New & Noteworthyis Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This week finds albums from the likes of Megadeth, Poppy, The Format, Crystal Lake, The Damned, Goldfinger and Rotting Christ amongst the many outstanding works hitting shelves. Don’t forget to check out our weekly playlist below. Enjoy!
January 23, 2026 Release Highlights:
Megadeth, Megadeth (Tradecraft):
The thrash metal stalwarts call it a career with the release of their 17th and final studio album. Check out our review here.
Poppy, Empty Hands (Sumerian):
The singer’s seventh studio effort features “industrial elements, pop sensibilities and moments that call back to Poppy’s surrealist roots with her signature uncanny, machine-like voice.”
The Format, Boycott Heaven (The Vanity Label):
The indie-pop duo (featuring Nate Ruess of fun.) return for their first new album in nearly two decades.
Crystal Lake, The Weight of Sound (Century Media):
The Japanese metal band releases their sixth studio effort and first in nearly eight years. According to Chaoszine, the album “pushes their typical soundscape further than ever before, balancing razor‑sharp metalcore, crushing deathcore elements, atmospheric electronics, and immersive melodic passages.”
The Damned, Not Like Everybody Else (earMusic):
The legendary punk band celebrate their 50th anniversary, as well as the life of original guitarist Brian James, with a 10-track covers album tackling tracks from Iggy & The Stooges, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and more.
Goldfinger, NINE LIVES (Big Noise):
The ska-punks release their ninth studio effort, which “draws from the band’s established sound while incorporating a modern production perspective honed through constant creative progression.”
Rotting Christ, AEALO (Re-Recorded) (Season Of Mist)
The Greek extreme metal band celebrates its 35th anniversary with a completely re-recorded version of their 2010 album.
Vreid have unveiled a new instrumental single, "Kraken," written as the official soundtrack piece for the upcoming international film of the same name. The track taps into the band's blackened Sognametal roots, inspired by the mythology and landscapes of Norway's...
Dutch progressive metal veterans Textures are back with Genotype, their long-awaited new album, out today (23rd). Serving as a conceptual counterpart to 2016’s Phenotype, Genotype isn’t a continuation so much as a reset, written entirely from scratch and self-produced...
The overall seventeenth, self-titled album marks the beginning of the end for Megadeth. Dave Mustaine deserves credit. That part isn't up for debate. Getting kicked out of Metallica, starting over, and building Megadeth into one of the defining bands of American...
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. Amongst the many outstanding works hitting shelves this week are new releases from the likes of Sleaford Mods, Greywind, Kreator, Soen...
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This week counts new music from the likes of Alter Bridge, The Protomen, Zu Beyond The Black and Bullet 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. Kicking off 2026, this week’s new music includes albums from the likes of Excavated Graves, Fuath, Wildhunt and Dawnbreaker amongst the...
