There’s a deluge of great releases coming up in the next month, so we’ve devised this handy guide for our most anticipated albums!

A Wilhelm Scream – Cheap Heat

A Wilhelm Scream return with their sixth studio album, Cheap Heat, dropping February 27 via Creator-Destructor Records. Clocking in at just under thirty minutes, the record packs ten tracks of unrelenting melodic hardcore/punk fury, blending the dark nihilism of Ruiner with the technical ferocity of Career Suicide. Vocalist Nuno Pereira promises “vitriolic energy behind every vocal, soaring guitars relentlessly shredding, and that sinister tongue-in-cheek shit we specialize in,” and fans will find it in spades.

Produced and mixed by guitarist/vocalist Trevor Reilly at Anchor End Studio, the album also introduces new guitarist Ben Murray, who joins a seasoned lineup of Pereira, Reilly, drummer Nicholas Angelini, and bassist Brian Robinson.

Cold Communion – Monuments to Ruin

Daylight Dies fans finally have a spiritual successor in Cold Communion, a new project from guitarist Barre Gambling and Tim Rowland. With Monuments to Ruin, the duo channels the same gloomy, melancholic melodies that defined Daylight Dies‘ legacy, blending doom, death, and atmospheric metal into a fresh but familiar sonic landscape. Expect slow-building, immersive compositions with crushing riffs and layered textures that evoke both despair and beauty.

The album’s appeal lies in its balance of heaviness and melody, providing the sort of emotional resonance that longtime fans of melodic doom and death metal crave.

Converge – Love Is Not Enough

Converge‘s eleventh studio album, Love Is Not Enough, arrives February 13 as a culmination of the band’s decades-long journey through punk, hardcore, and metal. Jacob Bannon, Kurt Ballou, Nate Newton, and Ben Koller craft an album that balances intense emotion with raw musicality, eschewing overproduction for realism.

Unlike traditional album sequencing, Love Is Not Enough builds momentum relentlessly, pushing the listener forward with a designed narrative flow. Recorded and mixed at God City by Ballou, and accompanied by Bannon‘s haunting artwork, the album reflects the band’s continued relevance and artistic evolution.

Cryptic Shift – Overspace & Supertime

UK progressive death metal pioneers Cryptic Shift return with Overspace & Supertime, out February 27 via Metal Blade Records. Building on their 2020 debut Visitations From Enceladus, the album blends technical thrash/death metal with sci-fi storytelling, taking listeners through new dimensions and bizarre encounters.

Vocalist Alexander Bradley and drummer Ryan Sheperson deliver intricate compositions filled with progressive flourishes and fantastical narratives, introducing their character “The Recaller” to alien sorcery and warped temporal diseases.

Musically, Overspace & Supertime is a masterclass in technicality and atmosphere, pairing mind-bending riffs with thematic depth. Tracks like “Hexagonal Eyes (Diverity Trepaphyphasyzm)” showcase the band’s signature fusion of thrash, death, and progressive metal while immersing fans in an interstellar narrative.

Exhumed – Red Asphalt

Exhumed rev their engines with Red Asphalt, set for February 20 via Relapse Records, delivering one of the most frenzied gore metal records of 2026. The album plunges listeners into a brutal exploration of the American roadway, filled with vehicular homicide, zombie biker gangs, and white-knuckle riffs.

Red Asphalt blends punishing speed and groove-driven riffing with Matt Harvey‘s signature gore-soaked vision. Tracks like “Shovelhead” and “The Iron Graveyard” twist death metal intensity with dark humor and cinematic narrative flair. True to Exhumed‘s legacy, the album is a visceral, chaotic, and unforgettable ride, a love letter to metal carnage on Route 666.

Fossilization – Advent of Wounds

Brazilian duo Fossilization return with Advent of Wounds, a sophomore album that pushes the limits of death, doom, and blackened metal. V. and P. craft a suffocating, oppressive soundscape where frantic rhythms and coiling riffs create a maelstrom of despair and extremity. Featuring contributions from Justin Stubbs and mixing/mastering by Gabriele Gramaglia, the record elevates the band’s sound to new levels of technicality and atmosphere.

Thematically, Advent of Wounds channels anguish, brutality, and melancholy, drawing inspiration from early Anathema, Katatonia, and Paradise Lost while integrating black metal ferocity. With tracks like “Disentombed” and “Reassembled by the Ages,” the album fuses relentless death metal with doom-laden passages, making it a harrowing journey for fans of extreme, atmospheric metal.

