Heavy Metal Talks music blog

  Artist: Sarcator Origin: Sweden Interview: Jesper Rosén (Drums) Album: The Ones We Follow Label: Reigning Phoenix Music Released: October 30, 2026 Listen/Buy: Official Album Link Swedish metal band Sarcator are preparing to release their fourth album, The Ones We Follow , on October 30 through Reigning Phoenix Music. Heavy Metal Talks caught up with Jesper Rosén to discuss the band's changing musical direction, western influences, the recording process and what comes next for Sarcator. HEAVY METAL TALKS Written Interview - SARCATOR The Ones We Follow - Reigning Phoenix Music - October 30, 2026 Interview with Jesper Rosén 1. You describe the new direction as “death’s rock.” What does that term mean to you, and when did you realise it fit Sarcator better than a more traditional genre label? To be honest I’m not really sure, this is something Mateo’s mentioned and it sounds cool but I think it might have been exaggerated a bit. But it’s true that we don’t really con...

  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: 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...

  Artist: Desolus Origin: Washington D.C., USA Label: Hells Headbangers Records Released: May 15, 2026 Genre: Black/Thrash Metal Rating: 8/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Desolus play old school, tight and claustrophobic form of thrash metal, with clear elements of both death and black metal. This sounds real, raw and filthy from start to finish. The whole album gives me an old school, demonic feeling ,almost like being hunted through the dark forest. The riffs and drums deliver the classic thrash feeling, with clear associations to both Slayer and Sodom. Fast, aggressive and full of the primitive energy that makes this kind of metal so effective when it hits right. The production is a big part of the experience. It gives me the feeling of being locked inside a damp bunker with bad air, rusty walls and no way out. Tight, dark and filthy , and here that is a strength. This album was never meant to sound pretty. It was meant to sound dangerous. The tracks that stand out mos...

  Artist: Moshquito Origin: Germany Label: German Democratic Recordings Released: May 15, 2026 Genre: Death/Thrash Metal Rating: 7/10 Listen/Buy: Metal Archives This is a difficult album to review for me, simply because Dies Irae is my first encounter with Moshquito. After some reading up on the band, I found a fair amount of negative opinions around this record , most of the criticism pointing to a lack of development and a missing progressive edge the band apparently had before. For me, that might actually be a good thing. I came into this without any old favourites in the back of my head. I'm not listening for what Moshquito once was. I'm hearing this as a death/thrash album,and for that Dies Irae works pretty well. There's a lot that hits right. The album has a dirty, brutal and direct feel to it, though I miss more energy in some places. There are sections that feels a bit flat, and a few more tracks that really kick harder would have lifted the whole...

  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...

  Artist: Zerre Origin: Würzburg, Germany Label: Dying Victims Productions Released: March 27, 2026 Genre: Thrash Metal / Crossover Rating: 8.4/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp This album smells like blood, sweat and rust. Zerre don't waste time playing "retro thrash" , they rip the head off tradition and use it as a snare drum. Rotting on a Golden Throne is 40 minutes of pure violence in riff form, and I love every second of it. The sound is so dense and dirty it feels like getting the speakers shoved straight into your face. The guitars cut like razor blades over a concrete wall, and the vocals? More of an attack than singing , Nico Ziska sounds like he's screaming his way through the world's last riot. Brutal, but controlled on a disturbingly precise level. Pigs Will Be Pigs comes in like a chainsaw attack, and Deception of the Weak is straight up amphetamine thrash. In the middle of it all they find room for Mental Vacation, which slows things down w...

  Artist: Soulinpain Origin: Santiago, Chile Label: Independent Released: March 13, 2026 Genre: Death/Thrash Metal Rating: 6/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Years deep in the underground and still no label. 200 copies on CD. Soulinpain don't give a shit about the industry and The Last Dance of Death sounds exactly like that. This hits raw and aggressive right out of the gate — no warm-up, no bullshit intro to ease you in. Chilean death/thrash the way it should be, mean and direct. Insertion grabs you by the throat early and doesn't let go, and Mental Intoxication is the kind of track that gets stuck in your head whether you want it to or not. Four minutes of pure forward momentum. The guitars do two things and do both well — heavy riffs that just bulldoze forward, and tighter technical runs that keep it from getting predictable. The drums back it up the right way, switching between blast beats and heavier mid-tempo grooves without losing the thread. Francisco Gallegos on...

Artist: Intoxicated Origin: Tampa, Florida, USA Label: Redefining Darkness Records Released: March 27, 2026 Genre: Death/Thrash Metal Rating: 6.5/10 Listen/Buy: Bandcamp Intoxicated is one of those bands that has stayed under the radar long enough to feel almost unfair. Florida veterans with roots going back to the 90s, and with The Dome they deliver their third full-length ,30 minutes of death/thrash that doesn't waste your time. The guitar work is the first thing that hits me. The riffs are good, dirty, and rooted in classic thrash tradition. It grinds and tears in that way that makes your neck move on its own. Not particularly original, but executed with conviction, and that counts for something. The vocals are a pleasant surprise. They hit well within the genre without becoming a cliché of themselves , aggressive enough to match the music, but with enough personality to stand out. That balance is rare, especially in the death\trash area. The production does a ...

Review of the Destination.Dominaton   Release : February 6th , 2026 Orgin      : Sweden Label      : Emanzipation Productions Rating    : At the end Sweden’s Heir Corpse One return with Destination: Domination , their latest full-length release and a continuation of the band’s dark, apocalyptic universe. With roots firmly planted in death and thrash metal, they once again lean heavily on groove, aggression, and relentless energy.    Destination: Domination Destination: Domination is a dark and heavy album  built on a solid death/thrash foundation. The energy level stays high all the way , and the band clearly knows what they’re doing. The guitars are the driving force here. There’s no shortage of strong riffs ,in fact, that might be part of the issue. The album rarely slows down, and while the intensity is impressive, it sometimes feels like there’s almost too much happening. Fewer ideas given more space might have mad...

  My Review on Hellmaze - Dead Flesh Rising Release  : 30th January 2026 Origin     : Midtjylland , Denmark Label      : Independent  Rating    :  At the end HellMaze - Dead Flesh Rising Dead Flesh Rising is the first full-length album from Danish band Hellmaze, and it sounds exactly like a band that knows what it wants to do. No big statements. No genre experiments. Just thrash metal built on groove, riffs, and energy. First impression? Thrashy, groovy, aggressive ,but clean. The overall mood is dark, raw, and heavy, yet surprisingly fun. This is one of those albums that makes you move without really thinking about it. A proper feelgood thrash record. The guitars lean heavily into classic territory. Strong riffs, clear 80s thrash vibes, and some blast beats thrown in to keep the intensity high. Nothing feels overdone, the tempo shifts well, and the songs stay focused from start to finish. Vocally, the band switches betwee...