Arcanum Sanctum - Pax EP

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 16 Jan 2026

Tracklist:

1. A Different Form of Life

2. Wake Up

3. Resistance

4. Song of Hope

Russian melodic death metal band Arcanum Sanctum released their latest EP Pax in January. Arcanum Sanctum first formed as a duo in 2004 and since then they have grown their ranks, releasing a demo and three significant full-lengths in the process. I am a little confused by the size of the band currently as the promo pic I've seen contains four members, the promo e-mail I've been sent lists five and their bandcamp page goes one further still. What I do know though is that this EP was mastered by none other than Dan Swanö of Unisound (and Edge of Sanity fame, amongst others).

Arcanum Sanctum describe their music as being melodic death metal with a Soviet sci-fi movie soundtrack approach. I’m not exactly sure how that’s going to translate when I hit play but the EP cover art certainly backs up their bio. The keyboard tones that kick off EP opener ‘A Different Form of Life’ bring forth an upbeat feel that exists throughout the song, even spilling over to the drums, bass and guitars. The vocals, while harsh as expected, fit really well amongst all of this and I must say, the instrumentation is excellent.

‘Wake Up’ delivers something a little more familiar sounding in terms of the band’s melodic death metal approach, but catchiness isn’t far away and before long your enveloped by Arcanum Sanctum’s warming soundtrack once again. I’m blown away by how good this EP sounds. I was a little bit wary about this being on the cheesier end of the spectrum but it’s way more genuine and engrossing, so there’s no need to be wary at all.

The transition from ‘Wake Up’ to ‘Resistance’ keeps the momentum high, leading to more upbeat tempos and melodies. You could call this extreme metal for people who don’t like extreme metal and that would be true to a degree, but it would also be doing Arcanum Sanctum a huge disservice. At risk of sounding like I was paid to write this review (I wasn’t!), I can’t get enough of it.

EP closer ‘Song of Hope’ is the longest song here and also, as the title suggests, one that spreads an important message during difficult times. Musical maturity spills over in the form of exquisite lead guitar and subtle keyboard strokes early on, before a bit of introspection leads to classy soloing and well crafted variation later on.

Every once in a while (and it’s becoming less frequent) a band shoots across my bow that really stands out. Don’t get me wrong, all of the music I choose to write about here is written about because I personally enjoy it (otherwise, what’s the point?), but Arcanum Sanctum just hit different. It’s like they’re on another plain (or planet, if you will). Definitely give this your time.

You can stream and purchase Pax digitally via bandcamp below:-

Arcanum Sanctum - https://www.facebook.com/arcanumsanctum

Gravess - losing everything that makes life beautiful

Labels: Severed Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 21 Jan 2026

Tracklist: 

1. title track

2. one day it will come.

3. borrowed time and borrowed eyes and borrowed world with which to sorrow it.

4. 2023

5. deconstruction patterns

I always planned to start reviewing Zegema Beach’s 2026 releases as soon as they appeared, because if I continued with my original plan it would be three months before I got to them (given the pace of my current output!). Welcome Gravess to the blog, a screamo band from Florida. I guess you could call it an EP but it's on an LP and it's their first release in just over two years. ZBR worked with Severed Records on it as well.

I was supposed to be enjoying a work-free week this week, but things conspired against me and I’ve had to delay it for a while. Instead, I’m looking forward to when I can take the time off (hopefully in a few weeks) and I’m trying to end January on a high, which is where Gravess come in. Another new name to me but one that’s amongst many so far this year and I’m here for it. 

Opening losing everything that makes life beautiful, ‘title track’ is brimming with pent up anger and genuine emotion. The vocals hit so hard in both tone and register, while the percussion and guitars provide a more subtle/melodic backdrop. It’s heavy when it needs to be and gentle when it doesn’t. ’one day it will come.’ is a completely pure example of post-hardcore in this modern age. Instrumentation leads the way, interspersed by spoken-word passages and intense screams. Absolutely epic! I don’t think you could ask for anything more.

