“Atmospheric post-black metal is quite the concept. Both titular subgenres span wide varieties of inspirations, levels of aggression, and affinities for emotion. Done well, they are gateways to catharsis and emotional storytelling. So I was intrigued when Rituel : Initiation caught my eye. This is the debut full-length release from Swiss post-black metal band De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube, recommended, or so I’m told, for fans of Alcest and Heilung.” Swiss misery.
“I’ve kicked off this year with a good old-fashioned death binge. My putrid immersion has taken me around the world so far: first to Chile, then across the Pacific to Australia, and now back across continents to Sweden. Next up is Stockholm-based duo Harrowed. Consisting of dual-threat drummer and vocalist Adam Lindmark (ex-Morbus Chron) and guitarist/bassist Tobias Alpadie (VAK and former live guitarist for Tribulation), the pair linked up through a past project to pay homage to the SweDeath sounds of olde.” Death comes back to Sweden.
“There’s a burgeoning old school 80s trve metal movement growing these days, with more and more young bands longing to sound really olde. Steel is there for that, as it speaks directly to his ancient bones. A good number of these retro sword-swinging acts seem to be coming out of Sweden of late. We covered Century’s Sign of the Storm last year, and here comes Templar with their Conquering Swords debut, which was produced by Century’s Staffan Tengnér. As a fan of conquest and swords (and that awesome van-worthy cover art), I’m the target audience for this early 80s throwback insanity.” Room & sword.
“As this new year has gotten off to a right proper, lunacy-fueled start, I scoured the sump pit in search of something to pen my first review of 2026 on. As I poked through the pickens, slim as they were, I spied one of my favorite tags: ‘Steel says review,’ sitting unclaimed. Self-described as ‘free form death-jazz,’ Umeå, Sweden’s Backengrillen play music that is a paean to chaos and destruction. The basic idea is to take a death/doom metal, or noiserock riff and play it until it loses meaning and then break it apart like a ravenous cat would a tiny forest mouse. Okay, I thought, I’ll bite.” Business in the front, grillen in the back.
““TikTok deathcore.” Two words guaranteed to make trve metalheads shudder inside their Jørn-adorned battle jackets. It’s also a term that could apply to a vast swathe of newer deathcore acts; each chasing the viral glory of Will Ramos reaction videos through near-endless vertical content. Enter Sweden’s Bite Down, who’ve ridden this wave to a respectable level of buzz across a steady drip-feed of singles and EPs, with their debut, Violent Playground.” Toothsome or untoother?
“He must be a music addict. I can’t fathom any other reason Rogga Johansson has so many heavy metal projects. Scratching his songwriting itch must require the slightly different flavors of death metal and variety of collaborators each project provides. This latest from his melodeath outfit, Dead Sun, marks, by my count, album number nine for Rogga this year alone, and it is also album number nine for Dead Sun since its formation.” Rogga! Rogga!
An unexpected release from Enshine requires more than one review, so join Steel and Maddog as they examine the heights of Elevation.
“From Imperial Doom to The Passage of Existence, Monstrosity has one of the most solid death metal discographies on record. And while I’ve always gravitated toward those early Corpsegrinder albums, the performance Mike Hrubovcak turned in on The Passage of Existence was brutally good. Now, when he’s not creating sick cover art or contributing to his other projects—Azure Emote, Hypoxia, or Imperial Crystalline Entombment—Hrubovcak partners with the inimitable, no-band-too-big-or-small-for-me-to-play-in, personal injury lawyer guitarist Rogga Johannson to front House by the Cemetary.” Taste the grave.
“It doesn’t seem to take long for the “wee hours” of the night to kick in these winter days. With them comes a very specific, almost hypnotic sadness that anyone who sleep has forsaken knows well. That tag-team of coldness and isolation brought on by the night just can’t be beat sometimes. Swedish goth/doom duo Nattradio know this sensation intimately, as their new album The Longest Night was written and shaped exclusively in the latest hours of the night. Injecting their Katatonia-inspired Gothic doom with elements of ambient music and noir jazz, Nattradio crafted their sophomore record to reflect the somberness of wakeful late nights, framing its ideal listening time in those hours.” Music for a midnight dreary.
“Known for cultivating legendary acts such as Cult of Luna, Meshuggah, and Refused, Umeå, Sweden, sows fertile ground for seminal rock and metal bands. Formed in 2022, Skogskult joins their compatriots with a self-titled debut of grimy stoner doom in hand.” It’s in the water.
