DIMMU BORGIR - GRAND SERPENT RISING (Nuclear Blast)
Album ten for the Norwegian black metal titans reunites Dimmu Borgir with producer Fredrik Nordström, who was at the helm for some of the band's most definitive releases including Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and Death Cult Armageddon. Recapturing some of that lighting in a bottle, Grand Serpent Rising touts an opulent version of black metal. Symphonic elements, dark lore, dramatic crescendos and devastating riffs anchor another masterclass from Silenoz and Shagrath.
YOUR SPIRIT DIES - IT IS WELL... (MNRK Heavy)
Metallic hardcore hybrid Your Spirit Dies issued a dominant statement of intent with last year's full length, My Gnawing Pains Will Never Rest. Combining the collective's obvious metal pedigree with hardcore execution and delivery, the result elevated YSR among bands to watch and emphasized the thriving scene of Greenville, SC. The band's latest three-song addendum, the band builds on the brutality of the 2025 LP, this time elaborating on their influences by venturing to darker corners, adding more melody and beefing up the heft that put them on the map just a year ago.
XCOMM - TIME TO BURN (Blowed Out Records)
It's likely every entry discussing the debut from the Venice Beach hardcore punks will in some way mention the band's youth. The merit of Time to Burn isn't a promising debut because of how young it's framers are, but rather, because it's the kind of new life hardcore punk has long needed. Showing an obvious reverence for their Southern California punk foundation, XCOMM stand on the shoulders of giants in a way that suggests confidence that they could be next in the linage of greats. The band crafts, explosive, expressive circle pit punk in a way that backs the hype and lands effectively with both the old and new school.
MARMOZETS - CO.WAR.DICE (Marmozets/Nettwerk)
Masterfully straddling punk, math rock, indie-pop and stadium-sized rock, the first full length release from the West Yorkshire collective in eight years proves well worth the wait. Frontwoman Becca Bottomley's showing is nothing short of captivating, leading the charge on tracks like "A Kiss From A Mother," only to offer a kind of caress on songs like "Flowerz" in the same listen. The band's proficient weave of style and sonics asserts an undeniable songwriting expertise and the kind of range that operates with intention, purpose and power. Contrary to the title of the record, Co.War.Dice is fearless both in concept and execution.
ECCA VANDAL - LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW (Loma Vista Recordings)
Asserting a special kind of patience proved dividends for Ecca Vandal on her sophomore album. Arriving nearly a decade after her highly-praised debut, Vandal's ability to assert restraint in an effort to better refine her sound is part of why she continues on a skyrocketing trajectory. On Looking for People to Unfollow, her varied attack and unique brand of versatility ensure a wild unpredictable ride that ranges rom reggaeton to casette tape, bedroom punk in a way that makes sense, rather than just for spectacle. Flexing rock music range, punk non-conformity and pop presentation, Ecca Vandal backs the hype and then some.
