Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month! No sense wasting time here, the summer is in full swing and we've got another monolith of riffs to sort through to wrap up the midterm report for 2026. What have you enjoyed the most from the year so far? Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments.

-Nate

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Scordatura - Led Into Oblivion
Everlasting Spew

I wouldn't call this grindcore, but it's definitely one of those death metal bands that crusties and grindheads are allowed to like. Similar to Misery Index, it's fast, no-frills and hits you with a meaty slap in the face, but the underlying musicianship is strong and the production is crisp. "Led Into Oblivion" sits in a nice little spot where it balances a focus of brutality, catchiness and chaotic speed. The vocalist stands out as well - he's got a nice toolbox of different styles and all of them feel full and thick, while still having a bit of that tonal desperation. No surprise that Party Cannon recently added him to their ranks - dude rips.
-Nate

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Inscribed - Upon The Twisted Throne
Awakening Records

Inscribed is an Atheist style technical death/thrash band from Florida. What makes them quite special is not only that it's their first full length and they have an eclectic songwriting style, bringing a strong early progressive era Death influence but it's the fact these three musician ages range from 18 to 21 years old, which makes me feel that much more conscientious of my old soon to be 36 years of age… Evie Austin is a super star here, her playing is technical and inventive and at every turn, time and time again, you'll go: "wow, that was fun", and who doesn't like fun? This is three incredibly talented young musicians to keep an eye on what will hopefully be an extensive career!
-Raphael

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WMD - Against All Warnings
Independent

Frenzied, technical thrash metal that sits somewhere between Nuclear Assault and Vektor. With former members of Heathen and Aggression, and the entire band being full of individuals that have been associated with Hyperia in one form or another, there is a healthy amount of established pedigree, but still enough youthful spirit to keep the piss n' vinegar.
-Nate

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Moontowers - Lethal Messiah
Independent

This the doomy equivalent to Desaster, which tracks when you realize both bands share a guitarist. You can clearly hear the songwriting similarities, and this makes the album very interesting. Paired with the sonorous vocals, "Lethal Messiah" has an epic flair like bands such as Candlemass, Black Sabbath or even Manilla Road. If you like catchy doom melodies paired with some quirky atmosphere, the second Moontowers album is a good one for you!
-Michael

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Xenosis - Hermetic Transmutation
Transcending Obscurity

While the song structuring and presentation here is in line with Obscura, the cosmic aura that this exudes is very cold, sleek and amelodic a la The Faceless or Rings of Saturn. There's also some shades of Spawn of Possesion, albeit with the stupefying fretwork turned down a hair. Labyrinthine riffwork with shapeshifting pulses is the order of the day - the atmosphere is like your spacecraft has malfunctioned and you're desperately trying to change course while your oxygen is rapidly depleting. Though the drums are more than capable, This doesn't feel obscenely fast, preferring to operate at a busy, convulsing midpace - the musicianship is focused more on keeping you on your toes and never quite knowing what to expect with the next riff, at times verging on mathcore levels of unpredictability. If you are just looking for something to mosh to, look elsewhere, but if you prefer to contemplate your music via record player over a beverage with a furrowed brow, "Hermetic Transmutation" offers a cornucopia of minutiae to dig into.
-Nate

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Goreworm - Miasmic Solitude
Transcending Obscurity

Ontario's Goreworm brings a well-balanced blend of technicality, melodicism and brutality that makes for a fun technical death experience. Full of neoclassical soloing and blast beats (shout out to Kyle Sharpe, also the new drummer of famous Sentiment Dissolve) with a polished modern production, it is an either love it or hate it type of death metal. The occasional brutal breakdown cuts through the insane level of technicality and pleases the reptilian part of the brain. The fact they manage to weave in melody through this technical chaos is a testament to their songwriting skills. For fans of Obscura, Suffocation or The Black Dahlia Murder.
-Raphael

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Phantom - Not Midnight Yet
High Roller Records

Speedy Mexican youngsters Phantom are back with their third full-length studio album (already!). Kicking off with a sacral piano intro, "Not Midnight Yet" soon turns into a fast speed metal whirlwind. The trademarks the band used on the previous records are here: groovy yet hectic drums, melodic riffs and some brisk vocals banished with high pitched screams. The big change in comparison to "Tyrants Of Wrath" is that some slower songs creep in ("The Pale Remains Of Time") which points to a more defined NWOBHM influence. In some parts of other songs you can clearly hear strong nods to Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, but most of the time the band is blasting through the songs at Mach 5. Really solid speed metal.
-Michael

