This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Absolute Darkness, Anagnorisis, Boss Keloid, Casket Dweller, Crystal Ball, The Flower Kings, Forbidden, Godzilla In The Kitchen, Half Me, Ignea, Killed By Sorrow, Mental Cruelty, Windwaker, Wolves In The Throne Room and Wyrm Chasm.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Absolute Darkness – Witness To A Dying World (Self)
For any band, it can be the little things that make the difference between a good album and a clunker. For Absolute Darkness, their weakness has always been subpar production values neutering their death/thrash metal. Witness To A Dying World is finally able to capture their magnetic energy set within a recording studio.
Vocalist/guitarist Ron Dorn has been the lone constant through Absolute Darkness’ career to date, though the lineup he got together for Witness To A Dying World is great. Speaking of little things, deciding to strip these songs down to their barest elements was a wise move. This also plays into their furious rendition of Vio-lence’s “World In A World,” acting as a definitive closer to the album.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Anagnorisis – Caregriever (Bolverk Collective)
Anagnorisis have been dormant for nearly 10 years leading up to the release of their fourth full-length release, Caregriever. Vocalist/guitarist Zachary Kerr had developed this material as a new project, named after this album, before taking it to a reactivated Anagnorisis to use. The symphonic/post-metal style of their past has been replaced by an antagonistic viewpoint built upon unbearable grief.
Though the keyboards and saxophones used on the last few albums have been de-emphasized on Caregriever, “Death Of Man” has an industrialized rhythm that leaves a hollow hole with every beat. “A Living Grave” is surprisingly catchy, with melodic vocals in the chorus and a stirring guitar solo near the end. These lessen the venomous strike of “Nothing Left To Give” and “Monuments In Ash.”
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Boss Keloid – Float & Aperture (Church Road)
It took UK progsters Boss Keloid a little longer than usual to issue a new album, with more than five years elapsing between Family The Smiling Thrush and their new record Float & Aperture.
The progressive influences are evident out of the box, with about 90 seconds elapsing on the 8-plus opening minute opener “Breeze” before the vocals kick in. Five of the seven songs exceed the 7-minute mark, but Boss Keloid have no problem holding the listeners’ interest. They blend catchy moments, memorable riffs and instrumental jams to create an immersive experience. Float & Aperture continues Boss Keloid’s 15-plus year track record of quality albums.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Casket Dweller – River Of Slumber (Nuclear Winter)
Athens trio Casket Dweller make their debut with River Of Slumber, a love letter to old-school death metal wrapped in 1940s horror and gothic literature. They formed in 2022 and honed their craft in the Greek underground. The sound follows the Swedish school, with a heavy, thick production, while the writing borrows from Florida and the Netherlands. Death, Pestilence, and Asphyx are the touchstones, used as inspiration rather than imitation.
“Chapters” opens as a brief scene-setter before “Dust Off the Shovel” digs in. Literally. “He Rows” and “Fangs Of The Vampire” keep things tight and riff-focused, while “Creatures Of The Night” leans into the monster-movie theme. The five-minute “Embalming Slime” is the album’s longest stretch, where the band has room to build something heavier and slower. “Burnt At The Stake” and “Voodoo Incants” keep the ritual mood going, and “Requiem” closes the record with a fittingly grand finish. At about thirty-three minutes, nothing overstays its welcome. River Of Slumber won’t reinvent death metal, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a confident, atmospheric debut from a band that knows exactly what it wants to be.
Rating: 3.5
(Jeanetta Briski)
Crystal Ball – Reset (Massacre)
Reset is studio album number twelve by Swiss melodic metallers Crystal Ball, proving the band are fighting fit in the modern day. An album title like Reset might suggest a change in musical direction for the band, but thankfully not, they’ve spent years expertly crafting a style their loyal following adore, so why go changing things?
Crystal Ball have always resided in a musical territory with melodic power metal at one end and ‘80s hard rock at the other, giving them license to indulge in everything in between, which they continue here to their usual high standard. Crystal Ball 2026 sound just as energized as they did 25 years ago. The majority of tracks on Reset settle into a mid-tempo groove, with top notch guitar work driving each song towards an awaiting memorable chorus, finding vocalist Steven Mageney in fine form.
Rating: 3.5
(Andy Barker)
The Flower Kings – Hope (InsideOut)
After more than 30 years, the Swedish prog rock band The Flower Kings show no signs of slowing down. They follow-up last year’s Love with Hope, which consists of 10 tracks that are bookended by multi-part compositions.
