Necrogore |Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena |Awakening Records

Release Date March 20^th, 2026
Format CD/Digital
Genre Death Metal
Country Italy

Italy has unleashed a serious threat in the form of Necrogore. After tearing the underground apart with their 2023 EP "Digging From Below" and 2024 EP "Ancestral Abhorrence", this trio finally drops their debut full-length, "Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena", via Awakening Records. Lucas, Alex, and Chris deliver straight-up musical destruction. We have been waiting for these sick maniacs to unleash a complete assault, and they provide a massive dose of rotting, old-school death metal madness.

You smash play on "Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena", and the band immediately rips into a storm of buzzing chainsaw guitars. Tracks such as "Raptured, Tortured And Chained", "Offered To The Dead", and "Leeches On My Dick" bring absolute violence straight to your skull. The Swedish death metal worship is obvious, throwing huge, aggressive riffs and relentless drum battery right in your face. There is serious structure hidden inside this madness, building sick frameworks around chaotic speeds. The guitar tone sounds like a rusty blade tearing through flesh.

The vocal delivery from Lucas is monstrous, growling and ripping over the chaotic instrumentation. When "Mediumistic Intercession" blasts through the speakers, the extreme savagery hits maximum levels. The band brings intense aggression to "One Foot In The Grave", firing off furious thrash-inspired riffs. Things get incredibly dark on "Sulphureal Morbid Corpse", featuring Patrick Fernlund from Gorement laying down sick guest guitars. The atmosphere is totally hostile.

Wrapping this massacre up, the album closes out with a twisted, distorted version of Jerry Lambert's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" theme. Paolo Girardi supplied the horrifying cover art, matching the pure musical insanity inside perfectly. Necrogore delivers a highly destructive assault. The songs rage hard and fast, providing a totally brutal listen. "Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena" rules and destroys almost everything in its path.

Score: 7.8

https://linktr.ee/necrogore

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Ashen Sun |Velarium |Desert Plain Records

Release Date March 27^th, 2026
Format Digital/CD
Genre Gothic Metal
Country Sweden

Ashen Sun is a dark musical entity born from the mind of Johnny Hagel, the former bassist and co-writer of legendary Swedish acts Tiamat and Sundown. Hagel handles the architecture of this solo project entirely on his own, operating completely in the shadows. Forged during a period of total isolation in 2024, the music channels themes of inner decay, societal collapse, and the inevitable fading out of humanity. The sound merges classic 90s gothic metal with freezing cold-wave synths and cinematic electronics. Now, this solitary vision materializes with the release of the new EP, "Velarium".

Listening to "Velarium" drops you right into a post-apocalyptic wasteland where everything is covered in ash and ruin. The electronic textures wrap around traditional gothic rock instrumentation, creating an absolutely freezing sonic landscape. Hagel brings heavy basslines and hypnotic drum programming to the front of the mix. Synths weave through the tracks, adding a harsh, robotic coldness to the whole thing. The vocals push a bleak narrative full of broken promises, unending war, and absolute cynicism toward human connection. The guitar work provides a distorted, grinding undercurrent to the electronic elements, scraping against your eardrums.

This six-track release operates strictly in the dark, offering zero light or redemption for the listener. Tracks like "Black Thoughts" and "Ashes Of The World" pound away with an industrial-tinged rhythm, punishing your speakers. The lyrics paint pictures of cities turning to smoke, relationships rotting into toxic bonds, and dead people infiltrating dreams. Hagel approaches the writing with pure spite. It is music built for empty rooms and pitch-black nights. The pacing stays deliberate, dragging the listener through a wasteland of discarded faith and broken vows.

The EP maintains a depressing, claustrophobic atmosphere across its entire runtime. The electronic and metal elements fuse into an oppressive soundscape. The production at Studio Dark Room keeps the shadows intact, making sure nothing shines too bright. There are moments where the programmed drums sound a little stiff, and the relentless gloom gets monotonous. It gives fans of dark alternative music a deeply cynical sonic nightmare to get lost inside, making the score an accurate reflection of its current form.