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Dissentient - Black Galactic
Independent

Progressive death metal feels like a narrow categorization with this. There's vaguely industrial, symphonic overtones, some dry, modern djenty chugging and a sprinkling of quasi-conceptual themes to supplement a modern death metal base. It's kind of like Zenith Passage minus the insane stutter-groove riffs - and while those are admittedly the best part of their music, that doesn't mean Black Galactic isn't worth your time - especially if you really vibe with modern melodic death metal a la Scar Symmetry and Disarmonia Mundi.
-Nate

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Shroud - Pax Nocturna
Independent

Shroud is a brand new Québécois blackened thrash band that came out swinging, out of nowhere, with their first album "Pax Nocturna", a mature offering that is sure to make a mark in the metal scene. This album sounds like the work of veteran musicians, with creative songwriting, an impeccable production and top musical performances by Matteo Conti on vocals and guitars, Jordan Barillaro on guitars, Zack Osiris on drums and Justin Cournoyer on bass. The vocals sound savage and evoke pure rage, the drums are fast and energetic, rarely slowing down, the bass is perfectly there in the background, always supporting the riffs and the guitars are going from evil tremolos to thrashing riffs made to headbang and solos that are both technically proficient and melodic. This is the perfect album to cool you off, or at least make you forget about the summer heat! Also, shout out to Justin Cournoyer for that magnificent cover.
-Raphael

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Soulburn - Quantifying Cosmic Doom
Testimony Records

This is the current project of Eric Daniels, the guitarist for Asphyx's first two albums, which is a solid indicator of pedigree on its own. There's an immediate catchiness to the riffwork and a brevity to the songwriting that is a hallmark of seasoned veterans - this is a prime example of when staying in your musical comfort zone and playing to your strengths results in something even more memorable and unique. If Asphyx decided to lean into more melodic tendencies, this is a good example of the end result. Though this is extreme metal, obviously, this almost feels…gentle? Uplifting? I'm not sure the proper terminology, but the guitars have a hazy airiness and there's an ethereal aura to the note choices. The drums are similarly straightforward and efficient. They don't do anything they don't have to, but the simplicity helps to drive things forward effectively. I wasn't extensively familiar with this band beyond recognizing their name and connection to Asphyx, but this is enticing me to do more of a deep dive into their back catalogue.
-Nate

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METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH

 

10: Fires In The Distance - Circadian Promise
Prosthetic Records

As a documented Insomnium fanboy in the early 2010s, I can confirm it is rare to find bands that can get the same lightning in a bottle of striking, elegant and well-rounded melodic death metal. Usually when clean vocals are inserted into otherwise extreme metal based music it causes my loins to shrivel in disgust, but the gentler melodies on this snap me back to attention and are one of my favorite parts of the record. The mixture of variety and restraint is really effective, with a diverse compositional palette that negates any shallowness. This band is criminally underrated, and it's in a genre where it's hard to stand out and not be corny in the process.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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9: Iron Kobra - Eternal Dagger
Dying Victims Productions

German speedy heavy metal, with melodies that can only be described as feel good and epic. With songs like "Shibuya Nights" that makes you feel like diving into Tokyo's neon-lit, energetic core or "Eternal Dagger" depicting an attack by powerful alien forces but with an infectious chorus. You'll be humming "woooaaah, eternal dagger" guaranteed! With a superb organic sounding DVP production, it's a great summer record, for fans of true heavy metal.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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8: Forsman - Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur
Vesperian

Icelandic black metal has been quiet recently. I seem to recall around the 2010s there was an explosion of it to the point where it was being heralded as a third/fourth wave of sorts. It had a sonic identity forged by an incestuous collective in bands with a ton of member overlap. Svartidaudi, Misthyrming, Sinmara and Wormlust are a few that immediately come to mind.

Forsman appears to be the new torchbearer, they have that Icelandic sound - chaotic and jarring, but with an undercurrent of cathartic melody - and the growth from their previous full-length to this one is immediately noticeable. A combination of a harder-hitting production style, an expanded songwriting palette and more dextrous riffwork has this sticking around in my head long after it finishes playing. The connection with a sub-label of Metal Blade suggests a breakout is on the horizon, resurrecting a niche in black metal that still has many untapped pockets of potential.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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7: Thaetas - The Irredeemable Age
Profound Lore

This is a pioneering album in a new genre I'm going to call "eldritch slam" - you heard it here first. It's like Artificial Brain covering Suffocation (even more fitting when you consider all three are New York based). Though there are massive tempo drops and off-kilter chugging meant to activate your caveman brain, the production is raw and scratchy, the musicianship is structured amidst its maddening chaos. Guitarist Terrell Grannum is also a fixture in Reeking Aura and Buckshot Facelift, and his project have a sense of artistry mixed with in-your-face brutality that is only to be appreciated by the most erudite and cultured meatheads.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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6: Nuclear Tomb - Epoch Inhumane
Rotted Life Records

Nuclear Tomb answers the question: what if Voivod played death/thrash metal? This is a good year for weird and techy death/thrash, after the monumental "Overspace & Supertime" by UK boys of Cryptic Shift, these Baltimore guys and gal offers a more concise experience, with a lean 37-minute runtime, it's a shorter but continuously relentless attack and when it ends, you immediately feel the need to hit replay! As a testament to their songwriting skills, there is so much happening, all the time, one minute it's a odd time breakdown, a classic start n stop section followed by a fast-thrashing riff and fast drums that makes you want to mosh, a weird and dissonant atmospheric pause and plenty of crazy fast solos. Even the instrumental "Butcher's Lament" tells a compelling story with just instruments. They do also have a great pen: "Cowards Cowards, curse them all Shield your eyes from the truth The horror, the violence, the stolen youth The coward's curse will haunt your grave A worthless life, wasted away You've always looked the other way Silence: the choice that you've made" They are not afraid to get political, exposing how alienation and indifference can have deadly consequences, but never in your face and annoying (like I can get sometimes). They end with "Epoch Inhumane", a true Voivod style song with sci-fi vibes. It's fast, technical and psychedelic with great lyricism, describing where we are as a society: "Desolate The old world's order isn't meant to stay, In the end Our only choice is our own mercy End this inhumanity. The whole album's themes made me think of this terribly relevant quote: "The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters» With a great cover, that perfectly describes the weird apocalyptic sci fi vibes of the music, I cannot recommend this enough!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.7/10

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5: Goetia - Mortuary Cult
Carbonized Records

After three Eps in 2023-24-25, Goetia was ready to release their first full length, an impressive, genre defying album that feels incredibly fresh while at the same time paying homage to old school death metal giants. They sound completely unique, building on a solid foundation of death metal, they incorporate elements of black and grindcore, all mixed in a homogenous blend of savage aggression. Anaal Nathrakh could be a comparison but replace the industrial elements with a solid OSDM base. With plenty of punky beats, furious blast beats and an overall technical performance that somehow feels relax, Nadia Tydings-Lynch is a definitive highlight on the album. The mix of old school death riffs contrasted by the blackened shrieks of singer and bassist Matt Scott is an addictive combination! Goetia is a band to follow closely in the coming years, I can't wait to see where they go from here!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.8/10

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4: Grabunhold - Frostheim
Iron Bonehead Productions

Grabunhold are back with their second full-length "Frostheim". Once more the Germans from my home town are telling Lord Of The Rings-inspired tales paired with some harsh, frosty black metal. Though the intro signals some warmth, all will be blown away from an icy blizzard. Although the band always retains a sense of melody, there is always a certain restlessness in the compositions and you alre never fully able to relax. No keyboards, no balderdash - just sheer black metal. If Summoning is more about opulent meals with the Hobbits, Grabunhold is about the battle between Orcs and men: ugly, hateful, merciless and deadly.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

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3: Astriferous - Atavistic Unraveling
Me Saco Un Ojo Records / Pulverised Records

