Medieval Skull--Hellion Earth (Digital) (2026 Independent)

Well, I've definitely never heard this particular mixture before - epic heavy metal with black metal vocals. It really does sound unique, like a black thrash band playing Manilla Road's instruments. It's kind of a refreshing style mix. Of course, I'm a sucker for epic metal of all kinds, and this definitely scratches that itch. Some of the riffs are, yeah I'm gonna say it, medieval in nature, with that little gallop that epic heavy metal bands have. The riffs are big, also, with lots of space for the drums and vocals to do their thing. Vocally this almost reminds me of Gravewurm, with that high-in-the-throat black metal vocal style that's really raspy and not all that powerful. It works, though, and it meshes with the music, acting almost like another instrument. From what little I can make out, I hear lyrics about fantasy, dark quests, and other such epic metal fodder, which is perfectly suited for this music. Sometimes the drums are a little loose, which gives this a very human feel and in today's world that is worth something. Not a bad album at all, and one that I'll surely play again.

medievalskull.bandcamp.com

Heavy Metal Shapnel--Heavy Metal Hairspray (CD/LP) (2026 Nameless Grave Records)

This is '80s heavy metal in the vein of early Dokken, which is fine by me. I like the straight beats and easily listenable riffs! However, I'm gonna bitch about the lyrical content. Heavy Metal Hairspray, the album and the song, has some dumb as fuck lyrics. I don't even want to give you an example. I get what they're trying to do, but even as a song that lampoons '80s metal, it's too on-the-nose. And this song starts the album. It's not too agonizing from there until we get to the goddamn love ballad "When Love Isn't Enough." Fucking gross. That shit isn't metal. It's weak. It's followed up by "Love Is A Racket (Baby Grab My Handle)." DO YOU SEE? Do. You. See? Fortunately the rest of the album is mostly devoid of this stuff. So tuned out the dumbass lyrics and focused on the overall pretty excellent heavy metal music. The melodies are killer, worming their way into your brain very easily, and the songs don't overstay their welcome (at least, the ones with decent lyrics don't). The guitarist can fuckin' shred, too, the leads and harmonies are incredible, Yngwie-like even. Very talented. When they stay away from dumb ballads and goofy lyrics their tunes are great, and I can skip the stupid songs. I'll definitely listen to this more than once, even with the lyrics I hate. The music is just that good.

www.namelessgraverecords.com

Dishumane--Centurion's Demise CD,MLP and CS.{Blood Harvest}

 

Centurion's Demise is the debut EP. from the new band Dishumane featuring three full length and a instrumental.The three songs are pure old school death metal that are performed with power.The guitars are a mix of heavy mid paced patterns.The guitarist does cut loose with some faster guitar passages throughout the songs and adds some well played solo's.The drumming is done with powerful drum passages that like the guitars are a mix of heavy mid paced drums and some faster drums both styles are performed with skill. Centurion's Demise is a great introduction to this band that blends old school death metal with some brutal death elements for a classic sound and style.                                                 Blood Harvest                                                                                                                                              https://www.bloodharvest.se/                                                                                                                    https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/                                                                                              https://www.facebook.com/BloodHarvestRecords#                                                                                    https://www.instagram.com/bloodharvestmailorder

Gnaargakh--Das Jungste Gericht{digital}{Independent}

 

Gnaargakh  is a solo black metal band coming out of Germany and this is a review of his debut full length.Das Jungste Gericht  is ten tracks of hateful,raw black metal that is performed with some good musicial passages.The guitars are played with fast and chaotic passages that are done very well.The guitars are chaotic but also have some very well executed passages entertwined into the music.The vocals are grim black metal screams and some gruff screams and growls are also used in a few of the songs.Gnaargakh plays  traditional hateful black metal that is well executed on the debut full length release.                                                                                                                                                        Gnaargakh                                                                                                                                                      https://gnaargakh.bandcamp.com/                                                                                                                https://www.facebook.com/gnaargakh

Sanctum Pyre--He Who Remains (Digital) (2026 Independent)

