Sallow Moth - Hydrophilous Brood (2026) Review

I discovered Sallow Moth through last year's Mossbane Lantern, a truly captivating exercise in tech and prog death metal whose complex songwriting set it apart from the genre's overcrowded landscape. It also somehow marked a rebirth for the project, which had limited its activity between 2022 and 2024, but since then Garry Brents has been quite active. Hydrophilous Brood arrives less than a year after its predecessor, a short turnaround considering the ambition of both records. Sallow Moth consists of Brents, also the driving force behind Gonemage, Demon Sluice, and formerly Cara Neir, joined by Hypaethral / Sanguinary Consummation drummer, Alen Gingerich. Two minds are better than one.

Nargaroth - Apocalyptic Steel (2026) Review

Believe it or not, one of the defining moments in my relationship with black metal came the first time I heard Nargaroth's Jahreszeiten, and specifically the repetitive riffing on the last track, "Winter". This was my introduction to this band, before I knew of their earlier, more notorious records, as well as before many of the genre's foundational names. This kind of monotonous melodic austerity captured what I found to be essential in black metal, and shaped how I continue to appreciate it today.