Death is June - The Top 10 Death Metal Albums of 2026... so far

Death metal is even more important as the Doomsday Clock races; time speeds up with 2026 at its midpoint. These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. No matter the genre,  darkness trumps speed when it comes to heavy, so these bands reflect that sentiment. These albums provide a fitting soundtrack to the demise of the US.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the top 10 Death Metal albums of 2026 so far. 

10-Six Feet Under- 'Next to Die"

I go into Chris Barnes' albums with low expectations, switching things up worked out well for them, and this is the best album I have reviewed yet by them, on par with the first few albums from the 90s

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/six-feet-under-next-to-die.html

 

 

9-Left to Die- "Initium Mortis"

Two original Death members, Rick Rozz and Terry Butler, are joined by members of Gruesome, Matty Harvey and Gus Rios, who have been performing in this project as a tribute to the band's early "Leprosy" and "Spiritual Healing" days of the band, which are my favorite. This album does not try to have its own identity as it's clearly a tribute to a specific era, but it works well, and they nailed what they wanted to do. Death fans dying for new music should be appeased.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/death-is-june-left-to-die-initium-mortis.html

  

8-VOIDHAMMER - "Noxious Emissions"

Not knowing what to expect from this California trio, I got comfy with the opening riff that felt like crusty old school death metal, before things went into a blur of blast beats. They found their way back to more memorable riffing, so that plays in their favor. The vocals are a low death metal growl that is typically buried. There is also some punk-tinged thrash in the mix that leans in the direction of what we call crust now.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/voidhammer-noxious-emissions.html

 

7-Stabbing-"Eon of Obscuirty"

The first death metal album I reviewed this year. The  Texas foursome follows the path first tread by Cannibal Corpse when it comes to brutal death metal with low gurgling vocals and grinding guitar that conjures images of gore within the dense riffage. This comes with some of the raw production trademarks of this brand of death metal, like the flat smack of the snare, which was something that took me a while to get used to in the early Cannibal Corpse albums when they were released. When you compare this to an album like the new Sanguisugabogg, it is clearly outclassed, but if you are just looking for brutal death metal that still cares about songwriting, then these guys are worth your time.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/stabbing-eon-of-obscurity.html

 

 

6-Temple of the Void -"the Crawl"

Temple of the Void's album "Summoning the Slayer" made the 4th spot of our Top 10 Death Metal albums of 2022. Four years later, we are seeing if the band can still bring it like that against the death metal competition of 2026, which is still awaiting releases from Frozen Soul and 200 Stab Wounds. The kick things off with guitar solos blazing. It moves fast when called for to get your attention, but they are not about to sacrifice the song for the sake of speed. They no longer feel the need to prove who they are. The vocals are growled in a purposeful manner that is articulated enough to get the point across. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/03/temple-of-void-crawl.html

5-Immolation-"Descent"

Not sure why I never really gave these guys a shot, I'm sure they have played with bands like Morbid Angel, who I have seen countless times over the years, and they did not make that much of an impression on me or become background music. Perhaps it is because they are a New York band instead of a Tampa band. Whatever the case, I am impressed. It is so near perfect for what they do, and better than expected. I gained a great deal of respect for them here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/death-is-june-immolation-descent.html

4-Monstrosity--" Screams From Beneath the Surface"

The 7th album from this long-running Floridian death metal band finds a blend of brutality and technical prowess balanced. They are not just looking for the best riffs to solo over, but care about the songs. The riffs are ever-shifting, but not so much that the hooks get lost in the shuffle. The vocal apporach is very simple, but articulated. They are not so technical that things get lost in the ever-changing time signature, but are driven by an extensive riff arsenal. They know when to lock into a chug. The bass player is the secret weapon here as the bass lines are ever-flowing, but not technical for the sake of being so. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/02/monstrosity-screams-from-beneath-surface.html

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3-100 Demons-"Embrace the Black Light"

Not all metalcore is as bad as you assume it might be; in fact, some of it is much more metal than core, to the point that you can't tell the difference between something like the opening track from this band's album and the bulk of death metal that came out in the early 2000s. They have no shortage of ripping riffs to balance out the harsh bark of their vocals. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/death-is-june-100-demons-embrace-black.html