Sometimes I come across a band and ask why a label hasn't snatched up and released their record, and this is one of them. This shit is good, solid heavy metal with incredibly talented musicians and excellent songs. Someone, somewhere, should put this out physically. Every song has ear-catching melody to it, and the singer's vocals are pristine, smooth, and well-performed. It's anthemic stuff, performed with an epic edge that makes you want to turn up the volume and get lost in the interplay between the guitars and the singer's voice. There's some use of keys here, but mostly just to create quieter melodic moments in the songs here and there - they're not present all the time. The production is a perfect modern metal recording and it benefits a straight traditional metal act like this that has grandiose melodies because it can be enhanced, especially in the vocal department. They have done just that. The vocals are very produced, but in a way that makes them shine. Power metal maniacs as well as classic metal enthusiasts with get equal enjoyment out of this album, and it's worth the effort to go get.

sanctumpyre.bandcamp.com

Poisoned Priest--Goat Cult Bizarre (Digital) {2026 Independent}

All the way from Norway comes Poisoned Priest, bringing us great black thrash on this independent release, currently only available digitally. The thrash riffing reminds me of Toxic Holocaust, as does the songwriting. Where this band veers away from that formula is the black metal riffing that occasionally pops up in the middle of all the thrash, generating a colder atmosphere in some songs. Vocally, it's what you'd expect, with more black metal styled vocals with just a tinge of thrash yelling. And, obviously, we have the requisite Satanic lyrics. There are a few interesting guitar solos in some songs, nothing virtuosic, but they fit the music aptly. They're no strangers to a good blastbeat, either, and they put them to solid use in several songs, which tend to be my favorite on the record, like the song "Cross Crusher." (What a great name!). This is an excellent entry into the canon of black thrash, and fans of the genre will be suitably rewarded if they pick this up.

poisonedpriest.bandcamp.com

Grabunhold--Frostheim (CD/LP) {2026 Iron Bonehead Records}

German really does make for great-sounding lyrics when sung, it just has a hard edge and is perfect for metal, a lot like English. I can't understand a damn word of it, but it sounds cool. Grabunhold have a classic black metal sound and image, and apparently a fascination with Tolkien, which is also on-brand for black metal. The production is good, but has a nice loud, raw edge to it, like every instrument is pushed a little too far. This is fine. I don't want modern production values to invade black metal too much, it should at least have a fuzzy edge like this. Don't get me wrong, this is quite well-recorded - it just has that "something" that black metal needs. The vocals are more mid-ranged than high, which is perfect for this material. The vocals are quite powerful and the singer knows when to shut up and just let the music do all the work. The riffs alternate between quite aggressive and melodic, and constitute a nice mix of the two, as most good black metal seems to do. I only wish I had some English translations of the lyrics since I also enjoy Tolkien and would like to see what has so inspired this band. Perhaps they're included in the physical copy, I hope they are.

www.ironbonehead.de

Leatherwitch--First Spell (CD/LP) {2026 Listenable Records}

Leatherwitch is the solo project of Marta Gabriel, the longtime vocalist of Crystal Viper. Leatherwitch is largely a continuation of Crystal Viper's work, although there are some stylistic differences. For me, the vocals are smoother and more well-produced than on the last Crystal Viper record. Marta also leans in more heavily to classic metal melody, reminding me a bit of Warlock in that regard. The choruses are all written to be extremely catchy and some of them are serious earworms. I'm impressed with the level of skill she shows with all the instruments here as well - even the drums, which are notoriously neglected on a lot of one-person projects, often resorting to haphazard programming. No, these are the real deal and she plays them well, assuming she plays them and didn't just leave session musicians off the credits. I love when she hits a high note on this record, they're so smooth. She has the same smooth high notes that Journey frontman Steve Perry had, and his were like silk. She has the same texture if not the same range. It could be a trick of production, but you can't polish a turd, so the raw tracks have to be impressive at the very least. This is one all traditional metal fans ought to be able to enjoy and I hope there's more where this came from.

www.listenable.eu

Rotten Tomb--Vestiges Of Tortured Souls CD&LP and C.S{Nuclear Winter Rec.}

 