Score: 7.5

Links:

Website: https://www.ashen-sun.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashensundark

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashen_sun_dark

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ashen-Sun-dark

Unearthly Rites |Tortural Symphony Of The Flesh |Svart Records

Release Date April 3^rd, 2026
Format CD/LP/Digital
Genre Death Metal
Country Finland

Unearthly Rites crawled out of Finland in 2020. They dumped a self-titled EP in 2021 and followed it up with their first full-length, "Ecdysis", in 2024, screaming about environmental collapse. Now they return with "Tortural Symphony Of The Flesh" through Svart Records. The lyrical content continues to attack capitalist society and demand the defense of nature and minority rights.

The sound gives you a raw, filthy mix of death metal and hardcore punk straight from the Finnish DIY sewers. The guitar attack from Simo and Santtu brings endless distortion and punishing riffs. Sisli screams out harsh, violent vocals matching the total meltdown of humanity and machines. It is a massive wall of extreme noise designed to cause permanent hearing damage.

The rhythm section drives the continuous violence. Tapio bashes the drums with insane speed. Jennika keeps the bottom end thick and completely chaotic on bass. "Tortural Symphony Of The Flesh" unleashes a much more brutal approach than their older material. The group mashes death metal riffing with pure punk hostility to generate a totally unfriendly soundscape.

The audio mix stays incredibly rough and honors their basement show roots. A few songs bleed into each other because of the constant speed and identical arrangements. This similarity limits the final score slightly. Unearthly Rites fires off forty minutes of aggressive, anti-corporate metal for headbangers demanding loud, politically charged destruction.

Score: 7.0

https://www.svartrecords.com

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https://unearthlyrites.bandcamp.com

The Neptune Power Federation |Mondo Tomorrow |Cruz Del Sur Music

Release Date 10.04.2026
Format CD/LP/Digital
Genre Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Country Australia

The Neptune Power Federation crashed into the Australian scene back in 2012. They wanted to drag the killer 1968 to 1978 hard rock era kicking and screaming into the modern age. They smashed through underground clubs with a crazy run of releases, including "Mano A Satano", "Lucifer’s Universe", "Neath A Shin El Sun", "Memoirs Of A Rat Queen", "Le Demon De L’Amour" and "Goodnight My Children". The Imperial Priestess leads this pack of maniacs. Now the crew returns to tear things up with their seventh full-length strike.

"Mondo Tomorrow" plunges straight into a sick retro-futurist nightmare. The entire theme focuses on a dystopian world crushed under the boot of total technological control. The band ditches their usual historical tales for a pissed-off attack on modern digital decay. They inject a massive dose of feral punk rock energy into their classic heavy metal sound. The result sounds like a chaotic riot inside a sweaty basement venue.

Tracks like "Mondo Tomorrow", "Mind Controller" and "Cybernetic Times" attack the listener with wild guitar riffs. Search And DesTroy and Inverted CruciFox lay down a wall of sheer electric power. The Imperial Priestess wails into the microphone, spitting out soaring choruses alongside rough, down-in-the-dirt vocal lines. Jaytanic Ritual and River Sticks smash away on bass and drums, especially driving the madness forward on "Living In The Gutter" and "Rhapsody In Blue". The entire band simply goes wild.

The band tracked "Mondo Tomorrow" at the Pet Food Factory in Marrickville before handing it to Lachlan Mitchell for mixing. The final sonic attack sounds absolutely massive. A couple of moments drag slightly in the middle, stopping this from reaching absolute heavy metal perfection. Regardless of those minor flaws, the album kicks ass and demands serious headbanging. The Neptune Power Federation delivers a chaotic, heavy, old-school rock ride.

