Chamber’s newest album this is goodbye… is an all-out assault on the senses in the best way possible. The album is 12 tracks and 30 minutes of absolute chaos, but a controlled chaos that you can follow along to. When this record hit my inbox, I had no clue what I was getting into, as Chamber was a new band to me. After blaring this record on my speakers for a few weeks now, I can say that Chamber fills a void left by Arsonists Get All the Girls and iwrestledabearonce - two bands I dearly miss in the Mathcore scene (yeah, I know iwrestledabearonce needed to die so Spiritbox could be born, but I still miss the chaos). this is goodbye… feels like Jazz time signatures fucking a buzzsaw, and I mean that as a compliment!

Life Cycles is back with another EP, releasing March 27th, 2026, and it’s a welcome addition to my music lineup after getting to listen to it for the past few weeks! No One Escapes Death is what I like to call “all killer, no filler”, with 6 tracks of blistering Thrash Metal that scratch that primal desire for heavy distortion, guttural screams, and guitar solos that are “more shredded than a julienne salad”, to quote the great Kirk Lazarus of Tropic Thunder. You’re in and out in 22 minutes, and each track demands your attention, which is something I can’t say for many records lately. The EP has a good blend of groovy/sludgy riffs that you can bang your head and raise your horns to, as well as faster-paced Thrashy aggressiveness that’ll keep you alert and ready to hop in the pit. I also appreciated that the recording didn’t sound too polished and lab-grown, making this sound more in line with the 80s/90s Thrash Metal you grew up on.

5 years after his previous album, The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, Rob Zombie is back with a new album, The Great Satan, releasing February 27th, 2026. I had the opportunity to listen to this record for the past month, mulling it over and trying to determine whether Rob Zombie fits into my life at the age of 31, and I can honestly say he really doesn’t. My experience with Rob Zombie stems back to his early 90s era, hearing his songs on The Matrix and Twisted Metal soundtracks as well as countless Halloween parties over the years, and I think that’s where his music belongs for me: In the past. The Great Satan does not have memorable tracks like “Dragula”, “Living Dead Girl”, “Superbeast”, “Scum of the Earth”, etc, further making the album less enticing. However, you could argue that Rob Zombie hasn’t written a song with as much staying power as any of those songs in decades now. This album feels like Rob relied on his band to deliver the nuance and intrigue, while Rob just kinda did the same old Rob Zombie thing. The instrumentation feels modern and leans heavier than I would have expected, with the guitar having a nice crunch and the drums driving the songs forward, double bass pummeling often. Meanwhile, Rob sounds like he is stuck in the past and hasn’t evolved much, while his band sounds more contemporary.

Empty Hands mostly plays it safe, but when it ventures beyond expectations, it truly excels. The closing and title track, “Empty Hands,” is a prime example—it’s absolutely brutal, possibly the heaviest song Poppy has ever recorded, and it fucking rips. The blast beats and guitar chugs evoke early Suicide Silence and grindcore bands from the 2000s and early 2010s, while her unclean vocals shred through you like a cheese grater. She manages to slide a clean section in, providing a brief respite before chaos resumes. There’s also an incredibly heavy double-kick section around the 2:30 mark before launching into a nice stank-face-inducing breakdown that I absolutely love. Vocally, Poppy channels the ferocity of bands like Oceano, Whitechapel, and Chelsea Grin, making for a memorable finale.

Genotype is an album with a strong first half (as evidenced by the songs I’m going to highlight here in a moment), but it begins to lose steam once you reach the back 4 tracks. The writing is still strong, but I felt like the momentum started to fizzle out, and I found myself more interested in the first half on subsequent revisits during the review period. Additionally, the clean vocals sound good, but they’re not a style I care much for. Sometimes I felt like I was listening to Dave Mustaine from Megadeth, just with less snarl. The unclean vocals shine more for me on this record, with their rawness and clarity punching through in a way that was satisfying to listen to. While we’re switching gears to the more positive, I also want to call out the drumming and the guitar work on this record. The drumming does a lot of heavy lifting, with many of the songs putting the drums front and center, driving the songs more than any of the other instruments.