Rotten Tomb is a four man band coming out of Chile's death metal scene and this is a review of the bands newest full length.Vestiges Of Tortured Souls contains nine tracks of intense and powerful death metal.The music is very well delievered and written with some memorable guitars and drum passages.The guitars are performed with skill and are a mix of some mid paced heavy guitars and some faster more aggressive patterns.Both styles are played with intensity and their are some well played solo's throughout the songs.The drums are equally as well delievered with some faster drums.The drummer does slow to a more heavier mid paced in a few of the songs for a nice balance.The vocals are well performed death metal growls that are powerful in their delievery. This is my first encounter with Chile's Rotten Tomb but if you are a fan of pure death metal then defintly give this release a listen and pick up a copy today.                                                                                                                                    Rotten Tomb                                                                                                                                                https://rottentomb.bandcamp.com/album/vestiges-of-tortured-souls                                                        https://www.facebook.com/rottentombband/                                                                                                https://www.instagram.com/rottentombofficial/                                                                                          Nuclear Winter Rec.                                                                                                                                    https://nuclearwinterrecords.com/shop/                                                                                                        https://nuclearwinterrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vestiges-of-tortured-souls                                        https://www.facebook.com/martyrdoomproductions/                                                                                  https://www.instagram.com/nuclearwinterrecords/                                                                                        https://www.youtube.com/@nuclearwinterrecords

Diabolic Oath--Unholy Barbaric Hymns EP. CD&CS{Sentient Ruin Laboratories}

 

Portland Oregon's Diabolic Oath return with a new EP. featuring four tracks of brutal black and death metal.If you have never heard this band and love intense,violent black death metal then i defintly recomend this band and release.Musically the guitars and drums are performed with guitar and drum passages that are crazed but are well executed and performed.The drums are a mix of hyperspeed blst beats and some more controlled heavy fast drum sections.The vocals are raw black metal and some ferocious death metal growls are also used both vocal styles are well done.Unholy Barbaric Hymns  is a great release of extremly violent and punnishing black and death metal.                                                    Diabolic Oath                                                                                                                                                https://diabolicoath.bandcamp.com/album/unholy-barbaric-hymns                                                            https://www.facebook.com/DiabolicOathOfficial#                                                                                      https://www.instagram.com/diabolicoath/                                                                                                Sentient Ruin Laboratories                                                                                                                            https://sentientruin.com/                                                                                                                              https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/unholy-barbaric-hymns                                                               https://www.facebook.com/SentientRuin                                                                                                      https://www.instagram.com/sentientruin/                                                                                                    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ZyzClXkP-mg6aR9CCi-4Q

Sanctiphagous--Ferrum Flammaque (Digital) {2026 Nekrolust Records}

Every once in a while I find a mighty black metal band that gets close to the aggression and violence of Panzer Division Marduk, and Brazil's Sanctiphagous get quite close to that sublime sound on this, their first full length. I may need to put an asterisk on full length, because the recording quality differs on the material past the first several songs, and this may be a hodgepodge of previous EPs. It's listed as a full length on the Archives, and it's a great representation of this band's material, so I'll call it a full length as well. On to the music. The tremolo picked riffs here are nearly as tasty as the ones on that classic Marduk record, and the blastbeats just don't stop. I'm not sure if the drums are sampled/programmed or live, but in either case, they're well done. The vocals even remind me of Legion's breathless delivery, half growled, half shrieked, half snarled, and they're sung with conviction and power. The songwriting is equally excellent, relying on shorter songs with fewer riffs and catchy transitions for hooks. Sometimes the songs are only a minute long, which is pretty unique in today's black metal scene. Synths do make a limited appearance on a few songs and they really fill out the sound of the record where they're included, since they're usually included over a slower riff. These sections, however, tend to be my least favorite if only because the music slows down a bit in these sections, and I want that violence to return! Keep in mind, the best recorded, and I'm assuming newest, material is at the front of this record, which is smart. It gives us a great glimpse of what's to come along with the history of recorded material that comes after. No physical format yet, from what I can tell, but you can get this digitally, and I will highly recommend doing so.