Score: 7.0

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com

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https://linktr.ee/tnpf

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L. A. Project |Space Fuzz |Ditto Records

Release Date February 9^th, 2026

Format Digital

Genre Stoner Rock

Country Portugal

Hailing from Portugal, L. A. Project has been kicking around the underground scene, chasing maximum distortion and massive volume. The lineup features Luis Amaro on guitar, Mauricio Palheta on vocals, Marco Toba handling bass duties, and Glenn Welman smashing the drum kit. They just unleashed a new EP titled "Space Fuzz", dropping four tracks of pure low-end worship. It is a straightforward trip into stoner rock territory, keeping things strictly focused on heavy grooves and loud amplifiers.

This release operates entirely on deafening noise and thick fuzz. The bass and guitar lock into a hypnotic, rolling rhythm, riding a warm wave of distortion. The guys drop down into a slowly grinding atmosphere, locking the rhythm section into a steady, vibrating pulse. Amaro provides walls of riffing, creating a giant sonic footprint over Welman's pounding drums. Palheta delivers vocals that sit right inside the music, giving the songs a laid-back, street-level attitude.

For this short release, Amaro took charge of the entire production, handling the mixing and mastering himself for the first time. The sound he captured is appropriately massive, keeping the bass frequencies buzzing and the guitars extremely wide. The songs focus on catchy, hook-heavy sections alternating with slower passages. Everything sounds rough around the edges in a good way, keeping the underground garage vibe intact. The runtime is brief, giving you a proper dose of fuzz before moving along.

"Space Fuzz" is a cool, distorted trip for anyone thirsty for some raw stoner riffs. L. A. Project delivered a respectable batch of tunes. It hits the right spots for fans of Black Sabbath, Crobot, and Mastodon who just want to turn up their speakers and break their necks headbanging.

Score: 7.0

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laprojectpt/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l.a.project2021/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@l.a.project1462

Bandcamp: https://laproject1.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/66IKDY2wYiU5MklkpZ8UMf

Sidebürns |Beer Füeled Bastard |Self Release

Release Date 10.04.2026
Format Digital
Genre Rock’n’Roll, Punk Rock, Heavy Rock
Country Germany

Sidebürns formed in Weimar, Germany in 2002. Over two decades, the trio played over 200 gigs, crashing stages at Party San Open Air and opening for Supersuckers, Thundermother, and V8wankers. Their 2019 album "Too Loud!" caught international attention across print magazines and radio stations. Now they return with the independent release of "Beer Füeled Bastard".

The music runs on high-octane fuel. Ralf Sideburn delivers raspy vocals and loud guitar distortion. Katja Baroness on bass and Ronny G. Hämmer on drums keep the rhythm extremely fast. The production is completely rough around the edges. Tracks like "All In" and "Not What Used To Be" feature the band tearing through the speakers with zero hesitation.

The overall sound is a high-speed collision of heavy metal riffing and basement punk. "Hit The Ground" and "Whiskey Driven Beer Fueled Bastard" speed down the highway aggressively. The tempo rarely shifts at all. A little variety in the song structures would improve the final grade. The constant fast pace causes some parts to blur together into one continuous noise.

Even with the similar speeds across the songs, Sidebürns delivers a fast and dirty collection of tunes for the underground crowd. "Beer Füeled Bastard" provides pure distorted guitars and screaming vocals. The upcoming April 2026 club tour will definitely feature these tracks prominently. These anthems are strictly meant for small sweaty rooms filled with headbangers.

Score: 7.0

https://sideburnsrock.com

https://www.facebook.com/sideburnsrock

https://www.instagram.com/sideburnsband

https://www.youtube.com/@sideburnsband

https://www.tiktok.com/@sidebrns

Animality |Third World Brutality |Self-release

Release Date January 23^rd, 2026
Format Digital, LP
Genre Extreme Death Metal
Country Nepal

Animality erupted from Nepal in 2017. They dropped their debut EP, "Animality Inherent", in 2018, establishing their primal extreme metal foundation. The trio pulls elements from death metal, grindcore, and thrash metal to translate the daily grind and unspoken societal horrors into an aggressive audio assault. Extreme music serves as their main outlet for throwing the harsh realities of everyday existence right back at the world.

