Heavy Metal Talks music blog

  Artist: Shakhtyor Origin: Germany Label: Moment of Collapse Records Released: November 6, 2026 Genre: Instrumental Doom / Sludge / Post-Metal Rating:  3/10 Listen/Buy: Moment of Collapse Records Shakhtyor have put together a pretty strange album with Simulacron . We're talking heavy sludge and doom metal mixed with psychedelic sounds, dark atmospheres and even some black metal influences. It's certainly different, but does it actually work? Well, sometimes it does. I really like the heavy guitar riffs, and there's some grooves here too. The album starts off surprisingly well, with a slow, almost hypnotic atmosphere that eventually turns into some seriously heavy doom metal. Even the ten-minute opening works, which is quite impressive. The production is solid, and with hardly any vocals, the guitars, bass and drums have to carry the music. There's also plenty of strange background sounds, including elements from nature and spoken words that give the alb...

  Artist: Carnation Origin: Belgium Label: Independent Released: October 16, 2026 Genre: Death Metal / Thrash Metal Rating:  6.5/10 Listen/Buy: Carnation Official Store Carnation caught my attention right from the opening track Blackmouth . Some really good old-school thrash riffs mixed with brutal death metal, and I like this combination. Great guitars, heavy rhythms and plenty of groove. This is a promising start! The album continues with fast and aggressive death metal, but what really works for me is the thrash influence and the melodic guitar work. The vocals are spot on, the drumming is excellent and there are some really catchy riffs here. This is the kind of death metal that makes my head bang and my feet move. But after a few tracks, it starts to be a bit too much of the same. The riffs, tempo and song structures follow the same pattern, and I miss variation. Labyrinth of Silence brings in more melodic death metal, which is a nice change, but overall ...

  Artist: THRAKIAN Album: The Way Origin: United Kingdom Label: Aonair Records Released: October 16, 2026 Genre: Sludge / Post-Metal / Melodic Death-Doom Rating: 9/10 Bandcamp: THRAKIAN on Bandcamp For those who have read my blog earlier know that I have a real weakness for melodic death/doom, so when THRAKIAN kicked off The Way with "Labours of Insanity", they had my attention straight away. This was right up my alley. Heavy, dark, melodic, and with a sound that immediately made me want to hear more. But there's a lot more to THRAKIAN than melodic doom/death. There are sludge here, and the post-metal influences are impossible to miss. What really gets me is how much melodic heavy rock they manage to bring into all that darkness. The riffs are heavy as hell, but there's so much groove and melody going on. And the vocals? Absolutely brilliant. Some of the best I've heard on a new release in a long time. They fit the music perfectly and make that...

  Artist: Sarcosuchus Origin: Long Island, New York, USA Label: Horror Pain Gore Death Productions Released: November 13, 2026 Genre: Death Metal / Slam Death Metal Rating: 6.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp From the first few minutes, De-Extinction feels heavy, dirty and straight to the point. Sarcosuchus are not trying to make death metal pretty here, and that works in their favour. The album mixes old-school death metal with modern slam, with plenty of Death influence and some hints of The Black Dahlia Murder. The riffs has a strong hardcore edge, while the blast beats, breakdowns and solos keep the things moving forward. This is a very drum-driven album, and the rhythm section does a lot of the lifting. The groove is strong, and the slam elements are always there without completely taking over. The vocals are exactly where I want death metal vocals to be. Heavy, aggressive and right in your face and up front in the mix. I really like that they let the vocals take a l...

  Artist: Sarcator Album: The Ones We Follow Origin: Sweden Label: Reigning Phoenix Music Released: October 30, 2026 Genre: Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal / Death Rock Rating:  5/10 I have to be honest, The Ones We Follow is a bit strange for me. Sarcator mix heavy metal, thrash, punk and a pretty obvious western influence here. When they go heavy and groovy, this works really well. There are moments that remind me of early Metallica, and even a little early Mötley Crüe. The riffs have weight, the drums are really good and the bass gets plenty of room. The vocals are more hit and miss. I like them much better when they are darker and clearer. On some of the faster punk parts they become a little too chaotic for me, and together with everything else going on it can turn into more noise than something I actually enjoy. “In Search of Oblivion” and “Bleeding Ages” are the clear standouts. Both have the heavier sound I like, with good groove, strong riffs and much be...

  LYCHGATE: “We can do anything we like” – On Precipice, individuality and black metal There are bands that fit comfortably into a genre, and then there are bands like Lychgate. Since forming in 2011, the UK band have carved out a sound that sits somewhere between black metal, doom, progressive music and the darker corners of classical composition. Organ has become one of the defining elements of their music, but Lychgate have never sounded interested in following an established formula – or in fitting neatly into the scene around them. Their latest album, Precipice , was released in December 2025 through Debemur Morti Productions and continues the dystopian themes that have long surrounded the band’s work. With Lychgate heading out for a run of UK shows alongside Fen and Cistvaen, HMT caught up with the band to talk about individuality, the importance of atmosphere, influences far beyond metal, their complicated relationship with the black metal scene – and where the band goes ne...