Weekly Digest, Week 13 / 2026

A black and speed metal extravaganza, this week offers far more than just my top 5 picks from Aggressive Perfector, Bekor Qilish, Blasart, Power Paladin and Winterfylleth.

There's good stuff coming from the bigger names as well, but not nearly as interesting. 

Black Label Society – Engines Of Demolition (heavy/doom metal/hard rock)

Hellripper – Coronach (black/speed metal)

Këkht Aräkh – Morning Star (atmospheric black metal)

Myrath – Wilderness Of Mirrors (power/progressive metal)

Resistor – Bite This! (hardcore/nu metal)

Threat Signal – Revelations (metalcore/groove metal)

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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK

Aggressive Perfector – Come Creeping Fiends

Genre: Speed/black metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 4/5

Country of origin: England

This has got to be just about as rock 'n' roll that black metal can possibly get. Never mind that you're probably being lured into sacrificing yourself for some unspeakable summoning ritual, if it sounds this fun then it's probably worth it. This is a crisp, direct sort of sound that still has fullness, but lacking even a gram of excess fat. It's speed and heavy metal with raw, shouted vocals, bursting with solos, licks and scorched riffs. While it's more mid-tempo than speedy, it sounds like they're giving max effort on every track, hell bound to entertain, but not sacrificing the throat slitting attitude for the sake of your listening comfort.

Highlights: "Dead Undead" and "Fiend in You"

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Bekor Qilish – Consecrated Abysses of Dread

Genre: Experimental death/black metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Italy

If you ever wondered what death metal performed by a black metal musician might sound like when infected with a computer virus made by aliens, then here's a likely answer. While Abbath-like croaking, technical death riffs and prog drumming are at the core of this madness, each track sounds like it's frantically trying to explore what it might sound like in the style of two or three different other genres of music at the same time. And the actual human behind the instruments and levers has to put up a constant fight to reign it in. But it appears to be a losing battle, as the music seems to get increasingly unconventional the further into the album we get. Describing it as "spasmic" and "glitchy" becomes gradually more apt. It's a bit aimless and uneven, but still very cool.

Highlights: "No Solace At The Eschaton" and "Emptiness-Wrought Cognition"

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Blasart – Depravatus Christianis Sacris

Genre: Black metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 3.5/5

Country of origin: Chile

Here's some Chilean black metal that sounds like it's bursting out of a yawning crack in consecrated earth, eager to corrupt and defile. It's relentlessly aggressive but with a strong leaning into black 'n' roll, which grounds its rough presence and tumultuous progression in some easy-to-like groove and attitude. It's lean, perhaps not demonstrating the tightest of performances, but that's part of the charm, and it sound evil from horn tip to toe talon. And that album cover is one of the absolute best I've seen so far this year.

Highlight: "Ritus Impositionis Sacrilega" and "Vocatio Sanctis Phallus"

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Power Paladin – Beyond The Reach Of Enchantment

Genre: Power metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 4/5

Country of origin: Iceland

The most important thing to know about this Icelandic band's brand of power metal is that it's good, honest, RIFF BASED power metal, which means that it's possible to enjoy sober and not blasted from a festival stage. As the name suggests, Power Paladin know perfectly well who they're making music for, and aren't the least bit shy about it. It's got D&D and classic fantasy pouring and radiating from it, and if you've got the slightest love for this genre I don't understand how it couldn't make you beam with happiness. It's got great energy with some actual heft and hints of aggression, excellent technical performances and just heaps of nerdy-yet-rock 'n' roll-charm. Grab your sword and cape, you damn well know you want to.

Highlight: "Sword Vigor" and "Camelot Rock City"

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Winterfylleth – The Unyielding Season

Genre: Melodic black metal

Subjective rating: 4/5

Objective rating: 4/5

Country of origin: England

Winterfylleth have already proved their ability to take melodic black metal into the realm of the atmospherically majestic without compromising on neither the aggression nor the bleakness on 2024's excellent "The Imperious Horizon". So it's not really a surprise that they're able to pull it off yet again on this one, but it still warrants saying. At times this feels like the very landscape of ancient, untouched lands swelling and then letting out an almighty sigh as the ground cracks, trees splinter and rivers vaporize.  There's ample aggression to counter the expansive melody, although if you're not the patient kind, you'll probably find yourself losing focus towards the end, as it does stretch out a fair bit. While I would have liked a more distinct difference in mood given the contrast in album art (snow covered mountain top vs burning forest) between this one and their previous effort, it's still very much a continuation of what made that one great.  

Highlights: "Echoes In The After" and "Heroes of a Hundred Fields"

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HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Antrisch – Expedition III: Renitenzpfad

Genre: Atmospheric black metal

Country of origin: Germany

Chamber – This Is Goodbye...

Genre: Mathcore

Country of origin: USA

Cruel Force – Haneda

Genre: Speed metal

Country of origin: Germany

Defacing God – Darkness Is My Crown

Genre: Symphonic black metal

Country of origin: Denmark

Heavy Metal Shrapnel – Heavy Metal Hairspray

Genre: Heavy metal

Country of origin: USA

Hexenhorde – Sempiternal Witchery

Genre: Death/thrash metal

Country of origin: USA

The Oldest House – The Art Of Abysswalking

Genre: Black/doom metal

Country of origin: Spain

Rivers Ablaze – Inexternal Dread

Genre: Progressive black/death metal

Country of origin: Hungary

Total Maniac –Love Overdrive

Genre: Speed metal

Country of origin: USA

Varmia – lauks

Genre: Blackened death/folk metal

Country of origin: Poland