Louisiana post-metal doom duo Radiant Knife are celebrating 10 years together with the release of their third full-length (and sixth release overall), Sankalpa. And for those not familiar with Sanskrit—that’s 99.9% of you, we’re guessing—sankalpa is “a solemn vow, a heart-led intention, or a deep inner resolve,” according to the soon-to-be-humanity-ending AI supercomputer we consulted. It also happens to the be the track we’re premiering here. It’s an instrumental, so you can sort of ponder your own sankalpa while immersed in the hypnotic eight-plus minutes of the mathy/proggy piece Stephen Sheppert (guitar/vocals/keyboards) and Greg Trevasos (drums) have created.
Sankalpa was recorded, mixed and mastered by Sheppert at Starless Sound. It’s set for release digitally on November 13. Place your preorder here.
Here’s how the band described the album’s title track:
“This title track is the instrumental centerpiece and best personifies the overall mood of this record, It harkens to our old math metal influences (Keelhaul, Dazzling Killmen), yet gradually devolves into a pummeling riff mantra with Floydian guitar overlays hovering above.”
Central American death-doom practitioners MORBID STENCH are now streaming their third full-length album Doom Metástasis in its entirety, with the record receiving an exclusive premiere through Death Metal Promotion. Due for release on October 2, 2026 via Nuclear Winter Records and Putrid Cult, the album represents the band’s most developed work to date, expanding their suffocating blend of slow, crushing passages and ominous atmospheres into a tightly conceived conceptual piece.
Deeply rooted in death-doom metal, the record broadens the group’s sonic palette through a more developed approach to songwriting, without losing the weight and darkness that have always defined their sound.
Conceived as a conceptual work, the album follows a process of transformation that moves from inner decay to complete propagation, blending biological imagery with reflections on identity, inevitability and the cyclical nature of existence. This narrative framework gives the album a strong sense of continuity, shaping a journey rather than a simple collection of individual tracks.
Musically, MORBID STENCH combine crushing slow-paced sections, oppressive atmospheres and carefully crafted arrangements, balancing immediacy and depth. With Doom Metástasis, the band expands its vision while remaining faithful to the raw spirit of Central American death-doom metal.
Track-list:
Necrotic from Within
The Morbid Waltz
Hyperbolic
Bizarre and Beyond
Narcissistic God
Crawling out of the Swamps
Formed in 2014 by veteran musicians The Master Butcher (Costa Rica), Morbid and Purulent (El Salvador), MORBID STENCH was created to explore the darkest and most putrid side of doom metal, enriched by a strong death metal influence.
With all members active in the extreme metal scene since the early ’90s, the band combines crushing heaviness, oppressive atmospheres and rotten melodies, drawing inspiration from the forgotten swamps of Central America.
Their debut EP The Stench of Doom was released in 2016 on cassette through Morbid Skull Recs (El Salvador) and Till You Fukkin Bleed (Poland), quickly selling out and followed by a short tour in El Salvador and Guatemala with CONCEIVED BY HATE. In 2017, the band released the split 7” EP The Bifid Tongue of Doom & Death with Costa Rican death metal act NECROGOD.
The debut full-length Doom & Putrefaction arrived in 2019 through Putrid Cult, Morbid Skull Recs and other international labels, receiving strong feedback from the underground scene. This was followed by the split 7” EP Ghospels of Necromancy with Dutch death metal band ANARCHOS in 2020, and the second album The Rotting Ways of Doom in 2022, further establishing the band’s reputation among doom/death enthusiasts.
Despite the members now living in three different countries, the creative chemistry within MORBID STENCH remains intact. The songwriting process begins with Morbid composing and recording guitar and bass parts at his “Víspera del Demonio” studio in San Salvador, creating raw demo versions that are shared with the band for feedback and development. Purulent then works on the drum arrangements, while The Master Butcher completes the songs with his lyrics and vocal performances.
Line-up:
The Master Butcher – Esophagus Morbid – Cosmic Chords of Doom Purulent – Barrels Full of Putrid Waste
This is the ninth album from Chelsea Wolfe, a solo alternative rock artist from the US. Chelsea Wolfe’s new record delivers 40 minutes of darkly expressive music for the listener to fall deeply for. The Dark is a record that once encountered, is not soon forgotten. A range of different influences have gone into The … Continue reading “Chelsea Wolfe – The Dark (Review)”
Feeling old yet? 40 years ago this week, a cat-eating alien, George Jefferson in a church and the South's sassiest decorators all premiered on TV. Continue reading…
Jess Williamson releases her new record A Mile South Of Heaven next month, and she’s inventing new forms of album promotion. Today, she revealed that she adopted a highway that helped inspire the LP, and she’s declaring it “the unofficial Mile South of Heaven.”
Slam Dunk and ArcTanGent festival have revealed details of their 2027 events.
Bowling For Soup, Killswitch Engage, Simple Plan, Sleeping With Sirens, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, The Interrupters, The Used, Hot Milk, Four Year Strong and Beartooth are among the acts who’ll appear at Slam Dunk on the weekend of May 29 (Leeds Temple Newsam) and 30 (Hatfield Park).
More artists will be announce in the coming weeks. Pre-sale tickets are available now via the Slam Dunk app for up to 48 hours (subject to availability) from 10am on Friday, October 2, with remaining tickets on sale from 10am on Monday, October 5.
Neurosis and Blood Incantation have been confirmed as two of the headline bands for ArcTanGent 2027, which is set to take place on August 18-21 at its new location in the Cotswolds. Also newly announced for the festival are Slift, The Ocean, Messa, Conjurer, The Wildhearts (playing a special progressive set), Holy Fawn, Møl, Employed To Serve, Lowen and more.
“There’s no better way to kickstart the new chapter of ArcTanGent, for the first year at our new location in the Cotswolds, than with two of our most requested headliners,” says booker, James Scarlett. “Both bands are absolutely solid gold headliners – anyone that listens to 2 Promoters, 1 Pod will likely be sick of hearing me wax lyrical about the new Neurosis album. To have them along with Blood Incantation – a band it’s frankly criminal they haven’t played before – is the dream way to kick off a new edition of ArcTanGent.
“We’re also unleashing the vast majority of our Wednesday line-up, bringing back some of the most exciting acts from previous years. There are a lot of bands here that stood out with huge crowds in 2026, so we’re stoked that they want to return and help us kick off the early entry day of ATG 2027. As always, this announcement is simply a list of artists I’m extremely excited about from top to bottom and can’t wait to watch live at our new Cotswolds home.”
Sankalpa was recorded, mixed and mastered by Sheppert at Starless Sound. It’s set for release digitally on November 13. Place your preorder here.
