PLAYLIST: 🩸 THE NEW FLESH INDEX — WEEKLY ROTATION #8 Friday, February 13th to Thursday, February 19th, 2026

Welcome to The New Flesh Index—a weekly descent hammered into shape by the tracks that ruled February 13th–19th with absolute violence. This isn’t a playlist; it’s a slow-motion collision, a grinding maw of new metal tearing itself forward through grit, blood, and blown‑out amplifiers.
 
This rotation drags you face‑first through February’s ugliest mutations—riffs that crush like collapsing concrete, rhythms that stalk with cold intent, and vocals that rip through the mix like exposed wiring. These are the sounds that left dents, split teeth, and carved their presence into the room long after the last vibration died.
 
This week’s choice cuts were torn from the bone of the following releases—records that bled hardest under repeat impact and refused to let go:
 

---

 
1) Ritual Arcana – “Ritual Arcana” (69 individual track streams)

A debut steeped in occult‑charged heavy rock and doom, forged by a trio with deep lineage in classic doom and supernatural hard‑rock traditions. The album blends stalking riffs, ritualistic atmospheres, and a vintage heaviness shaped by its veteran lineup, creating a sound rooted in mysticism and slow‑burn power.
 
2) Toothless – “Past Futures” (56 individual track streams)

A technical, aggressive metalcore release built on mathy structures, sharp rhythmic shifts, and high‑precision execution. It leans heavily into progressive metalcore tendencies — dense, tightly wound, and designed for listeners who like complexity fused with force.
 
3) Gorrch – “Stillamentum” (46 individual track streams)

A suffocating, dissonant black‑metal record from Italy, steeped in claustrophobic tension, harsh chord structures, and unrelenting intensity. It marks the duo’s return with a style that pushes into experimental territory while remaining firmly rooted in bleak, atmospheric extremity.
 
4) Remote – “Parish” (39 individual track streams)

A blackened sludge work defined by thick low‑end pressure, dragging riffs, and a hypnotic, ritualistic sense of pacing. The album leans into darkness and slow‑burn immersion, drawing from the heavier, more meditative edges of sludge and doom traditions.
 
5) Under – “What Happened in Roundwood” (29 individual track streams)

An unclassifiable collision of sludge, noise rock, doom, avant‑garde impulses, and warped prog sensibilities. Angular riffs, dissonant harmonies, odd time signatures, and a confrontational atmosphere make this album intentionally uncomfortable, narratively strange, and sharply original.
 
6) Cattle Hammer – “Dark Thoughts With Lights Out” (18 individual track streams)

A towering, bleak fusion of doom, drone, sludge, and blackened doom. Long, crushing tracks move with agonizing slowness, loaded with oppressive atmosphere and thick, noise‑drenched heaviness. A debut built entirely around weight, misery, and suffocating sonic density.
 
7) Matriphagy – “From Nothing to Nothingness” (18 individual track streams)

A brutal death‑metal outburst driven by frantic blast beats, savage riffing, and guttural‑to‑screeching vocal extremes. Chaotic, violent, and unrelenting, the EP also includes a twisted reworking of a Cryptopsy track, underscoring its commitment to technical ferocity.

---

⚔️ Total Streams: 348 ↓ 31% - A noticeable reduction in overall listening, largely because time was spent with family during half‑term rather than at full listening capacity.
🩸 Total Artists Streamed: 24 ↑34% - Despite the lower stream count, listening was spread across more artists — a broader range than last week.
⚔️ New Albums: 24 ↑ 27% - More new releases entered rotation, showing continued interest in fresh material even with reduced total listening time.
🩸 New Tracks Streamed: 113 ↑38% - A strong increase in new tracks explored, highlighting variety over volume this week.
⚔️ Total Listening Time: 1 day, 5 hours ↓ 27% - Listening sessions were shorter overall, consistent with spending more time offline.
🩸 Average Streams per Day: 50 ↓ 31% - Daily activity followed the same downward trend as total streams for the week.
⚔️ Most Active Day: 106 streams on February 13th ↓ 2% - The week still started with a solid peak before the slowdown set in.

