Welcome to the Metal Lair Album Review Archive, where rock, metal, and everything lurking between the cracks gets dissected, celebrated, questioned, and occasionally dragged into the light. From underground releases to established names, this is where our writers dig into the albums that demanded a closer listen.
Find your next obsession or dig deeper into an old one. Explore the reviews, follow the writers, and get to know the people behind the records, from the recording room to the album sleeve.
Find Your Way Through the Archive
Latest Reviews · Featured Reviews · Special Collections · Artists A–Z · By Year · By Genre · By Reviewer · Metal Horns Ratings · All Reviews
Latest Album Reviews
Fresh from the listening room. The newest reviews from across rock, metal, and the places they collide.
Primordial Black
Heterotopia
Written by Lucien Drake
Review published: September 16, 2026
Release date: May 15, 2026
Record label: Darkside Records
Genre: Avant-garde blackened death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Lucien Drake explores the Tunisian band’s second full-length, tracing its blackened death metal, industrial dread and cinematic atmosphere.
Album Details: Heterotopia
Release Information
Artist: Primordial Black
Release: Heterotopia
Release type: Full-length album
Release date: May 15, 2026
Record label: Darkside Records
Country: Tunisia
Genre: Avant-garde blackened death metal
Track Listing
1. Caos Guidato
2. Ruines Suspendues
3. Heterotopia
4. Mater Suspiriorum
5. Immaculate
6. Begotten
7. Gorrister
8. Le Horla
Personnel
Yasser Mahammedi Bouzina: Vocals, rhythm guitars, synths and programming
Walid Chaaben: Lead guitars
Walter Rehouma: Bass guitars
Nikola Dušmanić: Drums
Guest Musicians
Steve DiGiorgio: Bass
Karim Bouazra: Guitar
Gianluca Morelli: Guitar
Camilia Bayazi: Vocals
Mehdi Beltaief: Vocals
Khairi Doudech: Saxophone
Fadhel Bouazra: Additional orchestrations
Credit Sources
Release information, track listing and personnel are drawn from Lucien Drake’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 16, 2026
iAtlas
Beyond The New Horizon · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 12, 2026
Release date: September 11, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Alternative rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
“All in all, Beyond The New Horizon is a hugely promising first outing for iAtlas, the South Coast three-piece.”
Album Details: Beyond The New Horizon
Release Information
Artist: iAtlas
Release: Beyond The New Horizon
Release type: EP
Release date: September 11, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Origin: Bognor Regis, England
Genre: Alternative rock
Track Listing
1. Freak the Trance
2. Touch the Sky
3. Rather Me Than You
4. 3iatlas
5. No Time
Personnel
Dougy: Vocals, guitar, lyrics, and melody
Ondy: Bass, effects, programming, and production design
Marcus: Drums and percussion
Credit Sources
Release information, track listing, and personnel are drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Green Carnation
A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 5, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Progressive metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Green Carnation bring A Dark Poem to its epic conclusion with Part III: The Messiah Complex. Our review explores the final chapter of the Norwegian progressive metal band’s ambitious trilogy.
Album Details: A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex
Release Information
Artist: Green Carnation
Release: A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex
Record label: Season of Mist
Country: Norway
Genre: Progressive metal
Track Listing
1. Unconditional Artificial Chemistry
2. The Messiah Complex
3. Broken Souls, Common Enemies
4. A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite
Personnel
Kjetil Nordhus: Vocals
Stein Roger Sordal: Bass, rhythm guitars, lead guitars, keyboards
Bjørn Harstad: Lead guitars, effects
Endre Kirkesola: Keyboards, synthesizers, organs, effects
Jonathan Alejandro Perez: Drums
Guest Musicians
Ingrid Ose: Flute on “Broken Souls, Common Enemies”
Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Opera Choir: “A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite”
Related Coverage
Green Carnation: A Dark Poem Trilogy archive
Credit Sources
Information reproduced from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Kelowna
Superstar
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 4, 2026
Genre: Classic rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Kelowna steps into the spotlight with Superstar, an album packed with attitude, hooks and shifting moods. Kevin McSweeney takes the record apart track-by-track in this Metal Lair review.
Album Details: Superstar
Release Information
Artist: Kelowna
Release: Superstar
Country: Scotland
Genre: Classic rock
Track Listing
1. Midnight Rider
2. Second Place
3. Wild and Free
4. Raven Lady
5. Meet You
6. The Wordsmith
7. Insanity
8. Monster
9. Song for Cathy
10. Faith in the Music
Personnel
Davy Wilson: Lead vocals
Paul Mooney: Lead guitar
Simon Amos: Bass
Ian King Davy: Keyboards
Rory McEwan: Drums
Credit Sources
Information reproduced from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Xenith
To No Avail
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 2, 2026
Release date: August 28, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Melodic death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Metal Lair reviews To No Avail, the debut album from Manchester melodic death metal band Xenith, a technical and ambitious record packed with crushing riffs, shifting time signatures, melodic hooks and serious shredding.
Album Details: To No Avail
Release Information
Artist: Xenith
Release: To No Avail
Release date: August 28, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Country: England
Genre: Melodic death metal
Track Listing
1. Take Me Back Where I Belong
2. Alone
3. Bludgeoned
4. Incite The Tragedy
5. No Time To Waste
6. Descending
7. Killer Instinct
8. Arteries
9. The Weight To Pretend
10. Out Of Contempt
Personnel
Billy Hourigan: Lead vocals, guitar
Casey Dennis: Guitar
Jamo Morris: Bass
Karim Treifi: Drums
Credit Sources
Information reproduced from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Behemoth
I, Scvlptor
Written by Lucien Drake
Review published: August 31, 2026
Genre: Blackened death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Behemoth I, Scvlptor Review: Thirty-five years into their career, Behemoth revisit their past, reshape their present and summon something vicious, strange and unexpectedly beautiful on I, Scvlptor. From monstrous new material to re-recorded early tracks and tributes to Venom and Bathory, this is Behemoth taking inventory of their own darkness.
Album Details: I, Scvlptor
Release Information
Artist: Behemoth
Release: I, Scvlptor
Country: Poland
Genre: Blackened death metal
Track Listing
1. I, Scvlptor
2. Lord ov the Horizons
3. Rise of the Blackstorm of Evil
4. In Thy Pandemaeternum
5. Begotten
6. In League With Satan
7. The Return of Darkness and Evil [Live]
8. Lord ov the Horizons [Alt. Version]
Guest Musicians
Shagrath: “In League With Satan”
Sakis Tolis: “The Return of Darkness and Evil” (live)
Credit Sources
Information reproduced from Lucien Drake’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Untitled With Drums
Made Flesh
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: August 26, 2026
Release date: August 21, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Alternative metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Made Flesh by Untitled With Drums blends alternative metal, grunge and post-hardcore with dark melodies and massive hooks. Kevin McSweeney reviews the French band’s sophomore album, out now via Season of Mist.
Album Details: Made Flesh
Release Information
Artist: Untitled With Drums
Release: Made Flesh
Release date: August 21, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Country: France
Genre: Alternative metal
Track Listing
1. Above My Head
2. Shame
3. Matter
4. Gray
5. Space
6. Change for You
7. Oblivious
8. Parasitic
9. Been So High
10. Cry
Personnel
Martin Le Borgne: Bass, vocals
Lucas Delay: Guitar
Nicolas Zalachas: Keyboards
Rémy D. Perrin: Drums
Credit Sources
Information reproduced from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Featured Album Reviews
Some records deserve another turn on the turntable. A handpicked selection of reviews worth revisiting, beyond whatever happened to arrive this week.
Sybreed
Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition)
Written by McKauley Kitterman
Review published: October 9, 2024
Genre: Industrial / cyber metal
Original review score: 9.7 / 10
McKauley Kitterman revisits Slave Design’s punchier remaster, the re-recorded “Bioactive,” and the previously unreleased “System Debaser.”
Cryptopsy
An Insatiable Violence
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 17, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Technical death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Kevin McSweeney examines the technical brutality of An Insatiable Violence and its unsettling portrait of life inside the digital attention economy.
Special Collections
Follow the story beyond a single record. Connected reviews, interviews, and artist archives for listeners who like to keep digging.
FEATURED COLLECTION
Green Carnation: A Dark Poem Trilogy
Explore Metal Lair’s Green Carnation trilogy coverage in one place, with reviews, interviews, and the stories connecting the records.
Browse Reviews A–Z by Artist
Find each artist’s reviewed albums together, with links to cover artwork, album details, and the original review.
0–9 / Symbols · A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z
0–9 / Symbols
No reviewed artists filed here yet.
A
…And Oceans
The Regeneration Itinerary
Written by Kevin McSweeney · May 9, 2025 · 5 / 5 🤘
A Dark Halo
Omnibus One
July 15, 2023
Aborted
Vault of Horrors
Written by Lindon Faynes · April 15, 2024
Æl-Fierlen
All Is Far Away
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 23, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Alkaloid
Bach Out of Bounds
Written by Chris Norris · January 17, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Angona
Ashborn
Written by Kevin McSweeney · December 3, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Apes
Rotten World / Apostle
Written by Lindon Faynes · November 13, 2025
B
Bask
The Turning
Written by Caine Blackthorn · June 27, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Behemoth
I, Scvlptor
Written by Lucien Drake · August 31, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Ben’s Raincoat
Radiant Cliffs
Written by Lindon Faynes · December 11, 2025
Blackfyre Rising
Blackfyre Rising
Written by Kevin McSweeney · June 7, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
BlackMarket
Radical Views
Written by Kevin McSweeney · June 12, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Bruce Dickinson
The Mandrake Project
Written by Sebastian Melmoth · February 23, 2024
Burnt Body
Queimadura
Written by Lindon Faynes · December 16, 2025 · 3 / 5 🤘
C
Calico Jack
Jack Speak Shanties
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 25, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Calligram
Position | Momentum
July 15, 2023
Cannibal Corpse
Chaos Horrific
September 22, 2023
Carach Angren
The Cult of Kariba
Written by Kevin McSweeney · October 17, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Cattle Decapitation
Terrasite
May 12, 2023
Contrasts
False Idol
Written by Kevin McSweeney · January 30, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Crowbar
Zero And Below
September 8, 2023
Cryptopsy
An Insatiable Violence
Written by Kevin McSweeney · June 17, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Cutthroat
The Purge
Written by Chris Norris · May 21, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
D
DA
DA
Written by Kevin McSweeney · April 14, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Dart
Speed Days
Written by Kevin McSweeney · April 12, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Dawn Fades
III
Written by Kevin McSweeney · October 29, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Death Assault
Death Assault
Written by Kevin McSweeney · February 16, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Death Warmed Up
Wildcard
Written by Kevin McSweeney · April 20, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Deathblow
Open Season
Written by Kevin McSweeney · June 17, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Defiled
Altered State
Written by Kevin McSweeney · June 24, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
F
Fates Messenger
Eternal War
Written by Kevin McSweeney · August 18, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Final Coil
The World We Inherited
December 30, 2023
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Opera
Written by Tristan Cardinelli · July 28, 2024
Foreignwolf
Merely Mortal
Written by Kevin McSweeney · April 1, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
G
Green Carnation
A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 5, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis
Written by Kevin McSweeney · April 6, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 7, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
H
Hecate Enthroned
The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried
Written by Lucien Drake · May 27, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Helloween
Giants & Monsters
August 10, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Hooded Menace
The Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration
Written by Kevin McSweeney · October 6, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
I
iAtlas
Beyond The New Horizon
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 12, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Igorrr
Amen
Written by Lucien Drake · January 26, 2026
Imperium
Exodus Unknown
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 26, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Impure Wilhelmina
Le Sanglot
Written by Kevin McSweeney · May 28, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Impureza
Alcázares
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 8, 2025
Infected Dead
Invicta
Written by Kevin McSweeney · May 6, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Inhuman Nature
Greater Than Death
Written by Kevin McSweeney · May 2, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
J
No reviewed artists filed here yet.
K
Kelowna
Superstar
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 4, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
King’s Hammer
To Speak in Tongues
Written by Kevin McSweeney · June 14, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
M
Malevich
Under a Gilded Sun
Written by Kevin McSweeney · August 23, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Mallavora
What If Better Never Comes?
Written by Kevin McSweeney · March 27, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Marduk
Memento Mori
August 19, 2023
Mastiff
For All the Dead Dreams
Written by Kevin McSweeney · October 25, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Matador
Above, Below and So
Written by Kevin McSweeney · March 3, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Mawiza
ÜL
Written by Caine Blackthorn · July 8, 2025
Mercers
The Liminal Tapes
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 20, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
N
Nargaroth
Apocalyptic Steel
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 1, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Needful Things
Tentacles of Influence
Written by Lindon Faynes AKA AUselessPileofFlesh · March 20, 2024 · Original score: 88%
Night Thieves
Metaxis
Written by Kevin McSweeney · March 18, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Nite
Cult of the Serpent Sun
Written by Kevin McSweeney · March 25, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
O
Olympus
Knowing It Shall Wake
Written by Kevin McSweeney · April 29, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
On Borrowed Time
In The Dark Before The Dawn
Written by Kevin McSweeney · June 9, 2026 · 3.5 / 5 🤘
One Last Day
Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel
Written by Kevin McSweeney · November 16, 2025 · 3.5 / 5 🤘
Opensight
The Outfit
Written by Kevin McSweeney · May 20, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
P
Phoenix Lake
Seraphina: The Fall From Eden
Written by Kevin McSweeney · February 26, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Ponte Del Diavolo
De Venom Natura
Written by Kevin McSweeney · February 13, 2026
Primordial Black
Heterotopia
Written by Lucien Drake · September 16, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Q
No reviewed artists filed here yet.
