Metal Hammer's tracks of the week: August 28 2026

In This Moment press 2026
(Image credit: Jeremy Saffer)

Summer might be over (or almost, at least), but the big season for new releases is well and truly upon us. Just today, there's new albums from Mastodon, Beartooth and In This Moment, plus what feels like hundreds of new singles arriving each week. That's exactly what we're here for though, cutting through the clutter to bring you a collection of brilliant new metal songs each week.

First, the results of our last vote! As ever, brand recognition isn't always a guarantee of top placing, though Mastodon still managed a very respectable third place finish in the poll. Above them however were Japanese newcomers Zilqy, who edged into second, while Derby newcomers The Cartographer proved your overall favourite by some way.

It's all to play for this week as we've got more big names returning to the mix in the form of Amon Amarth, Clutch, Imminence and Comeback Kid. But there's still some rising underground talent in there too, so check out the tracks below and don't forget to cast your vote!

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In This Moment - I Want To Believe (ft. Dayseeker)

If any metal band is overdue a TikTok blow-up, it's In This Moment. The industrial outfit have been going for over 20 years now, and their striking visuals and canny earworms have made them a mainstay of the metal scene, but it's not outside the realms of possibility that they'll get a Crowbar-style lift-off at some point. I Want To Believe sees them team up with Dayseeker's Rory Rodriguez for a powerful, atmospheric track.

In This Moment (feat. Dayseeker) - I Want To Believe (Official Music Video) - YouTube In This Moment (feat. Dayseeker) - I Want To Believe (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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Imminence - If Not Now, When

Imminence have gone full Deftonescore. There's no shortage of bands tinkering with heavygaze in 2026, but the Swedish metalcore group's dive into thick, floaty melodies doesn't sacrifice their own unique sound, the violins adding a gorgeous, melancholic tone to If Not Now, When that shows new album Axis Mundi - due October 2 - might be their true breakout moment.

Imminence - If Not Now, When (Official Music Video) - YouTube Imminence - If Not Now, When (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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Comeback Kid - Chosen Hell

Stride with absolute confidence to yet another howler from Comeback Kid. Pounding beats and big riffs make Chosen Hell a real swing-for-the-fences from the Canadians, marking the announcement of their new album - also called Chosen Hell - for a November 6 release date. We'll be keeping our ears out for the planned Courtney LaPlante collab, too.

Comeback Kid - Chosen Hell (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) - YouTube Comeback Kid - Chosen Hell (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) - YouTube
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Amon Amarth - Eight Legs Of Thunder

Thor might have a hammer, but he doesn't have an eight-legged steed, does he? That's the topic of Amon Amarth's latest melodeath banger, Eight Legs Of Thunder appropriately powered by a galloping riff and the distinct sense the Swedes are having the time of their lives on new album The Allfather Awakens, coming October 2.

Amon Amarth - Eight Legs of Thunder (Official Video) - YouTube Amon Amarth - Eight Legs of Thunder (Official Video) - YouTube
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Turnstile - Birds (Dying Fetus version)

#WhynotDyingFetus indeed. On a remix album that features appearances from Elton John and Hayley Williams, the biggest left-turn is surely Birds being 'reimagined' by Dying Fetus. It's gloriously short and to-the-point, bringing to mind DF's earlier grindcore-adjacent material.

TURNSTILE - BIRDS: DYING FETUS VERSION - YouTube TURNSTILE - BIRDS: DYING FETUS VERSION - YouTube
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Kamelot - Sanctuary (feat. Clémentine Delauney and Ignacia Fernández)

Kamelot know their way around an epic composition. Their new album Dark Asylum is positively packed with 'em, but with guest appearances from Visions Of Atlantis' Clémentine Delauney and Decessus's Ignacia Fernández, they've expanded their repertoire impressively on this new track, making great use of melody and Ignacia's brutal howls.

KAMELOT - "Sanctuary" featuring Clémentine Delauney & Ignacia Fernández - YouTube KAMELOT -
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Burner - Accelerationist

If you're in the market for something fierce and nasty, you'd do well to give Burner's Accelerationist a spin. Lumbering, limb-swinging hardcore meets guttural death metal in a whirligig of violent intent. Taken from new album No One Is Coming To Save Us - out September 25 - it's sure to scratch an itch for underground brilliance.

Burner - Accelerationist [Official audio] - YouTube Burner - Accelerationist [Official audio] - YouTube
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Maple’s Pet Dinosaur - Child’s Play

Quite literally the next gen of talent, Australia's Maple's Pet Dinosaur has been signed by Warner Music at just 15 years old. Child's Play - the title track of her upcoming debut EP - gives an insight as to why, the track taking horror aesthetics and pulsing riffs to create something unique and striking.

Maple's Pet Dinosaur - Child's Play (Official Music Video) - YouTube Maple's Pet Dinosaur - Child's Play (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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Clutch - The Drifter Returns

In a week that's robbed us of legends, it's good to have some of the old reliables come back as fiesty and fierce as ever. The Drifter Returns is a slick, punchy Clutch song in the vein of Earth Rocker or X-Ray Visions. There's no word on when we'll get a new album just yet, but this has us excited nonetheless.

Clutch - The Drifter Returns (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube Clutch - The Drifter Returns (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube
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Black Spikes - Dulkés

Lithuania's Black Spikes released their new album Ydos this week, and Dulkés shows off their unique sound. There's an odd, slightly off nursery rhyme quality to the song to start with, but when the band flex their more aggressive side they hit with pure nightmare-fuel force.

BLACK SPIKES - DULKĖS (Official Video) | Napalm Records - YouTube BLACK SPIKES - DULKĖS (Official Video) | Napalm Records - YouTube
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Love Is Noise - Smile

Bounding into life, Love Is Noise have announced their new EP The Space Between Happiness And Heartache for an October 9 release with the infectious Smile. The heavygaze markers are unmistakeable, but the band also inject so much energy and enthusiasm it's hard not to want to leap about the room with joyous abandon.

Love Is Noise - smile. (feat. Casper Frisk of PALESKIN) - YouTube Love Is Noise - smile. (feat. Casper Frisk of PALESKIN) - YouTube
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I Helvete - Nälkätalvi

If you didn't gather from our recent albums of 2026 round-up, black metal is having a stellar year. You can add I Helvete to the pile, if Nälkätalvi is anything to go by. The Finnish band have been through some line-up turbulence as of late, but this new single sees them asserting a ferocious and classic take on the BM sound, laying just enough melody atop a bedrock of frosty, furious extremity.

i Helvete - Nälkätalvi (Track Premiere) - YouTube i Helvete - Nälkätalvi (Track Premiere) - YouTube
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Rich Hobson

News editor for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn't fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online. He's as happy digging up new bands from around the world and covering scenes in countries like Morocco and Estonia as he is covering world-conquering acts like Sleep Token, Black Sabbath and Deftones. 

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