(written by Islander) The Irish blackened doom band Soothsayer released their debut album Echoes of the Earth in 2021. In the context of premiering a song from it, we described the music as “harrowing in the extreme, and also transportive”, the kind of experience that “makes such a transfixing and mind-bending impact that it’s very […]
Static Abyss Announce Third Album ‘The Dying Hunt’
Emerging in the early 2020’s – Static Abyss is a monstrous hybrid of twisted, doom-laden brutal death, comprising of longstanding members of the US metal scene. The band consists primarily of the duo of Deathgrave’s Greg Wilkinson (Guitars/bass) & Chris Reifert (vocals), both also members of legendary American masters of sickness, Autopsy, with Chris also notably starting his career with genre pioneers, Death. The band’s debut, ‘Labyrinth of Veins’ was released in 2022, and their second album ‘Aborted From Reality’ followed in quick succession, surfacing in 2023.
Returning now for Static Abyss’ third studio album, and with the addition of Chad Gailey of fellow death merchants Necrot behind the drumkit for this release, ‘The Dying Hunt’ plummets the listener again into the festering, psychedelic swamps of lunacy, with the spiralling melodies texturing the relentless savage riffs for an effective nightmare-inducing trip through the sonic abyss. Continuously and relentlessly flitting between brutal passages and hypnotic otherworldly craziness, ‘The Dying Hunt’ reflects the ailing world & the unravelling of the psyche of its inhabitants in this darkly dystopian landscape, for a masterful descent into sick Death Metal combined with Crust and Doom elements.
‘The Dying Hunt’ was recorded at Earhammer Studios in Oakland, CA, with engineering, mixing and mastering overseen by Greg Wilkinson himself. Cover art comes courtesy of Jon Santos.
Static Abyss – The Dying Hunt
Skull Blasted – 01:54 Lobotomized at Last – 03:40 The Dying Hunt – 04:04 Wall of Delusion – 01:25 Once a Corpse (Always a Corpse) – 02:54 Bleeding in the Fog – 04:40Sinew Leech – 04:07 Nowhere Forever – 05:02 Defleshed and Forlorn – 01:20 Volcanic Womb – 03:15 Darkness at the End of the Light – 04:32
Pennsylvania hard rock band Defiant returns with one of its most emotionally charged and hard-hitting releases to date, ‘Seen The End‘, a powerful new single that blends soaring melodies, crushing guitars, and deeply personal lyrics into an unforgettable rock anthem. With a sound that bridges the gap between modern hard rock and the timeless energy […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bay Area Thrash Force Frolic Unleash Legacies of Cybernetica as Banger TV Spotlights Album in Metal Monthly
Technical melodic thrash outfit Frolic continue to push the evolution of the legendary Bay Area sound with their explosive new album, Legacies of Cybernetica, out now via Hectic Records.
Stream & Purchase: https://frolicbayarea.bandcamp.com/album/legacies-of-cybernetica
California’s rising progressive thrash metal powerhouse Frolic officially released their highly anticipated sophomore album, Legacies of Cybernetica , on July 3, 2026 , delivering one of the year’s most ambitious and technically impressive modern thrash records. Released on vinyl through Hectic Records , the album is also available independently on CD, cassette, digital platforms, and select streaming services.
Blending razor-sharp musicianship with futuristic themes and relentless aggression, Legacies of Cybernetica expands upon the classic Bay Area thrash blueprint while forging a sound that is unmistakably Frolic . Fans of Kreator, Exodus, Revocation, and The Black Dahlia Murder will find plenty to sink their teeth into, from blistering riff work and soaring twin guitar leads to intricate rhythm changes and crushing, high-energy performances.
Adding to the momentum surrounding the release, Legacies of Cybernetica was recently featured on Banger Films’ Metal Monthly , where host Blaine Smith praised the album as one of July’s standout metal releases.
During the segment, Smith highlighted the band’s remarkable artistic growth, calling attention to “a big upgrade to the cover art and a big upgrade to the band.” He also praised Frolic for carving out a unique space within the thrash landscape, describing the group as filling “a hole that isn’t really filled” by blending the intensity of German thrash with the technical precision and sci-fi atmosphere of the Bay Area scene.
