Death is June - Worm Shepard : " Dawn of the Iconoclast'

 

There s more death metal than core going on here, but these guys are brutal without forgetting to write songs which go a long way with me, let's see if they can maintain the moment for all ten songs. They break the pounding up but bring the pig squealing gutturals that are typical for the genre, but it is not a deal breaker. "Souless Lament" pours the speed on. Perhaps too much for their own good. The symphonic elements only soften the blow maringally, but I think it gets them to thinking more as songwriters. There are some breakdowns, but unlike other bands, this is not the whole of who they are and jsut a couple of songs in I prefer this over what Lorna Shore does. 

They shred when it is time to solo, which I guess is what you need to do if that is the route you feel compelled to. At the end of the songs, it feels like they just start throwing ideas out. There is a choral flourish in the background of "Feast" that breaks things up. There more space and atmosphere they can give things, the better. "Sanctified Rot" finds them trying to find their way amid the symphony of sickness unfolding."But at least they do not sound like every other deathcore band out there. "Whispers of a Buiied Land" makes me thankful that these guys take more thematic inspiration from death metal bands than hardcore bands. 

Interestingly, the way this 5-song EP is on Bandcamp finds 5 instrumental versions of these songs after the original 5. Not sure they demand that treatment, but here we are.. I found this while searching for the best deathcore albums of 2026, and I know we are only halfway in but they might need to raise the bar a bit. I will give this an 8, while this Whitechapel-derived vision of the genre might not be my thing, younger fans might find this as an entry way into death metal, so admire the effort invested here. 

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The Top 10 Doom / Sludge Albums of 2026... so far

Having split up the larger metal list into sub-genres, sludge and doom are getting lumped together, as let's face it, with many of these albums it is hard to fnds the line between the two.  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 Doom / Sludge albums of 2026 so far. 

10- Malignant Aura - "Where All of Worth Comes to Wither" 

Australian Doomsters Malignant Aura lurch into this album with the kind of dark melancholy I want from all heavy music, but expect from doom. This is the band's second album. "The Pathetic Festivals" finds them delving deeper into the death metal side of the death doom equation, with a more Morbid Angel-like feel. It features a commanding stop that emerges with a mechanical grind of the guitars.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/malignant-aura-where-all-of-worth-comes.html

9- Void of Liight - "Asymmetries"

Scottish sludgesters Void of Light try to label themselves as being on the more post side of things, but the vocals betray them. The band's debut full-length finds the vocals being howled with a throaty anger that overpowers some of the more ambient underpinings. But it works well for them, creating a layered approach not unlike what latter-day Neurosis used to do, but with some more overt metal riffing. With three guitars involved, there are more layers than most bands can summon. I have always stood by the fact that sludge is what happens when punks try to play metal, and this album is not proving me wrong.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/03/void-of-light-asymmetries.html

  8-Gozu-"Gozu IV"

This band's 2023 album made our top 10  Stoner Rock albums for 2023. There is less of a grunge haze this time around and more of a Queens of the Stone Age-like precision, which is not shocking considering the genre they find themselves in. There is a more deliberate metal chug in places on the opener that works well for the soulful vocals to belt it out over. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/gozu-gozu-vi.html

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7-Godthrymm -"Projections"

The band's last album cracked the top 5 doom albums of 2023. They have always been solid, so hopes are high for this one. It starts off with the kind of commanding chug you want from metal, with the vocals carrying both grit and brooding, while still capable of the more melodic soaring vocals that bands like Solitude Aeternus and Trouble have employed.  Two of these guys hail from My Dying Bride, yet they are not digging into that brand of dark sorrow and doing their own thing, putting more of an epic-metal foot forward. https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/godthrymm-projections.html

6-Monolord-"Neverending"

Sweden's doom merchants rumble out of the gates with a bigger sound this time around. Though each album has found them progressing into a more melodic direction,I like the direction they were heading on this album; the last song is a little out of character, but it retains enough of their sound. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/monolord-neverending.html

5-Sun Don't Shine _"From Birth to Death"

This band is one half of Type O Negative and one half of Crowbar. So as expected, it's a 90s -post-grunge collision with sludge. Kenny Hickey handles the vocals as the stoner swagger moves with monolithic grooves. It's even more impressive than you can imagine.  To their credit, it is not steeped in nostalgia but reminds me of a great time for music in the mid to late 90s when it came to this kind of post-grunge metal. Fans of both bands will appreciate it, as well as anyone looking for an awesome doomy album with stellar attention to detail when it comes to songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/sun-dont-shine-from-birth-to-death.html

 

4-Warning -"Rituals of Shame"

The doom band from 40 Watt Sun's main man, Patrick Walker. The most striking thing is the haunting plea of his vocals, which glide over the depressing, lingering instrumentation. Everything feels very organic; it is mixed in a manner that gives the vocals more than enough room to do their thing. The guitars are not loaded down with an overabundance of gain like most doom bands, but they ring out with despair, while the minimal patter of drums keeps things moving.It's one of the best doom albums I've heard this year so far, as it is unique in its melodic sensibilities

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/heavy-maytal-warning-rituals-of-shame.html

 

3-Restless Spirit- "s/t"

This band impressed me with their retro warmth in the production, rather than everything being reverbed out. The vocals are belted with a great deal of balls to them, and focused on melodies more than just swinging for the fence, trying to make each note more operatic than the last. They work off stoner grooves but often make me think of Only Living Witness with its catchier riffing.

