Every Friday, new music drops. Most Fridays, there is music that I am interested in. Each week that there are new releases that I find interesting—for whatever reason—I like to share those.
Here are this week’s drops.
Sevendust – One
Yes, Sevendust is still around.
If, like me, you cut your teeth on albums like Home and Animosity, it’s actually pretty damn cool that these guys are still making music. That nu metal era wasn’t a great time for a lot of bands (though I have a deep love for some of them), but some managed to persevere and still sound pretty good. I wouldn’t smack Sevendust with the nu metal moniker in 2026, but they continue to play a groovy, melodic, meaty type of metal that I find appealing.
Do I think I will listen to One a ton? Probably not. But I expect that, like other recent Sevendust albums, I will periodically come back to it when I want something reliable. And hey, Lajon Witherspoon has an awesome voice.
Devenial Verdict – Old Blood – Fresh Wounds
I was not prepared. Over two previous albums, Devenial Verdict entrenched themselves in the same avant-garde death metal circle as Ulcerate. That is some mighty fine company.
Old Blood – Fresh Wounds isn’t that. There are hints of what the band would become, but to celebrate their 20th year, the band redid these older songs. It is a fascinating look at where the band came from. This is much more straightforward, knuckle-dragging death metal. Do I find it less interesting than their more recent albums? Yep, sure do. But it is still solid death metal that I look forward to digesting more.
Ashen Horde – The Harvest
Ashen Horde have been on my radar for a few years now, but I admit to not listening to them much. Depending on the song, I struggle to decide if this is blackened death metal or black metal with death overtones.
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter. But on The Harvest, with a new vocalist, we see Ashen Horde pushing much more into the melodic arena with ample clean vocals. I’m not sure how well they work, honestly. I’ll need more time to really digest this one and see what I think.
In Malice’s Wake – The Profound Darkness
This was the big surprise of the week.
I’d never heard of In Malice’s Wake. But a glowing review over at AngryMetalGuy.com piqued my interest. One listen, and I was hooked. The Profound Darkness is what you get if a death metal band met an old school thrash band in the alley behind the bar they were both playing at and… well, something happened.
Thrashy, groovy, heavy, angry, and aggressive. All things I am looking for in my death metal. In Malice’s Wake serves them up amply. The Profound Darkness dominated my playlist since yesterday morning, and won’t be leaving any time soon.
