Tailgunner |Midnight Blitz |Napalm Records

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

Tailgunner blasted into the heavy metal landscape in 2022, instantly turning heads with their huge classic sound. Now, the United Kingdom crew returns with heavy metal legend K.K. Downing producing their sophomore attack. Featuring Craig Cairns on vocals, Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson destroying the guitars, Bones on bass, and Eddie Mariotti smashing the drums, they deliver "Midnight Blitz". The absolute best album of the year is here, right now. These lunatics are the next huge thing in heavy metal, playing pure anthemic heavy metal. The metal masses better stop walking around with their eyes completely shut and pay attention to them this time.

"Midnight Blitz" unleashes total sonic destruction. The twin-guitar onslaught from Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson rips through the speakers with insane speed and total precision. They trade blistering solos and lay down thrash-infused riffs that demand a violent mosh pit. Craig Cairns screams over the madness with insane range, delivering huge choruses that drill straight into your skull. Tracks like "Tears In Rain" and "Blood Sacrifice" explode out of the gate, armed with insane melodies that stick instantly. The production from K.K. Downing is loud and aggressive, letting the sheer power of the instruments do the talking.

The rhythm section crushes absolutely everything in its path. Bones and Eddie Mariotti drive "Dead Until Dark" and "Follow Me In Death" with aggressive speed. "Barren Lands & Seas Of Red" throws massive, neck-breaking riffs into the fire. "War In Heaven" slows things down, bringing in Adam Wakeman on synths for an epic, haunting atmosphere that gives you serious goosebumps. Then, "Night Raids" and "Eye Of The Storm" throw you right back into the madness. The entire album runs on pure adrenaline, delivering the absolute chaos headbangers crave.

"Eulogy" wraps up the massacre with epic orchestration before detonating into blistering speed metal fire. Tailgunner completely destroys the competition with "Midnight Blitz". They throw down the gauntlet and claim their spot at the top of the mountain. This is an absolute masterclass in heavy metal destruction. Get ready to bang your head until you break your neck.

Score: 9.5

https://www.facebook.com/tailgunnerhq

https://www.instagram.com/tailgunnerhq

https://tailgunner.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-blitz

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeTii4Epd2sNlw0AI7lIWZw

Schatten Muse |Zömeterium |𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

Release Date December 21^st , 2025
Format Digital/CD
Genre Darkwave, Gothic, Neue Deutsche Todeskunst
Country Germany, Greece

Schatten Muse is a duo operating out of Germany and Greece, dragging the 1980s and 1990s gothic underground kicking and screaming into the present. Sylvia Fürst handles the vocals and lyrics, and Shelmerdine takes care of the instruments and production at Fleurs Du Mal Studios. Their third full-length album on Gladivs Records is "Zömeterium". The title translates to an ancient Christian tomb or catacomb, an appropriate name for a resting place for the dead.

The music relies entirely on a dark, romantic foundation. Funeral-style keyboards dictate the sluggish rhythm across the tracks. Electronic arrangements add weird, unnatural textures in the background. Sylvia delivers a highly dramatic, spoken-word vocal performance. Her delivery borders on pure madness and frailty. The slow pacing mimics a literal funeral march. The entire release drips with existential dread and deep regret.

Songs like "Dornenhain" and "Totenreigen" drag the listener straight into a bizarre, dreamlike graveyard. The production keeps the electronic elements cold and completely distant. The synths blend to create an atmosphere of depressive decay. Shelmerdine constructs a very specific aesthetic of finitude and death. The music requires a specific mindset to appreciate the heavy poetry and declamatory singing style. It remains a deeply acquired taste for anyone outside the strict boundaries of this specific gothic subculture.

Schatten Muse channels pure strangeness and the uncanny throughout "Zömeterium". The music heavily references the classic fantastic tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann. The final product translates into a mesmerizing walk through a fatal slumber. The duo paints a bleak picture of isolation and existential weirdness. Listeners willing to step across the threshold into these enigmatic shadows receive a truly dark, morbid nightmare.

Score: 7.0

Evig Natt |Vaketimen |Wormholedeath Records

Release Date February 20^th, 2026
Format CD/Digital
Genre Gothic/Doom Metal
Country Norway

Evig Natt originated as a studio project in the freezing ruins of Karmøy, Norway, in 2003. Founded by vocalist Kirsten Jørgensen and bassist Stein Sund, the group mutated into a massive beast rooted in orchestral gothic doom metal. Dragging along the DNA of the local extreme scene with ex-members of Einherjer and Enslaved, these maniacs unleashed their debut album "I Am Silence" in 2007. They swelled their ranks, throwing deeper growls and twin guitars into the fire for "Darkland" in 2010. Following a sick self-titled assault in 2016, the horde raided venues across Belgium and Japan. Now, chained to Wormholedeath Records, they return to drag us straight to hell with "Vaketimen".

