Harbinger’s Killer Picks – February 2026

Another month of winter is behind us and it’s the last Saturday of February, so it must be time for the Harbinger’s Killer Picks! Some really fun albums for you this month. Without further ado, I shine the spotlight on five LPs this month.

First, the UK’s Tailgunner led an all-out attack on February 6^th via Napalm Records on their sophomore album, Midnight Blitz. This is old school British metal at its finest, folks. I only recently became aware of Tailgunner via their awesome rendition of Metallica’s “Hit the Lights” featured on the No Life ‘til Leather - A Tribute to Metallica's Kill ‘Em All released last November. I then proceeded to take their 2023 debut LP, Guns for Hire, for a spin and really liked what I heard. This was a band I would put on my radar going forward. Within the span of two short months, a couple of singles from their follow-up LP were released, followed by the Midnight Blitz LP itself and, man, they really went all-out on this one! Majestically produced by former Judas Priest axeman KK Downing, this record oozes classic metal with its every fiber. The quintet, led by charismatic frontman Craig Cairns, plays a perfect mixture of Priest meets Maiden and the guitar prowess of Rhea Thompson is nothing short of spectacular. If we break it down, the four singles released so far all showcase different aspects of the band’s music: the title track and first single already feels like a classic metal anthem, where Cairns sounds a bit like the Scorpions’ Klaus Meine; the second single, “Tears in Rain”, is both an homage to Blade Runner and a metal ballad just like in the olden days; the grandiose third single, “Eulogy”, is a multi-layered song and certainly a highlight of the album; and their fourth and latest single, “War in Heaven”, featuring Adam Wakeman on keyboards, is epic and powerful and my pick for best track of the LP. After that, there are still six phenomenal songs left to round out Midnight Blitz, including gems like the kick-ass “Follow Me in Death”; the short and sweet “Dead Until Dark”; and another superb song on their recurring theme of Bombers, “Night Raids”. Midnight Blitz is a more polished album than its predecessor and it’s all hits, no misses for this hard-working band. I see great things to come for them in the future. Mark my words, Tailgunner will EXPLODE in 2026! A sure-fire contender for the Top Albums of the Year list. Welcome to the Revolution!

Napalm Records’ Bandcamp page for Tailgunner

Second, Raleigh, North Carolina’s adventure metal quintet Mega Colossus will unleash their fifth LP, Watch Out!, on March 6^th via the Cruz Del Sur Music label. This is the first time I’ve heard of “adventure metal” and you know what, that term suits this band perfectly! They have a unique sound to them, churning out fantasy-themed lyrics, intricate guitar playing along with melodic vocal harmonies. I’d never heard of Mega Colossus but the band has been around for twenty years and from what I gather, they seem to have a rabid following. The LP’s title, Watch Out!, is an homage to Ronnie James Dio’s famous line “Look out!” often found in his lyrics, from his tenure with Rainbow to Sabbath to his band Dio. If there’s one thing that stands out in this record is that the boys are truly having fun playing metal. The opener, “The Bad Thing”, is one of the record’s best songs, followed by the first single, the sing-along, sci-fi themed “Battlefront”. The second single, “Tag in Your Friend”, while melodic and breezy, didn’t particularly grab me. “Good Hunting” is a catchy mid-tempo tune but it goes on for a tad too long. This is my main issue with this record; half of the songs on here overstay their welcome. That’s a lot for a 7-track, 45-minute album. The ambitious “The Halls of Mystikos” is a pretty solid song but overall suffers from that 7-minute runtime. “Here Lies You” is in my opinion the strongest track of the LP and my favourite, with its intricate instrumentation and prog leanings channelling Yes. The Dio-inspired “Bloodless” is a decent closer, but also the lengthiest track running at over 8 minutes; it drags on far too long for my taste. Cut two minutes out and it’d be a much tighter song. But that’s just my two cents; I have a feeling fans of Mega Colossus will really dig those longer tunes. In the end, Watch Out! is a mixed bag for me. Mega Colossus is clearly a group of talented musicians and singer putting their own original spin on the tried-and-true traditional metal formula and for that, I applaud them. Still, I’d recommended the LP to long-time fans of the band and metal aficionados as well as it’s worth listening to.

