Mini-Reviews From Around the Bowl (3/5/26)
A smorgasbord of bite-sized reviews.
Converge – Love Is Not Enough
Deathwish, Inc. | February 13th, 2026
Metalcore institution Converge returns with their first non-collab record in almost ten years, Love Is Not Enough, which finds their visceral and agitated take on hardcore punk meets Slayer riffs and math-y tendencies still powerful in the big ’26. Lyrically, Jacob Bannon is hitting the modern political zeitgeist with a refreshing amount of literalism – commenting on the helplessness and angst of a societal moment of weakness. Tracks like “Bad Faith,” “Amon Amok” and “Gilded Cage” speak on a culture of grifters, liars, authoritarians, and the rest of us caught in the fray. Musically, Kurt Ballou, Ben Koller, Nate Newton, sound as immense and impactful as ever. The record is split down the middle with an interlude evocative of mid-career Nine Inch Nails, with side A being heavier on the hardcore elements and side B being a heavier, sludgier affair. The various punks in the audience will recognize the (presumably intentional) parallel to the iconic Black Flag record My War. No matter how you slice it, Love Is Not Enough is another crazy tight and powerful collection of songs from one of metal’s most consistently fiery and exciting groups. – Sean Ghoulson
Femtanyl – Man Bites Dog
Independent | February 13th, 2026
I was very lucky to be able to see the digital hardcore/hardcore breaks project Femtanyl live, opening for Danny Brown along with Underscores, at the tail end of 2025. Surrounded at all sides by excited fans all (accidentally) batting each other with their furry tails (no hate, if anything I was the weird one in that setting), I was sort of surprised to see that project mastermind Noelle Mansbridge was joined by other musicians for the set – not realizing that Femtanyl is now a multi-person project. She’s joined by Juno Callender for this debut LP, Man Bites Dog, a record that trades in some of the more footwork-adjacent influences of the prior EPs, Chaser and Reactor, for a sound that emphasizes the hardcore (EDM) aspect of the project. That aside, this first full-length is more of what you’d want from Femtanyl – transfem rage meeting internet age soundfonts and angst with plenty of breakbeats. It’s maybe a bit less dance-y than previous works, but it’s still fucking fantastic and heavier than it has any right to be. Highly recommended to anyone who though Twitch-era Ministry or Atari Teenage Riot were too straight coded. – Sean Ghoulson
Sinking In – Testimony
Independent | January 12th, 2026
There’s been a number of “new” hardcore bands that have come to prominence over the past few years. The one-word band names that sound more like hard rock with some yelling, bad grunge aesthetics, and even worse facial hair. That’s not the older hardcore sound I want. What I want is Sinking In’s Testimony. The Connecticut hardcore band’s EP sounds like it was born in a dusty VFW in the early 00’s and I am here for it. Fast, energetic punkish hardcore with clear, purposeful vocals help separate Sinking In from the generic hardcore of today. Longtime fans of the scene will instantly hear the influence of bands like With Honor, Comeback Kid, and Love Is Red. It’s been so long since that style was the new thing that it is now refreshing to hear. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to 2-step my way down I-95 to New Haven to throw down some spinkicks. – 365 Days of Horror
Ensanguinate – Death Saturnalia
Soulseller Records | February 6th, 2026
If you enjoyed the musical stylings of Watain and Dissection at any point in your metal fandom but just can’t live with their moderate to outright sketchiness, I have great news for you. Slovenia’s Ensanguinate are back with their second album, Death Saturnalia, and it’s a rich smorgasbord the precise kind of blackened melodic death metal that we might have enjoyed before our metal community collectively grew a conscience. Although Death Saturnalia is distributed by Season of Piss outside of North America, Ensanguinate seems to be sketch-free and it’s a relief because this album is an absolute ripper. Songs like “Angel of a Thousand Poisons” and “Rooted In Accursed Ground” have melodic tremolo riffs played at breakneck speeds, bouncy thrash-inspired riffs that are downright addictive, and a production that is the right balance of raw and discernible. It’s the touches of 70’s inspired dramatic flair that pushes the album over the top, not unlike something you’d expect to hear from Tribulation. Check out the penultimate “The Whip and the Pendulum,” particularly the cool organ part in the last few minutes to see what I’m talking about. Death Saturnalia is a really fun record to listen to front to back; Ensanguinate switches gears effortlessly and they’re most potent when they lean away from the already well-trodden territories of the bands that they’re modeled after. – Voided Grimace
Human Error – Sour Chalk Water
Independent | February 13th, 2026
Hailing from New Jersey, Human Error is a fairly new post-hardcore band that have dropped their second EP and they both honor the west coast’s long standing tradition of hardcore music, but with something of a modern twist and a smorgasbord of various influences. The band’s particular sound is the more modern and atmospheric brand of post-hardcore, varied vocals that go from classic hardcore screams to emotional singing and appropriately metallic riffs without crossing into metal outright, however, the most unique part of their sound is how they incorporate alternative metal and shoegaze within the framework of post-hardcore, and the end result is a brief but very beefy record that’s as dreamy as it is hard hitting. While some may see this as another new band following in the steps of Deftones or Turnstile but for what it is, this is still a good couple of songs with a consistent and unique style to keep your ears perked, more so when these guys eventually make an LP, cuz at 3 songs they sure pack a punch. — Falxifer
