Greetings, Decibel readers!
Before continuing with this week’s new releases, I’d like to direct your attention to Justin Norton’s tribute to Cronos of Venom, who sadly passed away this week. There’s little more I could add to this other than boosting the first Venom song I ever heard in 2003 while exploring extreme metal for the first time, the rerecorded version of “Die Hard.”
Greatness speaks for itself. Enjoy the albums below.
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The thundergods return with their latest sacrificial offering of muscular metal! At this point in their history, audiences can reliably count on Amon Amarth to create catchy, cinematic music that’s tailor-made for arena-sized festivals. And I mean that in a very positive way, as there’s tons of writing talent on display, and the band has taken pains to retain their melodic-death metal core while adopting notes of pagan metal that make for great crowd work. Those looking for moments that recall their 90s and early-2000s work should check out “Oden’s Hunt.”
Stream: Apple Music
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The latest from the Canada-based technical death metal outfit that gave us 2024’s excellent Lower Form Resistance. And like the album’s theme, the music shows a dazzling level of musical proficiency while still being loose enough to bear the mark of its humanity. Essential listening for fans of Coroner, Cynic and Nocturnus.
Stream: Apple Music
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Thunderous, melodic black metal. Dumal creates compelling and melodic passages that flow cohesively with a full and powerful sound that allows the riffs and rhythms to tell their stories. I’m especially partial to the album’s midsection of “The Alberta Cost” and “Mine to Destroy.”
Stream: Apple Music
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It’s kind of fitting that Amon Amarth and Haywire are together on the list this week, as I kind of view Haywire as the Amon Amarth of modern hardcore. I saw the band on its giant US tour last year and could immediately see what the hype was all about: giant props, limitless charisma, and lots of opportunities to join in gang vocals and stage dive. It was a party-like atmosphere that recalled 2000s pop-punk but had the edge and attitude of 2010s hardcore. The band’s latest album, I DON’T WANNA SAY GOODBYE, cranks up the pop-punk elements in several parts — basically like a hardcore version of Iron Chic — while turning it way down on songs like “Forever Alone” and “Flex Your Head.”
Stream: Apple Music
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True New England Black Metal. Adorned by the incredible artwork from Luciana Nedelea, Stryga weaves a wicked spell of chaos and darkness on their debut full-length album, with crushing tunes like “Cursed from the Pit” reinforced by broadsides like “Queen of the Open Grave” and “Swords to the Necks of Tyrants.” According to the band:
“This hellishly unique offering fuses the frozen melodic guitar work of 90s black metal; the aggressive, rage-driven songwriting of classic crust and hardcore; and somber lyrics steeped in metaphor and slavic folklore.
An ideal offering for this most hallowed month of October.
The post Five For Friday: October 2, 2026 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
