2026/10 Listening Log

Genre: Technical Death /Thrash Metal

This band does not compose their songs like most other tech death bands. We have what seems like a more deliberate approach here, with songs that sound more traditionally thrash or death, but with a technical flair and progressive elements which adds a whole lot of spice to what could otherwise be fairly formulaic genres.

All in all, this record is incredibly dynamic and interesting, and dare I say it; Maybe one of the most musically distinct metal records of the year.

Tier: A-
(Awesome, but flawed)

Genre: Mathcore

The intensity of this one is undeniable. The sonic onslaught that this record provides is not for the faint of heart. If you vibe with experimental music that isn’t afraid to rip your face off, you might be into this. Personally, it’s all a bit too much for me.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Power Metal

We have ourselves a really fun power metal album here with a little bit of a heavy metal bite. It’s really catchy, fun, and easy to sing along to. Not something I’d pull out at any time, but it’s a nice departure from the heavier stuff I listen to.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Blackened Americana Metal

This is a strange one! Despite having a fair bit of black metal in its guitar tone and vocals, there’s also a lot of instrumentation suggesting Americana, Blues Rock, and other similar influences. Sometimes it’s just straight up heavy metal as well.

It’s really interesting, and a breath of fresh air in a month full of very formulaic metal music.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Stoner Doom

I always say I’m not the biggest fan of doom metal, but when it’s combined with other genres like this, it can be the secret sauce that really makes the difference. This album is dynamic, melodic, and pretty darn heavy too.

The instrumentation has a lot of variety featuring strings and choral vocals as well, giving the album a lot of different vibes and textures. Yeah, this ain’t too shabby!

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Deathcore

I have no strong feelings one way or the other. Truly an EP so bland that I couldn’t remember a single thing that stood out once I’d finished listening.

Tier: D
(Didn’t remember anything)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore

Now this is some proper heavy underground metallic hardcore. The latin flavor of it only adds to its authenticity, and enhances the feeling that the anger and rage you hear is coming from a real place. The energy of a record like this can only come from a band that are genuinely trying to make a point, and it’s coming through loud and clear.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Mathcore

Experimental and unpredictable, there are some respectable musical ideas here. Unfortunately, to me, it just ends up sounding a bit incoherent and erratic.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Nu-Core

This kind of reminds me of the old nu-metal band Diesel Machine. Their music was fairly skeletal, heavy, and simple, with the focus being on catchy grooves and rhythmic riffs rather than complex songwriting or hooky melodies. This album simply sounds like a modern version of that, to me. It’s pretty raw and rough around the edges as well, which adds to its charm.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore

I tend to enjoy metallic hardcore, and this EP was no exception. On the surface this is a fast and rambunctious record, with plenty of punch and fierceness. However, I’m not finding the songs by themselves to be particularly unique or memorable, which is a shame.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Death Metal

While I appreciate how heavy this gets, the music itself is fairly unmemorable despite it being a genre I generally enjoy.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Thrash / Hardcore

Straight forward, no nonsense, rowdy music with a perfectly angry and gravelly vocal performance. Enjoyable and fun!

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Medieval Blackened Comedy Metal

Despite being an obvious novelty band, there’s actually a bit more to this music than just a bunch of dudes goofing off. The songs are actual quality, and the interlude skits are quite entertaining.

It’s not something I’d throw on any time, but I’ve definitely enjoyed it when I’ve been in the mood.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Computer Metal

MBR has always been a very interesting project to follow. I’d say the album quality has been a bit varied, and their shtick can at times get old quite quickly.

On this album however, they’ve decided to go with actual guitars and drums rather than programmed ones, and it’s paid off. The music sounds way more interesting and intricate than before.

Not to mention that they’ve stepped up their production game quite a lot from their earlier work. Each individual instrument is easy to pick out in the mix and it does a lot for the listening experience.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Blackened Hardcore

A fresh take on the hardcore genre that I quite appreciate. I don’t think I’d be able to explain just how this genre blend works, but it should instantly make sense for anyone that listens to it. They’re able to capture the larger-than-life feeling of black metal riffs with the hardcore grooves and chanting choruses which that genre is known for.