Mega Colossus on Bandcamp

Third, American heavy metal supergroup Axe Dragger will release their self-titled debut LP via the mighty Ripple Music on March 6^th. Composed of Pantera’s first vocalist, Terry Glazer, along with Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch, ex-Pentagram drummer Pete Campbell, and Dark Funeral bassist Fredrik Isaksson, Axe Dragger is an old school heavy metal album. I’d personally describe this first offering as metal that leans more on the side of heavy rock than traditional metal. Bob Balch’s signature guitar sound is present throughout and Glaze’s soaring vocals are in top form. I know I’m in the minority, but I always really dug Pantera’s first couple of records back when they were more of a glam metal band. Glaze was their frontman from 1982 to 1986 and eventually left due to disagreements with the band's musical direction. He was replaced by Phil Anselmo and the rest, as they say, is history. Pantera went on to become a huge metal band and one of the originators of the groove metal genre. Anyhow, back to Axe Dragger. Each one of the quartet’s members pulls their weight, but it’s Glaze that really gives them a unique edge in my opinion. I gotta say though, the album was a bit of a grower on me. It took me a couple of spins to really appreciate it, but after that, I was able to recognize how great it actually is. Surprisingly, none of the three singles thus far are among my favourite tracks on the album; it’s the deeper cuts that I enjoy the most. The highlights for me are “Give You the Rope”, a catchy high-energy tune with a splendid guitar solo courtesy of Balch; the fantasy battle song “Iron Rider”, which is my personal fave; “Eat Me from the Inside”, a slow and heavy, swampy track; “The Damned Will Cry”, another song with occult fantasy lyrics and cool weeping guitar; and the closer, “Death Is Calling My Name”, a heavy song straight from the battlefield with a head-bobbing, chugging riff. Axe Dragger, the album and the band, is a terrific effort from four seasoned veterans. Headbangers of the world need to take notice and listen to these axe wielders; it’s one of Ripple Music’s strongest releases so far in 2026.

Ripple Music’s Bandcamp page for Axe Dragger

Fourth, German power metallers Iron Savior will return with an all covers album titled Awesome Anthems of the Galaxy on March 27^th via the Perception imprint of metal label Reigning Phoenix Music. It’s hard to believe that Iron Savior are celebrating their 30^th year this year—how time flies! In between albums, they’ve decided to put their spin on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy mixtape soundtracks with this latest LP of theirs. A whopping 17 songs, over 70 minutes of pop, soft rock, and new wave hits covered to perfection by the fan-favorite band. Awesome Anthems of the Galaxy takes iconic ‘80s pop songs and gives them a metal flavour. The record covers a wide selection of tunes and artists, and I can tell you that after multiple spins, frontman Piet Sielck and his crew have done justice to every single one of them. That’s no small feat. Some of the songs covered include Irene Cara’s “Fame”, two tracks from the movie Flashdance— “Maniac” and “What A Feeling” —Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds”, and Blondie’s “Call Me” to name a few. Some of the highlights for me are their rendition of A-Ha’s timeless “Take on Me”, Journey’s classic “Separate Ways”, and Patrick Swayze’s Dirty Dancing ballad, “She’s Like the Wind”. Overall, it’s a good mixture of bangers and ballads. A stellar collection of tunes for the nostalgic metal music fan as well as Iron Savior devotees. Awesome Anthems of the Galaxy is just what it promises: splendid anthems that will make you smile and want to sing along.

Perception’s page for Iron Savior

Fifth, Baltimore, Maryland’s street metal/motorpunk quintet Total Maniac will set free their second LP, Love Overdrive, on March 27^th. This is one hell of a fun record! A brisk 27-minute, 8-track affair that delivers the goods in spades. Firmly rooted in late ‘70s/early ‘80s punk, metal and rock ‘n’ roll, Love Overdrive is chock-full of raw energy. The LP is a follow-up to their 2022 self-titled debut and the band has honed its collective skills since then. From the get-go, the opening title track blows everything away in its path with echoes of Di’Anno-era Maiden. “Devil in Plain Sight” and “Just Another” are catchy, breakneck tunes with incendiary riffs; “Drinkin Our Way To Hell”, the first single, is bound to become a bar and pub anthem; “Early Grave” and the apt-titled “Rock and Roll” are rapid-fire rock gems; “Set Fire to the Sun” is a dizzying punkish track full of vitriol, while the closer, “Flatline”, is a ripping thrash song reminiscent of Metallica’s “Whiplash”. Frontman Diamond Dustin has a tremendous vocal presence and the brutal onslaught of guitars, drum, and bass perfectly complement him. Love Overdrive is a lean, mean, scorcher of an album. Not a bad song here; all killer, no filler as the saying goes. Fans of punk, thrash metal, sleazy hard rock, of Motorhead and Venom will fancy Total Maniac and their latest record.

Total Maniac on Bandcamp

And that’s the gist of it, folks! The year is well under way now and there’ll be lots of terrific releases in the coming months. I can’t wait to listen to all this great music! Tune back here on March 28^th for the next issue of the Harbinger’s Killer Picks. Until then, stay safe and crank up the tunes! 

Harbinger’s Killer Picks – January 2026

Welcome to the first issue of the new year! We’re entering the blog’s sixth year and I really like the formula I’ve developed since last year of a magazine-type article covering a handful of my favourite albums for the month. So, without further ado, let’s dig in, shall we?