R
Rob Zombie
The Great Satan
Written by Chris Norris · February 27, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Rotten Sound
Mass Extinction
Written by Kevin McSweeney · December 13, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Rotting Christ
Aealo (Re-Recorded)
Written by Chris Norris · January 26, 2026
Pro Xristou
Written by Tristan Cardinelli · May 24, 2024
S
Sakoya
World Gone Crazy
Written by Kevin McSweeney · August 19, 2026 · 3.5 / 5 🤘
Saltwound
The Temptation of Pain
Written by McKauley Kitterman · November 8, 2024 · 5 / 5 🤘
Sepultura
The Cloud of Unknowing
Written by Caine Blackthorn · April 26, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Shape of Water
Petrichor
Written by Kevin McSweeney · August 8, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Sleep Token
Take Me Back To Eden
July 23, 2023
Spheres
Helios
December 9, 2022
Still in Love
Recovery Language
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 1, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Stoned Jesus
Songs to Sun
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 20, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
Sybreed
Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition)
Written by McKauley Kitterman · October 9, 2024 · Original score: 9.7 / 10
T
Testament
Para Bellum
Written by Lucien Drake · October 12, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
The Ghoulstars
The Dark Overlords of the Universe
Written by Kevin McSweeney · May 15, 2026
The Larches
Nihilistic Majesties
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 31, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
The Old Dead Tree
London Sessions
Written by Kevin McSweeney · November 28, 2025 · 3.5 / 5 🤘
Thundermother
Dirty & Divine
Written by Kevin McSweeney · February 8, 2025 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
U
Uncultivates
This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution
Written by Kevin McSweeney · February 7, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Untitled With Drums
Made Flesh
Written by Kevin McSweeney · August 26, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
V
Voraath
Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters
Written by Tristan Cardinelli · June 17, 2024
Vulvarine
Fast Lane
Written by Kevin McSweeney · April 5, 2025 · 4 / 5 🤘
W
Wailin’ Storms
The Arsonist
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 15, 2026 · 4 / 5 🤘
Witchsorrow
The Devil and All His Works
Written by Kevin McSweeney · July 9, 2026 · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Z
No reviewed artists filed here yet.
Browse by Year
Browse by the year the review was published. An album’s release date is listed separately, so a retrospective review does not disappear into the wrong decade.
2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022
Browse by Genre
Alternative / hard rock
Final Coil — The World We Inherited
December 30, 2023
Alternative metal
Untitled With Drums · Made Flesh · August 26, 2026
Mallavora · What If Better Never Comes? · March 27, 2026
Night Thieves · Metaxis · March 18, 2026
Alternative rock
iAtlas · Beyond The New Horizon · September 12, 2026
Alternative rock / progressive metal
Sleep Token · Take Me Back To Eden · July 23, 2023
Atmospheric black metal
Rotting Christ · Aealo (Re-Recorded) · January 26, 2026
Black metal
Nargaroth · Apocalyptic Steel · July 1, 2026
Marduk · Memento Mori · August 19, 2023
Blackened / screamo / sludge metal
Malevich · Under a Gilded Sun · August 23, 2025
Blackened death metal
Primordial Black · Heterotopia · September 16, 2026
Behemoth · I, Scvlptor · August 31, 2026
Blackened grindcore
Apes · Rotten World / Apostle · November 13, 2025
Blackened hardcore
Calligram · Position | Momentum · July 15, 2023
Blackened heavy metal
Nite · Cult of the Serpent Sun · March 25, 2025
Blackened post-punk
Ponte Del Diavolo · De Venom Natura · February 13, 2026
Blackgaze
Æl-Fierlen · All Is Far Away · September 23, 2025
Classic rock
Kelowna · Superstar · September 4, 2026
Crossover hardcore
Cutthroat · The Purge · May 21, 2026
Dark progressive rock
The Old Dead Tree · London Sessions · November 28, 2025
Death metal
Defiled · Altered State · June 24, 2026
King’s Hammer · To Speak in Tongues · June 14, 2025
Aborted · Vault of Horrors · April 15, 2024
Cannibal Corpse · Chaos Horrific · September 22, 2023
Death metal / grindcore
Cattle Decapitation · Terrasite · May 12, 2023
Death-doom
Hooded Menace · The Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration · October 6, 2025
Deathcore / metalcore
Saltwound · The Temptation of Pain · November 8, 2024
Doom metal
Witchsorrow · The Devil and All His Works · July 9, 2026
Electronic art rock
Shape of Water · Petrichor · August 8, 2025
Experimental metal
Igorrr · Amen · January 26, 2026
Extreme metal
Voraath · Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters · June 17, 2024
Flamenco death metal
Impureza · Alcázares · July 8, 2025
Grindcore
Rotten Sound · Mass Extinction · December 13, 2025
Needful Things · Tentacles of Influence · March 20, 2024
Groove / thrash metal
Sepultura · The Cloud of Unknowing · April 26, 2026
Groove metal
Lamb of God · Into Oblivion · March 14, 2026
Mawiza · ÜL · July 8, 2025
Groove metal / metalcore
Angona · Ashborn · December 3, 2025
Hair metal / hard rock
Death Warmed Up · Wildcard · April 20, 2026
Hard rock
Blackfyre Rising · Blackfyre Rising · June 7, 2025
Hard rock / metal
Bruce Dickinson · The Mandrake Project · February 23, 2024
Hard rock / punk
Vulvarine · Fast Lane · April 5, 2025
Hardcore
Still in Love · Recovery Language · September 1, 2025
Hardcore / sludge
The Larches · Nihilistic Majesties · July 31, 2026
Mastiff · For All the Dead Dreams · October 25, 2025
Heavy / thrash metal
Imperium · Exodus Unknown · July 26, 2026
Heavy rock
DA · DA · April 14, 2026
Foreignwolf · Merely Mortal · April 1, 2026
Horror punk
The Ghoulstars · The Dark Overlords of the Universe · May 15, 2026
Industrial / cyber metal
Sybreed · Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition) · October 9, 2024
Industrial metal
Rob Zombie · The Great Satan · February 27, 2026
Melodic black metal
Rotting Christ · Pro Xristou · May 24, 2024
Melodic death metal
Xenith · To No Avail · September 2, 2026
Olympus · Knowing It Shall Wake · April 29, 2026
Melodic hardcore
On Borrowed Time · In The Dark Before The Dawn · June 9, 2026
Melodic metal / hard rock
Phoenix Lake · Seraphina: The Fall From Eden · February 26, 2026
Melodic metalcore
One Last Day · Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel · November 16, 2025
Metalcore
Sakoya · World Gone Crazy · August 19, 2026
Contrasts · False Idol · January 30, 2026
Fates Messenger · Eternal War · August 18, 2025
Nu metal
BlackMarket · Radical Views · June 12, 2026
Post-hardcore
Mercers · The Liminal Tapes · July 20, 2026
Impure Wilhelmina · Le Sanglot · May 28, 2026
Uncultivates · This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution · February 7, 2026
Post-metal
Matador · Above, Below and So · March 3, 2026
Dawn Fades · III · October 29, 2025
Power metal
Helloween · Giants & Monsters · August 10, 2025
Powerviolence / hardcore
Burnt Body · Queimadura · December 16, 2025
Progressive / cyber metal
A Dark Halo · Omnibus One · July 15, 2023
Progressive death metal / classical fusion
Alkaloid · Bach Out of Bounds · January 17, 2026
Progressive death metal / deathcore
Ben’s Raincoat · Radiant Cliffs · December 11, 2025
Progressive metal
Green Carnation · A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex · September 5, 2026
Green Carnation · A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis · April 6, 2026
Green Carnation · A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia · September 7, 2025
Spheres · Helios · December 9, 2022
Progressive rock / metal
Opensight · The Outfit · May 20, 2026
Psychedelic rock / heavy Americana / sludge
Bask · The Turning · June 27, 2025
Rock ’n’ roll
Thundermother · Dirty & Divine · February 8, 2025
Sludge metal
Erdve · Epigrama · June 5, 2026
Crowbar · Zero And Below · September 8, 2023
Southern gothic rock
Wailin’ Storms · The Arsonist · July 15, 2026
Symphonic black metal
Hecate Enthroned · The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried · May 27, 2026
Carach Angren · The Cult of Kariba · October 17, 2025
…And Oceans · The Regeneration Itinerary · May 9, 2025
Symphonic death metal
Fleshgod Apocalypse · Opera · July 28, 2024
Technical death metal
Infected Dead · Invicta · May 6, 2026
Cryptopsy · An Insatiable Violence · June 17, 2025
Thrash ’n’ roll / punk
Dart · Speed Days · April 12, 2025
Thrash metal
Death Assault · Death Assault · February 16, 2026
Testament · Para Bellum · October 12, 2025
Deathblow · Open Season · June 17, 2025
Inhuman Nature · Greater Than Death · May 2, 2025
Browse by Reviewer
Caine Blackthorn
Sepultura · The Cloud of Unknowing · April 26, 2026
Mawiza · ÜL · July 8, 2025
Bask · The Turning · June 27, 2025
Chris Norris
Cutthroat · The Purge · May 21, 2026
Rob Zombie · The Great Satan · February 27, 2026
Rotting Christ · Aealo (Re-Recorded) · January 26, 2026
Alkaloid · Bach Out of Bounds · January 17, 2026
Helloween · Giants & Monsters · August 10, 2025
Christy Norris
Yungblud · Idols · June 30, 2025
Kevin McSweeney
iAtlas · Beyond The New Horizon · September 12, 2026
Green Carnation · A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex · September 5, 2026
Kelowna · Superstar · September 4, 2026
Xenith · To No Avail · September 2, 2026
Untitled With Drums · Made Flesh · August 26, 2026
Sakoya · World Gone Crazy · August 19, 2026
The Larches · Nihilistic Majesties · July 31, 2026
Imperium · Exodus Unknown · July 26, 2026
Mercers · The Liminal Tapes · July 20, 2026
Wailin’ Storms · The Arsonist · July 15, 2026
Witchsorrow · The Devil and All His Works · July 9, 2026
Nargaroth · Apocalyptic Steel · July 1, 2026
Defiled · Altered State · June 24, 2026
BlackMarket · Radical Views · June 12, 2026
On Borrowed Time · In The Dark Before The Dawn · June 9, 2026
Erdve · Epigrama · June 5, 2026
Impure Wilhelmina · Le Sanglot · May 28, 2026
Opensight · The Outfit · May 20, 2026
The Ghoulstars · The Dark Overlords of the Universe · May 15, 2026
Infected Dead · Invicta · May 6, 2026
Olympus · Knowing It Shall Wake · April 29, 2026
Death Warmed Up · Wildcard · April 20, 2026
DA · DA · April 14, 2026
Green Carnation · A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis · April 6, 2026
Foreignwolf · Merely Mortal · April 1, 2026
Mallavora · What If Better Never Comes? · March 27, 2026
Night Thieves · Metaxis · March 18, 2026
Matador · Above, Below and So · March 3, 2026
Phoenix Lake · Seraphina: The Fall From Eden · February 26, 2026
Death Assault · Death Assault · February 16, 2026
Ponte Del Diavolo · De Venom Natura · February 13, 2026
Uncultivates · This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution · February 7, 2026
Contrasts · False Idol · January 30, 2026
Rotten Sound · Mass Extinction · December 13, 2025
Angona · Ashborn · December 3, 2025
The Old Dead Tree · London Sessions · November 28, 2025
One Last Day · Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel · November 16, 2025
Dawn Fades · III · October 29, 2025
Mastiff · For All the Dead Dreams · October 25, 2025
Carach Angren · The Cult of Kariba · October 17, 2025
Hooded Menace · The Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration · October 6, 2025
Æl-Fierlen · All Is Far Away · September 23, 2025
Stoned Jesus · Songs to Sun · September 20, 2025
Green Carnation · A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia · September 7, 2025
Still in Love · Recovery Language · September 1, 2025
Malevich · Under a Gilded Sun · August 23, 2025
Fates Messenger · Eternal War · August 18, 2025
Shape of Water · Petrichor · August 8, 2025
Calico Jack · Jack Speak Shanties · July 25, 2025
Impureza · Alcázares · July 8, 2025
Deathblow · Open Season · June 17, 2025
Cryptopsy · An Insatiable Violence · June 17, 2025
King’s Hammer · To Speak in Tongues · June 14, 2025
Blackfyre Rising · Blackfyre Rising · June 7, 2025
…And Oceans · The Regeneration Itinerary · May 9, 2025
Inhuman Nature · Greater Than Death · May 2, 2025
Dart · Speed Days · April 12, 2025
Vulvarine · Fast Lane · April 5, 2025
Nite · Cult of the Serpent Sun · March 25, 2025
Thundermother · Dirty & Divine · February 8, 2025
Lindon Faynes
Burnt Body · Queimadura · December 16, 2025
Ben’s Raincoat · Radiant Cliffs · December 11, 2025
Apes · Rotten World / Apostle · November 13, 2025
Aborted · Vault of Horrors · April 15, 2024
Needful Things · Tentacles of Influence · March 20, 2024
Lucien Drake
Primordial Black · Heterotopia · September 16, 2026
Behemoth · I, Scvlptor · August 31, 2026
Hecate Enthroned · The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried · May 27, 2026
Lamb of God · Into Oblivion · March 14, 2026
Igorrr · Amen · January 26, 2026
Testament · Para Bellum · October 12, 2025
McKauley Kitterman
Saltwound · The Temptation of Pain · November 8, 2024
Sybreed · Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition) · October 9, 2024
Sebastian Melmoth
Bruce Dickinson · The Mandrake Project · February 23, 2024
Tristan Cardinelli
Fleshgod Apocalypse · Opera · July 28, 2024
Voraath · Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters · June 17, 2024
Rotting Christ · Pro Xristou · May 24, 2024
The Metal Horns Rating System
How We Throw the Horns
Metal Lair uses a numerical scale from 1 to 5 Metal Horns. Where a review gives a fractional score, that exact score is retained. Older reviews using percentages or a ten-point scale retain their original scores, clearly labeled; they are not converted into Metal Horns ratings. The words tell the story; the number gives you the temperature.
5 / 5 Metal Horns 🤘
Guaranteed speeding-ticket and whiplash material. The kind of album that makes you crank it up, forget the speedometer, and headbang hard enough to need a chiropractor afterward.
4 / 5 Metal Horns 🤘
Wall-of-death approved. Heavy enough to make you forget self-preservation and charge straight into a crowd of strangers like this is somehow a good idea.
3 / 5 Metal Horns 🤘
Solid pit material. Plenty to like, plenty worth revisiting. It may not possess your nervous system, but it earns a spot in rotation.
2 / 5 Metal Horns 🤘
Needs more time in the rehearsal room. Good ideas are in there somewhere, but they’re fighting for oxygen.
1 / 5 Metal Horn 🤘
Call the undertaker. Somewhere, a riff is filing for witness protection.
Older reviews published before the Metal Horns rating system may appear without a score.
Complete Album Review Archive
The full collection, arranged by review publication date, newest first. Compact entries keep the deep archive browsable while the full review carries the writer’s complete assessment.
2026
43 album and EP reviews published in 2026, including live albums and re-recorded editions. Listed by review publication date, newest first.
Primordial Black · Heterotopia
Written by Lucien Drake · September 16, 2026
Darkside Records · Avant-garde blackened death metal · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Lucien Drake explores the Tunisian band’s second full-length, tracing its blackened death metal, industrial dread and cinematic atmosphere.
iAtlas · Beyond The New Horizon
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 12, 2026
Self-released · Alternative rock · 4 / 5 🤘
Metal Lair reviews Beyond The New Horizon by iAtlas, a wildly eclectic debut EP blending alternative rock, post-punk, post-grunge, space rock, punk, and heavier influences with sharp hooks and eccentric charm.
Green Carnation · A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 5, 2026
Season of Mist · Progressive metal · 4.5 / 5 🤘
Green Carnation bring A Dark Poem to its epic conclusion with Part III: The Messiah Complex. Our review explores the final chapter of the Norwegian progressive metal band’s ambitious trilogy.
Kelowna · Superstar
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 4, 2026
Classic rock · 4 / 5 🤘
Kelowna steps into the spotlight with Superstar, an album packed with attitude, hooks and shifting moods. Kevin McSweeney takes the record apart track-by-track in this Metal Lair review.
Xenith · To No Avail
Written by Kevin McSweeney · September 2, 2026
Self-released · Melodic death metal · 4 / 5 🤘
Metal Lair reviews To No Avail, the debut album from Manchester melodic death metal band Xenith, a technical and ambitious record packed with crushing riffs, shifting time signatures, melodic hooks and serious shredding.
Behemoth · I, Scvlptor
Written by Lucien Drake · August 31, 2026
Blackened death metal · 4 / 5 🤘
Behemoth I, Scvlptor Review: Thirty-five years into their career, Behemoth revisit their past, reshape their present and summon something vicious, strange and unexpectedly beautiful on I, Scvlptor. From monstrous new material to re-recorded early tracks and tributes to Venom and Bathory, this is Behemoth taking inventory of their own darkness.
Untitled With Drums · Made Flesh
Written by Kevin McSweeney · August 26, 2026
Season of Mist · Alternative metal · 4 / 5 🤘
Made Flesh by Untitled With Drums blends alternative metal, grunge and post-hardcore with dark melodies and massive hooks. Kevin McSweeney reviews the French band’s sophomore album, out now via Season of Mist.
Sakoya
World Gone Crazy
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: August 19, 2026
Record label: Adventure Cat Records
Genre: Metalcore
Metal Horns Rating: 3.5 / 5 🤘
Sakoya’s World Gone Crazy EP blends metalcore, polished pop hooks and industrial rock across five highly melodic tracks. Read our track-by-track review.
Album Details: World Gone Crazy
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: August 21, 2026
Record label: Adventure Cat Records
Genre: Metalcore
Track Listing
1. Strangers
2. Some Things Never Change
3.Carcinogen
4.Fall Apart
5.World Gone Crazy
Recording Personnel
Alex Nauth: Vocals
Mike Dobbs: Guitar
Josh Randolph: Drums
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
The Larches
Nihilistic Majesties
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 31, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Hardcore / sludge
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
The Larches deliver crushing grooves, hardcore aggression, and unexpected melody on Nihilistic Majesties. Read Metal Lair’s track-by-track review of the promising new independent EP.
Album Details: Nihilistic Majesties
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: July 24, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Hardcore / sludge
Track Listing
1. Raxidermy
2. Smother the Hero
3. Corrosion of Conscience
4. Drought
5. Dopeslut
Recording Personnel
Noah Annandale: Vocals
Sonny Evans: Lead guitar and vocals
Joel Hardwick: Rhythm guitar
Alfie Murphy: Bass guitar
George Moss: Drums
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Imperium
Exodus Unknown
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 26, 2026
Record label: Heavy Metal Records
Genre: Heavy / thrash metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Metal Lair reviews Exodus Unknown, the debut album from London’s Imperium. Blending classic thrash, traditional heavy metal and memorable hooks, the band delivers a confident and promising first release.
Album Details: Exodus Unknown
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: July 17, 2026
Record label: Heavy Metal Records
Genre: Heavy / thrash metal
Track Listing
1. Hell and High Water
2. Exodus Unknown
3. Reap What You Sow
4. Unstoppable
5. The Gun
6. Hangman
7. Tread the Serpent
8. The End
Recording Personnel
Ben Porter: Vocals
Hardip Sagoo: Lead guitar
James Hawes: Drums
Scott Lomas: Rhythm guitar
Jean-Raphael Comes: Bass guitar
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Mercers
The Liminal Tapes
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 20, 2026
Genre: Post-hardcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
British alternative/post-hardcore outfit Mercers make a strong first impression with The Liminal Tapes, balancing aggression, melody, and sharp social commentary.
Album Details: The Liminal Tapes
Release Information
Release type: EP
Genre: Post-hardcore
Track Listing
1. Cleanse/Repeat
2. New Stockholm
3. A Satire for the World
4. January Zen
Recording Personnel
Olly James: Vocals
Phil Bashford: Guitars/programming
Simon Glover: Bass
Richard Titherage: Drums
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Wailin’ Storms
The Arsonist
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 15, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Southern gothic rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Wailin’ Storms return with The Arsonist, a brooding blend of southern gothic rock, dark country, grunge and noise rock. Kevin McSweeney explores the band’s raw, emotionally charged fifth album and why it reveals more with every listen.
Album Details: The Arsonist
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: July 10, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Southern gothic rock
Track Listing
1. Dead End
2. Heart of Mine
3. You Never Answered
4. The Arsonist
5. Never Rest
6. Saved
7. Patient Night
8. The Wind
9. It’s All Dark Now Where Your Eyes Used to Be
Recording Personnel
Justin Storms: Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Ben Melton: Lead guitar, backup vocals, Rhodes organ, piano
Steve Stanczyk: Bass
Mark Oates: Drums
Production & Recording
Recorded at: Earth Analog, May 2025
Produced and engineered by: Matt Talbott
Mixed by: Mike Lust at Phantom Manor (tracks 1–5, 8–9); Dave Downham at Gradwell House (tracks 6–7)
Mastered by: Dave Downham at Gradwell House
Lyrics: Justin Storms
Artwork & Design
Cover art: Justin Storms
Layout and design: Steve Stanczyk
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Witchsorrow
The Devil and All His Works
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 9, 2026
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Doom metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Witchsorrow return with The Devil and All His Works, a towering slab of traditional British doom metal steeped in Black Sabbath worship, gothic atmosphere, and crushing riffs. Kevin McSweeney dives deep into every track to see whether this dark, slow-burning release earns its place among the genre’s finest.
Album Details: The Devil and All His Works
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: July 3, 2026
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Doom metal
Track Listing
1. Omnia Finiuntur
2. Bacchus
3. Hades Chains
4. Altar
5. In Triumph We Rot!!!
6. Lamentation
7. A Quintessence of Dust
Recording Personnel
Nick Ruskell: Guitar/vocals
Emily Ruskell: Bass
David Wilbraham: Drums on the album
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Nargaroth
Apocalyptic Steel
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 1, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Black metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Nargaroth returns with Apocalyptic Steel, a long-lost album that proves some records only get stronger with age. Kevin McSweeney breaks down every track, from blistering black metal assaults to surprisingly reflective moments, exploring the riffs, lyrics, and influences that make this forgotten recording a worthy addition to the German black metal legend’s legacy.
Album Details: Apocalyptic Steel
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: June 26, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Black metal
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Steel Apocalypse
3. Twisted Steel
4. I Drink Alone
5. Metalheart
6. Dresden
7. Shelter the Faithless
8. Man of Mayhem
9. Requiem Germania
Recording Personnel
Ash: Vocals, guitar, bass
Mike Williams: Guitar, bass
Phil Cancilla: Drums
Recording Notes
Recorded at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California, in September 2014. The personnel above are the recording lineup, as credited in the published review.
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Defiled
Altered State
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 24, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Tokyo death metal veterans Defiled return with Altered State, a ferocious and technically relentless album that blends old-school brutality, intricate musicianship, and modern intensity. Kevin McSweeney explores how the Japanese death metal legends deliver one of the most vital releases of their long career.
Album Details: Altered State
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: June 12, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Death metal
Track Listing
1. Dazed in Blindness
2. Altered State
3. Obsession
4. Portal
5. Necro-Force
6. The Degradation
7. Genocidal Stage
8. Metamorphosis of Evil
9. The Ultra Death
10. Zombified
11. Lunatics
12. Prophecies
13. Demolition
14. Apocalyptic End
Recording Personnel
Shinichiro Hamada: Vocals, guitar
Yusuke Sumita: Guitar
Takachika Nakajima: Bass
Keisuke Hamada: Drums
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
BlackMarket
Radical Views
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 12, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Nu metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
BlackMarket’s Radical Views EP is a short, sharp burst of genre-bending aggression that blends nu-metal grooves, industrial textures, rap-metal energy, and metalcore intensity into four relentless tracks. Kevin McSweeney explores why this promising UK outfit could soon become a serious force in the underground metal scene.
Album Details: Radical Views
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: May 29, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Nu metal
Track Listing
1. Asphyxiate (Explicit)
2. Bleed
3. Red on White
4. Radical Views
Recording Personnel
Fraser Burrow: Vocals
Danny Leigh: Lead guitar
Scott Turnley: Bass
Hadleigh Wade: Drums
Cary Leigh: Synth
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
On Borrowed Time
In The Dark Before The Dawn
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 9, 2026
Record label: Omen Records
Genre: Melodic hardcore
Metal Horns Rating: 3.5 / 5 🤘
On Borrowed Time delivers a melodic and emotionally charged take on hardcore punk with their debut album, In The Dark Before The Dawn. Kevin McSweeney examines the hooks, intensity, and heartfelt songwriting behind this Omen Records release.
Album Details: In The Dark Before The Dawn
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: May 29, 2026
Record label: Omen Records
Genre: Melodic hardcore
Track Listing
1. Twilight
2. Burden
3. Same Blood
4. Solitude
5. Faded
6. Reset
7. Waiting For You (In The Dark Before The Dawn)
8. Last Step
9. After All
10. Love Song (Feat. Mark Betteridge)
Recording Personnel
James Leatherbarrow: Vocals
Damien Carter: Lead guitar, backing vocals
Damian Bruton: Bass, backing vocals
Dan Jeanne: Guitar
James Davies: Drums
Guest Musicians
Mark Betteridge: Featured on “Love Song.”
Credit Sources
Details taken from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Erdve
Epigrama
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 5, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Sludge metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Erdve’s third album Epigrama is a bleak, punishing and relentlessly heavy slab of sludge metal. The Lithuanian quartet deliver crushing riffs, oppressive atmosphere and enough sonic weight to challenge for the heaviest Season of Mist release of 2026.
Album Details: Epigrama
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: May 29, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Sludge metal
Track Listing
1. Epigrama
2. Nyra
3. Skepsis
4. Ydos
5. Trukmė
6. Svertas
7. Raukšlės
8. Skleistis
Personnel
Vaidotas Darulis — Vocals, Guitars
Adomas Varnelis — Guitar
Valdas Voveraitis — Drums
Karolis Urbanavičius — Bass
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Impure Wilhelmina
Le Sanglot
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: May 28, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Post-hardcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Impure Wilhelmina’s Le Sanglot is a melancholy and emotionally heavy journey through post-hardcore, shoegaze, and atmospheric alternative metal. Metal Lair explores the album’s haunting beauty, warped melodies, and introspective darkness.
Album Details: Le Sanglot
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: May 22, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Post-hardcore
Track Listing
1. Électricité noire
2. Cent mille plaies
3. Abîme
4. Larmes de joie
5. Dévoreur d’étoiles
6. Train mort
7. Frelon ivre
8. Blanche réalité
9. Demain j’abandonne
10. À jamais radieuse
Personnel
Michael Schindl – Vocals, Guitar
Mario Togni – Drums
Sébastien Dutruel – Bass
Edouard Nicod – Guitar
Production & Recording
Recorded at Kitchen Studio, Geneva, Switzerland. Produced, engineered and mixed by Yvan Bing at Kitchen Studio, except track 9, recorded by Serge Morattel at Rec Studio.
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studio, Stockholm, Sweden.
Guest Musician
Marion Leclercq (Mütterlein): Track 6, “Train Mort”.
Artwork & Photography
Cover art: Giganto
Photography: Mehdi Benkler
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Hecate Enthroned
The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried
Written by Lucien Drake
Review published: May 27, 2026
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Hecate Enthroned return from the shadows with The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried, a towering descent into symphonic black metal, ancestral myth, gothic atmosphere, and frostbitten grandeur that proves the UK legends still command the crypt.
