(Today we present another monthly collection of reviews by Daniel Barkasi, who focuses his attention this time on albums released during May 2026.)
I began writing this reflecting on what was another incredible edition of Maryland Deathfest and preparing for my flight over the pond to attend and cover the mighty Fortress Festival. Well, with the time needed to complete my extensive overview, we’re finally getting back to this column. Apologies for the delay, but between that and getting my general existence sorted post-Fortress mayhem, this unfortunately got pushed to the back burner. But hey, better late than never, and we’ve got some records you won’t want to sleep on.
I also have to give a shout out to the wife, as Monday, May 25th, was our tenth wedding anniversary. Thanks for being the best and dealing with my oddball self. Time flies far too quickly, and each moment is a cherished one.
To add to personal instances, we mentioned our pregnant horse Naru was due any day. Well, during the Maryland Deathfest weekend, she gave birth to her first foal, a wonderful grulla filly who we just named Ezri. Mom and the little one are healthy as can be, doing great, and thriving at home. Life can be pretty awe-inspiring sometimes, and this is one of those moments. Excited to see this little one grow up.
When it comes to May releases, we’ve somewhat gotten a bit of a reprieve from the insane volume of quality records that came out during the few months prior, but there’s still plenty to take in. Galvanist dropped an incredible record that we can’t get enough of, Eveale dropped an intriguing slice of nature-centric black metal, Helslave’s EP is a fine dose of heaviness, and Downfall of Nur gave us a long album title that matches their ambition. Closing the month, Hecate Enthroned and Godthrymm delivered fine records of contrasting styles, but a common high level of excellence. Some acts who played Fortress got into the fray, too – Black Cilice gave a glimpse of the raw side of black metal, and A Forest of Stars released a wild ride that’s a memorable and fitting way to come back onto the scene.
As for what made the cut, well, keep on scrolling for that.
Avexia – Hollowthirst
Release Date: May 4, 2026
First up is Avexia, the progressive black metal solo project of Aleksandar Vrhovec. If that name rings a bell, you may be thinking of the merciless, off-kilter Morkera, who have propagated some well-earned underground acclaim. Avexia is the other side of Vrhovec’s coin, so to speak, offering plenty of combustible, tasty black metal, but a bit more direct than the violent and often unpredictable Morkera.
Avexia’s inaugural release was Fyrst Wælm in 2024; an intriguing release with forward-thinking inventiveness, showing plenty of potential to build upon for future releases. On the follow-up Hollowthirst, he’s gone for a torrid, enraged approach that’s more forthright, aiming to overwhelm the listener with sinister intent.
The pacey, hysterical creative dexterity shreds the listener immediately via “Coils of Blasphemy” by way of verbose, uncontrollable drum patterns and shredding guitar work that leaves a smoking mark on the proverbial pavement. If you’re hoping for the occasionally wayward twist, you’ll find the right amount of that style that’s become synonymous with Vrhovec’s work – especially in the varied vocal deliveries, from icy screams to monstrous roars.
Delectable leads and ominous, deep, chant-like vocal arrangements haunt with devilish accuracy on the crafty “Forked Tail Ascension.” More melodious are tracks such as “Circles Carved in Sin,” though there isn’t a drop-off in animosity and wild intensity, even when the song decelerates in the middle of the track for a well-timed pace change. For a quick hit of devout intensity, “Between Shadow and Blood” and “Filth-Bound Eternity” dispatch monoliths of impendence, as does the swirling final entry “Idols of Gold.” In short, prepare for a proper evisceration.
Avexia is the most candid, vociferous release of his works thus far, and for those who desire a wall-to-wall, compact helping of unbridled black metal fury, Hollowthirst may satiate that hunger. An album that got its hooks into me quickly, and it will be difficult to remove those piercing barbs anytime soon (not that we’d want to).
Lago – Vigil
Release Date: May 8, 2026
A healthy injection of death metal is most definitely on the menu, served up by Arizona’s Lago. The foursome have been at it for quite a while, but the distance between releases has been significant, with Sea of Duress being eight years old. They’ve returned on the ever-reliable Everlasting Spew, intending to make good for the patient on the beefy, crushing Vigil.
Like a thick, mouth-watering steak dinner, the riffs on offer are of the meaty variety. There’s always been an undeniable Incantation meets Autopsy in a dingy alley kind of sound to Lago, and on Vigil, they’ve stepped up their beastly onslaught. When tracks such as “Behold, Ruin” ramp up the antagonism, there’s plenty to get annihilated by, but they give enough space to allow the song to breathe, inserting passages of dissonance and some intriguing solos. Gus Barr’s lead axe-wielding is clearly a core component.
