Cruel Force |Haneda |Shadow Kingdom Records

Release Date March 27^th, 2026
Format CD/LP/Cassette
Genre Speed Metal
Country Germany

Cruel Force erupted out of Germany in 2008 playing ruthless black thrash. They dropped their debut demo and quickly became underground legends. Their first two full-length albums, "The Rise Of Satanic Might" and "Under The Sign Of The Moon", cemented their status among maniacs worldwide. The guys vanished into the shadows for a long time after that second attack. They finally woke up from their slumber in 2022 with the "Across The Styx" EP and completely destroyed everything in 2023 with "Dawn Of The Axe". Now they return on Shadow Kingdom Records for their fourth full-length strike.

"Haneda" takes the total speed metal destruction of their previous album and injects massive doses of epic mysticism. The early blackened days are mostly gone, replaced by a pure, lethal heavy metal assault. The guitars shred through blistering riffs and ripping solos, pushing the speed into the red zone. "Whips A Swinging" and "Sword Of Iron" deliver face-melting velocity mixed with massive, epic melodies. These guys play like absolute maniacs. They merge pure thrashing rage with colossal, grand scale heavy metal majesty.

The sound on "Haneda" completely rules. The production is gigantic and totally natural, capturing the essence of the glorious eighties. The drums explode like artillery fire, and the guitars maintain a savage, ripping distortion. The music drags you across ancient temples, dead deserts, and frozen mountains. "Crystal Skull" and "Savage Gods" deliver intense mystical atmospheres. Everything sounds organic, massive, and entirely genuine.

Cruel Force totally annihilates with this release. The songs are fast, vicious, and insanely memorable. "Titan's Awakening" and the massive title track "Haneda" prove these warriors operate on an absolute elite level. They fuse lethal thrash metal speed with towering traditional metal glory. This album requires maximum volume and demands total worship. "Haneda" is an absolute triumph of heavy metal destruction.

Score: 9.0

www.facebook.com/cruelforce

www.shadowkingdomrecords.com

www.facebook.com/shadowkingdomrecords

Wazzara |Arbor |Self-release

Release Date February 13^th, 2026
Format Full-length
Genre Atmospheric Black/Doom Metal, Blackgaze
Country Switzerland

Wazzara started burning their path in 2015 as the solo project of Swiss singer and composer Barbara Brawand. After dropping the "Zessa" EP in 2019, the lineup expanded. George Necola brought his low-end rumbling and production skills to the fold in 2020. They gathered a full live crew and spent the next few years spreading their chaotic, hypnotic noise across stages. Now we get "Arbor", their fourth release and an absolute collision of atmospheric black metal, crushing doom, and massive blackgaze walls of sound. This release summons ancient forces, bringing out untamed aggression masked in sheer beauty.

The musicianship on "Arbor" rips through the speakers with serious hostility, fusing absolute darkness with strange, ethereal beauty. We get heavy, dragging doom riffs crashing into vast, echoing tremolo picking. Andrei Jumuga sits behind the kit to provide a massive rhythmic foundation, blasting through the fast sections and slowing down to a monstrous, agonizing crawl when required. The guitar work from Tom Kuzmic and Masi Stettler shreds out huge, melancholic melodies that drift above the crushing rhythm section. The production job gives the harsh elements plenty of teeth to rip your face off, ensuring the massive soundscapes echo straight into the void.

Barbara’s vocal delivery dictates the entire massacre, echoing like ancient spirits rising from the dirt. She switches between haunting, spectral singing and absolutely vicious shrieks, anchoring the extreme shifts happening in the music. Tracks like "9 Confines" and "Nova" display this dynamic assault, hitting you with pure aggression before pulling back into huge, sorrowful valleys of sound. The band even dragged an older song, "Zessa (Reborn)", into the studio to give it a massive overhaul, completely thrashing the 2019 version and bringing it up to their current, devastating standard.

This album delivers a serious, heavy beating layered with beautiful, agonizing melancholy. The score reflects the killer riffs and crushing atmospheres all over the place, even if a couple of the transitions between the black metal blasting and the slow doom sections drag on a fraction too long. It is a massive, bone-crushing release that truly holds up under maximum volume. Wazzara forged an alloy of sheer, untamed aggression and soaring melodies for extreme metal maniacs who want their eardrums annihilated.