One of the more musically interesting albums of the month, for sure.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Groove / Death Metal

A decent piece of work from this french band. They have some cool riffs and grooves going on this record, but the songwriting to me doesn’t really produce very memorable songs.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Metalcore

A fairly straight-forward metalcore album here, but I have to admit that I feel like the way this band composes their melodies seems to be a bit outside the box that a lot of these modern millennial-core bands fall into. It feels a bit less formulaic, while still staying within its genre boundaries. I gotta say I respect it, even though this style does not get me excited like it did 20 years ago.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

This is apparently a solo-project from the incredibly talented Serena Cherry from the band Svalbard, and it is very, very impressive.

The album is intricate, sweeping and hauntingly beautiful. At the same time, it does not lose its black metal edge in any way. Serena’s vocals especially are the perfect kind of raw, shouting, tormented singing that this genre needs.

The production is clear and crisp too, which I appreciate for a black metal album. Not much to complain about here.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Beatdown Hardcore

I mean, it’s heavy... But that’s about it.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Death Metal

Got wind of this one and couldn’t actually find it on Qobuz, which piqued my curiosity. Had to go to Bandcamp cause apparently it’s just underground like that. My expectations might have been a bit too high though.

It’s decent death metal, but it’s the kind of style that doesn’t really play to my ears and just ends up feeling unmemorable. Shame.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Grind

This is that underground death metal shit that nobody else in a thousand mile radius will know about, let alone enjoy. Personally though, I kinda dig it.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Metallic Post-Hardcore

Whoa! This might be the rawest and fiercest hardcore record I’ve heard this year. The vocalist sounds like she’s about to tear her vocal chords constantly through the entire record. The production is focused and powerful while still sounding organic. The songs are engaging and dynamic, the riffs are creative, grooves are plentiful, and there are even solos!

It’s some proper underground shit too, they don’t even have a single music video on YouTube at the time of writing.

This probably won’t be everyone’s cuppa, but for me, this is about as good as this genre gets!

Tier: A
(Awesome)

Genre: Technical Deathcore

On paper this would be right up my alley. In practice, only sort of. There are aspects of this that I quite like, and am even straight up impressed by, but the way these songs are composed doesn’t really do much for me. One of those albums where I feel like I’m enjoying it while listening but when it’s over I don’t really remember it at all. Shame.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore / Powerviolence

This is an absolute scorcher of an EP. It’s loud, it’s intense, and very easy to mosh to. Unfortunately it’s not even ten minutes long, so you’re not really left with a great impression of what the band might be capable of, and while this particular batch of songs might be immediately engaging, they don’t seem to be too memorable.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Thrash / Punk

Some proper IDGAF heavy music here from this swedish band. Plenty of attitude, riffage, and good times. It doesn’t quite make me wanna lift heavy things, but it does make me wanna dance around and headbang a bit.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Melodeath

I mean, was there ever really any doubt that this would be good? Insomnium has basically been releasing good albums consistently for many many years now.

Personally, I think this might be one of their “softer” albums. Like, sonically, it doesn’t really pack that much of a punch. But those melodies, man. They just really know how to write hooks that make you never want the songs to end.

This is one of the highlights of the month, for sure.

Tier: A-
(Awesome, but flawed)

Genre: Symphonic Blackened Deathcore

A technically and musically impressive album here from this German band. This ticks a whole lot of boxes on the “is it good?” list. Dynamic and varied songs, impressive musicianship, great production, and fierce sonic power.

I have a hard time faulting this for anything, but I find myself not as drawn to it as I should. Maybe it’ll grow on me.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Melodeath/Doom

I haven’t heard this particular genre-blend before. It’s interesting!

Don’t get me wrong, doom still bores me, but the added flair and melody that the melodeath touch brings is enough to keep me interested while listening to it. Is there such a thing as chill metal? I feel like this would fit that description.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Groove Metal

It seems to me like we don’t get a lot of good groove metal these days. This very Lamb-of-God-inspired band seems like they might have the stuff though.

