Rock This Week
Week 18, 2026 · 2026-04-27 to 2026-05-03
Venom Return After Eight Years with Into Oblivion
Newcastle black metal originators Venom release their 16th studio album, Into Oblivion, on May 1 via Noise/BMG. The 13-track record is the band's first new material since 2018's Storm The Gates and features the long-running lineup of Conrad 'Cronos' Lant on bass and vocals, Stuart 'Rage' Dixon on guitar, and Danny 'Dante' Needham on drums. Lead single 'Lay Down Your Soul' is out now. Founded in 1979, Venom essentially invented black metal as a genre and remain one of the most influential extreme metal acts of all time.
Loathe Announce A Stranger To You, First Album in Six Years
UK heavy progressives Loathe announced their long-awaited new album, A Stranger To You, due July 17 via SharpTone Records. It is the band's first full-length since 2020's breakout I Let It In And It Took Everything and the 2021 instrumental companion The Things They Believe. Lead single 'Revenant' arrived alongside the announcement, featuring Jami Morgan and Eric 'Shade' Balderose of Code Orange under their NOWHERE2RUN moniker.
Ashen Horde Self-Release Fifth Album The Harvest
Los Angeles extreme metal shapeshifters Ashen Horde return on May 1 with their fifth full-length, The Harvest, released independently. The record is the first to feature new vocalist Karl Chamberlain (Putrefier, Alcyone, Necrotic Remains) and continues the band's genre-blurring approach, weaving black metal, death metal, prog, and 90s grit into a single dynamic, thematically unified work. Metal Addicts hosted the full album premiere ahead of release.
Satanic Planet Sign with Relapse Records for Sophomore Album
Experimental metal collective Satanic Planet signed with Relapse Records on April 27 in a joint deal with Three One G Records. The band, founded by Lucien Greaves of The Satanic Temple alongside Luke Henshaw (Planet B), Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle), and Justin Pearson (The Locust, Dead Cross, Deaf Club), will release its yet-to-be-announced sophomore full-length through the partnership.