The time has come for some exciting up-and-comers to show their quality, and their names are Doodswens, Draken, The Moon And The Nightspirit, Ordh and Reeking Aura. Above the underground it's really all just a big random heap: Crimson Glory – Chasing The Hydra (heavy/progressive metal) From Ashes To New – Reflections (nu metal/metalcore) Holywatr – Deo Gratias (alternative rock/metal) The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Dead Ones (deathcore) Nekrogoblikon – The Boiling Sea (EP

It's a week for hellos and goodbyes, with the most extreme stuff elevated beyond the murky depths, leaving releases by Battlegrave, Nukem, Skaphos, Spirit Adrift and Witch Ripper. Have you ever seen this much death metal in the "overground"? Will we ever again? Archspire –  Too Fast To Die  (technical death metal) Bodysnatcher –  Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home  (deathcore/hardcore) Immolation –  Descent  (death metal) Inferi –  Heaven Wept  (technical death metal) Lord Of The Los

After the release of their smokin’ debut LP, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, I got to chat quick with Matt aka Astharoth of Crotaline. Here’s a bit of what we talked about! The record is finally out, and it’s awesome. I know it’s been a long time coming. Were you sitting on these songs for a while, carving them out precisely to have everything be a certain way? How’s it feel to have the record out now?  Thanks for the kind words. The songs on this album are from a mix of time

Release Date: April 3rd, 2026 Label: Liminal Dread Productions Attention slitherees and slitherers, The Embrace of Cloacal Desire, the debut LP from Philly snakes Crotaline, released on April 3rd. Crotaline is music for reptilian mother fuckers. I think the band would actually be quite happy if only actual reptiles listened to their music. Pure bliss. Straight up, this record is fuckin sick. Evil and doomy blackened thrash. If you’re a fan of first wave of black metal, you sh

A decent mix of flavors this week, offering a respite from my incessant pushing of death metal, with releases from Apolaustic, Bloody Valkyria, Green Carnation, Toxic Shock and Void Of Light. There's no massive releases this week, but a handful of familiar faces:  Corrosion Of Conformity –  Good God/Baad Man  (stoner/sludge metal) Nervosa –  Slave Machine  (melodic death/thrash metal) Sunn O))) –  Sunn O)))  (drone/doom metal) TOP PICK OF THE WEEK Void Of Light – Asymmetries

Self-Released Release Date: 07.04.26 Running Time: 24:01 Review by Dark Juan Score: 478,666,986,274,671,323/10   Today’s written nonsense is brought to you by several things – Crow Cottage required a new vacuum cleaner. This has caused much hilarity because Dark Juan’s sense of humour has not evolved much beyond being a teenage boy. Farts are still funny. Anyway, the new appliance came with something they have called a crevice nozzle.   I have been sniggering for two weeks.  

Release Date: March 27th 2026 Label: Century Media Get your denim, get your leather, get your spikes, and your bullet belts! The new Hellripper album, Coronach, fucking rips. Blackened Speed Metal coming at you from Scotland with enough grooves to get the punks two-stepping and the riffs and solos that are hot enough to melt even Zakk Wylde’s face off. Coronach, released March 27th, is the 4th full length album from James McBain, the mastermind behind Hellripper, whose output

Release Date: February 13th 2026 Label: Relapse Records Hoaxed, the trio labeled “Dark Rock” from Portland, released their sophomore LP, Death Knocks, on Friday the 13th of February. Fitting day for this witchy death-rock release. At 9 songs, 31 minutes, this is an easy record to run through a bunch, and after the first listen that’s exactly what you should want to be doing! This is a very much as described, a dark rock record, but with the hard hitting sensibility you find a

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/progres