Greetings, Decibel readers!
This week’s roundup brings an eclectic mix of styles, from classic heavy metal, to neon-blasted synthwave, to world-swallowing blackened death metal.
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Axe Dragger – Axe Dragger
Yes. Just … YES!!!
Ok, so when it comes to classic heavy metal — THIS is how the vocals should sound. You gotta blend raspy and strong lines with high notes that hit at just the right moment. It’s thrilling, powerful and blazing with fury but NOT CHEESY. So, for real, ditch the irony, throw on the spikes and leather, and bang your head to this.
Stream: Apple Music
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Carpenter Brut – Leather Temple
Oh sure, synthwave got a little oversaturated in the last decade. But on the other hand, this is still really great, so who cares? Carpenter Brut always shined brightest along with the best in the game like Perturbator, Gost and Dan Terminus. And like those acts, Carpenter Brut brought a composition style that made the music uniquely appealing to metalheads who may otherwise be averse to electronic music. So get those neon-lights going once again and crank this up.
Stream: Apple Music
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Harrowed – The Eternal Hunger
A deadlier outing that I’m used to from Dying Victims, but I’m all about it! Think of Left Hand Path but throw in some 80s doom-metal hooks and heavy metal grooves, and you’ll get what Harrowed is all about. Listen once and keep coming back for more. Eternal hunger, indeed.
Stream: Apple Music
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Necrofier – Transcend Into Oblivion
I remember when Necrofier first popped up on my radar with Prophecies of Eternal Darkness and it’s been really cool to watch them get steadily bigger and bigger since then. After, Decibel put them on the magazine tour back in 2024 for a good reason! The band’s latest release plays like a dense, epic, and mystical tale told with cinematic flair and blackened-death metal madness. Let the spectacle begin!
Stream: Apple Music
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Vreid – The Skies Turn Black
The legacy continues in the capable hands of Vreid on their 10th album (well, under this name, you could say it’s their 14th album in a spiritual sense). The album represents a couple key tendencies: connections with their roots and an urge to keep experimenting and exploring. It’s what makes them one of the most interesting bands in modern metal.
Stream: Apple Music
