Dark Funeral – A Beast to Praise: Thirty Years in a Single Set Released: August 21, 2026 Dark Funeral called their second live album A Beast to Praise, yet “A Beast to Praise” is nowhere in the set.
Black Sabbath – Tyr: When Sabbath Looked North Released: August 20, 1990 By 1990, Black Sabbath barely resembled the band that recorded “Paranoid.” Tony Iommi was the only original member left, the drums
Megadeth – Countdown to Extinction: The Sound Beneath the Complexity Released: July 14, 1992 Rust in Peace pushed Megadeth’s technical side about as far as it could go. The playing was rapid, tangled, and
Decapitated – Anticult: Decapitated Made Precision Feel More Human Released: July 7, 2017 Decapitated were never short on precision. That was the easy part. From the early records on, the band had the kind
Alice Cooper – Dirty Diamonds: Alice Cooper Made the Cheap Stuff Shine Again Released: July 4, 2005 (Internationally) Alice Cooper did not need to sound expensive on Dirty Diamonds. That would have missed the fun. By 2005, Alice
In Flames – Clayman: In Flames Made the Bridge Feel Like Home Released: July 3, 2000 In Flames were already great at melody before Clayman. That was not new. The Jester Race, Whoracle, and Colony had already
Down – Over the Under (Remastered): Down Sound Like They’re Digging Out Originally Released: September 25, 2007 Remastered Album Released: June 19, 2026 Down never sounded like a clean band. That is the point. The riffs are
Kerry King – From Hell I Rise (Extended Deluxe Edition): Kerry King Did the Obvious Thing Right Originally released: May 17, 2025. Extended Deluxe Edition Released: June 19, 2026 Kerry King was never going to make a gentle record. That would have
Volbeat’s GOAT: A Gospel of Fire, Faith, and Feedback Released: June 6, 2025 Author’s Note: This piece has been revisited and revised from its original version, with a stronger focus on the album’
Dimmu Borgir – Grand Serpent Rising: The Skeptics Were Wrong Eight years is a long time to wait for a record, and the longer a gap stretches, the harder it becomes to meet expectations that
Darkthrone – Prehistoric Metal: Forty Years In and Still Answering to Nobody Released: May 8, 2026 Darkthrone reaching forty years without settling into nostalgia might be the least surprising thing about them. Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have
Venom – Into Oblivion: Nobody Asked If They Still Had It—They Answered Anyway Talking about Venom in 2026 still means carrying the weight of everything attached to the name. The early records remain foundational in ways that are
