For a while I have been brainstorming ways to dedicate a month to heavy metal in the more traditional sense and being that May is my birth month it only makes sense that it should be dedicated to Heavy Metal, since it was the first genre of music I was into as a kid as my earliest beginnings as a music fant started with Kiss, Alice Cooper, Ozzy, Iron Maiden and Motely Crue. Yeah, I think it's fair to count the first two Motley Crue albums as metal. Granted, over the years, the definition of metal has changed from the 80s to now.
So for the first annual Maytal Month, I'm going to review every single Iron Maiden album that I have not yet reviewed here. Might not be as long a list as you think, since I have already reviewed these
So that is 6 of their 17 albums, and Hell, I might just throw somebody like Dio in as well, along with more traditional metal bands, which might include things more along the lines of thrash and power metal, which spawned from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Not saying that I am not going to continue my coverage of the more extreme sub-genres, I'm just not placing more focus on death metal, black metal and doom, since those all have their own month dedciated to them. I feel like there is a great deal of more traditional metal out there that gets overlooked since the focus seems to fall on those or the related sub-genres like sludge, which gets covered during our doom month in November. So I'm not just going to focus on the classics, but new music that falls into this more epic and melodic point from which the genre is rooted in.
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. Oddly Gerad Way from My Chemical Romance guest on this song. However, he is not bringing whiny emo vocals, but a more black metal rasp. So it's not that invasive of what they normally do. This album has several guest spots on it. The second song features Rob Flynn from Machine Head, who contributes his bark to this more deliberate stomp. It's a big, powerful guitar sound that works well.
"Absolute Zero" is a minute of big chug that speeds up into a blast of sorts. "Dreadnought" finds Devin from Sanguisugabogg joining them. There is a mean bass tone for this song, and it grinds into things with a more Bolt Thrower-like feel. The melodic guitar solos bring this out more. An impressive flow of double bass drives "Chaos Will Reign," which is also the first song with the kind of thrashing groove that empowered "Glacial Domination." This is the band at their most effective, commanding headbanging.
They step on the gas for "Eyes of Despair". But know how to temper the need for speed with grooving riffage. "Ethereal Dreams" makes me think of early Unleashed. The bulk of the album up until that point has been more deliberately paced, and they still manage to retain balance in a more Slayer-like fashion here. The songwriting here is some of the album's most dynamic. "Skinned by the Wind" is really a solid minute of mean riff, but it works for what it is. "Deathweaver" allows for more build-up. It also has one of the most melodic guitar lines on the album, but digging into the pummelling. "Frost Forged' finds the chug still moving your guts in the best way possible/
There is more of an Entombed to the rumble of the last song. The double bass speeds the song up, but they find their groove, and pretty quickly, the epitome of not letting your momentum take your feet out from under you. I will go ahead and round this up to a 10, as I think it will grow on me, and their fanbase will get another dose of the heavy slabs of sound that have been refined by staying on the road. This album drops on May 8th on Century Media.
The last album I spent much time with by these guys was "Symbol of Salvation", but this album does not find the band straying too far from what they worked there. The album carries a great deal of momentum with some unconventional sounds opening up "Every Man Any-man," but once this album gets going, that momentum causes some of the tracks to run into one another; the space Bush gets on the verses is key to their success here. The first song where I can hear a trace of the more classic metal band they once were is " Not On Your Life."
This is where one of their strengths this time around comes in, regarding the sound captured here, which is that they do not sound dated and feel vital in 2026, while still being true to the spirit of the band.In some ways, to a metal kid in 2026, this album might feel more rock n roll. "Hit a Moonshot" is a very high-energy take on rock, but has more in common with AC/DC than Slayer. "Buckeye" makes me think of Bruce Dickinson's solo work from the 90s. If he is being compared to Bruce, it means Bush's voice has held up well for 62 years young. "Compromise" has a more in-your-face metal groove while giving his vocals space.
I like the darker grunge feel lurking in the chord progression to "It's a Buzzkill". This is one of the album's strongest songs. "Throwing Caution to the Wind" finds them back on the more rock n roll side of the fence. There are a few heavier riffs in it, and the solos on all the songs are pretty blazing if you are into the old metal shred. "Ladders and Slides" has some of the best drumming of the album; it's subtle and feels like rock. But there is an almsot Zeppelin feel. There is a really cool grooving breakdown in it.
You can hear more Maiden influence in "Bottom Feeders." There is also a more traditional metal vibe to the last song. It works well enough even with some of the rock n roll excess, but I am not expecting them to be Radiohead, so that works for me. Overall, they prove to be vital in 2026, the album sounds great and not dated, John's voice shows little wear and tear, so I will give this album a 9.5 as it's all you can ask from them and they delivered. Out May 22nd on Metal Blade.
April has breezed by already, so let's get you abreast of new releases. This might help you, casual readers, with what you might have missed. I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. This helps me organize my lists for the end of the year by listing the album's genre. This does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most. I have albums in my in-box that won't come out until June, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of how much I have listened to them. This month, leaned more on heavy stuff ranging from Hardcore to Doom, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for April of 2026.
For me, this Greek black metal band needs to prove that all black metal bands from Greece do not just want to be Rotting Christ. While in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from Rotting Christ, as they are a great band, but when you are from Greece, it's a little on the nose. They have taken some notes on the opening track with has a hug pagan infused sound, not the kind of blasting black metal that is more typical of the genre, finding themselves between a rock and a hard place, to not follow the path by their sucessful country men or sound like everyone else, so let's see if they can strike a balance here.
