178 episodes
#174 - Dream Unending, NØ MAN & Darkest Hour: October 2026 Extreme Music Releases
10/22/2026 | 46 mins.This week on the Riff Worship podcast, we highlight our most anticipated extreme music releases of October! From atmospheric death-doom to blistering hardcore punk, we break down the albums you need on your radar this month.
In this episode:
Dream Unending – Certain Uncertainties (20 Buck Spin)
Release Date: October 30th
We review the highly anticipated third album from the atmospheric death-doom duo. Listen in as we discuss how Justin DeTore and Derrick Vella transition from their previously glacial, epic sound to a leaner, nocturnal atmosphere packed with blues, jazz, and desert-rock guitar explorations.
NØ MAN – Between the Sword and the Neck (Iodine Recordings)
Release Date: October 30th
We explore the visceral hardcore punk energy and heavy d-beat rhythms of the band's fourth full-length album. We also delve into the record's urgent themes surrounding the ethnic cleansing in Gaza, delivered through the powerful, deeply personal vocal performance of Maha Shami.
Darkest Hour – Suffer Divine (MNRK Heavy)
Release Date: October 30th
We tackle the metalcore pioneers' latest ferocious offering, highlighting its relentless melodic death metal roots, intricate dual-guitar harmonies, and menacing breakdowns.
Recommendations:
Dream Unending - Certain Uncertainties
NØ MAN - Between the Sword and the Neck
Darkest Hour - Suffer Divine
Selenoplexia - Beneath the Lunar Tyrant
Last - Potent Desperation
Subserviency - Observing the Ancestral Twilight EP
Revocation
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Riffs on Repeat (Spotify)
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Hits from the Crypt (Apple)#173 - Iconic Album Covers & The Artists Behind Them (Yob, Mastodon, Sleep & More)
10/08/2026 | 1h 27 mins.Have you ever bought a record just because the cover caught your eye?
This week on Riff Worship, we spotlight the legendary creators who defined the aesthetic of the bands we love!
Join us as we discuss our favorite albums covers including the profound works of artists like John Dyer Baizley (Baroness, Pig Destroyer), Orion Landau (Yob), Mariusz Lewandowski (Mizmor), Paul Romano (Mastodon), and Arik Roper (Sleep).
From hand-painted masterpieces to captivating photography, we’ll also highlight several of our favorite working artists including Benjamin Vierling, Mark McCoy, Bo Orr, Zach Hobbs, Caroline Harrison, Tetsunori Tawaraya, and many more!
What is your favorite album cover of all time? Let us know in the comments!
Featured Albums / Artists:
Blacklisted - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God (Melissa Farley)
Yob - Clearing the Path to Ascend (Orion Landau)
Darkest Hour - Deliver Us (John Dyer Baizley)
Baroness - Red Album (John Dyer Baizley)
Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb (John Dyer Baizley)
Sleep - Dopesmoker (Arik Roper)
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (David Michael Kennedy)
Full of Hell - Trumpeting Ecstasy (Mark McCoy)
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (Denis Rouvre)
The Locust - Plague Soundscapes (Sam McPheeters)
Cannibal Corpse - Vile (Vincent Locke)
Mizmor - Cairn (Mariusz Lewandowski)
Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co. (William Schaff)
Sepultura - Chaos A.D. (Michael R. Whelan)
Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood
Dream Unending - Song Of Salvation (Benjamin A. Vierling)
Converge - Petitioning The Empty Sky (Aaron Turner)
Korn - Korn (Jay Papke and Dante Ariola)
Mastodon - Crack the Skye (Paul Romano)
YOB - Clearing The Path To Ascend (Orion Landau)
Thou - Tyrant
Other Featured Artists:
Adam Burke
Zachary Hobbs
Caroline Harrison
Tetsunori Tawaraya
Liz Walshak (Vanitas Illustration)
Kristian Wåhlin (Necrolord)
H.R. Giger
Jacob Bannon
Dan Seagrave
Wes Benscoter
Mike D'Antonio (DarkicoN Design)
Matt Scott Barnes
Derek Hess
Jim H Madison (Print Mafia)
Recommendations:
Dream Unending - Certain Uncertainties
Asbestosdeath - Dejection / Unclean
Venom - Welcome to Hell
Venom - Black Metal
Artificial Brain - Antillia
Darkest Hour - Deliver Us
HISS - A Cheapened Crown
Witch Bolt - The Tallowman EP
Suicide Silence - Graceless
Slow Pulp - Melodie
John Carpenter - Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riffworshippod/
Twitter: https://x.com/RiffWorshipPod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RiffWorshipPod
Check out our Official Playlists:
Riffs on Repeat (Spotify)
Riffs on Repeat (YouTube Music)
Hits from the Crypt (Apple)- This week on Riff Worship, we explore the impact and evolution of extreme music compilations and label samplers!