The review also applauded the band’s explosive songwriting, emphasizing songs that hit listeners immediately with relentless speed and aggression while showcasing originality rarely heard in today’s thrash movement. Smith concluded that Frolic is “doing something fairly original” and performing well above expectations, further cementing the band’s growing reputation within the global metal community.
Formed in the San Francisco Bay Area, Frolic stands as proof that the birthplace of thrash metal continues to produce innovative new voices. Rather than simply recreating the sounds of the 1980s, the band embraces evolution by combining technical death metal precision, progressive arrangements, blackened vocal intensity, and unforgettable melodic guitar work.
Frontman and guitarist Edgar delivers a fierce vocal performance that recalls the venomous edge of classic European thrash while sharing lead guitar duties with Lenny , whose dynamic twin-guitar attack provides soaring solos and memorable hooks throughout the record. The rhythm section is equally formidable, with Zak bringing highly technical, death metal-inspired bass lines and Elijah combining jazz and funk influences into powerful drumming built for maximum mosh pit destruction.
Produced by Ivan Garcia, Ben Bennett, and Andrew Peacock , Legacies of Cybernetica captures the band’s explosive live energy while showcasing a level of songwriting and musicianship that marks a major step forward in Frolic ‘s evolution.
With critical praise already arriving from respected outlets like Banger TV and an ever-growing reputation throughout the Bay Area underground, Frolic are poised to become one of the most exciting names carrying thrash metal into its next generation.
Watch the Banger TV Metal Monthly feature here:
Check out the band on YouTube and subscribe:
Album: Legacies of Cybernetica Artist: Frolic Release Date: July 3, 2026 Genre: Technical Melodic Thrash Metal Label: Hectic Records For Fans Of: Kreator, Exodus, Revocation, The Black Dahlia Murder
Noya Sol is an independent Israeli singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer whose music blends alternative rock, blues, folk, soul, and reggae influences. Inspired by artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bessie Smith, Bob Marley, and Gary Clark Jr., she creates deeply personal songs about faith, freedom, resilience, and the search for light in difficult times. Noya‘s […]
Context matters. And that idea gets ratcheted up in my review of Bones, the follow-up album to the 2023 debut Porta Coeli by Shadow Of Jupiter, this tight–musically and spiritually–quartet from Chicago.
I interviewed the band on July 7 for an upcoming write-up for MetalTalk. On July 10, Bones was released. I listened to it twice that day. I realised that the magnitude of this album needed an immediate review from me. So, I stopped writing the interview article and instead focused on giving a “stop the presses” kind of urgency to the album review.
Shadow Of Jupiter – Bones – A celebratory emergence from doom darkness to the spotlight of today’s heavy music.
Context matters.
The World Cup has taken up all my attention, as it has for over 40 years. Combine that with being an England supporter, my emotional tank gets drained with every victory and subsequently, as history tells us, an always cruel defeat.
It is Sunday. The day after a hard-fought win over Norway. Normally, I would never have mixed feelings about a Knockout win for England in the World Cup. But, I am Facebook friends with three of the members of Kal-El, a Norwegian band that has a global following, and their 2026 album Astral Voyager, Volume 2 was immediately thrown into the ring as Album Of The Year.
Stale Rodvelt, lead singer of Kal-El made this comment on Bones on social media: “Bones is definitely a strong candidate for my AOTY.”
Incoming horrible spoiler alert, it is mine as well.
All my album reviews thus far have been detailed with song-by-song descriptions. It is both a blessing and a curse to have this ‘surgical’ passion to write with individual attention to each song.
However, I am going to go macro on Bones primarily because I had a Sunday morning conversation with Colin Peterson (guitarist) of the band, who made me rethink the value of reviewing the whole album as one experience, in spite of there being so much variety on the album’s seven songs.
Also, we are kind of working backwards here from the album getting the gold standard distinction with AOTY. Anytime I hear that in our scene, regardless of source, because there is an understood democracy of the weight of opinions, I really do not need to hear/read anymore.
The album is going to deliver the goods. How good? Rob Halford would be proud to belt out that deliverance.
Shadow Of Jupiter release Bones on 10 July 2026
You know what [as Sunil thinks in real time], let me loop some interview material that can tease out the vibe of the album. The following four artists represent a response to my opening question to the band. You will have to wait until the interview gets published to see what on Earth the question was that had such unique and varied responses!
Not what you might have expected from Chicago’s stoner/heavy psych merchants, right?
That is because this album and the band members have a wide range of influences and personalities. That said, it all comes together, much like when individual ingredients in a soup are elevated to something sublime when they are added in the right amount, proportion, and timing.
Great bands employ the power of the collective, ensuring each member shines. That magical cohesion is flush on Bones.
Having the interview in my rearview mirror, there were far too many reference points for me, as a writer, to latch on to write my review.
First off, many great albums have a collection of memorable songs, but sometimes the order of the songs feels odd, where maybe the pacing of the album was not a strong consideration.
To be honest, I had some doubt if the band could maintain the momentum of the title song, which I rewound several times just after a few minutes to hear all the musical entanglements. I am sure you will find your own, but even in the first 90 seconds, I heard Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden, The Beatles, and The Doors, all of which give way to a savoury whisper of Middle Eastern tones.
It is also a great video, perfectly capturing the shifting moods of the song.
This exotic bridge is something that is very reminiscent of Southern sludge masters Alabama Thunderpussy’s Struggling For Balance. Just cue up the song around the three-minute mark, and be transported to the deserts that are clearly not North American.
Not only does the whole album shine beyond the title song, but by the time the album gets to Rumblestrip and Riot Dogs, there is a looseness/swagger that emerges that starts bringing it all home.
The final song, For Heaven Above, sits unapologetically in the Robin Trower/Bridge Of Sighs well.
The whole band is firing on all cylinders, with each member elevating the band’s sound as a synergistic whole. The drumming is so on point. I even hear some Ian Paice-like fills near the end of Riot Dogs.
If the library of rock music was a skating rink,Shadow Of Jupiter is the hockey team that plays on it, gliding from one era to another effortlessly. Sometimes they play with the finesse/tactics of the great Russian teams of the ’70s, and sometimes they play with the goon tactics of The Hanson Brothers, wrapping their knuckles in foil, ready to take on anyone with their hypnotic and swirling doom.
One of the vibes going on here that helps describe their nomadic, even spiritual sound is that of Mind Funk’s second album Goddess, which was released in 1993.
Shadow Of Jupiter draws musical influences from every decade, from the ’60s to the present. If you like your blues/psych/doom soaked in all of that, then this album has to be added to your collection in 2026.
Fully expect this band to have more of a global following with Bones. It is just that fuckin’ stellar!
Rancho Cucamonga, California’s Cold Gawd bring a serious sense of confidence to their heavy shoegaze, and we’re about to get another dose of it. We picked Cold Gawd’s 2024 full-length I’ll Drown On This Earth as an Album Of The Week, and they followed it with the singles “Golden Postcard” and “Bomb Pop.” Next month, they’ll drop a new EP called Glory2 on us.
Katerina Nicole is a Canadian-Greek metal artist blending crushing nu metal and metalcore with haunting melodies, powerful screams, and emotionally charged songwriting. Since the release of her debut EP, Serene in Violent Oceans, her sound has evolved into something darker, heavier, and more aggressive, all the while maintaining a cinematic, melodic edge. Katerina has recently […]
Noya Sol is an independent Israeli singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer whose music blends alternative rock, blues, folk, soul, and reggae influences. Inspired by artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bessie Smith, Bob Marley, and Gary Clark Jr., she creates deeply personal songs about faith, freedom, resilience, and the search for light in difficult times. Noya‘s […]
Katerina Nicole is a Canadian-Greek metal artist blending crushing nu metal and metalcore with haunting melodies, powerful screams, and emotionally charged songwriting. Since the release of her debut EP, Serene in Violent Oceans, her sound has evolved into something darker, heavier, and more aggressive, all the while maintaining a cinematic, melodic edge. Katerina has recently […]