Today we're investigating the most-hyped books and albums of the first half of 2026. We compiled our lists by scouring “Best of Year So Far” rankings and cross-referencing with word of mouth and social media buzz we've heard this year. We listened to the talked-about albums and conducted Kindle and Libby sample chapter tastings of ballyhooed books, and we're reporting back on our experiences.

Music Mentions:

• Twilight of the Golden Star - Zørzha, feat. Harakiri for the Sky and Karg
• Search for Agartha III - Billy Odal
• “Where This World Ends” - The Night Eternal

Most-Hyped Albums:

• Nowhere In Between Forever - Lantlôs
• Coronach - Hellripper
• Pull Like a Dog - The Scratch
• IN VERSES - Karnivool
• DREAMCRUSH - MØL
• An Undying Love for a Burning World - Neurosis
• The Ghost of a Future Dead - At the Gates
• The New Flesh - Sylosis
• silence outlives the earth - Erra
• Der Hjemsøkte Hjertet - Panopticon
• Necropalace - Worm

WRMH would like to hype:

• Seeds of the Formless - The Moon and the Nightspirit (big Trees of Eternity vibes)
• Isle of Bliss - Hanging Garden
• Songs from the Veil - As the Sun Falls

Most-Hyped Books:

• Kin - Tayari Jones
• Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke
• My Husband's Wife - Alice Feeney
• This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me - Ilona Andrews
• Whidbey - T. Kira Madden
• The Keeper - Tana French
• This Immortal Heart - Jennifer Saint
• The Unicorn Hunters -Katherine Arden
• The Fox Hunt - Caitlin Breeze
• The Last Contract of Isako - Fonda Lee
• Land - Maggie O’Farrell
• Dear Monica Lewinsky - Julia Langbein

WRMH would like to hype:

• Mortedant's Peril - RJ Baker (similar protagonist power profile to that of Celehar in Katherine Addison’s Witness for the Dead)

Also mentioned:

• Trad Wife - Sarah Langan
• Trad Wife - Saratoga Schaefer
• Catherynne M. Valente

Next month’s book: Grab the smelling salts and hold onto your valuables because we're reading Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein, and we're about to get Victorian AF (As Fagin, that is.) Be there or be a respectable, upstanding member of society.

Nate and Jacki put The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller to the metal test in this month’s episode. This retelling of the myth of Achilles focuses on the greatest Greek hero’s greatest love, our narrator Patroclus. We spoil the story (it’s okay, you’ve read The Iliad, right?), then get into:

• The popularity of mythological retellings
• Romantasy, fantasy, lit fic: what’s in a genre name?
• Our histories with The Iliad
• Achilles and Patroclus in love: the ship that launched a thousand, um, ships
• Hubris versus low self-esteem
• Favorite god/mythical creature cameos
• Thetis and the cycle of trauma
• Women in war
• The meanest men of the Greek army
• The grief of Achilles
• Achilles, Priam, PTSD, and daddy issues
• Achilles is a sensitive guy
• Glory and death versus longevity and mediocrity
• What’s a hero?

You can find our Spotify profile with our Song of Achilles playlist at https://open.spotify.com/user/31kosaxlm6j56e44766ijo4ndzjq?si=cdd4a1a247c646e1

Special Features:

1. A lost Greek myth
2. The Bachelorette: Ancient Greece
3. Ancient Greek pickup lines
4. Mythical Creature Teachers
5. Greek Hero vs Action Hero
6. Would You Rather: Grecian Prophecy Edition

Music Mentions:

Death Knocks by Hoaxed

Vaketimen by Evig Natt

Reading Recommendations:

1. Jennifer Saint’s Greek retellings
2. Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great by Rachel Kousser
3. Bull by David Elliott
4. Kaikeyi by Vashnavi Patel

September’s Book: Prepare to get your heartstrings swindled, because we’re reading Fagin the Thief, Allison Epstein’s reimagining of the character Fagin from Charles Dicken’s famous novel Oliver Twist. Expect doom metal vibes, serious discussion, and a Victorian era dating simulator.

Playlist Contents:

Blood Of Our Blood - Kreator

Journey to the End - Windir

As All Must Come to Pass - Shylmagoghnar

Years of Prophecy - Alkonost

Dancing in the Ashes - Wormwitch

A Ghost Trapped in Limbo - Sylvaine

I'll Be Your Hero - Rhapsody Of Fire

Ghost Of My Hero - Evergrey

Avenge The Fallen - HammerFall

When Fate Is Calling - Bloodbound

Leading the Lyre - Carmeria

Prayer - Year of the Cobra

How The Gods Kill - The Halo Effect

Guardian - Æther Realm

Sera-(The Dance of War) - Sakis Tolis

Your Worst Enemy - Defiled Serenity

Epitaphios - TRIUMPHER

Legends - Equilibrium

Trapped In A Corner - Death

All My Friends Are Dead - Carpathian Forest

Memoriam - Musk Ox

The Metalheads discuss a foundational metal-literature crossover today: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Iron Maiden, a 13-minute epic masterpiece that gave new form to the story of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem.

We get into:

• The inspiration behind the song, including a brush with the Satanic Panic
• Why does this poem work so well translated into song?
• Plot differences between the song lyrics and Coleridge’s original poem/gloss
• Does the song carry the theme of the poem?
• Breakdown and discussion of the song’s movements
• Which literary works we wish Iron Maiden would cover
• The scary boat songs we recommend
• “The Flying Dutchman,” Sacred
• “Demeter,” The Birch

Coming Next Week:

• We’re discussing The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, so hop in your chariot and roll up to your speakers to listen! (Okay, the wheels fell off that metaphor. Sorry about that.)

Sources:

• If you’d like to read our sources on the song’s genesis, check out these articles:
• https://norselandsrock.com/rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-iron-maiden/
• https://www.loudersound.com/features/iron-maiden-story-behind-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner