This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Archspire, Battlegrave, Black Oak County, Caustic, Demonologists & Vainoras, Immolation, Kerrigan, Lord Of The Lost, Melechesh, The Melvins With Napalm Death, Metal Church, Riket, Sun Don’t Shine and Vomitory.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Archspire – Too Fast To Die (Self)
Archspire took a giant chance last May when they launched a Kickstarter campaign to record and release Too Fast To Die independently. Almost no one could have anticipated that a technical death metal group with a singer who growls with lightspeed cadence could raise almost $400,000 CAD in a month. The band takes this support and makes sure to stick with what they’ve been doing for over 15 years.
That means lots of hyperactive blast beats and riffs that seem impossible to pull off, such as the insane title track. However, they also embrace the tuneful melodies that has been steadily growing over the last few albums. There are some wonderful bits of lush guitars scattered throughout. Any backers to their Kickstarter will get exactly what they wanted from Archspire with Too Fast To Die.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Battlegrave – Enslavement (Self)
Australian death/thrash metal group Battlegrave feasts on unchecked aggression on their relentless third album, Enslavement. The duo of vocalist Rohan Buntine and multi-instrumentalist Clint Patzel find little reason to take it easy, save for a synth-laced interlude in “Asylum.” Drummer Robin Stone provides session work on Enslavement, putting him in fine company with other guest drummers from their previous records (Kevin Talley and Samus Paulicelli).
“Marked By Evil” is Battlegrave’s longest song to date at seven minutes, a mid-paced crusher topped by a fury of offense in the final 90 or so seconds. The group seems to want to go by a mantra of “Smash first, smash last.” Enslavement can grow exhausting at parts, though their sheer perseverance takes them very far.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Black Oak County – Misprint (Mighty)
Danish hard rockers Black Oak County have been gaining fans with each release, winning some awards in their home country. They hope to keep the momentum going on their fourth album, Misprint. The melodies and hooks are fully intact, with heaviness that sometimes crosses into metal territory.
To cut through the crowded hard rock genre, bands need good songs and a unique style. Black Oak County has no problem with the former, but struggle a bit with the latter. The album is packed with radio-ready singles like “Rock’n Roll” and “Around The Sun.” Their sound ranges from Daughtry-style pop rock to Nickelback influenced hard rock to heavier, Five Finger Death Punch type tracks. Misprint is a diverse album with some memorable but derivative songs.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Caustic – Inner Deflagration (HPGD)
Though Caustic have been around since the early 1990s, Inner Deflagration is only their fourth studio album. They’ve been sticking to a release schedule of an album a decade since 2005’s The Horror Cult. In all that time, through trends and a constantly changing music scene, they’ve stuck to the same style of muscular death metal.
Vocalist Roger Moreno and bassist Xavi Brossa have been with the group since the beginning, with the rest of the lineup being fluid from album to album. Caustic ticks off all the requirements on Inner Deflagration for those that have heard a death metal song in their lives. They’ve never compromised their roots, upholding the standards of a genre that has been going strong for almost 40 years.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Demonologists & Vainoras – Plantae Arcanvs (Aesthetic Death)
What do you get when you combine Australian doom jazz and electronic horror noise from Indiana? You get Plantae Arcanvs, a fresh collaboration between Vainoras and Demonologists. Hesitant to classify this as metal, it feels more of a freeform jazz piece with ambient sounds strung together.
Despite the creative prowess both of these acts bring to the table, in the end this feels like the audio equivalent of an avant garde painting. Certain tracks like “Brvgmansia Genvs” feel like a backing track usable for an industrial themed haunted house. The good thing about albums like Plantae Arcanvs is that there are people who will eat this up with no questions asked, and that is fine. On the other hand, some people may not jive with the nature of this album.
