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History and heaviness collide on EMBERTEARS’ Songs For The Rain God Pt. 2
Hungarian sludge, progressive and stoner metal project EMBERTEARS will release its new album, Songs For The Rain God Pt. 2, on 20 November through BITUME PRODS. The record will be available digitally and as a CD digipack. Founded in 2021 by Tamás “Tom” Géza Albert, EMBERTEARS has developed around concept-driven releases. After exploring Biblical themes […] -
Reviews: Behemoth, Revel In Flesh, Slothrust, Terra Black (Yasmin Mason, Mateusz Stefanow, Spike & Rich Piva)
Behemoth – I, Scvlptor (Nuclear Blast) [Yasmin Mason]
Behemoth; probably Poland’s most well known – and controversial – black metal export. I Scvlptor is the latest offering from the band and after seeing Nergal’s outstanding performance of Sventevith with Myspyrming earlier this year, I was excited to hear this release.
First off is the title track, I Scvlptor and my favourite track out of the 3 reviewed here.A beautiful orchestral intro starts the track, before the guitars and drums join in, with the strings continuing to add atmosphere in the background. I enjoyed the slow, heavy guitar riffs used throughout the song. Repetitive but effective .
Next up is Lord Ov The Horizons. The juxtaposition between the clean and harsh vocals at the start of the track is nice, the former giving way to the latter as the song builds towards its crescendo.Riffs sounding like artillery fire (reminiscent of Metallica’s One) pepper the second half of this song and the drums and guitars take centre stage as we reach the end of the track. I enjoyed this one.
Finally, Begotten. I’ve listened to this track multiple times now and I’ve struggled with what to say about it. It’s not a bad track, there is just nothing that really stands out to me. Except the drums. In my opinion (as a non-drummer I hasten to add!) the drumming on this song is top notch. Everything else…. just is.
All in all, I Scvlptor is an enjoyable listen. But probably not worthy of a spot in my ‘favourite albums of 2026’ list. 7/10Revel In Flesh- Flesh For The Kult Of Death (War Antjems Records) [Mateusz Stefanow]
Teutonic titans Revel In Flesh are back with an old-school death metal release, replacing their melo-death style to resurrect the sound of their original three albums in their sixth release, Flesh For The Kult Of Death, partly due to the band’s disbanding in 2024, and prompt reassembling.
I’m structuring this review differently to my other ones solely due to the incredible consistency between the tracks; the album is perfect for head-banging to, it has melodic sections, it has spoken word sections and bass solos, with the legendary Jonny Pettersson on bass guitar (ex-Massacre, ROTPIT and Wombbath amongst others).When I mentioned that this album resurrects their former sound, even that Boss HM-2 pedal sound is retained, once again indebted to Pettersson’s hectic guitar playing, and the brutality of the blast beats has your pulse going from the opening notes to the very last.The album cover is gorgeous with bold blues and reds, calling back to Dismember’s Like An Everflowing Stream, which this album sonically colludes to, they set out to produce an old-school death metal album, and by all hell they’ve done it.The melo-death period has not been forgotten however, as the few sections of melodic influences peek through at segments of the album, keeping your attention fixed, and with each track being so entertaining, without so much as a weaker song in sight, this is an easy task.The album ends with All I Had (I Gave), a tribute to Crowbar, which benefits from the HM-2 tone along with Erik Barthold on drums blasting away to ramp up the heaviness on an already heavy song.
This is a very strong contender for my album of the year, so go ahead and join the Kult of Death! 10/10Slothrust – What They Grow In The Garden (Equal Vision Records) [Spike]
Slothrust have spent over a decade refusing to sit still.Moving from their gritty, jazz-inflected Boston DIY roots to sharper alternative rock, they’ve always had a knack for combining quirky, left-field humour with genuinely biting emotional weight. But heading into their sixth studio record, What They Grow In The Garden, the band found themselves at a crossroads, trimming down from a trio to a razor-sharp duo.If you thought losing a member would mean thinning out their sound, think again. This is easily the heaviest, punchiest, and most theatrical record Leah Wellbaum and Will Gorin have ever put to tape.