"Third World Brutality" captures a specific era of hostility and frustration. The songs were forged several years ago and put to tape three years before seeing the light of day. The lyrics attack the normalization of societal violence, exposing an endless loop of misery. The words tear into war, mounting debt, systemic corruption, cultural pressure, and economic warfare, focusing entirely on how these forces destroy human autonomy and value across the Global South.

The music attacks with relentless, raw aggression. Darshan Angdembe Limbu unleashes ripping guitar riffs alongside vicious vocal roars, backed by a punishing rhythm section. Season Bajracharya pummels the bass lines, matching the destructive drumming of Suraj Nakarmi. Guest vocalist Omar Raja adds extra hostility across most of the album. The production from Audio Ecstasy Studio keeps the sound filthy and raw, giving the songs a genuinely savage and abrasive edge. Tracks like "Innocence Murdered" and "Global Arrogance" deliver straight-up auditory violence.

Animality delivers a hostile, furious album full of hatred for the modern world. The music stays fast, violent, and uncompromisingly angry. The band channels absolute disgust into their instruments, making "Third World Brutality" a seriously destructive listen for extreme metal maniacs. They strip away the bullshit and blast through the speakers with total hostility.

Score: 7.5

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Animality.band/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalitynepal/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z3ZWvWvRsA

Bandcamp: https://animality.bandcamp.com/album/third-world-brutality

LP Vinyl: https://elasticstage.com/animality/releases/third-world-brutality-album

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/third-world-brutality/1868700438

Lesotho |A Flashing On Plain Glass |Self-release

Release Date March 13^th, 2026
Format LP/CD/Digital
Genre Post-Metal, Instrumental
Country USA

Boston, Massachusetts post-metal trio Lesotho consists of guitarist Kyle Loffredo, bassist Cliff Cazeau, and drummer Dan DeLucia. They are gearing up to drop their third full-length album, "A Flashing On Plain Glass", following their 2023 release "Through The Dying Light". They tracked and mixed the new material at The Bridge Sound & Stage Music with Alex Allinson and handled mastering duties with Carl Saff at Saff Mastering. Thibault Landemaine handled the artwork.

Lesotho operates entirely on massive riffs and crushing rhythm sections. The five songs on "A Flashing On Plain Glass" deliver shifting movements of skull-crushing music. The sounds shift constantly, moving from emotional guitar melodies to gigantic walls of distortion. Loffredo rips towering guitar lines that crash into the thunderous, pounding drumming of DeLucia. Cazeau locks down the low end with a thick bass tone. The thirty-minute runtime presents a continuous wave of heavy volume.

You get a straight dose of heavy Boston metal. The guitars build up slowly and erupt into total sonic destruction. They plug straight into heavy fuzz pedals and massive amps to make a huge racket. The drumming is aggressive and punishing. Songs smash through the speakers with raw, untamed energy. The music paints a picture of a world falling apart and constantly changing.

The music drifts too long in certain sections. A few riffs drag out without much progression. The band loops the slower passages repeatedly before getting to the heavy climax. The thirty-minute runtime keeps these looping sections relatively short. "A Flashing On Plain Glass" delivers enough heavy moments to satisfy a metalhead looking for loud amps and maximum distortion.

