Upcoming Metal Releases: 5/9/26 – 5/16/26
Tyrannus — Mournhold | True Cult Records | Death Metal + Thrash Metal + Black Metal | United Kingdom (Scotland)
From Colin Dempsey’s track premiere of “Reignfall”:
Tyrannus inhabit the no man’s land between thrash metal, death metal, and black metal, packing a punch while eluding genre conventions. The miasma they cultivate is pungent, but on their new single “ Reignfall,” they cut through it for a more direct method. That’s usually the best one for offense.
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Junon — The Golden Citadel of the Astral Sphere | I, Voidhanger Records | Black Metal | Germany
The patented I, Voidhammer oddity is present on Junon’s debut album, crossing into avant-garde territory on occasion. That being said, The Golden Citadel of the Astral Sphere is just as much an art school experiment as it is a recognizable black metal record, replete with frosty, Finnish melodies. It’s an unsettling pairing for sure, with the experimental leanings giving the album its character.
–Colin Dempsey
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Ara — Hohe Tannen | Into Endless Chaos Records | Black Metal | Austria (Vienna)
What distinguishes Hohe Tannen are its brighter melodies and tones that, nonetheless, feel dangerous. It’s evident that Ara aren’t from Scandinavia. There’s too much heat and not enough loneliness here, designating Ara’s second record as distinct but not unfamiliar.
–Colin Dempsey
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Atavistia — Old Gods Awaken | Independent | Melodic Death Metal + Folk Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC)
Folk metal’s heyday is long past, but Atavistia is one of the better newer bands trying to keep that sound alive. Armed with razor sharp vocals, galloping rhythms, and orchestrations that recall the best of Finnish melodic death metal, Old Gods Awaken is an absolute blast to listen to. It’s the band’s folkiest album yet, infusing their trademark melodic death metal sound with the kind of bouncy fun that you get with Ensiferum or Finntroll. The old gods are indeed awakening.
–Kevin Zecchel
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Crown Lands — Apocalypse | InsideOut Music | Progressive Rock + Progressive Metal | Canada (Oshawa, ON)
It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Crown Lands without comparing them to Rush. While they are definitely influenced by the godfathers of prog metal (all eras, not just the 70s albums), they also draw inspiration from a wide range of sources, blending them into a high-energy, science fiction-themed package. Apocalypse is the band’s third full-length album and it sees them at their most ambitious yet. Their arrangements are more complex and full of interesting ornamentations than in the past. Songs like “Through the Looking Glass” are heartfelt melodic pieces that come closer to Led Zeppelin at their proggiest, whereas “Blackstar” shows off some fantastic bassline flourishes. Meanwhile, the title track is a side-long epic that closes out the album fantastically. Apocalypse takes a few listens to get everything out of it, but is immensely rewarding once you start digging.
–Kevin Zecchel
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Jungle Rot — Cruel Face of War | Unique Leader Records | Death Metal | United States (Wisconsin)
Grizzled Midwestern death dealers Jungle Rot will soon reveal the Cruel Face of War to an eager global metal underground. This grimy new salvo, the band’s second on California’s brutal Unique Leader imprint, is built upon “crushing grooves and violent hooks,” according to the Rot’s head honcho, Dave Matrise. This neckwrecking blueprint is clearly evident on “Maniacal,” an old school M.O.D. style mosh tempo beatdown fed by a relentless cyclonic swirl of pummeling double bass courtesy of powerful sticksman Spenser Syphers, while “Apocalyptic Dawn” and “Cruel Face of War” are a double-shot of raging, guns-blazing 90-proof hardcore tinged American death metal, just the way the elders intended.
–Dennis J. Seese
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GOZU — VI | Metal Blade Records | Hard Rock | United States (Boston, MA)
VI is the latest slab of “heavy soulful rock” to emanate from veteran Bostonian riff merchants, GOZU. The stakes for this record are high, as the band sought to create “something that really moved and hit a nerve,” according to guitarist and vocalist Marc Gaffney, who in turn challenged himself to “write music differently.” The results can be heard on tracks like “Banacek,” a barnstorming hook-laden monster, which Gaffney says owes a debt to both Iron Maiden and cult 90’s power-pop crew, Jellyfish. Influences loom large upon GOZU, as the Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Pete Townsend, Queens of the Stone Age, Queen and “Motown harmonies” are all cited within the group’s commentary on VI’s aural lineage. The QOTSA influence is most apparent in the smothering desert rock guitar tone and overall Welcome to Sky Valley vibes manifested by album opener “Corinthian Leatherface.” Mere inspiration blurs into awkward imitation elsewhere as I don’t think neither Matt Pike nor Giorgio Moroder will appreciate how closely the main riff in “Midnight Express” echoes the pulse of High on Fire’s iconic “10,000 Years.” Ultimately, VI is comprised mostly of bruising, contagious FM radio ready (does this still exist?) hard rock songs saturated with buzzing Big Muff riffs, major hooks and massive production courtesy of Benny Grotto.
–Dennis J. Seese
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