2-Jungle Rot- " Cruel Face of War"

Dave Matrise is the sole original member of this 90s death metal act. He has put together a denser, more modern-sounding band that still gets what he was doing in the band's earlier days. His growl still carries heft and resonance. He also benefits from excellent production, with effects and layering that fall in all the right places. This album delivers 90s death metal in a more meaningful way than even the new Six Feet Under.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/jungle-rot-cruel-face-of-war.html

1-Frozen Soul_ " A Place of No Warmth"

Frozen Soul's new album starts off with a bigger, and marginally darker though things are mixed in a manner that does not convey the cavernous cold of the last album, but you can't fault them for growing, and they are not making the same album twice, which is more than you can say for most, This grew on me and the rest of their fanbase gets another dose of the heavy slabs of sound that have been refined by staying on the road.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/frozen-soul-place-of-no-warmth.html

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Jungle Rot : "Cruel Face of War".

Dave Matrise is the sole original member from this 90s death metal act. He has put together a denser, more modern-sounding band that still gets what he was doing in the band's earlier days. His growl still carries heft and resonance. He also benefits from excellent production, with effects and layering that fall in all the right places. The opening track carries the right kind of energy that you want from these guys, so can the rest of the album hold up?  Well, the title track has a more manic, thrashing feel. Lyrical, he seems to be barking out your typical metal mish-mash. But they are snarled in a manner articulated well enough to cut through the din of distortion around them.

"Maniacal" is stomped with enough purpose to create catchy headbanging vibes before the vocals even come in, and back off to give them room when they do. "Suffer in Silence" has a strong enough chorus to balance out the more speed-obsessed riffs that race by your ears. "Radicalized" has more groove in its weighty accents that pound with a more syncopated refinement. "Blade of Betrayal" is more typical in its rapid-fire death metal approach, which will appeal to fans of that era of the genre, but does not benefit as much from their songwriting skills as the previous songs.

The verse of "When the Elders Rise" is empowered by the album's most commanding, not as effective when they pour the speed into the double bass, but overall, the song works. Dave Ingram of Benediction joins them for "Horrors Vile" that takes off in a faster direction that finds them pressing further to the gas once the vocals come in. They find a better balance of tempo and intensity with " Legacy of the Damned."  At under two minutes," Rot Riffs." does not try to cram too much into that time frame, mainly working off the one riff. "Hollow Husk" is pretty punishing, though pretty straight-up death metal. The vocals just roar along, though on my second listen, I put on headphones, and it became clear how powerful this guitar tone is, excellent production. I will give this album a 9.5; it delivers 90s death metal in a more meaningful way than even the new Six Feet Under. Dropping on Unique Leader Records May 15th

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Relic : "Crown of Flies"

Whatever happened to Satanic death metal? I was pondering if, in 2026, it just became labelled "blackened death metal"? This Wisconsin band certainly seems to make an argument for this theory. There is a little chaos involved that could be thought of as a "black" element, but it could also be heard as grindcore. The second song, "Filth of Rebirth' is more like 90s death metal. Lyrically, things are much more vague than Deicide. The vocals are also lower and more gurgled, less articulated than the hymns to Satan that came out of Tampa in the 90s. 

Granted, how many of those bands were sincere? Trey might have taken too much acid while reading the "Necronomicon." Even Glen Benton has said something that led me to believe he was more about giving the middle finger to God than about that infernal life. "Scavenger's Daughter' blasts by in a manner that is almost too fast to really put an ear to what is going on, but it also tells me it was nothing that hooked me in with the initial listen. These guys are brutal as hell and are comprised of members of Jungle Rot, Emblazoned, and Slam Pig. You hear more of Slam Pig and Jungle Rot, even though it only accounts for the two guitarists. 

The last song, "Iron Sacrament," is more deliberate. The vocals have more purpose , in their snarled rasp and grunts, as the guitar allows for them the space to do that in rather than just forcing the vocals to be an afterthought. I appreciate the brutality, though I could use a little more darkness and dynamics, but it's great for what it is, so I will give this one an  8.5. 

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