Today was a day I had been looking forward to for some time, and it didn’t disappoint. Why?

• …Because Fire in the Mountains announced the first wave of bands for 2026. So far next year’s festival will include Enslaved, Yob, Borknagar, Sigh and more. Yes, it’s already a stacked lineup. Yes, there are many more bands still to be announced. It’s going to incredible. Again. Hope to see you in the mountains!
• What else is happening today, and does it matter? Yeah, probably. For instance, Soulfly released a music video for “No Pain = No Power”, marking the release of their 13th studio album. Chama is out through Nuclear Blast.
• North Carolina death metal outfit Blackwater Drowning are releasing their new full-length, Obscure Sorrows, on February 27th through Bleeding Art Collective and Blood Blast Distribution. Check out a video for “Eye Of The Storm” here.
• Garde have set the release date for their debut album, Harbinger of Revenge and War. That will be out on November 28th through Heidens Hart Records and “Marked by the God” is available for streaming now.
• And we’ll round out the week with some atmospheric post-metal. A visualizer for “Feels Like Flying” from Blackshape is available below. Their new EP, Prismer I, is out through Papercut Recordings.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb