Tricky - Different When It's Silent (2026)

One of the pleasure of discovering a new Tricky album is finding wich new interesting singers he's introducing. This time it's msotly a young singer, also from Bristol, called Mitch Sanders (a few others featuring are also on the album). he's doing a good job. Tricky, after the disapointing previous album (first one after he lost his daughter so I won't be too hard on him) is back with a strong album. Maybe not on the level of his best ones, but still with many excellent songs, and even the less memorable ones contrinutes to the nice overall feel and atmosphere of the album, so I wouldn't say they're fillers. And speaking about the atmosphere, Different When it's Silent is another proof Tricky is the absolute master of these laid back but subtly menacing feel. Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

No Cure - It Is Going To Get Dark (2026)

It Is Going To Get Dark is the first album from young band No Cure is a new band from Alabama, and a nicely done exercice in beatdown hardcore. With elements of deathcore, but staying definitely more brutal hardcore than death metal. In any case it has the groove and smashing power.

 

Cripple Bastards - La tua foto sul marmo (2026)

Cripple Bastards return with 13 min EP La tua foto sul marmo, and as usual (they formed in 1988!) they deliver high quality grind, with both a powerful sound and a lot of hardcore punk elements, and this time also some melodic guitar parts bits (never lasting for long!), bringing an element of surprise. Good stuff!

 

Their website 

 

Verdun - Abyssal Womb (2026)

I support Verdun since their beginnings, so I'm not surprised seeing them sign with the Excellent Transcending Obscurity records and releasing what will no doubt stays as one of the best doom/sludge album of the year. But with Abyssal Womb they exceeded my expectations, with even better songwriting skills with a great attention to details and dynamics. I just regret that this time the melodic element is less psychedelic (still is in the first track Funeral of the Cosmic Knight) and more traditionnal doom (can reminds Pallbearer or Hangman's Chair or even Paradise Lost at times), but that's not really a problem since they show they're also great at that. As a nice bonus, the singing in French in two songs is a success. Overall, I'm very pleased by this album that see Verdun reaching new heights. Keep going!

 

The BC page. 

 

Elizabeth Bane - Tenerife Sur (2026)

Can't tell you much about Elizabeth Bane, but this Tenerife Sur album is an excellent piece of noise/industrial/dark ambient, reminding a bit what Dominic Fernow (Prurient/Vatican Shadow) is doing. I hope we'll be hearing more from this new producer int he future!

 

The BC page. 

 

GROND - The Temple (2026)

Ten years passing between this new album and the previous one probably didn't help (that and maybe also being Russian), but I feel GROND don't get the recognition they deserve. I think they are among the best old school death metal bands around and The Temple is another proof. They kept their cool concept of mixing monstrous sea creatures, old warships and Lovecraft for the lyrics and art. The music is still grounded in mid tempo old school death, but I'd say it's now a bit more polished, with more attention to details, melodic elements and atmosphere, losing a bit the primitive rawness and moving slightly towards death doom. They still reminds Obituary, but now maybe Incantation and Immolation even more. But that being said I think they really managed to craft their own style. Anyone into more old-school and slower death metal should worship (or warship maybe!) The Themple.. Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Black Label Society - Engines of Demolition (2026)

Engines of Demolition is the best Black Label Society since Mafia, the best in twenty years. There still are a couple of mellow piano driven songs we didn't really need, but here it's taking less space than on their others recent albums, and the heavy songs are better, and of course Zakk Wylde's leads are still worth your time. Not as good as their first albums, but better than what they did in between, overall it's an nice album that I enjoy (old school heavy metal with a Black Sab' influence if you didn't know).

 

The BC page. 

 

Fake Dust - Decrepitizing Din Of The Cerebral Psyopticon (2026)

Another band I saw recently at Les Passagers du Zinc, in Besançon (East of France), playing with Archagathus, Tension and Apoptose. And also a great show. Decrepitizing Din Of The Cerebral Psyopticon is their first album, released by the mighty Iron Lung Records. And it's an excellent album. Grindcore rooted in the old school, but also with some heavier parts and manic snare beating drumming evoking goregrind, but also some moments more on the powerviolence/punk side of grind. They can please the whole grind family.

 

The BC page. 

 

The Heavy Eyes - Focus (2026)

I don't think Focus is their best album, but anyway it's a pleaseure to hear again The Heavy Eyes six years after their previous one. Their garage / stoner /doom, somewhere between Brant Bjork and Black Sabbath, still has something special and theydifferentiate from similar bands thanks to superior songwriting skills and their excellent vocalist. Good stuff again!

 

The BC page. 

 

Immolation - Descent (2026)

Bands able to consistently release excellent music without a single failure for nearly 40 years aren't so many. Immolation is one of them. They don't release albums so often, but when they do they make sur it doesn't disappoint. Descent is their twelth one, and another masterpice in mid-tempo death-metal, with a strong feel of dark majesty and inexorable evil. Nothing new for them, but they found their own unmistakable sound long ago and they stick to it. And the results are there to show they are right.