The album beings with the 5-part “Final Curtain” which ebbs and flows from urgent to mellow over its 18-minute running time. That’s followed by the mellow “A World Of Fools” and “Mars & Minerva” that lead into the album’s centerpiece, the 7-part, 28 minute “Gods Of Rome.” It unfolds slowly, with extended proggy sections and numerous tempo and texture changes. There are some lulls in the middle, but it finishes strongly. Hope is an ambitious effort, but one that a band with The Flower Kings’ skill and experience has no problem pulling off.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Forbidden – Forbidden (BlkIIBlk)
Bay area thrash legends Forbidden‘s self-titled album is their first since 2010’s Omega Wave and sixth overall. Instantly noticeable is the voice of new frontman Norman Skinner who provides a power metal infused combination of screams and melody to appropriately buoy the music. The opening duo of “Single Point Failure” and “Burning The Lungs Of Earth” gives enough heft to remind listeners exactly what the band is still capable of as the longtime duo of guitarist Craig Locicero and bassist Matt Camacho stabilize the band. Skinner does a great job of plumbing the thrash sounds of the later era of ‘80s thrash with bands like Toxik, Heathen and Realm. With “Psyclops” the thrash of paranoia is on full display having the listener heed the call while having a much-needed awakening, going the more cerebral route lyrically, with technical aplomb played by Locicero and the newly added Jeremy Von Epp with former Machine Head drummer Chris Kontos holding down the fort.
The band was even able to tap a modern metal legend to be a part of “Sycophantasy” in Mastodon member Brann Dailor. That has to be one of the reasons that Locicero refers to this album as “five lifetimes of experience forged into one piece of metallic art” from a fan of Forbidden to a guest on the album while this legendary band are certainly fans of those very same modern metal masters; a full-circle moment. For all of the good and there is plenty, the album feels as though it is 10 minutes too long because of tracks “Jisei” and others that could have used a trim, like “DCLXVI” and closer “Flower of Life.” Over 60 minutes is a big ask for any band as 40-50 minutes is the gold standard. Forbidden is a solid return to form for the thrash legends with ample parts new and old sounding as though there is plenty left in the tank.
Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)
Godzilla In The Kitchen – Termination Sequence (Tonzonen)
Godzilla In The Kitchen isn’t the name of a kaiju movie spin off, it’s the German alternative three piece outfit coming to the scene with their third release Termination Sequence. Originally known for their instrumental arrangements, bassist Simon Ulm stepped up to lay down the vocals.
The addition of vocals for this album adds that little spark and layer of emotion that was missing from their previous works. “Everyday People” and “Empty Cribs” best showcase the tight line they balance between a Deftones style melancholy and a similar sounding aggressive tone. Termination Sequence marks a new direction for these German rockers, and the path could not be any more clearer for them.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Half Me – Dogma (Arising Empire)
Half Me’s sophomore album Dogma has something on its mind. The German hardcore band’s concept is a society that willingly helps cause its own collapse, kept afraid, divided, and distracted until nobody questions who benefits. The band offers no fix. The album is framed as an invitation to think critically rather than a call to arms, which makes it bleaker and more honest than most protest music.
At about twenty-nine minutes, the record is short, with most songs under three minutes. Four numbered pieces, “I. Acedia,” “II. Ira,” “III. Cholera,” and “IV. Melancholia,” act as chapter markers. “Splinter in a Rusted Crown” and “Hochgeboren” point at decaying power, while “Coup d’État” closes on upheaval. “Fear Is the New Belief” is a hostile, groove-driven metalcore track built for circle pits, making the band’s physical side fully intact. “Psalm” is the surprise, a slower, more brooding track that keeps the weight at the core of their sound. Dogma could be one of the angrier and smarter heavy records of the year.
Rating: 3
(Jeanetta Briski)
Ignea – Monumental (Napalm)
Recorded during the winter of 2025-26 in embattled Kiev (a monumental feat in itself), Ukrainian metal band Ignea release their second album. Monumental is a rich tapestry of metal styles, pushing genre boundaries to incorporate progressive metal, melodic death metal, symphonic metal, Middle-Eastern folk and more, all blended together in the band’s own unique way.
The music weaves it’s way through these styles effortlessly, as crunching guitars mix with varied keyboard/synth styles over intricate powerful rhythms, alongside harsh male and melodious female vocals. The band tend to rely on vocal and musical hooks as opposed to obvious choruses, with the dual vocal approach adding further dimensions to the light and shade of the songs. There’s even collaborations with Combichrist and Hiraes’ Britta Gortz, adding even more variation. This album unveils itself gradually, with further listens yielding hidden riches and subtleties overlooked on earlier explorations.
