#exxul

[echoes-from-the-woods]

Exxûl - Sealed Into None (2026) Album art by Aaron Lawrance

[metalby]

Exxûl [Sealed into None]. 2026. Bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, Amazon, Youtube. Twitter(metalone).

[areoprodigia]

As winter’s grip tightened across the globe, January 2026 delivered a constellation of metal releases that illuminate the genre’s endless capacity for reinvention. From the progressive labyrinths of Canadian virtuosity to the crude death metal emanating from Japanese underground chambers, these eight albums represent the month’s most compelling heavy music offerings. Phil Tougas, the Canadian architect behind CHTHE'ILIST, First Fragment, and Atramentus, reaches new heights with Exxûl’s debut “Sealed Into None.” Operating under the moniker Defender, Tougas weaves gleaming prog metal, sword-wielding USPM, epic doom, and shadowy black metal touches into a heady cocktail that surpasses his previous achievements. Sealed Into None by Exxûl The album’s four labyrinthine compositions nod to every forward-thinking metal band from the late ‘80s and early '90s, yet Tougas’s subtle, lyrical lead work remains unmistakably his own. Joined by Noor frontman Stargazer’s brilliant vocals, “Sealed Into None” emerges as 2026’s first masterpiece. Alexander von Meilenwald’s The Ruins of Beverast continues its two-decade journey through gloomy atmospheric black metal and gothic doom with “Tempelschlaf.” This marks the project’s most streamlined vision, clocking in just under an hour with tight, lean compositions that embrace the pronounced influence of Type O Negative and Paradise Lost. Tempelschlaf by The Ruins Of Beverast The cleanly sung choruses and festival-friendly doom approach represent a songwriter approaching the essence of something he’s cultivated for twenty years. Only “Babel, You Scarlet Queen!” swings closer to black metal territory, yet even it contains an irresistibly catchy guitar passage. Jimmy Hamzey’s Serpent Column delivers “Aion of Strife,” a barrage of avant-black metal riffs played in odd time signatures that forever double back on themselves. The music remains abstract and angular while engaging with math-y metalcore tropes, creating something both alien and oddly danceable. Aion of Strife by Serpent Column “Prayer of the Pneumatic” sounds like pistons punching behind overlapping Guitar Hero-on-hard-mode riffs, while “Scherzo for a Dead Republic” locks into a perverse, dissonant groove that defies conventional categorization. UK’s Qasu presents “A Bleak King Cometh,” a bizarre debut that takes black metal’s fundamentals and runs them through unexpected filters. The heavy presence of electronic elements, including 808s and Auto-Tune, creates something that sounds like Daft Punk in corpse paint. A Bleak King Cometh by Qasu The drums, played with relentless technical aggression by Anal Stabwound’s Nikhil Talwalkar, are frequently subdued in the mix, creating the impression of performance from another dimension entirely. Texas death squad Stabbing delivers “Eon of Obscenity,” their second album of sublime brutal death metal execution. Drummer Aron Hetsko’s kit sounds like a collection of trash cans of varying sizes, while Marvin Ruiz deploys familiar, tightly wound, harmonics-heavy riffs with precision. Eon of Obscenity by Stabbing Bridget Lynch’s mighty gutturals tie everything together, her voice so powerful she once filled in for Suffocation when Ricky Myers fell ill. This represents brutal death metal executed exactly as intended. Japanese trio Invictus offers “Nocturnal Visions,” crude old-school death metal that borrows from Immolation, Cannibal Corpse, Monstrosity, Autopsy, and early Pestilence and Gorguts. The roughness around the edges serves as intentional deployment rather than accident. Nocturnal Visions by Invictus French one-man project Archvile King evolved from galloping black/thrash hybrid toward melody-focused compositions on “Aux Heures Désespérées.” The elegiac, skyward-gazing guitar riffs and prominent synthesizer parts align with David Thiérrée’s medieval cover art aesthetic. Aux Heures Désespérées by Archvile King “Le Chant des Braves” and “Sépulture” could soundtrack a doomed army’s battlefield march, while “…Et aux Hommes Misérables” provides the funeral march for their return. Athens-based Valiant Sentinel delivers “Neverealm,” their second album of gloriously cheese-tastic Euro-style power metal inspired by Elden Ring. Featuring session work from Blind Guardian’s Frederik Ehmke and guest vocals from Burning Witches’ Laura Guldemond and Savatage’s Zak Stevens, this represents power metal in its truest form. Neverealm by Valiant Sentinel These eight releases demonstrate metal’s international scope and endless capacity for evolution. From Canada’s progressive virtuosity to Japan’s crude death metal chambers, from France’s medieval black metal to Greece’s power metal theatrics, January 2026 offered a comprehensive survey of heavy music’s current state and future possibilities.