Songs like “Procession into Slaughter” and “In a House of Ill Repute” present a significant measurement of unease and tension, dragging the mood into the shadowy realms that a band such as Sulphur Aeon often reside in, though definitely more on-the-nose than the Germans. For a more old school death metal pummeling, “Initiation Rite” and “The Land Was a Desert” will smash and mangle with prejudice.
If you dig a classic production with no frills, Vigil will also please, with a bulky, stomping profile – especially in Brian Miller’s drums, which sound massive – helping to transport back to the early burgeoning days of death metal. The vocal work of both lead vocalist/guitarist Cole Jacobson and bassist/vocalist Garrett Thomas reeks of a classic sensibility, with the growls deep and filthy, and the callous screams mercilessly providing an apt contrast.
Lago play a tried-and-true sort of death metal, but do insert plenty of creativity in their songwriting so as not to make Vigil a carbon copy of one of death metal’s forefathers. Getting down to brass tacks, Lago are grilling up a bloody, well-seasoned cut of punishing death metal that’s their most proficient and fulfilling record to date.
Desiccation – Legatum Mortuorum
Release Date: May 15, 2026
Plunging into the depths of darkness and chilling atmosphere is Desiccation and their blackened doom manifestations, by way of the Californian’s second full-length Legatum Mortuorum. Their eclectic mixture of violent, remorseless tones and ethereal, haunting passages provides a well-balanced and memorable recording that connects on a variety of frequencies.
Their debut came four years ago in the form of Cold Dead Earth; a solid introduction that showcased plenty of promise while itself being a first effort that gave a preview of their capabilities. Legatum Mortuorum exemplifies the band’s writing chops being acutely honed, providing increased depth and more intriguing turns than in the past.
“All Light Is Gone” sets proceedings up nicely, leaning into razor-sharp blackened guitar work that moves from mid-paced gallops to slowed, doomy segments that cultivate a hypnotic kind of air. Well-integrated chanting vocals and layered female croons and harsh snarls further add to the cloudiness, giving the track and the album a distinctive flavor.
Don’t fret, as there’s plenty of visceral nastiness to be heard, as Desiccation know when to dig down into the soil with crunching riffs when called for. “Cursed in Cold Silence” for example is a drab, soul-sucking void; disquieting and intoxicating all at once. Cuts such as “Ashes unto the Abyss” and the title track amount to being psychologically disturbing creations, with rhythm guitars cutting deeply without reprieve and the overarching aura being that of a nightmare that’s difficult to awake from.
Closer “Lamentations Beyond the Veil” brings all of Desiccation’s many elements together and nails an ambitious, maniacal finale that’ll leave one reeling – especially the tense, precocious eeriness that completes the record. There’s a ton going on at all times on Legatum Mortuorum, but the focus is always to permeate the grim corners of your psyche. Talk about leaving an impression, and a fair bit of terror.
Piołun – Exolvuntur
Release Date: May 22, 2026
If Blaze of Perdition is a name unfamiliar to you, get out. Only kidding – sort of – but in all seriousness, they’re a fundamental band in my modest viewpoint, especially if you dig the stylings of the Polish black metal scene. A shame that they are no more; however, one of that band’s primary members, guitarist Łukasz Barański, is a driving force of Piołun. Forming in 2019, they dropped a hellacious yet sophisticated debut in Rzeki goryczy, and are now following that up with album number two in Exolvuntur.
Roughly translating from Latin as “to release,” the album is the sort of production you’d expect from the Polish scene – technical, gripping, and at times explosive, but with well-organized structures. Piołun’s music is dense and fierce, though not without moments of melody and haze, ensuring the music isn’t purely a simple blast of menace. Comparatively, Exolvuntur contains much nuance between the raging assaults, embracing the cultivation of a meditative aura – opener “Manifest kresu” embraces this concept fully, delivering as many engaging, melodic passages as it does a maniacal wall of guitars and drums.
The key is balance, and when adding in adept compositional skills, you’ll get a record with staying power. Songs such as “Sierpniowy brzask” inject sizable tension within the frosty lead guitars that should captivate even the pickiest follower of all things black metal. “Koło życia” takes a ritualistic path to start by way of the infectious drum beats, before taking off in a cunning, morose direction that continues the dreary mood while changing course ever so slightly.
“Moribunda” may be the standout, starting with a brilliant riff that slices and dices with the greatest of ease, evolving into a tense affair that never loosens its grip. That feeling is continued with the slick-yet-potent “Próba sznura” and the dramatic, forlorn conclusion that is “Hiems.” A connective flow is present throughout the entirety of Exolvuntur, expressing a depth of melancholy and reflectiveness that seeps from every pore, with each track a part of a greater whole that makes for a powerful, disconsolate experience that’s ever impactful.