What helps seperate them is the rasp of the vocals. When the sung vocals come in, they are employed in a more Dimmu Borgir-like manner. The folk-inspired melodies in the layers of sound on "Woven Spells of a Demon" create a similar feel to the opening track and brightens things a little too much for my liking, but it still works for what they are doing. They are staying true to who they want to be and not resorting to blast beats, but they would sound more black metal if they were darker. The female vocals that lead into" The Blind Eye of the Antichrist" cast a more flowery shade of atmosphere over things when they need to be more ominous.
"I Totem" looms with more of a slow-building menace. It frolics a little but is certainly darker than the previous song. They hammer into you with the double bass, which is welcome as more aggression is needed. They do employ a similar song structure to Rotting Christ, with things building and ebbing in intensity rather than having bridges with time changes. "3am" has a more grooving throb and more melodic vocals on the chorus, making it one of the more accessible songs so far. The only thing black metal about "Give'em My Beautiful Hell" is the vocals. Everything else gallops along a larger-than-life traditional metal path.
There is a more orchestrated elegance to "Once in a Blue Moon" that reminds me of 90s Swedish metal. They break from their pattern by pounding out the accents of the song's second act. There is a somewhat more traditional black-metal feel to "Blessed Be He Who Enters", though when the vocals kick in, they set up the verse for more groove, which is fine by me, but it has more in common with Crematory than Mayhem. They hit more of a middle-of-the-road black metal feel for "End of the Known Civilization." The last song ends the album with a steady throb. There is almost a more Behemoth feel to the layers of vocals.This might not be the most black metal album you ahve heard but it cares about songs which goes a long way in my book I will give it an 8.5, amd see if it grows on me. If you like more emlodic black metal leanin g metal and not cvlt shit give this a try.
Here is a project that has improved over the past decade. Each album has been a little more impressive as it has morphed from a noisy cow-punk band to something more focused and serving songs, rather than working on a sound. The opening track is pretty bleak and powerful, making this point clear. Then there is a shift into something more akin to 16 Horsepower for "Heart of Mine." They return to a darker clanging out that holds more in common with noise rock for "You Never Answered."
The title track is darker and minimalist as the urgent plea of the vocals goes out into the empty space until the rest of the band slowly swells to life." Never Rest" carries a heavier stomp with some angular clamour creating a grungy atmosphere. It lurks with the collected chaos that the forerunners of grunge carried, harkening to the genre's punk roots. "Saved" is darker but a little less focused despite the haunting manner it rumbles, feels more likea jam than a song written to hook you in. The first song that feels post-punk is "Patient Night." Then "the Wind," which feels more like a Wovenhand song, works pretty well with it's dark, stormy intensity.
The last song is rather somber; it could be described as a ballad, as it drones off a piano part with more fragile, introspective vocals. It is worth noting that the vocals on this project have continued to improve, and at one point on the first couple of albums were more of a sticking point for me. Now they are really effect and it feels like the missing piece to their sound has fallen solidly in place. Showing something many bands could learn from, which is that vocals are an essential element and not just an obligatory touch, but the vocal point of a good song. They have moved into the right direction, and this album si a testament to that will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on meI would not call it goth but it is dark enough to appeal to fans of post-punk who work more of the kind of brooding summoned here.Beings released on Season of Mist.
The impetus for checking out this album came after reading these guys listed as a band who were picking up where the Smiths left off. That might be a bold claim. I can hear where this comparison might be made when it comes to how they use guitars, but that's where it ends. There is no darker underbelly or scathing lyrics draped in humor and self-loathing. Which is fine, they are doing their own thing. I am more curious when these comparisons are made, as I don't actually want another Smiths since I am always going to prefer the Morrissey-helmed band.
"Fighting Back" is the first song with a more biting commentary. But that doesn't mean it's time to pull out your copy of "Meat is Murder" and listen for where the dots connect, because they don't. Sure, the guitars ring out similarly to what Marr does on his former band's more straightforward moments. The synth melody in the background sounds more like it was lifted from one of the Cure's radio moments. Lead singer Ramesh's vocals anchor this in a more conventional pop vibe. He is emotive but plays it safe, and lacks the depth of a Morrissey or Robert Smith. This is what leads to a song like "New World Romance" to carry an overly safe middle-of-the-road feel. This is what keeps them from being a post-punk band aside from the fact their nothing punk about what they are doing sonically, where a band like the Smith's had an energy and attitude that punk despite the fact they were strumming chords and using bouncy bass lines. Nothing that conveys tension is here.
This album is, however, more organic pop music than, say, The 1975. The title track from this album has more in common with the Cars' poppier moments than what is the current tone of the radio, with a subtle emo tinge. These are well-written songs, perhaps too perfect in how put together they are, and the saccharine mix doesn't help as the bass couldd come forward and add some heft. "The Times" finds them relaxing down to a lazier strum that makes me think of the Drums' more beach-oriented moments. The reverb-heavy might help to offset the brightness of what they are doing. It would be intersting to hear the previous songs mixed like this. This is the point of the album where they are experimenting a little more confidently; they knocked out the required radio pop songs. With a song like "Espirit de Coeur." the first song where Ramesh's sexuality comes out, but the guitar tones are pretty cool and set them apart from other middle of the road pop rock bands in 2026.
They dip into balladry with "Quiet Noise," which blends old Motown with country. It is the most organic song so far, and gives the vocals plenty of space to be more convincing. "Quiet Noise" is upbeat and not as focused, also too happy for my taste. The chorus to "Change" is also too happy, though the verses work pretty well, and the lyrics are some of the more intersting ones to be found on this album. "Rock & Roll Jesus" is not convincing as a rock song and falls flat. "Babylone" is an urgent ballad that sounds like something R.E.M. might have done. It's one of the album's better songs. I will give this album a 9 as it's well done for what it is. not something that suits my tastes, but I think I have given all the reasons why I prefer the Smiths vs what is happening here, but it is more organic andd better than most pop acts on the radio.
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