The band have been calling this record “dystopian theatre rock,” and for once, a band-coined tag actually fits the bill. The whole record plays out like a stage show confronting the numbness of modern life, the screen addiction, late-capitalist burnout, and the general feeling that society is slowly rotting from the inside out. But rather than sounding like a dry political lecture, Wellbaum wraps those heavy themes in eccentric metaphors, big riffs, and massive, addictive hooks.
The album opens with Dissolve The Delusion, setting the stage with a solitary, sombre piano piece. It’s an understated, patient intro with no vocals at all, forcing you to slow down and dial into their frequency before the heavy artillery arrives.That restraint immediately shatters when Burn The Deck kicks in with a driving tempo, thick guitar fuzz, and a cynical, sharp-eyed look at the institutions designed to keep us pacified.
One of the standout moments on the record is Ring The Bell. Built around an infectious, twisting guitar riff, it moves like a rollercoaster, dropping into quiet, tension-filled verses before surging into a massive, explosive chorus.Lines about “dead doom dopamine” and cutting puppet strings hit with genuine bite, proving that Wellbaum’s lyrical wit has only sharpened with age. Gorin’s drumming is relentless throughout, locking the rhythm down with the kind of kinetic force that makes you forget there are only two people in the room.
Elsewhere, the record leans into its stranger narrative impulses. On the lead single Hearst Castle, they frame wealth, isolation, and voyeurism through the lens of Patty Hearst and coastal elephant seals.It sounds completely bizarre on paper, but on record, it works like a charm thanks to a towering, arena-ready chorus. Meanwhile, 00101001 dives straight into digital dread with glitched, punchy urgency, and Twisted Paradise pulls back the curtain on their strange, dream-logic sensibilities.
By the time the sprawling, brooding closer Dystopian Cemetery wraps things up, you realize the duo has pulled off a serious balancing act.They’ve crafted an ambitious concept album that manages to confront modern anxiety head-on while keeping the music fun, unpredictable, and gloriously loud. What They Grow In The Garden is proof that leaning into your weirdest instincts can pay off in spades. 8/10
Terra Black – Mirage (Bonebag Records) [Rich Piva]
Gothenburg, Sweden psych doom is on the menu in the form of Mirage, the new record from Terra Black. Per the Bandcamp description, this record is “Steeped in ancient mystery and crushing atmosphere…”. I can get behind that, especially if it is as good as their earlier work.
Well, no worries there, because Mirage is better than anything this band has done. The opener alone, The Gathering, lives up to that brief description above (and the very long one on their Bandcamp page). Chunky, big riffs, siren song vocals, heavy psych elements, this one is straight up fire (occult fire? Is that a thing? Ritual fire?, I don’t know, but it sure is hot).Guayota continues this dark path, with a slow doom vibe but all sorts of middle-of-an-ancient-forest atmosphere to go along with it, which lead vocalist Ezgi provides her beautifully sung incantations with. Pareidolia is the beginning of the black mass, with some mind-bending guitar and a build to something beautifully evil. Slow and heavy with that voice is such a great combination.I really like Maze, which picks up the pace with a nice gallop and more big riffing, this time with layered vocals that points this song more in the proto/occult side of the darkness than anything else, and whoa boy am I here for it. This one is probably my favorite on the record. Mirage speeds up (a tad) only to really slow down with In Stone, highlighted by some male/female harmonized vocals and some kills atmospheric doom when it really kicks in. Another killer track.I think the next one is even slower, as Ruins crawls along the forest floor but is anything but more of the same. The most atmospheric psych you get is from the closer, In Stars, which is like evil bluesy occult shoegaze that is just great. While I love the record as a whole, it is a bit long for this style, and a song like Thorn may have done well to be shortened, but I am nitpicking because this record is great.