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/restless-spirit-st.html

2-Blackwater Holylight - "Not Here Not Gone"

Driven by fuzzy overdrive and the languid croon of Sunny Faris,t coasts in the middle of the bong-worshipping rumble. Sure, elements of shoegaze and psych rock come together at varied points as the song progresses, but it moves more conventionally than previous efforts. Thankfully, not abandoning the jammy flow that has characterized most of what I have heard from them before, is still very much in play to create a more organic feeling. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/blackwater-holylight-not-here-not-gone.html

1-Neurosis -"An Undying Love For a Burning World"

With the official start of World War 3 underway today, how could Neurosis not reconvene to drop a new album? Aaron Turner is replacing Scott Kelly. It's pretty seamless considering this. There is a hint of rock n' roll, but both Isis and Sumac are heavily influenced by Neurosis, so it seems like a natural fit and flows very organically. It's back to the dissonant sludge heaviness with an angular crunch moving the riffs.I think it opens a new chapter that holds up well against their legacy, even in the absence of Kelly. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/03/neurosis-undying-love-for-burning-world.html

pst267

Lex Legion : "s/t"

 

When the King is away, the kids will play. This vocal is comprised of the top tier of King Diamond's band members. Pete Blakk and Andy LaRocque on guitars is worth the price of admission alone. But wait, there is more. Mikkey Dee took a break from the Scorpions to play on this album. Hal Pinto is covering the bass duties as well. Pagan's Mind vocalist Nils K LaRue joins the Swedes, bringing some Norse vocal power to things. His power metal style of vocals works well over things; there is clearly a King Diamond influence on what he is doing as he leaps up into falsetto. 

The opening track hooks me in more than the second song; some of this is due to LaRue's vocals defaulting to the more expected power metal style, though things are still a little darker. But not darker than King Diamond, I like 'When the Stars Align' more than "' The Resurrected' as power metal can come close to hair metal with song of the anthemic touches, and they work better when they stay on the more metal side of the equation. Even when the singer steers them in a more cock rock direction, at least the riffs are still there. I don't think I am being too picky in this regard, as I love Queensryche, which navigates this well. I think dropping some ofthe vocal layers might be the key here. 

I had to go back after my first listen to this album and start again at "Dreams of Darkness" as that is where things began to run together for me. Perhaps it's the way the tempo picked up. Though the chorus on that one worked pretty well. There is a "Them" feel to " Saviours". It works well, has enough darkness to balance things out. "Life Eternal" has a more straightforward chug. They certainly know who they are writing for. The instrumental outro works well. It would take these guys to come close to anything King Diamond does, which is a tall order, making this album worth a 9.5. 

pst266

Recvrse : "SUFFER & REMEMBER"

 This Los Angeles-based noise punk band gets things off to an interesting start with a dissonant clamour that still carries a great deal of atmosphere even amid its hazy attack. It's an intersting approach to crust punk that goes toward the blasting end ofthe spectrum on the second song. When they go this feral, it's a short-lived burst of a song at a minute and a half. I can hear traces of Black Flag in what they do. They use samples really well to create the mood. This sets the stage for "The Hate You Become"/ and gives the album some dynamic space.. One thing I like about this whole neo-crust thing is the willingness to be sonically heavy rather than just bash it out. At the two-minute mark, they balance this out by bringing more of a punk-inspired aggression. It's effective as there has already been a dynamic contrast introduced. 

The title track is a continuation of the punk energy brough to life in the previous song. It's also only two minutes long. "Prosperity Gospel" is pretty much jsut straight up punk. There is a blistering energy balance by sonic nuance in the chord progression that makes "OPT OUT" work. At two and a half minutes, in grindcore, it might seem self-indulgent, but here it's just effective songwriting.  "Parable" is more typical of hardcore punk. Hyperaggressive to the point of violence against your ears, but they do give a little bit of space, even in this storm. 

