Weekly Digest, Week 06 / 2026

The wave of bleak morbidity keeps on rolling, but meets some brighter-minded resistance, featuring releases from Ensanguinate, Mors Verum, Night Of The Vampire, Phendrana and Sleeping Giant.

The same thing is happening overground, just on a bigger scale:

Before I Turn – Immoral And Malevolent Happenings (metalcore)

Karnivool – In Verses (progressive metal/rock)

Mayhem – Liturgy Of Death (black metal)

Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz (heavy metal)

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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Mors Verum – Canvas

Genre: Progressive death metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 4/5

Country of origin: International

Whether you want to call this a long EP or a short album, it offers more than enough twists and turns to leave a lasting impact. There is no straight path for the kind of death metal that Mors Verum plays. It scurries, pauses, charges and thrashes around in place and interestingly plays around, to great success, with both dissonance and melody. There is beauty, ugliness and engaging brutality in equal measure. It will poke at your brain with chaotic rhythms and instrumental wails just long enough to approach it being unbearable, and then quickly change it up for either controlled riffing or contemplative, sometimes almost meditative offshoots of relative calm. It doesn't always feel fully purposeful, but showcases both excellent instrumental control and creativity.

Highlights: "Canvas" and "Your Apocalypse"

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Ensanguinate – Death Saturnalia

Genre: Death/black metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Slovenia

This Slovenian band dropped a solid, hard hitting debut of a blackened death metal album back in 2022, and I liked it quite a bit. It wasn't what you'd call genre bending, but delivered strongly on conviction and forcefulness. On this follow-up they've partially set the death metal chugs aside in favor of loading on black metal venom. It sounds sharper, more sinister, eschewing low end heft and riff crunch for reverb and cutting tremolo. It's a welcome style exploration for the band instead of simply making more of the same, although, at least to me, not with quite as consistent a result this time around. It pulls a bit from speed metal and gothic as well, and doesn't seem to quite make up its mind about being an atmosphere-leaning, oppressive fiend or a rowdy, unholy rebel, not ending up as super convincing as either. Still, they do a lot of things right, and those caring a bit less about album consistency will likely find a good deal to like.  

Highlight: "Gloaming" and "Angel of a Thousand Poisons"

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Night Of The Vampire – The Enchanting Winds Of The Dreamweaving Masquerade

Genre: Black/heavy metal/synthwave

Subjective rating: 3.5/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: USA

Black metal fans in particular seem to love niche stuff, and this is certainly that. The really cool part is when this kind of weirdness actually makes sense, in that the blending of elements is complementary, resulting in not only a unique sound but one that both matches the thematic concept and is engaging, entertaining, or at least transportive as a musical experience. In this, Night of the Vampire's mix of black metal vocals, catchy hard rock/heavy metal biker bar riffs and gothic synth melodies and atmosphere works very well. Once your brain adjusts and you're able to take it for what it is, all of it makes complete sense. I will say that there are parts and moods that feel repeated and stretched out unnecessarily, but I nonetheless applaud the investment into this very peculiar style.

Highlights: "Chasing Shadows in an Ocean of Time" and "Mother Moon of the Astral Dawn"

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Phendrana – Cathexis

Genre: Progressive/atmospheric black metal

Subjective rating: 3/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Mexico

A four-track album with increasing runtimes, this is not for those seeking instant gratification, at least not in the black metal department. There's a lot of folk-like, moody melody to before and in between, but luckily it's a treat to listen to - serene and moving. When the harshness kicks in it's direct and in line with the feel that's been built up, although I'd say that the more dissonant prog twists and turns it gets into is unnecessarily off-putting. It gets into its stride about halfway through the album, which might be too late for some, but the following blend of anger and melancholy is one to be savored.

Highlight: "Sentience"

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Sleeping Giant – The Beauty Of Obliteration

Genre: Stoner/sludge metal

Subjective rating: 3.5/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Iceland

A growling, fun-loving stoner doom project out of Iceland that's much more forward-leaning into catchy grooves and driving rhythms than the bent-over, smoking orc on the album cover might lead you to expect. Every track on this fairly short album is entertaining in its own right, with approaches varying between slightly dragging stomps up to full on thrash gallops. There's a bit of repetition to be found, and it's not what I'd call inventive, but it's a real good time with a punchy low end and great energy.

Highlight: "Slay the King of Hell"

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HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Agenbite Misery – Remorse Of Conscience

Genre: Experimental black/death metal

Country of origin: USA

In Aeternum – …Of Death And Fire

Genre: Death/black metal

Country of origin: Sweden

Paganizer – As Mankind Rots

Genre: Death metal

Country of origin: Sweden