Upcoming Metal Releases: 8/2/26 – 8/8/26

Here are the new releases for August 2nd to 8th. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available.

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Upcoming Metal Releases: 8/2/26 – 8/8/26

Lammoth — Onward | Independent | Blackgaze | United States (Asheville, NC)

Chiptune blackgaze is anachronistic for a Tolkien-themed project, but that also gives Lammoth a singular identity. Their debut full-length Onward is an odd pastiche of indietronica, black metal, and shoegaze wrapped in a finish that’s almost too bright to look at directly. It’d feel perverse and inflammatory if it wasn’t so well-thought-out.

–Colin Dempsey

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Hulder — Verbolgen | 20 Buck Spin | Black Metal | United States (Washington)

Hulder’s third full-length release Verbolgen is their most fleshed-out yet. They’re no longer ostensibly a solo project for Marliese Beeuwsaert as Necreon (Sam Osbourne of Funebrarum) has become a full songwriter. They’ve also recruited Vrolok, Aeternus’ drummer, and Tanner Anderson (of Obsequiae) to beef up their compositions. As you can expect, Hulder now sounds more lively and robust than they ever have.

–Colin Dempsey

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Horrifier — Revelations of Gore | Personal Records | Death Metal | Norway (Oslo)

Any death metal blurb that includes “no gimmicks” usually indicates that the metal in question is sauceless. Horrifier, fortunately, have the sauce and, true to their word, are without gimmicks. The young group’s second record is European death metal personified; cold, bloody, and precise. Horrifier captivate with dynamic tempos and diverse riffs. They prod at how expansive they can be within the confines of OSDM.

–Colin Dempsey

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Spectr3 — A Procession of the Dead | Solistitium Records | Black Metal | Spain (Barcelona)

Traces of Spect3’s home region creep into tracks like “Blood Rituals in the House of the Dead,” perhaps the only strongly identifying feature on the group’s latest album. Still, A Procession of the Dead is crypt-ready black metal with light symphonic elements that’s more than serviceable, though the highlights are the surprising flourishes like the Catalonian guitar on “A Forest in Hell.”

–Colin Dempsey

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Dymna Lotva — Vyraj | Prophecy Productions | Post-Metal + Doom Metal + Black Metal | Poland

My interview with Dymna Lotva from 2023 came after the group was exiled from Belarus, forced to flee to Poland, and following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was not an optimistic chat, nor was their previous record, The Land Under the Black Wings: Blood. Their follow-up, Vyraj, is also gloomy (what else would you expect from Eastern Europeans) but with a gothic tinge. Dymna Lotva inject crooning and electropop into their shifting vision of metal. If their prior album was a war piece, Vyraj is an auteur with a large budget and an unrestricted schedule playing with their toys.

–Colin Dempsey

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Vertiginous — Incessant Affliction | Comatose Music | Brutal Death Metal | Indonesia

Vertiginous’ two members have each been in over a dozen other brutal death metal bands. Incessant Affliction is likely another day in the office for them, then, cranking out what must be a warm-up given how well they balance brutality and fluidity. They’re able to play faster and grosser than they are on this record. Restraint is the siren’s call, however, as Veritiginous chilling out (relatively speaking) makes Incessant Affliction a good on-ramp for brutal death metal newbies.

–Colin Dempsey

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