Rating: 3
(Dalton Husher)
Immolation – Descent (Nuclear Blast)
New York death metal institution Immolation‘s twelfth album is Descent, their first release in four years. Immolation are a known quantity, crushing riffs courtesy of Bob Vigna and buoyed since 2017 by Alex Bouks, the legendary Ross Dolan’s bass and vocal work and the crushing Steve Shalaty on the battery, making for an excellent and larger than life death metal experience. Opener “These Vengeful Winds” does a superb job of bringing all those elements together to help set the foundation for the rest of the album.
Immolation are able to move along like a metallic monolith, with machine-like precision, always allowing for them to hit their targets with volleys of riffs, sounding like a swarm of angry bees on “Adversary” swirling and swirling with almost no signs of stopping. Immolation are able to do all of this without their songs overstaying their welcome, circumventing a genre-wide problem in recent years. Curated by some of the best in the business, Descent is yet another solid slab of death metal for this legendary band.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Kerrigan – Wayfarer (High Roller)
Freiburg, Germany’s Kerrigan have quietly built one of traditional heavy metal’s most compelling young acts, and Wayfarer, their second full-length, makes that case impossible to ignore. Formed in 2019 by guitarist Bruno Schotten and vocalist/guitarist Jonas Weber, the duo has since grown into a full four-piece, and the added weight is felt across every inch of this record.
Where debut Bloodmoon introduced their sound and earned them festival slots alongside their heroes, Wayfarer arrives with something more to prove and it delivers. Weber describes it as “dreamy, melancholic, and pretty versatile,” and that’s as accurate as a three-word summary as you’ll find. Three years on, Kerrigan haven’t just made a worthy follow-up. They may have made something that outlasts the moment entirely.
Rating: 3
(Jeanetta Briski)
Lord Of The Lost – Opvs Noir Vol. 3 (Napalm)
The German gothic/industrial band Lord Of The Lost wasted no time in wrapping up their Opvs Noir trilogy. The first volume was issued in August of last year, with Vol. 2 following in December. Now, only a few months later they conclude with Opvs Noir Vol. 3. Even with three albums released in less than a year, the quality of the material remains at a high level with minimal filler.
It’s another batch of catchy songs that span gothic, industrial, traditional and symphonic styles. As with the other albums in the trilogy, there are several guest artists. Wednesday 13 is the perfect fit for the misanthropic industrial banger “I Hate People,” while Kissin’ Dynamite’s Hannes Braun guests on the cinematic “La Vie Est Hell.” Chris Harms’ baritone blends well with Xandria vocalist Ambre Vourvahis on the ballad “When Did The Love Break?” and Cats In Space’s Damien Edwards shines on the dramatic “Take Me Far Away.” With Opvs Noir Vol. 3, Lord Of The Lost bring the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Melechesh – Sentinels Of Shamash (Reigning Phoenix)
Melechesh‘s blend of black metal and Middle Eastern themes helped pave the way for that style when they emerged in the ’90s. More than a decade has elapsed since their last album, 2015’s Enki, and finally they are releasing some new material in the three-song concept EP Sentinels Of Shamash.
Mainman Ashmedi produced the EP, with Rob Caggiano (Anthrax, Volbeat) co-producing and playing bass. Even though it’s only three songs, the EP tells a compelling story, and each track is lengthy (6 to 8 minutes), giving plenty of time for shifts in style, intensity and tempo. Melechesh’s black metal base is augmented by everything from death to thrash to folk. Throat-shredding vocals by Ashmedi are tempered by melodic singing and catchy riffage on songs like “In Shadows, In Light.” Sentinels Of Shamash is a tantalizing appetizer as Melechesh fans anxiously await a new full-length offering.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
The Melvins With Napalm Death – Savage Imperial Death March (Ipecac)
In 2016 and 2025, The Melvins and Napalm Death teamed up for Savage Imperial Death March tours. They decided to collaborate on an album of the same name with the lineup of Buzz Osborne, Barney Greenway, Shane Embury, John Cooke and Dale Crover. A version of Savage Imperial Death March was sold during last year’s tour, but this edition has new artwork and two additional tracks.
