Locus Noir – Shadow Sun (2026) – Review

Locus Noir - Shadow Sun - Album Cover

2026 seems to turn into an interesting year in rock ‘n’ metal. And it may well be the out-of-the-box section of our musical universe that will take on some weight this time. And in truth, sometimes one needs a hefty counterweight to the endless supply of beastly metal that the underground ceaselessly regurgitates.

So, why not some gothically tainted rock (and metal) that seems to reach us straight from the past? Melancholy writ large on yet another canvas of the dead and dying, with a whiff of that graveyard smell. Shadowy greetings from a sun weeping tears, but not of … [...] Click to raid more!

Red Cain, where art thou? A Tribute.

Red Cain 2026

Red Cain has been with us off and on for some time. The RMR crew first got wind of this Calgary-based outfit back in 2016, some 10 years ago, when their self-titled EP aired. It was a funky piece and somewhat new territory for a still young-ish zine. But, truly, the power prog fueled flamboyance and outstanding musical prowess started to impress us back then already. A trend that continued over the years and to this day.

RockmusicRaider - Red Cain - Kindred: Act I - Album Cover

But then, some three years later, in 2019, the outfit hit our roster with Kindred: Act I, a record that still plays … [...] Click to raid more!

Dusk – Bunker (2026) – Review

Dusk - Bunker - Album Cover

Blackened, disjointed, and unsettingly smelly items already graced our review pipe in the past, no doubt. Need an example? It was only last year, to be precise. Magnadur was the act’s name, and they hit rock bottom with us not once, but twice in 2025. An anal avalanche of Synthwave-imbued pseudo metal shards to crush yer opponents. Or something. You really need to let that one sink in for a while. Utter self-destruction, because of – well – an inability to harness one’s own psychedelic ideas and turn them into something coherent.

And that’s all the more frustrating because the … [...] Click to raid more!

Domhain – In Perfect Stillness (2026) – Review

Domhain - In Perfect Stillness - Album Cover

Let’s think out of the box for a moment, shall we? I was bitching at someone lately who thought that the trve spirit of Black Metal has gone missing. And by that the commentator probably meant those early days when churches were burning and murders committed in a daemonically confused frenzy of bible studies gone astray. Well, things are a bit more complex than that.

You still got the choirboys of the underworld, such as Darkend or Corpus Diavolis that blatantly indulge in tall tales contained in dusty, old books concocted by – someone in the annals of time. And … [...] Click to raid more!