Atmospheric occult psych doom with amazing vocals and excellent production. What more does one want? Terra Black brings it with Mirage, and a very worthy contender for your end of year lists. 8/10 -
Faustian shadows loom over OBSCURA QALMA’s Immortality Through Ashes
Venice-based orchestral blackened death metal band OBSCURA QALMA will release their new album, Immortality Through Ashes, on 23 October via Dusktone. The announcement is accompanied by “Obsidian Numen”, now available as a digital single and visualiser video. Stream or download “Obsidian Numen”Watch the “Obsidian Numen” visualiser Immortality Through Ashes is built around the idea of […] -
“Virescent Fire” drags WORM ALTAR deeper into the murk
Portland, Maine death metal outfit WORM ALTAR have unveiled “Virescent Fire”, the second single from their forthcoming debut full-length, Pillars of Eternal Dusk. The track is receiving its premiere through Mystification Zine ahead of the album’s 16 October release via DAWNBREED RECORDS and GURGLING GORE. “Virescent Fire” follows first single “Watchers of the Gate” and […] -
Release Round Up – October 9th 2026
Release Round Up – October 9th 2026
Every week there is a tidal wave of new music released unto the world. Each Friday we’ll round up some of the best new music available, some we’ve reviewed, some we haven’t, but all worth checking out!
Theres a lot of new heavy music hitting the airwaves this week, everything from black metal, death metal, gothic metal, Stoner rock, doom, thrash metal and even some of your traditional heavy metal!
Here’s what we think you should check out today!
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Ridiculously brutal moronic caveman death metal from Werewolves with ‘You’re Weak And You Know You’re Weak’ released via Back on Black.
“you’ll come away with a bloodied stump, for they’ll shred it from your vertebrae with ease.”
Read our full review here.
Midlands based post-hardcore/post-punk trio Bat Flattery release their self-titled album.
“a well crafted, emotional album that delivers both sonically and cerebrally.”
Read our full review here.
Epic power doom outfit Smoulder release ‘Witch Wife in an Alien World’ via Cruz Del Sur Music.
“one of today’s most underrated acts.”
Read our full review here.
Swedish melodic metal force Tungsten release ‘Ashes’ via Perception.
“a fun, energetic and varied album”
Read our full review here.
Leper Colony meld the Floridian and Stockholm styles of old school death metal on ‘Back to Primal Sludge’, released via Testimony Records.
Thronehammer ventures deeper into atmospheric and post-rock territory with new album ‘Slay | Kill | Erase’.
“Crushing, sorrowful and strikingly bold, this is Thronehammer at the peak of their powers.”
Read our full review here.Rock
Graveyard – Fever (Nuclear Blast Records)
John Coffey – Not Alone (Long Branch Records)
Old Man’s Will – At Last (Small Stone Records)
Tenebra – A Death Chant [EP] (New Heavy Sounds)Heavy Metal
Avrak – Avrak (Peaceville Records)
Callous Master – Callous Master (Invictus Productions)
Crimson Coven – I – The Forge (Cruz Del Sur Music)
David Caress – Azure (Independent)
Fail The Enemy – Sandcastles (Independent)
Left To Suffer – Unwelcome Guest (Hopeless Records)
RAM – Against (Metal Blade Records)
Sagittarius – Abomination of Mind (WormholeDeath Records)Black Metal
Detresse – Misères (Vendetta Records)
Hyver – La Fête de la Forêt Enchantée (Antiq)
In Luna – The Architecture Of Negativity (Talheim Records)
In This Hell – Bliss (Trollzorn Records)
Marea – A Caress of Autumn for All the Lost (Hypnotic Dirge Records)
Taufpatin – Les Malfaisances de la Taufpatin (Antiq)
Urzirkel – In Silbernen Sprachen (Vendetta Records)Death Metal / Death-Doom / Grindcore
Cordyceps Corpse – Perverse Craving For Rotting Corpses (Gore House Productions)
Dawn Of Demise – Feed My Absurdity (Unique Leader Records)
Goatburner – Time of Danger (Time To Kill Records)
Hell-born – VII (Deformeathing Production)
Hellucination – Penumbral (Independent)
