June's Top 10 Albums

 

June is now coming to an end, 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 August, 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 Nu-metal to Proggy Pop, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for June of 2026.

10- The Butthole Surfers-"After the Astronaut" 

Experimental Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-butthole-surfers-after-astronaut.html

9-Lex Legion-"s/t" 

Dark Power Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/lex-legion-st.html

8-Muse-"The WOW !. Signal"

Prog Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/muse-wow-signal.html

7-Fuming Mouth- 'The Ringing Bell" 

Death Crust 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/fuming-mouth-ringing-bell.html

6-Balmora - "These Graven Halls" 

Metalcore

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/death-is-june-balmora-these-graven-halls.html

5-Immolation- "Descent:" 

Death Metal 

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

4-Crucifera-"  "Exostential" 

Goth

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/crucifera-era-exostential.html

3-Deftones- "Eros" 

Nu-Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/deftones-eros.html

2-The Secrecy -"Pins and Needles" 

Post-Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-secrecy-pins-and-needles.html

1-Converge - "the Hum of Hurt"

Hardcore 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/converge-hum-of-hurt.html

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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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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. 

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Immolation : "Atonement"

If you are quick to think bands like Ulcerate created their brand of dark and dissonant death metal, the new you need to get caught up on is Immolation has been around since 1988. They are old pros at their brand of death metal, which might not sound as evil or satan fueled as Morbid Angel or Incantation, but they have a certain sonic desolation that should be taken just as seriously. To their credit they have never fallen into some of the odd excursions a band like Morbid Angel has. Not to knock Morbid Angel as they are likely at their prime my favorite death metal band.

The parts I find  that make a song like  "When the Jackals Come" less interesting to my ears is more of a problem with death metal as a whole  in that it relies on a single minded aggression. At the end of this song, that is varied with some interesting guitar melodies. They do a better job of catching my ear on "Fostering the Divide". This is mainly due to the stellar drumming of Steve Shalaty formerly of Deeds of the Flesh. When it does constrict into the more over aggression, at least you have been given a breather going into it. The slower darker groove of "Thrown to the Fire" works a lot better for me than the more in your face speed fest off "Rise  the Heretics".

This album sounds greats and they have really big powerful sound going into "Destructive Currents" but from a songwriting perspective aside from being heavy it sounds like everything else. They prove they are capable of doing more on "Lower" which is actually a great death metal song with the vocals contributing to the song rather than being a growled after thought. The speed picks back up for the title track and the challenge is obvious when you are playing hammering fast death metal how to keep it interesting? They do find a groove toward the end that could set a mosh pit on fire, but as far as all time greatest metal songs go, the bar has not been raised. Things do improve and groove with "Above All" .

By now you are wondering why I am being so hard on these guys and already have this album penned on your best 2017. The reason is these guys have been doing it since 88. We have the two principle songwriters in the band. So these guys should have their shit abut as finely tuned as you could ask for. They do to some extent, All of the sounds are dialed in to the 9th degree. But I want the compositions to be just as air tight and on some songs they are. "the Power of Gods" is not one of those songs. If you just want a sick ass guitar tone and double bass kicking your face off then you are in luck , but you are probably only a teenager if that is all you still want out of music.. They redeem themselves with "Epiphany" which has a nice hooky groove to it. Overall even with the high expectations this album is pretty solid , I'll give it a 8.



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Karyn Crisis' Gospel of Witches

I was a fan of Karyn's band in the 90's this was back when the only other female fronted band that played dark and heavy music was Fear of God. So i was looking forward to this album. First thing that stands out is Her melodies sound more assured and her voice is even more powerful now than it was on the first Crisis album. "Alchemist" is the first real song following the brooding intro piece, showcases her She  assemblage of great music guys from Tombs, Vaura, and Danny Walker of Intronaut sitting behind the kit. Her husband Epel Duath guitarist Davide Tiso handles the bulk of the guitar on this album. This was not what I expected as it  carries more of an organic big rock sound  Her melodies slither between the chord placement. The more organic rock feel of "Ancient Ways", sounds more like Intronaut than any of the other components making up this band.

There is there a weird blend of alt-rock and thick chuggy metal on "Aradia" . It has hints of System of Down, in the tight slickness.  The songs are smoother rides than Crisis. She jumps around from register to register and focuses more on singing than she did in Epel Duath. There is a slight nu-metal meets doom element to the creepy feel of "Mother". Ross Dolan of Immolation's backing vocals are most effective in the chorus of this song. Logically the next branch on her family tree is "Father". Rather taking the Jonathan Davis route she goes a more spiritual route looking at some of the father figure deities. There is a power ballad quality to "Goddess of Light".

She displays her keen sense of making odd angular melodies work in her favor and the entire sound finds just the right balance in the process on "Howl at the Moon". At three minutes "Pillars" proves to be timed for rock radio and it's not too crazy that it wouldn't fit along side Flyleaf or the Gathering. The almost pop hooks is not what I was expecting, but the songs are very well written, so it has an almost an A Perfect Circle quality in that regard. I find my self pretty forgiving of commercial qualities when they are handled this way though, I am not sure if it would fly with the kids over at Cvlt Nation or even No Clean Singing.

Despite the excellent vocal performance "the Secret" feels like it  is more of an interlude/ intro into "Salem's Wounds".  It would not be either fair nor accurate to compare the song to Chelsea Wolfe even though they both incorporate dark electronics and ghostly vocals. The guttural vocals serve as a good cue for the song to build with a throb. The flow of double bass on "The Sword and the Stone" off set the almost shoe gazey glaze that throws more of this dark pop against a more ominous Cocteau Twins dynamic.The vocal melodies are sugary sweet even with deathly gutturals as the undercurrent beneath.

It ends with a slow dark drift layered with more of her subtler , yet still amazing melodies, she lets the guitar do more of the heavy lifting here, at times making me feel like I am listening to a satanic version of Muse. Karyn's vocals continue to go from a belt into a growl as needed . I'll go ahead and round this one up to a 10 and see how it sets with me , because all of the songs are pretty much perfect , I was just caught off guard at how un-metal some of the melodies are, but they work and it's great music no matter what genre it is or isn't . It's hard to be a marginal fan of hers , but if you are familiar with her work in any way or that of the musicians backing her then this album is worth your while.