First, Megadeth just released their final self-titled album on January 23^rd. Dave Mustaine and crew are taking their last bow with this record, their follow-up to 2022’s excellent The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead. That album was in my opinion their best since 2004’s phenomenal The System Has Failed. So, how does this closing chapter stack up against Mustaine’s 16 previous albums? Well, after a handful of spins, I’m not 100% sure yet. I like it, but I don’t love it. It seems to be growing on me more with every new spin but it feels like it lacks a few good gems to make it truly memorable. The opener and first single, “Tipping Point”, is one of the finest tracks on here, showcasing the band’s technical proficiency. The second single, “I Don’t Care”, has a punk edge to it, but somehow never really takes off for me. It’s not a bad song per se but I’m ambivalent towards it. “Hey God?!” features a familiar riff, but in the end turns out to be a paint by numbers tune that is quite forgettable. The third single, “Let There Be Shred”, follows and this one packs a wallop. A catchy track full of youthful energy reminiscent of ‘80s-era Megadeth. The fourth and latest single (seriously, why not spread the singles throughout the LP instead of all one after the other!), “Puppet Parade”, is a mid-tempo, Risk-era sounding tune that is a definite highlight of the record. “Another Bad Day” is another average song with uninspired lyrics; one of the LP’s weakest. Tremendous drumming from Dirk Verbeuren make “Made to Kill” but apart from that, I can take or leave this song. “Obey the Call”, now that’s a song I can get behind! A solid thrash metal tune from top to bottom and strong candidate for best song on the LP. “I Am War” is a decent tune that gets better over multiple listens. The appropriately titled “The Last Note” gets my vote for best song of the LP. Mustaine’s final farewell that brings back a flood of memories and nostalgia of the band’s albums and songs throughout the decades.

Then we move on to the bonus tracks. The much-talked about Metallica cover of “Ride the Lightning” which Dave co-wrote with James and Lars during his tenure with Metallica in the early ‘80s. This is a case of too little, too late. It’s unfair to compare this version to Metallica’s 1984 original as that song is pitch-perfect and we’re getting latter-day Megadeth/Mustaine performing it. It’s an adequate take on it, surprisingly sticking very close to ‘Tallica’s version and sadly lacking Dave’s trademark vitriol and emotion. I would’ve loved to hear Peace Sells or Rust in Peace era Megadeth’s rendition of it, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. There are two more bonus tracks out there which are well worth seeking: “Bloodlust” (a Target bonus track) and “Nobody's Hero” (the digital edition bonus track). If it were up to me, both should have been included on the album instead of “Hey God?!” and “Another Bad Day”. So, what’s my final verdict about Megadeth’s coda? I believe it’ll get better with the passage of time. At least, it doesn’t overstay its welcome like some of the albums post United Abominations did, feeling at times like they went on far too long. The one thing that it’s got going for it is that pretty much every song is different than the other. It’s already a polarizing album (maybe even more so because it’s the last one, so hardcore fans maybe had higher expectations), but I think overall, the majority of Megadeth devotees will at least enjoy a couple of songs.  You have to admire Dave Mustaine for founding a thrash metal band that lasted over four decades with such a brilliant legacy and enough classic tunes to fill a jukebox, all that after getting kicked out of what would go on to become the biggest metal band in the world. He might have always been a close second, but at least he did it on his own terms. A shame it all ends with none of the original members around—I would’ve loved a reunion with the other Dave on bass and maybe Marty Friedman or Chris Poland on guitars for one last hurrah. Still, if you’re a metalhead, you owe it to yourself to put on a good pair of headphones and take Megadeth, the album, for at least a spin. It’s been a wild ride and I’m very thankful that Megadeth exists.

Megadeth’s Official Website

Second, Newcastle upon Tyne darkwave/post-punk band Vampire Valentine gave birth to their first album, Dry Remains, on January 14^th. They were formed in 2025 by producer Michael Longstaff and bassist Kieron Wright with help from US-based cyberpunk producer Ricky Conover aka Forerunnerx. I used to listen to a ton of synthwave/darkwave around the time the movie Drive came out, circa 2011-2018; artists like Gunship, FM-84, Night Runner, and Kavinsky. I’ve always preferred instrumental synth/darkwave but when the songs are good, a tune with vocals can hit just right. With their debut, Vampire Valentine has found a fine balance of dreamy synths and haunting rhythms to deliver a perfect snapshot of where they’re at in their evolution. The opening instrumental, “Fresh”, oozes with atmosphere while “Thorns”, their catchy second single, sets a wistful tone for the seven tracks that follow. Some highlights of the record for me are the more rock-oriented “Poison”; the elegant piano-driven instrumental “Moth”; the first single, the gentle “Porcelain” (not a cover of the Moby song), which is in my opinion the most memorable track on here and its counterpart, “Olivia”, an earworm with a gothic flavour. Overall, Dry Remains is a solid musical statement that should delight darkwave fans of all ages. Vampire Valentine has arrived—give them a spin at your earliest convenience, you won’t regret it!

