2026/06 Favorites

A record with a clear and righteous political stance which also goes hard as fuck? Yes, please!

In my humble opinion, one of the best sources for the anger needed to make great metal is social and political injustice – mostly because that anger is usually shared among the victims of said injustice, and felt by proxy in those that witness it. It's palpable in a way that personal grievances aren't, and a lot of great music is borne from it. This record is an example of that.

It's been 8 years since the last Iron Reagan EP! I'm sort of amazed that they're still around, but I'm definitely not complaining; This record has exactly the kind of attitude and energy that this genre needs to sound good. The musicianship is tight, the riffs are juicy, and the record is just pure fun. My only complaint is that it's barely ten minutes long.

A very cool and fiery prog-death record which provides a very good balance between compositional variety and raw power. The cleans don't veer into melodramatic or pop-metal territory, and some of the instrumental sections even offer some jazzy and funky passages that brighten up the otherwise fairly serious tone. It's a bit long, but the amount of variety helps alleviate the runtime.

This Danish band has put out one of most interesting metallic hardcore albums of the year in this guy's humble opinion. The songs are dynamic and interesting, the riffs are fun and memorable, and there's plenty of power, heaviness, groove and brutality throughout.

It differs from the usual genre listening experience as well, where you often get a bit fatigued after a couple of tracks. This gives you time to absorb and enjoy all the different moments presented. Very good stuff!

An absolutely brutal and relentless crusty debut album from this Washington three-piece. The vocals are gnarly and coarse, and the whole album just has this evil aura to it. This put a wicked grin on my face on more than one occasion while listening. Goes really fucking hard, and most fans of heavy music should give this a spin.

This German band presents a genre blend on this album which is easy to get behind. Combining the better parts of both metalcore and melodeath to make something that actually sounds novel and interesting. The guitarwork in particular claims center stage, with a good amount of flair and a unique approach to riffs. It even breaks into black metal territory at times, in a good way.

This sophomore album from Boston outfit Boarzoy brings us deliciously heavy grooves, great guitar tones, as well as playful rhythms that shake things up without sounding like a jumbled mess. Huge force and great energy drives the record all the way through. A very pleasant surprise this month, and IMO; The only groove/stoner/sludge release worth mentioning.

There's a rawness and power to this record that clearly sets it apart from the other similar genre releases this month. The album is probably a bit too long at almost 1 hour, yet I'm still enjoying every minute of it. It consistently breaks into headbanging grooves, and the gravelly vocals tickle my cockles just right. Don't miss this one if you like your melodeath as fierce as possible.

The swedes are at it again! I love it when metal bands can pull off beautiful melodies without resorting to clean vocals. There's plenty of speed and power here as well, and very easy to enjoy if you already like similar bands like early Soilwork and Dark Tranquility.

An immediately appealing record with what I would describe as almost perfect production for its genre. Khemmis is clearly a band that know how to write good songs. This album sounds exploratory in a way, like you're on a journey the entire time. Guitar licks and harmonies take center stage, and harsh vocals are used only sparingly, but to good effect. Just really solid and good music here. It still falls slightly outside the scope of my personal taste, but I imagine this will be quite a grower throughout the rest of the year.

Honestly, I don't think this genre tag is very apt, but I don't think I can describe it any differently either. We have a clearly Meshuggah-inspired release here, featuring some really cool 80s retro-sounding synths for its more progressive passages. The album is long, but the songs are dynamic and interesting, ranging from really beautiful pensive moments to stellar and tight, djenty death metal. Love it.

I'll be honest, this genre has rarely clicked with me, but this record immediately drew me in. It's brooding, intricate, somber, menacing, and the sheer backbreaking heaviness of this album cannot be understated. It's a bit long at almost 50 minutes, but for some reason I never got bored. This is one of those rare albums that does something genuinely interesting, and you should check it out.

Here we have some of that raw, unbridled hardcore rage that I love so very, very much. I swear you can smell the sweat through the recording when you hear how hard this album goes. It is just an EP with 14 minutes of runtime, but you probably still need a breather once it's over. If you enjoy bands like Knocked Loose, this should be for you!

A real banger full-length debut from this Manchester four-piece, packed to the brim with energy, as well as dynamic and well-written songs. The blend of old-school thrash-like vocals mixed with traditional melodeath made me enjoy this record from the second I pressed play. Gotta love it when a band starts this strong right out of the gate!