Feb26

Bloodred – Colours of Pain Review

By Mark Z. on February 10, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, 26 comments

“Seeing an album described as “blackened death metal” almost always gets my juices flowing. The problem with that tag, however, is that it can mean anything from weird avant-garde blackened dissodeath (yuck) to Christcrushing necronuclear Blasphemy-worshipping goat metal (fukk yeah!!). But Bloodred are neither of those things. This German band is technically a duo but is really more like the solo project of vocalist, guitarist, and bassist Ron Merz, who’s been enlisting the talents of drummer Joris Nijenhuis (ex-Atrocity, ex-Leaves’ Eyes) since the band’s first releases back in the mid-2010s. I admittedly hadn’t heard of these guys when I saw their name crop up in our promo bin, but I decided to give their back catalog a whirl when I saw Amon Amarth was tagged as a similar artist on Encyclopedia Metallum. MOAR blood for the Blood Gods?

Ashbringer – Subglacial Review

By Lavender Larcenist on February 9, 2026 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 15 comments

“We here at AMG are impossible to please. Minnesota’s atmo-black four-piece Ashbringer have learned this the hard way. While we lavished praise across their discography, those who giveth can also taketh away. Ashbringer’s previous outing, We Came Here to Grieve, originally received glowing remarks. Unfortunately for them, resident shark and Ashbringer connoisseur, Carcharodon, decided, upon further reflection, that the clean singing on their previous outing brought the album to a screeching halt after time and distance brought clarity. So, as if in response, Ashbringer has returned with Subglacial, and there isn’t an ounce of clean singing to be found on the album, as it provides an incredibly stripped-back sound in comparison to their previous outings.” Ashes up!

Bitterness – Hallowed Be the Game Review

By Tyme on February 6, 2026 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 15 comments

“Thrash metal trio Bitterness has been riffing around Germany’s underground metal scene since 2002. And despite a twenty-plus-year career spent in a state of sustained anonymity, these thrashers three are ready to throw down their eighth full-length odyssey, Hallowed Be the Game. Marching under the thrash banner in a country that birthed not only the Big Teutonic 4, but some very endearing second-tier bands, takes guts and persistence. Luckily, Bitterness has a little bit of both.” In the game of German thrash, be bitter or be dead.

Moon Mother – Meadowlands Review

By Grymm on February 6, 2026 in Reviews, Not Metal, 28 comments

“I grew up with a slew of friends who dabbled in the visual arts throughout the years. One in particular blew me away by stating that the greatest artists aren’t the masters of their trade in every aspect, but rather they know what they don’t have, or rather don’t need, to make a sizable impact. You don’t need to own the most expensive paint set, a wide array of colors at your disposal, or to fill up the canvas with stuff. You have to just create your vision with what you have, and let the negative space do the work for you. Swedish duo Moon Mother knows this. On their second full-length, Meadowlands, they paint a lush, aural landscape teeming with anguish, grief, and trauma, while also crafting a sense of wonder, peace, and a smidge of hope.” Marsh but fair.

Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Review

By Steel Druhm on February 6, 2026 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 67 comments

“After staggering off four crazy days at sea for the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, my ears and brain are fried unto merciless death. Luckily, I anticipated this contingency and left myself a fairly easy bounce-back to reality with the sophomore album from England’s classic metal rockers, Tailgunner.” Shooting for and at the sky.

Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience Review

By Andy-War-Hall on February 5, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Noise Rock, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 65 comments

“Anyone who’s brushed against James Joyce’s modernist classic Ulysses has almost certainly encountered the phrase “remorse of conscience” before. A pivotal theme of the novel, remorse of conscience refers to more than mere guilt over a perceived ethical failure but the misery inflicted by it, its weight and torment. In the days leading up to receiving Remorse of Conscience, the independent debut from New Hampshire’s genre-blending Agenbite Misery, a record informed by Ulysses and “steeped in grief, alienation and the search for meaning in modern life,” I was experiencing that eponymous turmoil myself.” Modern Hellenic disorientation.

Mayhem – Liturgy of Death Review

By Grin Reaper on February 4, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, 132 comments

“Mayhem’s reputation will forever be linked to their early days, inescapably tethered to the chaos of death. While it’s impossible not to acknowledge those grisly events when considering the band’s legacy, they detract from the unyielding musical vision Mayhem has etched into metal mythology. From the beginning, Mayhem has been at the forefront as one of black metal’s tastemakers and breath-takers. Over four decades in, Mayhem returns with Liturgy of Death—a fitting subject considering the band’s sordid origins and their penchant for metaphysical musings.” Never ending mayheming.

Diespnea – Radici Review

By Kronos on February 4, 2026 in Avante Garde, Black Metal, Code666 Records, Italian Metal, Releases, Reviews, Black Metal, 35 comments

“A black metal album bent on re-orienting the genre away from a frostbitten North and towards an imaginary sun-bleached South, the saguaro being perhaps the most resilient (and, tellingly, clichéd) symbol thereof. Ambitions often crumble against this landscape; the schemes of miners fall through, the hopeful homesteads dry into rubble, at the bodies of desperate migrants collapse in the canyons. Beauty and hostility, available in such great measure here, produce the romance of the desert, the basis for Radici.” Like a cactus in the snow.