Weekly Digest, Week 10 / 2026
- Thomas
- 3 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Gritted-teeth solemnity gives (mostly) way to entertainment factor on these releases from Axe Dragger, Desert Storm, Miserere Luminis, Temple Of Void and Triumpher.
The big name bands aren't being all too serious either:
Erra – silence outlives the earth (metalcore)
Leaves Eyes – Song Of Darkness (EP) (symphonic metal)
Lost Society – Hell Is A State Of Mind (heavy/nu metal)
Tardigrade Inferno – Hush (alternative metal)
Vreid – The Skies Turn Black (melodic black metal)
TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
Temple Of Void – The Crawl
Genre: Melodic death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: USA
Here we've got another one of those bands playing the dangerous game of messing around with the formula that got them established. To be fair, 2022's "Summoning the Slayer" was no straightforward death doom record either, but "The Crawl" sees Detroit's Temple of Void not just loosening the stylistic belt a couple of notches but opening it all the way up in order to loop on a whole host of new and exciting accessories. What should be said is that in terms of riff- and vocal style, this is pretty much as classic death doom as it gets, and the guys keep laying into you hard and heavy all throughout the album. But it moves at distinctly different paces and mixes in various tones of melodies according to how the mood seems to strike it, taking on melodeath, goth, hard rock, epic doom, classic heavy metal, and other traits that liven up proceedings no end. It feels perhaps a bit under-planned and open-ended, leaving less of a solid statement and more of a collection of entertaining heaviness. But when it sounds as good as this, that's more than fine with me.
Highlights: "Poison Icon" and "The Crawl"
Axe Dragger – Axe Dragger
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Country of origin: USA
On their self-titled debut, Axe Dragger combine mid-tempo, rugged-melodic heavy metal with hard rock cool and a bit of thrash riff-edge. This is a band that's not lacking in character, offering plenty of tracks with strong individual personalities and an impressively versatile vocal performance. It's not what I'd call silly, but it's definitely feelgood in the sense that it invites you in to partake in a very specific kind of mood, radiating rock 'n' roll groove, pleasant melodies and antihero charm. Far from over the top, it actually feels a tad too laid back, lacking a bit of punch and urgency. Looking forward to more, perhaps with a slightly heavier foot on the gas pedal.
Highlight: "Give You the Rope"
Desert Storm – Buried Under The Weight Of Reason
Genre: Stoner/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: England
Give heaviness a purpose, and suddenly it becomes a very versatile tool. England's Desert Storm employ heaviness in mountainous heaps, well matched with rusty sludge vocals and tons of mid- to low-tempo groove. But these aren't the sole features of their sonic landscape. Rather they are masses of rocky cliffs towering out of the ocean, for the waves to break on when the storm fronts hit. And the album offers up a wide range of weather patterns - from the tranquil to the tempestuous. In the end, it falls just short of feeling like a unified conceptual statement, but it's still an awesomely heavy-hitting, engagingly dynamic experience that takes just as much time as it needs to kick ass and push enough buttons to leave a multi-layered impression.
Highlights: "Law Unto Myself" and "Woodsman"
Miserere Luminis – Sidera
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: Canada
Like potent raw ingredients tapped directly from their natural sources, melodic beauty and hostile bitterness are joined with little restraint on Canadian band Miserere Luminis' third full-length. The two sides clash as much as they mix and weave together in complex patterns. It sounds like a struggle for much of the duration, but not a chaotic or disturbing one. More like the organic conflict that goes into eventually finding equilibrium and achieving harmony in environments undergoing radical change. The dynamism and emotional depth on this album is truly profound, making it a must-listen for those in tune with this kind of harsh/atmospheric mix.
Highlight: "De cris & de cendres" and "Dans la voie de nos lumières"
Triumpher – Piercing the Heart of the World
Genre: Heavy/power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Country of origin: Greece
This is metal that forcibly marches you straight to the battlefield, spear in hand, by way of pure inspiration and rhythmic stimulation. Triumpher mixes the glorious, epic nature of power metal with the dark majesty of melodic black metal as fuel for its classic, gutsy heavy metal cavalry charge. On a casual listen it'll probably sound like any run-of-the-mill bombastic, Manowar-esque thing, but invest just a bit of attention and you'll start to pick up on the nuances and distinct characteristics that give it a strong personality. I had pretty much every track grow on me on the second listen, and even though I don't find it as rousing or catchy as some of its peers, it's full of conviction and not quite like anything else.
Highlight: "Destroyer"
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Mega Colossus – Watch Out!
Genre: Heavy metal
Country of origin: USA
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