Hexabrot – Self-Similarity (Aenima Recordings)
In Obscurity Revealed – Caustic Maelstrom (Personal Records)
Leper Colony – Back To Primal Sludge (Testimony Records)
Sickmind – Babel Tower (Independent)
Veil Piercer – This Will Not Be Painless… [EP] (Prog On! Recordings)
Written in Blood – The Final War [EP] (Independent)Doom / Stoner Rock / Sludge / Psych
Cardinals Folly – Let The Posers Fall! (Cruz Del Sur Music)
Cultus Sanguine – Tears Painted Sky (My Kingdom Music)
Gnod – Chronicles of Gnowt (Vol 2) (Rocket Recordings)
Humulus – Smuggler’s Cave (Ripple Music)
Margarita – Abysses of Melancholia (Electric Valley Records)
Orbita – Farewell to All We’ve Lost (Aural Music)
Pegzilla – Disobedience (Ripple Music)
Steak – Steak (Stickman Records)
Thronehammer – Slay | Kill | Erase (Supreme Chaos Records)
Witchthroat Serpent – Demons Left To Roam (Heavy Psych Sounds)Power Metal
Signum Regis – Beyond Spacetime (Independent)
Tungsten – Ashes (Perception)Progressive Rock / Metal
Amaseffer – When The Lions Leave Their Den (Independent)
The Pineapple Thief – Far And Wide (Inside Out Music)Thrash Metal
AWAP – Clown Carousel [EP] (Independent)
Hatesphere – Guillotine (Scarlet Records)… and the rest!
Hollow Bone – Onar (Octopus Rising) [Post-Metal]
Kid Bookie – Cheaper Than Therapy II (FLG Records) [Trap Metal/NuMetal/Grime]
Muto – Muto (Independent) [Instrumental]
Wolfbrigade – Howl from Underground (Metal Blade Records) [Hardcore]
Zilqy – Birth Of Riot (Maverick) [Metalcore]For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.
The post Release Round Up – October 9th 2026 appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
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Scooter goes melodeath as BRYMIR unveil “How Much Is The Fish” cover
Finnish melodic death metallers BRYMIR have taken an unexpected detour ahead of their fifth album, What We Leave Behind, transforming SCOOTER’s eurodance hit “How Much Is The Fish” into a full-blown melodeath cover. The song arrives with an official music video just days before the new record is released on 2 October via Napalm Records. […] -
“Vortex Divinium” introduces VOID SECTOR ZERO and debut album Dead Space Enigma
Progressive thrash metal trio VOID SECTOR ZERO have announced their debut album, Dead Space Enigma, for 11 December via SEASON OF MIST, unveiling “Vortex Divinium” as its first single and music video. The band brings together guitarist Christian Muenzner (NECROPHAGIST, ex-OBSCURA, ex-ALKALOID), vocalist and bassist Alex Weber (REVOCATION, MALIGNANCY, EXIST) and drummer Gabe Seeber (DECREPIT […] -
SLAMINEM Premiere New Music Video For “Just Two Cocks In Your Ass” – Mike (Throne ov Extraterrestrials) Guests
Detroit, Michigan-based slamming brutal death metal band SLAMINEM premiere their new music video for "Just Two Cocks In Your Ass", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. The track is taken from their 2025 EP "Slam Shady" and features Mick of Throne ov Extraterrestrials. Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com -
Black Spikes Premiere New Music Video For “Senas Demonas”
Black Spikes have premiered a music video for “Senas Demonas“, which arrived online, streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. The Lithuanian avant-garde metal outfit have already unleashed a string of enigmatic clips in the lead-up to their latest album “Ydos“, which arrived this past August via Napalm Records. Rokas Bašk… Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com -
Alter Bridge Premiere New Live Video For “Silent Divide” & “Addicted To Pain” From Their Inaugural ‘Blackbird Festival’
Hard rock band Alter Bridge have shared official live footage of “Silent Divide” and “Addicted To Pain” from their inaugural “Blackbird Festival“, held at Cardiff Castle in Wales this past June. The band will return to the road closer to home later this fall, with the following U.S. headlining trek booked alongside Big Wreck and Tim Mont… Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com