๐ถ๐ฎ June 2026 Roundup
Hoo-boy, lock in everyone. This is going to be a doozy!
My output is continuing to increase. I listened to over 60 albums this month, and I'm starting to wonder whether listening to this much new music every single free moment I get is detrimental to my ability to actually enjoy music like I used to. Once I've chosen my favorites for the month, the next month is already starting, and I don't get the time to enjoy those I chose because then I already have to listen to new stuff. Rinse and repeat...
I might start skipping certain albums from my log entirely if I realize I don't enjoy it within the first three tracks or something. The amount of new published music only seems to be increasing year by year, and I'm thinking it's probably not sustainable to keep going like this. There's no point in constantly discovering something new if you don't get the time to enjoy it.
Still, I love writing these. I know how important the random posts and recommendations can be to help someone discover something cool, and it's one of the few things I know I can contribute to on the internet, so I'll soldier on.
If you wanna check out my entire listening log for June, you can find it on Albumwhale. All of my listening logs for each month of the year will be available there going forward.
Let's get into it! ๐
THE GAMES
The Midnight Walk
Adventure, 2025 (Steam)
I've had this game on my wishlist ever since I learned about it back in 2024. I thought its Tim Burton-esque aesthetic combined with the stop-motion style animation of the assets looked really cool. My expectations weren't too high going in, as I know games like this can be very hit-and-miss, but I ended up having a very enjoyable, artistic, pensive, and visually awe-inspiring experience.
This game won the award for "VR Game of the Year" in the Steam Awards last year, and even though I did not play it in VR, I can certainly see why that would be the case. The way they've 3D-modelled these characters, landscapes and surroundings almost looked like I could reach out and touch them even on my 1440p monitor. Apparently they used actual clay sculpting for a lot of the game. How that translates into 3D-models in-game I will not pretend to know, but they certainly look as though they're made of physical stuff in a way that most videogames don't.
The music was great, the atmosphere was immersive โ at times even scary โ and the story was a melancholy reflection on grief and sacrifice. It's on sale right now at 50% off, and I'd say that's a very good price for a one-of-a-kind experience like this. The only gripe I had with it is that there's no extrawide or ultrawide resolution support, but that's a minor nitpick. Go check it out.
THE MUSIC
Temple Guard - Citadel In Flames
Metallic Hardcore / Death Metal
A record with a clear and righteous political stance which also goes hard as fuck? Yes, please!
In my humble opinion, one of the best sources for the anger needed to make great metal is social and political injustice โ mostly because that anger is usually shared among the victims of said injustice, and felt by proxy in those that witness it. It's palpable in a way that personal grievances aren't, and a lot of great music is borne from it. This record is an example of that.
Iron Reagan - Demonetization
Hardcore Punk, 2026
It's been 8 years since the last Iron Reagan EP! I'm sort of amazed that they're still around, but I'm definitely not complaining; This record has exactly the kind of attitude and energy that this genre needs to sound good. The musicianship is tight, the riffs are juicy, and the record is just pure fun. My only complaint is that it's barely ten minutes long.
Entropist - The Vision
Progressive Death Metal, 2026
A very cool and fiery prog-death record which provides a very good balance between compositional variety and raw power. The cleans don't veer into melodramatic or pop-metal territory, and some of the instrumental sections even offer some jazzy and funky passages that brighten up the otherwise fairly serious tone. It's a bit long, but the amount of variety helps alleviate the runtime.
Avarice - Perpetual Ruin
Metallic Hardcore, 2026
This Danish band has put out one of most interesting metallic hardcore albums of the year in this guy's humble opinion. The songs are dynamic and interesting, the riffs are fun and memorable, and there's plenty of power, heaviness, groove and brutality throughout.
It differs from the usual genre listening experience as well, where you often get a bit fatigued after a couple of tracks. This gives you time to absorb and enjoy all the different moments presented. Very good stuff!
Goetia - Mortuary Cult
Death Metal, 2026
An absolutely brutal and relentless crusty debut album from this Washington three-piece. The vocals are gnarly and coarse, and the whole album just has this evil aura to it. This put a wicked grin on my face on more than one occasion while listening. Goes really fucking hard, and most fans of heavy music should give this a spin.
Entgeist - Welk
Progressive / Melodic Death / Metalcore, 2026
This German band presents a genre blend on this album which is easy to get behind. Combining the better parts of both metalcore and melodeath to make something that actually sounds novel and interesting. The guitarwork in particular claims center stage, with a good amount of flair and a unique approach to riffs. It even breaks into black metal territory at times, in a good way.
