The Metal Mayan Mixtape - 19 Jan, 2026

Edenbridge - Set The Dark On Fire (Steamhammer), out now

While winter has covered most of the northern hemisphere in snow and ice this month, Austrian symphonic power metal quintet Edenbridge have come to turn the heat up with their twelfth album, Set The Dark On Fire.

Wasting no time in kicking off an epic musical journey, "The Ghostship Diaries" immerses listeners in a world of magic and mystery with vocalist extraordinaire, Sabine Edelsbacher, serving as both guide and narrator.

Adding more folk elements to the mix, "Where The Wild Things Are" conjures up images of a tremendous forest where ancient secrets wait to be discovered. Slowing the tempo slightly, "Our Place Among The Stars" and "Bonded By The Light" are essential tracks for Paradise Lost and Moonspell fans with their melancholy, borderline gothic tones.

Concluding with "Spark Of The Everflame", a four part movement, Edenbridge showcases their decades of mastering their craft though incredible songwriting rich with lush keyboards, driving guitar, bass and drums, and captivating vocals.

Incredibly, apart from several appearances onboard the heavy metal cruise, 70,000 Tons of Metal, Edenbridge have yet to make landfall in the U.S. and Canada. As the band prepares to kick off a tour in Europe from late February through March, Set The Dark On Fire is sure to push the demand for a North American run though the roof!

Kreator - Krushers Of The World (Nuclear Blast Records), out now

With a career spanning over four decades and serving as the inspiration for legions of bands that came after them, German thrash veterans Kreator need no introduction, but have no qualms of reminding fans worldwide who they are with their sixteenth release, Krushers Of The World.

Welcoming listeners with hurricane force speed riffs, "Seven Serpents" reaches out to drag anyone it can into the circle pit. Helmed by legendary guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza, his barks ring loud over the artillery behind him.

Dropping "Satanic Anarchy" in mid-December, the metal community got a taste of the intensity to come just before the holiday season. An absolute fist pumper and the second song on the album, it fits well as a build up to the pummeling title track. Other rippers that will lay waste to venues include "Psychotic Imperator", "Blood Of Our Blood" and "Deathscream", each an uncompromising track that is mandatory listening for thrash troopers.

Rounding out with the anthemic "Loyal To The Grave", fans won't have wait long to belt out the words to this and all the other incredible cuts of Krushers Of The World as Kreator gears up for a world tour to celebrate the new album. Catch them in the U.K. and Europe with Carcass, Exodus and Nails before they head overseas for a U.S. run with Carcass and Cold Steel in May.

Best to start stretching your neck muscles now to reduce the after effects of intense headbanging - you'll be glad you did later.

Lionheart - Valley of Death II (Arising Empire), out now

First letting fists fly with their 2007 debut album, California's Lionheart are back again with another offering of take-no-prisoners metal infused hardcore.

Coming back more furious than ever, Valley of Death II is just over 20 minutes of grooving and slamming, kicking off with the pummeling "Bulletproof". Joining forces with fellow sluggers, Kublai Khan TX, "Chewing Through The Leash" is the perfect soundtrack to a cage fight: no rules, winner takes all.

Arguably the band's darkest album to date, songs such as "No Peace", "Ice Cold" and "In Love With The Pain" blend uncanny textures, intense riffs and bitter lyrical truths to make every point clear and cutting. Dialing in some more hardcore stylings, "Roll Call" and "Death Grip" are fist pumping numbers built to unite heavy hitters in a brawling mosh pit.

Following a wildly successful European tour in 2024, Lionheart returns to the continent this month with Madball, Gideon and Slope. Together with a vicious new offerings to start off 2026, this will no doubt be an incredible year for one of Oakland's finest.

Total Annihilation - Mountains Of Madness (Testimony Records), out now

Innovative, precise, and crafted from the finest parts by quality driven professionals; few countries can boast a level of manufacturing like that of Switzerland. It is fitting then that the metal forged within its borders is the same degree of mastery as demonstrated by Total Annihilation and their fourth album, Mountains Of Madness.

Celebrating their twentieth anniversary this year, their thrash infused death metal bites down from the start with opener "The Art of Torture". Calling to mind the works of Sodom, Asphyx and Vader, the tone is crisp and sharp, with each hit of the kick drum and guitar triplet ringing clear. Switching to the Kreator school of assault, the album's title track and "Chokehold" are impossible not to at least nod along to, if not full blown headbang.

Fans of Leprosy era Death are sure to enjoy "Nyctophobia" while longtime Exodus fans will incite tremendous circle pits for "Age of Mental Suicide". Sprinkling in a healthy dash of doom with the somber piano that starts "Invisible Conflagration", the track offers a quick moment to catch ones breath before the storm starts up again in the second half.

Set to perform a record release show next month in their hometown of Basel, this will no doubt be a big year for Total Annihilation. Keep an eye on their schedule for more show dates to guarantee a front row seat to top tier thrash.

Textures - Genotype (Kscope), out January 23

Throughout the 2010s, progressive metal increase in popularity to an unprecedented level. The decade saw the rise of Animals As Leaders, Between the Buried and Me and Periphery to bigger and bigger stages, and the years that brought the world The HAARP Machine, Skyharbor and Scale the Summit to name just a few was no doubt a time of innovation and the era of "the thinking fan's metal".

Shining bright among so many stars was Textures, whose triumphant return after disbanding eight year ago is already shaking things up in the metal world in 2026. Formed a quarter of a century ago, their sixth album, Genotype, is a much welcomed return of the Dutch prog pioneers.

Written from the ground up after, according to the band, previous material developed for what would become Genotype 'was just not good enough', "At the Edge of Winter" generates tremendous spacey vibes and features a guest appearance from vocalist extraordinaire Charlotte Wessels.

The passion and power of songs such as "Measuring the Heavens" and "Vanishing Twin" are brilliant examples of what made Textures such a beloved band missed by many in their years of absence. Despite their preference for soundscapes, "Closer to the Unknown" and "A Seat for the Like-Minded" dial in a bit of beatdown that will get crowds around the world moving.

Kicking off a huge European tour supporting Jinjer at the end of January, the prog metal community is about experience an incredible renaissance as Textures brings their latest and greatest songs to life along with fan favorites. Welcome back Textures - it's been too long.

Advance copies courtesy of Atom Splitter PR and Secret Service PR