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Q2 2026 - Favorite Releases

Q2 had some really good stuff. I still haven’t had enough time to go through everything that came out, but there were plenty of releases that stayed in rotation for me.

As usual, doom, death-doom and death metal took most of my attention. There was also some sludge, stoner doom, black metal and other filthy stuff in there. These are my Top 10 favourites from April to June, followed by four special mentions.

1. Draconian - In Somnolent Ruin #

Draconian - In Somnolent Ruin

Draconian absolutely nailed this one. Massive death-doom riffs, deep growls, beautiful clean vocals and that cold gothic atmosphere all over the place. This is pretty much the kind of death-doom I always want to hear.

The contrast between the heavy riffs and the clean vocals works so fucking well. Some of the melodies are ridiculously beautiful and then the growls and crushing guitars come in and completely drag everything back into the darkness.

I played the shit out of this album during the quarter. Dark, heavy, melancholic and ridiculously atmospheric. Easily my favourite release of Q2.

2. Warning - Rituals of Shame #

Warning - Rituals of Shame

Warning coming back after 20 years and sounding this miserable was not something I expected. Slow, heavy and depressing riffs with Patrick Walker’s vocals sitting right on top of everything. There is so much emotion in the guitars without needing a million different things happening.

This album completely fucking consumed me. I spent a lot of late nights listening to this one. The songs are long and slow but never felt boring to me. Everything just keeps dragging you deeper into that miserable atmosphere.

It has that very specific kind of sadness that doom does best. Fucking beautiful and depressing album.

3. Fires in the Distance - Circadian Promise #

Fires in the Distance - Circadian Promise

I was waiting for this one after Air Not Meant For Us, and thankfully they didn’t disappoint. The guitars are fucking beautiful throughout this album. Lots of big melodies, harsh vocals, synths and those slower doom sections that give everything some weight.

Fires in the Distance have this really good way of making death-doom sound massive without turning it into just slow riffs and misery. There’s a lot of melody packed into this thing, and when it all comes together, it fucking hits.

4. Hubris - Acts of Sedition #

Hubris - Acts of Sedition

This one caught me off guard. Really nasty black metal with dark riffs, aggressive vocals and an ugly atmosphere that just works.

There is something very raw about the way this album sounds. It doesn’t feel overly clean or polished and that made it hit much harder for me. The riffs have enough going on without turning into a fucking mess.

I kept finding myself putting this back on during the quarter. It didn’t take long for it to become one of my favourite black metal releases of Q2.**

5. Immolation - Descent #

Immolation - Descent

Immolation being Immolation. Filthy riffs, weird guitar work, disgusting vocals and that twisted atmosphere they somehow always manage to create. Their guitars just sound fucking wrong in the best possible way.

This is the kind of death metal I can put on when I just want riffs. I don’t need anything else. Just that nasty Immolation sound hitting again and again. Some of the guitar work on this album is absolutely ridiculous. It feels chaotic as hell but with control.

6. Sectarian Defacement - Hostile Consuming Rapture #

Sectarian Defacement - Hostile Consuming Rapture

This shit fucking slaps. Absolutely disgusting album.

The guitars sound rotten, the vocals are ridiculously deep and the whole thing is just fucking aggressive. There is barely any room to breathe once it gets going.

I love death metal when it gets this filthy. No unnecessary bullshit, just brutal riffs, disgusting vocals and blast beats everywhere. This is exactly the kind of stupidly heavy shit I want sometimes.

7. Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy - Fugue Gnawed from the Scabbed God Cerebrum #

Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy - Fugue Gnawed from the Scabbed God Cerebrum

The album title alone should tell you what you’re getting into.

This is some seriously disgusting shit. Guttural vocals, slam riffs, weird technical parts and an absolutely ridiculous amount of heaviness packed into the whole thing. It sounds completely fucked up and that is exactly why I enjoyed it.

Not something I would throw on every day, but whenever I wanted something completely filthy and stupidly heavy, this worked perfectly.

Just pure fucking violence.

8. Ordh - Blind in Abyssal Realms #

Ordh - Blind in Abyssal Realms

This one caught me pretty quickly. Dark progressive death metal with a lot going on in the guitars without losing that filthy death metal feeling. There are some really interesting riffs and melodies throughout the album and it never feels completely predictable.

I kept going back to this because it has that dirty underground feeling I always look for in death metal. There is enough weird shit happening in the guitars to keep things interesting too. Really fucking solid debut.

9. Monolord - Neverending #

Monolord - Neverending

Monolord doing huge riffs again. Big fuzzy guitars, slow drums and that massive wall of sound that makes everything feel heavier than it actually is. They also went for shorter songs this time, which actually worked really well for me.

I kept coming back to this one because it is just fun to listen to. There are some really good riffs throughout the album and It’s Neverending with Jörgen Sandström on vocals is fucking massive. Monolord still know how to make a simple riff sound enormous.

10. Corrosion of Conformity - Good God / Baad Man #

Corrosion of Conformity - Good God / Baad Man

C.O.C. came back with a huge double album full of dirty guitars, southern rock, sludge, stoner riffs and plenty of that classic C.O.C. sound. There is a lot of music here, but I never really felt like I had to sit through it.

I especially liked the heavier stuff. You Or Me, Run For Your Life and Asleep On The Killing Floor were some of the tracks I kept coming back to. And Forever Amplified has that slow doom feeling towards the end which I absolutely loved. Really solid comeback.

Special Mentions #

Flykt - Sinister Strain #

Flykt - Sinister Strain

Cold and aggressive black metal with some really good melodic guitar work. The riffs are sharp and the whole album has that nasty underground feeling.

Some of the longer tracks worked especially well for me. Not everything hit equally hard, but there was enough good stuff here that I kept coming back to it.

Bewitched - Diabolical Death Mass #

Bewitched - Diabolical Death Mass

Old-school black/thrash that sounds exactly as evil as it should. Fast riffs, nasty vocals and plenty of filthy 80s/90s metal energy.

Nothing complicated here. Just riffs, speed and evil shit. Sometimes that’s all I fucking need.

Bodysnatcher - Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home #

Bodysnatcher - Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home

Sometimes I just want something stupidly heavy. This album gave me exactly that. Huge breakdowns, disgusting vocals and enough low-end to destroy whatever is nearby.

It is much more direct than most of the other albums on this list, but that is exactly why I enjoyed it. Just put it on and get crushed.

Stormkeep - The Nocturnes of Iswylm #

Stormkeep - The Nocturnes of Iswylm

Fast black metal riffs, huge melodies, keyboards and that cold epic sound running through the whole album.

I really liked how massive some of the songs sound. There are plenty of fast sections, but the melodic parts are what kept me coming back.

That’s it for Q2.

Long live METALHEADS - horns up 🤘