Five albums from February 2026 that deserve your listening attention!
I am a little late posting this (yeah, I know I said this for the January listing too, but I did also launch my YouTube channel recently), but here are my top 5 releases from February 2026. February featured a lot of great albums, and there were several I would have loved to review that I just didn’t have time for. I reviewed 14 albums released during the month, already curated from a larger list of potentials that didn’t quite hit as hard or I just didn’t have time to review. There were a few obvious top 5 albums and quite a few more under consideration. Here are my 5, in alphabetical order rather than ranked (yes, I will do an end of year ranking, so I can get away with not doing so for now!):
French Swiss doomy post black and neo folk. I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to think on first listen, but I quickly became obsessed. This one draws you in and doesn’t let go.
Norwegian melancholic gothic death doom that is a study of opposing forces done the right way, with blissful melodies colliding with brutal aggression.
One of my favorite symphonic metal releases in quite some time. Heavy, melodic, proggy at times, and utterly amazing vocals.
Symphonic power metal done right, with killer hooks, searing guitar solos, and plenty of speed, but not afraid to experiment and keep things interesting.
De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube – Rituel: Initiation was a surprise for me. I still go back and listen to it. So good!