“Love make us something more.“
The starting gun for 2026 has fired, while some have dropped their full releases nice and early into the year, there are many who are just beginning to show what this year may have in stock for them. As teasers and new tracks are released, it primes us for may come. Whether it be Static Dress dropping “human props“, from their expected sophomore full-length or Motionless In White returning to their Creatures‘ era style on “Afraid Of The Dark“. The start of the year is also a place where the absence of new material fills the air, notably around the likes of Loathe and Omerta. Within all this, projects began to form and showcase how they might just be some of the acts who will quietly conquer this year, with some of our favourite singles to open up 2026.
PlasticSkin – It Hurts so Much (factory.rec)
The post-hardcore revival is a gradual thing, but when it truly delivers, the results are sublime. The next in the ranks that showcases this is PlasticSkin with their latest single in “It Hurts So Music”. Blending guitar chords souped up with reverb, with Deftones-esque vocals and harsher vocal moments, it makes for a captivating listen. With a debut EP in A Light Thread Through Dark Cloth making for a solid 2025 release, it only seems fitting that the next entry from PlasticSkin to be a full-length. If “It Hurts so Much” is anything to go by, it could be absolutely incredible. – Joe
FFO: Static Dress, I Promised The World & Loathe
ifellinlovewiththeforest – another winter (Independent)
For a solo project with its first single, “another winter” shows that ifellinlovewiththeforest has the ability to become an underground favourite. Blending shoegaze soundscapes with emo vocals that are backed by atmospheric screamo-esque vocals, it creates for a track that rustles the soul with a deep emotiveness and some grand musicianship. Invoking the sounds and landscapes of cold and isolated winters, it creates a sound that is yearned to be returned to, and one that in time will culminate in something much wider. – Joe
FFO: Blackwater Holylight, trauma ray & Cissné
Consigliere – Nothing Changes (A Memory) (CSL Records)
Consigliere first started to make rumblings when the Manchester hardcore outfit started to open for Going Off and In We Fall. After a few months’ wait, they finally dropped their hard hitting debut track Nothing Changes (A Memory). Including throat destroying screams, loads of breakdowns, and everything you love from UK hardcore, this track is a wonderful tease into what this band has to offer. If this is what they have as their starting point, the world is about to be Consigliere’s oyster. – Anthony W
FFO: Older Cauldron, Pieces of Eden & .wav-core
Giallo – Teeth of Glass (Convulse Records)
Delivering a frantic and utterly chaotic sound, Giallo returns after a three-and-a-bit-year absence. Clearly not losing the touch for their sound, the raspy, barked vocals and chainsaw riffs lead into a sound that is here to rip ears off. As these tracks are performed live, it will be difficult to know whether to two-step, mosh, or simply jump onto somebody. Giallo certainly seems set to be a surprise package for 2026, if these two tracks are anything to go by, and will be a name that the grapevine will be hearing much more of. – Joe
FFO: Perp Walk, CITRUS and Mindless
Nailed Shut – MA Centipede (Independent)
As a genre, nu-metalcore has experienced more frequent highs and lows than almost any other. For every success that a band like Graphic Nature brings, there seems to be a handful that showcase the worst sides of the style. Yet, one group that truly displays the genre in its rawest and finest fashion is Nailed Shut. With a truly caustic sound, vocals that seem intent on summoning the depths, and drums that would provide a fitting soundtrack to the end times, Nailed Shut has created an abrasive cocktail that showcases what the genre should truly be. – Joe
FFO: God Complex, Boundaries & CANDY
Desert Storm – The Woodsman (Heavy Psych Sounds)
This is the second track from Desert Storm’s debut release through Heavy Psych Sounds, and one that indicates it will be their most expansive record yet. Opening with pensive acoustic guitars that become interleaved with their trademark doom style, the vocals are utterly belted at you with the force of nature itself. They’ve also perfected their clean vocals which will lull you in the gentle moments. Desert Storm are an important part of UK doom metal’s post 2010s history, and Buried Under The Weight Of Reason ought to be their best chapter yet. – Dobbin T
FFO: Orange Goblin, early Elder & Yob
Kila Kosa – Bodies (Independent)
London’s metalcore scene seems to be slowly cooking up a beast. With the likes of Sworn and Dygora providing a punchy, snarling sound alongside heavy riffs, the ranks have a new addition in Kila Kosa. With their second track, “Bodies,” now unleashed upon the world, their brand of metalcore – which draws on nu-metal and alternative influences – makes for a listen that will capture the ears of a broad audience. For those based in the capital, Kila Kosa is a band that will soon become a household name in the London scene. – Joe
FFO: Minus Youth, Dagger Threat & Shields
Putrify – Reduced to Ashes (Independent)
As the deathcore revival hits its fever pitch, evidenced by the ascension of PSYCHO-FRAME and the following of acts like Mauled, it is clear that this style is more than here to stay. Whenever a genre rises to the top, it is inevitably followed by a wave of acts channeling that sound, which means the “wheat” must eventually be separated from the “chaff.” Thankfully, newcomers Putridity fully showcase their penchant for the genre; with a muddy production that draws the listener into death metal-styled guitar work, they layer in vocals and drums designed to chew your ears off. – Joe
FFO:Girl Of Glass, Restricted US & Malice
Underkalt – Oath ov Prometheus (Season of Mist)
The post-metal stylings of Unverkalt have been difficult not to be drawn into. The ferocity and sorrow of Dimitra Kalavrezou’s vocals make for an anguished yet encompassing listen. Drawing from other genres such as doom and avant-garde, “Oath Ov Prometheus” creates a complete experience, with every second of its near six-minute runtime serving a purpose within the track’s atmosphere and soundscapes. If this single and the others are anything to go by, their upcoming album, Héréditaire, is set to be an absolute gem. – Joe
FFO: Iress, MØL & Lowen