Moodring – death fetish
Release Date: 27th March 2026
Label: SharpTone
Order/Stream
Genre: Metal, Alternative.
FFO: Deftones, Sleep Token, Loathe.
Review By: Jeff Finch
Moodring’s latest record is a bit ludicrous but in the best way possible. The sounds shouldn’t work, the similarities to other bands shouldn’t still feel this original. And yet, with death fetish, it feels like they’ve cracked some kind of code where massive, borderline radio-ready choruses don’t water anything down, making the heavier moments hit even harder. One second you’re locked into something insanely catchy, the kind of hook that lives in your head all day, and the next you’re getting dragged through these darker, more chaotic sections that feel like they’re barely being contained. It never feels forced either, it just flows brilliantly.
What really stands out is how infectious the grooves are. There’s this constant energy to the riffs, even when they’re chugging along, there’s still movement and swing to it, there’s still that Deftones and Sleep Token pop rock vibe. You catch yourself nodding along without even thinking about it. Then they pull back, atmosphere breathing a bit before snapping right back into something that brings about instant stankface. Those breakdowns aren’t just there to check a box, they land with intent, they hit, and they hit hard.
This range they have, though, holy mother of god it’s like they can do it all. To go from a chorus where I’m like “meh” to a breakdown where I’m immediately lambasting myself for ever thinking “meh.” The band has this ability to not make you forget parts of the song, but to put them in a different context, what didn’t hit earlier is now hitting with the force of a Mack truck. The transitions from those glossy, almost ethereal choruses into thick, low-end chugging riffs and straight-up throaty screams feel seamless. Nothing overstays its welcome, the bad understanding when the time is right to shift. That push and pull gives the whole album this untameable energy, never settling and never losing control.
By the time the album is complete, it feels like it shouldn’t be, the ride can’t be done. The trip you’ve just taken was too fun, a roller coaster ride of musical genius that manages to separate itself from its contemporaries and its influences. Every element is dialed in without losing that raw edge, catchy without being corny, heavy without being boring, and emotional without feeling forced. You can hear the influences, absolutely, but by the end of it, all you hear is moodring.
(4.5 / 5)