Score: 7.8

www.wazzara.com

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www.instagram.com/wazzara_official

www.wazzara.bandcamp.com

www.youtube.com/@wazzara

Stung |Whispering |Self-Release

Release Date October 4^th, 2025
Format Digital
Genre Thrash Metal / Hardcore / Crossover
Country Belgium

Stung operates out of the Turnhout region in Belgium, bringing an intense mix of thrash, hardcore and crossover. The four guys in the lineup are veterans of the extreme metal scene, having spent years in bands like Leave Scars, Meantime and Soultaker. They have previously destroyed stages at major festivals including Wacken, Graspop and Metaldays. Since forming, they have gigged heavily across local venues and festivals, tearing up the stage next to Channel Zero, Kill The Logo and Bark. They even recruited Joey Zampella from Life Of Agony to mix their previous singles "Follow" and "C.O.C", securing serious professional backing for their noise.

Now they drop "Whispering", an independent release of pure aggression. The guitars rip through the speakers with fast, aggressive riffing that owes a lot to classic thrash metal speed and hardcore punk fury. The vocals are rough and angry, shouting over relentless drum beats and rumbling bass lines. Stung plays music designed for the mosh pit, ignoring modern trends in favor of loud, furious playing. The production delivers an abrasive noise, making sure the guitars and drums punch right through the speakers.

The songs on "Whispering" deliver what a crossover thrash fan expects. Fast tempos keep the energy high and the breakdowns are heavy enough to get heads banging violently. The band executes their style well, driven by their years of experience in the underground scene. Some riffs run into each other, and the songwriting formula stays very rigid across the runtime. They stick to a specific lane of heavy music, leading to a couple of predictable moments.

Those minor flaws aside, "Whispering" provides a genuinely entertaining listening session for anyone into aggressive metal. Stung brings real anger to their music, relying on fast guitars and barking vocals to get their point across. They deliver a reliable dose of extreme music, supported by heavy touring and stage experience. It is a highly respectable release from a group of Belgian metalheads who live for this style of music.

Score: 7.5

https://www.facebook.com/StunGBookings

Witching Hour |Rise Of The Desecrated |Dying Victims Productions (Reissue)

Release Date March 27^th, 2026
Format Vinyl LP
Genre Blackened Thrash Metal
Country Germany

Witching Hour comes from Saarland, Germany, bringing pure black thrashing madness. Back in 2009, Marco Justinger handled bass duties, Sascha Bastian destroyed the guitars, Jan Hirtz screamed the vocals and added more guitars, and Simon Wender smashed the drums. This line-up created "Rise Of The Desecrated", their debut album full of juvenile enthusiasm for raw and evil thrash metal. Dying Victims Productions finally licensed this mayhem from Evil Spell Records to give us a proper vinyl LP release.

This album throws straight-up Teutonic thrash metal right into your skull. The speed is relentless. Hirtz shreds his vocal cords with absolute aggression. The guitars rip through the speakers with ungodly velocity, tearing everything apart. Wender batters his drums mercilessly, pushing the music forward with insane energy. The production stays entirely raw, delivering the music with maximum hostility.

The riffing cuts like a rusty chainsaw. The bass lines rumble constantly under the distorted guitars, adding a thick layer of filth. The solos explode out of nowhere, tearing up the rhythm section into shreds. Witching Hour delivers fast tempos and aggressive metallic chaos consistently. You headbang until your neck snaps. The whole album bleeds pure thrash metal energy.

"Rise Of The Desecrated" delivers excellent thrashing madness. It is a highly entertaining release for anyone who lives for fast and evil music. You spin this LP and destroy your living room. The riffs rule, the attitude is perfectly aggressive. A very strong blast of Teutonic thrash that gets the job done.

