Best New Releases February 2026
I'll be the first to admit that I didn't have high expectations for February, but the shortest month of the year ultimately delivered in a big way when it comes to new releases in the heavy underground. In fact, I found myself scrambling to keep up with them and, in the process, I'm sure I missed a few! Here is the cream of the crop, in descending order:
12.) L'Ira del Baccano - The Praise of Folly
Self-described "doomdelic instrumental space prog rockers" L'Ira del Baccano are back with their latest sonic narrative: The Praise of Folly. Here, the quartet continues to deliver their trademark blend of stoner rock, psychedelic rock, prog, space rock, and doom. The Praise of Folly is composed of four tracks, each of which unfurls slowly and ethereally, that is, until it inevitably encounters a fierce bout with the weighty tones of doom. My favorite thing about the album (and about L'Ira del Baccano as a band), is their ability to approach heavier music with a sense of delicacy - taking great care to include soft nuances, complex intricacies, and my personal favorite: captivating spacey moments that add rich details to their well-rounded soundscapes.
Favorite Track: Stigma
11.) Eleanore - Between Here And Anywhere
On their full-length debut Between Here And Anywhere, Eleanore doesn't attempt to reinvent the wheel, something that I often appreciate. The band retains their (noticeably more polished) signature sound, continuing to utilize classic stoner rock intertwined with vibrant alternative rock and murky grunge. This time, some whispers of trippy psych and soulful blues make an appearance here and there.
True to form, the mood of Eleanore's sound vacillates between a pensive, expressive state and feel-good energy via a catchy stoner groove. However, the contrast between these dispositions is infinitely starker than on the band's previous works, as the band offers up their grittiest tones and rawest emotional expression yet.
Eleanore's music likely encompasses the very sounds that filled your teen/young adult years if you're anything like me, but the band's lyricism and expression are marked by the self-reflection, regret, and awareness that time is limited that can only come after a lifetime of good, bad, and ugly experiences.
You can read my quick review here.
Favorite Track: Time
10.) Weedpecker - V
At this point in their career, it only makes sense for Weedpecker to pause and reflect, which is exactly what they did on their fifth album V. While the band continues to expertly meld the heavy and the light on this release, blending rumbling riffs and delicate atmospheres into a homogenous, spellbinding cocktail, V is particularly ethereal. Throughout the album, gossamer threads weave intricate patterns, often passing through some captivating spacey moments, gradually building in density. Not long after reaching peak fortitude, these bulwarks finally give way to a cathartic overspill of emotional expression. The result is an undeniably dreamy but deeply immersive album that, for Weedpecker, encompasses their most personal work to date.
Favorite Track: Mirrors
9.) Mount Palatine - Wormholy World
Finnish trio Mount Palatine brilliantly showcases their ability to expertly blend contrasting sonic textures on their new album Wormholy World. For this sophomore release, Mount Palatine combines malleable psychedelic rock with the coarse textures of stoner metal and the steely resilience of progressive metal, topping it off with raw and unfettered vocals that strain under the authenticity of their expression. Ultimately, this combination creates six longer-form tracks that have a tendency to emulate the images of desert landscapes their sound generates, delivering deceptively serene beauty, intimidating vastness, unrelenting ruggedness, and hypnotic oases...a moving kaleidoscope of the heavy and the light.
Favorite Track: The Sands
8.) Black Toaster - Astrobird
On their latest EP Astrobird, Swiss stoner/heavy rockers Black Toaster deliver their most sophisticated sound to date. The band's increased focus on heavy rock creates a timeless, warm atmosphere that's beautifully emphasized by their analog production. Meanwhile, vibrant alternative rock gives the EP a modern and catchy brightness, while punk and stoner rock deliver a characteristic gritty soundscape. Perhaps best of all, these styles effortlessly bleed into each other and combine so seamlessly that they're often hard to pick apart - the mark of a well-rounded signature sound that Black Toaster has truly made their own.
You can read my review here.
Favorite Track: Astrobird
7.) From Yuggoth - and ever since my paths were crooked and forsaken
From Yuggoth is a doom metal trio from Dresden whose colossal sound is beginning to make some seismic waves here in the stoner/doom underground. The band employs a dense and rumbling brand of doom as their base, a foundation they adorn with epic fantasy. Their repetitive structures are utterly trance-inducing, but the jarring intensity of the band's cataclysmal eruptions keep the listener on their toes. Named for a Lovecraftian planet, From Yuggoth's formidable sound is made especially unique by an understated but discernible infusion of spaciness. You can get lost in the intoxicating heaviness on From Yuggoth's latest album, and ever since my paths were crooked and forsaken.
Favorite Track: Deathlike Living (We Are Alpha)
6.) Stargo - Violet Skies
Stargo brings us their most metal-forward sound to date on their new album Violet Skies, offering up emotionally charged bursts of gritty intensity. At the same time, the band holds fast to their roots by peppering in their trademark spacey psychedelia, alternative rock energy, and stoner rock groove. The result is an evolved but authentic sound that is by far Stargo's most expressive yet.