Boarzoy - The Great Fires
Groove / Sludge Metal, 2026
This sophomore album from Boston outfit Boarzoy brings us deliciously heavy grooves, great guitar tones, as well as playful rhythms that shake things up without sounding like a jumbled mess. Huge force and great energy drives the record all the way through. A very pleasant surprise this month, and IMO; The only groove/stoner/sludge release worth mentioning.
Bloody Falls - IV
Melodic Death Metal, 2026
I can't stop listening to this! There's a rawness and power to this record that clearly sets it apart from the other similar genre releases this month. The album is probably a bit too long at almost 1 hour, yet I'm still enjoying every minute of it. It consistently breaks into headbanging grooves, and the gravelly vocals tickle my cockles just right. Don't miss this one if you like your melodeath as fierce as possible.
Abandon Agony - Endbringer
Swedish Melodeath, 2026
The swedes are at it again! I love it when metal bands can pull off beautiful melodies without resorting to clean vocals. There's plenty of speed and power here as well, and very easy to enjoy if you already like similar bands like early Soilwork and Dark Tranquility. Check it out!
(Fun fact: The Quake clan that some friends and I ran back in the day was called Endbringers. God, I miss the 90s...)
Khemmis - Khemmis
Heavy / Doom Metal, 2026
An immediately appealing record with what I would describe as almost perfect production for its genre. Khemmis is clearly a band that know how to write good songs. This album sounds exploratory in a way, like you're on a journey the entire time. Guitar licks and harmonies take center stage, and harsh vocals are used only sparingly, but to good effect. Just really solid and good music here. It still falls slightly outside the scope of my personal taste, but I imagine this will be quite a grower throughout the rest of the year.
Dissentient - Black Galactic
Progressive Death Metal, 2026
Honestly, I don't think this genre tag is very apt, but I don't think I can describe it any differently either. We have a clearly Meshuggah-inspired release here, featuring some really cool 80s retro-sounding synths for its more progressive passages. The album is long, but the songs are dynamic and interesting, ranging from really beautiful pensive moments to stellar and tight, djenty death metal. Love it.
Erdve - Epigrama
Thall, 2026
I'll be honest, this genre has rarely clicked with me, but this record immediately drew me in. It's brooding, intricate, somber, menacing, andย the sheer backbreaking heaviness of this album cannot be understated. It's a bit long at almost 50 minutes, but for some reason I never got bored. This is one of those rare albums that does something genuinely interesting, and you should check it out.
Melting - A Pathetic Excuse For A Life
Metallic Hardcore, 2026
Here we have some of that raw, unbridled hardcore rage that I love so very, very much. I swear you can smell the sweat through the recording when you hear how hard this album goes. It is just an EP with 14 minutes of runtime, but you probably still need a breather once it's over. If you enjoy bands like Knocked Loose, this should be for you!
Beyond Salvation - The Final Nail
Melodeath / Thrash Metal, 2026
A real banger full-length debut from this Manchester four-piece, packed to the brim with energy, as well as dynamic and well-written songs. The blend of old-school thrash-like vocals mixed with traditional melodeath made me enjoy this record from the second I pressed play. Gotta love it when a band starts this strong right out of the gate!
Honorable Mentions
- Ablation - Lethal Abuse :: Some very technically impressive and fast death metal here, with amazing percussion in particular. Doesn't take itself too seriously and is quite good fun.
- Converge - Hum of Hurt :: Feels a little "unremarkable" compared to their other album released earlier this year. Still enjoyable though, this band really can't do much wrong.
- Cyclopic - Flesh of Chaos :: An international Eurasian band's debut album featuring some death metal that sounds both menacingย andย groovy as shit. More dynamics like this in death metal, please. ๐
- Dark Millennium - Come :: Progressive Death Metal from Germany. This is definitely a band with a sound all their own. It's gnarly, beautiful, raw, and heavy all at the same time.
- Fires in the Distance - Circadian Promise :: I rarely enjoy Doom Metal, but there's something about the way this band writes their melodies on this release that just speaks to my musical sensibilities. The clean vocals aren't annoying either, which helps a lot.
- Morgal - The Seventh Circle :: Some absolutely ferocious black metal with delightfully oldschool production. The riffs and guitar work are well written as well, resulting in plenty of memorable and enjoyable moments.
- Plaguestorm - Path to Emptiness :: This Argentinian band attempts to fuse modern melodeath with traditional heavy metal stylings, and it certainly makes for a unique and interesting sound. They also mix in some heavy metal guitar solos and melodies, which only further enhances their special sauce.
Epilogue
My summer vacation started last friday, and I still have more than two weeks left of free time to enjoy it. I'll be spending it catching up on movies, tv-shows, books, mags, music, and everything in-between, while also spending time with my family.
I hope you all have a great summer, and I'll see you in the roundup for July. Peace! โ๏ธ