In this episode, we’ll discuss:
Why compilation albums matter as cost-effective label promos, essential music discovery tools, historical snapshots of evolving musical trends, and sources for rare, exclusive tracks!
We also break down landmark releases that shaped the underground:
Earache's Grindcrusher (1989): Showcasing extreme metal and grindcore pioneers like Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Carcass, Godflesh, Bolt Thrower, and Terrorizer.
MTV2's Headbangers Ball Vol. 2 (2004): A Roadrunner Records release featuring heavyweights and underground acts like Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, Cradle of Filth, and Dimmu Borgir.
BMA vs. Metal Blade vs. Robotic Empire Split Comp (2004): A massive label crossover featuring Pig Destroyer, Lamb of God, Cannibal Corpse, Opeth, and Unearth.
What was the first compilation album or label sampler that hooked you on underground music? Let us know below!
Recommendations:
Grindcrusher - The Earache Sampler
Grindcrusher - The Ultimate Earache
MTV2's Headbangers Ball Vol. 2 (Disc 1)
MTV2's Headbangers Ball Vol. 2 (Disc 2)
BMA vs. Metal Blade vs. Robotic Empire Split Comp
Dark Passages
Sounds Of The Underground Volume One
Ampere - The First Five Years
Destroy New Granada
Thou - A Young Person's Guide to Thou
(Don't Forget To) Breathe
Hex Records 10 Year comp.
Jade Tree - Twenty Five Years
Paramaecium - Exhumed Of The Earth
Easy Blame - HYPERNORMALIZED
Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown
Follow Riff Worship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riffworshippod/
Twitter: https://x.com/RiffWorshipPod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RiffWorshipPod
Check out our Official Playlists:
Riffs on Repeat (Spotify)
Riffs on Repeat (YouTube Music)
Hits from the Crypt (Apple) - This week on Riff Worship, we unpack the underground legacy of post-hardcore icons Hot Cross and the turbulent creation of their 2007 swan song, Risk Revival.
In this episode, we discuss:
The band’s roots in post-hardcore and screamo heavyweights Saetia, You and I, and Neil Perry.
Their essential catalog, including defining splits with Light the Fuse and Run, Lickgoldensky, and The Holy Shroud.
The decision to scrap the album and re-record it from scratch with former guitarist Josh Jakubowski for Equal Vision Records.
How exhaustion, label pressures, and shifting personal lives led to the band's indefinite hiatus in 2007.
Breaking down the razor-sharp twin-guitar textures, aggressive delivery, and unsparing intensity that set Hot Cross apart from their contemporaries!
Photo: Jonathan Feinstein
Recommendations:
Emma Ruth Rundle - These Killing Times
Asunder - A Clarion Call
Asunder - Works Will Come Undone
Follow Riff Worship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riffworshippod/
Twitter: https://x.com/RiffWorshipPod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RiffWorshipPod
Check out our Official Playlists:
Riffs on Repeat (Spotify)
Riffs on Repeat (YouTube Music)
Hits from the Crypt (Apple) - Long before the ballads and sold-out stadiums, a twenty-year-old Billy Joel ditched classical piano, maxed out a Hammond B-3 organ through a wall of Marshall stacks, and set out to melt faces.
In this episode of Riff Worship, we explore the strange, short-lived history of Attila: the legendary proto-metal duo Joel formed with drummer Jon Small.
Join us as we trace their evolution from The Lost Souls and The Hassles straight into the meat-locker photoshoots, the catastrophic reception of their 1970 Epic Records debut, and how it ultimately paved the way for a prolific solo career!
Andy Williams Forever: https://andywilliamsforever.com/
Recommendations:
Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe - Cosa Nuestra
Jim & Jesse and The Virginia Boys - Y’all Come
Breathing Fire - Demo
Breathing Fire - Years of Lead
Genital Shame - Wellness Plan
Follow Riff Worship
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riffworshippod/
Twitter: https://x.com/RiffWorshipPod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RiffWorshipPod
Check out our Official Playlists:
Riffs on Repeat (Spotify)
Riffs on Repeat (YouTube Music)
Hits from the Crypt (Apple)
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About Riff Worship
The riff is the foundation of heavy music, evolving over several decades and styles. Many of our favorite songs started with a single idea and guitar in hand. Anyone can write a riff, but what makes a good riff? Each week, riff disciples Austin Paulson, Dylan Adams, & Justin Swindle attempt to answer this question by discussing their favorite riffs, how they came to be, and why we still worship them today.
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