"Vaketimen" unleashes a grim storm of aggression and pure sorrow. The music crashes down, smashing massive symphonic arrangements into harsh extreme metal. Stein Sund rips his vocal cords apart with punishing death growls right alongside Kirsten Jørgensen’s soaring, operatic melodies. Arne Marton Tangjerd and Ruben Osnes unleash a crushing dual-guitar assault. The riffing drags the listener across frozen, barren soundscapes. Session drummer Tom Andre Enge pounds the kit relentlessly, anchoring the entire assault.

The extreme collision between the symphonic orchestration and the harsh metal foundation works damn well most of the time. Evig Natt builds massive walls of sound and immediately tears them down with aggressive blast beats. The guitar work provides a constant barrage of skull-crushing chords. Occasionally, the transitions between the aggressive extreme metal sections and the sweeping gothic melodies become jarring. The pacing dips a fraction during the longer stretches, dragging the momentum down just a tiny bit.

Evig Natt understands their sinister craft inside and out after two decades in the trenches. "Vaketimen" delivers a massive dose of despair and fury straight to the skull. The orchestration amplifies the sorrow, creating a freezing and desolate atmosphere. Fans of extreme symphonic metal will violently break their necks to this release. The album takes a proud spot among modern extreme metal offerings.

Score: 7.8

Evig Natt:

Bandcamp: evignatt.bandcamp.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/evignattofficial

Instagram: www.instagram.com/evignatt_official

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/EvigNatt1

Desert Collider |Generation Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity |Small Stone Recordings

Release Date March 6^th, 2026
Format CD/Digital/Vinyl
Genre Psychedelic Desert Rock, Stoner Rock
Country Italy

Desert Collider crawled out of Italy to dump their filthy fuzz pedals onto the world. These guys worship at the altar of early '90s desert rock, mixing thick stoner riffs with progressive rock and trippy psychedelic space noises. The band holed up in Stone Bridge Studios with producer Andrea Cola and got Karl Daniel Lidén to handle the mastering duties for their debut full-length, "Generation Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity". The album operates as a sci-fi descent inspired by classic literature about losing your mind entirely in the cosmic void.

The guitars on this album kick up tons of toxic desert dust. The band plugs in and blasts out massive, fuzzy riffs tuned way down to rattle your skull. The bass lines rumble constantly underneath spacey synthesizer sounds and crashing drum beats. Tracks like "Floating Space Hand" and "Sonic Carver" pump out huge grooves straight out of a sweaty underground garage party. The production gives the instruments a raw, untamed crunch, giving the whole attack a massive, headbanging energy. You hear plenty of Kyuss and Monster Magnet worship bleeding through the speakers.

Playing strictly by the old-school stoner rules has a downside. Sometimes the fuzzy jamming drags out longer than necessary. When you spin "Orphans Of The Sky Part I: Generation Ship" and "Nomads Of The Red Sun", the music circles the same dusty territory a few times too many. They throw in acoustic guitars and weird synth noises to change the scenery. This cosmic storytelling works fine to keep you interested, even when the main riffs sound a little familiar. It is a loud, fuzzy ride, just maybe one you have taken before.

Desert Collider constructed a loud, monstrous spaceship with "Generation Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity". The heavy guitars, crashing drums, and sci-fi themes result in a cool spin for anyone obsessed with loud stoner music. They bring plenty of distortion and weird cosmic soundscapes to keep your head nodding. Turn the volume all the way up, catch the fuzz waves, and drift off into the starry blackness.

Score: 7.0

https://www.facebook.com/DesertCollider

https://www.instagram.com/desertcollider

https://www.smallstone.com

https://www.facebook.com/smallstonerecords

https://www.instagram.com/smallstonerecords

https://x.com/SSRecordings

Exodus |Goliath |Napalm Records

Release Date March 20^th, 2026
Format CD/LP/Digital
Genre Thrash Metal
Country United States

Exodus formed in the San Francisco Bay Area and helped birth the entire thrash metal movement back in the early eighties. Decades later, the veterans are still tearing heads off and surviving changing trends. For "Goliath", Rob Dukes is back on the microphone, teaming up with Gary Holt, Lee Altus, Jack Gibson, and Tom Hunting. It is an awesome reunion for those who remember his punishing vocal run. They tapped Mark Lewis for production duties, making their jump to Napalm Records a huge metallic event.

