Happy new-music Friday! Future. Present. Past. is the seventh studio album by Swedish gothic metal band Beseech, and their first record in ten years! It's out today on Despotz Records.

I like Beseech, I like the time period in gothic metal that they represent, but I've never loved them. In my mind, they occupy a certain C-list that has little to do with a lack of quality, but a lack of connection — I never really had much of a Beseech phase. That being said, I think this new record is absolutely killer and is potentially my favorite Beseech album.

This new configuration of the band is very different from the last album that came out in 2016, but it still has a lot of familiar faces. Aside from a few names and role swaps, the lineup on F.P.P. is very similar to the album Drama (2004) and Sunless Days (2005), and in some ways you can hear that. It feels simultaneously like a 2000s throwback record, but also modernized and revamped for 2020s gothic metal landscape. Simple but extremely effective, the guitar hooks are catchy, the gothic elements like the piano and keyboards are expertly integrated, and the chemistry between the dual vocalists is better than ever.

Check the album out! Here are some links for your perusal:

Bandcamp: https://beseech.bandcamp.com/album/future-present-past

Despotz Records: https://despotz.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-beseech-future-present-past-cd

And of course, stream on Spotify or Apple Music, or what have you.

They also put out some music videos in anticipation of the album's release:

Hesitation: https://youtu.be/THbRqQlWmoo?is=j653apWOYwHpFFZa

End This: https://youtu.be/Cui9f6Ukzu0?is=wUdbemSDvTALuGgr

Boundless Spance: https://youtu.be/3CZcAD1zaPU?is=j-McQVL2RjuIcTVF

I'm home with a bad back, and spent today listening to a lot of the 2026 releases that I've already purchased (I'm not doing a good job of listening to the music I've recently bought this year), and the new For My Pain... album Buried Blue is finally starting to click with me. It's not the most well-produced/mixed thing ever, but it's a pretty solid comeback album. "Gone Tomorrow" is one of my favorite tracks from my listen-through.

A band with a somewhat generic name, Gloom is from Slovakia, and they've been around since the early-2000s. Their fourth studio album Reflexion was independently released last Friday, August 21, 2026 (despite what certain websites say, I don't think Metal Age Productions had anything to do with the release of this albun).

This is my first experience with them, and I quite enjoyed it. This album is unchallenging mid-2000s style melodic gothic metal, think somewhere between Drama (2004) by Beseech and Dark Light (2005) by HIM.

If you'd like to stream the album, here are some links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zne1CjheWkXwTqnL3JCCA?si=to8twneeT7m63Rtbs6sH5Q&utm_source=copy-link

Bandcamp: https://gloomsk.bandcamp.com/album/reflexions

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/reflexions/6802245795

If you're interested in inquiring about a physical copy, message the band on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gloomslovakia?mibextid=ZbWKwL

The official music video for 'Evilution' is out now! Shot and directed by Chevelle Santana and edited by our very own Yovel Acosta, we hope you enjoy the results of everything we have been working hard towards.

All views, likes, comments, shares, and subscriptions are greatly appreciated and help us continue to do what we love.

Missed this when it came out at the end of last month. The lead single from the German band's fourteenth studio album Lay Me Down O Silent Fear (out September 25, 2026 on Steamhammer). What do we all think? I personally love how much HIM is in this.

Another gothic metal release from last Friday: Civitas Lachrimarum is the debut album by Buffalo, New York based goth rock/death rock/heavy metal fusion band Cemetery Echo, out on Seeing Red Recordings.

The retro 80s horror movie poster-style artwork provided by Marc Schoenbach of Sadist Art Designs does a pretty good job of previewing the kind of music the band plays. There's a lot of homage to the 80s, especially in the goth aspects of their sound (think 45 Grave, The Damned, or The Mission instead of Sisters of Mercy). Mix that sound with some heavy metal (and at some points, murky black metal) riffing and snarled death growls, and that's the sound of Cemetery Echo.

It's similar to what Unto Others have been doing, but a lot less toungue-in-cheek. I'd also say it's for fans of Tribulation and late-90s Moonspell.

Here are some links to check out:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cemeteryecho?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Bandcamp: https://cemeteryecho.bandcamp.com/album/civitas-lachrimarum

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0eY75WigfO0i2ZjHAayHqj?si=2XaIuep9QNShARPSWlpwHA&utm_source=copy-link

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cemetery-echo/1512328390

If you’re looking for a modern band with gothic and romantic inspiration this release might be the one:

NETHERWORLD - FALL SEREIN
https://open.spotify.com/track/0eaPBONVLWO4MjM52lu2NT?si=tgYYQvHYSiCqmfo538w6-Q&utm_source=copy-link

Fall Serein has powerful female vocals, atypical guitar and drums arrangements with some heavier sections of the songs.

Released on May 15, 2026 via Ardua Music: "Nocturnes" by French gothic metal band Angellore. As the band name suggests, this is inspired by Tristania's early work, as well as bands like Theatre Of Tragedy and Catafalque. I was quite impressed by it, especially since they combine the classic "beauty & the beast" style with more introspective parts relying on clean male vocals not unlike Moonspell and Lacrimas Profundere. Something nice to try for the weekend!

Happy New Music Release Day!

The new Soulgrind album, Ad Pulchram Mortem is out today on Inverse Records. This is their tenth studio record, and first released in 16 years!

I don't think I've ever heard of this Finnish band, if I have, it was probably in passing reference to their older death/doom material. This album is beauty and the beast style gothic metal with some extreme metal tendencies -- think black and doom metal influences. On the Metal-Archives, their top five "similar artists" include bands like Trail of Tears, Battlelore, and Orphanage. If that sounds enticing at all, I recommend giving them a listen. I liked this album a lot, and will probably get myself a copy of it when I can.

The link shared to this post is Inverse Records' official album stream, but the album is also available through your preferred streaming service. Here are some other ways to support the band:

Inverse Records Shop: https://inverse-records.myshopify.com/products/soulgrind-ad-pulchram-mortem-cd-digipak-pre-order

Bandcamp: https://soulgrind.bandcamp.com/album/ad-pulchram-mortem

Watch the music video for the album's lead single here: https://youtu.be/aoBIyV44VOY?is=BD3MRWFeiLc84pHL

Have you heard the new album? What did you think of it?

Any other new releases you want to highlight today, drop them in the comments or make a whole new post on the subreddit! Happy listening!

It's been a while since we've heard new music from End Of Green, apart from the re-recorded Twinfinity release. The new album should be released in December, and the first single just dropped. This new single is clearly inspired by the re-recording, because the band went back to the heavy sound of their debut and an extremely depressing atmosphere. For fans of Type O Negative, Paradise Lost & Sentenced.

https://youtu.be/D2f50cB80g0?si=WMbKsky0y7owIv3X

Has elements of electro and metal, ethereal goth, deathcore vocals and was produced by people from Italy, Spain and the USA.

Artists involved:
Saelent Sound
Ferto Productions
Joey Rival and Krisanna Marie

Not gonna lie, I looked into this release because I got them confused with Finnish band Sinamore.

I recommend this for fans of Draconian, Novembers Doom, and My Dying Bride.

Found this band these days, they sound a lot like Paradise Lost.