Album Details: The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried
Release Information
Release type: Album
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Track Listing
1. Adar Rhiannon
2. Spirits Stir Within Our Ancestors Tombs
3. The Arcane Golem
4. Steed of the Still Water
5. Deathless in the Dryad Glad
6. A Gallery of Rotting Portraits
7. The Boreal Monastery
8. Into a Vale of Endless Snow
Personnel
JOE STAMPS – Vocals
Dylan Hughes – Bass
Nige Dennan – Guitar
Pete White – Keys
Andy Milnes – Guitar
Matt Holmes – Drums
Production
Produced alongside Dan Abela.
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Lucien Drake’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Cutthroat
The Purge
Written by Chris Norris
Review published: May 21, 2026
Record label: M-Theory Audio
Genre: Crossover hardcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Cutthroat The Purge EP review: Los Angeles crossover hardcore outfit Cutthroat delivers a volatile mix of metallic hardcore, thrash, hip-hop groove, and street-level aggression on one of the year’s most intense underground releases.
Album Details: The Purge
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: August 14, 2026
Record label: M-Theory Audio
Genre: Crossover hardcore
Track Listing
1. Hard Times
2. Sick One
3. Feeling Disconnected
4. Purge
5. Bullet Proof Mind
Personnel
Neil Roemer – vocals
Renato Romano – guitar
Bruno Nicolozzi – bass
Betto Cardoso – drums
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Chris Norris’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Opensight
The Outfit
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: May 20, 2026
Record label: Inertial Music
Genre: Progressive rock / metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Opensight’s The Outfit blends progressive rock, cinematic metal, Bond-style atmosphere, funk grooves, and soundtrack-inspired songwriting into one of the year’s most imaginative releases. Metal Lair dives deep into the album’s noir energy, Faith No More influences, and silver-screen grandeur in this detailed review.
Album Details: The Outfit
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: May 15, 2026
Record label: Inertial Music
Genre: Progressive rock / metal
Track Listing
1. Procesión de La Muerte
2. Killer Outfit
3. In Plain Sight
4. Defying Eye
5. Iris (I Rise)
6. Broken Vow
7. Mantra
8. The Director’s Curse
9. Final Cut
10. Heist
11. Delusion
Personnel
Ivan David Amaya: Vocals, Guitar
Redd Reddington: Drums
Duncan Arkley – Bass & Backing vocals
Neil McLaughlin: Guitar
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
The Ghoulstars
The Dark Overlords of the Universe
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: May 15, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Horror punk
Finnish horror-punk freaks Ghoulstars crash onto the scene with The Dark Overlords of the Universe, a campy, creepy, riff-loaded debut packed with Misfits energy, White Zombie grooves, horror movie samples, and enough punk chaos to wake the dead.
Album Details: The Dark Overlords of the Universe
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: May 15, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Horror punk
Track Listing
1. Too Ghoul for School
2. The Dead in Purgatory
3. Zombie Apocalypse
4. The Dark Overlords of the Universe
5. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die
6. Graverobbers from Outer Space
7. The Wolfman
8. The Ballad of the Cursed Bandits
9. Vampire
10. They Dance Upon Our Graves
Personnel
Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso – Guitars
Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen – Drums
Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure – Vocals
Markus “Hella Ghoul” Makkonen – Bass
Guest Musicians
Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns: Backing growls
Tommi “Tuple” Salmela: Backing vocals on “The Dark Overlords of the Universe”.
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Infected Dead
Invicta
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: May 6, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Technical death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Infected Dead’s Invicta is a whirlwind of technical brutality, cosmic horror, and dizzying musicianship. At times sounding like Cryptopsy covering Muse through a Lovecraftian fever dream. Complex, theatrical, and unapologetically overwrought, this EP review dives deep into one of the underground’s most intricate new releases.
Album Details: Invicta
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: May 1, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Technical death metal
Track Listing
1. Astral Divination
2. Organic Monolith
3. In Spaces Beyond
4. Realm of Ichor
Personnel
Lou Ede (vocals)
Chris Rahman (Rhythm Guitars)
Alexander Brown (Rhythm and Lead Guitars)
Luke Fabian (Bass and Backing Vocals)
Scott Lindsay (Drums)
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Olympus
Knowing It Shall Wake
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: April 29, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Melodic death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Olympus make a powerful debut with Knowing It Shall Wake, blending melodic death metal, metalcore, and classic influences into a dynamic and emotionally charged EP. A promising new force emerging from the UK underground.
Album Details: Knowing It Shall Wake
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: April 24, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Melodic death metal
Track Listing
1. Knowing it Shall Wake
2. Emperor
3. Revenant
4. Out of Reach
Personnel
Jason Dugal – Vocals
Reece Cash – Bass
Daniel Barratt – Rhythm guitar and BV
Ruaidhri Conroy – Lead guitar
Oz Hassan – Drums
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Sepultura
The Cloud of Unknowing
Written by Caine Blackthorn
Review published: April 26, 2026
Genre: Groove / thrash metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Sepultura’s final release The Cloud of Unknowing isn’t a grand farewell, it’s something stranger. Four tracks that capture a band still evolving at the edge of the end.
Album Details: The Cloud of Unknowing
Release Information
Release type: EP
Genre: Groove / thrash metal
Track Listing
1. All Souls Rising
2. Beyond the Dream
3. Sacred Books
4. The Place
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Caine Blackthorn’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Death Warmed Up
Wildcard
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: April 20, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Hair metal / hard rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Death Warmed Up’s Wildcard brings Nottingham hard rock into Sunset Strip and NWOBHM territory, with big hooks and an unpolished live-wire energy.
Album Details: Wildcard
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: April 17, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Hair metal / hard rock
Track Listing
1. Gods Of Rock n Roll
2. Inside My Mind
3. Mortal Remains
4. Cold Act
5. Rising Star
6. Roulette
7. Chains Of Hate
8. Great Day For Dying
9. Death Warmed Up
Personnel
Alex Keeling – Drums
Romarno O’Reily – Bass
Lewis Potter – Rhythm Guitarist
Charlie Willis – Lead Guitarist
William Evans – Vocals
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
DA
DA
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: April 14, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Heavy rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
DA’s self-titled debut DA by DA delivers chorus-driven heavy rock with a bluesy 80s backbone and a darker modern edge. From Alice in Chains-style harmonies to Cult-inspired swagger, this track-by-track review breaks down a promising first release from the London-based band.
Album Details: DA
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: April 10, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Heavy rock
Track Listing
1. Daisy Chains
2. Higher
3. Snake
4. Pillars of Death
5. Rock It
6. Angels
7. Forever Enslaved
8. Spiralling Nowhere
9. The Devils on My Side
10. You Gotta Believe It.
Personnel
Robin Brancher – Guitar
Matt Oakman – Vocals
Neil Craddock – Bass
Dan Smith – Drums
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Green Carnation
A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: April 6, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Progressive metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
The second chapter of Green Carnation’s A Dark Poem trilogy walks a dangerous line between restraint and emotional exposure, trading prog excess for something far more intimate and far more unsettling. Sanguis may prove to be the trilogy’s most accessible entry, but beneath its structure lies a deeply personal weight that refuses to let go.
Album Details: A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: April 3, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Progressive metal
Track Listing
1. Sanguis
2. Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold
3. Sweet to the Point of Bitter
4. I Am Time
5. Fire in Ice
6. Lunar Tale
Personnel
Kjetil Nordhus – Vocals
Stein Roger Sordal – Bass, Rhythm Guitars, Lead Guitars, Keyboards, Lead Vocals on “Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold”
Bjørn Harstad – Lead Guitars, Effects
Endre Kirkesola – Keyboards, Synthesizers, Organs, Effects, Backing Vocals on “Lunar Tale”
Jonathan Alejandro Perez – Drums
Guest Musician
Ingrid Ose: Flute on “Lunar Tale”.
Related Coverage
Explore the Green Carnation trilogy archive
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Foreignwolf
Merely Mortal
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: April 1, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Heavy rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Foreignwolf Merely Mortal EP Review: Belfast’s rising band blends metalcore, alternative metal, and melody into a powerful and unpredictable EP.
Album Details: Merely Mortal
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: April 3, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Heavy rock
Track Listing
1. Tyrant
2. Hollow
3. Imposter Syndrome
4. Resolve
Personnel
Gerard McCann (vocals, guitar)
Dave Brady (lead guitar, backing vocals)
Conor Forbes (bass, backing vocals)
Max Couhig (drums)
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Mallavora
What If Better Never Comes?
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: March 27, 2026
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Alternative metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Mallavora What If Better Never Comes album review explores the band’s powerful debut, blending vulnerability, political intensity, and cinematic alt-metal.
Album Details: What If Better Never Comes?
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: March 27, 2026
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Alternative metal
Track Listing
1. Prologue
2. Smile
3. Waste
4. Lilith & Esther (feat. Banshee)
5. Hopeless
6. Break
7. Birth of a Sun
8. Sick
9. Walking The Edge of The Knife
10. Empty
11. Make The World Wait
12. Host
13. What if Better Never Comes?
Personnel
Jess Douek – Vocals
Larry Sobiraj – Guitar
Ellis James – Bass
Sam Brownlow – Drums
Guest Musician
Banshee: “Lilith & Esther”.
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Night Thieves
Metaxis
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: March 18, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Alternative metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Night Thieves step into the spotlight with Metaxis, a debut album balancing melody, industrial textures, and mainstream appeal. Kevin McSweeney breaks down the riffs, hooks, and “in-between” identity shaping one of the UK’s most intriguing rising bands.
Album Details: Metaxis
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: March 20, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Alternative metal
Track Listing
1. Obsidian
2. Mycelia
3. Home
4. Freer
5. Running (Out of Time)
6. In Between Pt. 1
7. In Between Pt. 2
8. See You On The Otherside (feat. Jessie Powell)
9. The Game
10. Maritime
Guest Musician
Jessie Powell: “See You On The Otherside”.
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Lamb of God
Into Oblivion
Written by Lucien Drake
Review published: March 14, 2026
Genre: Groove metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Our Lamb of God Into Oblivion album review looks at how the Richmond groove-metal veterans sharpen their attack again, delivering crushing riffs, mechanical grooves, and Randy Blythe’s most focused vocal performance in years.
Album Details: Into Oblivion
Release Information
Release type: Album
Genre: Groove metal
Track Listing
1. Into Oblivion
2. Parasocial Christ
3. Sepsis
4. The Killing Floor
5. El Vacío
6. St. Catherine’s Wheel
7. Blunt Force Blues
8. Bully
9. A Thousand Years
10. Devise/Destroy
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Lucien Drake’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Matador
Above, Below and So
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: March 3, 2026
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Post-metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Matador’s Above, Below and So album review dives into the Brighton trio’s sludgy, cinematic third release. Balancing doom weight, psychedelic atmosphere, and dynamic precision, this 2026 album proves Matador are far more than a “post-metal” label suggests.
Album Details: Above, Below and So
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: February 27, 2026
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Post-metal
Track Listing
1. The House Always Wins
2. Glitter Skin
3. The Flood
4. O Suna
5. A Virus
6. Hooks
Personnel
Scott Stronach – Drums
James Kirk – Guitar/Vox
Mark Ainsworth – Bass
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Rob Zombie
The Great Satan
Written by Chris Norris
Review published: February 27, 2026
Genre: Industrial metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
“Zombie’s lyrics function less as confessional poetry and more as cinematic dialogue, character monologues, horror narration, and propaganda broadcasts delivered from inside the world he creates.”
Album Details: The Great Satan
Release Information
Release type: Album
Genre: Industrial metal
Track Listing
1. F.T.W. 84
2. Tarantula
3. (I’m a) Rock “N” Roller
4. Heathen Days
5. Who Am I?
6. Black Rat Coffin
7. Sir Lord Acid Wolfman
8. Punks And Demons
9. The Devilman
10. Out Of Sight
11. Revolution Motherfuckers
12. Welcome To The Electric Age
13. The Black Scorpion
14. Unclean Animals
15. Grave Discontent
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Chris Norris’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Phoenix Lake
Seraphina: The Fall From Eden
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: February 26, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Melodic metal / hard rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Phoenix Lake’s debut concept album Seraphina: The Fall From Eden is a bold melodic metal statement. We review the Nottingham quartet’s ambitious narrative release and break down its standout tracks, themes, and musicianship.
Album Details: Seraphina: The Fall From Eden
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: February 27, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Melodic metal / hard rock
Track Listing
1. “Sor El (The Descent)”
2. “Fall From Eden”
3. “This Abyss”
4. “Heart of Obsidian”
5. “Fractured Wings”
6. “Seraphina”
7. “Echo 1 (Embers)”
8. “The Divine”
9. “Woven In Time”
10. “Echo 2 (Hollow Light)”
11. “Bells of Variel”
12. “Serenity”
13. “I’ll Let You Go”
14. “Echo 3 (The Bloom)”
Personnel
Lana Phillis: vocals
Ash Wilson: guitars
Zak Smith: bass
Joe Synott: drums
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Death Assault
Death Assault
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: February 16, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Thrash metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Our Death Assault album review dives into the Plymouth thrashers’ raw and energetic self-titled debut, blending old-school thrash with groove, black metal, and modern intensity.
Album Details: Death Assault
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: February 13, 2026
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Thrash metal
Track Listing
1. The Masterpiece of Murder (Sample Intro)
2. Ashes of Reality
3. Replaced
4. We Will Remain
5. Falling Down
6. Pro Crisis
7. Lament of The Insane (Interlude)
8. My Insanity
9. Forgotten
10. Winds of The Past
11. Death Assault
Personnel
Darrell Baker – Vocals
Bill Mander – Guitar
Jake Ackrell – Guitar
Wiktor Osiecki – Bass
Levi Spry – Drums
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Cover image source: Metal Temple’s release page.