I have seen plenty of fans complaining online because "Goliath" drops the constant light-speed aggression. We all worship violent circle pits and non-stop thrashing speed. Only a maniac expects every single album to just be endless neck-breaking tempos. Exodus stepped into a heavier, technical enough, and strictly groove-driven territory this time around, and they made the completely right call. You get serious musicianship and skull-crushing mid-tempo rhythms giving the songs a massive, destructive punch.

"Hostis Humani Generis" brings out the absolute beast in Rob Dukes. His screams cut through the chaotic riffs blasted by Gary Holt and Lee Altus. When you get to "The Changing Me", the guys throw in intense dual guitar work and bring in Peter Tägtgren for extra vocal insanity. The title track, "Goliath", slows things down into a total doom-laden crawl, using pounding drums and eerie strings from Katie Jacoby to build pure menace. "Violence Works" and "2 Minutes Hate" supply a lethal dose of rhythmic rage, seeing Tom Hunting and Jack Gibson destroy everything in their path.

"Summon Of The God Unknown" drags you through twisted melodies and punishing heavy metal darkness. Then "The Dirtiest Of The Dozen" finishes the entire siege with wild dueling solos, crazy bass lines, and insane drum patterns. The guys just unleash everything they have left in the tank. Mark Lewis gave the whole thing an absolutely massive sonic treatment, making every riff sound huge and deadly. Exodus is four decades deep into their career, and they are still out there crushing skulls, taking names, and refusing to play it safe.

Score: 8.0

https://www.facebook.com/exodusattack

https://www.instagram.com/exodusbandofficial/

https://exodusattack.com/site/

https://exodus.bandcamp.com/album/goliath

https://www.youtube.com/c/exodusattack

Gus Drax |Theories Of Imperfection |Theogonia Records

Release Date April 3^rd, 2026
Format CD/12″ Vinyl/Digital
Genre Progressive Metal (Instrumental)
Country Greece

Gus Drax spent the last decade tearing up stages globally as the lead six-stringer for thrash maniacs Suicidal Angels. Before that relentless touring cycle, the Greek guitar phenomenon carved out his name with UK prog-metallers Biomechanical and his own heavy outfit, Sunburst. He built an international reputation, delivering blistering speed and face-melting technicality. Now, he returns to his solo roots via Theogonia Records to unleash his second full-length monster, "Theories Of Imperfection".

To execute this instrumental prog metal assault, Gus Drax assembled an elite death squad of musicians. Bringing in George Kollias to demolish the drum kit, George Charalampidis to annihilate the bass frequencies, and Bob Katsionis to command the keyboards elevates the entire project to absolute mastery. Gathering such a formidable roster of world-class metal veterans guarantees flawless precision and supreme technical dominance. Every musician fires on all cylinders, turning insane time signatures and massive grooves into a masterclass of progressive destruction.

The sheer velocity and emotional aggression injected into "Sentio Ergo Sum" and "Nocturnal Waltz" will immediately snap your neck. The monstrous riffing continues across the wild shredding of "Sombrero Attack" and the soaring horizons of "Ethereal Horizon". Bringing in guest heavyweights like Andy James for a massive guitar duel on "Cosmic Shadow" adds pure firepower to the arsenal. The inclusion of John Koutselinis for sweeping orchestrations and Lefteris Pouliou dropping wild saxophone lines turns these tracks into massive sonic explosions. Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio (best choice) engineered the mix and master into a crushing auditory weapon, delivering massive low-end punch and screaming highs.

Remedy Art Design delivered a visual nightmare of chaotic beauty for the cover art. The surreal imagery and explosive colors perfectly mirror the insane guitar acrobatics and heavy onslaught found inside. "Theories Of Imperfection" reigns as a towering monument of progressive metal superiority. Gus Drax proves he remains one of the most lethal guitarists in the metal scene today, delivering massive riffs, chaotic speed, and unyielding metal fury.

Score: 9.0

https://www.facebook.com/gusdraxofficial

https://www.instagram.com/gusdraxofficial/

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

Vanir |Wyrd |Mighty Music

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

Vanir has been churning out their own brand of history-infused melodic death metal from Denmark for well over a decade. They merge heavy, crushing riffage with massive tales of ancient battles, myth, and destiny. They have steadily built up their arsenal as one of the prominent extreme acts in their homeland, constantly charging onto sonic battlefields with swords drawn and shields battered. Now they are back to wage war once more with their newest assault, "Wyrd".

