Weekly Digest, Week 36 / 2026
Embrace the adventurous oddity found in these releases by Februus, Green Carnation, Sigh, Sun Guts and Sworn.
The major releases aren't free from weirdness either:
156/Silence – From A Distance (metalcore)
Chat Pile – Who Loves The Sun (noise rock/sludge metal)
Judiciary – Stalagmite Angels (EP) (metallic hardcore)
A Night In Texas – The Darkest Side of Humanity (deathcore)
PRESIDENT – Blood Of Your Empire (metalcore/alternative rock)
Showing Teeth – A Fate Worse Than Loneliness (EP) (progressive metalcore)
Sleep – Hempispheres (stoner rock/doom metal)
Zahna – Break Or Breakthrough (alternative metal/hard rock)
TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
Sigh – Goh-Ka
Genre: Avant-garde black/folk metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Country of origin: Japan
Japans' Sigh are one of those bands that you think would be much bigger than what they currently are - 36 years after their founding. But perhaps it is for the better (at least for us, the listeners) that they've remained more of an underground act, allowing them the creative freedom to write music as unbound as the one we find on "Goh-Ka".
Avant-garde doesn't truly cover it, but it's also not inaccurate for the purpose of adjusting your expectations for what's in store. On the album, black, doom, heavy, prog and psychedelic metal meets traditional folk with natural and electronic/industrial ambience. You never know if the next track is going to be a spooky-toned ripper or a serene, acoustic interlude. Compared to earlier releases, there's perhaps not so much grim-, or ugliness as you'd expect from a predominately black metal-rooted act, but it's also very far from tame, and certainly not without coarseness. Although I personally find the mood and thematic feel of the album to be a tad too diffuse, I'm left completely in awe at the band's versatility. It's an album I get a strong desire to stay with after only listening for a few seconds, and it doesn't stop rewarding that decision for the duration.
Highlights: "Kuso-shi 1, 2, and 3" and "Jimmenjushin"
Februus – Construction Of Conflict
Genre: Progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: Sweden
There's no shortage of weirdo death metal these days, which makes it all the harder to stand out. Swedish one-man-project Februus is certainly deserving of notice though. For those unaccustomed (or simply not partial) to the dissonance factor in hostile prog death, this will take a little time getting acclimated to, but if you enjoy music that slowly unfurls as you go, revealing unexpected depth, you should definitely not sleep on "Construction of Conflict".
The album features old-school, tunnel-drilling riffs and relentless drums, but doesn't hide behind a muffling production. It's not crystal clear, but it's not coated in grime, either. There are parts of it that sound like they belong deep down in a lightless cave system, but yet more that charge freely through the woods or raise a contemplative gaze across a solitary lake or up at the wispy, amber clouds of a golden hour sky. There's a bit too much apparent disharmony just for the sake of it for my taste, but this ugliness stands as a nice contrast to the more organic and pleasant.
Highlights: "The First Limb is Cut" and "Suppressing the Future"
Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex
Genre: Progressive doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Country of origin: Norway
It's time for the conclusion to the album trilogy that is "A Dark Poem", which started with "Pt. I: The Shores of Melancholia" almost exactly one year ago. And I am very glad to report that the Norwegian doom proggers have opted for the epic variant. Counting only three "regular" tracks and an entirely orchestral bookend, they still make the runtime count.
While this is still sorrow-tinged, heartstring-strumming, deeply melodic and folk-rooted doom across the board, each track takes on a distinct character of its own. confidently led by a standout vocal performance (which I admit I have questioned the quality of before). Even when reduced to the bare acoustics, this feels rich, vast and vibrant. The album spreads out across an already established landscape, painting it in a new light and exposing new nooks and crannies, as well as the way out. My main criticism is that it's simply so short that it doesn't quite work as a standalone full-length, but then I suppose, in this case, that's not quite the point.
Highlights: "The Messiah Complex" and "Unconditional Artificial Chemistry"
Sun Guts – Supervoid
Genre: Mathcore/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Country of origin: USA
Sun Guts is a one-man, instrumental project combining the straight-up riff bad-assery of metallic hardcore and thrash with the unconventional structures of mathcore and Meshuggah-style extreme prog. At its most whacky and electronica-boosted I can hear some Igorrr in there too, but for the most part it's a bit more focused than that.
Yes, in essence this could be called a "shred" album of sorts, as there is limited melodic depth, and only a few measures more in terms of atmosphere. But apart from the undeniable, mind-bending riff gymnastics, there's also a unifying, industrial theme to it, and the progression through the album feels considered, constantly unlocking new sides to the dystopian madness. It may not stay with you for days on end, but it'll sure shake you up in the moment.
Highlights: "Jaw Maze" and "Redactor"
Sworn – Null Crowned The Infinite
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Country of origin: Norway
I feel like a fool realizing that for the last 21 years, this band from my home town of Bergen, Norway, have completely eluded me. In its current state, five albums in, they play cosmically oriented, rather lofty melodic black metal that reminds me of fellow countrymen In Vain at their most "conventionally" blackened.
This is an album that, although containing its fair share of blast beats and riff attacks, feels like its movement is tethered to the rotation of the planet, yet somehow perpetually caught in darkness, gazing out at the infinity of the night sky. It's grand yet solemn, melodic yet cold and grim. I find myself really impressed by it, but must take a slightly harsher stance for my objective rating, as I simply don't find the band's style to be all that distinct. The majority of melodic and instrumental elements, as well as the vocals, are quite recognizable from similar bands in the black and doom realms. They're all well utilized though, so if what you're mainly concerned with is the quality of the execution, then you should definitely dive in.
Highlights: "The Starless Origin" and "Fracture of Aeons"
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Bloodshed – Punishments Beyond Comprehension
Genre: Metallic hardcore
Country of origin: USA
Devil Master – Bloody Dreams
Genre: Gothic/black metal/punk
Country of origin: USA
Fog Wall – Gloomweaver
Genre: Technical death metal/deathcore
Country of origin: USA
Godslut – The Art Of Deconstruction
Genre: Death/groove metal
Country of origin: Poland
Grey Shores – Dark Waters Of Night
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Country of origin: Sweden
Grimner – Stormvingar
Genre: Folk metal
Country of origin: Sweden
Pirate Queen – Sailing Around The World
Genre: Power metal
Country of origin: Spain/United Kingdom
Sardonic Witchery – Hell's Thorns Attack
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Country of origin: Portugal (USA)
Skuggor – The Expanse
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Country of origin: Sweden
Venomous Echoes – Ŋvęŧş: Violator Of Mater
Genre: Experimental death/black metal
Country of origin: USA
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