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: 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: Warning Origin: United Kingdom Label: Relapse Records Released: June 19, 2026 Genre: Doom Metal Rating: 7/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Rituals of Shame has been a highly anticipated album. It's been 20 years since Warning released Watching from a Distance, and now they return with five tracks and around 45 minutes of new music. I'll be honest , i was a bit scared to review this one. This is a strong album. Strong in many different ways. There's so much emotion here, with plenty of longing, self-loathing and all that kind of crap. This is very melancholic doom metal. The music is extremely slow and built around heavy guitars, dark melodic parts and long build-ups. Most of the time it works, but there are moments when it drags out. Some parts could have been a little shorter without losing the atmosphere. The album deals with guilt, shame, longing and love. The vocals carry much of the emotion, and they are very good. Really fucking good! They fit the d...

  Artist: Enshine Origin: Sweden / France Label: Independent Released: January 3, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death/Doom Metal Rating: 5.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp I thought I reviewed this album when it was first released, but apparently I forgot about it. So with a lack of both creativity and time, I decided it was finally time to bring out Elevation again. This is Enshine’s third full-length album and comes more than ten years after Singularity . It consists of eight tracks and runs for around 50 minutes. You can feel the atmospheric longing and darkness already from the first track. This is a heavily melancholic album. The guitars are beautiful and full of emotion, with some really good riffs and melodic parts. Together with the keyboards, they create a dreamy and almost cosmic atmosphere. The keyboards can become a little too dominant, but for the most part this works really well. The vocals are also good, although they disappear a little into the music from time to t...

  Artist: Eternal Mourn Origin: Italy Label: Terror from Hell Records Released: July 20, 2026 Genre: Death/Doom Metal Rating: 8/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Sometimes you just have to love the algorithms, especially when bands like Eternal Mourn suddenly appear. The band consists of experienced musicians from different projects, who have now come together to play doom/death, and it sounds so fucking good. You really get a feeling of longing, sorrow and pain, with a melancholic atmosphere hanging over the entire EP. Throughout these three songs, you are pulled into the band’s own little darkness. What I enjoy the most are all the shifts between the slower parts and the slightly more uptempo sections, before the music falls back into the heavy and sorrowful atmosphere again. That really works here. The guitar carries a lot of the melancholy, with heavy riffs and sorrowful melodies working side by side. There is plenty of weight here.The melodic guitar adds another layer to...

June 2026 — Best Metal Album For Me June 2026   Fires in the Distance – Circadian Promise Melodic Doom/Death Metal | USA This one hit me right in the chest. Not just an album I listen to — it's an album I disappear into. The best thing I've heard in a long time. Read the full review   Entropist – The Vision Progressive Death Metal | USA A debut that hits hard. Huge and ambitious, with a concept that runs deep. Technical precision without losing the groove. One of the best things I've heard this year. Full review coming.   Loneshore – Nothing Left to Deconstruct Melodic Progressive Doom/Death Metal | Brazil Dark, melancholic and atmospheric. The guitars carry this album from start to finish, and the two strongest tracks — "Straylight" and "To Stride the Black Earth" — are something else. Read the full review   Via Doloris – Guerre et Paix Atmospheric Black Metal | Norway Solo project from Oslo with Frost of 1349 on drums. Dark, atmospheric and r...

  Artist: Soliloquium Origin: Sweden Label: Meuse Music Records Released: April 11, 2025 Genre: Melodic Death/Doom Metal Rating: 8/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp There is something about lying on the beach and just enjoying life that makes me reach for something a bit calmer and more melancholic, maybee it is the sun, the sound of the sea and the fact that everything moves a little slower, but Famine ended up following me here in Spain. Not exactly typical beach music, but this album somehow fitted the moment perfectly. It is dark, emotional and heavy, but also has enough space in it to just sit back and let it sink in. This is a melancholic death/doom album, and when Soliloquium move into the more melodic death metal parts, it feels almost like a revelation. Those moments really hits me. There is a lot of emotions running through this record, and the more you listen, the more you start to feel the desperation, the loss and the sadness behind it. I can also hear progressi...