The newest album, "Wyrd", dumps listeners straight into the trenches of humanity's bloodiest conflicts and the unyielding grip of fate. We get a massive history lesson focused on warfare and destruction. The visual representation on the cover art by David Troest features the legendary Winged Hussars during the 1683 Battle of Vienna. The music perfectly matches that scene of charging cavalry and clashing steel. Tracks like "Never Surrender" and "Boudica" unleash a relentless assault of driving guitars and thunderous drums, mirroring the chaos of those ancient battlegrounds. Vanir delivers pure aggression mixed with huge epic melodies.

Martin Drageholm growls through the chaos with total ferocity, leading the troops over the dual guitar attack of Kirk Backarach and Lasse Heiberg. The riffs are colossal, driving the narrative of fallen warriors and hard-fought victories. Demigod Recordings handled the mixing and mastering, and the final sound is massive. Everything is dialed in perfectly, giving the drums of Jon Elmquist Schmidt a colossal punch alongside Mikael Christensen on bass. Stefan Dujardin weaves his keyboards through the madness, adding epic atmosphere to the destructive riffs.

This album simply kicks a massive amount of ass. Vanir delivers supreme melodic death metal tailored for massive mosh pits and headbanging sessions. The crushing intensity combined with victorious melodies makes "Wyrd" a formidable release in their catalog. The band brings pure fire and heavy metal thunder. They unleash what a fan of historical war metal wants to hear, leaving total devastation in their wake.

Score: 8.0

https://www.facebook.com/Vanirband

https://www.instagram.com/vanirdenmark/

https://vanir.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjjLRXN2ECP7fe0GSJ8eNZg

Rats Will Feast |An Evocation |Time To Kill Records

Release Date 03.04.2026
Format LP/CD/MC/Digital
Genre Experimental Hardcore
Country Finland

Rats Will Feast is an experimental hardcore outfit from Jyväskylä, Finland, crafting a musical landscape of extreme aggression, unyielding emotion and hallucinatory chaos. Active in its current form since 2018, the band has built a reputation for intense live performances and innovative sound. The bands earlier releases “Scarcity” (LP, 2019), "Songs Of A Racehorse" (EP, 2020), and "Malady" (2021) move fluidly between crushing hardcore and noisy psychedelia, occasionally dwelling in more mellow post-rock atmospheres. Their 2024 album "Hellhole" pushed the band’s signature sound to its extremes, delving further into destructive chaos, aggression and desolation. Rats Will Feast’s forthcoming release, "An Evocation" EP continues their evolution, standing as their most focused and defined musical expression and proving that the band shows no signs of slowing down.

Rats Will Feast drops "An Evocation" into the pit, bringing ten years of noise into a short burst of hardcore violence. The Finnish crew merges harsh screaming with jarring melodic sections, creating an atmosphere of sheer hostility. The riffing on "Frail Bones" and "Smartless" attacks the listener head-on, delivering erratic speed and relentless distortion. The slower parts offer gloomy, quiet moments, immediately followed by total aural destruction. The execution is definitely savage, providing an abrasive listening experience for maniacs seeking chaotic noise.

The music works fine for a brief burst of aggression. The transitions between tranquil segments and chaotic breakdowns occasionally disjoint the overall listening experience. "First Snow" tricks the ear with quiet strumming before the storm hits, leading into the massive auditory beating of "Observer" and the title track, "An Evocation". The constant shifting between extreme noise and melodic downtime gives the release a split personality. Sometimes the collision of sounds delivers a satisfying punch. Other times the sudden changes derail the momentum. It amounts to an adequately vicious collection of raging tracks.

Lyrically, the words explore human struggles and the harsh realities of everyday survival. The themes examine resentment and acceptance, looking for a safe harbor away from modern society's constant turmoil. Pouring these frustrations into a screaming microphone serves as a coping mechanism, turning raw pain into a physical sonic assault. "An Evocation" supplies enough hostile energy to satisfy regular listeners of dissonant hardcore. The chaotic mixture gets the job done for a quick spin, resulting in an acceptable dose of audio violence.

