Easily standing out from the very crowded Metalcore scene, today we have VCTMS and their latest EP, “Pain Processing II”. Featuring seven short but sweet tracks, this release unleashes around 25-minutes of chaotic and crushing music. With a plethora of guest appearances, this EP keeps the band steamrolling momentum going with a hefty dose of brutality.

Setting the mood with the pummeling of “twenty/eight”, John Matalone and company unleash all hell with crafty riffs and hellish vocals. The riffs are thick, but the tempo changes are what keep the listener engaged with contrived but highly effective songs like “Victim/mentality” and “Burning Bones”. These songs feature “Austin Hays of Heavy//Hitter and Ben Hoagland of Extortionist respectively, adding that extra edge to keep things brutal and dissonant.

Unleashing one of the finest and most chaotically beautiful releases of 2026, today we have A Forest of Stars with “Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface”. Eight years in the making, this release delivers six tracks and over 73 minutes of magical weirdness in the shape of Avant-garde/Progressive Black Metal, that only this British outfit could produce. Following the style of their previous release, this album is both engrossing and insane, masterfully showcasing unique craftsmanship.

Opening with the lush “Ascension of the Clowns”, the band sets a very dense atmosphere with dramatic violins alongside Mister Curse’s deranged vocals and crafty guitars. This atmosphere feels suffocating (in a good way) as the band escalates their antics with the piercing “Street Level Vertigo”. Excelling in creating slow-burning tracks that span 10+ minutes at a time, each song expertly develops around chaotic onslaughts of madness and elegant instrumentation/vocal arrangements, creating very cinematic experiences.

Unleashing over 44-minutes of highly melancholic Black Metal, today we have France’s Möhrkvlth with their sophomore release “Gwenojennoù An Ankounac’h”. Being eight years in the making, this album showcases a very mature band creating a very organic sound that is both melodic and quite intense at times. Reminding us of older Empyrium and bands like Enid, this release has a very regal and lush atmospheric component to it.

Opening with the fierceness of “Dindan gouloù ar c'hroajoù mein”, the band masterfully transitions between hectic aggressive sections to lush melancholic passages with ethereal clean vocals. The band’s ability to change tempos and deliver relentless brutality alongside dreamy atmospherics is one of their best capabilities as tracks like “Va c'heriadenn” and “Pour une couronne de chrysanthèmes”, showcase and masterfully contrast other pieces like the lush instrumental “ Recueillement”.

After a busy few years of touring with Firewind, multi instrumentalist and shredder-extraordinaire Gus G returns with his fifth solo album, titled “Steel Burner . Featuring ten tracks and nearly 40 minutes of music, we get a very solid balance of virtuosity, composition skills, and guest vocal appearances. This makes up for a very engaging release that is a varied and highly energetic album that will have people headbanging and singing along.

Right after opening with masterfully crafted futuristic instrumental opener, Doro Pesch lends her signature vocals to the powerful Heavy Metal anthem “Nothing Can Break Me”. On tracks like “Dancing with Death”, we get an excellent interplay between Gus’s guitars and composition skills with the guest vocalist, which in turn is Matt Barlow of Ashes of Ares/Iced Earth fame. For those of us looking for the instrumental stuff, “Advent” and “What If” are some killer tracks.

Staying truly underground for over 20 years, Germany’s Werwolf is finally unleashing their debut full-length release, aptly titled “Satanic Terror”. Keep the old-school raw and ugly Black Metal alive, this release unleashes blasphemy and hell through seven tracks. Featuring over 30-minutes of music, this release will transport the listener to simpler times in the genre, and will hit them like a bag of bricks with sheer ferocity and foulness.

Opening with the blistering album title track, we get a massive dose of vicious riffs alongside crafty drums and that frostiness of old-school Black Metal that relied on simple rhythms and engaging tempo changes to keep the listener engaged. The sickness quickly spread with tracks like “Shrine of Fate”, “…of Cursed Places and Desecrated Graves”, and “Temple of No Light” unraveling the band’s uncompromisingly raw and punishing sound.

