The Weekly Injection: New Releases From ULVER, ALTER BRIDGE & More Out The Weeks Of 1/2 Thru 1/9

The first Weekly Injection of the year includes two weeks work of experimental stuff, hardcore stuff and more stuff! To the metals…

The week of January 2nd…

Ellende – Zerfall

Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Origin: Austria
Label: AOP

Buy now on Bandcamp

Roaring into 2026 we have some sad and evil jams from Ellende. Fans of Harakiri for the Sky and/or Lantlôs should jump on this if you're not already on board. Plenty of blasting and such, but this shines when things get a bit more experimental.

Paleface Swiss – The Wilted

Genre: Hardcore/nu-metal
Origin: Zürich, Switzerland
Label: Self-released

Buy now from Paleface Swiss

Next up is a brief assault of an EP. A lot of ground is covered over the five tracks. The hardcore foundation is rolled out then over the top nu-metal grooves, deathcore fury, and some catchy bits that oddly remind me of that brief-lived band Wild Throne.

Ulver – Neverland

Genre: Ambient/electronic
Origin: Oslo, Norway
Label: House Of Mythology

Buy now on Bandcamp

This was dropped on New Year's Eve as a sorta surprise release. It's perhaps the most chill thing Ulver has ever released and yet, it's so compelling. Your biggest down-tempo pop stars would kill for these beats.

Also dropping the week of January 2nd…

• Capillary – In Rememberance (51st State Records) – Emo
• Enemy Awake – Rotten Soul (Self-released) – Thrash/melodic death metal
• Excavated Graves – Life Isn't For Everyone (Selfmadegod) – Death metal
• Fuath – III (Northern Silence) – Atmospheric black metal
• Hologramah – Abyssus.Versus.Versiculos. (Living Temple) – Black metal
• Wildhunt – Aletheia (Jawbreaker) – Thrash

The week of January 9th…

Alter Bridge – Alter Bridge

Genre: Hard rock/alternative metal
Origin: Orlando, Florida
Label: Napalm

Buy now from Bandcamp

Somehow as Creed made their return, the instrumentalists in the band still had time to put together another Alter Bridge record. As always Myles Kennedy soars and Mark Tremonti shreds. I'm not an Alter Bridge expert to know how this stands up in their catalog, but it's a solid rock record.

Iotunn – Waves Over Copenhell

Genre: Progressive/melodic death metal
Origin: Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark
Label: Metal Blade

Buy now on Bandcamp

In 2023 Iotunn played Copenhell in their native Copenhagen, Denmark and documented the evening. Honestly, that's bold since they only had one record (Access All Worlds) out at the time. though one song was on a forthcoming record. However, they're a live force, so they showed me.

Lionheart – Valley Of Death II

Genre: Metallic hardcore
Origin: Oakland, California
Label: Arising Empire

Buy now from Arising Empire

Lionheart's latest feels manufactured to fuck people up in a pit. The sequel to 2019's Valley of Death is all grooves and headbanging. They've got friends from Kublai Kahn TX and A Day To Remember to help as well.

Also dropping the week of January 9th…

• Beyond The Black – Break The Silence (Nuclear Blast) – Symphonic metal
• Bite Down – Violent Playground (Prime Collective) – Heavy metal/metalcore
• Bullet – Kickstarter (Steamhammer) – Heavy metal
• Chaos Revealed – Foretold In Ashes (Self-released) – Melodic death metal
• Deadwood – Rituals Of A Dying Light (Innerstrength Records) – Deathcore
• Ectovoid – In Unreality’s Coffin (Everlasting Spew Records) – Death metal
• For My Pain… – Buried Blue (Rainheart Productions) – Gothic metal
• Krushor – Taste Of Hatred (Inverse Records) – Thrash
• Läjä Äijälä and Albert Witchfinder – Circle Of Pain (Svart) – Rock
• The Medea Project – Live At Dingwalls (Self-released) – Doom/sludge
• Nanowar Of Steel – The Genghis Khan EP To End All Genghis Khan EPs (Napalm) – Heavy/comedy metal
• Nighnacht – Limb Service (Morbid And Miserable Records / Pagan Fury Records) – Black/death metal
• Oraculum – Hybris Divina (Invictus Productions) – Death metal
• Orchid Throne – Buried In Black (Self-released) – Doom
• Push! – Plowing Ahead (Frozen) – Hardcore/crossover
• Redivider – Sounds Of Malice (Self-released) – Death metal
• Sardonic Allegiance – Coast II (Self-released) – Melodic black metal
• Semper Acerbus – Following Omens (Eclipse) – Metalcore
• Stranguliatorius – Flies Don't Lie (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions) – Grindcore
• Uuhai – Human Herds (Napalm) – Folk metal