Poppy : "Empty Hands"

 Poppy's new album raises a few questions, as I am not willing to believe this was made in a creative vacuum, causing me to start clicking around to investigate. First off, if it is obvious she has been doing the festival circuit, she is aware of what music works to move large crowds.  Jordan Fish from Bring Me the Horizon, who worked on her last album with her, worked on this one as well, which makes sense as there is a similar feel,l though more pop elements and modern rock elements run through a filter of what Spiritbox did on their last album, so rather than Courtney being mistaken for Poppy the tables have been turned. She collaborated with Courtney and Amy Lee on a single that was pretty boring last year, but she got to see how Courtney works, and she seeks to follow that path on."Bruised Sky," which was the first song released from this album. 

There is more groove to "Guardian," but it invokes the same kind of anthemic choruses that even Spiritbox feels like they borrowed from nu-metal. Everything still works up to this point, though I doubt this formula will keep its gas for the duration of the album. "Unravel" is more electronically driven, with lighter pop vocals floating over it, though it works well for what it is. This is less of a metal album than the last Spiritrbox. The dudes in House of Protection also lend their instruments to the cause on this album. The guitarist from Knocked Loose helped write "Dying to Forget," which is the heaviest song so far, though that is not the highest bar. She screams and sings on this one, the sung vocals factoring in more heavily on this album. 

"Time Will Tell' pretty much follows the blueprint of commercial rock music in 2026. I feel like experimenting more would play in her favor rather than just sounding like everyone else. "Eat the Hate" goes in more of a 90s direction. I respect this more than sounding like today's take on commercial rock music. "The Wait' is more of a ballad. I like where "If I am the Light" is going; I hope it maintains its trajectory. Despite defaulting to the big anthemic chorus and metalcore breakdown, the shift in the verses is enough to work. 'Ribs" follows a similar dynamic with its choruses. The title track closes the album and finds her throwing herself into a more cathartic metalcore chaos. I will give this album a 9, it works for what she does , but it feels like there is not enough of her personality here and too much pandering to the bigger crowds.Yet there is enough of what even long time fans want to make it worthwhile.  

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Blackwater Drowning : "Obscure Sorrows"

 Blackwater Drowning is unleashing another album of fiery over-the-top death metal anthems with a bit of a black metal attitude in the higher scowl of vocalist Morgan Riley. If you are into guitar solos, they are also serving up ample sides of shred.  "Devour" works off a more deliberate syncopation. Morgan throws in a sung vocal hook to add dramatic flair, more than just creating a pop sense. They are not following the typical formula that most bands use when switching gears from harsh vocals to singing. The solo section is even more melodic and tasteful here. 

"Eye of the Storm" has a big orchestral feel before it races off into the aggressive web of riffs spun around the melodic theme of the song. It goes by in a bit of a dizzying blur, with the string hits as the only parts that provide an accent to draw my ear to them. The Hungarian minor scale is the other element that draws me to the song, as it is the undercurrent. "Incubus" races at a faster pace as the album gains frantic momentum. Some might be a fan of this, but it could use more groove to avoid the songs running together and everything becoming a blur of hyper-chugged riffs. 

The symphonic sound opens up "Heir of the Witch' to create a more cinematic sound going into this. This album si very cleanly produced with a mix that gives plenty of room to to all the layers of sound, with the inclusion of strings, which is impressive because the drums were the only thing they outsourced to another studio and recorded the bulk of this one themselves, though recording programs today accesible to the public make this easier in 2026. 

This album is also a study in the evolution of modern metal and how , death metal, metal-core, and thrash have all merged to blur the lines of genre into what we are hearing here. The black metal influence fades unless you are talking about the kind of bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, who have already evolved beyond the kind of blast-beaten darkness the genre was once known for, which can be heard here in the larger-than-life melodrama the songs sometimes venture into on songs like 'Where Men Fear to Tread".  She does sing a hook on this that works as more of a refrain. 

Despite the shift in sound that expands to include a strummed guitar at the intro for "Death By a 1000 Cuts", it sounds pretty much like all the other hyper-aggressive moments, though there are some more deliberate riffs that stand out. "Teeth and Claws' uses a more intersting syncopation at first before the momentum takes it away. They establish a groove with this and then throw a flurry of something else in your direction. In the middle of the songs it breaks off in a more melodic direction before the guitar solo takes over. These guys are more technical than I remembered after closer listens. 

