It's been a while since I posted so lots to catch up on! It's been a great year for new music in 2026 and there's lots on the horizon with new releases so without further delay, I give you some of my favorite songs of 2026 so far!
Noveria - Convicted to Rise.
Italy's Noveria returns with a revamped line up including new singer Francesco Marino and Francesco Mattei brings his vision for Noveria on full display with Convicted to Rise. Symphonic Power Metal never sounded so good. The new release is slated for an August 21st on Scarlet Records and if this is any indication it's a solid bet to be near the top of the list for AOTY. Already one of my favorite songs from Noveria's catalog.
So a small confession here, I've never been a huge fan of Draconian's gothic doom style. I'm not sure why, especially after listening to Cold Heavens. It's right up there as one of the favorite tracks of 2026 so far. Definately going to have to revisit their back catalog after listening to their 2026 release.
Tyrant - Into The Light
Tyrant are a local melodic thrash band an hour north of my home so I was anxiously awaiting their 3rd albums. All I can say is WOW, This band really raised the bar on this!!! Into the Light is a great song and Paul Winters vocals sound so amazing on this release. I'm excited to see what this band will do on the national and international stage once word gets out about how amazing Emergo is! So far its a top 5 album for me! Highly recommended for fans of Witherfall and Sanctuary.
Sellsword - Mighty Mercenaries
I kid you not, I was scrolling though Reels and this one came up that said we don't care if this gets 341 views and then dies as long as one person likes what they hear. Newsflash, I think more than one person is going to like what they hear. In fact, If the rest of the album is a good as the two singles it's going to be another serious contender for 2026's AOTY. Pure Power Metal at it's finest.
