Upcoming Metal Releases: 6/21/26 – 6/27/26
Iron Bones — Poison Riot | Morbid and Miserable Records | Heavy Metal + Speed Metal | Chile (El Tambo)
How can you not automatically love a band who gleefully warns you to “expect hateful speed rock ‘n roll” prior to first contact with their music? That’s the genius, next-level branding currently deployed by primordial Chilean headbangers, Iron Bones. It’s a deadly accurate description of what you can expect from Poison Riot, the band’s third full-length. Iron Bones’ music seems to appear fully-formed from some deep nostalgic netherworld where tapes are still traded, Metallica are killin’ em all for Megaforce records and Venom hadn’t yet waged war with Satan. Indeed, “Strigoi (Bringer of Death)” effortlessly invokes this lost realm with its exuberantly jagged crossover-tinged black ‘n roll attack. The band’s emphasis on the rock n’ roll facets of their sound is no joke. “Strigoi…” exudes a sneaky melodicism that echoes Walk Among Us-era Misfits in addition to a double-shot of Motörhead swagger. “When you die…Goodbye!” is a dark, grindy piece of thrash nirvana. To complete the circle of TDK D60 nostalgia, Poison Riot seems to be exclusively available (in the physical realm) via cassette through Ohio’s Morbid and Miserable Records. I could probably only like this record more if Iron Bones told me ‘Poison’ was code for Poison Idea and ‘Riot’ represented Quiet Riot.
–Dennis J. Seese
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Repeat Offender — Weapon Fetish | Convulse Records | Hardcore Punk | United States (Los Angeles, CA)
Following three EPs, the last of which released four years ago, California hardcore outfit Repeat Offender ensures hardcore has a dancefloor on their debut full-length, Weapon Fetish. The band’s tightrope approach to the genre balances grit and energetic fun that harkens back to the Youth Crew movement of the ’80s and ’90s. Wailing guitars, noodling, and anthemic choruses encourage an audience of screaming punks to crowd the mic. The aggression is not lost, however, as vocalist Greg embodies a dog fight: snarling, barking, and fed up with the pack as he tears down “People like you.” Weapon Fetish is a fist prepared to fight for or against you, depending on your next move.
–Aidan Sibley
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Truck Violence — The weathervane is my body | The Flenser | Noise Rock + Sludge Metal | Canada (Montreal, QC)
A man, who appears to have dug himself out of his own grave, knocks on your door in the middle of the night and insists on entering. He wants to tell you what he’s learned of the world, but as he sits inside, he flips from frantic to calm without notice. Montréal noise rock act Truck Violence captures this as a sonic experience, their music shifting from sludge metal dirges to soothing folk. On “Your name, it’s walking,” a plucked banjo and somber drums evoke a countryside for slurred singing to roll over. Without warning, a thick riff beats you down as Karsyn Henderson screams that he’s forgotten his own face. Truck Violence prioritizes a DIY approach to their vision of the world filled with male tears, old bodies, and paid-off rapists. We’ve heard these unpredictable ramblings before, but we’re rarely this excited to seek them out.
–Aidan Sibley
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Alkuharmonian Kantaja — Melas Khole | I, Voidhanger | Avant-garde Black Metal | Finland
Alkuharmonia Kantaja forge a strange, off-kilter approach to black metal that follows in the footsteps of weird black metal cult legends such as Ved Buens Ende, Fleurety, and Dodheimsgard. As their sophomore effort, Melas Khole sees the band refining the sound that was present on their debut. It’s less ghostly, but just as unsettling, building more complex song structures and deeper arrangements.
–Kevin Zecchel
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Nunslaughter — Satanic Chaos Legions | BLKIIBLK Records | Thrash Metal + Death Metal | United States (Cleveland, OH)
Much like Merzbow, Nunslaughter probably couldn’t tell you how many recordings they’ve unleashed on this cowering world. Yet, there’s so many poor souls still checking for more. Satanic Chaos Legions is the steadfast Cleveland crypt keepers’ latest dose of “fresh venom and blistering hatred.” This time around, Slayer and Earth A.D.-era Misfits are specific reference points for Nunslaughter’s atavistic antichrist demon core. “Jesus Fucking Dies” is ravenous Reign in Blood worship, something never to be invoked lightly, but unabashedly confirmed by the relentless black thrash onslaught on “Unsacrament” and “Christian Ruse”’s barbarous, Hanneman-styled hardcore spite. Entombed, Repulsion, and early Floridian DM scene vibes also abound. The title track is a widescreen celebration of Nunslaughter’s hard-won ability to hone their influences into a terrifying entity capable of ramming “the black horn of Satan down the throats of every metalhead on the planet.” Valid, but I would just ask that they widen their focus a little. Many non-metalheads should live under said shadow as well.
–Dennis J. Seese
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Forsmán — Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur | Vesperian | Black Metal | Iceland (Kópavogur)
Forsmán’s latest record may convert black metal curmudgeons. Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur is tagged as “true black metal” and “real black metal” on Bandcamp, yet is dedicated to clarity and intensity. The veracity of the first statement is up for debate depending on how narrow your definition of black metal is, but there’s no denying that Forsmán make lethal metal. The force they exude would be muffled in a lesser production, so they opted for a new-age recording. In all honesty, it was the correct choice.
–Colin Dempsey
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Mortiis — Ghosts of Europa | Prophecy Productions | Industrial + Synthwave | Norway (Oslo)
Mortiis claimed that Ghosts of Europa is somewhat similar to The Smell of Rain, his 2001 synthpop album, and “somewhat” is a load-bearing term. The Norwegian sonic chameleon’s latest album is more mature and patient than The Smell of Rain. He also sounds light-years more confident in his vocal performance, to the point that he employs heavy autotune on the title track. That being said, there’s enough ’80s nostalgia on tracks like “Tundra, Heart Of Hell” to charm long-reformed goths.
–Colin Dempsey
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Druidess — Trip Meadow | Independent | Psychedelic Rock + Heavy Metal | United Kingdom (Newcastle Upon Tyne)
The collective developments of ’70s heavy rock survive on Trip Meadow, Druidess’ debut album that touches on doom metal, psychedelic rock, and stoner rock with a carefree attitude. In this case, it’s nice how detached Druidess sound, if only because it makes them more fantastical.
–Colin Dempsey
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Fallen Moon Servant — …With a Stone in my Maw | Independent | Black Metal | United States (Syracuse, NY)
What Fallen Moon Servants offers is likely exactly what certain people want from black metal, as if they theorized and troubleshot solutions to their niche gripes with the genre. Yet, these distinctive elements are also what will rub some the wrong way; namely, the raspy, high-register vocals and the blackish–rather than traditional black metal–riffing. Neither of these are faults on …With a Stone in my Maw, as Fallen Moon Servants selected them as core pieces of their sound. So, they can be viewed as an exciting update to wampyric black metal’s narrow aesthetic.
–Colin Dempsey
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