nekrolustrecords.bandcamp.com

Ignition--All Will Die (CD) {2026 Daredevil Records}

Ignition play fantastic and aggressive power metal, reminding me of the great Brainstorm in many ways. They're aggressive, bordering on thrash metal at times, like the heaviest moments of Primal Fear, except it's a whole album of these moments. The singer is a little gruff, using excellent melodies and a powerful voice to deliver the lyrics, reminding me of old Blind Guardian in tone and style. They also have big choruses a lot like Powerwolf with haunting melodies rather than feel-good stuff. All the guitar harmonies should keep the guitar fans happy, and indeed they do a great job of it, with melodies weaving in and out of the more aggressive riffs. This is the sort of power metal that I like - it's full on metal atmosphere and no weakness at all, even in the more melodic moments. Real heavy metal fans the world over will enjoy this record and this band should be as big as the bands I've compared them to, they're that good. 

http://www.daredevilrecords.de/

Witching Hour--Descending... Where Time Has Ceased to Exist (CD/LP) {2026 Dying Victims Productions)

I have to declare that I was unfamiliar with this band before hearing this, although I was aware of their existence. I'm glad I chose to review them. They play excellent black thrashing heavy metal with top shelf riffs and wonderful songwriting. Many people compare them to countrymates Nocturnal, but Nocturnal is straight thrash. Temper them with Deceased-style melodicism, however, and you'll have a good idea of what to expect, especially when the vocals hit. They're gruff but sung, and carry some melody, just like King Fowley. Long songs are also in their repertoire, also like Deceased, with the songs here ranging from six to eleven minutes in length. This gives the guitars plenty of time to play around with the riffs and some truly epic material results. This has a true '80s heavy metal feel as well as a Germanic thrash feel, both at the same time. It's quite a feat, and I have to say that while I normally hate long songs, this was quite good and the lengths of the songs didn't affect my enjoyment of the music. They felt a lot shorter than what they actually are. This album is for true metal diehards, and there should be no buyer's remorse!

www.dying-victims.de

Consecration--Exanimis CD&LPAnd CASSETTE{Nuclear Winter Rec.}

 

Consecration is  a  five man band coming out of the U.K that plays a good style of death doom metal.Exanimis  is the bands fourth full length featuring eight tracks of well composed and performed death doom metal.The guitars are performed with some slow to mid paced guitar passages that are well executed and delievered.Besides the heavy mid paced guitars there are also some very well performed acoustic guitars used in a few of the songs that add another layer to the bands sound.The vocals are heavy death metal growls that are crushing in their delievery.Their are also some raw gruff growls used in a few of the songs.If you are a fan of well composed death doom metal that even adds moments of atmosphere to their crushing sound and style i urge you to check this band out today.                            Consecration                                                                                                                                                https://consecration666.bandcamp.com/merch                                                                                          https://www.facebook.com/Consecration666/#                                                                                            https://www.instagram.com/consecration666                                                                                            https://www.youtube.com/user/ConsecrationDoom666                                                                          Nuclear Winter Rec.                                                                                                                                      https://nuclearwinterrecords.com/shop/                                                                                                      https://nuclearwinterrecords.bandcamp.com/album/exanimis                                                                      https://www.facebook.com/martyrdoomproductions/                                                                                https://www.instagram.com/nuclearwinterrecords/                                                                                    https://www.youtube.com/@nuclearwinterrecords

Hoc Est Bellum--Filth Majesty CD&LP and Cassette{Time To Kill Rec.}

 

Hoc Est Bellum is a band that was  started in 2022 and plays  bestial black metal.After releasing one demo in 2023 the band will be releasing their debut full length Filth Majesty at the end of June.The guitars are razorsharp fast and chaotic in the delievery.The drums are played with hyperspeed blast beats that are crazed and destructive in the delievery.The vocals are grim,raw black metal screams and some deeper demonic growls.If you are looking for a barbaric band that blends the best of black,grind and death metal together then be sure to pick up a copy of Filth Majesty when it is released.                          Hoc Est Bellum                                                                                                                                          https://hocestbellum.bandcamp.com/merch                                                                                                https://www.instagram.com/hoc_est_bellum_black_noise/                                                                          Time To Kill Rec.                                                                                                                                      https://timetokillrecords.com/                                                                                                                    https://hocestbellum.bandcamp.com/album/filth-majesty                                                                          https://www.facebook.com/timetokillrecords/                                                                                            instagram.com/timetokillrecords/                                                                                                                https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCydoZxnJqGq4AeETKM6uO-A