Score: 6.5

https://www.facebook.com/ratswillfeastband

https://ratswillfeast.bandcamp.com/album/an-evocation

https://www.instagram.com/ratswillfeastfin

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCydoZxnJqGq4AeETKM6uO-A

Schattenmann |Endgegner |Perception Label

Release Date March 13^th, 2026
Format CD/Vinyl/Digital
Genre Alternative Metal
Country Germany

Schattenmann crawled into the German music scene around 2018 and clawed their way up the ranks. They dropped four full-length attacks over the years, including "Licht An", "Epidemie", "Chaos", and "Día De Muertos". That 2023 release pushed them into the top tier of German charts and packed venues across Germany and Austria. They cut their teeth sharing stages with heavy metal acts like Eisbrecher, Feuerschwanz, and Hämatom. Now, Frank Herzig and his crew return with "Endgegner", bringing a massive shift in their sound. They stripped away a lot of their older electronic parts and injected straight-up metal and core aggression into their DNA.

"Endgegner" delivers a serious metal beating. Frank Herzig screams and shouts the German lyrics with total aggression. The guitar riffs from Jan Suk smash through the speakers, backed by a relentless rhythm section courtesy of drummer Nils Kinzig and bassist Luke Shook. Henning Verlage handled the production, dialing in a massive guitar tone and booming drum acoustics. Schattenmann unloads crunching grooves and heavy breakdowns. The new core influence works well for them. A few sections get slightly predictable. The formula is very simple. They stick to a specific verse-chorus structure throughout the entire runtime.

"Kein Kommando" strikes fast and leaves a trail of destruction. The guitars chew through the distortion, dropping massive core-influenced breakdowns right in the middle. The title track, "Endgegner", provides massive gang vocals and a stomping groove built for the mosh pit. "Einen Scheiß Muss Ich" delivers pure aggression and a giant middle finger to the mainstream. The chorus gets stuck in your head instantly. Then you hit tracks like "Schna-Na-Naps" and "Wir Sind Das Ende Der Welt", where the energy shifts into a massive live-arena anthem mode.

Schattenmann took a huge risk changing their sound, and the payoff is mostly positive. "Endgegner" brings a hell of a lot of heavy riffs and screaming vocals. "Besser Als Der Rest" and "Kamikaze" keep the speed high, tearing through the speakers with zero compromises. The band successfully transitioned into a heavier core-driven machine. A couple of tracks blend together near the end, making the album lose a tiny bit of steam before "Gelegenheit Macht Liebe" closes things out. "Endgegner" remains a killer spin for anyone needing heavy German metal raging in their car stereo.

Score: 7.0

Schattenmann:

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/schattenmannband

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/schattenmannband/

TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@schattenmann_official

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/schattenmann

https://www.schattenmann.net

SolNegre |Anthems For The Grand Collapse |Meuse Music Records

Release Date: April 3^rd, 2026
Format: CD/Digital
Genre: Epic/Death/Doom Metal
Country: Spain

SolNegre emerged from Spain in 2022. The members cut their teeth in heavy hitters like Helevorn and Golgotha, cementing their names in the Spanish doom and death metal scenes over previous decades. They dropped their debut, "The Spiral Labyrinth", and established a massive, solitary sonic footprint. Now, they return with "Anthems For The Grand Collapse", an expansive and totally crushing expansion of sorrow-drenched extreme metal.

This music tears into your psyche and breaks your spirit. "The Axiom/Song For The Inert Part II" tears open with immense chords and agonizing vocal deliveries. You get dragged right into the storm. SolNegre harnesses serious emotional distress and channels it through massive guitars and total darkness. The riffs crash down on you, dragging you deep into the abyss.

Tracks like "The Hollow Inside" and "For All That Could Have Been" provide a relentless barrage of pain and beauty. Roaring, desperate vocals clash against huge, mournful melodies. Female vocals and violins tear through the darkness on "In The Stillness Of The Womb", adding a chilling layer of sorrow. "A Path Of Aloneness (I & II)" brings sweeping majesty and solemnity into the mix, closing things out with pure musical devastation. They build massive walls of sound and bring them crashing down around you. You get crushed by sheer agony and spectacular leads.

The studio work done at Diorama Sound captures maximum devastation. The drums pound into your chest. The guitars rip through the speakers, and the vocals sound totally tortured. Every single element works together to inflict total emotional damage. "Anthems For The Grand Collapse" is a monumental tragedy caught on tape, arriving with a massive physical release that includes the "Annihilation Of The Self" EP.

Score: 8.5

https://www.solnegreband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SolNegreDoom

https://www.meusemusicrecords.eu/

https://www.facebook.com/meusemusicrecords/