Progressive Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Enslaved - Mið (2026)

    Enslaved - Mið (2026)
    Enslaved - Mið (2026)

    Just when you think that Enslaved could not get any better, the band drops a release as impressive as “Mið”. While there are certainly enough signature moments from the band’s highly polished Progressive Black/Viking Metal, they still manage to explore new elements to create an even more dynamic and bombastic sound. For over 41 minutes and eight tracks, this release brilliantly explores explosive atmospheres and epic melodic passages, keeping things intense and yet very polished and sonically pleasing.

    Opening with the atmospheric “Non-Being”, the release instantly comes to life as “I Am Ice” delivers blistering drumming and powerful riffs. Added to the mix, we have Johan Sara Jr’s vocals, creating a very dynamic mix with the band’s combination of harsh and clear vocals. This track is as explosive as one would imagine, but still delivers some crafty melodic moments, which perfectly blend into its transition to “Solar Will” and “Mountain”. Alongside ripping guitar leads in the latter, and a more melancholic vibe from the former.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Entheos - Empty On The Inside (2026)

    Entheos - Empty On The Inside (2026)
    Entheos - Empty On The Inside (2026)

    Pushing the bounds of Deathcore, today have Entheos with their fifth full-length release “Empty On The Inside”. With live guitarists: Scott Carstairs (Fallujah) and Michael Stancel (Allegaeon) integrated into the album writing process, this release showcases a vicious and yet technically brilliant edge to an already punishing sound. If you like bands like Jinjer, The Faceless, etc. this is a band that you don’t want to sleep on.

    Opening with the pummeling “Hell Is a Part of Me”, the band sets a very high-octane pace from the beginning. Masterfully blending harsh screams and melodic clean vocals, Chaney Crabb showcases versatility and power from early on. This is all while crafty riffs, and blistering drumming immediately immerse the listener into the band’s engaging sound as songs like “Empty on the Inside”, “Hollow”, and “Call My Name” roll around. We also get a nice melodic edge to some of these songs to keep things more dynamic.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Temic - Ceiba (2026)

    Temic - Ceiba (2026)
    Temic - Ceiba (2026)

    Featuring members, live members, and ex-members of bands like Evergrey, Devin Townsend, Vola and Haken, today we have international outfit Temic and their sophomore release “Ceiba”. With a very expansive and engaging Progressive Metal sound, the band delivers over 65-minutes of highly polished and dreamy music. Highly recommended for any fans of the genre, particularly outfits like Evergrey and Vola, this release is quite crafty and enjoyable.

    After a mood setting intro, the album explodes with the bombastic “Ashes”, a track filled with high-octane atmospherics and engaging tempo changes. Things slow down into very Evergrey-esque territories with the lush “Beyond the Voice”, a song that showcases Fredrik Klemp’s talented vocals alongside some killer closing guitar solos. The band’s progressive style allows tracks like “Cease to Be”, “Broken”, and “Casting Stone” to deliver some intricate instrumentation alongside fun tempo changes and melancholic vocal arrangements.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Green Carnation - A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex (2026)

    Green Carnation - A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex (2026)
    Green Carnation - A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex (2026)

    Bringing their latest trilogy to a close, Green Carnation saved the best for last with the lush and bombastic “A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex”. Featuring nearly 40-minute of proggy goddess, this Norwegian outfit showcases their excellent compositional abilities with one massive orchestral piece to further elevate their rich and complex sound. If you liked the previous two installments, this is a natural progression and a closer for the band’s most ambitious and expansive ideas to date.

    Opening with the dreaminess of “Unconditional Artificial Chemistry”, the band creates a 60/70’s Prog backdrop with lush arrangements, crafty guitar work, and the melodramatic vocal talents of Kjetil Nordhus. Moving into “The Messiah Complex”, the tempo shifts a bit into even more melancholic territories, slowly building up as engaging instrumental passages and trippy atmospherics are deployed. As the masters of creating captivating atmospheres, Green Carnation is off to a great start with this one.

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    Kamelot - Dark Asylum (2026)

    (2026)
    Kamelot - Dark Asylum (2026)

    Unleashing the most explosive and expansive Symphonic/Progressive Metal release of 2026, today we have Kamelot and their immersive “Dark Asylum”. With each release getting more bombastic and engaging than the last, the band returns with 51 minutes of magical music that will immerse you into the band’s world from the start and never let go. The band has honed in their craft to near perfection over the years as each album is more cinematic and grandiose than their previous one.