You can read my review here.
Favorite Track: The Great Machine
5.) Hermano - Clisson, France
Not to be outdone by the sampling of strikingly high-quality live recordings from Hermano on when the moon was high..., Ripple Music has bestowed an entire live album from the legendary stoner/desert rockers upon us: Clisson, France. The album features twelve live tracks from Hermano's 2016 performance at Hellfest, the pulsing notes of which reverberate through your ears and into your brain with velvety smooth quality and palpable energy. This performance marked a reunion of sorts for the band, their first time playing live together in eight years. In spite of having only a few hours to rehearse after arriving in Clisson, Hermano hit the stage with electrifying dynamism, the chemistry between band members, as well as between the band and the audience, evident in every deliciously fuzzy note. I'm not big on live albums - but Hermano is always an automatic exception.
Favorite Track: The Bottle
4.) Kröwnn - Santa Somnia
Kröwnn has been releasing music since 2013, establishing a signature sound rooted in "dark fantasy doom" with stoner metal and heavy psych influences. Heavily inspired by fantasy movies and novels, art, and even video games, Kröwnn's albums are always bewitchingly conceptual and unfailingly epic.
For their fourth album Santa Somnia, Kröwnn adds some well-placed classic and thrash metal influences to their music, along with a few punky moments. This of course only adds even more depth to the band's already immersive brand of storytelling and creates an even heavier, tougher sound.
Favorite Track: You Died
3.) Motorpsycho - The Gaia II Space Corps
Nearly a year to the day after the release of their monumental self-titled album, Norwegian progressive chameleons Motorpsycho are back with yet another stellar collection of spellbinding tracks: The Gaia II Space Corps. While last year's album clearly marked a new beginning for the band, featuring a wide variety of styles and moods delivered in a noticeably expressive manner, The Gaia II Space Corps feels a bit less personal. By that, I simply mean that this album sticks much closer to its conceptual framework, never straying far from its retro space epic theme. Motorpsycho also adheres mostly to a 70s heavy rock-infused style of prog this time around, filling the vibe to the brim with retro groove. True to form, the band's cinematics and stylistic nuances remain razor sharp, relaying a vivid and fast-paced tale that only taps the brakes for two dreamlike interludes that serve to illustrate pivotal moments in the story. In a nutshell: The Gaia II Space Corps is Motorpsycho Theater at its finest.
Favorite Track: Black As Night
2.) Oath - Unteach
Unteach, the new album from Greek doomsters Oath, is a gem from start to finish, offering up a solid slab of classic proto doom sound that could easily have teleported straight in from the genre's peak in the mid-to-late-1980s. You'll hear the thick and hazy riffs we all know and love punctuated by some energetic bursts, occult-themed lyrics, and an appropriately frantic vocal style (think Witchfinder General). Best of all, just when you think you've heard the top song on the album, it only gets better.
Favorite Track: Alucarda 77
1.) Fátima - Primal
Parisian grungy doom rockers Fátima are back with Primal, their fifth album and the final chapter in "The Monsters Trilogy". Here, Fátima adds a plethora of dimension to their signature blend of doom, grunge, and psychedelic rock adorned with intricate Eastern influences. The band also experiments with incorporating some post-punk tones into their music, a fusion that fits in seamlessly while adding discernible moods throughout the album. In keeping up with the "monsters" motif, Fátima fashioned an imposing Sasquatch/Kong creature to grace the cover of Primal and utilized an ice age/prehistoric theme throughout. For me, this is representative of the base carnal instincts and darkness that exist within us all... We're not quite as sophisticated as we think, and that's ok.
You can read my review here.
Favorite Track: Dog Ham
That's it for February! I hope you enjoy these albums as much as I did!
Don't forget to check out this month's Doom Chart where there are forty albums waiting for you to discover, and as always, show your favorite heavy underground artists some much-deserved love!
@doomcakes4 The Screaming from the Heavy Underground Best New Releases of February 2026: My picks for the best new underground stoner/doom releases. More info and Bandcamp links on the blog! #screamingfromtheheavyunderground #doomcharts #stonerdoom ♬ original sound - Doomcakes
Note: You might notice that my typical YouTube video isn't here this time, and that's because I've decided to phase out my video reviews/monthly lists on that platform. I kind of knew this before I started uploading content to YouTube, but I've found the community there to be incredibly immature, closed-minded and, well...toxic...and that's something that I refuse to be part of! So, for the foreseeable future, you'll be able to find all of my video content in the form of reels and short videos on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. I will still keep my YouTube page active, post YouTube shorts about new stoner/doom singles, and will keep my "New Stoner/Doom" Playlist updated.
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