2026/05 Favorites

This is it; My favorite record of the month!

No Place of Warmth is a cavernous, raw and atmospheric death metal album. The songs are dynamic and given space to breathe, all while staying hard as nails and cold as stone. Big grooves all over the place means stankface galore, and the drums sound big and slappy as fuck. Consistently good from start to finish.

I haven't really enjoyed much of Periphery's output since their debut in 2010. I always respected them as a band, it just wasn't for me. This new one however; There's so much interesting stuff going on here I have a hard time putting it into words, so for the sake of brevity I'll just say that I think it's very good.

It's a bit long at 47 minutes of runtime, but this is clearly a (now) seasoned and experienced band with a sound all of their own. I have a hard time imagining how this particular genre could be done any better than this.

This finnish band has released a genre-blending full length debut album which is immediately compelling, and manages to keep that power metal charm without leaning too much into the melodic cheesiness. The record really has quite some energy and power to it, and I love the way they incorporate symphonic elements here as well.

The constant speed gets a bit tiring around the third or fourth track, but there's a lot of fun to be had here regardless. Give it a listen!

This brutal record from the now infamous Darko US is a great blend of hard-as-hell deathcore with industrial/electronic elements that come together as a very unique blend of music.

Plenty of stankface and headbobbing to be had here, and one of my favorites of the month. Unfortunately it's tad too long, and could stand from trimming some of the fat. Otherwise, I'm really digging it.

What I've learned from being a metalhead over the years is that when something makes its way onto the European or American scene all the way from Japan, it's usually pretty good. This is no exception.

This is proper hardcore punk, with all the energy and hallmarks of the classic chaotic sound of angry youth with a chip on their shoulder and attitude to spare.

This New York based outfit gives us an album that's hard as hell, with a deep and morose tone. It comes off as properly angry, which I very much appreciate. There's plenty of stankface to be had here, and that bass tone is absolutely amazing.

It could be critiqued for being somewhat one-note however, which risks it not leaving a lasting impression. We'll see how I feel about it once I give it a few more spins, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

A dark, brooding, and cavernous melodeath record. Basically death metal with some slightly more melodic leads and occasional string swells. Very solid music with a genuine and vicious sound which gives an impression of integrity and reverence for its genre.

Holy hell, this comes out swinging! Awesome speed and ferocity upheld from start to finish. The band clearly aren't afraid to break up the monotony of their songs, but they may actually be overdoing it a bit, as it gives the album this slightly "rushed" feeling.

Nitpicks aside though, the musicianship is on point, and they're clearly a very serious band. Best thrash I've heard so far this year.

Officially my favorite Black Metal release of the month. Impressive musicianship, plenty of tremolo picking, and an intense rough production which gives credibility to its sound.

There are plenty of double kicks and blast beats to drive the album forward, and it just has this amazing and mystical middle-eastern atmosphere. Sounds as dry, dirty and rusty as its album cover would indicate. Fantastic stuff!

This is one hell of a debut album from this French/Greek/Italian trio. It keeps the bite and drive of black metal without sacrificing well written melodies, and is full of old school folky ambience which I would think makes it quite palatable even for people who aren't that into the genre. The songs are admittedly quite long, but the band manages to keep them dynamic and interesting.

I'll be honest and say that this didn't quite blow me away, but I have a feeling it'll grow on me over the course of the year.

This isn't the first time I've recommended an album by the Twigs, and I'm pleased to report that this is more of the same as I recommended last time. It's as if you're right back in the 60s and 70s with this one. To my ears, all of the songs on this album could easily slip into a Beatles or Beach Boys record of the same era. Just absolutely classic songwriting that's hard not to like.