The Riffs of the Week – 28/08/2026
- JOSE CRESPO
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Happy New Music Friday — and this one is absolutely packed.
August 28 brings one of the busiest release days we've had in a while, with several highly anticipated albums finally landing alongside a fresh wave of singles teasing what's still to come this autumn.
As always, The Riffs of the Week isn't about picking the biggest names or chasing whatever happens to be trending. It's about the music that caught our ears — whether it comes from a band filling arenas or four ridiculously hairy Australian brothers still doing things their own way.
These are the songs we think deserve your attention this week. Turn them up, discover something new, and you'll find every one of them waiting for you in our THE RIFF playlist below.
The Warning – Why Do You Like It When I Cry? (Lava / Republic Records)
Everything's Falling is finally here.
After Ritual, Ego and Kerosene gave us three very different previews, The Warning's fifth album lands today with nine more songs waiting to be discovered. For this week's pick, we're going with Why Do You Like It When I Cry? — partly because it's brand new to our ears, and partly because with a title like that, how could we not press play?
Ghost – Majesty (Live from Mexico City 2025) (Loma Vista Recordings)
Ghost's 2 BIG TO RIG has finally hit cinemas, accompanied by a 19-track soundtrack captured during the band's spectacular Skeletour shows in Mexico City. And while there are plenty of Skeletá songs we could have chosen, we're going backwards for this one: Majesty.
Hearing it still gives us goosebumps, particularly remembering Papa V Perpetua quite literally ascending towards the heavens during one of the most spectacular moments of the entire show. You can even make out the audience's reaction on the recording. But seriously: if you get the chance to see what was happening visually at that moment, don't miss it.
Imminence – If Not Now, When? (Sumerian Records)
Another glimpse into Axis Mundi and another reminder that Imminence seem incapable of doing anything conventionally.
This time, however, the teaser created a very different kind of concern: there was a dog. Naturally, the comments immediately descended into variations of “if anything happens to that dog, I'm burning my Imminence records.” Thankfully, Imminence aren't stupid enough to throw away their entire career that easily. Beyond the canine anxiety, If Not Now, When? gives us another beautifully heavy taste of what is becoming an increasingly fascinating new chapter for the band.
Amon Amarth – Eight Legs of Thunder (Metal Blade Records)
The final call before The Allfather Awakens arrives on October 2 comes galloping in on eight legs.
Inspired by Sleipnir, Odin's legendary eight-legged steed, Eight Legs of Thunder charges forward on a thunderous riff and enormous sing-along chorus before its video transports Norse mythology somewhere rather unexpected: the dusty roads, pickup trucks and cowboys of a modern American Western. Somehow, it works. Amon Amarth have found another wonderfully entertaining way of bringing the old myths crashing into the modern world.
The Night Eternal – Eurydice (Don't Look Back) (Metal Blade Records)
The Night Eternal take us from Norse mythology to Ancient Greece with Eurydice (Don't Look Back), from their newly released album Cold Velvet.
Built around an instantly memorable chorus, hypnotic guitars and an uplifting heavy-metal pulse, the song retells the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice while continuing the mythology running through the record. Interestingly, Eurydice was actually the first song written for Cold Velvet—and you can hear why it became the blueprint for everything that followed.
Hollow Pact – Witchking (Sumerian Records)
Built around the frustration of watching someone responsible for another person's pain receive undeserved sympathy, Witchking brings plenty of bite to match its subject matter. It's only their second release through Sumerian, but Hollow Pact are already starting to feel like one of those names worth getting in on early.
Walkways – A Kiss on the Forehead (Wild Thing Records)
With Walkways' new album A Reminder arriving today August 28, we're returning to a record we reviewed earlier this week for one of its standout moments.
A Kiss on the Forehead carries the emotional weight that runs throughout A Reminder, balancing the band's heaviness with the vulnerability and atmosphere that make the record so compelling. If our review didn't convince you to give Walkways a listen, perhaps this one will.
Mixed Up Everything – In Your Shoes
Four Australian brothers, an indecent amount of hair between them and, thankfully, the riffs to back it all up.
Mixed Up Everything return this Friday with In Your Shoes, a track they've already been road-testing live throughout 2026 and which finally gets its official release on August 28. It's another dose of straight-up, no-nonsense rock from a band that has built its following the old-fashioned way: four brothers, real instruments and a serious amount of time on the road. Sometimes that's really all you need. (Video Clip will be released today at 17:00 UK time)
Listen to THE RIFF
Every track featured above joins our THE RIFF Spotify playlist, updated every Friday with the rock and metal releases we think deserve your attention. Hit follow, turn it up and we'll see you back here next Friday.
That's it for another ridiculously busy week of new music — although judging by the release calendar, things aren't slowing down anytime soon.
Jose Crespo for The Riff Collective
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