🎶🎮 May 2026 Roundup
There's a palpable difference in my overall mood and well-being once the days become longer and we finally get to see some sun again around here. I've no doubt that I'm able to handle way more stuff because of it.
I can also say I'm finally settling into my new way of working with these roundups. The amount of music I'm able to absorb has substantially increased, in part due to a new online tool I found that's been very useful in tracking exactly what I've listened to. It's called Albumwhale, and in addition to being a simple online music list creation tool, it's also a streaming service aggregator, so you can see exactly where each album is available to stream or buy. It's great!
So from now on – instead of providing individual links in the description of every single album – the album titles themselves will be linked to their respective Albumwhale pages. That way, you're free to check the music out on any platform you choose (although I think Bandcamp and Qobuz are still the best 😉).
We all know Mina The Hollower was the biggest game to come out this month, and yes; I am playing it, though I have to admit I'm having a hard time. It's quite challenging! And besides, it's too early to feature it in an honest capacity regardless. I'm not a reviewer, I had to buy the game on launch day like everybody else. 😅
But I digress. Let's get it rolling, we have a lot to cover this month!
THE GAMES
Far Far West
PVE Extraction Shooter, 2026 (Steam)
This whimsical robots-in-the-wild-west early access game has put a big smile on my face this month. It's got style, it's got charisma, and a great gameplay loop with responsive and satisfying mechanics. And of course, NUKES! ☢️
Up to four players can drop in as a squad, and you traverse a couple of different maps in search for resources that you can bring back with you to "The Saloon" to upgrade your character and your weapons. It's all about mastering the gunplay and movement mechanics in order to tackle the higher difficulties, and it gets quite hectic. The boss fights are also pretty creative and fun.
Highly recommended if you're looking for some casual coop fun with friends that goes beyond the "party-gaming" slop that we see so much of these days.
THE MUSIC
The Lemon Twigs - Look For Your Mind
Retro Pop Rock, 2026
Let's start with the easy listening first, shall we?
This isn't the first time I've recommended an album by the Twigs, and I'm pleased to report that this is more of the same as I recommended last time. It's as if you're right back in the 60s and 70s with this one. To my ears, all of the songs on this album could easily slip into a Beatles or Beach Boys record of the same era. Just absolutely classic songwriting that's hard not to like.
Riverflame - Lunar Crusades
Melodic Black Metal, 2026
This is one hell of a debut album from this French/Greek/Italian trio. It keeps the bite and drive of black metal without sacrificing well written melodies, and is full of old school folky ambience which I would think makes it quite palatable even for people who aren't that into the genre. The songs are admittedly quite long, but the band manages to keep them dynamic and interesting.
I'll be honest and say that this didn't quite blow me away, but I have a feeling it'll grow on me over the course of the year.
Aneeiun - An.Ki.Kur
Sumerian Black Metal, 2026
Officially my favorite Black Metal release this month. Impressive musicianship, plenty of tremolo picking, and an intense rough production which gives credibility to its sound.
There are plenty of double kicks and blast beats to drive the album forward, and it just has this amazing and mystical middle-eastern atmosphere. Sounds as dry, dirty and rusty as its album cover would indicate. Fantastic stuff!
In Malice's Wake - The Profound Darkness
Blackened Thrash Metal, 2026
Holy hell, this comes out swinging! Awesome speed and ferocity upheld from start to finish. The band clearly aren't afraid to break up the monotony of their songs, but they may actually be overdoing it a bit, as it gives the album this slightly "rushed" feeling.
Nitpicks aside though, the musicianship is on point, and they're clearly a very serious band. Best thrash I've heard so far this year.
Vow - Death Will Be My Bridge
Melodic Death Metal, 2026
A dark, brooding, and cavernous melodeath record. Basically death metal with some slightly more melodic leads and occasional string swells. Very solid music with a genuine and vicious sound which gives an impression of integrity and reverence for its genre.
For some reason, this release in particular is not parsing correctly at Albumwhale, but it's available on both Qobuz and Bandcamp.
Suffer Together - No Grave
Hardcore, 2026
This New York based outfit gives us an album that's hard as hell, with a deep and morose tone. It comes off as properly angry, which I very much appreciate. There's plenty of stankface to be had here, and that bass tone is absolutely amazing.
It could be critiqued for being somewhat one-note however, which risks it not leaving a lasting impression. We'll see how I feel about it once I give it a few more spins, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
KLONNS - G.A.M.E.S
Hardcore Punk, 2026
What I've learned from being a metalhead over the years is that when something makes its way onto the European or American scene all the way from Japan, it's usually pretty good. This is no exception.
This is proper hardcore punk, with all the energy and hallmarks of the classic chaotic sound of angry youth with a chip on their shoulder and attitude to spare.
Darko US - Oni 2
Industrial Deathcore, 2026
This brutal record from the now infamous Darko US is a great blend of hard-as-hell deathcore with industrial/electronic elements that come together as a very unique blend of music.
Plenty of stankface and headbobbing to be had here, and one of my favorites of the month. Unfortunately it's tad too long, and could stand from trimming some of the fat. Otherwise, I'm really digging it.
Inthraced - Constellation Zero
Melodeath / Power Metal
This finnish band has released a genre-blending full length debut album which is immediately compelling, and manages to keep that power metal charm without leaning too much into the melodic cheesiness. The record really has quite some energy and power to it, and I love the way they incorporate symphonic elements here as well.
The constant speed gets a bit tiring around the third or fourth track, but there's a lot of fun to be had here regardless. Give it a listen!
Periphery - A Pale White Dot
Djent / Metalcore, 2026
I haven't really enjoyed much of Periphery's output since their debut in 2010. I always respected them as a band, it just wasn't for me. This new one however; There's so much interesting stuff going on here I have a hard time putting it into words, so for the sake of brevity I'll just say that I think it's very good.
It's a bit long at 47 minutes of runtime, but this is clearly a (now) seasoned and experienced band with a sound all of their own. I have a hard time imagining how this particular genre could be done any better than this.
Frozen Soul - No Place of Warmth
Death Metal, 2026
This is it; My favorite record of the month!
No Place of Warmth is a cavernous, raw and atmospheric death metal album. The songs are dynamic and given space to breathe, all while staying hard as nails and cold as stone. Big grooves all over the place means stankface galore, and the drums sound big and slappy as fuck. Consistently good from start to finish.
I don't know if you've noticed but there actually aren't any other pure death metal albums on the list this month, because there simply weren't any others that caught my ear (and I listened to plenty). I'm glad I found at least one that was really good.
Due to the brilliant simplicity of the tool that is Albumwhale, I'll be omitting honorable mentions from my roundups going forward. If you wanna see every single album I listened to this month – 43 to be exact – and their respective rankings, check out my listening log on Albumwhale.
Oh, and if you're reading this on Offprint now that standard.site articles are properly embedded in the ATProto network, I'd love to hear from you in the comments as to what your favorite albums of the month are.
Stay frosty. Peace! ✌️