MY TOP LIST OF MARCH 2026

 


March 2026 was solid, delivering a lot of new releases, among which I'll take a few to my AOTY list. There are big names on my March list as well as very underground ones. In the end, I picked the 27 records I enjoyed most from the ones I checked. Of course, I haven't listened to all the albums released in March, it is absolutely impossible. According to The Metal Archives, there are 1885 entries for the period 1 March 2026 - 31 March 2026!!!! This is completely insane, and I bet there were even busier months... Why do we need this? I just can't comprehend. 

I noticed that it shaped as a serious black/death list, but I am listening to BM most of the time this year. For the release of the month, I chose The Crawl by TEMPLE OF VOID. Another glorious album by the Americans, digging my favourite death doom area. Hooks, mood, and heaviness. Just a reminder that their Summoning the Slayer was my death metal album of 2023.

Lomsk's second album was uper close to take the first position, and it is among the finest BM albums released in 2026 so far. Hellripper's Coronach is a great attempt to return to the early years (not there of course), but I definitely like it much more than Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags. And I have some special connection to James, for the ones who know, they know.

Exodus' Goliath was getting better with every other listen, and in fact is a super solid album. I was never Dukes fan, and Zetro wasn't better either. Anyway, at first glimpse the Goliath seemed pedestrian, polished and soulless, which is NOT in fact!

The surprise of the month was the new Neurosis, which dropped out of nowhere. It is for fans of... Neurosis! 

Basically, every album here deserves praise, and it's worth listening to at least once. Then you can decide for yourself. I left a few comments on each one of them below. 




TEMPLE OF VOID - The Crawl (Bandcamp) Superb death doom. FFO of Paradise Lost, like me.  
LÖMSK - Act II - Of Iron and Blood (Bandcamp) One of the finest BM albums of 2026 so far. 
HELLRIPPER - Coronach (Bandcamp) Return to the roots? Not there, but so much better than the previous. 
HORNBLOWER - The Last Trumpeter (YouTube) Canada UG BM, awesome stuff, first track is mindblowing indeed. 
EXODUS - Goliath (Bandcamp) Thrash in 2026 is still not dead yet
NEUROSIS - An Undying Love for a Burning World (Bandcamp) Neurosis being Neurosis, so good. 

ENISUM - Autumn Embrace (Bandcamp) Following them since 2019. Big fan here, BM for the autumn, a lot of atmosphere and mood. 
TÅRFÖDD - Mörker täcker livets ljus (Bandcamp) Half of the album with Revenant of Order of Nosferat, and the album is less post-BM 
ALKHEMIA - Häxen (Bandcamp) I didn't like the debut, but the new one by the Frenchmen is in my alley. 
TÜRBÖWITCH - Under Haunted Skies (Bandcamp) Always a sucker for blackened speed...
CONIFÈRE / VESPÉRAL - À Double Tranchant (Bandcamp) From Canadian underground with love, another amazing release by both bands. Two tracks only, but like an eternity.
BEDRÄNGNIS - Stiller Abschied (Bandcamp) Best Bedrängnis so far? A recommendation for all melancholic BM (and post-black) fans

MISERERE LUMINIS - Sidera (Bandcamp) Same comment as for Bedrängnis. Post-black delivered very well.
IRON FIRMAMENT - In The Land of Pre-Human Kings (Bandcamp). Not sure if this is their finest hour so far, but I liked it a lot. US BM underground is strong these days, delivering less and less rainbow crap.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - Engines of Demolition (Bandcamp) Once BLS, forever BLS
WINTERFYLLETH - The Unyielding Season (Bandcamp) Much weaker than The Imperious Horizon! I feel it like they were in a rush to deliver a new album for their new label. Why the hell?
FIRE MAGIC - Memories of Fire (Bandcamp) Another US BM album. (well Arbol didn't quite make it to the list but I'll keep on listening). Memories of Fire grabbed me with the lead works at first. 
DECIPHER - θελημα (Bandcamp). This is a very good new album by the Greeks. 

TERATOMA - Longing Voracity (Bandcamp) This is death metal! HEAVY, suffocating, and devastating
ADVERSAM - Daimon (Bandcamp) Relentless Italian BM! Absolute massacre.
EGREGORE - It Echoes In The Wild (Bandcamp) Been a fan since their 2022 debut. I still don't think this new one is better, though. I feel it a bit decomposed, avant-garde, and messy in a way, dissonant, which makes it a bit dissociative for me. Still - good, and requires more time. 
GUTVOID - Liminal Shrines (Bandcamp) Maybe I need to spend more time with Liminal Shrines too, but I didn't feel it a lot as the hype was. 
CRUEL FORCE - Haneda (Bandcamp) For the love of the genre. 
VREID - The Skies Turn Black (Bandcamp) Another good melodic DM effort, but I am not sure if this will be staying much longer in my playlist. 
DYSTOPIA - De Verboden Diepte II: De Weg van de Meeste Weerstand (Bandcamp) 5th album, 2 tracks, 32 minutes of atmospheric BM with experimental nature - post-black, orchestra, trumpets. 

FOETOREM - Incongruous Forms Of Evergrowing Rot (Bandcamp) Rotting Dannish death metal. Heavy af. 
ABKEHR - ... Dem Willen Zur Macht Und Dem Vergessen. (Bandcamp) Interesting third album. Much colder than their 2019 and 2021 ones. Less friendly, more hateful.

Listening to new Adversam now btw. 




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