In the well-healed tradition of long screamo song-titles, ‘borrowed time and borrowed eyes and borrowed world with which to sorrow it.’ is one to add to the list. It actually has a punkier rhythm to it initially before stopping on a dime, switching tempos entirely and becoming an off-kilter beast all of its own. The feedback that it ends with flows into ‘2023’, which reignites the old-school approach that Gravess take throughout this record. When I say old-school though, I’m only really talking about the mid-2000s, though that era feels like a long time ago now. Gravess harness it and make it real in the same way that I Promised The World do.

For those hoping that ‘deconstruction patterns’ will be the destructive ending to this record are in luck, as it delivers in every aspect. It’s the shortest yet possibly the most impactful because of it. There’s just something about this release that reaches another level. Gravess are excellent, but they don’t need me to tell them that.

You can stream the release and purchase it as a name-your-price download from Gravess below:-

12" LP copies can be purchased from the links below:-

Severed Records - https://severedrecordss.bigcartel.com/product/gravess-losing-everything-that-makes-life-beautiful

Zegema Beach Records USA - https://zbrusa.com/products/gravess

Gravess Instagram - @gravess._

Severed Records Instagram - @severedrecords_

Zegema Beach Records Instagram - @zegema_beach

HyperioN - Cybergenesis

Labels: Fighter Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 15 Jan 2026

Tracklist:

1. Deafening

2. Rewire, Rebuild

3. Yet We Still Fight

4. The Shackles of Chronitus

5. Blood Over Chrome

6. Grain of Sand

7. Rhizome Rider

8. The Whole of Time

After starting the year with four releases from North America/Canada, I felt I couldn't feature another until I had covered one from a different continent. The first one on my list was the most recent album from Italian heavy metal band HyperioN. Cybergenesis was released just last week via Spanish traditional/heavy metal label Fighter Records (an offshoot of Xtreem Music) and is HyperioN's third full-length since their formation in 2015.

Before settling down to write this review, I made the mistake of reading a “report” from a user on Metal Archives, who is complaining about the choice of genre that HyperioN have been categorised under on the site. I mean, yes they share the same name as a power metal band that existed in Italy in the 90s, but their bandcamp page bio describes them as traditional heavy metal. I know the distinction between the two genres is somewhat blurred, but does it really matter? Can’t we just be allowed to enjoy music for what it is?

Not so important questions aside, this is quintessential Italian heavy metal. ‘Deafening’ opens up the album with a strong Iron Maiden vibe, soaring melodic vocals, galloping musicianship and some dramatic elements too. It’s really uplifting so far. ‘Rewire, Rebuild’ promises so much from the guitar prowess that’s evident early on and there’s some off-kilter/subtle thrash-like trickery going on throughout, but HyperioN are reluctant to truly unleash anything heavier.

Heaviness isn’t their approach though. They prefer to stick to the tried, tested and effective European heavy metal path. ‘Yet We Still Fight’ continues to hammer that point home, though the lead guitar solos are pretty bloody epic and there are gang-chants/semi-clean vocals thrown in at this juncture. The whole thing with the heavy metal revival in recent years is that you know what you’re going to get. ‘The Shackles of Chronitus’ is a perfect case in point, as it’s a retreat back to a mid-tempo, if slightly meandering, heavy metal song as opposed to something more neck snapping.

That being said, HyperioN don’t write uber long songs. ‘Blood Over Chrome’ is a prime example of how enthusiasm and pace can remove the illusion of needless rock operas. I’ve never been a fan of them. They’re the reason I’ve shied away from trad heavy metal over the years. Being guilty of being selective is a me problem, especially when ‘Grain of Sand’ sounds as good as it does! As I’ve alluded to already, it’s a product of the country it was birthed in but that doesn’t hold it back. 

