THE LONG ROAD OF A SHORTLIST
Crafting the perfect AOTY list, next try. 2026 Edition, Pt. 1
Usually, at the end of every year, I stand there with my dick in my hand, but without an AOTY list. Which wouldn't be a big drama for the world, but for me it is. Surprised that the year flew by so fast again, while dreadful storms roll in towards the winter solstice, I hectically and exhaustedly scroll through magazines, re-scroll through the entire internet and scrutinize my Swiss-cheese memory, hunting for inspiration. As if it weren't enough that I never manage to deeply, carefully and respectfully revisit the stuff I know, own and love, I also have to join the pathetic but funny contest of who has the sassiest, most eloquent AOTY list, like some weird pissing contest.
So this year I was particularly clever and started the journey in January. I collected the albums I listened to or wanted to check out in Apple Music playlists called "AOTY Shortlist January" and so forth. I put them in one gigantic folder and listen to that ever-growing library on shuffle whenever I can, next to checking out stuff from Deaf Forever, the Doom Charts, recommendations and other random sources. That way I keep coming back to January releases routinely, although we've already entered Q4. Did I mention yet that time flies?
About time to finally get cracking and dismantle the gigantonormous compendium of the greatest albums released in the Year of the Horse, 2026. And while I'm busy sorting that stuff out, 2027 already promises to be metal as fuck, as it's gonna be the Year of the Goat. All hail!
But boy, this year saw a wildfire of releases from my faves: Sleep, Down, Early Moods, Besvärjelsen, Chelsea Wolfe, Metal Church, Flotsam & Jetsam, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Megadeth… fucking Darkthrone, phew. There were also new names shooting straight into my heart: Buzzard, Alatar, Kerrigan, Ritual Arcana, Skullhammer (!). There's ace proggy, spacy, folky extravaganza à la Jordsjø, Fangus and Ozric Tentacles. The Neptune Power Federation! Neil Young! Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats! Hällas! Hellripper! And it's a year of grand rock albums, hard rock at its very finest: Audrey Horne, Europe, The Limit, Hot Machine.
And I might be repeating myself (or not, I have the attention span of a coked-up squirrel), but it's only October, and already October. Two things are true at the same time. There's a lot on the table. And there's still a lot cooking until the end of the year. Fresh off the stove is the new album from my faves in the epic corner of metal: Smoulder. I hold the Canadian-American gang (with a Finnish outpost) dear not only for their thunderous, furious storytelling, but also because they represent a diverse, open, don't-you-dare-call-it-woke metal scene, which suits me just fine. Love Metal, Hate Fascism!
SMOULDER
Witch Wife in an Alien World
Cruz Del Sur · October 9, 2026
Sarah Kitteringham is a heroine in her own right: frontwoman of Smoulder and of a new-ish vibe in metal, painter, author, publisher of an exquisite fanzine, die-hard metal nerd, influencer, eccentric stage persona, speaker of truth:
"KEEP METAL HUMAN AND EMPATHETIC AND WILD AND WEIRD!" That's exactly what's needed in a world in which dumbfucks flood the music market with cheap AI-generated music that might even be "good" in a way, as expected from a supra-human, Super Intelligence bot that has six fingers and a little more processing power than any Natural Intelligence could ever dream of. Certainly though it lacks the blood, sweat, and tears needed to make a great, memorable metal record. Like Smoulder delivered with Witch Wife in an Alien World. In a recent post Sarah not only hammered out the statement above, but also shared her personal views on the album, describing it as "a dense release that reveals more with each listen", which I fully underscore. It's rife with interesting, twisting song structures that refuse to fit in a template for convenient listening on your favorite streaming flat-form. Oh, I'm so funny. The band calls it underproduced on purpose, yet it sounds crisp, organic and warm. I can't wait to hear it spinning on vinyl, the way this music should be experienced. Gently drop the needle, embrace the friendly white noise of the run-in groove and be immersed in this onslaught of Epic Metal hymns and complex compositions.
Here's where I disagree with Sarah: she says her vocals aren't front and center anymore. Mixed a touch lower, maybe, but they're clearly on top: theatrical, expressionist, sharp as a blade. Quorthon nods in appreciation from Valhalla, watching Smoulder forge hymns out of his spirit.
Crush the Neophytes might not be the standout track, for it is every bit as "passionate, wild, ugly, unconventional, and challenging" as proclaimed. But it's easily a candidate for song title of the year, and it stands as an example of the diversity to explore on Witch Wife in an Alien World, and a nod to the Greek influences on this record, which span from Zeus' umpteenth child to Rotting Christ.
Also, like the entire album, it's flipping the finger to those gatekeepers and wannabe coolness police who bang the gavel of judgment over an album minutes after they "listened to" it for 30 seconds on some TikTok reel. This is slow food: gawk at the cover, study the booklet, dive into the story. Not necessarily for people with the attention span of a coked-up squirrel. Hey, I can still work on me. But I definitely can't wait to hold this precious in my hands and finally put it where it belongs. On my record player, and subsequently on my AOTY list.