For the first minute of the last song, I expected them to go full blast, but they take a left turn in a more melodic direction which benefits the overall dynamic range of the album. Then they hit the gas from there with some sung vocal accents to break it up. It is really well done, even if it feels like it follows the expected rules for this type of grandiose melodic eath metal so I will give it an 8.5.  

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Exhumed : "Red Asphalt".

The 2022 Exhumed album did not wow me, as it was brutal but lacked elements like melody or the finger-point of strong writing, relying only on raw aggression. There is more effort with the guitar harmonies leading into the title track. There is more purpose in the song as the riff is allowed to breathe and groove rather than just being an full on assualt. The growl of the vocals is also more feral, but along with this comes more dimensions of tone. 

At times, I am getting more of a Carcass feel with this album, at others it seems thrash is more of the focus. There is an almost Pantera feel to 'Shovelhead" which was the lead single, making this the band's most accessible moment yet. This is contrasted by the more straightforward battery of guitars that is "Iron Graveyard"/ The bass leading into "Crawling From the Wreckage" forces them to slow things down. This added darker weight creates a Morbid Angel feel. 

"Signal Thirty" feels more like Kreator, as it slows down into a more melodic thrash groove. "Death on Four Wheels" goes back to the unhinged approach of focusing on speed. The rest of the album sort of races off in thi direction with the last song more intentional in its focused thrashing. I will give this album an 8.5, which is a big improvement over what they did before. If you are already a fan, then you should be happily surprised. If you want some death metal with an almost Lamb of God-like energy to it, then this is worth your time. Dropping February 20th on Relapse Records.

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ghostbells : " Catacoture"

This duo blends various sub-genres of dark electronic music into a moody but buoyant pop that feels like it is haunted by the 90s. The female vocals offer a childlike sing song cadance to their chant. Repetition is king here and works. The alluring singer makes watching the videos for this album more of an immersive experience than not having the visuals there; they seem to have videos for the bulk of the songs on this album. Though despite the lead single "Darkness Saves" not being the msot dynamic song of the album, it still works for what they are doing, and the entire album, even moments of more droning introspection, prove better the louder this is played. 

"Ghosts' falls on the more pop side of the the equation, and while the nuance is effective, the best song of the album might be the more energetic churn of 'Immortal Lovers' that finds her singing more aggressively from her higher register to create an almost Charli XCX feel to things. "the Color" is the first song I did not find a video for, it's a shame as this has perhaps the albums most punchy beat but it is also stepped pretty deep in an 80s synth sound while moving like the more atmospheric strains of 90s techno. Her vocals float like a texture of it. She breaks it up on the chorus by going into the higher, more shouted vocals approach applied to the previous song. You can hear a slight Grimes influence in some of the vocal phrashing. 

The last song finds what worked on the previous songs in motion here. Overall, this album fills a gap on the darker left-hand side of what Chvrches does, being more aware that they are purposefully going for a more goth sound. It is not over produced, in fact , underproduced as far as pop goes. I will round it up to a 10 and see how it grows on me. pst27

PONTE DEL DIAVOLO : "De Venom Natura"

Ponte Del Diavolo is an interesting band from Italy. Their 2024 album scored a 9.5, as they continue to perfect what they did on this album as they kick in the door with blast beats before bringing a shadowy vision of post-punk snake its way around the verse before exploding back into a more snarled chorus, though singer Erba excels at blending vocal tones. One of their strengths is that they do not mix the two genres in an expected formulaic way, so they blend in a very organic manner. The second song finds manic post-punk vocals over the tense tremolo-picked guitars, though the drummer does not just fall back to blast beats to concince your they are into black metal, instead it keeps a punk vibe. 

The rapid-fire tempo of "Spirit, Blood, Poison, Ferment" caused me to need a second listen to absorb it. I like the ebb and flow of the dynamics used when the vocals bring things to a more deliberate place on the verse. I was not expecting the flourish of horns going into the chorus. Dark-wave tinged electronics add to the mood brewing on "il veleno della Natura" with black metal guitar bridging the verses to create a throbbing tension. Midway into the song, things accelerate but do not rush the vocals, which belt it out with the same steady resolve. 

