RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.relapse.com/pages/left-to-die-initium-mortis What we have here is akin to a wet dream for any fan of old-school death metal performed by veterans of the genre. As the title of the album, the splendid artwork, and the line-up itself all indicate, this is a homage to the early catalog of the legendary Death and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://onsegenensemble.bandcamp.com/album/a-tale-2 The Finnish folk prog rockers known as Onségen Ensemble have unearthed and sculpted a most bewitching and atmospheric offering in the shape of this fifth full-length album of theirs enticingly titled A Tale, and I cannot thank Karisma Records enough for sending a copy of the CD my way. With its pastoral…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/3PsAZFXqy2Sb94LbMEApbJ?si=xAbw8ytbQ4mtUktAzz9Ryw The hard-hitting and musically excellent metal constellation known as Tessia hails from the flourishing underground scene in Bergen and has made quite the name for itself these past few years thanks to some killer outputs and impressive live performances. The Cataclysm is essentially two EPS along with brand-new material combined into…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: http://www.hevydevy.com For much of his career, Devin Townsend has seemed less interested in writing what many would call ‘usual’ albums than in constructing entire worlds. From the celestial vastness of Terria, the coffee-hunting saga of Ziltoid, to the emotional turbulence of Empath, his work has consistently occupied a strange intersection between the realsm…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://ram-zet.com/ After thirteen years of silence, many wondered whether RAM-ZET would ever return with new material and the answer arrives in the form of Sapien, an album that not only reawakens one of Norway’s most eccentric and adventurous metal acts, but also proves that time has done little to dull their creative…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://einarsolberg.com/ If has become increasingly clear over the last decade, it’s that Einar Solberg has long since outgrown the role of merely being the frontman of Leprous. And from my side that is a nice surprise as I struggled to get into a good deal of the band’s releases since…what feels like…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://falaren.bandcamp.com/album/ljora What a delightful surprise this was! Not being familiar with this intriguing and explorative outfit beforehand, I had no idea what to expect but suffice to say that I was blown away by the gripping soundscapes that constitute Ljora. Fälaren inhabit a space located somewhere between jazz rock, folk music, psychedelic…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://bjornriis.bandcamp.com/album/lifandi While many prog fans might associate the talented guitarist Bjørn Riis with the amazing outfit Airbag, the fact of the matter is that Riis has been quite prolific outside his main band these past few years and carved out an equally interesting solo career. The man has never denied where much…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.dimmu-borgir.com/ Norwegian legends Dimmu Borgir have returned with a new studio offering, and the good news is that it has been worth the eight-year wait. What immediately becomes obvious upon spinning the disc and digesting the whole of the splendid Grand Serpent Rising is how much thought and creative energy these chaps…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://hexad.bandcamp.com/album/surgical-cuts-in-the-cosmos Three years on from the near-flawless LP titled Delightful Sharp Edges comes a new output by the magnificent Norwegian doomsters Hex A.D., and that is cause for celebration if you are as much into the band’s potent mixture of prog rock, classic heavy metal, stoner rock, and old-school doom metal as…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://lonelycrowdn.bandcamp.com/album/not-on-my-watch-single-feat-wholy-martin Something along the lines of fourteen years have passed since the brilliant purveyors of melancholy art rock known as Lonely Crowd released their previous effort titled The-Not-So-Great-Britain, but judging by both the quality and longevity of By the Time You Read This and its eleven magnificent compositions, the wait has been…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://agusaband.bandcamp.com/album/panacea Captured for posterity back in September of 2024 in Malmö and sporting a magnificent line-up that is truly gelling and capable of delivering some wonderful surprises, the live LP titled Panacea by the Swedish vintage-sounding prog rock ensemble Agusa is a masterclass in real warmth, genuine excitement, and skill. The group’s…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/kaasinmusic/?locale=nb_NO Norwegian hard rockers Kaasin, which is the brainchild of Come Taste the Band guitarist Jo Henning Kaasin, impressed yours truly quite a bit a few years ago when they released the melodically strong and impeccably crafted Fired Up. Said album was a superb mixture of eighties classic heavy metal and late…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/the-ghost-of-a-future-dead-24-bit-hd-audio The renowned and legendary Swedish constellation known as At the Gates surely need no introduction as they have been at the vanguard of melodic death metal for decades now and helped shape and pioneer the very genre. Admired and cherished by both fans and critics alike, their unique take on the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://linkin.bio/studfarmmafia/ Sweet mother of lord, this is some incredibly catchy and infectious stuff, and rarely has an EP struck these ears as being so uplifting and . . . well, entertaining, really. This is just what I needed today, but we should probably discuss its musical qualities (of which there are many)…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://norwegianmalum.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-voids Considering the many fabulous aspects and overall quality of the harrowing EP titled Towards Nothingness (2025) and the full-length assault In Nauseum (2023) by the Norwegian black metal entity known as Malum, it should come as no surprise that many of us have eagerly awaited and looked forward to the group’s…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://glasblume.bandcamp.com/album/city-in-rain Oslo’s Glasblume is something quite out of the ordinary and a wonderful addition to the alternative music scene, which is evident in every nook and cranny of the eleven deftly executed compositions that their deeply atmospheric debut LP appropriately titled City in Rain is comprised of. Honestly, I could not think…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://papercrownmusic.bandcamp.com/album/letters What a lovely and heartwarming gem Letters is, and what a fantastic and memorable encounter Paper Crown is for that matter. Not being familiar with the entity beforehand, I had no idea what to expect from this eclectic duo, but what we have here is a superbly crafted and deeply evocative…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://viadoloris.bandcamp.com/album/guerre-et-paix Conceived, meticulously crafted, and perfectly nursed in solitude, this majestic and heartfelt opus by Via Doloris, which is the brainchild of former Satyricon live guitarist Gildas Le Pape, is a most welcome surprise. Across seven inspired compositions and forty-eight thrilling minutes, Le Pape and renowned drummer Frost (1349, Satyricon) guide us…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/album/psychodelic-darkness What we have here is a most interesting musical proposition. Hailing from Chile and nursed in oppressive gloom by mastermind (and multi-instrumentalist) Witchfucker and drummer Thoth, this short and concise slab of hellish black metal infused with speed metal influences titled Psychodelic Darkness is nothing short of a perverted musical feast…
