Today is a little bit lighter on the new release front, but I've noticed that tends to happen before a really big new release week. And guess what? Next Friday is a big one. There may not be a single massing album coming next week, but there are a few very significant ones, and a ton of smaller, interesting albums. It looks like I will have four or five album reviews for you next week. In the meantime, I've got a selection of solid albums and interesting singles for you below. 

Have you felt that it's been too long since we've featured a female-fronted doom band? Never fear, the new Dreadnought album has arrived! Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light has a little more of a space rock vibe than the band's previous album, and it works. This is the first of several bands connected to the 2026 edition of Fire in the Mountains you'll see this week. You have been warned. 

The debut album by Shrineburner is out today! I reviewed Hymns of Despair last week, and you can read my full review here should you be so inclined. Short version: I really liked this post-doom band's debut album, and I think you will, too. 

Here's another one I reviewed and enjoyed: Libertine by Foreign Body. It's ferocious and sleazy, but surprisingly intelligent and complex. Check out my review here. 

Yesterday, The Keening announced their second album, Devotion, which will release in about a month. The first single, "A Little Bit of Blood," is quite lovely, starting off with acoustic guitar and gentle vocals while slowly building and layering towards a more bombastic back half. This certainly isn't as heavy as much of the music we cover here, but Rebecca Vernon doesn't need to prove her metal cred to anyone. As Vernon's other band SubRosa performed at Fire in the Mountains, this is FITM reference no. 2, for those keeping score. 

This new track from Wayfarer was debuted live at Fire in the Mountains, where they introduced it as the future of the band's sound. The black metal sound is pretty much gone here, replaced with a gothic rock sound much more in line with another FITM performer and professed Wayfarer influence, Sixteen Horsepower. I've seen some people online say that they miss the band's original sound, which I completely understand. That said, I'm also digging this refined sound. 

Speaking of Fire in the Mountains ( for the last time!), yesterday saw the release of a track by Steve Von Till & Firekeeper Noise Collective. A collaboration between the Neurosis member and students from Browning Public Schools, the track is was released for World Suicide Prevention Day and features spoken word performances from the students over layers of droning guitars. Von Till recorded, assembled, and mixed the song into the its final version, which is incredibly powerful. 

Finally, "Down Titration Strategies" is the second single off the upcoming Genital Shame album, Wellness Plan. Both tracks off the upcoming album have been fantastic. I'm really looking forward to hearing the full album in late October, which is described as exploring "a process of acceptance through images of disappearing." As mentioned the last time I covered Genital Shame, mastermind Erin Dawson is a trans musician with a background in classical guitar and music education, so I'm expecting Wellness Plan will have a lot to say about how she fits into the heavy music genre and the world at large. 

That's all for now, but buckle up because next week is packed. Have a good weekend, everyone!