Score: 7.5

https://witchinghourthrash.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WitchingHourThrash/#

https://www.instagram.com/witchinghourthrash

Cnoc An Tursa |A Cry For The Slain |Apocalyptic Witchcraft

Release Date April 24^th, 2026

Format CD/Digital/Vinyl

Genre Black/Folk Metal

Country Scotland

Cnoc An Tursa bled into existence in Scotland, forging vicious black metal out of the brutal folklore of their homeland. Formed to channel the bloody historic battles and ancient myths of the highlands, the band established themselves as a towering force in the underground. Eight agonizingly long years of silence have passed since "The Forty Five", leaving fans screaming for a follow-up. Now, Alan Buchan, Rene McDonald Hill, and Bryan Hamilton return to the frontline. They unleash "A Cry For The Slain" through Apocalyptic Witchcraft, stepping back into the fray with intense aggression and massive traditional melodies. The excruciating wait comes to a brutal end.

"A Cry For The Slain" attacks with a furious storm of extreme metal and grand, mountainous harmonies. The guitars rip through the air, weaving sorrow and defiance into massive riffs. "Na Fir Ghorma" opens the door, unleashing the mourning banshees and chilling legends of "The Caoineag". Cnoc An Tursa delivers sweeping odes to winter goddesses and bloodthirsty entities, creating a vast landscape of sound. Massive solos and driving rhythms thunder across "Cailleach And The Guardians Of The Seven Stones" and "Baobhan Sith". You get dragged straight into the treacherous mountain passes of the Cairngorms.

"Alba In My Heart" drives a massive spike of allegiance into the ground. A raised fist of devotion to Scotland, the song unleashes roaring vocals and rolling, thunderous drums. "Am Fear Liath Mòr" drops immense, giant-stepping aggression right on your skull, while "Address To The Devil" spews dark, epic poetry. The guitars tumble down like freezing mountain streams, ripping through the speakers. The mastering by Jaime Gomez Arellano makes the audio absolutely massive. The sound smashes the ears with extreme force, ensuring the drums, riffs, and vocals crush everything in their path. The harrowing artwork by Olga Kann provides a fitting visual for the savage music inside.

This album stands as a towering monument of highland extreme metal. "A Cry For The Slain" delivers pure, unadulterated aggression fused with majestic sorrow. By the time "The Nine Maidens Of Dundee" closes the siege, Cnoc An Tursa prove they absolutely rule this domain. The riffs are deadly, the drums are merciless, and the vocals tear through the sky. A fierce, highly impressive return.

Score: 8.5

https://www.facebook.com/cnocantursa/

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/apocalypticwitchcraftrecordings

Mystfall |Embers Of A Dying World |Scarlet Records

Release Date March 20^th, 2026
Format CD
Genre Symphonic Metal
Country Greece

Mystfall formed in Greece to blast out gigantic symphonic metal. The band returns with their second full-length album, "Embers Of A Dying World". Marialena Trikoglou handles the soprano vocals, joined by Aris Baris on guitar, Stelios Vrotsakis on bass and vocals, and Dimitris Miglis on drums. The quartet constructs huge cinematic soundscapes layered over crushing metal instrumentation.

"Embers Of A Dying World" paints a bleak picture of a totally ruined planet. The songs plunge into an alternate dimension where nightmares rip into human survival. The lyrics drag the listener through the brutal aftermath of humanity wrecking the earth. The album asks if any organic life will survive the apocalypse we unleashed.

The music balances extreme orchestral madness and shredding guitars. Aris Baris lays down destructive riffs under the operatic singing. Dimitris Miglis and Stelios Vrotsakis hammer out a steady, thunderous rhythm section throughout the entire playtime. Producer Dionisis Christodoulatos ensures the mix sounds huge and punishing at CFN Recordings Studios.

The stunning cover art by Giannis Nakos visualizes the ruined world perfectly. Symphonic metal requires epic scope, and Mystfall delivers huge scale. The Greek quartet executes their dark vision with total aggression. Fans of huge choirs and heavy riffs will completely devour "Embers Of A Dying World". This second album rules.

