Stuck in the Filter: May 2026's Angry Misses
The music scene is a whirlwind of new releases, and May 2026 is no exception. As an avid listener, I've been eagerly awaiting the latest offerings, and the results have been a thrilling mix of death metal, black metal, and progressive rock.
Kenstrosity's Thrashed Thrall: Ascended Master
Ascended Master's debut LP, Crepuscular Gloom, is a thrilling blend of death, atheist, and blood-red throne-inspired thrash. With a sense of groove that gives barnburners a deadly swagger, this album is a testosterone-fueled adrenaline rush. Speedy rippers like 'Midnight Mother' and 'Ghoul Queen' put the pedal to the metal with a ferocity that rivals Kvaen or Hellripper. However, it's their intense personality and ferocity that truly sets them apart, allowing their music to integrate smoothly into the death metal scene without blending into the crowd.
Creeping Ivy's Blackened Beauty: Deus Sabaoth
Distortion of Lies by Deus Sabaoth is a similar, slightly elevated version of their debut. The band, signed to Paragon Records, delivers a 7-song barrage of melodic black metal with Mistur-style riffing and the addition of piano and strings. The album wallops with ragers fueled by tremolos, rasps, and blast beats, but as it progresses, the strings soar, creating ornate moments that class up their black metal without becoming symphonic.
ClarkKent's Prehistoric Pulls: Ilienses Tree
Ilienses Tree's Toward the Storm is a slow, deliberate doom album that speaks of the patience of ancient ruins. With a mastery over melancholic lead riffs and the unpredictable dynamic drumming of Oromet, they blend funeral doom with the brutal power of My Dying Bride and the speed of Paradise Lost and Novembers Doom. The album's nine-minute songs never feel overlong, thanks to their progressive structures.
Anna Fiori's Symphonic Twist: Metztli
Anna Fiori's Metztli is a Mexican/Aztec twist on symphonic metal. Her band mixes 'pre-Hispanic instrumentation' with cinematic symphonics and heavy guitars to create thrilling high-energy music. While some songs hit a poppy mold, others take a longer-form route, blending indigenous chants and flutes with orchestral elements. Fiori's performance ties it all together, singing in the sweet poppy manner of Epica's Simone Simons and the operatic style of Therion.
Grin Reaper's Spring Fling: Beyond the Veil
Beyond the Veil's debut, Oblivion, is a prog metal masterpiece. With a blend of drama and technicality, they weave gorgeously conceived instrumentation into intricate compositions. The album embraces long-form arrangements, and each listen reveals new knots to untangle. Their merger of piano, mellotron, and orchestrations with guitar, bass, and drums allows the album to soar without spotlighting heavy-handed wankery.
Lago's Unhinged Brutality: Vigil
Lago's Vigil is a 42-minute unhinged brutality album. With a blend of Immolation, Morbid Angel, and Incantation, they deliver unapologetic tangles of dissonant, jangling guitars, fuming blast beats, and murky bass runs. The album is a potent brew, swirling and churning with caustic acid that will leave your eardrums scarred and cowed.
Redshift's Progressive Rush: Down the Wire
Redshift's Down the Wire is a power trio with ample parallels to Rush. With buttery smooth bass lines, Lifeson-leaning chords, and Tiago Martins' tender tenor, they create a sense of fun and excitement. The album explores vast territory in a commensurately brief runtime, blending Rush influences with Synchestra-era Devin Townsend kookiness and Yesified eclecticism.
Spicie Forrest's Nostalgic Nugget: Haste the Day
Haste the Day's Dissenter is a beautifully aching nostalgia album. With emo-flavored metalcore, the band evokes the emotion of early Linkin Park and As I Lay Dying. The album's layered riffs and leads felt in the soul, and the bass brings a heaviness and intensity that hurtles the listener back to their adolescence.
