This seven minute track telling “the story of a desperate struggle to survive in a post apocalyptic future” feels particularly pointed at the time of release, at the beginning of 2026. Dropped into the middle of a struggling world, the number finds Finnish prog metallers Dust Orchard in a particularly aggressive and nihilistic mood.
By opening with an absolutely thunderous drum part, ‘The Grave Vacation’ by Mourning Wood instantly grabs the attention. Then, with the addition of a jagged rhythm guitar, the band powers forth with a huge sound that places the best aspects of 80s metal into a slightly more contemporary arrangement that shows off their sense of force with some instantly classic riffs.
Afternoon Astronauts is a relatively new name for 2025, but ahead of the release of their debut album, their single ‘Times Like These’ suggests that the band are about to click with an audience of melodic, heavy riff lovers in a rather big way.
With a new name being touted almost weekly, it seems as if Finland has more metal bands per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. That said, there’s always room for more, and today, Obscure Fate release their debut single ‘Age of Delusion’, a solid sounding number, bringing together elements of 80s melodic metal, light goth overtones and melodic death metal aspects.
When a band advertises themselves as crossing genres, their reasoning and chosen styles can sometimes appear quite obvious. The world has seen a vast amount of rap metal and ska punk blends. The marriage between country and rock is a hugely natural one, and also the decision to give folk a bit more muscle with the assistance of indie and rock often works really smoothly. What if a band decided to chuck a load of different styles together without any thought to how naturally they would work together? Chances are, you’d discover a musical landscape like the one inhabited by Finnish musicians Super Glue Anxiety – a band who aren’t easing anyone into a world of weird gradually, but choosing to hit their audience between the ears with a cocktail of oddity on their debut album with zero regard for commercial potential.