Spiraling infernal riffs, reverb filled cavernous growls and a superb drumming performance are some of the things awaiting you on here. Just by the cover artwork by Mexican illustrator Necrodevoure, you know what to expect; top quality death metal that takes influence from a wide array of death metal currents. These Costa Rica boys offer us the best of death metal, sometimes a bit dissonant, other times technical, it can be slow and creeping, à la Autopsy but can also crank it up for a faster and thrashier section. The suffocating atmosphere is part of what makes this album stand out and the production alone deserves so much praise, recorded at 3/4 Estudios by Andrés Corrales with mixing duties by Andrew Oswald at Paradise Recorders. Mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio, this is how death metal is supposed to sound, like you are in a dark cave with crawling creatures everywhere. This is honestly some of the best death metal of the year, do not skip for any reason!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

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2: Loneshore - Nothing Left To Deconstruct
Willowtip Records

Evoking emotions of deep sadness and beautiful sorrow, you'll immediately be transported in a dark Finnish forest, on a cold and rainy day. I was surprised to learn these four boys come from hot and tropical Brazil! They are perfecting the melancholic and doomy melodic death, à la Insomnium but with a progressive twist, Opeth being a clear influence. Add a lush and warm post-metal atmosphere and you check a lot of elements I love. Vocalist Luiz Felipe Netto, who's also in the excellent progressive death band Piah Mater, offers a masterful performance with deep and aggressive growled vocals but frequently sings with beautiful cleans that are emotional and feel vulnerable but powerful at the same time. Together with the emotional progressive melodies, you will be touched deep in the heart. With its 52 minutes runtime that flies by in an instant, it's music that connects deeply to a wide array of emotions and that's also complex and highly cerebral, for fans of Opeth, Insomnium and Alcest.
-Raphael

If Katatonia kept their "Brave Murder Day"-era heaviness intact, but still ventured into the proggy flirtations that define their later work, Loneshore is a good estimation of what would have came out of that. The wandering, nuanced drumwork pairs well with the ebb and flow of the gentle guitars - it's expansive post-metal that feels warm and airy…the best way I can put is is that it's like Agalloch in the desert, especially when you add the snarling, mid-range rasp. I get some Dvne vibes as well.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

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1: Warning - Rituals Of Shame
Relapse Records

Given I've been obsessively listening to metal for about 20 years now and typically consume about 10-20 new releases per month in preparation for this column, I like to think I'm pretty well versed in the style and very little that I hear is unexpected. When I went to go check out the new album by this cult English doom band, I was not in any way predicting that I was going to be awestruck, swimming in the cascading layers of guitars and vocals, just completely immersed in this album and in a world where nothing else mattered. Especially because I'm not huge on "Watching From A Distance", despite a lot of people adoring that album with fervent intensity.

I think what makes this band so polarizing is that they don't use heaviness, in a traditional sense, to sell their music. Doom purists aren't very fond of their comparatively gentle and delicate approach. If I can put it one way, a band like Reverend Bizarre feels like you're shooting straight whiskey in a dilapidated cabin, Electric Wizard is taking a massive bong rip in some sketchy guy's basement, and Warning is drinking a fine wine next to a fire in somber solitude. Add in Patrick Walker's uniquely warbling, nasally tone and you get a band that gets their point across in a very unusual way - one that might feel alienating to genre diehards because of its relative accessibility. I've heard this band referred to as "doom for people who don't like doom" and on some level, that's a fair assessment. Before this album, I agreed with it.

"Rituals Of Shame" clicks in a way none of their previous material did. The production helps - those clean, resonant chords (can't really call them riffs) pierce your skull, and the funeral doom pace stretches them out just long enough that you forget where a section begins and ends, and you end up riding the waves of guitar to the point where every note change feels surprising and cathartic. If you hated Walker's voice before, he's not going to win you over, but I will say he feels more…passionate? He's adding an extra bit of oomph to his delivery, and his voice has aged well in the process - 20 years has somehow given him a more distinguished aura. Maybe I just "get it" when I didn't before? All I know for sure is that at the halfway point of the year, this is hands down my AOTY front-runner.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 9.1/10

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As always, thanks for stopping by. Here's our previous AOTM lists from 2026:

May 2026
April 2026
March 2026
February 2026
January 2026

And, of course, Follow MetalBite on Facebook, Spotify and Instagram so you can be there right when the next Top 10 list drops!

Entered: 7/31/2026 8:04:53 AM

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