Feature: May’s Elite Forays Into the Metal Underground
Staff writer Jason McLaren shares his top Metal Underground playlist picks for May 2026.
Abyssal Forest – The Great Day of His Wrath
Fantastic find with this one; classic black metal in the vein of later Antestor, Marble Tomb, and early Dark Fortress that really needs to be on your playlist.
King’s Hammer – The Color of the Soul
A bit polished for me, but solid death metal for fans of Gatecreeper and later Pantokrator.
Saul of Tarsus – Road to Damascus
Crusty, raw and caustic, this punky grindcore will definitely grab your attention.
Emancipator – The Truth
Hilton Lazenby’s latest project continues in the same vein as his primary project, Afflicted Truth – a blinding assault of death/grind with plenty of guitar pyrotechnics.
God’s Way – Matanca
Frightening slice of underground blackened grindcore. Insane stuff.
Eternal After Death – Ilusões
I think this Brazilian deathcore outfit could be the subgenre’s best kept secret. Brutal in the best ways, putting them right up alongside the latest sounds coming from bands like With Blood Comes Cleansing and Voluntary Mortification.
Rehumanize/Demonic Dismemberment – Human Depravity
Rehumanize’s brand of grindcore is always a welcome treat, but Demonic Dismemberment is absolutely unhinged.
Pulcro – Uma Voz na Tempestade
Fans of Hazeroth and Devotam will likely eat this one up. Decent black metal, but those vocals are way to front and centre, and end up dominating the music.
Living Sacrifice – Inhabit
This one hardly ever leaves my CD player. And though I think Nonexistent is peak, Inhabit is almost a more solid album overall. Once again, if the band ever read this: please, please, please go back to playing death metal.
Timoratus – 7 Deadly Sins
I’m not really sure why Timoratus went the “comedy” metal route; but before they did so, they released some absolutely savage extreme metal, including this little grind EP. Courtney Napier’s screams on here are on another level.
*Assistant Editor’s note – Could not find this release online to embed.
Incisão – Ouça o Barulho dos Vermes ao Devorarem as Repugnantes Carcaças Espalhadas pelo Inferno
Super obscure grind project…but very, very solid. Like Antidemon gone rabid.
Reverorum ib Malacht – Kyrie Eleison
High black metal art from the Christian metal underground’s most avant garde and mysterious act. When you’re in the mood for this kind of thing, nothing satisfies quite like this band.
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