Ponte Del Diavolo
De Venom Natura
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: February 13, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Blackened post-punk
In this Ponte Del Diavolo De Venom Natura album review, we examine the Italian band’s second full-length release via Season of Mist, blending gothic rock, post-punk atmosphere, and black metal ferocity into a devilishly elegant statement.
Album Details: De Venom Natura
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: February 13, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Blackened post-punk
Track Listing
1. Every Tongue Has Its Thorns
2. Lunga vita alla necrosi
3. Spirit, Blood, Poison, Ferment!
4. Il veleno della Natura
5. Delta-9
6. Silence Walk With Me
7. In the Flat Field
Personnel
Erba del Diavolo – Vocals
Khrura Abro – Bass
Kratom – Bass
Nerium – Guitar
Segale Cornuta – Drums
Production & Recording
Recorded at The Deepest Sea, Turin, Italy.
Produced and engineered by Danilo Battocchio.
Mixed by Danilo Battocchio at The Deepest Sea.
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios, Stockholm, Sweden.
Guest Musicians
Francesco Bucci
Sergio Bertani
Vittorio Sabelli
Gionata Potenti
Artwork & Photography
Cover art: Francesco Dossena
Photography: Sergio Bertani
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Uncultivates
This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: February 7, 2026
Record label: Horsebox Records
Genre: Post-hardcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Uncultivates’ debut album This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution is an unorthodox blast of mathy post-hardcore, eccentric humor, and Cork-bred defiance, equal parts chaotic, clever, and confrontational.
Album Details: This Will Become Clear Later, Like the French Revolution
Release Information
Release type: Album
Release date: February 6, 2026
Record label: Horsebox Records
Genre: Post-hardcore
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. I Am Your God, Your Father and Your Boss
3. Great Minds Think of Mike
4. Every Day I Wake Up On The Bonnet of a Different Car
5. Oliver
6. Rory’s Interlude
7. Flatley
8. Dread First
9. Rental Snake
10. The Ice Bed World Tour of North America
Personnel
Dr. Eli Gravedigger – Vocals
Colonel Goon – Electric Bass, Vocals
The Prospector – Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Piano, Vocals
Boot – Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Contrasts
False Idol
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: January 30, 2026
Genre: Metalcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Cardiff’s Contrasts combine metalcore intensity and melody on False Idol, a four-track EP reviewed by Kevin McSweeney.
Album Details: False Idol
Release Information
Release type: EP
Release date: January 30, 2026
Genre: Metalcore
Track Listing
1. Ghost In My Head
2. The Space Between (feat. Aaron Roberts of DE’LOUR)
3. Armageddon
4. False Idol
Personnel
Kieron Sheppard: vocals
James Hardiman: bass/vocals
Michael Thomas: guitar/vocals
Kurt Roberts: guitar
Ethan Simons: drums
Guest Musician
Aaron Roberts of DE’LOUR: “The Space Between”.
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Kevin McSweeney’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Rotting Christ
Aealo (Re-Recorded)
Written by Chris Norris
Review published: January 26, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Originally released in 2010, Aealo marked a turning point for Rotting Christ. This in-depth review explores how the 2026 re-recorded edition reframes the album as a ritual cornerstone of their modern era.
Album Details: Aealo (Re-Recorded)
Release Information
Release type: Re-recording
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Track Listing
1. Aealo
2. Eon Aenaos
3. Daimonon Vrosis
4. Noctis Era
5. Dub-Sag-Ta-Ke
6. Fire, Death and Fear
7. Nekron Iahes
8. Pyr Threontai
9. Thou Art Lord
10. Santa Muerte
11. Orders From the Dead
Edition Notes
The reviewed 2026 edition is a re-recording, remix and remaster of the album originally released in 2010.
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Chris Norris’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Igorrr
Amen
Written by Lucien Drake
Review published: January 26, 2026
Genre: Experimental metal
Igorrr’s Amen isn’t chaos for shock value, it’s controlled instability. Heavy, eclectic, and unexpectedly catchy, this is an album that reshapes itself with every listen and refuses to sit still long enough to become comfortable.
Album Details: Amen
Release Information
Release type: Album
Genre: Experimental metal
Track Listing
1. Daemoni
2. Headbutt
3. Limbo
4. Blastbeat Falafel
5. ADHD
6. 2020
7. Mustard Mucous
8. Infestis
9. Ancient Sun
10. Pure Disproportionate Black and White Nihilism
11. Étude n°120
12. Silence
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Lucien Drake’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
Alkaloid
Bach Out of Bounds
Written by Chris Norris
Review published: January 17, 2026
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Progressive death metal / classical fusion
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Alkaloid’s Bach Out of Bounds is not a gimmick but a bold structural conversation between progressive death metal and Bach’s compositions, delivering an immersive live experience that rewards curiosity, focus, and ambition.
Album Details: Bach Out of Bounds
Release Information
Release type: Live album
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Progressive death metal / classical fusion
Track Listing
1. Allegro
2. Adagio – All Is Vanity
3. Beneath the Sea
4. Cthulhu
5. Haunter of the Void
6. A Fool’s Desire
7. Agnus Dei
8. The Fungi From Yuggoth
Personnel
Morean – Vocals, Guitar
Hannes Grossmann – Drums
Linus Klausenitzer – Bass
Justin Hombach – Guitar
Max Blok – Guitar
Format Reviewed
Digital, label-provided promo.
Guest Musicians
Max Blok: Guitar
Rianne Wilbers: Soprano
Chrysa Tsaltampasi: Soprano
Julija Hartig: Violin
Oene van Geel: 5-string violin
Marieke Hopman: Accordion
Ketevan Roinishvili: Cello
Production & Recording
Recorded live at Bibelot in Dordrecht and Paard van Troje in The Hague, Netherlands.
Front of house engineer: Laurens Voois
Produced by Alkaloid.
Mixed by Hannes Grossmann at Mordor Sounds, Germany.
Mastered by Victor Bullok at Woodshed Studio, Germany.
Credit Sources
Information drawn from Chris Norris’s published Metal Lair review.
Metadata checked: September 12, 2026
2025
35 album and EP entries from 34 unique review posts published in 2025, listed newest first.
Burnt Body
Queimadura · Album
Written by Lindon Faynes
Review published: December 16, 2025
Genre: Powerviolence / hardcore
Metal Horns Rating: 3 / 5 🤘
Burnt Body deliver abrasive powerviolence and hardcore on Queimadura, with raw aggression and a bleak atmosphere.
Album Details: Queimadura
Release Information
Artist: Burnt Body
Release: Queimadura
Release type: Album
Genre: Powerviolence / hardcore
Track Listing
1. Traitorous
2. Reap The Flame
3. Dirt View
4. The Colour Of Bone
5. Cultivate
6. Rib Cage Casket
7. Face Mauled
8. Queimadura
Credit Sources
Rotten Sound
Mass Extinction · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: December 13, 2025
Release date: December 12, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Grindcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Veteran Finnish grindcore extremists Rotten Sound return with Mass Extinction, a blistering, politically charged EP that packs eight tracks of ferocity into under ten minutes. Released via Season of Mist, it’s fast, abrasive, unapologetic and exactly what Rotten Sound do best.
Album Details: Mass Extinction
Release Information
Artist: Rotten Sound
Release: Mass Extinction
Release type: EP
Release date: December 12, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Grindcore
Track Listing
1. Recycle (1:09)
2. Ride of the Future (0:45)
3. Gone (0:50)
4. Polarized (1:00)
5. Brave New World (1:21)
6. Empty Shells (1:05)
7. Idealist (1:35)
8. Mass Extinction (1:58)
Personnel
Keijo Niinimaa — vocals
Mika Aalto — guitars
Sami Latva — drums
Matti Raappana — bass, backing vocals
Production & Artwork
Janne Saksa — recording and sound engineering
Drums and vocals recorded at Sound Supreme; guitar and bass at Nordic Audio Labs
Jesse Gander — mixing
Brad Boatright — mastering at Audio Siege
Xavi Forné / Error Design — cover art
Mika Aalto — photography
Credit Sources
Ben’s Raincoat
Radiant Cliffs · EP
Written by Lindon Faynes
Review published: December 11, 2025
Release date: July 25, 2025
Genre: Progressive death metal / deathcore
Ben’s Raincoat emerge from Omaha with a progressive, deathcore-leaning tech-death debut that feels equal parts shimmering atmosphere and sharpened aggression. Radiant Cliffs blends breezy, melodic guitars, versatile vocals, and video-game-tinged imagination, landing somewhere between Allegaeon, Kardashev, and Fallujah. A promising young band worth watching.
Album Details: Radiant Cliffs
Release Information
Artist: Ben’s Raincoat
Release: Radiant Cliffs
Release type: EP
Release date: July 25, 2025
Genre: Progressive death metal / deathcore
Track Listing
1. Radiant Cliffs
2. Horticulture
3. Material Possessions
4. Plunder
5. Trial of The Mountain
6. Chorus Flies
Personnel
Dominik English — vocals
Jace Krajicek — lead guitar
Nick Jordan — rhythm guitar
Jared LeGier — bass
Geddy Johnson — drums
Production & Artwork
Phil Pluskota at Sonic Assault Studios — reamping, mixing, mastering
Erskine Designs — album artwork
Kim Anderson — logo
Credit Sources
Angona
Ashborn · Mini-album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: December 3, 2025
Release date: November 24, 2025
Record label: Balyoz Müzik
Genre: Groove metal / metalcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Angona return with Ashborn, a fierce six-track mini-album blending groove metal, metalcore punch, and Turkish fire. Kevin slices through every riff, breakdown, and blast to deliver a sharp, wickedly entertaining review of the band’s latest 18-minute assault.
Album Details: Ashborn
Release Information
Artist: Angona
Release: Ashborn
Release type: Mini-album
Release date: November 24, 2025
Record label: Balyoz Müzik
Genre: Groove metal / metalcore
Track Listing
1. Ashborn – 01:10
2. Mold Stench – 03:00
3. No White Light – 02:48
4. Shatter The Chains – 03:31
5. Drown in Your Own Blood – 03:22
6. Echoes of Rage – 04:41
Credit Sources
The Old Dead Tree
London Sessions · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: November 28, 2025
Genre: Dark progressive rock
Metal Horns Rating: 3.5 / 5 🤘
French dark-prog veterans The Old Dead Tree return with a polished four-track EP recorded at Abbey Road. “The London Sessions” revisits older material with fresh emotion, cinematic melancholy, and their signature brooding elegance. Not quite metal, not quite prog — but a beautifully executed reflection on their sound. Full review inside.
Album Details: London Sessions
Release Information
Artist: The Old Dead Tree
Release: London Sessions
Release type: EP
Genre: Dark progressive rock
Track Listing
1. Feel Alive Again (03:43)
2. Time Has Come (03:49)
3. By The Way (London Sessions 2025) (04:29)
4. What Else Could We’ve Said (London Sessions 2025) (05:39)
Guest Musicians
Raphaël Verguin — cello
Personnel
Manuel Munoz — vocals
Nicolas Chevrollier — guitars, backing vocals
Nicolas Cornolo — guitars
Gilles Moinet — bass
Raphaël Antheaume — drums
Production & Artwork
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London
François-Maxime Boutault — production, engineering, mixing at Les Liens du Son
Tony Lindgren — mastering at Fascination Street Studios
Henri Lejeune — cover art
Julien Metternich — photography
Credit Sources
One Last Day
Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: November 16, 2025
Genre: Melodic metalcore
Metal Horns Rating: 3.5 / 5 🤘
A track-by-track dive into One Last Day’s new EP Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel, where polished melodic metalcore meets sharp flashes of heaviness. A promising young band finding their footing — slick, emotional, ambitious, and occasionally craving just a little more steel.
Album Details: Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel
Release Information
Artist: One Last Day
Release: Eyes Like Glass // Thoughts Like Fuel
Release type: EP
Genre: Melodic metalcore
Track Listing
1. Still Breathing
2. Ash & Bone
3. Echoes
4. Don’t Go Under
5. Watch The World Decay (feat. William Alex Young)
Guest Musicians
William Alex Young — Watch the World Decay
Personnel
Huw Roch — vocals, bass
Gareth Stapleton — guitar
John Harmsworth — guitar
Connor Burt — drums on Still Breathing
Kyle Park — session drums
Credit Sources
Apes
Rotten World / Apostle · EP
Written by Lindon Faynes
Review published: November 13, 2025
Genre: Blackened grindcore
A blistering look at Apes’ Rotten World / Apostle EP — a violent collision of grindcore, hardcore, and blackened chaos that proves Québec extremity is alive and unhinged.
Album Details: Rotten World / Apostle
Release Information
Artist: Apes
Release: Rotten World / Apostle
Release type: EP
Genre: Blackened grindcore
Track Listing
1. Rotten World
2. Apostle
Personnel
Alexandre Goulet — vocals
Patrick Cloutier — guitars, backing vocals
Simon Olivier — guitars
Louis Ladouceur — guitars, backing vocals
Gabriel D’Amours — drums, noises
Philip Roy — bass, backing vocals
Production & Artwork
@max.lacrx — recording, mixing, mastering at House of Gain studio
@goulexdesign — artwork
Credit Sources
Dawn Fades
III · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: October 29, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Post-metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Los Angeles post-metal band Dawn Fades deliver a muscular and mournful collection on their third album III — balancing crushing heaviness with dark, atmospheric beauty. Metal Lair Review.
Album Details: III
Release Information
Artist: Dawn Fades
Release: III
Release type: Album
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Post-metal
Track Listing
1. Stripped (04:53)
2. Cleaver (04:42)
3. True Doom (05:52)
4. It’s Time (04:24)
5. Drugs (03:50)
6. Numbers (10:29)
Credit Sources
Mastiff
For All the Dead Dreams · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: October 25, 2025
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Hardcore / sludge
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
East Yorkshire’s sludge-core misery dealers Mastiff unleash For All the Dead Dreams — seventeen minutes of pure hostility and catharsis. Kevin McSweeney dissects the fury track by track, from bleak social decay to righteous rage, proving once again that heaviness doesn’t need melody to hit hard.