[thehollowchord]

January's Metal Harvest: Eight Visions from the Underground

As winter's grip tightened across the globe, January 2026 delivered a constellation of metal releases that illuminate the genre's endless capacity for reinvention. From the progressive labyrinths of Canadian virtuosity to the crude death metal emanating from Japanese underground chambers, these eight albums represent the month's most compelling heavy music offerings.

Phil Tougas, the Canadian architect behind CHTHE'ILIST, First Fragment, and Atramentus, reaches new heights with Exxûl's debut "Sealed Into None." Operating under the moniker Defender, Tougas weaves gleaming prog metal, sword-wielding USPM, epic doom, and shadowy black metal touches into a heady cocktail that surpasses his previous achievements.

Sealed Into None by Exxûl

The album's four labyrinthine compositions nod to every forward-thinking metal band from the late '80s and early '90s, yet Tougas's subtle, lyrical lead work remains unmistakably his own. Joined by Noor frontman Stargazer's brilliant vocals, "Sealed Into None" emerges as 2026's first masterpiece.

Alexander von Meilenwald's The Ruins of Beverast continues its two-decade journey through gloomy atmospheric black metal and gothic doom with "Tempelschlaf." This marks the project's most streamlined vision, clocking in just under an hour with tight, lean compositions that embrace the pronounced influence of Type O Negative and Paradise Lost.

Tempelschlaf by The Ruins Of Beverast

The cleanly sung choruses and festival-friendly doom approach represent a songwriter approaching the essence of something he's cultivated for twenty years. Only "Babel, You Scarlet Queen!" swings closer to black metal territory, yet even it contains an irresistibly catchy guitar passage.

Jimmy Hamzey's Serpent Column delivers "Aion of Strife," a barrage of avant-black metal riffs played in odd time signatures that forever double back on themselves. The music remains abstract and angular while engaging with math-y metalcore tropes, creating something both alien and oddly danceable.

Aion of Strife by Serpent Column

"Prayer of the Pneumatic" sounds like pistons punching behind overlapping Guitar Hero-on-hard-mode riffs, while "Scherzo for a Dead Republic" locks into a perverse, dissonant groove that defies conventional categorization.

UK's Qasu presents "A Bleak King Cometh," a bizarre debut that takes black metal's fundamentals and runs them through unexpected filters. The heavy presence of electronic elements, including 808s and Auto-Tune, creates something that sounds like Daft Punk in corpse paint.

A Bleak King Cometh by Qasu

The drums, played with relentless technical aggression by Anal Stabwound's Nikhil Talwalkar, are frequently subdued in the mix, creating the impression of performance from another dimension entirely.

Texas death squad Stabbing delivers "Eon of Obscenity," their second album of sublime brutal death metal execution. Drummer Aron Hetsko's kit sounds like a collection of trash cans of varying sizes, while Marvin Ruiz deploys familiar, tightly wound, harmonics-heavy riffs with precision.

Eon of Obscenity by Stabbing

Bridget Lynch's mighty gutturals tie everything together, her voice so powerful she once filled in for Suffocation when Ricky Myers fell ill. This represents brutal death metal executed exactly as intended.

Japanese trio Invictus offers "Nocturnal Visions," crude old-school death metal that borrows from Immolation, Cannibal Corpse, Monstrosity, Autopsy, and early Pestilence and Gorguts. The roughness around the edges serves as intentional deployment rather than accident.

Nocturnal Visions by Invictus

French one-man project Archvile King evolved from galloping black/thrash hybrid toward melody-focused compositions on "Aux Heures Désespérées." The elegiac, skyward-gazing guitar riffs and prominent synthesizer parts align with David Thiérrée's medieval cover art aesthetic.

Aux Heures Désespérées by Archvile King

"Le Chant des Braves" and "Sépulture" could soundtrack a doomed army's battlefield march, while "…Et aux Hommes Misérables" provides the funeral march for their return.

Athens-based Valiant Sentinel delivers "Neverealm," their second album of gloriously cheese-tastic Euro-style power metal inspired by Elden Ring. Featuring session work from Blind Guardian's Frederik Ehmke and guest vocals from Burning Witches' Laura Guldemond and Savatage's Zak Stevens, this represents power metal in its truest form.

Neverealm by Valiant Sentinel

These eight releases demonstrate metal's international scope and endless capacity for evolution. From Canada's progressive virtuosity to Japan's crude death metal chambers, from France's medieval black metal to Greece's power metal theatrics, January 2026 offered a comprehensive survey of heavy music's current state and future possibilities.

[mawichandoodles]

Bottom image reads as “EXXUL: EXPANDING BOUNDARIES OF IMAGINATION”

I made this one as promotional art for our precious local comic magazine hehe. I had a lot of fun making this one. This character is named Victoria and belongs to its original creator, Hisai Luna. 

Unfortunately, the comic that features this character hasn’t come out yet. Although I liked how passionate her creator is about her, so I felt inspired to draw his beloved character. 

I’m quite glad that he liked it, and I hope you do too, so thank you for coming to take a look :)