Weekly Digest, Week 12 / 2026
- Thomas
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
You're likely to find conceptual depth and stylistic flexibility where you least expect it among these releases from Egregore, Gutvoid, Hanging Garden, Iron Firmament and Papa Necrose.
Defying expectations is less of a theme and more of a localized phenomenon (looking at you Gaerea) in the mainstream this week:
Exodus – Goliath (thrash metal)
Gaerea – Loss (blackened metalcore)
Lost In Hollywood – Lost In Hollywood (metalcore)
Poison The Well – Peace In Place (melodic hardcore)
TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
Egregore – It Echoes In The Wild
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: Canada
This one has a bit of that Veilburner madness to it, and I'm all here for it. While it sounds plenty demonic and enveloped in clouds of witch cauldron fumes, instead of diving for the abyss, this aims to captivate you with a seductive, complex dance of shifting rhythm patterns, charging riffs and heavy metal gallops and dive bombs that would be right at home on a blackened thrash or speed album. It channels a lot of that Venom-esque, rough-around-the-edges, "just go for it" kind of sensory overwhelming aggression that doesn't need a lot of fancy production wizardry or dazzling technicality, but is rooted in classic techniques. Another thing that I love about it is that it just doesn't tire. Apart from on the epic closing track, there's very little, if anything in the way of atmospheric breaks or "restful" sections. It constantly moves forward, eager to shock, corrupt and amaze, and is filled to the brim with highlights.
Highlight: "Voice on The West Wind" and "Servants of the Second Death"
Gutvoid – Liminal Shrines
Genre: Progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: Canada
This is old school death metal lured out of its cave with treats and led gloriously astray on a brain-spinning excursion through an unpredictably morphing landscape. It's not quite as weird as I probably make it sound, but it's certainly not straightforward. The gurgling, coarse brutality is constant, as is the rolling heaviness and the tone of utter menace, but it travels on progressive rhythms and picks up echoes of ancient atmosphere and deviously slithering melody. It's not at all unnecessarily dissonant or chaotic, it feels patient and deliberate, but rarely fails to surprise with its numerous twists and turns.
Highlights: "Lead Me Beyond the Sleeping I" and "Spell Reliquary"
Hanging Garden – Isle Of Bliss
Genre: Melodic doom/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: Finland
Now in their 9th full-length, Hanging Garden aren't anything near newcomers to the scene of Finnish melodic doom/death, but the fame of such similar-sounding peers as Insomnium, Swallow the Sun and Amorphis has so far eluded them. And while I highly doubt that "Isle Of Bliss" will be the album to break them into the mainstream, it certainly makes a strong argument for giving this 7-strong collection of solemn doomsayers the credit that they're due. While not without force or scope, this is the kind of atmospheric extreme doom that you let carry you away into wispy lands of lamenting over what could have been, not the kind that ushers you to bellow your lungs out from a majestic mountaintop. It's thickly layered in instrumental beauty, with some meaty riffs and varied vocal styles, and while a bit monotonous for short stretches, it's far less ponderous than a lot of other contemporary doom projects.
Highlights: "Isle of Bliss" and "To Outlive the Nine Ravens"
Iron Firmament – In the Land of Pre-Human Kings
Genre: Atmospheric/raw black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: USA
This is an album that, unless you are already familiar with Iron Firmament's earlier work, will likely surprise you with its depth. What immediately strikes you is that this is raw black metal, so unless that is very specifically your jam, it will take a little time getting used to the speakers-muffled-by-a-thick-duvet sound quality. The album cover very aptly points to the thematic nature of epic dark fantasy, and hints to the fact that you'll be invited to lose yourself in wanderings under the shadows of ancient ruins and among the debris of recent battlefields. I actually found myself caught off guard a couple of times at just how well the atmosphere is integrated with the cold, blasting bitterness, and found my appreciation growing steadily every minute that I spent with it.
Highlights: "Atlantis in Permafrost" and "The Coast of Worlds"
Papa Necrose – Anthropomorphy Execution
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Country of origin: Brazil
This hitherto unknown to me, Brazilian death metal band reminds me a lot of Ripped To Shreds on this, their fourth full length, and in my book that's a promising starting point to say the least. Extremely riff-happy, raw-throated and gleefully malevolent towards religion and the catholic church in particular, with a playful attitude to serving up a variety of engaging rhythm approaches, it's making all the right arguments to turn to the dark side. Also packed with tasty solos and a splash of that Sepultura/Soulfly tribal vibe, the only real thing holding it back is a tendency to unnecessarily stretch out certain song sections, maybe intended as contrasting breaks in the ferocity. The result is perhaps not the best flow out there, but it keeps grabbing your attention and stays energetic and inventive to the very end.
Highlights: "Hammered in the Mind" and "Cathedral of Death".
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Decipher – Thelma
Genre: Black metal
Country of origin: Greece
Graufar – Via Necropolis
Genre: Melodic black/death metal
Country of origin: Austria
Hautajaisyö – Surun paino
Genre: Death metal
Country of origin: Finland
The Silver – Looking Glass Hymnal Blue
Genre: Progressive black metal
Country of origin: USA
Via Doloris – Guerre et Paix
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Country of origin: Norway
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