Album Details: For All the Dead Dreams
Release Information
Artist: Mastiff
Release: For All the Dead Dreams
Release type: EP
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Hardcore / sludge
Track Listing
1. Soliloquy (03:30)
2. Rotting Blossoms (02:52)
3. Decimated Graves (04:25)
4. A Story Behind Every Light (03:38)
5. Corporeal (02:45)
Credit Sources
Carach Angren
The Cult of Kariba · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: October 17, 2025
Release date: October 17, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Carach Angren return with The Cult of Kariba, a ghastly, ghoulish symphonic black metal EP steeped in Dutch folklore, ritual sacrifice, and Halloween-ready horror. Blending orchestral grandeur with grim theatrics, it’s a wickedly fun soundtrack to the season.
Album Details: The Cult of Kariba
Release Information
Artist: Carach Angren
Release: The Cult of Kariba
Release type: EP
Release date: October 17, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Track Listing
1. A Malevolent Force Stirs (1:16)
2. Draw Blood (5:18)
3. The Resurrection of Kariba (4:45)
4. Ik Kom Uit Het Graf (4:51)
5. Venomous 1666 (4:37)
Credit Sources
Testament
Para Bellum · Album
Written by Lucien Drake
Review published: October 12, 2025
Record label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Thrash metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Fourteen albums deep, Testament returns with Para Bellum — a vicious, battle-hardened record that blends classic thrash fury with new sonic experiments. From blackened edges to orchestral surprises, the Bay Area legends prove they’re still evolving inside their own skin.
Album Details: Para Bellum
Release Information
Artist: Testament
Release: Para Bellum
Release type: Album
Record label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Thrash metal
Track Listing
1. For the Love of Pain
2. Infanticide A.I.
3. Shadow People
4. Meant to Be
5. High Noon
6. Witch Hunt
7. Nature of the Beast
8. Room 117
9. Havana Syndrome
10. Para Bellum
Credit Sources
Hooded Menace
The Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: October 6, 2025
Release date: October 3, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Death-doom
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Finnish death-doom icons Hooded Menace return with Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration, blending gothic melody and classic doom power into one colossal release. Read the full review on Metal Lair.
Album Details: The Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration
Release Information
Artist: Hooded Menace
Release: The Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration
Release type: Album
Release date: October 3, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Death-doom
Track Listing
1. Twilight Passages
2. Pale Masquerade
3. Portrait Without a Face
4. Daughters of Lingering Pain
5. Lugubrious Dance
6. Save a Prayer
7. Into Haunted Oblivion
Personnel
Harri Kuokkanen — vocals
Lasse Pyykkö — guitar, bass, keyboards
Pekka Koskelo — drums
Credit Sources
Æl-Fierlen
All Is Far Away · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 23, 2025
Genre: Blackgaze
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
British blackgaze band Æl-Fierlen unleash their debut album All is Far Away, blending ethereal vocals, feral black metal blasts, and shoegaze atmospherics into a haunting, genre-bending statement. Metal Lair dives deep into this ambitious debut.
Album Details: All Is Far Away
Release Information
Artist: Æl-Fierlen
Release: All Is Far Away
Release type: Album
Genre: Blackgaze
Track Listing
1. To Sleep Eternal
2. Pulrose
3. Eðe
4. Ællmiht
Personnel
Stephanie Moffatt — vocals
Rob Melville — guitar
OB O’Brien — bass
“Ginger” Will Taylor — drums
Credit Sources
Stoned Jesus
Songs to Sun · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 20, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Stoned Jesus Songs to Sun Album Review: Kyiv’s trio return with a soulful, heavy sixth album on Season of Mist. Full Metal Lair review.
Album Details: Songs to Sun
Release Information
Artist: Stoned Jesus
Release: Songs to Sun
Release type: Album
Record label: Season of Mist
Track Listing
1. New Dawn
2. Shadowland
3. Lost in the Rain
4. Low
5. See You on the Road
6. Quicksand
Credit Sources
Green Carnation
A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 7, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Progressive metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Green Carnation return with their ambitious trilogy A Dark Poem, beginning with Part 1: The Shores of Melancholia. In this review, we explore how the Norwegian progressive metal legends balance emotion, beauty, and extreme roots. Released via Season of Mist, this album proves Green Carnation remain one of Europe’s most vital prog-metal voices.
Album Details: A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia
Release Information
Artist: Green Carnation
Release: A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia
Release type: Album
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Progressive metal
Track Listing
1. As Silence Took You (07:12)
2. In Your Paradise (07:04)
3. Me My Enemy (07:17)
4. The Slave That You Are (06:16)
5. The Shores of Melancholia (05:38)
6. Too Close to the Flame (09:16)
Guest Musicians
Ingrid Ose — flute on In Your Paradise and Me My Enemy
Grutle Kjellson — harsh vocals on The Slave That You Are
Henning Seldal — percussion on Too Close to the Flame
Production & Artwork
Recorded at DUB Studio, Kristiansand, Norway
Endre Kirkesola, Stein Roger Sordal and Kjetil Nordhus — production
Endre Kirkesola — sound engineering
Endre Kirkesola and Bjørn Harstad — mixing
Lawrence Mackrory — mastering
Niklas Sundin — cover art
Lars Gunnar Liestøl — photography
Recording Personnel
Kjetil Nordhus — vocals
Bjørn Harstad — guitar, effects
Stein Roger Sordal — bass, guitars, keyboards
Endre Kirkesola — keyboards, synthesizers, organs, effects
Jonathan Alejandro Perez — drums
Related Coverage
Explore the A Dark Poem trilogy
Credit Sources
Still in Love
Recovery Language · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: September 1, 2025
Release date: September 5, 2025
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Hardcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Still in Love deliver a blistering debut on Recovery Language, fusing hardcore ferocity with unexpected melody. A 23-minute statement of intent from seasoned players who know exactly when to hit fast and when to let it breathe.
Album Details: Recovery Language
Release Information
Artist: Still in Love
Release: Recovery Language
Release type: Album
Release date: September 5, 2025
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Hardcore
Track Listing
1. Tell The Truth (01:57)
2. Nervous Impulse (01:45)
3. Preserve & Cherish [ft. Sam Carter] (02:48)
4. Feathered Nest (02:17)
5. Inherit (02:43)
6. The State Of Things To Come (04:16)
7. You Have To Let It Go (02:26)
8. Pillar Of Strength (05:12)
Guest Musicians
Sam Carter — Preserve & Cherish
Credit Sources
Malevich
Under a Gilded Sun · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: August 23, 2025
Release date: August 22, 2025
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Blackened / screamo / sludge metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Malevich unleash Under A Gilded Sun, a crushing new album blending blackened hardcore, sludge, and chaos. Read the full review at Metal Lair.
Album Details: Under a Gilded Sun
Release Information
Artist: Malevich
Release: Under a Gilded Sun
Release type: Album
Release date: August 22, 2025
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Blackened / screamo / sludge metal
Track Listing
1. Blossom in Full Force (04:06)
2. Impasse (02:06)
3. Cross of Gold (02:11)
4. Delirium and Confidence (04:12)
5. Illusion Never Changed (04:48)
6. Into Bliss (05:10)
7. A Sun That Only Sets (05:09)
8. If We Sing Towards The Heavens Maybe They’ll Let Us In (03:27)
9. Supine, Under a Gilded Sun (07:22)
Personnel
Connor Ray — guitar, vocals, electronics
Sasha Schilbrack-Cole — drums, vocals
Daniel DeSimone — bass, vocals, electronics
Josh McIntyre — guitar
Credit Sources
Fates Messenger
Eternal War · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: August 18, 2025
Release date: August 22, 2025
Record label: Greyline Records
Genre: Metalcore
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Fates Messenger return with Eternal War, a blistering EP that rejects radio-friendly polish in favor of pure brutality. Packed with furious riffs, guttural vocals, and guest appearances from metal legends, this release may just restore credibility to the much-maligned metalcore label.
Album Details: Eternal War
Release Information
Artist: Fates Messenger
Release: Eternal War
Release type: EP
Release date: August 22, 2025
Record label: Greyline Records
Genre: Metalcore
Track Listing
1. Hellstorm (03:35)
2. Eternal War [ft. Tim Williams] (03:50)
3. Doomloop (03:33)
4. Master Killer (03:33)
5. Bleed Again (03:45)
6. Bonechapel [ft. Al Llewellyn] (05:06)
Guest Musicians
Tim Williams — Eternal War
Al Llewellyn — Bonechapel
Personnel
Tony Maddocks — vocals
Ron D — guitar
Paul Fletcher — bass
Will Romain — drums
Credit Sources
Helloween
Giants & Monsters · Album
Written by Chris Norris
Review published: August 10, 2025
Release date: August 29, 2025
Record label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Genre: Power metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Forty years in, Helloween prove they’re still the masters of power metal. Giants & Monsters blends classic speed, soaring harmonies, and bold songwriting into their strongest release in decades.
Album Details: Giants & Monsters
Release Information
Artist: Helloween
Release: Giants & Monsters
Release type: Album
Release date: August 29, 2025
Record label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Genre: Power metal
Track Listing
1. Giants On The Run
2. Savior Of The World
3. A Little Is a Little Too Much
4. We Can Be Gods
5. Into The Sun
6. This Is Tokyo
7. Universe (Gravity For Hearts)
8. Hand Of God
9. Under The Moonlight
10. Majestic
Production
Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward — production
Credit Sources
Shape of Water
Petrichor · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: August 8, 2025
Release date: August 8, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Electronic art rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Shape of Water’s Petrichor blends art rock, electronic, metal, and jazz into a fearless, genre-bending journey of sound and storm.
Album Details: Petrichor
Release Information
Artist: Shape of Water
Release: Petrichor
Release type: Album
Release date: August 8, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Electronic art rock
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Out of Time
3. Last Goodbye
4. NAKED
5. Salt & Mercury
6. Where I Belong
7. Letting You Go
8. Diverged
9. She Never Sleeps Alone
10. The Silence of The Lambs
11. Apertura
12. Ukiyo
Artwork & Photography
Luca De Falco — album artwork
Joe McAdam — photography
Personnel
Rox Capriotti — instrumentals, vocals
Luca De Falco — instrumentals
Tom Monk — session drums
Credit Sources
Calico Jack
Jack Speak Shanties · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 25, 2025
Record label: Rockshots Records
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Hoist the Jolly Roger and crank the amps! Italian band Calico Jack unleash Jack Speak Shanties. A five track EP via Rockshots Records. Expect raging riffs, roaring vocals, and violin-driven sea shanties like “Wellerman,” “Spanish Ladies,” and more. Set sail for sonic plunder!
Album Details: Jack Speak Shanties
Release Information
Artist: Calico Jack
Release: Jack Speak Shanties
Release type: EP
Record label: Rockshots Records
Track Listing
1. Wellerman
2. Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate
3. Off to Sea Once More
4. The 24th of February
5. Spanish Ladies
Personnel
Caps — drums
Melo — lead guitar
Toto — rhythm guitar
Dave — violin
Gió — vocals
Giggi — bass
Credit Sources
Mawiza
ÜL · Album
Written by Caine Blackthorn
Review published: July 8, 2025
Release date: July 18, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Groove metal
Mawiza bring Mapuche identity and groove metal together on ÜL, with a guest appearance from Gojira’s Joe Duplantier.
Album Details: ÜL
Release Information
Artist: Mawiza
Release: ÜL
Release type: Album
Release date: July 18, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Groove metal
Track Listing
1. Wingkawnoam (3:38)
2. Pinhza Ñi pewma (4:29)
3. Ngulutu (3:50)
4. Nawelkünuwnge (5:06)
5. Mamüll Reke (4:24)
6. Wenu Weychan (6:13)
7. Lhan Antü (4:08)
8. Kalli Lhayay (3:58)
9. Ti Inan Paw-Pawkan (featuring Joe Duplantier from Gojira) (4:42)
Guest Musicians
Joe Duplantier — Ti Inan Paw-Pawkan
Personnel
Awka — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Karü — lead guitar, backing vocals
Zewü — bass, backing vocals
Txalkan — drums, percussion
Production
Pancho Arenas — production
Credit Sources
Impureza
Alcázares · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: July 8, 2025
Release date: July 11, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Flamenco death metal
Impureza combine flamenco guitar and death metal on Alcázares, explored in Metal Lair’s joint review with Mawiza.
Album Details: Alcázares
Release Information
Artist: Impureza
Release: Alcázares
Release type: Album
Release date: July 11, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Flamenco death metal
Track Listing
1. Verdiales (1:15)
2. Bajo las Tizonas de Toledo (6:25)
3. Covadonga (4:01)
4. Pestilencia (4:44)
5. Reconquistar Al-Ándalus (5:25)
6. Murallas (2:24)
7. La Orden del Yelmo Negro (4:57)
8. Castigos Eclesiásticos (6:06)
9. El Ejército de los Fallecidos de Alarcos (5:18)
10. Ruina del Alcázar (1:37)
11. Santa Inquisición (6:26)
Personnel
Esteban Martín — all vocals
Lionel Cano Muñoz — rhythm, lead and Spanish guitars
Florian Saillard — fretless bass
Guilhem Auge — drums
Credit Sources
Yungblud
Idols · Album
Written by Christy Norris
Review published: June 30, 2025
Yungblud sheds the theatrics and bares his soul on Idols, a blisteringly honest album that dives headfirst into pain, pressure, and the brutal cost of fame. Raw, real, and deeply human, this is Yungblud at his most vulnerable.