This album goes quite hard and doesn’t sacrifice the heaviness for more saccharine choruses or mass appeal passages. Unfortunately it’s a bit one-note in its compositions, and I don’t think it has the personality or catchy grooves to break through in any major way. Still, a very solid effort.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Melodeath / Deathcore

I feel like this EP does not go as hard as its cover art would suggest. It’s a cool twist on the melodeath style though, and has some flair of its own. Nothing mind-blowing going on here, but I’d say the band has managed to find a distinct sound of their own at least.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Brutal Death Metal

The thing that puts this over the top for me is the awesome speed of the riffs. Combined with the extremely dense and heavy production it just gets disgusting in the best way. It’s a bit monotonous of course, but that’s the nature of the beast with this genre. Either way it fairly consistently gives me stankface, which is the tell-tale sign that I really like something.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Thrash/Death Metal

These Swedes have been around for the better part of the last 40 years, and they’re still kicking. Not my favorite style of thrash, but still good.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Melodic Black Metal

I don’t mind this. It doesn’t stray too far into the melodic part of the genre and still keeps its black metal edge. Good lungs on the vocalist as well.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Blackened Death Metal

This is that true underground shit that will probably be very high up on a lot of peoples year end lists in December. Not me though.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Post-Hardcore

This isn’t a genre I get to delve into all that often, and I have to say I appreciate what it’s trying to do. At the end of the day I still find this style to be a bit too dissonant and morose for me, but the artistic expression that this band is able to convey is impressive to me.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Deathcore

Vegan deathcore is certainly a vibe, but I can’t say it stands out in any way other than the subject matter.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Dark Ambient

Lustmord has always been my favorite ambient artist due to the absolutely haunting atmospheres and otherworldy sounds that he’s able to produce and wield with exquisite patience.

This particular record sees him teaming up with Dave Lombardo of Slayer for some added percussion, and unfortunately, it doesn’t really work for me. It becomes a distraction rather than an enhancement of the darkness and horror that I feel Lustmord’s music is supposed to evoke.

I appreciate that he’s trying something new here, but sometimes you just swing and miss.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Death Metal

Some pretty run-of-the-mill Death Metal from Denmark. While it is the kind of style I generally enjoy, this didn’t really stand out to me in any way. Unremarkable, basically.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Technical Death Metal

Hell yes, I’ve been waiting for another full-length from Fracturus, and this did not disappoint. It might be just me, but I feel like there’s quite a bit of OG Fear Factory vibes on this, in a very good way.

This record is angry, fast, dynamic and exciting. It’s not quite up there with Archspire’s release this year, but it’s close!

Tier: A-
(Awesome, but flawed)

Genre: What?

Wait, what the fuck is this? How did I even find this?

I mean, I can respect what they’re trying to do, but this is just a little too avantgarde for me, man.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Melodeath

Ballsy to open with a self-composed version of Miserere, one of the most beautiful pieces of music of all time. They might have overreached a bit with that one, but thankfully the album is pretty good, IMO.

This band is very much in the same vein as Throne of Roaches, but TEMOR seem to have a much better handle on melody, which this genre sort of needs to be enjoyable.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Melodeath

A quality melodeath EP from this swedish bunch of youngsters. Nothing mindblowing, but these guys could be real monsters once they get a few more under their belt.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Death / Sludge

Quite a heavy affair with some cool seance recording samples thrown in between songs to set the mood and give the songs a bit of breathing room.

Cool concept, but the music never really elevated beyond ‘fine’ for me.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Modern Death Metal

My relationship with Werewolves as a band is pretty much the same relationship as I have with Revocation; I can tell that they’re very talented and make good music, but the way they compose their music just doesn’t appeal to my sensibilities at all.

I think this is the third album I’ve heard from Werewolves at this point and I still haven’t truly enjoyed any of it. You won’t find me shitting on them, but you won’t find me listening either.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Groove / Melodeath

I enjoy this. The record starts off quite well with its thundering and galloping rhythms. There are nice dynamic changes, clear and crisp production, and just an overall good sense of quality music here. This is the kind of metal I could throw on almost any time and be perfectly happy to listen to for half an hour. Unfortunately the album is almost twice that long.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

This one kind of threw me when the clean female vocals came in. The shift in dynamics from blistering and fierce black metal into an almost soft ballad is not something you hear every day.

In the end this is not my favorite cup of tea, but credit where credit is due; These guys are doing something a bit different.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Samplephonic

A nice, easy record with brilliant and complex layering and sampled compositions. It’s not as whimsical and charming as their best work, but it’s still chill and pleasant to listen to.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Folk Melodeath

A very enjoyable record from these finns pretending to be samurai. Think Children of Bodom if they were japanese, with a touch of modern stadium metal. Grandiose, blistering and powerful. Great fun!

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Deathcore

A deathcore EP with focus on the ’core. This female-led band has some serious chugs and power in their delivery. It’s just an absolutely overwhelming and overproduced wall of distortion coming at you. The guitars barely seem real, and that will probably put a lot of people off, but the sheer aural force of this sound is enough to make me widen my eyes and do the not-bad-face.

