Still sneering, still snarling and more ferocious than ever. A year on since their debut, capital city dwellers Clobber return with their new EP Yesterday’s Heroes, Tomorrow’s Snide.

Dripping with a wealth of mythology, Norwegian legends Enslaved embark once again, on an esoteric journey into the unknown with their newest offering, Heimdal.

Music is evolving and blurred are the lines of separation that once stood so defiantly between conflicting sub-genres.

Amid the rising popularity of medieval period dramas, films and computer games there’s also been a steadily increased interest in the traditional music of those bygone eras. Story weavers Skáld attempt to transport us, bringing to life the distant past, regaling us with Scandinavian folk tales in the form of their new album, Huldufólk.

Requiring no introduction and even surpassing the size of their namesake, Behemoth return once more with another imposing chapter of savage blasphemy.

Whilst Scotland has more than its fair share of stereotypes, especially those created by their noisy southern neighbours, it’s a country absolutely bursting with its rich own history and folklore that far extends beyond the view of Edinburgh castle.

Though it may not play host to snow-capped mountains and ancient, dense fir forests, Australia has still managed to export some absurdly cold and merciless black metal over the years. Melbourne-based collective Thrall made their return to the recording studio for the first time in nearly seven years in order to bring us their new full length album, Schisms.

There’s an old saying that ‘no man is an island’ so let it also be said that ‘no one man does a band make’, meaning that a band must work together as a unit to achieve their goals. But – and that’s a big but with an extra thicc ‘B’, it may also be said that one man’s contributions to said band may also have an adverse effect on the music they create.

Despite coming from a background as abrasive as Norwegian black metal, Abbath has found himself becoming something of a household name. Be it through internet memes or the fact that he’s a seasoned veteran, Abbath’s third full-length release Dread Reaver may well divide or cause friction amongst fans.

Whilst extreme and black metal bands often come with additional baggage in the form of controversy, Stockholm’s Dark Funeral are often overlooked since they’ve managed to avoid being weighed down with too much drama thus far. Sure there’s been the odd royalties based court case, countless line-up changes and a small feature in an adult film but other than that, Dark Funeral have always put the music first.

Shrouded in mystery and relative anonymity, garage punk outfit DBoy released their new four track EP Post Modern Trash into the wild and wild it is indeed.

Whilst the world appears to be chaotically unravelling before our eyes, Japan’s Mono offer us a moment of calm with their new EP Scarlet Holiday.