Album Details: Idols
Release Information
Artist: Yungblud
Release: Idols
Release type: Album
Track Listing
1. Hello Heaven, Hello
2. Idols Pt. 1
3. Lovesick Lullaby
4. Zombie
5. The Greatest Parade
6. Change
7. Monday Murder
8. Ghosts
9. Fire
10. War
11. Idols Pt. II
12. Supermoon
Credit Sources
Bask
The Turning · Album
Written by Caine Blackthorn
Review published: June 27, 2025
Release date: August 22, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Psychedelic rock / heavy Americana / sludge
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Bask’s The Turning is a cosmic journey through psychedelic doom, Appalachian roots, and celestial Americana. One of 2025’s most immersive albums.
Album Details: The Turning
Release Information
Artist: Bask
Release: The Turning
Release type: Album
Release date: August 22, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Psychedelic rock / heavy Americana / sludge
Track Listing
1. Chasm (1:30)
2. In the Heat of the Dying Sun (4:57)
3. The Traveler (4:06)
4. The Cloth (4:12)
5. Dig My Heels (5:33)
6. Unwound (7:02)
7. Long Lost Light (6:52)
8. The Turning (6:33)
Credit Sources
Deathblow
Open Season · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 17, 2025
Release date: June 16, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Thrash metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Deathblow pack four tracks of hard-hitting thrash into Open Season, a concise EP reviewed by Kevin McSweeney.
Album Details: Open Season
Release Information
Artist: Deathblow
Release: Open Season
Release type: EP
Release date: June 16, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Thrash metal
Track Listing
1. Open Season (03:22)
2. Deny, Defend, Dispose (02:48)
3. Tormentor (02:35)
4. Never Again (03:16)
Credit Sources
Original Metal Lair review
Alternate posting with reviewer credit and rating
Cryptopsy
An Insatiable Violence · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 17, 2025
Release date: June 20, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Technical death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Cryptopsy’s An Insatiable Violence is a masterclass in extreme metal brutality and existential commentary. Fueled by dream logic, digital despair, and punishing precision, it’s a harrowing critique of social media addiction and the agony of modern existence.
Album Details: An Insatiable Violence
Release Information
Artist: Cryptopsy
Release: An Insatiable Violence
Release type: Album
Release date: June 20, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Technical death metal
Track Listing
1. The Nimis Adoration (04:10)
2. Until There’s Nothing Left (03:58)
3. Dead Eyes Replete (03:57)
4. Fools Last Acclaim (03:25)
5. The Art of Emptiness (04:15)
6. Our Great Deception (04:20)
7. Embrace the Nihility (03:50)
8. Malicious Needs (05:51)
Artwork
Martin Lacroix — cover art
Guest Musicians
Mike DiSalvo — vocals on Embrace the Nihility
Personnel
Matt McGachy — vocals
Christian Donaldson — guitars
Olivier Pinard — bass
Flo Mounier — drums
Credit Sources
King’s Hammer
To Speak in Tongues · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 14, 2025
Release date: June 13, 2025
Record label: Rottweiler Records / Broken Curfew Records
Genre: Death metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
King’s Hammer, the death metal solo project of Chuck Weatherman (Shovelhead A.D.), debuts To Speak in Tongues, a blistering blend of old-school death, groove, and doom influences, all handled by Weatherman himself.
Album Details: To Speak in Tongues
Release Information
Artist: King’s Hammer
Release: To Speak in Tongues
Release type: EP
Release date: June 13, 2025
Record label: Rottweiler Records / Broken Curfew Records
Genre: Death metal
Track Listing
1. The War in Heaven (03:35)
2. Vehement Zeal (03:16)
3. Wrath Descends (02:36)
4. Crusade IX (03:41)
5. Witches Bvrn (03:15)
Personnel
Chuck Weatherman — all vocals and instruments
Credit Sources
Blackfyre Rising
Blackfyre Rising · EP
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: June 7, 2025
Release date: June 6, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Hard rock
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Scottish hard rock newcomers Blackfyre Rising drop a self-titled EP bursting with bluesy grit, soulful vocals, and old-school fire.
Album Details: Blackfyre Rising
Release Information
Artist: Blackfyre Rising
Release: Blackfyre Rising
Release type: EP
Release date: June 6, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Hard rock
Track Listing
1. I’m Alright (04:18)
2. The Cycle (05:06)
3. Spellbound Woman (05:25)
4. The Tempest: (06:11)
Personnel
James Brown — vocals, guitar
Dave Taylor — guitar, backing vocals
Magnus Tait — bass, backing vocals
Tom Parker — drums
Credit Sources
…And Oceans
The Regeneration Itinerary · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: May 9, 2025
Release date: May 23, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Metal Horns Rating: 5 / 5 🤘
”…And Oceans’ ‘The Regeneration Itinerary’ is a masterclass in genre fusion, blending black metal’s ferocity with symphonic, industrial, and even techno elements. From lightning-fast riffs to eerie synths and unexpected drum intros, this album is a fearless exploration of sound that defies expectations. It’s an eclectic journey through darkness, melody, and chaos—an album that proves …And Oceans remains at the cutting edge of extreme metal.”
Album Details: The Regeneration Itinerary
Release Information
Artist: …And Oceans
Release: The Regeneration Itinerary
Release type: Album
Release date: May 23, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Track Listing
1. Inertiae
2. Förnyelse i Tre Akter
3. Chromium Lungs, Bronze Optics
4. The Form and the Formless
5. Prophetical Mercury Implement
6. The Fire in Which We Burn
7. The Ways of Sulphur
8. I Am Coin, I Am Two
9. Towards the Absence of Light
10. The Terminal Filter
11. Copper Blood, Titanium Scars (Bonus Track)
12. The Discord Static (Bonus Track)
Edition Note
The two bonus tracks are included on the deluxe CD box edition.
Personnel
Mathias Lillmåns — vocals
Teemu Saari — guitar
Timo Kontio — guitar
Pyry Hanski — bass
Antti Simonen — keyboards
Kauko Kuusisalo — drums
Production & Artwork
Recorded at Inka Studio / SoundSpiral Audio, Orimattila, Finland
Juho Räihä — production and engineering
Tore Stjerna — mixing and mastering at Necromorbus Studio
Adrien Bousson — cover art
Credit Sources
Original Metal Lair review
Official album page: artwork, production credits, and edition details
Inhuman Nature
Greater Than Death · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: May 2, 2025
Release date: April 25, 2025
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Thrash metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Inhuman Nature channel old-school thrash and crossover aggression on Greater Than Death, pairing raw production with fierce riffs.
Album Details: Greater Than Death
Release Information
Artist: Inhuman Nature
Release: Greater Than Death
Release type: Album
Release date: April 25, 2025
Record label: Church Road Records
Genre: Thrash metal
Track Listing
1. From the Shadows (01:38)
2. Dawn of Inhuman Man (02:54)
3. Possessed to Die (03:53)
4. Servants of Annihilation (03:17)
5. Fortress of Delusion (05:58)
6. Lines in the Sand II (03:54)
7. Greater Than Death (04:50)
8. Mad Man’s Cage (05:05)
9. The Maze of Eternity (01:48)
10. Dead and Buried (03:36)
Credit Sources
Dart
Speed Days · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: April 12, 2025
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Thrash ’n’ roll / punk
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Dart race through ten short bursts of speed and thrash metal on Speed Days, with melodic leads and unexpected organ flourishes.
Album Details: Speed Days
Release Information
Artist: Dart
Release: Speed Days
Release type: Album
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Thrash ’n’ roll / punk
Track Listing
1. First Bite (0:34)
2. Speed Days (1:00)
3. Nothing to Lose (2:05)
4. Acid Dart (1:27)
5. Burnin’ (1:51)
6. Blood (2:38)
7. Sick Game (2:00)
8. Fire (2:33)
9. Highway Thunder (2:39)
10. Thin Ice (2:29)
Personnel
Emppu — vocals
Joki — rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Tuoppa — lead guitar, organ
Hiski — bass
Samppa — drums
Credit Sources
Vulvarine
Fast Lane · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: April 5, 2025
Record label: Napalm Records
Genre: Hard rock / punk
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Vulvarine combine hard rock hooks, punk energy, and feminist themes on Fast Lane.
Album Details: Fast Lane
Release Information
Artist: Vulvarine
Release: Fast Lane
Release type: Album
Record label: Napalm Records
Genre: Hard rock / punk
Track Listing
1. The Drugs, The Love and The Pain (3:03)
2. Ancient Soul (3:53)
3. Heads Held High (3:45)
4. Demons (4:18)
5. Alright Tonight (3:44)
6. Equal, Not The Same (3:26)
7. Fool (2:27)
8. Polly The Trucker (4:25)
9. Dark Red (4:07)
10. Cheri Cheri Lady (3:34)
11. She’ll Come Around (1:48)
Guest Musicians
Filippa Nässil — Cheri Cheri Lady
Personnel
Suzy Q — vocals
Sandy Dee — guitar
Robin RedBreast — bass
Bea Heartbeat — drums
Credit Sources
Nite
Cult of the Serpent Sun · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: March 25, 2025
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Blackened heavy metal
Metal Horns Rating: 4 / 5 🤘
Nite unite classic heavy metal melodies and blackened vocals on Cult of the Serpent Sun.
Album Details: Cult of the Serpent Sun
Release Information
Artist: Nite
Release: Cult of the Serpent Sun
Release type: Album
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Blackened heavy metal
Track Listing
1. Cult of the Serpent Sun
2. Skull
3. Crow (Fear The Night)
4. The Mystic
5. The Last Blade
6. Carry On
7. Tarmut
8. Winds of Sokar
Credit Sources
Thundermother
Dirty & Divine · Album
Written by Kevin McSweeney
Review published: February 8, 2025
Release date: February 7, 2025
Genre: Rock ’n’ roll
Metal Horns Rating: 4.5 / 5 🤘
Thundermother deliver ten tracks of hook-filled, bluesy hard rock on Dirty & Divine.
Album Details: Dirty & Divine
Release Information
Artist: Thundermother
Release: Dirty & Divine
Release type: Album
Release date: February 7, 2025
Genre: Rock ’n’ roll
Track Listing
1. So Close
2. Can’t Put Out The Fire
3. Speaking of the Devil
4. Feeling Alright
5. Take The Power
6. I Left My License in the Future
7. Dead Or Alive
8. Can You Feel It
9. Bright Eyes
10. American Adrenaline
Credit Sources
2024
Eight album reviews published in 2024, listed newest first. Original rating scales are preserved where used.
Saltwound
The Temptation of Pain · Album
Written by McKauley Kitterman
Review published: November 8, 2024
Record label: SharpTone Records
Genre: Deathcore / metalcore
Metal Horns Rating: 5 / 5 🤘
McKauley Kitterman reviews Saltwound’s debut, a 29-minute collision of deathcore, metalcore, crushing grooves, and beatdown riffs.
Album Details: The Temptation of Pain
Release Information
Artist: Saltwound
Release: The Temptation of Pain
Release type: Album
Record label: SharpTone Records
Genre: Deathcore / metalcore
Track Listing
1. We All Burn
2. Blight
3. Empty From The Start
4. Circle The Drain
5. The Temptation Of Pain
6. Hollow
7. Walking The Blade
8. The Righteous Hand
9. Ensnared
10. Severance
Personnel
Spencer Timmons: vocals
Shawn Williams: guitar
Marty Delgado: bass
Credit Sources
Sybreed
Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition) · Remastered reissue
Written by McKauley Kitterman
Review published: October 9, 2024
Genre: Industrial / cyber metal
Original review score: 9.7 / 10
McKauley Kitterman revisits Slave Design’s industrial grooves and futuristic atmosphere, assessing the anniversary remaster, the re-recorded Bioactive, and System Debaser.
Album Details: Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition)
Release Information
Artist: Sybreed
Release: Slave Design (20th Anniversary Edition)
Release type: Remastered reissue
Genre: Industrial / cyber metal
Track Listing
1. Bioactive (2024 Remastered)
2. ReEvolution (2024 Remastered)
3. Decoy (2024 Remastered)
4. Synthetic Breed (2024 Remastered)
5. Next Day Will Never Come (2024 Remastered)
6. Machine Gun Messiah (2024 Remastered)
7. Take The Red Pill (2024 Remastered)
8. Rusted (2024 Remastered)
9. Static Currents (2024 Remastered)
10. Critical Mass (2024 Remastered)
11. Bioactive (2024 Rerecorded)
12. System Debaser
Personnel, Tracks 11–12
Drop: guitars, electronics
Benjamin: vocals
Kevin: drums
Ales: bass
Personnel, Tracks 1–10
Drop: guitars, electronics
Benjamin: vocals
Alex: drums
Burn: bass
Production & Artwork
Drop: production
Claude Lander: co-production
Drop and Claude Lander: original recording and mixing
Tracks 11–12 recorded and mixed by Drop at Downtone Studio
Jens Bogren: 2024 mastering
Erik Kirchner: artwork and design
Credit Sources
Original Metal Lair review
Official album page: track listing, release information, and credits
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Opera · Album
Written by Tristan Cardinelli
Review published: July 28, 2024
Release date: August 23, 2024
Record label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Symphonic death metal
Tristan Cardinelli explores Opera’s theatrical structure, brutal vocals, grand orchestration, and the personal ordeal behind Francesco Paoli’s songwriting.
Album Details: Opera
Release Information
Artist: Fleshgod Apocalypse
Release: Opera
Release type: Album
Release date: August 23, 2024
Record label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Symphonic death metal
Track Listing
1. Ode to Art (De’ Sepolcri)
2. I Can Never Die
3. Pendulum
4. Bloodclock
5. At War With My Soul
6. Morphine Waltz
7. Matricide
8. Per Aspera Ad Astra
9. Till Death Do Us Part
10. Opera
Personnel
Francesco Paoli: vocals, bass
Veronica Bordacchini: vocals
Francesco Ferrini: piano
Fabio Bartoletti: guitar
Eugene Ryabchenko: drums
Production & Artwork
Jacob Hansen: production, mixing, mastering
Felicita Fiorini and Francesco Esposito: artwork
Credit Sources
Voraath
Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters · Album
Written by Tristan Cardinelli
Review published: June 17, 2024
Release date: June 17, 2024
Record label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Genre: Extreme metal
Voraath’s debut builds a dystopian sci-fi narrative through extreme metal, folk elements, ferocious vocals, and cinematic atmosphere.