Penultimate song ‘Rhizome Rider’ keeps the heavy metal flowing in almost uncontrollable fashion. It’s kinda like a Spaghetti Western song (excuse the unfortunate pun) written for the modern day. Apologies HyperioN, I don’t mean for that to sound disrespectful. Album closer ‘The Whole of Time’ is much more theatrical, as it’s near seven-minute playing time suggests. In truth though, it’s just a lengthier take on what they’ve been doing throughout the album as a whole; playing solid heavy metal in their own way. 

It’s not usually what I lean towards but I really do appreciate it for what it is. I certainly wouldn’t label it solely as power metal, as that would be doing HyperioN a huge disservice. Cybergenesis is a really strong album, putting European traditional heavy metal at the forefront of where it should be in 2026.

You can stream Cybergenesis digitally and purchase digital download/cd copies, and other merch via their bandcamp page below:-

CD copies can also be purchased here - https://shop.xtreemmusic.com/english.list.index.php?special=fighterrecords

HyperioN - https://www.facebook.com/hyperionbandheavy

Fighter Records - https://www.facebook.com/fighter.records

Agenbite Misery - Remorse of Conscience

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 06 Feb 2026

Tracklist:

1. Telemachean Echoes

2. Cascara Sagrada

3. A Charitable View of Temporary Insanity

4. Whiteness of Allhorse

5. Bellwether and Swine

6. Circe

7. The Twice-Charred Path of Music Disciples

8. Mnesterophonia

Already, 2026 has thrown up some wild news and genuinely weird events. This new soon-to-be-released album from US experimental/extreme metal band Agenbite Misery might lay claim to being the weirdest release so far as well. The New Hampshire trio formed in 2022 and issued two demos in 2023. Three years on and they're ready to unleash their debut album, steeped in the lore of the 1920 novel Ulysses by James Joyce. Expect the unexpected.

Don’t expect an easy ride here, especially with the number of sub-genres and styles that Agenbite Misery set their hands, and voices too. Opening their debut album with ‘Telemachean Echoes’, unnerving samples and sludge riffs give way to a madcap version of death metal, coupled with grind and even straight-up noise-rock. It may not reach much past ninety-seconds but it sure does prepare you for what’s to come. ‘Cascara Sagrada’ sees the noise-rock dialled up alongside gothic post-punk tones, horrifying sludge/death vocals and psychotic avant-garde experimentation. There’s no comparison to their sound that comes to mind, it’s that surprising!

From the initial duo of songs that are a lot shorter to one that takes things in a different direction. ‘A Charitable View of Temporary Sanity’ is lengthy and not unexpected. Starting with gentle guitar, ambient sounds and spoken-word samples, it builds very slowly, allowing time for reflection. That time is cut short by metallic sludge madness that is punctuated by brief interludes of calm. It gets no easier to listen to later on as those off-kilter/avant-garde riffs/percussion are followed by ice-cold blackened shrieks, extra sludge and gloriously uplifting melodies. I have no words and I still don’t know what’s going on!

From what seems like an extreme metal odyssey to a post-punk, disco laden black metal number, Agenbite Misery keep you guessing on ‘Whatness of Allhorse’. The synths are dialled right up on this one and I’d guess this is what Mortiis sounds like, though I could be well off here. There’s a much greater use of sludge on ‘Bellwether And Swine’, with Agenbite Misery using the slower riffs at the start to build anticipation for what later turns into another song that can’t be truly defined, as it lurches between black metal, sludge and avant-garde experimentation once again. 

The reliance on intricate instrumentation is something that never gets old on this album and it turns good songs like ‘Circe’ into great ones. It’s still not an easy listen by any means but Agenbite Misery are able to weave in plenty of steady tempos/groove at the same time, as well as some folk metal-like guitar later on. With the penultimate song ‘The Twice-Charred Paths Of Musing Disciples’ being a swirling instrumental one, the stage is set for a mammoth finale, that it just so happens to bleed into.

