D.M.V. out of Washington, D.C. play abrasive noise punk with no wave chaos. Five Finger Discount dropped February 28, 2026 with five tracks of raw, distorted aggression. Tons of dissonant guitars, shouted vocals, and unhinged energy. First release from the band and it's deliberately ugly in the best way.
FFO: Couch Slut, USA Nails, Lovely Wife
Instagram - Facebook - Bandcamp - Spotify
Another local band for me with a new release, you love to see it. Pain Begins out of Cincinnati, Ohio play heavy metallic hardcore with beatdown brutality. Tired Of Being Alive dropped February 27, 2026 with five tracks of crushing aggression. Slow, punishing breakdowns meet ferocious riffs and furious vocals - this is hardcore at its most nihilistic and punishing. Album art by Tommy Wilson captures the bleakness perfectly. The band's third release continues their descent into darker, heavier territory.
FFO: Sunami, GEL, Simulakra, Jesus Piece
SKALLAR from Baltimore play raw d-beat crust punk. Their 2026 EP dropped February 27, 2026 with five tracks of furious, metallic aggression. Grinding riffs, relentless d-beat drums, and politically charged fury - this is crust punk/metal done right. Cover art by Jamie Rosier sets the bleak tone perfectly. Fast, filthy, and uncompromising from start to finish.
FFO: KRUELTY, Röntgen, Discharge
VRUST out of Hamburg/Lübeck, Germany play blackened crust with a death metal bite. Their self-titled debut dropped February 23, 2026 with five tracks of dark, aggressive heaviness. This is crust punk meeting black and death metal fury - harsh vocals, grinding riffs, and relentless energy. Recorded by Joso at Bombrec_recording and mixed/mastered by Florian Zeh, the production keeps things raw and filthy. The three-piece tear through nearly 20 minutes of bleak, pummeling intensity.
FFO: Hellshock, Disfear, Celeste
HAMARR out of Indianapolis, Indiana play crushing death metal-infused hardcore. Necrotic Rituals dropped February 27, 2026 with ten tracks of brutal, death-obsessed heaviness. Midwest hardcore meeting old-school death metal - grimy riffs, guttural vocals, and pure aggression. The production is raw and unpolished, recorded and mixed at Champion O.I., giving everything a visceral edge. Guest spots from Alex Cloutier, Seth Bricker, and Kurtis Hall add even more brutality to the mix.
FFO: Gatecreeper, Xibalba, Incendiary, Vamachara
Even if this song sucked (which it most definitely does not), I would have posted this for the cover alone. In other news, everything is fucked. Good luck out there.
I've actually written about this release here before back in Two Thousand Fucking Sixteen! But christ this is fucking good, and it just got put on streaming sites again, so I'm writing about it again. Writhe from Hobart, Australia play fast, aggressive grindcore with powerviolence bludgeoning. It's pretty incredible, especially since it's 1-man project. With raw production, brutal riffs, glorious HM2 usage and relentless speed, this is grind stripped down to its nastiest form.
FFO: Wormrot, Rotten Sound, Nails
Trelkovsky is a relatively new band from the foggy lands of northern Italy. They started playing together a couple of years ago as a duo but recently became a trio. Their style can be described as a heavily black/post-black metal influenced screamo, inspired by the likes of Deafheaven, Bosse-de-nage, Orchid, La quiete, etc. This album Le stesse cose ritornano (which translates to "The same things come back") from last September channels existential dread and life under capitalism with lyrics about identity loss, paranoia, and pain. This is chaotic, heavy, atmospheric, and unrelenting. Please do check it out.
FFO: Jeromes Dream, Ampere, Loma Prieta, Oathbreaker, Birds in Row
Instagram - Facebook - Bandcamp
Perikunta out of Helsinki, Finland play crushing d-beat crust mixed with sludge. Tyhjyyden vanki dropped February 20, 2026 with eleven tracks of darkness - heavy, grinding, and relentless. The album mixes raw crust punk energy with slow, doomy breakdowns that hit you like a sledgehammer. Bleak, aggressive, and uncompromising.
FFO: Tragedy, Wolfbrigade, Rise And Fall