Doomed For Metal Reviews

In Ruins is a Romanian death/doom band that formed in 2021; their latest release, “ We Are All to Perish ,” is their full-length debut; they released their debut EP, “ Ruthless Portrait ," in 2022.  I’ve said this before, but I really like when a band knows who they are and what they want.  In Ruins clearly knows it's a death/doom band and they want to play some nasty, grimy shit.  As of the time of this writing, this is definitely up there for one of my favorite extreme doom metal albums of the first half of 2026.   The mix of tortuous emotions and a sense of finality are very potent across the album’s 4 song, 43-minute runtime. But that’s a relatively short runtime for a doom metal album so, as one can imagine, there is no filler here.  Every painstakingly slow note, every smattering of drums, every bass line, every growl all leads to the bigger picture.    This is music to get lost into.  This isn’t background music you put on when yo...

Golgotha is a Gothic doom metal band from Spain, who formed in 1992.  Their latest album, “ Hubris ,” is their 7th full-length album; they have also released three demos, four EPs, and a live album.  I’m a new fan of this band—I discovered them with their previous album, “ Spreading the Wings of Hope .”  As good as that album was, “ Hubris ,” is even better.  Gothic doom was my first foray into the genre and, as such, I’ve always been fond of the “beauty and the beast,” approach.  I’m aware the style is very tried and very true but some things are timeless…and why fix what isn’t broken? María J. Lladó has a unique style to them—her inflection and tone is epic with a lot of expressive power behind them.  Bassist Andrew Spinosa ’s death growls are on point: brutal but intelligible. “ A Simple Life ,” takes the Gothic doom blueprint and throws in a catchy chorus.  I like how the keys/ambience sink into the very fabric of the song yet allows plenty of ro...

Dead Void is a doom/death metal band from Denmark, who hit the scene in 2017 with their first demo.  Their latest album, “ Cranial Devastation ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released three demos. Having never heard of them before receiving the “ Cranial Devastation ,” promo, this album is a very nice surprise for me.  This is a 5 songs and 35 minutes of some of the more raw and disgusting doom I’ve heard in this first half of 2026.  Things aren’t going to great for this year, or the world in general, but doom like this can fuel the world.   It fuels me, at least.   The mix and production are absolutely fantastic and the MVP of the album.  Every instrument can be heard equally but each piece is also covered in a sweltering tone of sickness.  The vocals match the instrumentals head on, colliding together, and coming out the other side as a big, nasty, wall of sound.   It isn’t all doom though—-those who don’t like a ...

Man, I love COC.  If you can stoop snickering long enough to listen to their 11th full-length album, “ Good God/Baad Man" , then you too can join in on that love.  I doubt Corrosion of Conformity needs an introduction at this point but a quick recap:  they are badass.  Review over.   Ok second review starting now.  COC has been around since 1982 (one year before I was born, damn!) and began as a punk band that morphed into some kind of Southern fried version of metal that includes many different elements from doom/sludge and everything else in between all the way to hard rock.  Members have come and gone; some have even passed away, including original drummer Reed Mullin .  But the founder of the band, Woody Weatherman , has kept the band going through the decades and doesn’t seem content on doing anything but continuing to be badass.     Pepper Keenan is at the helm once again, the guitarist who joined the band on their ...

Towering is a death metal band from France, who formed in 2015.  Their latest release, “ The Oblation of Man ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released two demos. Dissonance is a tricky thing for a lot of bands.  Sometimes it gets so dissonant that it sounds meandering and pointless.  Other times, it begins to blend together.  Still other times, a band gets so caught up on the style, they lose their heaviness and sense of urgency.   Towering conquers these dilemmas by taking what has become a familiar metal trope and forging a sound all their own. They have the dissonance factor nailed down—and it is atmospheric as hell.  But it never loses its crushing base of stark death metal.  The lead guitar is as important as the riffs and everything is formed up and focused by the bass and drums, both of which must surely be considered amongst the densest things in the universe.  Spearheading the charge are very urgent and depraved ...

Wrang is a black metal band from Netherlands, who formed in 2013.  Their latest release, “ Verwording ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released a demo, two splits, and an EP.  “ Verwording ,” is easily one of my favorite metal albums of the first half of 2026.  I like this album so much that the last time I played Super Smash Brothers, I named my character “ Wrang .”   I don’t know why that’s important to this review or what anyone is supposed to do with that information, but I felt the need to include it.   There are a lot of different styles of black metal these days, but Wrang have opted for this album to be built upon riffs, solos, and a sense of melody that never overpowers but underscores their need to do their own thing, capturing the essence of black metal without being afraid to be themselves.  I appreciate how much groove can be found in the songs.  Even when the speed kicks up and the melodic elements are riding upon ...

Splendidula is a blackened doom metal band from Belgium, who formed in 2008.  Their latest album, “ Absentia ,” is their fourth full-length album. This album is hypnotic and engaging in a unique way but also born out of tragedy.  “ Absentia ,” was created during a dark period for the band, where they lost several loved ones, including bassist Peter Chromiak .  These devastating events would bring anyone to their knees but “ Absentia ,” sees the band using their talent to speak of the emotions and turmoil of these tragedies while also rising up to write what is their best album yet.  Kristien Cools is the album’s MVP—she is constantly improving and her vocals are at the next level.  Her cleans are so unique, weird and fragile in these best ways but also profoundly emotive.  Her extreme vocals are quite arresting and even what I might call frightening.  The band matches her fervor with a performance that swings from blackened violence to doomed grief, ...