 

The BC page. 

 

Bitter Branches - Let's Give The Land Back To The Animals (2026)

Guitars are sharp, vocals are tense, evoking at turns Black Flag and Oxbow. This second Bitter Branches album, called Let's Give The Land Back To The Animals, is another excellent piece of Am Rep style noise rock, confirming them as among the best noise rock bands around.

 

The BC page. 

 

The Scalar Process - Agnomysticism (2026)

The Scalar Process is a young French band and after an already excellent first album they confirm their quality with a second one (released by Transcending Obscurity) called Agnomysticism, which also is a fine piece in progressive and technical death metal. Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Bong-Ra - Esoterik (2026)

Bong-Ra recent music is often described as "doomjazz", which is relevant, but I'd say "Godflesh with sax" would give you a more accurate idea of what Esoterik sounds like. What's different in Esoterik from the previous album Black Noise is that the jungle beats are gone, while the music gets more atmospheric, especially those ritualistic ambient with saxophone parts. Godflesh meets Painkiller could be another good description. In any case, Esoterik is an excellent piece of dark and heavy music somewhere between doom metal and industrial. And I'm looking forward to what the next Bong-Ra evolution will be.

 

The BC page. 

 

Archspire - Too Fast To Die (2026)

I have mixed feelings with Archspire new album, Too Fast To Die, I just feel the songs are a bit less memorable and jaw-dropping, but I remember I was disapointed when Bleed The Future came out, and found it great when I listened to it the other day, so... I guess Archspire music is so dense you need time to "digest" it and get all its intricacies. Anyway I already enjoy Toos Fast To Die, no time needed to hear that Archspire intensity and musicianship is still really hard to match. At the same time brutal, technical and melodic (neoclassical style) death metal at its most over the top.

 

The BC page. 

 

Kandarivas - Rhythms of Obliteration (2026)

Kandarivas is an awesome grind band from Japan, they have been around for more than ten years now, but I only discovered them with their split with Durian released two years ago by Nerve Altar Records. So Rhythms of Obliteration is the first Kandarivas album I listen to. And it makes me regret not having discovered them earlier! The somewhat "tribal" feel of the japanese kaito drums they use is really something different and fresh to their grindcore, otherwise rooted into the old school. But the greatness of the album is definitely not limited to this "exotic" element, it's a nice touch, but what is more important is that the songs are powerfull! Rhythms of Obliteration is a strong candidate for best grind album of the year, don't sleep on it!

 

The BC page.

 

Dälek - Brilliance of a Falling Moon (2026)

More Dälek can't be bad. I love their old-school, smart, heavy, dark and combative hip-hop. But I'm still being a bit disappointed by Brilliance of a Falling Moon. It's a good album, but won't be remembered as among their most inspired ones, sounding a bit too much more of the same. I feel they played it safe on this one. Their recent collab with Charles Hayward was more interesting and better. I hope they will challenge themselves more for their next one. That being said, a less memorable Dälek album is still better by far than almost any other hip-hop album.

 

The BC page. 

 

Kanine - Khaos (2026)

See that huge monster on the cover? See what's coming? Yes, definitely gonna be brutal. Absurdly over the top brutal. Kanine first album four years ago was already an excellent piece of slamming deathcore, Khaos is pushing it even more to the extreme. Bestial super angry vocals, massive bass drop, machine gun drumming, and of course slam and breakdowns at every corner. But they don't just do more of everything, they also are good at making it heavier and at the same time "catchy and fun", well, kind of :) you get the idea. I'm far from being a slamming deathcore specialist, but I think this album will be hard to beat for other bands doing that.

 

The BC page. 

 

New Age Doom featuring H.R. - Angels Against Angels (2026)

Angels Against Angels is another dub flavoured album from New Age Doom, this time teaming with Bad Brains singer H.R. And it's no less good than the awesome one they did with Lee Perry and Donny MacCaslin. But of course different. Again psych/jazz rock infused with a lot of dub, but this time with a rawer feel and a glorious punk assault in the middle of the album. And cool vocals by H.R.Truly addictive stuff. One of  my favourite album this year so far.

 

The BC page. 

 

The Shits - Diet of Worms (2026)

The Shits' music is often described as a very convincing mix of The Stooges and Brainbombs. That's definitely relevant and their new album Diet of Worms is another blatant proof. But we could also just say that they are among the very best at channeling the darkest energy of rock'n'roll (crafting riffs like these must imply some Robert Johnson kind of deal).

 

The BC page. 

 

Neurosis - An Undying Love For A Burning World (2026)

An Undying Love For A Burning World is the first Neurosis album in twelve years, and the first since Scott Kelly left the band, and first one with Aaron Turner. Is it still the Neurosis we know and love? Definitely yes. For sure, for a change of direction they would have chosen someone else than the main man in the Neurosis influenced post-metal scene. Neurosis is still a behemoth of deep, atmospheric and heavy music. And An Undying Love For A Burning World is a totally worthy addition to their awesome discography.

 

The BC page.