The bands blend seamlessly, mixing heaviness, quirkiness and melody. Shorter tracks like “Awful Handwriting” and “Tossing Coins Into The Fountain Of Fuck” are effective, but where they really shine is on the more extended numbers. The nine-plus minute “Some Kind Of Antichrist” ebbs and flows between groove, heaviness and lengthy experimental sections. “Rip The God” showcases the bass with some nice vocal harmonies, while “Stealing Horses” is urgent and “Rip The God” deliberate. The Melvins’ DNA is more prominent on Savage Imperial Death March, but Napalm Death’s influences are also easy to spot.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Metal Church – Dead To Rights (Rat Pak)
Metal Church emerged way back in 1980 and helped influence thrash, speed and power metal. Their lineup has been a revolving door over the years, and that continues with more turnover since 2023’s Congregation Of Annihilation. The new members include ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, vocalist Brian Allen (Trauma, Vicious Rumors) and drummer Ken Mary (Flotsam And Jetsam, Accept, Alice Cooper).
Allen’s vocal style has a little Udo Dirkschneider influence, but he can also sing in a more traditional style with range and power. There are plenty of high-octane thrash songs like “F.A.F.O.” and “The Show” along with more moderately paced numbers such as “Wasted Time.” Metal Church can still write quality songs, and are able to embrace their long history without devolving into nostalgia. Guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, the lone remaining original member, brings an ample supply of riffs that keeps Dead To Rights hitting on all cylinders.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Riket – 2026 (Black Lion)
Every song on Riket’s debut album 2026 alludes to a different event in Swedish history dating back to the 19th century. A winter famine, a horrendous bombing in a city; all given a personal touch through the funnel of death metal. To add an extra touch of authenticity, all lyrics are in Swedish and growled with conviction.
2026 has an anthemic streak running through it, whether that comes from the insightful chorus of “1991 – 2000 Ar (Saliga Aro De Talmodiga)” or the bouncy rhythms within opener “1868 – Sommar Vid Vinterviken.” Of course, a blast beat isn’t hard to find in these nine songs, yet Riket prove to have many layers underneath worth taking apart.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Sun Don’t Shine – From Birth To Death (Corpse Paint)
Coming from the minds of Crowbar and Type O Negative, Sun Don’t Shine are fronted by Kenny Hickey, with Kirk Windstein on guitar, Todd Strange on bass and Johnny Kelly on the drums. Their debut From Birth To Death showcases heavy doom sensibility with Windstein leaning on his sludge background for more emphasis at times and intermittently lending his gravel throated voice to a few tracks. Opener “Power To Live” is a solid combination of what you would expect from this collective, dark and brooding guitar work behind the soulful singing of Kenny Hickey.
There are plenty of moments where you led to believe that this is more than a metal project with Kenny sounding more like Chris Cornell as the album progresses on “Cryptomnesia” and “The Promise Song,” then it feels more Crowbar like on album favorite “All You Wasted” with Kirk essentially taking over at one point with Black Sabbath laden blues leading up to that. While solid at spots, Sun Don’t Shine are more Audioslave than they are Type O Negative and Crowbar, better as their component parts than a true collective. From Birth To Death shows potential but ultimately falls short of the lofty status of its members.
Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)
Vomitory – In Death Throes (Metal Blade)
Vomitory‘s In Death Throes delivers exactly what the band has perfected: furious, methodical Swedish death metal that balances aggression with melodic hooks. The songwriting is efficient, the pace relentless, and the riffs memorable. This is a band that understands its role and executes with precision.
The album offers little stylistic evolution, sticking closely to the established formula. However, the execution is so consistently strong that the lack of novelty becomes a minor concern. In Death Throes is focused and intentional, free of filler or hesitation. For listeners seeking uncompromising brutality delivered with surgical accuracy, this album delivers.
Rating: 4
(Carlos Tirado)