Score: 7.8

https://linktr.ee/lesothoboston

https://lesotho.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/lesothoboston

https://www.instagram.com/lesothoboston

https://www.tiktok.com/@lesotho_boston

https://www.youtube.com/@lesothoboston

To The Max! |Two The Max! |Go Down Records

Release Date March 13^th, 2026
Format Vinyl/Digital
Genre Heavy Rock, Action Rock, Occult Rock
Country Italy

To The Max! formed in Verona, bringing together musicians with diverse musical backgrounds. Alessandro Marchi on drums and vocals, Nicola Marchi on guitar and vocals, and Mattia Fraccaroli on bass and backing vocals grew up playing everything from thrash and black metal to sleaze rock. This shared history led them to collaborate during the 2020 lockdowns. They recorded a demo in 2021 and started ripping up stages across Europe, playing venues like Le Brin De Zinc and festivals like Rock Camp. Following their 2022 debut "Midnight Tea", the trio kept writing new material. Now they drop their sophomore studio album, "Two The Max!", via Go Down Records.

"Two The Max!" unleashes ten tracks of loud rock and roll. The Italian trio jams together a wild mix of action rock, heavy riffs, and a groovy funk undercurrent. This album punches through the speakers with a raw punk attitude. The guitars fuzz and roar, the bass drives fast, and the drums keep a frantic pace. The songs drop a dark edge mixed with serious energy, pumping pure adrenaline the whole way through.

The guys play fast and loose, keeping the momentum going. "Apple Bite" and "Sunday Nite" bring absolute street-level swagger. The vocals rip over heavy distortion, giving the music a crazy garage-party atmosphere. They play straightforward tracks, ignoring bloated song structures. The mix stays loud and proud, putting the rumbling bass right alongside the buzzing guitars. Some of the grooves run together, keeping the final tally away from the absolute highest tier. The riffs still smash through the speakers in a highly satisfying way.

To The Max! delivers a fun, riff-heavy experience. "Two The Max!" is an absolute blast to play loud for the weekend. The trio brings serious heat, mixing sleaze, punk, and metal into a cool concoction. Fans into fuzz pedals and fast tempos will seriously dig this release. The band delivers a damn good time.

Score: 7.5

To The Max! - Official Website

To The Max - Band |Facebook

To The Max! - YouTube

To The Max! band | Go Down Records

More |Destructor |Warhead Music LLP

Release Date March 6^th, 2026
Format CD/Vinyl/Digital
Genre Heavy Metal, NWOBHM
Country United Kingdom

Formed in London back in 1979, More rose up during the classic wave of British heavy metal. They dropped "Warhead" in 1981 and "Blood And Thunder" in 1982, touring with heavyweights like Iron Maiden and hitting the stage at Monsters Of Rock. Decades rolled on, bringing lineup shifts and label friction, dragging the group through the mud. Now, with Mike Freeland on vocals, Peter Welsh on guitar, Baz Nicholls on bass, and Steve Rix on drums, they return swinging. "Destructor" is their third full-length album, dropping under their own Warhead Music LLP label.

The sonic attack of "Destructor" comes straight from the hands of the late Chris Tsangarides, marking his final production work before he passed away. He actually played guitar during these sessions, weaving his famous Vortex system into the massive riffs. The mixes sat rotting on a forgotten USB drive for years until the band rescued them, eventually handing the tracks to mastering engineer Maor Appelbaum in Los Angeles. The resulting sound is absolutely punishing, giving the guitars a serious metallic punch. The tones are huge, letting the drums crash with absolute aggression.

"Hearts On Fire" blasts open the gates with themes of fighting cancer and refusing to surrender. It delivers serious riffage, marching forward like a tank. Songs like "Rocquiem" and "Scream" follow up with ripping solos and pounding rhythms that demand some serious headbanging. There is no messing around here coz the vocals soar over the crashing cymbals, demanding full attention from anyone in the room. The guitar work shreds across the entire album, delivering face-melting speed and crushing grooves. Every riff smashes the listener squarely in the jaw.

More returns throwing heavy punches. They came back after forty years to deliver genuine heavy metal thunder. "Wolf Behind Your Eyes" and the title track "Destructor" tear through the speakers with pure adrenaline. This lineup channels the true spirit of underground metal. It rocks furiously, sounding gigantic and ruthless from the first second. The execution is lethal, proving these veterans still have absolute fire running through their veins.

Score: 8.0

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