Album Details: Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters
Release Information
Artist: Voraath
Release: Vol 1: The Hymn of the Hunters
Release type: Album
Release date: June 17, 2024
Record label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Genre: Extreme metal
Track Listing
1. Into Perdition (1:29)
2. The Road to Samm Hill (4:45)
3. Waypoint Orion (4:45)
4. Terminus Rift (4:56)
5. Dreadborn (5:12)
6. The Barrens (6:16)
7. Judas Blood and Vultures (5:45)
8. The Leviathan’s Keep (4:35)
9. Dirge Colony (5:39)
10. The God-Killer Saga (5:56)
11. Sirenhead (4:54)
12. Pyrrhic (3:53)
Additional Musicians
Taylor Presnell: studio vocals
Personnel
Chelsea Marrow: vocals
Tylor Kohl: guitar
Daniel Presnell: guitar
Paul McBride: bass
Joshua Ward: drums, keys, vocals, studio guitars
Credit Sources
Rotting Christ
Pro Xristou · Album
Written by Tristan Cardinelli
Review published: May 24, 2024
Release date: May 24, 2024
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Melodic black metal
Tristan Cardinelli examines Rotting Christ’s melodic, ritualistic approach on Pro Xristou, from choral arrangements and spoken passages to its pagan themes.
Album Details: Pro Xristou
Release Information
Artist: Rotting Christ
Release: Pro Xristou
Release type: Album
Release date: May 24, 2024
Record label: Season of Mist
Genre: Melodic black metal
Track Listing
1. Pro Xristou (Προ Χριστού) (1:29)
2. The Apostate (5:01)
3. Like Father, Like Son (4:35)
4. The Sixth Day (3:56)
5. La Lettera Del Diavolo (4:01)
6. The Farewell (6:15)
7. Pix Lax Dax (4:33)
8. Pretty World, Pretty Dies (4:51)
9. Yggdrasil (5:04)
10. Saoirse (6:17)
11. Primal Resurrection (Deluxe bonus track) (5:32)
12. All For One (Deluxe bonus track) (3:37)
Edition Note
Tracks 11 and 12 appear on deluxe editions.
Guest Musicians
Andrew Liles: narration on The Apostate and Pretty World, Pretty Dies
Kim Diaz Holm: narration on Yggdrasil
Nikos Kerkiras: keyboards
Christina Alexiou, Maria Tsironi, Alexandros Loyziotis and Vasilis Karatzas: choir
Personnel
Sakis Tolis: guitar, vocals
Themis Tolis: drums
Kostas “Spades” Heliotis: bass
Kostis Fouk: guitar
Production & Artwork
Recorded at Deva Sounds Studios, Athens
Sakis Tolis: production
Thomas Cole: artwork
Adrien Bousson: digital processing
Credit Sources
Aborted
Vault of Horrors · Album
Written by Lindon Faynes
Review published: April 15, 2024
Genre: Death metal
Lindon Faynes weighs Aborted’s technical precision, guest vocalists, and polished production against the album’s reliance on familiar death metal formulas.
Album Details: Vault of Horrors
Release Information
Artist: Aborted
Release: Vault of Horrors
Release type: Album
Genre: Death metal
Track Listing
1. Dreadbringer (feat. Shadow Of Intent)
2. Condemned To Rot (feat. Francesco Paoli)
3. Brotherhood Of Sleep (feat. Johnny Ciardullo)
4. Death Cult (feat. Despised Icon)
5. Hellbound (feat. Matt McGachy)
6. Insect Politics (feat. Jason Evans)
7. The Golgothan (feat. Hal Microutsicos)
8. The Shape Of Hate (feat. Oliver Rae Aleron)
9. Naturom Demonto (feat. David Simonich III)
10. Malevolent Haze (feat. Ricky Hoover)
Credit Sources
Needful Things
Tentacles of Influence · Album
Written by Lindon Faynes AKA AUselessPileofFlesh
Review published: March 20, 2024
Genre: Grindcore
Original review score: 88%
Lindon Faynes praises Needful Things’ death metal-inflected grindcore, relentless drumming, and unusually clear yet organic production.
Album Details: Tentacles of Influence
Release Information
Artist: Needful Things
Release: Tentacles of Influence
Release type: Album
Genre: Grindcore
Track Listing
1. Intro – Tentacles of Influence
2. Constricted
3. Fallen In Darkness
4. Deprogrammed
5. Predator
6. Worshipper Of God
7. Money In God’s Hands
8. Collateral Existence
9. Narrator
10. Corrupted
11. Decision Points
12. Party For Killers / Massive Killing
13. End Of Your Life
14. Remains Of Life
15. DNA Freak Number
16. One Day Hero
17. Mask Of Arrogance
18. Firewall
19. The Mass
Credit Sources
Bruce Dickinson
The Mandrake Project · Album
Written by Sebastian Melmoth
Review published: February 23, 2024
Release date: March 1, 2024
Genre: Hard rock / metal
Sebastian Melmoth explores Bruce Dickinson’s solo return, tracing its theatrical vocals, heavy riffs, and stylistic detours across ten tracks.
Album Details: The Mandrake Project
Release Information
Artist: Bruce Dickinson
Release: The Mandrake Project
Release type: Album
Release date: March 1, 2024
Genre: Hard rock / metal
Track Listing
1. Afterglow Of Ragnarok (05:45)
2. Many Doors To Hell (04:48)
3. Rain On The Graves (05:05)
4. Resurrection Men (06:24)
5. Fingers In The Wounds (03:39)
6. Eternity Has Failed (06:59)
7. Mistress Of Mercy (05:08)
8. Face In The Mirror (04:08)
9. Shadow Of The Gods (07:02)
10. Sonata (Immortal Beloved) (09:51)
Personnel
Bruce Dickinson: vocals
Roy Z: guitars
Dave Moreno: drums
Mistheria: keyboards
Credit Sources
2023
Eight album reviews published in 2023, listed newest first.
Final Coil
The World We Inherited · Album
Review published: December 30, 2023
Release date: January 16, 2024
Record label: Sliptrick Records
Genre: Alternative / hard rock
Metal Lair explores the weight of “Chemtrails” and the album’s blend of grunge, progressive rock and post-metal on the concluding chapter of Final Coil’s Persistence Trilogy.
Cannibal Corpse
Chaos Horrific · Album
Review published: September 22, 2023
Record label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Death metal
Cannibal Corpse deliver a concise, relentless record with fierce riffing, melodic solos, and the unmistakable roar of George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher.
Album Details: Chaos Horrific
Release Information
Artist: Cannibal Corpse
Release: Chaos Horrific
Release type: Album
Record label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Death metal
Track Listing
1. Overlords Of Violence
2. Frenzied Feeding
3. Summoned For Sacrifice
4. Blood Blind
5. Vengeful Invasion
6. Chaos Horrific
7. Fracture And Refracture
8. Pitchfork Impalement
9. Pestilential Rictus
10. Drain You Empty
Artwork
Vince Locke: album artwork
Personnel
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher: vocals
Erik Rutan: guitar
Rob Barrett: guitar
Alex Webster: bass
Paul Mazurkiewicz: drums
Credit Sources
Crowbar
Zero And Below · Album
Review published: September 8, 2023
Genre: Sludge metal
Metal Lair explores Crowbar’s downtuned weight, bluesy grooves, and persistent melancholy on Zero And Below.
Album Details: Zero And Below
Release Information
Artist: Crowbar
Release: Zero And Below
Release type: Album
Genre: Sludge metal
Track Listing
1. The Fear That Binds You
2. Her Evil Is Sacred
3. Confess To Nothing
4. Chemical Godz
5. Denial Of The Truth
6. Bleeding From Every Hole
7. It’s Always Worth The Gain
8. Crush Negativity
9. Reanimating A Lie
10. Zero And Below
Personnel
Kirk Windstein: vocals, guitar
Matt Brunson: guitar
Shane Wesley: bass
Tommy Buckley: drums
Credit Sources
Marduk
Memento Mori · Album
Review published: August 19, 2023
Release date: September 1, 2023
Record label: Century Media Records
Genre: Black metal
Marduk’s fifteenth album pairs relentless speed and hostile vocals with carefully structured chaos and a cold industrial edge.
Album Details: Memento Mori
Release Information
Artist: Marduk
Release: Memento Mori
Release type: Album
Release date: September 1, 2023
Record label: Century Media Records
Genre: Black metal
Track Listing
1. Memento Mori
2. Heart Of The Funeral
3. Blood Of The Funeral
4. Shovel Beats Sceptre
5. Charlatan
6. Coffin Carol
7. Marching Bones
8. Year Of The Maggot
9. Red Tree Of Blood
10. As We Are
Personnel
Daniel Rostén: vocals
Morgan Håkansson: guitar
Devo Andersson: bass
Simon Schilling: drums
Production & Artwork
Devo Andersson: production, mixing, mastering at Endarker Studio
Daniel Rostén: cover art
Credit Sources
Original Metal Lair review
Official album page: track listing and release information
Sleep Token
Take Me Back To Eden · Album
Review published: July 23, 2023
Genre: Alternative rock / progressive metal
A track-focused exploration of Sleep Token’s blend of heavy riffs, atmospheric textures, piano, and emotionally charged vocals.
Album Details: Take Me Back To Eden
Release Information
Artist: Sleep Token
Release: Take Me Back To Eden
Release type: Album
Genre: Alternative rock / progressive metal
Track Listing
1. Chokehold
2. The Summoning
3. Granite
4. Aqua Regia
5. Vore
6. Ascensionism
7. Are You Really Okay?
8. The Apparition
9. DYWTYLM
10. Rain
11. Take Me Back To Eden
12. Euclid
Credit Sources
Calligram
Position | Momentum · Album
Review published: July 15, 2023
Record label: Prosthetic Records
Genre: Blackened hardcore
Calligram combine black metal intensity, hardcore, atmospheric passages, and mournful trumpet on a record that finds fleeting release within its chaos.
Album Details: Position | Momentum
Release Information
Artist: Calligram
Release: Position | Momentum
Release type: Album
Record label: Prosthetic Records
Genre: Blackened hardcore
Track Listing
1. Sul Dolore
2. Frantumi In Itinere
3. Eschilo
4. Tebe
5. Per Jamie
6. Ostranenie
7. Ex-Sistere
8. Seminario Dieci
Personnel
Matteo Rizzardo: vocals
Ardo Cotones: drums, vocals
Bruno Cambiaghi: guitar
Tim Desbos: guitar
Smittens: bass
Production & Artwork
Russ Russell: recording at The Parlour Studio, July 2022
Grant Berry: mastering
Deborah Sheedy: artwork
Credit Sources
A Dark Halo
Omnibus One · Album
Review published: July 15, 2023
Genre: Progressive / cyber metal
A Dark Halo blend intricate progressive metal, industrial electronics, atmospheric synths, and forceful rhythms across Omnibus One.
Album Details: Omnibus One
Release Information
Artist: A Dark Halo
Release: Omnibus One
Release type: Album
Genre: Progressive / cyber metal
Track Listing
1. Thin Be The Veil
2. Starfall
3. Vector Unknown
4. Flame Betide
5. I, Revenant
6. It Never Sleeps
7. Afterworld
8. The Disquiet
Guest Musicians
Kathleen Cylkowski: Starfall
Personnel
Dave Lowmiller: lead vocals, bass
Melrose: lead vocals, guitar
Christopher M. Jones: guitars, backing vocals
Abe Robertson: lead guitar, backing vocals
Kaye Papale: drums
Production
Tommie Bonajo at Tomster Studios: updated mixes and remastering
Credit Sources
Cattle Decapitation
Terrasite · Album
Review published: May 12, 2023
Release date: May 12, 2023
Record label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Death metal / grindcore
Terrasite combines death-grind ferocity with melodic atmosphere, technical musicianship, and a bleak critique of humanity’s destruction of the planet.
Album Details: Terrasite
Release Information
Artist: Cattle Decapitation
Release: Terrasite
Release type: Album
Release date: May 12, 2023
Record label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Death metal / grindcore
Track Listing
1. Terrasitic Adaptation
2. We Eat Our Young
3. Scourge of the Offspring
4. The Insignificants
5. The Storm Upstairs
6. …And the World Will Go on Without You
7. A Photic Doom
8. Dead End Residents
9. Solastalgia
10. Just Another Body
Personnel
Travis Ryan: vocals
Josh Elmore: guitar
Belisario Dimuzio: guitar
Olivier Pinard: bass
David McGraw: drums
Credit Sources
Original Metal Lair review
Official album page: track listing and release information
2022
One album review published in 2022.
Spheres
Helios · Album
Review published: December 9, 2022
Record label: M & O Music / Spinoza Records
Genre: Progressive metal
A short review of Spheres’ second album, highlighting its ambient textures, turbulent progressive metal, and introspective atmosphere.
Album Details: Helios
Release Information
Artist: Spheres
Release: Helios
Release type: Album
Record label: M & O Music / Spinoza Records
Genre: Progressive metal
Track Listing
1. Algorithmic Sentience
2. Spiritual Journey
3. Pandemia
4. Helios
5. SCS
6. Running Man
7. Take Me Higher, Ailleurs
8. Do You Agree
Personnel
Jonathan Lino: vocals, guitar
Olivier Moreau: guitar, backing vocals
Clémence Santé: bass
Jesse Haddad: drums
Marco Walczak: keyboards
Credit Sources
Explore More From Metal Lair
Metal Lair Interview Archive · Deep Cuts · Women in Metal · Seven Deadly Songs · World Metal Weekly · Metal Legacy Profiles