Happy(?) 2026, y'all. It seems impossible that this new year is only nine days old - I could swear that it has been 2026 for at least 47 days. At the end of last year, I was hopeful that better days lay ahead. Now I've committed to letting myself devolve into a feral bog monster and running off to live in a swamp. Such is the vibe in America these days. At least we've got some new music, right? There haven't been a ton of notable releases in these long 47 days, but there are a few things helping me stay sane these days. 

Up first is a new single from the Google-hostile band Prostitute, who I have covered before. I believe this new track "All Hail (Pressure)" is the second track from an upcoming album from this Dearborn, Michigan-based band. I'm loving the Middle Eastern influence of these guys - they actually remind me quite a bit of an obscure UK-based hip hop group that I love, Fun^Da^Mental. Because it's a light release week, I'll drop a track from that group below for comparison. 

Fun^Da^Mental seem to be done as a band, but I would love to be wrong about that! If anyone has any info on what they're up to these days, hit me up in the comments. 

Our first full album recommendation of the year is Tempelschlaf by The Ruins of Beverast. TROB have always been one of those bands that was hanging around in the periphery for me - I've seen them discussed in the same circles as bands like Panopticon frequently. Maybe that's why I expected a more death metal sound - there's a lot of that, but also plenty of doom. This album actually reminds me a lot of early My Dying Bride. But hey, doom seems like an appropriate genre for the start of this year. 

Speaking of doom, here's a doomy post-metal two-track EP from Sungrave and Creaturess. I dug this a lot, so I hopped online to see if I could figure out why this pairing sounded so familiar to me. Turns out that they were in town in November, and I had considered checking them out but didn't. D'oh! Welp, I better not miss them next time!

Finally, we've got something that's definitely not metal, from a band that used to be metal. Neverland is a trip hop/ambient/chillwave release. Maybe what you need right now is something loud and angry, or maybe what you need is something relaxing yet interesting. If that's what you're looking for, this album is a solid option. 

​Stay safe, stay sane.