New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This Halloween saw new music from the likes of Avatar, Aephanemer, Despised Icon and Primitive Man, as well as an early holiday EP from The Pretty Reckless, amongst the many outstanding works that hit shelves. Don’t forget to check out our weekly playlist below. Enjoy!
October 31, 2025 Release Highlights:
Avatar, Don’t Go in the Forest (Black Waltz):
According to frontman Johannes Eckerstrom, the band’s 10th studio album is “filled to the brim with stuff we’ve never done before. It’s all songs and concepts we haven’t been close to touch until now. The mind is wild and we have lost ourselves in the darkest woods, filled with memories, and fantasies. Forbidden thoughts that must be spoken.”
Aephanemer, Utopie (Napalm):
The French melodic death metal band said of their fourth studio album, “we set out to create a sound that brings together the elements we‘ve always loved – the intensity of melodic death metal and the depth of classical music. We spent a lot of time shaping melodies, drawing inspiration from polyphonic writing, and building orchestral arrangements that feel both powerful and natural to us.” Check out the track-by-track breakdown Aephanemer did with Metal Insider here.
Despised Icon, Shadow Work (Nuclear Blast):
The deathcore band’s seventh studio effort is described as their most “fine-tuned and dynamic effort to date, balancing relentless speed, crushing grooves, and morbid melodies, while remaining true to their signature blend of extreme death metal and hardcore grit.” Read our review here.
Primitive Man, Observance (Relapse):
The doom metal band’s fourth studio album finds them at their most “crushing,” exploring both their experimental and heavy sides. According to their Bandcamp, it’s “a challenging record, demanding the listener’s attention at every turn.”
Taylor Momsen, Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas EP (Digital)(Fearless):
Momsen and company get ready for the holidays early with four brand new rock-heavy Christmas tunes and a cover of “Where Are You Christmas” to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her role as Cindy Lou Who in ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas.’
Mayhem have unveiled a visualizer for their new single, "Despair." The track is taken from their upcoming album, Liturgy of Death, scheduled to arrive on February 6, 2026. Nearly four decades into their career, Mayhem frame death not as an ending but as an inevitable...
A few weeks have flown since we shared 37 albums recently announced. Since then there’s now 2059 New & Noteworthy metal releases on record this year. In the fast-moving world of new music, missing even a week means missing countless new songs and album...
Rob Zombie has unleashed a video for his latest single, “Heathen Days.” The track is taken from his upcoming album The Great Satan, scheduled to arrive on February 27th via Nuclear Blast Records. Watch the clip below and pre-order the album here:
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This final week of November sees releases from the likes of Excide, Blut Aus Nord, Plosivs and Equilibrium amongst the many outstanding...
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This week will see the release of Aerosmith and Yungblud’s collaborative EP and a holiday album from Stryper, as well as new works from...
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This week saw new albums from the likes of Cheap Trick, The Devil Wears Prada, Mezzrow and Of Mice & Men amongst the many...