"Delta-9" seems to be about the old devil's weed, which I would not expect them to be tokers of, but whatever works. It does unfold with a more psychedelic drone than what they have explored previously on the album. Then they wink in the direction of Cypress Hill, which was even more unexpected, before the bass rumbles into creating a pretty crushing riff.  Gionata Potenti lends his voice to the beginning of "Silence Walk With Me". He has a more conventional classic metal voice that is cleanly sung in the vein of the Scorpions, which brightens the tone. They close the album with a cover of Bauhaus' "In the Flatfield." I will take this every day over another cover of "Bela Lugosi's Dead." They keep the vibe of the song with the underlying tension, adding blast beats under the frantic chorus. I will round this up to a 10 based on the fluid blending of styles and Erba's stellar vocal preformance. 

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PILGRIMS : "Gemini"

 

Chilean-bred PILGRIMS relocated to Boston and has become a more focused songwriting machine. With vocals at the front of the mix, the murky layers of synths and guitars create a fog-drenched landscape of sound while the drums dance under them. All too often, darkwave-leaning bands like this are not organic enough, but this band feels like they have a balance of electronic elements and instruments plugged into amps. It seems like half the lyrics are sung in their native tongue, making the vocals at times more of a textural layer. 

There is a marginally more upbeat vibe to "Blissing Hour". It carries a dancey cadance that is anchored by the bass line. "Datura" is heavier in both groove and the dark depth of its mood. "Storms" is also another song that might summon goths to the dance floor. There are some interesting touches applied to how the vocals are produced here. To their credit, unlike many female-fronted post-punk bands, these guys are not trying to be Siouxsie and the Banshees. "Amethyst" finds a more ethereal slant to the lilt of the vocals. The bass line keeps this song moving in the right direction. 

"Glass Cages" offers more electronic ambiance, though once it kicks in, this is contrasted by a punchy punk attitude possessing the song. The vocals are more shouted, that offer a nice dynamic contrast. It even makes me think of pre-Mike Patton Faith No More. "Elegia" plays it safer and sticks to what you expect from this sort of thing. "La Mar" might be the song that best encapsulates what this band does with the groove and melody being locked in. The last song finds her voice going up into her head register to create a more Cocteau Twins-like sound; it's also another one of the more dance-oriented moments on the album. Overall, this album is the kind of dark, grooving fun I want from this brand of goth-tinged post-punk, so I will give it a 9,5. 

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Mayhem : "Liturgy of Death"

 

Moving in a bigger and more symphonic direction for their new album, Norway's black metal icons Mayhem keep things dark even if it means crossing over into a marginally more accessible style that feels more like Dimmu Borgir in its epic scope. Hellhammer is behind the drum kit, so that brings a larger-than-life flurry of double bass. Obviously, Necrobutcher and Atilla are crafting these songs with guitarists who have been with them for well over a decade now. Atilla is more confident in his voice though what he does is not as different as you might expect. The burst of operatic bellow is more controlled, and his groans are well layered against the screams. The second song finds them accelerating the momentum, but it is well guided with enough restraint to serve the song. 

"Weep For Nothing' chugs along with enough menace, but is not as melodically adorned as the first two songs. Atilla makes many pained declarations, as things sweep along, but it's more likea chaotic ride through a black metal-themed amusement park ride. Blast beats race off with 'Aeon's End" as many fans of the genre will be overjoyed by the more extreme passages of hyper aggression. "Funeral of Exsistence" employs the kind of cold, ringing chords that inspired bands like Dissection and Watain, before galloping to victory. It does accelerate in a more predictable black metal fashion, but it works well enough. Hellhammer's ability to turn a passage around on the next beat gives them the ability to shift seamlessly in complex arrangements, showing the benefit of a band being only as good as their drummer. 

For this to be Necrobutcher's band, the bass is buried in the mix until "Realm of Endless Misery". 'Propitious Death' finds them racing at you with a more Dimmu-like fury. There is a fucking awesome riff that kicks in a minute into things and rips your head off with very deliberate purpose and groove. The last song writhes and rages with the intensity you want from these guys, but does not hook you in like the previous song;  instead, you are plunged into a seething cauldron of sound. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. I think it is an expansion and refinement of the sound they are known for, with the only great risk being not more experimental or abrasive.It drops Febuary 6th on Century Media.  

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