Rating: 3.5
(Andy Barker)
Killed By Sorrow – Empires Of Excess (Self)
Montreal metallers Killed By Sorrow have been busy carving out a profile, releasing a couple of EPs and sharing stages with major heavy-hitters. Now, they unleash their debut full-length, Empires Of Excess. Killed By Sorrow have a sound akin to an opening act you would’ve seen on a star-studded metalcore bill circa 2006. Poison the Well, Trivium and Unearth are name-checked as influences, and rightly so, with their cues spanning from the emotional outpourings to thrashy riffage and melodic infusions.
The band injects plenty of energy and intensity into these songs. But often a distinctive identity and enough memorable songs elude them, with their sources of inspiration leaned on heavily. There are highlights though, such as “Betrayal,” a riff‑driven cut built on hefty breakdowns and raw intensity, or memorable pit-starters like “Killed By Sorrow” and the title track. Empires Of Excess at least gets the job done in short order; ten tracks and 33 minutes of blistering heaviness.
Rating: 3
(Brendan Crabb)
Mental Cruelty – Echoes Of A Forlorn Land (Century Media)
Few bands are as idiosyncratic as Mental Cruelty. Their work blends black and death metal with deathcore. Echoes Of A Forlorn Land is another step in the band’s evolution — one that is definitely more ambitious in terms of narrative and scope.
The music is brutal and cinematic, but also technical. It has lots of breakdowns but also straight-up opera-like arrangements. There’s a touch of Nordic mythology here, but it’s not like most albums in the subgenre. However, the album is rather long and the production incredibly loud, so those things haven’t changed much. Hence, Echoes Of A Forlorn Land offers something interesting, but it will test your tolerance.
Rating: 3.5
(Carlos Tirado)
Windwaker – smile, you’re on camera (Fearless)
Windwaker‘s third full-length smile, you’re on camera is the sound of a band that has stopped worrying about which box to sit in. The Australian quintet blends metalcore, pop-punk, electronic, and hip-hop, and this time every piece clicks into place without a seam showing. I’ll admit my bias: I caught Windwaker on their run with The Plot in You at The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee and got to meet the band in person. Hearing this record, I get that same sense of a group that hits hard but cares about the people listening.
“low” opens with airy electronics, a rumbling riff, and a hook that sticks. “closer” pairs glowing synths with a chantable chorus and a well-placed breakdown. At the same time, “do or die” shows off Liam Guinane’s range, jumping from rap cadences to R&B melody to full nu-metalcore fury. “dna” is the surprise, pairing a drill-style beat with a pop-punk refrain. Most tracks run about three minutes or less, so nothing overstays its welcome, and the production from Chris Lalic and Daniel Braunstein is huge without being cluttered. Then “some days” closes the album with something raw and quiet, reframing from all the noise before it as a reach toward honesty. Seeing them in Milwaukee, I could tell this band was on the verge of something bigger. smile, you’re on camera confirms it.
Rating: 4
(Jeanetta Briski)
Wolves In The Throne Room – Estuary (Relapse)
It has been 20 years since Wolves In The Throne Room emerged from the mists of the Pacific Northwest with Diadem Of 12 Stars to make their mark on the American black metal landscape. Estuary is their eighth full-length. The lyrics explore a post-apocalyptic world, set 1000 years after the end of civilization.
WITTR albums are dynamic, and this is no exception. With the six songs between 6 and 10 minutes long, it gives the band plenty of time for exploration, and they take full advantage. Songs like “Knights Of Tiamat” shift from grandiose and orchestral to dense and aggressive, incorporating atmosphere and extremity. “Foretold In Reflections” is an epic composition, building slowly as the tension increases and shifts into soaring atmospheres contrasted by the harsh black metal vocals. Every song on Estuary is engaging and has an emotional impact, showing why Wolves In The Throne Room continue to be an elite USBM band.
Rating: 4
(Chad Bowar)
Wyrm Chasm – Wyrm Chasm (Self)
Though having been around since 2015, this self-titled release from Wyrm Chasm is their debut album. They’ve only had an EP and a split up to this point, so they’ve had plenty of time to let their black metal gestate. These eight songs are professionally made, checking off every requirement for the genre that is expected of them.
Wyrm Chasm are able to differentiate their riffs, most of which stick to an unyielding speed. There are hints of a melodic shift in “Duality Of Existence,” “Eyes Of The Eternal” and “Light At The End,” but their brevity is just as striking. A listener could jump into any point on this record and have a firm grasp of Wyrm Chasm’s resolute black metal.
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
