Heavy Metal Talks music blog

  Artist: Inthraced Origin: Finland Label: Inverse Records Released: May 15, 2026 Genre: Symphonic Melodic Death Metal Rating: 8.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Inthraced pull you in from the start. The universe is set immediately, the symphonic death metal scene done right, and I'm a sucker for it. Track two builds further, more synths, the tension rising. Then the clean vocals arrive and the whole thing flips on me. It doesn't sit well. When everything else is working this good, the clean vocals feel like the wrong call. They break the momentum and undo some of what the album had already built. It happens twice ,once early, once on the closing track and for me that costs the album something. Everything else though? Excellent. The vocals are aggressive and hold a high melodic death metal standard throughout. The drums deserve special mention ,production has treated them perfectly here, every hit landing exactly where it should. The guitars delivers riff after riff...

 Finnish metal legends Amorphis need no introduction. With over three decades of genre-defining music behind them, the band has remained one of the most consistent and creative forces in heavy metal. In December 2024, Heavy Metal Talks sat down with bassist Olli-Pekka Laine while the band was deep in the recording process for their latest album, Borderland. We talked about how Amorphis developed their unique sound, who their biggest influences were, and what the secret is to keeping a band alive and relevant for 30 years. Olli-Pekka also opened up about what life on the road really looks like — and what fans can expect from Borderland. 🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify:

  Artist: Hubris Origin: Buffalo, New York, USA Label: Independent Released: April 3, 2026 Genre: Black Metal / Blackened Death Metal Rating: 7.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Hubris open Acts of Sedition quietly. A still start. Almost like they're luring you in. Then track two arrives and it's over. No warning. This is black metal with real death metal intensity ,cold, brutal and relentless. The drums alone are worth the price of admission. Blast beats from another dimension, fills that hit hard and a pace that barely lets you breathe. The guitar work keeps is impressive just for keeping up with the drums, solid tremolo picking, riffs that stick, enough dark melody to remind you this is still black metal at heart. The vocals are a highlight. Raw, angry and intense , for me the screams land exactly where they should, and those blegh moments scattered through the record give the whole thing an extra layer of attitude. A real don't-give-a-fuck energy that suits H...

Artist: Sisyphean Origin: Vilnius, Lithuania Label: Edged Circle Productions Released: April 3, 2026 Genre: Blackened Death Metal / Dissonant Black Metal Rating: 6.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Sisyphean  back with Divergence, and they've gone deep into dissonant black/death metal territory. This is not music that tries to be accessible. It's twisted, uneasy and full on intense. The opening is instrumental with a voice speaking over the music, building a sense of dread and anxiety, like something unpleasant is about to happen up. The mood builds slowly before the show really starts. This is dissonant black/death metal with serious control. It sounds chaotic but never random. The riffs twist forward, the drums keep the pressure up, and the vocals sit dark and intense. The band clearly knows what they're doing. The production is rock solid. Dense, heavy and clear enough that the details come through. There's a lot of atmosphere here aswell ,the album consiste...

Artist: Northern Graves Origin: Saskatchewan, Canada Label: Meuse Music Records Released: April 17, 2026 Genre: Blackened Doom Metal Rating: 8.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Northern Graves open Derelict Heart strong. The mood is set from the first note and it doesn't let go. Powerful and atmospheric , good vocals, riffs that sits tight and drums  really do the job. Both black metal and doom metal come through clearly here. The weight is there, the atmosphere is there, and there's enough intensity that the black metal side doesn't get swallowed up by the doom. Both styles coexist and strengthen each other throughout. Two tracks stand out for me. Endless is where everything clicks at once , vocals on point, guitars locked in, drums doing an amazing job. Then there's the title track ,the longest on the album and absolutely worth your time. There's a longing in the vocals that hits differently, the buildup is well executed and the softer passages with clean...

  Artist: Inferi Origin: Nashville, Tennessee, USA Label: The Artisan Era Released: April 10, 2026 Genre: Technical Death Metal / Melodic Death Metal Rating: 7/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Inferi open Heaven Wept strong. From the first note it's clear this is a band that knows exactly what they're doing. High technical level, riffs that hit hard, and the album throws you straight into a landscape of brutality, melodic guitar lines and precise chaos. This is technical death metal done right. Blast beats, complex riffs and intense passages,but what makes this album interesting is that the brutality doesn't stand alone,underneath the technical surface there's an emotional nerve. The melodic riffs add depth and make this more than just a display of skill ,it actually hits atmospherically too. The guitar work is one of the big strengths here. Riffs that are strong, melodic and aggressive. The vocals coming through well , intense delivery with fry scream moments t...

  Three Days, 24 Bands and a Completely Wrecked Festival Weekend This weekend was exactly what festivals are supposed to be — long days, aching feet, little sleep, loud music, sore backs and massive concert experiences. Over three days I caught 24 bands, ranging from black metal and melodic death metal to progressive metal, hard rock and a few things that just didn't land for me at all. Some concerts were unforgettable. Some disappointed. Some surprised me completely. But overall, this was exactly the chaotic and memorable festival weekend I was hoping for. Thursday Thursday started strong. First up was Rioter, and they did exactly what an opening band should do. Young guys going in full energy from the first second and kicking off the festival with a bang. A fantastic start to the weekend. Next was Mayfire, a band I'd actually been looking forward to. Unfortunately this was one of the weaker sets of the day. The sound wasn't quite right and the vocals kept falling through ...

  Artist: Immolation Origin: Yonkers, New York, USA Label: Nuclear Blast Records Released: April 10, 2026 Genre: Death Metal Rating: 9/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Twelve albums in. Nearly forty years. And Immolation still sound like they want to drag you somewhere you can't come back from. Descent is heavy, suffocating and evil. The guitar work is twisted and unpredictable , riffs that don't go where you expect them to, structures that keep you off balance the whole way through. Brutal but dynamic. The drums are precise and aggressive, shifting between blast beats and heavier, groovier sections without losing the thread. And the bass deserves a mention,it creates this sense of depth and weight that most death metal bands miss entirely. It's what gives the album that bottomless pit feeling. The whole record moves between fast, aggressive attacks and slower, more atmospheric passages. Neither one overstays its welcome. The balance is what makes it work. Producti...

  Artist: Warside Origin: Lyon, France Label: Gruesome Records Released: April 17, 2026 Genre: Death Metal / Death Thrash Rating: 8.6/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Warside is not a band you've necessarily heard of ,but the algorithm probably already pointed you in their direction. That's how it happened for me. Four guys from Lyon, France, been at it since 2018, and they finally dropped their first full-length album. Cognitive Extinction sounds like an album that's been waiting a long time to be made. No warmup. No gradual intro. It just hits from the first note and doesn't let go. Death metal with clear thrash veins...Direct, no unnecessary detours. The kind of record that grabs you when it's done right. Warside do it right. The guitar work is really tight , riffs that stick. Technical precision without losing the groove. Double bass gives the album a physical weight ,you can just feel it. But the drumming steals the show. The speed is absurd. Constant s...