» 2026-05-31
Monthly Release Round-up: May 2026
This was a somewhat light month, but the quality of the albums is pretty damn high considering the slate is all very tenured bands.
Darkthrone, Pre-Historic Metal
The band is now 6 albums deep into their classic heavy metal phase. There's just something about the band's spartan production style that nails the throwback feeling without being obnoxious about it.
Listen: spotify
Sevendust, One
It's been a long time since I've paid attention of new Sevendust material, but this was worth my time. The band still writes some great choruses and Clint Lowery's riff-writing remains top notch.
Listen: spotify
Venom, Into Oblivion
I've never been a big Venom fan, but this was a fun album. Feels like a 90s thrash record (complimentary).
Listen: Bandcamp
Ingested, Denigration
Despite the sudden dismissal of their replacement vocalist — with all of the vocals re-recorded by the band's guitarists — this is still a really strong deathcore record.
Listen: Bandcamp
Frozen Soul, No Place Of Warmth
High-quality, slow-roasted death metal, seasoned with a few guest appearances.
Pro-Pain, Stone Cold Anger
I don't think I've listened to these guys much since 2000's Round 6, but I really enjoyed this new record. Tight, groovy hardcore with an old school flare.
Listen: spotify
Dimmu Borgir, Grand Serpent Rising
Clocking in at 69 minutes, this record has a lot more memorable riffs than much of the band's recent output. It's got all the same symphonic trappings as the band's earlier work, but the songwriting feels a lot more interesting.
Listen: spotify
» 2026-05-26
Thoughts On The Enhanced Games
The selling point of this whole thing was "what if steroids were legal?" A bunch of Silicon Valley ghouls decided to follow through on an idea idea that has been thrown around for decades, and the results were decidedly underwhelming.
My main complaint is that these guys didn't lean into the gimmick as much as they could have. They did not let competitors use anything they wanted. There was an approved substances list, premised on the fact that doctors would oversee and monitor everyone's health markers throughout preparation. Instead of being a PED free-for-all, there were still rules; the whole thing felt really weird, with discussions of drug usage very muted.
I doubt any meaningful data was gleaned from this experiment. You're not going to learn very much from such a small sample size of athletes, all engaged in polypharmacy. Any findings are also going to be subject to individual variability. Not everyone responds to steroids the same. I'm honestly not sure if they were serious about the data-gathering aspect, or if it was part of the veneer they slapped on the event to legitimize it.
The organizers offered big prizes for breaking world records, although only one was handed out — and it's legitimacy is hotly disputed. Further casting doubt on the whole premise was the fact that several event winners weren't even using PEDs. Even in 2026, a lot of people can't understand or accept that drugs aren't a substitute for talent — even if they can certainly enhance it. To assume that the very best athletes are only such because they take more drugs, or better drugs, is to reveal a stunning lack of understanding of sports and the concept of talent.
The only draw for me was potentially seeing Hafthor Bjornsson break his own deadlift world record (again), by pulling 515kg. Unfortunately, he was not successful. It's arguable he might have been on fewer PEDs for the Steroid Olympics than a regular strongman show, but I wouldn't blame that for failing to break an absurd lifting record. A lot of things have to go perfectly in order to lift 1135 pounds off the ground. I truly believe Thor could have made that lift the night he pulled 510kg — his winning effort was that convincing.
Aside from streaming metrics, the event was not what I could call a success. The games' parent company, A Paradise Acquisition Corp., lost half their stock value overnight. As others have duly noted, you need more than a bunch of Olympic washouts and a vat of injectable testosterone to break world records. I put odds on the Enhanced Games returning next year at less than 50%.
» 2026-05-23
Strongest Man On Earth Is Cancelled
In a not so surprising turn of events, Brian Shaw recently announced that his annual strongman show, Strongest Man on Earth would not be returning this year — if ever. The lack of surprise stems from the fact that last year's show was both the biggest it had ever been — in terms of scale, anyway — and also ended up running at a significant loss.
The reality of strongman is that it is still an extremely niche sport. There is a reason these events can't obtain sponsors outside of gym equipment manufacturers and supplement companies. I laud Brian Shaw for putting so much energy and personal money into making an event that aimed to be a meaningful accomplishment to win, while also taking care of the athletes involved. The feats of strength demanded of competitors might have worked against the show, given its placement in the strongman season — and the number of pull-outs past lineups experienced due to athletes focusing on other shows.
Brian Shaw is also in the midst of dealing with a multi-year cellulitis infection, which could potentially cost him a leg. As much as I didn't care for how Shaw handled his split with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Arnold Strongman Classic event, he's otherwise been an amazing ambassador for the sport and his achievements are genuinely legendary. Hopefully a reduced workload — and a break from the PEDs — will allow for a full recovery.
We are now left with World's Strongest Man, the Arnold Strongman Classic and the Rogue Invitational as the major shows of note. Strongman has definitely seen a surge in popularity, but it started from a very humble place, and mainstream acceptance is a long way off — if it is attainable or even desirable.
» 2026-05-20
Grinding Teeth
I had a really frustrating experience at the dentist last week. I've been seeing the same practice for over 30 years, with two owners in that time frame. I knew the practice had been sold, and there was a transition in progress over the past year. I'm not sure what happened over the past 6 months, but I don't see myself going back.
None of the old staff were there anymore, and this was a place that kept people for 10+ years. Aside from the general configuration of the building, nothing was the same. They overbilled me and my insurance, had no knowledge of my history — things that had been monitored over a period of years — and then tried to convince me I needed a bunch of unnecessary work. It's an astonishing way to lose a longstanding customer over a couple hundred dollars. They tried the same hustle on my parents as well, so I have to assume they are burning through their patient roster at quite the clip.
I'm not so sentimental that I'm getting misty-eyed over my dentist retiring, but it's another entry on the list of constants in my life that have changed within the last 12-18 months. On the positive side, this is more of an inconvenience than a hardship; at least it's a boring problem.
» 2026-05-17
Rousey -vs- Carano
I did not watch this fight, or the event itself, because I didn't need to. There did seem to be a significant level of interest in the event, at least in terms of online chatter. It had a feeling reminiscent of the days when you could assemble a decent MMA card with non-UFC talent. That era is long gone, with the floundering PFL having done nothing with their purchase of Bellator — except welch on a bunch of inherited contracts and keep talent on the shelf to avoid paying top-dollar.
The UFC has almost all of the talent pool on lock, even though event quality is probably not even in their top 5 major concerns. So, as underwhelming as a card with Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano and Nate Diaz might seem — unless you somehow find yourself back in the early 2010's — this is the most star power out there that isn't locked away in a UFC deal.
It still wasn't enough to make me waste a Saturday night to watch. Reading the results was a mix of "no idea who that guy is" and "that seems about right" — like reading that a middle-aged Nate Diaz got bludgeoned by Mike Perry, or that Gina Carano had no ground game to speak of.
Francis Ngannou's career has basically stalled, so it's a good thing he got those boxing paydays because the UFC embargo on him shows no sign of ending.
The main event wasn't a fight I ever had an interest in. Even at Gina Carano's peak, she was nowhere near Rousey's level of competition; a 17-year layoff didn't help matters either. Regardless of how unlikeable Rousey comes across most of the time, you can't deny her talent and ability. The only fight that would pique my interest would be Cris Cyborg, but I think the odds of that happening are zero.
I am curious if this event was at all profitable for Netflix, and what it means for the future of the MMA landscape.