The last song is almost five minutes along, yet with the kind of energy it kicks off with, you have to think how they're going to maintain this for so long. The guitars offer more sonic depth in the almost black metal manner they attack. Overall, for the way they are doing these guys are still ahead of the pack thanks to the layers of guitar that hold actual notes to create atmosphere and dynamics, so I will give this a 9. 

pst265

Death is June -World Peace : "FOR NO MAN SHALL SEE ME AND LIVE '

 

What this San Francisco-based band does it pretty interesting as it has groove to it.  But the songs stay true to grindcore and are clocking in at 30 seconds apiece, meaning they lock into these, and then it is over. By the time it gets to "Land of Plenty," we are beginning to hear a pattern. Blown-out sludge-infested riffs moving with a nu metal bounce, and then spasming into blast beats, with coarse vocals barking in a similar style as they ride the beat. 

When they slow down for "Lesser Miracle," you can hear the weight of how heavy they are. Even with the squealing feedback it comes closer to being a real song. "Staggering Vanity' feels like it is a section from another song.. To some extent, the song after it does as well, though marginally more complete, though not as much of a Tourette 's-ridden spasm as "In Anticipation of the Final Reward. "

The last song, "Shock and Awe," makes more sense, even with the simple, abrupt ending it is based off.  At hte end of the day, the limited attention span of the genre plays against what I think they are capable of doing, but what they did here was make the most of the limited time they gave themselves, so I will give this album a 9. . If you like your grind core short and to the point then this album is worth your time. 

pst264

Death is June -FUNEBRARUM : " Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence"

 

This is the New Jersey-based band's third album. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to check them out, but I suppose there are only so many hours in the day, and they came in at the tail end of the death doom bandwagon. The yare dark enough for my tastes, though, which I appreciate. They build things into enough of a purposeful chug to fall on the death metal side of the equation, with the vocals in a call and response between the lower growl and a higher snarl. The guitar solos have enough flash to appease most metal fans. The second finds the mood being balanced between morose meandering and the aggression of death metal. The next minute, things accelerate into a blasting death-metal flurry. It's not as impressive as the title track, as it falls much closer to the status quo for death metal in 2026. Though it sounds good from a production standpoint and is well executed 

"Through Barren Halls of Greiving Emptiness" has a catchier riff leading into the verse, but then they speed up when things really start to kick in. The vocals drop down to a layer of growling that is just another texture. Most of the songs fall under the six-minute mark, with the 8-minute last song the exception to the rule. They slow way down into a more dismal shade for "Into Dark Domains". The atmosphere for this one is pretty cool, before they step on the gas and lay back off into hyper blasting. When they drop into the more deliberate chugs and the doom leaning spectral lumbering it seems their songwriting is at the peak of its powers, buyt the formula seems to be to speed up before you can really get lulled into their darkness. 

The tempo of "From Rotten Burial Shrouds feels like a rushed mess. There are a few cool riffs that show up toward the end, but the motto here is "cool riffs alone does not a good song make."Turning the Stones of Torment " is more focused with a taunt tension propelling the verse, even if the vocals as not as intentional, it comes together.  With songs like this, I can see why the average death metal fan would be impressed, but they are not consistent in this regard. At almsot nine minutes, the last song is the first that really sprawls out into a more massive undertaking. The bulk of it rides a double bass into the doomier resolution. Overall, I think that despite falling into the death metal tendency to rage out with speed at times, they pulled all this off very well. I will give it a 9.

pst263

Death Is June - 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 year, 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 by the first song off their new album. The guitar playing is more melodic than I expected. The vocals are a low guttural growl that you expect from this sort of thing, but they have some shit going on, so let's see how well they can maintain this momentum. The second song finds them more aggressive from the outset. The verse does not carry the same sense of melancholy haunting it that I got from the first one, as it runs more on aggression. Which is not to say there are not some clever subtleties in the songwriting, and hooks that they lock into. There are.

Their drummer, Steve, has been bashing artfully at his kit for over twenty years with these guys, so while he might not have played on their first album, he might as well be an original member at this point. They bring back the darker vibes for "God's Last Breath". "Adversary" has some cool riffs in the blur of aggression, but it seems like this is the other mode they operate in, which I can appreciate the dyanmic shift. The hooky riffs that emerge balance it out in their favor. "Attrition" works better as it moves with more of a groove.. They blast back on "Bend Toward the Dark". The vocals accent the riff well, though. There is a difference between " Well Done " and their most inspired song. 

"Host" balances out the melodic, darker side with the more aggressive pound. There are moments of more purposeful Morbid Angel-like accents that try to balance out the blast of "False Ascent' which is pretty effective, though the rapid fire drumming at times just makes them sound like everyone else. :They switch it up from this with the syncopated double bass of the last song, to bring things to a more memorable clsoe which was a smart move on their part.. While this album has gotten a great deal of hype in the metal circles, I will say it's excellent, though not the best album of the year from the genre so far, though that list is coming soon. They are going to get a 9.5, so near perfect for what they do, and better than expected. I gained a great deal of respect for them here. 

pst262