Score: 8.0

https://www.facebook.com/mystfallofficial

https://www.instagram.com/mystfall_official

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdbkT5nTLTfoLQ491BYGiPA

Funelore |The Dissolution Of Consciousness |Me Saco Un Ojo Records

Release Date March 27^th, 2026
Format 12" Vinyl EP
Genre Death/Doom Metal
Country Canada

Funelore hail from Canada, rising from the frozen earth to drop their debut EP, "The Dissolution Of Consciousness". Unleashed through Me Saco Un Ojo Records, this short burst of doomed death metal channels pure auditory agony. The duo of songs runs just under twenty minutes, serving up a morbid dose of darkness. These guys are diving straight into the abyss, combining crushing extremity with ghostly atmospherics.

The sound is a suffocating crawl through a desolate graveyard. Guitars drag along the floor like rusted iron chains, matched by drums that pound with a relentless, punishing strike. The vocals are absolutely monstrous, rising from the deepest pits to pair with eerie, phantom-like synthesizers. This blend creates a funereal atmosphere, wrapping everything in pitch-black shadows from the very first second. The music induces a hypnotic, morbid trance.

The production is coated in ash, keeping everything completely raw. Every instrument crushes down heavily on your chest, simulating the act of inhaling toxic smoke into collapsing lungs. The mix ensures the destructive force of the music stays front and center at all times. "Tides In Agony" and "Dissolution Of Consciousness" are massive, lumbering beasts that drag you straight into an ethereal nightmare.

At roughly eighteen minutes, this EP is a brief dive into total misery. The sonic hostility strips the soul bare, leaving a trail of absolute ruin. The sheer devastation packed into this short timeframe proves Funelore is a genuinely destructive entity. It is a terrifying, cinematic experience wrapped in rotting flesh. The execution is purely agonizing, a brutal offering for maniacs demanding rotting doom.

Score: 7.5

https://www.instagram.com/funelore.doom/

www.funelore.bandcamp.com

www.mesacounojo.com

www.mesacounojo.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/mesacounojo

Hela |A Reign To Conquer |Ardua Music

Release Date February 27^th, 2026
Format CD/Digital/Vinyl
Genre Melodic Doom Metal
Country Spain

Taking their name from the Norse goddess of death, Hela emerged from Elche, Spain in 2012 and slowly carved their name into the doom underground with patience and stubborn dedication. Their debut album, "Broken Cross", caught attention quickly enough to land a vinyl release through Svart Records, while later works "Death May Die" and "Vegvísir" showed a band refining its melancholic identity without chasing whatever trend happened to be fashionable that week. Years passed, the world shut down, life shifted around them, and silence followed. Now they return with "A Reign To Conquer", introducing vocalist Raquel Navarro and stepping forward with renewed energy and a deeper emotional current.

The album lives in that shadowy territory where melodic doom breathes slowly and every chord carries a heavy emotional pull. Hela focus on atmosphere and long, expressive melodies rather than brute heaviness. Guitars drift between somber weight and elegant lead lines, painting wide melancholic landscapes while the rhythm section keeps things grounded in a steady march. It is doom metal that looks inward, patient and reflective, letting the emotional tone unfold naturally rather than forcing drama at every turn.

Raquel Navarro proves to be a strong addition. Her voice floats above the music with a calm, almost dreamlike quality that softens the darker edges without diluting them. The contrast between her airy delivery and the thick guitar work gives the songs a bittersweet character, sometimes haunting, sometimes quietly uplifting. The band clearly understands the value of space and pacing, allowing melodies to develop instead of rushing through them. When the guitars rise into more dramatic passages, the payoff lands in a satisfying way because the groundwork has already been laid.

"A Reign To Conquer" is not a reckless or aggressive album. It is measured, emotional, and occasionally hypnotic, built for listeners who appreciate patience in doom metal. Some stretches drift a bit longer than they need to and a stronger punch in a few moments would have pushed the impact further. Still, the songwriting remains thoughtful and the atmosphere holds together well across the album, giving the whole journey a coherent emotional thread.

In the end, Hela returns with an album that shows maturity and careful craft. It carries sorrow, beauty, and quiet power in equal measure, delivered through melodic doom that values emotion over brute force. "A Reign To Conquer" might not overwhelm immediately, but it grows stronger the longer you stay inside its dimly lit world.