Being one of the few bands that are decently known outside of Indonesia that do not play Gore/Grind Metal, Pure Wrath as always impressed listeners with their raw and visceral Atmospheric Black Metal. After loving their first release through Debemur Morti, “Hymn to the Woeful Hearts”, this release unleashes over 40 minutes of even more refined music that takes a few spins to fully digest.

Opening with the blistering two parts of “Bleak Days Ahead”, Ryo, the band’s single member, unleashes vicious onslaughts of misery inducing riffs that perfectly blend with his harsh screams. However, the subtle atmospherics is what gets the listener as the slowly creep on you and build up some intense momentum. Adding extra elements like sax, piano, organ, and mellotron, the music is quite varied and creates very profound passages thanks to this wider pallet of sounds.

Unleashing vicious exercise in brutality, today we have Spain’s Aversio Humanitatis and their latest opus “To Become The Endless Ecstatic”. In six years since their last effort, the band has managed to expand and make their sound even more crushing, thing of Ulcerate but with a Black Metal edge. Delivering almost 35 minutes of music, this release will certainly grab you by surprise thanks to its incisive and primeval nature.

Opening with blistering “Long Stretch the Shadows”, the band sets an impossible pace with pummeling drumming and hellish riffing. Not holding off on anything, this outfit quickly sets a decadent atmosphere. The album title track continues the nightmare with A.M’s vocals piercing through to the chaotic and powerful instrumentation. This track is pure brutality, and sets nicely the transition to ‘calmer’ territories with “Blackened Mold Marrow”.

Always delivering some truly impressive and challenging releases, today we have Crippled Black Phoenix with their latest opus after 4 years. With “Sceaduhelm”, Justin Greaves and company unleash twelve tracks and over 66 minutes of masterful music. Ranging from Post-Rock, Alternative Rock, to some Shoegazey territories, this release has a bit for everybody, from fans of the band to the occasional listener of dark and macabre rock music.

Opening with some weird samples on “One Man Wall of Death”, the mood is instantly set in a very chaotic and strange way. The bombastic “Ravenettes” quickly shakes things up with catchiness and enveloping atmospherics, only to go back to more weirdness with the opening of the shoegazey “Things Start Falling Apart”. This is what makes the band’s music very unique and engaging, while challenging the listener. CBP’s creativity is unrivaled as these tracks explore different aural soundscapes while staying true to the band’s dynamic and exploratory nature.

After a highly acclaimed debut release, “Lichtvrees”, Doodswens is back with their eponymous sophomore release with a mostly new line-up but with the same vicious and raw sound. Featuring seven tracks and over 37-minutes of pummeling raw Black Metal, this release is very ferocious and punishingly raw. With I taking on vocals and drums, and P from Dödsrit taking on guitars and additional vocals, the band continues their path spewing some of the most crushing and unfiltered BM in the scene.

Opening with the crushing drumming and savage riffing of “ Driven by Death”, we get a very gritty sounding track that continues the band’s musical path while showing additional levels of brutality. I’s vocals are unrestrained and raw, giving tracks like “Verrot” and “The Black Flame” that little extra to push them over the top as they unleash masterfully riffing and crafty tempo changes while leveling everything in the way.

Riding off into the sunset on a high note, today we have Nate Garrett and Spirit Adrift with their last release: “Infinite Illumination”. Not even advertised until its release date, this album delivers eight tracks and 46 minutes of crafty Doom/Heavy Metal featuring a plethora of sick riffs and a very mellow headbanging vibe. Slowly evolving from more of a classical Doom Metal core, into Heavy Metal territories, this band has managed to deliver consistency and quality music over the years, and while sad to see them go, we are glad they leave with a bang.

Opening with the crushing guitars of “Infinite Illumination”, the band instantly sets a very old-school Doom Metal vibe with a very Candlemass-esque progression. Having set a high bar from the get go, the band pummels through: “Window Within” and its crunchy guitars, “You Will Never Hold The Key” with its retro guitar leads, and the playful “Born In A Bad Way” which quickly had us headbanging. The band has never shied away from making simple and yet direct songs that are both heavy and melodic, featuring great versatility and craftiness.