There’s an increased sense of refinement in Exolvuntur that plays to its advantage, and an intrinsic equilibrium of the various viewpoints taken; not raw or domineering, but also not overtly sullen and restrained. A harmonious marriage between the furiously cutting resonance that we expect from the best black metal, and the studious intricacy of the more expansive purveyors of the style, Piołun is penning quite a narrative that we’ll be fixated on for the long-haul.
Graveir – The Festering Triad
Release Date: May 29, 2026
There are plenty of bands out there who haven’t received the acclaim that at least these ears believe they’re due. One of those is Aussie black metal outfit Graveir, who have been at it for over a decade, dropping two records that are regulars in this fellow’s admittedly exhaustive rotation. 2016’s Iconostasis was a fine introduction with plenty of meat on the bones, while King of the Silent World was a step up in zeal and focused execution. With their brand new release The Festering Triad, they’ve assembled a buffet of grim malevolence that’s darker and more desolate than their previous works.
Graveir’s prowess has assuredly been further tightened, and the evidence is immediate. “Lords of Misrule” overwhelms with nefarious intent, emphatically setting the scene, invoking an atmosphere dominated by grotesqueries and fervent antipathy. Twisting the blade ever deeper is the noxious “A Futile Exhortation” – a piece highlighted by gritty guitar work containing a just plain mean tonality. When you add Gloom’s contentious, coarse roar, you’ve got quite a soundtrack for the end of days.
Delving further into depravity is the punchy “Revanchism” and the devastatingly sordid “A Thief in the Heart of Man,” both pushed by the deliciously ravenous lead work and the overall tense feel that nullifies all hope. Music this diabolical has a direct line to my fiendish soul, and is Graveir ever dialed in. Guitarists VVoid and Snjór have stepped up on this record, with the right combination of alluring hooks and combustible riffs to engross the listener in abject impurity.
For a number that’s as nasty as its title, look no further than the incursion that is “A Line of Blood Drawn in Sand.” Leaving on a Costanza-approved high note is “The Rite of Degradation,” beginning with a deceivingly melodic intro that lures the listener into a deliberate and calculated extermination of pure black metal intuition. Boosting the album is a directness in the production that emphasizes the songwriting and allows the details to shine through, making the music all the more effective in its mission.
Simply put, if seeking black metal that’s genuinely heinous at every elemental level, Graveir has long been a band for you, and with The Festering Triad, they’ve engineered their most complete release, unapologetically vindictive with nothing held back. Maybe, just maybe, an album that grants the band the audience they most assuredly have earned.
Serpent Lord – The Once Forgotten Ways of Old
Release Date: May 29, 2026
We finish with a sort-of “new” project from a familiar face. What the hell do we mean by “sort of” you ask? The subject is Serpent Lord, the solo effort of Uada’s Jake Superchi that dropped a few demos from 2003-2004, and then evaporated into the ether. That is, until now, with Superchi surprising us by bringing Serpent Lord out of its slumber for a debut full-length over twenty years later in the form of The Once Forgotten Ways of Old.
What can one expect from Serpent Lord is the question, and the answer is a grandiose, atmospheric approach to pagan-themed black metal. Differing from Uada for certain, this takes a more extravagant approach, but key to the mixture is the correct amount of heft and stinging savagery. “Aries Ram” launches confidently, with thunderous drums and a searing melodic black metal affront that’ll take one back to the ’90s emergence of this highly celebrated stylization.
Hypnotic and reverent, tracks such as title song “The Once Forgotten Ways of Old” emit a ceremonial presence, pushed by twisting melodies and tribalistic drum patterns. Further enhancement comes via differing vocal approaches, from shrill screams to chants of varying vocal types. There’s plenty packed into each entry, giving the listener a wealth of exploration during repeat listens, helping the record stand out from its contemporaries.
The clinical “Enter Serpentagram” slithers into one’s brain with deft determination, brimming with infectious energy – an attribute that’s consistently pouring from The Once Forgotten Ways of Old. “Forever on the Grounds of Battle” turns up the folk inspiration with select medieval passages to add a smidgeon of bounce to the album’s step. Those are surrounded by morose, thoughtful moments infused with acoustic guitars and impassioned bellows that add a sense of impending dread. Unquestionably the most enterprising song here, it sticks the landing with poise, completing the journey on an eventful and gratifying note.
An epic yarn filled with vigor and melodic black metal goodness, it’s difficult to go wrong with Serpent Lord’s often majestic, fully realized soundscapes. Undoubtedly passionate and attentive to detail, whilst being assembled with a sturdiness that’s difficult to resist. The Once Forgotten Ways of Old scratches a very specific itch, and if this style is in your wheelhouse, hesitate no longer give this a spin or two. If so inclined, a new favorite may be in your midst.
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