Score: 7.5

https://www.helaband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Helaband/

https://www.arduamusic.com/

https://www.tormorecords.com/en/

From The Shallows |Beyond The Unknown | Tribunal Records (Reissue)

Release Date December 19^th, 2025
Format CD
Genre Metalcore, Deathcore
Country United States

Toledo, Ohio bred From The Shallows in the mid-2000s, throwing them right into the violent metallic hardcore explosion. Coming from a state known for breeding brutal music, these dudes took notes from the local hardcore scene and smashed those sounds together with extreme metal. Their 2007 debut album, "Beyond The Unknown", had them wrecking stages alongside Suicide Silence and Job For A Cowboy. Tribunal Records dragged this album out of the grave for a limited CD run, completely remastered with vicious new artwork and some old demo tracks thrown in for good measure.

Diving into the actual tunes, "Beyond The Unknown" is a non-stop barrage of hostile metalcore. The guitars tear through furious melodic thrash riffs before dropping into earth-shattering breakdowns. You get wild, shredding solos thrown over top of a mechanized rhythmic assault. Jamie King took the original Joey Sturgis production and gave it a massive steroid injection. The drums explode out of the speakers, making the entire album sound significantly more punishing than the old 2007 version.

Blasting tracks like "Battle Axe" and "Dead Bolted Hell", the vibe is completely savage. From The Shallows uses a relentless attack of double bass drumming and demonic vocals to crush the listener. They supply the precise type of mosh-pit violence that dominated the underground two decades ago. Throwing in the 2004 and 2006 demo versions of "Ice Box" and "The Chalice Of Mankind" reveals the rough origins of the band. These extra cuts are an awesome bonus for collectors craving the most primitive versions of the songs.

This reissue is an absolute ripper for anyone looking for old-school deathcore violence. The music constantly attacks with aggressive, technically demanding riffs. Everything about this package kicks ass, giving an overlooked underground gem a lethal sonic upgrade. It is highly recommended if you crave fast, bruising metal.

Score: 7.5

https://www.facebook.com/tribunalrecords

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https://www.youtube.com/user/TribunalRecords

Heartscarved |...And Tomorrow We Escape |Tribunal Records (Reissue/Remix)

Release Date January 30^th, 2026
Format CD (Deluxe Edition, Limited to 300 copies)
Genre Melodic Metalcore
Country United States

Heartscarved crashed onto the scene during the initial explosion of metallic hardcore at the dawn of the millennium. Operating in the same aggressive underground circuits as Prayer For Cleansing and Undying, they burned their name into the underground with a frantic, heavy attack. They delivered their hostility right when the scene started merging extreme metal riffs with chaotic breakdowns. "...And Tomorrow We Escape" initially dropped in 2001 as a raw documentation of that era. Now, Tribunal Records has resurrected this obscure artifact.

This deluxe edition gives a massive sonic upgrade to the old tracks. Jamie King Audio took the original tapes and completely remixed the primary songs. The guitars and drums smash through the speakers. The riffs in "Flames Of Creation" and "God Complex" rip with a destructive metallic edge. The harsh vocals tear through the noise, backed by relentless percussion. It is an aggressive, straightforward assault. The new mix clears up the old audio limitations, revealing the raw hostility the band possessed back in the day.

Beyond the 2024 remix, this disc packs in the original 2001 audio, newly remastered for the diehards. Listeners get to hear "Subsiding The Floods Of Indifference" just as it sounded decades ago, alongside the tracks from the "Epilogue" EP. Adding songs like "Patrick Bateman" and "Avondale" makes this a comprehensive collection of the band's output. The physical CD comes packed with a sixteen-page booklet, complete with lyrics and a reimagined layout based on the original photography.

"...And Tomorrow We Escape" delivers a ruthless brand of heavy music. The songwriting occasionally trips over its own chaotic ambitions. A few transitions between the blistering thrash riffs and the heavy breakdowns come off as abrupt. These minor structural flaws do not stop the music from pummeling the listener. The aggression keeps the momentum going until the very end. Fans of As Hope Dies, Balmora, Azshara, and Day Of Suffering will devour these vicious tracks.

Score: 7.0

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