Hoaxed – Death Knocks

Portland’s Hoaxed deliver their dark rock opus Death Knocks, three years in the making, showcasing the evolution of Kat Keo, Kim Coffel, and new bassist/vocalist April Dimmick. The album melds witchy stoner vibes, filmic gloom, and heavy metal influence, with dynamic tracks like “Where the Seas Fall Silent,” “Kill Switch,” and “The Family” balancing groove, menace, and melodic hooks.

Recorded swiftly at Falcon Recording Studios with Gabe Johnston and mixed/mastered by Arthur Rizk, the album emphasizes live energy and collaborative synergy. Keo‘s enchanting vocals paired with Dimmick‘s raspy menace create an alluring tension throughout, resulting in a polished yet hauntingly atmospheric record that solidifies Hoaxed‘s signature sound.

Karnivool – In Verses

After a 12-year gap, Australia’s Karnivool return with In Verses, a meticulously crafted journey through frustration, catharsis, and rediscovery. Recorded with long-time collaborator Forrester Savell, the album features tracks like “Aozora,” exploring themes of escape and personal freedom. The record balances progressive experimentation with emotional resonance, offering both a reintroduction for loyal fans and a gateway for newcomers.

In Verses embodies Karnivool‘s dedication to craft and evolution, distilling over a decade of life experiences into ten tracks of intricate, hard-hitting progressive rock. As a culmination of the band’s journey, the album reaffirms their position as one of Australia’s most influential rock acts, blending technical mastery with emotional storytelling.

Mors Verum – Canvas

Canadian innovators Mors Verum push death metal boundaries on Canvas, creating a sound that is simultaneously dissonant, progressive, and atmospheric. The band melds sharp, thrashing riffs with contemplative, soothing passages, navigating between chaos and catharsis. Longer compositions allow for immersive exploration, ensuring listeners remain engaged throughout each epic track.

Canvas demonstrates Mors Verum‘s fearless approach to experimentation within death metal, balancing technical proficiency with emotive depth.

Predatory Void – Atoned In Metamorphosis

Belgian sludge/doom collective Predatory Void will release their EP Atoned in Metamorphosis, due February 6, 2026 via Pelagic Records. Featuring members of Amenra, Oathbreaker, and Cobra The Impaler, Atoned in Metamorphosis distills Predatory Void’s volatile creative force into a focused, emotionally charged statement.

Conceptually, the band confront the shadowed corners of the human psyche, framing self-awareness as both painful and transformative. Recorded with Gilles Demolder (Wiegedood, Oathbreaker), the EP embraces a raw, performance-driven aesthetic.

Sun Guts – Kilonova

Sun Guts, the new solo project from Car Bomb guitarist Greg Kubacki, promises a fresh yet intense exploration of extreme music. Kubacki has been quietly shaping the project in his spare time, and Kilonova represents his personal vision, merging technical prowess with experimental leanings. Expect blistering riffs, complex rhythms, and inventive composition throughout the album.

The record serves as an outlet for Kubacki‘s creativity outside Car Bomb, allowing for more exploratory structures and sonic textures. Kilonova showcases his ability to merge precision with chaos, offering fans a technically masterful and uniquely expressive metal experience that pushes boundaries without losing intensity.

Sylosis – The New Flesh

Sylosis‘ The New Flesh is a full-throttle statement of renewed purpose, merging punishing grooves, explosive riffs, and nuanced songwriting. Frontman Josh Middleton delivers his most evocative compositions yet, from the blistering opener “Beneath The Surface” to the epic closer “Seeds in the River,” balancing sheer brutality with compositional intelligence.

The album expands on the momentum established by The Sign of Things to Come, combining catchiness and viciousness with confidence and authority. The New Flesh is a career-defining release for Sylosis, reaffirming their status as a premier force in modern metal with relentless energy, precision, and musical sophistication.

Worm – Necropalace

Floridian black doom visionaries Worm unveil Necropalace, a cinematic and grandiose album that fuses symphonic black metal, technical prowess, and extreme metal heritage. The record paints a decadent, night-bound world of unrelenting maleficence, where shadows shift and wounds of the heart remain unhealed. With Arthur Rizk on mixing/mastering and Charlie Koryn producing, the sonic architecture is both razor-sharp and immersive.

Necropalace combines virtuoso guitar work, spellbinding composition, and atmospheric darkness, creating an otherworldly experience that is both epic and intimate. The album is a haunting exploration of extreme metal’s possibilities, presenting Worm at their most ambitious, theatrical, and devastatingly powerful.