I don’t think the songwriting here is enough to give it any staying power, but it makes a hell of a first impression.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Blackened Melodeath

Another debut album for October 2026, this time from Canada. I think I’d dig this more if it had more low end and punch in its production, because the music here is quite dynamic and cool. It just sounds a bit anemic really, and it turns me off.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Death Metal

On its own – and especially as a debut – I’d say this is pretty darn good. Considering the hypersaturated musical environment that we find ourselves in however, this simply ends up being fairly mid. There’s just so much other music in this genre that I’d rather listen to instead of this.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Industrial Nu-Metal

I have a very hard time describing whatever genre blend this record is. There are definitely elements of both industrial and nu-metal here, but somehow it kind of ends up not sounding like either of those. It’s not Manson-like shock rock either, it’s more sophisticated than that.

Whatever it is, I am very much enjoying it. This record is musically varied, creative, and original. It has this early 2000’s charm to it as well, tapping right into my millennial music sensibilities.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Death Metal

The BLEGH that starts off this record feels quite apt. The HM2 style of the guitars and the focus on extremely downtuned and stankface-inducing chugs is quite cool, but the production on the album unfortunately sounds a bit too much like it was recorded in an empty parking garage or something. I guess I’m just not a fan of all this reverb they insist on putting on death metal albums.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Death Metal

Very riffy Belgian band here, clearly locked in on the core ideas of what death metal is and should be. Great musicianship, a dark grim atmosphere, blast beats and savage imagery. It comes off as very “typical” death metal though, and that’s either a good or a bad thing depending on who you ask. Personally, I don’t mind it.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Death Thrash

Some real shit here from this fairly young German band. Pure metal, through and through. It’s basically thrash but with a death metal edge which makes it a tad more sinister in tone than regular thrash fare. It doesn’t quite have the gravitas to really tickle my fancy, but it’s definitely good.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Nu-Core

On its face I just love music like this; It’s heavy as shit, punchy, gritty, and groovy. It’s not particularly impressive from a technical standpoint, but when you just enjoy the sound of the music that hardly matters as long as it’s competent enough. Sometimes simple really is better.

Tier: A-
(Awesome, but flawed)

Genre: Blackened Death Metal

This is the first time I’ve heard this band and they certainly have a style of their own. It’s rare to hear Norwegian metal music where the lyrics are actually quite intelligible, which is cool for me as a fellow weegee.

These guys play their music with a good amount of ferocity, and they strike a very somber and dark tone with their choice of chords and sparse use of clean vocals. I’m quite impressed with the technical musicianship as well.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Sludgey Groove Metal

It’s not quite Chat Pile, but it’s still a very interesting take on this genre. There are many cool ideas here, and a delightfully amateur production style that sounds very organic and real. A raw and dystopian record that I’m glad I came across.

And is that a TMNT IV reference I see in the track list? Bonus points for you, Hexicon!

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Death Metal

This one didn’t hit for me. I think the cavernous production made it feel a bit toothless. Oh, well...

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Millennial-core

As with most other Linkin Park wannabe acts, they might manage to impress me for maybe ten to twenty seconds in any given track where the music is actually interesting before going back to sappy pop metal, and this pattern keeps repeating for most of the tracks on the album. I hesitate calling it bad music because I don’t think it is, but nothing about this formula actually excites me.

I might just stop listening to this genre altogether ’cause it feels like there’s nothing left to explore here. It feels spent, and really I don’t think I’ve anything worthwhile to say about it anymore.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Rock & Roll

Not gonna lie, I love how these guys sound like old punks somehow even though they’re not that old. I also feel like this is more punk than rock & roll, but that’s how they describe themselves. 🤷

There’s a great vibe and energy here, despite a lot of the album being very same-y. For me, this is the most fun I’ve had with a Rock album so far this year (not that there’s been many of those).

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Blackened Progressive Metal

This is for the highbrow metal lovers out there. Amazing instrumentation, sweeping soundscapes, soaring melodies, and cosmic despair all rolled into one. This is pretty hecking good.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Heavy Metal

This Norwegian underground act makes some very tepid music. I didn’t particularly enjoy this.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Dark Folk

An interesting piece of dark folk, with chanting, percussion, and a very dark and brooding atmosphere. Not something I would choose to listen to actively again, but I might put it on for some ambience during a D&D session or something.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)