Vampire Valentine on Bandcamp

Third, occult doom/hard rock trio Ritual Arcana unleashed their self-titled debut on January 23^rd via Heavy Psych Sounds Records. This three-piece supergroup features the high priestess SharLee LuckyFree on bass & vocals (Moth), the legendary godfather of doom Scott “Wino” Weinrich on guitar (The Obsessed), and the pirate timekeeper Oakley Munson on drums (The Black Lips). What a stellar debut this is! Every member shines on this release; from LuckyFree’s commanding vocals to Wino’s signature guitar sound to Munson’s rumbling drums. “Ritual Arcana”, the song and first single, a fiery, doomier than thou tune sets the tone for the record. If you dig it, then you’ll certainly get a kick out of the whole record. Some highlights for me include the strange and captivating pirate metal tune “Free Like a Pirate”; the slow, hypnotic “Berkana” about a powerful rune; “Mistress of Change”, one of the doomiest tracks of the LP with vocals to die for; the melodic second single and perfect follow-up to the title track, “Subtle Fruits”; and the closer and third single, “Wake the Goddess”, a bass-heavy psychedelic gem. Ritual Arcana is a perfect name for this band and this album: a secret, mysterious ceremony. It’s really early in the year, but it’s bound to become one of 2026’s top albums. So, drop the needle and let the ritual begin!

Heavy Psych Sounds’ Bandcamp Page for Ritual Arcana

Fourth, Seattle, Washington power metal quintet Greyhawk return with their third LP, Warriors of Greyhawk, on February 13^th via the Cruz Del Sur Music label. This is their first album with new vocalist Anthony Corso who joined the band in 2024. I’m new to this band but I’ve listened to a couple of tracks from their previous releases and I must say, for my taste, I prefer Corso’s vocals to those of their previous frontman, Rev Taylor. They sound quite different as far as singers go and it gives the band a refreshing new sound. Taylor does make an appearance on a track, “Chosen”, as guest vocalist. To me, Warriors of Greyhawk is the perfect blend of traditional heavy metal and epic power metal. Power metal has grown on me increasingly these past couple of years and this record sounded better and better on every subsequent spin I gave it. The tone-setting first single, “Ascension”, is melodic and a terrific snapshot of the sonic journey that awaits. “Land of Ashes” is a speedy power metal tune with a fiery guitar solo while the anthemic battle cry of “Take A Stand” is bound to rally Greyhawk fans everywhere. Other highlights for me include the earth-scorcher with soaring vocals, “Endless Race”; the Priest-like charm of “Hyperspace”; the gentler “Rise Above”, and my personal favourite, the closing track, “Eternal Quest” which comes full circle lyrically with the album’s opener. Whether you’re a novice in the realm of Greyhawk or a seasoned warrior, Warriors of Greyhawk is full of magic and fantastical adventures. It’s a superb old school/epic metal album that should be heard by metalheads everywhere, especially those who fancy role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and/or LARP.

Greyhawk on Bandcamp

Fifth, Swedish-Norwegian rap-metal legends Clawfinger will make their much-anticipated return—a full eighteen years since their last LP—with Before We All Die on February 20^th via the Perception label imprint of Reigning Phoenix Music. As has always been the case with Clawfinger, this is a record with many messages, tackling racism, politics, drug policies, the environment, and social issues. The quintet, led by rapid-fire vocalist Zak Tell, delivers an outstanding dozen songs without a single dud in the lot. The three singles are all highlights of the LP: the barn-burning “Scum” aimed directly at the 45^th & 47^th U.S. President, the moodily melodic “Ball & Chain”, and the dystopian “Big Brother” and its obsession with the proverbial 15 minutes of fame. Some of my personal faves include the catchy “A Perfect Day”, reminiscent of Ice Cube’s classic “It Was a Good Day”; the swampy and bluesy “A Fucking Disgrace”; the groovy "Environmental Patients" which was released as a single back in 2022; and the closing title track, “Before We All Die”, serving as a wake-up call to the listeners—and which would be a fitting choice for their next single. Before We All Die is an album that goes for the jugular at full throttle. It’s an aggressive, melodic, groovy affair, and a timely record that stands on its own as a highpoint in Clawfinger’s discography. Clawfinger remain relevant purveyors of rap-metal after over thirty years in the business. Highly recommended for fans of the band, rap-metal, and music with a deeper meaning. 

Perception’s Page for Clawfinger

And there you have it, folks! The first issue of HKP of 2026 is in the books! It’s already shaping up to be a stellar year for music. Tune back here on February 28^th for the next round of the Harbinger’s Killer Picks. Until then, stay safe and crank up the tunes!