire to build on the formula and mix related styles.      

Highlight: "Bisection 47" and "Truth Or Consequences"

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Marianas Rest - The Bereaved

Genre: Atmospheric doom/death metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Finland

Bring on the grey weather feels. Marianas Rest is organizing a depressive-meditative retreat to the remote Finnish wilderness, having you trek along misty lakes, rocky mountainsides and whispering forests. Their style is folk-infused and expansively atmospheric melodeath played as doom. The song runtimes aren't actually all that long, but they feel like they go on forever, and that's mostly meant as a compliment. This is an escape, after all, sampling tragedy and melancholy as a way of opening up repressed pockets of your psyche. Overall, it is a tad monotone, but the balance of immersive melody, satisfying riffs, bitter aggression and rewarding buildups is exactly how you want it for this kind of style. If you have the patience for the sedate pace and don't expect massive contrasts, I highly recommend letting this album carry you off into the muted expanse.  

Highlights: "Rat in the Wall" and "Diamonds in the Rough"