Heavy Metal Talks music blog

  Artist: Colliding Worlds Origin: Germany Label: Independent Released: August 21, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death/Gothic Metal Rating: 7/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Colliding Worlds are a melodic death/gothic metal band from Germany, and Iridescence is their fifth full-length album. It was released independently on August 21 and consists of six tracks with a running time of just over 50 minutes. The first thing that hit me was the guitar playing, which is absolutely fantastic. Together with the atmosphere, it creates a dark and melancholic sound filled with both longing and sadness. There are some really beautiful melodic parts here, but the album still has plenty of weight. The vocals fit the music perfectly. The growling is clear, dark and on point the whole album. It becomes even more powerful on Abyss, where the vocals sound fucking insane.  Abyss is a bit more aggressive, and it really stands out for me. The album opens with Enigma, a track that runs for more th...

  Artist: SAROF Origin: Lappeenranta, Finland Label: Independent Released: August 7, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death Metal Rating: 9/10 Listen/Buy: sarofband.com Melodic death metal from Finland just keeps getting better and better, and SAROF are no exception! Already after a few seconds, I was sold. There is just something about the sound on this album that hit me immediately. Via Discendi is the second full-length album from SAROF, following Force of Will from 2019. It contains nine tracks and runs for just under 40 minutes, and the quality stays high throughout the whole album. The sound reminds me of the old melodeath scene and that classic Gothenburg sound, and it is so fucking good. Is this the new melodeath sound coming from Finland? I do not know, but it sounds amazing. The vocals are on point all the way through. There are some great variations in the voice, which give the album exactly what it needs. The guitars are sharp, technical and fucking rhythmic, full ...

  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: Cipher System Origin: Tjörn, Sweden Label: At Dawn Records Released: July 31, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death Metal Rating: 9 /10 Follow: Facebook After 15 years, Cipher System are finally back with a new release, and what a fucking comeback this is! Torn Between Realities starts so fucking strong with Endveiler . This track hit me immediately. The melodies, the energy and Christian Älvestam’s vocals all come together in a way that just works. Älvestam's clean vocals sound almost unchanged after all these years, and they hit exactly where they should. The growls are also on point, and the shifts between the two styles are a big part of what makes this work so well. If you are a fan of Scar Symmetry, you will definitly like this. It is difficult to listen to Torn Between Realities without thinking about the early Scar Symmetry period with Symmetric in Design , Pitch Black Progress and Holographic Universe . The last one also includes my personal favorite Scar...

Artist: Syrax Origin: St. Petersburg, Russia Label: Independent Released: July 31, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death Metal Rating: 7/10 This EP came completely out of nowhere. I saw the name Syrax on a list of new releases, and thought I had to check them out and it was much better than I expected. Another Side of the Battlefield starts with a folk metal feeling, at first I was not really sure what this was, but then it picks up and moves more into melodic death metal, mixed with elements of viking and folk metal. This works so much better than I first expected. The guitars sound really good and are a big part of this EP. There are plenty of great melodies, and the drums also get their moments with a good dose of blastbeats. Everything is technically well played and on point exactly where it needs to be, it feels like the band has been doing this for years. The vocals are a little special. Sometimes they are a bit unclear, but they are also very good when they hit. There are also...

  Artist: Dark Side Origin: Gniew, Pomerania, Poland Label: Independent Released: July 10, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore Rating: 9/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Dark Side – W matni is actually an album I should have reviewed last weeked, but it is holiday season, and I do allow myself a few days off now and then. So the reviews are not coming as often right now, but they are not forgotten. This album starts insanely good with “Sadysta”, and it hits me right in the face. Anyone who reads the blog knows that I love melodic death metal, and when you throw breakdowns into the mix as well, then I am pretty much sold. This is dark, aggressive and melodic , that really works for me. The riffs hit hard, the guitar solos lift the songs, and the breakdowns give the album the extra weight. The drums are seriously on point, with great blastbeats, technical precision and a drive that keeps the album alive all the way through. And then there is the vocal , it is so good, li...

  Artist: Sigyn Origin: Finland Label: Noble Demon Released: July 10, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death Metal Rating: 6/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Sigyn came up as a new release and I had heard the name before, so I had to check it out. Turned out they had an album back in 2023 ,not the most well-known band to me, so I sat down with zero expectations other than melodic death metal, and there it was , melo death. Opening track "A New Nation" hits you hard right away and sets a solid foundation for what's to come. This is energetic,technically and solid. The synth is clearly meant to add an epic layer, but for me it ends up being more of a distraction than anything else. The guitars and drums are very on point , lots of double bass blast beats and precise, good riffs. And the vocals are really good ,I mean really fuckin good. Honestly it's the vocals that keep me going from start to finish. This isn't a revolutionary record, and I've heard this before , b...

  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...

  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...

  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: Vanir Origin: Denmark Label: Mighty Music Released: April 3, 2026 Genre: Melodic Death Metal Rating: 9/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Eight albums in and Vanir from Denmark are still one of the best kept secrets in melodic death metal. Wyrd hits hard from the first second. Against the Storm opens the album with straight up melodic death metal, no intro, no buildup, just riffs. the keyboards comes in quite early on this record and I'm not usually a keyboard guy , but here it actually works. They add something without taking over, and after a minute or two you stop noticing and just go with it. The vocals are great. Raw and close, like the guy is right in front of you spitting you in the face. The guitar work is solid throughout ,lots of tremolo, double kick and blast beats doing the heavy lifting in the rhythm section. Production is tight, everything sounds exactly how it should. Never Surrender and Mod og Ære are the two tracks I kept coming back to. Both have ...

 My review on For Ruin - Painted in the colours of War Release : January 29th , 2026 Origin      : Cork , Ireland  Label      : Sentinel Records  Rating     : At The End Painted in the colours of War Painted In The Colours Of War is an album defined by atmosphere. From the very start , the mood is dark, heavy, and emotionally. This is not a record that rushes to impress,instead, it builds patiently , layer by layer, allowing tension and weight to accumulate before it finally releases. And when it does, it hits HARD . Musically, the album sits firmly within melodic blackened death metal . The guitars balance heaviness and melody well, creating riffs that feel both aggressive and expressive rather than purely technical. The drums are powerful and well-placed, giving the music a strong sense of drive without overwhelming the rest of the instrumentation. Everything feels intentional and controlled, yet never sterile. One of the key...