Ascend The Helix suprise with a new "Rings Of Saturn" record. Its full of cosmic athmospheres and sweeps all over. Its well done and performed. But it lacks any content to latch onto for me. For one, its way to long. Every song could be halved and the album would be decent. Secondly it lacks any resemblence of hook, that would stick to me. And thirdly the songs blend together very quickly. All these gripes end up really making this not a fun experience. I almost couldnt pull through ... read more

Elwood Stray offer us a new record, giving us well made, but kinda generic modern metalcore. The songs flow well enough, the breakdowns hit and the riffs are bouncy. Sadly the hooks dont connect as well as they could. And a big gripe is the mixing. Generally the mixing is just fine, but just when the breadown hits, it jumps up like 10 decibels and blows my eardrums out. Its really not pleasent. But it does make the breakdowns hit all the harder...

TBS return with the second half of their double record of black and white. Its once again filled with fun songs, memes and alot of irony. They even pay hommages to bands like Scooter in track 2, or Drowning Pool in track 6. All of that was fun to hear. However it doesnt hit as well, as the White Album did and even has some songs on it that i find annoying. The Black Album has higher peaks, but much lower lows. All in all its still a fun ride. If youve ever enjoyed TBS before, you will enjoy ... read more

Finally some non standart Metalcore in 2026! Iridum turn up with their debut record. It has a refined modern metalcore sound with some quirks and very meaty riffs. Its not a reinvention of the wheel, but its very well done and definitely better than alot of the rest of the genre lately. Well done!

Crystal Lake are back after 7 Years and with a new vocalist. But sadly it feels like the creativity this band stood for with "Helix" and "Watch Me Burn" left together with Ryo. Dont get me wrong, its far from terrible. But its also a landslide away from these aforementioned releases. This album carries not much of the DNA what i loved about Crystal Lake in the past. The riffs sound muddy and overloaded, the vocals dont offer alot of variation and every single song follows he ... read more

Its a simple Nu-Metalcore / Beatdown record. The songs sound very similar to each other and all do a very simple job. Sounding pissed off. Its nothing special, but fun enough to listen to it. Doesnt stand out enough though, to get any higher score than this!

Its a farewell! As someone who never enjoyed Megadeth alot, this just feels like a best off, of modern Megadeth. The riffs are fine, the vocals, as expected, not great. Lyrics are nothing special. But it does its job. Sadly nothing really sticks in my mind and it vanishes as soon as it started without leaving much of an impression. Also the Metallica Cover at the end, really isnt it.

Poppy returns after her modern Metal breakthrough with "negative spaces" in 2024. That album showed some promise into what could be a more raw version of spiritbox in its heavier, and a good female variant of modern metal in its softer moments. This new album though, lost every promise "negative spaces" showed completely. Most songs sound flat and blend into each other. The vocal lines are safe and feel like they could come from every single other modern metal band. Same ... read more

What a wonderful debut album. Its so dark, melancholic and pretty at the same time. It uses alot fo time to build, just to release the tension with one of the highest highs ive heard in a while. "Tavo Akys" is the clear winner here. Such an incredible climax in this dreamscape. My oinly gripe is that some songs dont stand out amongst each other. They are fine when listened to on the album, but lose their interestingness while doing that. Also its really short, which for an album with ... read more

"With All Thats Left" presents us with a wonderful fusion of the lightheartedness of CNFA's sound with jazz and progressive influences. It sounds familiar, while innovating and differing enough from "The Hindsight Notes" to feel fresh. The vocal hooks burn themselves into my head and on some songs refuse to let go. "Dance For Me" for insance, takes their sound, wraps a heavier coat of paint around it, while serving us some jazzy vibes. Very fun and well done. ... read more

Metal legends Kreator come up with their newest Album, serving us some well made thrash metal. Its nothing too innovative and isnt reinventing the wheel. But it has some good riffs and some fine hooks. But to me its not a standout. Its just fine.

This new outing from Ov Sulfur directly follows up one of the deathcore albums, that was one of my personal hopebearers for innovation in the genre. This new record carries some of that hope with it, while still not convincing me as a whole. The clean melancholic moments coupled with that sheer brutality work wonderfully well and create that dark contrast that this genre needs. The "typical" modern deathcore songs on the other hand, sadly lost me relatively quickly. Its just not ... read more

2000s Metalcore and Screamo makes its comeback. Well written and executed Metalcore. But its not my kind of genre, so it really didnt stick for me. Hopefully others will get alot more fun out of it than i have!

Stoneside. reappear with their 3rd album "Death Of A Storyteller". It follows similar paths that "God Of The Mountain" already treaded and keeps their theme going. The stories of the dead are being told in an incredibly dense, sad and dark way. The record shines in its dark and brooding moments when all of a sudden a gnarly riff comes in to change up the thick fog. But this is also where its inherit problems lie. Its TOO consistent. The songs blend together and feel rehashed ... read more

Soen return with their next Album. I was very exited when "Primal" dropped a while back. It sounded like the natural progression from "Memorial" in 2023. But this album sadly isnt a evolution, its stagnation. Most songs couldve been found on either "Imperial" or "Memorial" with only a set few really standing out.
This album shines in its quiet and instrumental moments. The Vocals are stunning in the ballads, sadly fall somewhat flat in the more gritty ... read more

Beyond The Black gift us another early entry into the year. This album combines their typical sound with alot of experimentation, which sometimes works alot better than in other cases. Overall its a really enjoyable listen with some definitive highlights (like "The Art Of Being Alone") and some other lowpoints with songs that just went past me. Still really solid effort!

Lower Definition return to the scene 18 years later and deliver a Post-Hardcore record, taken directly out of the 2010s. It combines its 10s charme with modern production and modern sounds. It makes for a relatively interesting listen. Sadly it didnt struk me as much as it couldve. Alot of the songs sound similar or just do not stick out. Generally fun for people that really like Post-Hardcore, for others, its worth looking into what this band produced 18 years later.

I went into this hpoing for dark atmosphere and brooding lyrics. That i exactly what i got, but sadly nothing more. It stays in its expectations of standard Atmospheric Black Metal. Which is fine, but doesnt exite me much. But its well done and will be a good starting point for 2026. I wont go back for it though.

Queen Kona return this Year with an early album. They changed their sound up once again, this time for a syncopated modern Metalcore sound, giving some early 2000s vibes in between. Very hooky chorusses and alot of great riffs. I personally do not understand the Trivium comparisons on here, but maybe thats why i enjoy them! Sadly it gets slightly repetetive and doesnt stick to my brain as much as id hoped it to. Still a very nice outing and a early contender for good Metalcore in 2026.

This Album feels like a combination of Kublai Khan TX and King 810. The instrumental is nice, solid beatdown hardcore. It is nothing special though. Same goes for the vocals. They are done well enough and do their job of this aggresive kind of genre. But the lyrics are so corny that its hard to ignore. After the quick 23min, i felt like i have listened to nithing, but had a good time while doing so. So to me it lands in the average category.