‘Mnesterophonia’ is the icing on the cake really. It literally runs the whole gamut music-wise; from gentle guitar, cosy jazz-like passages and spoken-word samples right the way up to scathing extreme metal, and near incoherent time-signatures. You’ll understand what I mean when you reach the insane mid-section. The closing third of ‘Mnesterophonia’ is also filled for the most-part with excellent instrumental passages before building in heaviness right up to its conclusion.

I can’t speak highly enough of this record and of Agenbite Misery. It blows my mind that just three humans wrote and performed this album. An absorbing release filled with music that’s truly authentic without being arrogant. This is probably my earliest contender for album-of-the-year so far. Amazing!

Five of the eight songs that make of Remorse of Conscience are available to stream on Ampwall below, where you can also pre-order it both on CD and digitally:-

Agenbite Misery - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574211514876 / Instagram - @agenbitemisery

Mourn Recif/A Recorded Dawn - Split

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 22 Sep 2025

Tracklist:

1. Mourn Recif - Our Kids are Orchids

2. Mourn Recif - Twelves

3. Mourn Recif - Pyramids as a Weapon

4. A Recorded Dawn - An Entire Life For A Single Cause

5. A Recorded Dawn - Forgotten At Last

Setting brand new 2026 releases to the side for a moment, I want to dive back into the 2025 cohort from Zegema Beach Records. I'm only six releases away from saying that I've covered every one they've been part of in 2025 (except for comps). This was the second to come from Canadian screamo/emo-violence band Mourn Recif, while it was the fourth (and I think the first physical release) to come from fellow Canadian screamo band A Recorded Dawn. Oh and both bands share a musician.

According to figures relating to UK music sales in 2025, CDs and tapes are making a greater comeback. They’re cheaper to produce than vinyl and I’m guessing turnaround times are quicker too. ZBR have been releasing more music on CD over recent years and one of their latest is this split between Mourn Recif and A Recorded Dawn. 

Mourn Recif’s side contains three songs, starting with ‘Our Kids are Orchids’, which is an excellent title. It’s possibly a nod to couples who prefer to nurture plants over human children, but it’s probably about something else entirely. Whatever its subject matter, there’s a glorious guitar tone at the beginning that brings to mind classic nu-metal before the emoviolence kicks in, which is where Mourn Recif are most comfortable.

’Twelves’ is approached very differently, with a more off-kilter tempo and vocals that sit deeper in the mix. In fact, the drums are more prevalent here, which is a reversal from the norm I guess. Semantics aside, this is the longest song on Mourn Recif’s side of this split, so you should expect some differentiation here and there. Closing their side with ‘Pyramids as a Weapon’, Mourn Recif pull absolutely no punches in a song that doesn’t even make it to fifty seconds. It’s emoviolence at its most violent, though there isn’t a violent bone in the body of any member.

A Recorded Dawn present a very different picture on their side. One that’s more laid back at first on ‘An Entire Life For A Single Cause’, before they themsevles launch into a much heavier sound. Their’s is more aligned to hardcore with some post-hardcore passages thrown in as well. There’s a different kind of aggression here, compared to Mourn Recif’s side.

Their second and final song ‘Forgotten, At Last’ is one of those screamo songs that doesn’t lurch too far in any direction. It’s angular riffs-wise, mid-paced in both the percussion and vocals, and has a loud/quiet dynamic that epitomises the genre. Sticking to a known formula works well here though, as A Recorded Dawn don’t overcomplicate things.

It almost seems stupid to say that this is a split of two halves, because of course it is, but that’s kind of the point. You’ve got the fast intensity of Mourn Recif on one side and the slightly more measured heaviness of A Recorded Dawn on the other. Both bands compliment each other extremely well and make this split super enjoyable.

You can stream and grab the split as a name-your-price download via Zegema Beach Records below:-

CD copies can be purchased from ZBR via the following links:-

ZBR CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/josh

ZBR USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/josh

Mourn Recif - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558260430705 / https://www.instagram.com/mourn.recif/

A Recorded Dawn - https://www.instagram.com/a.recorded.dawn/

Zegema Beach Records - https://bsky.app/profile/zegemabeachrecords.bsky.social