    Opening with the bombastic “Ashen World”, we instantly get the band’s signature style of engaging choir arrangements alongside lush orchestrations led by the gifted talents of Tommy Karevik. Alongside the band’s rich and dynamic sound, the guests in this release do not disappoint with Ignacia Fernández (Decessus and Miss World Chile), Clémentine Delauney (Visions of Atlantis), and Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir gracing tracks like “Ashen World”, “Dark Asylum”, and “Beneath the Moon” with their voices.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Novareign - Shifting the Axis of the World (2026)

    Novareign - Shifting the Axis of the World (2026)
    Novareign - Shifting the Axis of the World (2026))

    Hailing from North America, today we have one of the best local Progressive/Power Metal outfits with Novareign. Unleashing their sophomore full-length release “Shifting the Axis of the World”, the band delivers seven tracks and around 53-minutes of high=octane music, filled with catchiness and craftiness. Showing tons of influences from bands like Dragonforce, Sonata Arctica, Evergrey, etc. this outfit’s sound is more focused on proficient instrumentation rather than atmospheric/symphonic elements, making their music quite engaging to fans of the genre.

    Opening with the epic “Ode to the Masses”, we quickly get the band’s very cinematic and explosive sound delivering some killer guitar leads alongside crafty drumming. While many bands in the genre are overdoing it with symphonic elements, these guys have a more compact sound that is as epic, thanks to the excellent vocals of David Marquez alongside engaging tempo changes. Tracks like “Sun & Moon”, “Ironsides”, “Blood of the Game” are straight up bangers filled with intricate technical work and some old-school catchiness.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    A Forest of Stars - Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface (2026)

    A Forest of Stars - Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface (2026)
    A Forest of Stars - Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface (2026)

    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.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Iotunn - Waves over Copenhell (2026)

    cover

    After blowing everybody away with their majestic 2024 release “Kinship”, Iotunn has been making the rounds playing their highly melancholic music to live audiences. Lucky for those of us that haven’t been close enough to catch them live, Metal Blade opens 2026 with the band’s “Waves over Copenhell” live album. Featuring five tracks and tons of energy, the band gives us a little glimpse of their live show.

    Opening with “Waves Below”, the band showcases fierce rawness and their signature emotive sound that oozes melancholy. Jón Aldará is a very talented vocalist and masterfully showcases his range as Jesper Gräs and Jens Nicolai Gräs guitars lead the way. The band’s live sound seems to be more organic and powerful, delivering tracks like “The Tower of Cosmic Nihility” and “Access All Worlds” with a vicious edge, while keeping things engaging and heavy.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Novembre - Words of Indigo (2025)

    cover

    Hailing from Italy, Novembre was one of those early bands with a strong melancholic Death/Doom sound when Katatonia, Anathema, My Dying Bride were rising up. Over the years, the band shifted into more Progressive and even Gothic Metal territories with excellent releases filled with emotions and intricately crafted music. With a very melancholic sound, Carmelo Orlando returns with a brand new cast of musicians to deliver eleven tracks and over 60 minutes of dreamy and highly emotive music, with some of their best songs to date.

    Not a very constant presence in the scene, the band after their 2007 release, dropped off the radar, in terms of releases, for nine years, and then after their 2016 release, dropped off again for another nine years. That being said, once “Sun Magenta” opened this release, we were instantly cured of missing the band’s signature ‘mopey’ sound. Being a mixture of mid-stage Katatonia with older Anathema and some sprinkles of Fall of the Leaf, songs like “Statua”, “ Neptunian Hearts”, and our favorite “House of Rain”, are very dreamy and engaging pieces full of atmosphere and craftiness.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Green Carnation - A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia (2025)

    cover

    Five years after their return with “Leaves of Yesteryear” Green Carnation unveils the first installment of a trilogy titled “A Dark Poem”. With “The Shores of Melancholia”, the band returns with their lush and intricate songwriting style, filled with awesome vocal melodies and crafty instrumentation. Just as with some of their older releases, this album takes more than a few spins to fully unravel and show its intricate details and secrets, so be ready to put in some work to be properly rewarded.

    Opening with the dreamy and moody “As Silence Took You”, it does not take long for Kjetil Nordhus vocals to shine, alongside Bjørn Harstad’s crafty guitar leads. The song sets a very melancholic and exciting vibe, featuring some interesting tempo changes and a wide variety of proggy elements. Exploiting their ability to craft catchy and yet intricate songs, “In Your Paradise” and “Me My Enemy”, fully explore the wide palette of sound and influences that the band has polished over the years.

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