  Artist: Novembre Origin: Rome, Italy Label: Peaceville Records Released: November 7, 2025 Genre: Progressive Melodic Doom/Death Metal Rating: 8/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp As I was laying on the beach in Spain, Novembre suddenly popped up in my head.I then realized I had never given Words of Indigo a proper listen. So I did. And I am glad for it. The guitars are really good throughout this album, carrying a lot of the melodies and atmosphere that make Novembre sound like Novembre. There is a heavy sense of melancholy atmosphere hanging over the whole record, and the production brings that out in a strong way. Dark, warm and detailed without losing the heaviness. The drums are a huge strength here. Full of darkness, blast beats and small details that give the songs more weight when they need it. This is a progressive and melodic doom metal album, but it never feels slow for the sake of being slow. There is always something happening. My main issue is still the clean ...

  Artist: Loneshore Origin: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Label: Willowtip Records Released: June 19, 2026 Genre: Melodic Progressive Doom/Death Metal Rating: 8.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Don't know who recommended this album to me, but whoever you are , thank you so fuckin much. Nothing Left to Deconstruct mixes post-metal, death metal, doom and even progressive metal. Long parts with build-up, lots of clean vocals, and just a really good vibe. Lots of riffs, blast beats and melodic parts, vocal is both clean and brutal , both works. This is an atmospheric journey through their universe, and i enjoyed listening to this album.The production feels solid , the soundscape is really good,especially on  "Straylight" and "To Stride the Black Earth", which are probably the strongest tracks on the album for me. A really good mix of everything the album has to offer, this is where they really show what they can do. You can really hear their influences here ,the...

  Artist: Fires in the Distance Origin: Newington, Connecticut, USA Label: Prosthetic Records Released: June 12, 2026 Genre: Melodic Doom/Death Metal Rating: 10/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp I don't really know where to start with Fires in the Distance – Circadian Promise, because this album hit me right in the chest. First time I heard this ,I sat there with one feeling: WOW. This is something else. And the craziest thing is that it just keeps gettin better with every listen. A feeling I haven't had in a long time. An album that gives me exactly what I need right now ,an escape, a room to breathe, somewhere I can just exist in my own little world. So thank you. Thank you so damn much. I love melodic death metal, and when it's done like this, it's almost impossible not to get pulled in. Everything works here. The vocals, the drums, guitars and bass,razor sharp across the board. Blast beats hit exactly where they should, the riffs grab you, and the solos will...

June has been a strong month for metal so far. Here are six albums that have stuck with me. Via Doloris – Guerre et Paix Solo project from Oslo, Frost of 1349 and Satyricon on drums. Dark, atmospheric black metal with a folk edge. The drumming alone is worth your time. Read the full review Revolting – Supernatural Anthems Straight up Swedish death metal. No reinventing the wheel, but it doesn't need to. Raw riffs, horror atmosphere and enough melodic hooks to stick. Read the full review Dissentient – Black Galactic Progressive and technical death metal from Ottawa. The cosmic side of this album gives it a whole different dimension. "Black Galactic, Black Galactic" — that chant doesn't leave your head. Read the full review Crocell – Swarm of Insects Danish black/death metal. Solid sound, dark vocals, strong moments — but also stretches that are a little too easy to forget. "Traitors' Blood" is the standout. Read the full review Sinamort ...

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: The Holeum Origin: Murcia/Alicante, Spain Label: Lifeforce Records Released: March 20, 2026 Genre: Post-Metal / Death Doom Rating: 8.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Never heard The Holeum before this,came in completely blind, no expectations, just a name that sounded like it belonged in a physics textbook. Turns out that's kind of the point , these Alicante five-piece named themselves after an astrophysical theory about dark matter and black holes. Ensis is their third album, and whatever they've been doing in the years since their last record, it was worth the wait. The first thing that hit me was the atmosphere. Not the riffs, not the vocals , just the mood. There's a doom weight to this record that settles over you almost immediately, the kind that's more about gravity than volume. The guitars are doing a lot of the heavy lifting , building that slow, suffocating blanket of dark sound that good doom lives and dies by. I'm a sucker for it, and ...