---

⚔️ Top Artist: Ritual Arcana (69 individual track streams)

🩸 Top Album: Ritual Arcana – “Ritual Arcana” (69 individual track streams)

⚔️ Top Track: Gorrch – “Vorago” (9 streams)

⚔️🩸 The New Flesh Index Playlist #8 (30 biggest tracks of the week)

PLAYLIST: 🩸 THE NEW FLESH INDEX — WEEKLY ROTATION #7 Friday, February 6th to Thursday, February 12th, 2026

---

 

A curated descent into the tracks that defined February 6th – February 12th: the most vital, corrosive, forward‑leaning new metal of the week, delivered with the slow, air‑starved crush of something sinking under its own mass. This rotation sinks fully into February’s churn, crawling through the filthiest new strains on offer and locking onto the sounds that bruised deepest, smothered the room, or clung like a tightening coil long after the final impact.

 

This week’s choice cuts were stripped from the following release(s)
 

Eximperitus – “Meritoriousness of Equanimity”

The gravitational centre of the entire week, streamed 90 times, making it both the top artist and the most‑played album. Its labyrinthine death metal architecture set the tone for the rotation from start to finish.

MØL – “Dreamcrush”

A major presence throughout the cycle with 79 track streams, its soaring blackgaze intensity cutting through the week with relentless momentum.

Shine – “Wrathcult”

With 77 streams, this release carved deep into the mid‑week sessions, its serrated edge leaving a clear mark on the week’s overall texture.

Shields – “Death Connection”

Although not included in the playlist, it still landed 59 streams, becoming one of the most significant outside‑rotation forces of the week.

Nightmarer – “Hell Interface”

A dense, disorienting slab that contributed 45 track streams, adding weight and atmosphere to the darker corners of the rotation.

Blacklight Holywater – “Not Here Not Gone”

Another off‑playlist standout, streamed 42 times, its bleak, shadow‑drenched tone fitting seamlessly into the week’s overall mood.

Syberia – “Quan tot s'apagui”

A sweeping instrumental counterbalance with 42 streams, offering atmosphere without easing the intensity of the broader cycle.

Urne – “Setting Fire to the Sky”

With 27 streams, this track added a dose of muscular, melodic heft to the week’s listening profile.

Armed for Apocalypse – “Fist Like Feathers”

The most‑played individual track of the week at 17 streams, standing out as the blunt‑force highlight amid heavier full‑length rotations.

Pilori – “Lèse-Majesté”

A venomous single that pulled in 15 streams, holding its own against the week’s dominant albums and adding a sharp, caustic edge to the rotation.

---

 

WEEKLY LISTENING REPORT — FEBRUARY 6–12
 
⚔️ Total Streams: 504 — a 32% increase, marking one of the heaviest surges in recent rotation. The bulk of that weight came from a handful of records that demanded repeat immersion, with Eximperitus and MØL in particular pulling the week into deeper, more obsessive territory.
🩸 Total Artists Streamed: 18 — down 38%, reflecting a much tighter focus. This was a week defined by fixation rather than exploration, with a small circle of bands dominating the atmosphere from start to finish.
⚔️ New Albums: 19 — a 35% drop, though still a substantial intake for a week where repeat plays carried most of the load. Even with the narrowed scope, new material continued to carve out space in the rotation.
🩸 New Tracks Streamed: 82 — down only 4%, holding nearly steady despite contraction elsewhere. Fresh tracks continued to feed the edges of the listening cycle, but the gravitational pull of a few dominant releases kept the centre of the week firmly anchored.
⚔️ Total Listening Time: 1 day, 15 hours — a 30% rise, signalling longer, more immersive sessions. Much of that time was spent locked into the dense, ritualistic weight of Eximperitus and the atmospheric punishment of Nightmarer.
🩸 Average Streams per Day: 72 — up 31%, showing consistent pressure throughout the week rather than isolated spikes. The rotation stayed heavy from start to finish.
⚔️ Most Active Day: 108 streams on February 11th — a 15% increase, standing as the week’s clear peak. This was the day where the listening pattern tipped fully into saturation.

---

 
⚔️ Top Artist: Eximperitus (90 individual track streams)

🩸  Top Album: Eximperitous – “Meritoriousness of Equanimity” (90 track streams)

 

⚔️ Top Track: Armed for Apocalypse – “Fists Like Feathers” (17 streams)

⚔️🩸 The New Flesh Index Playlist #7 (30 biggest tracks of the week)

PLAYLIST: 🩸 THE NEW FLESH INDEX — WEEKLY ROTATION #6 Friday, January 30th to Thursday, February 5th, 2026

 

---

A curated descent into the tracks that defined January 30th – February 5th: the most vital, corrosive, forward‑leaning new metal of the week, delivered with the slow, air‑starved crush of something sinking under its own mass. This rotation hauls in some of the final January releases — the last convulsions of the month — crawling through the filthiest strains they offer, locking onto the sounds that bruised deepest, smothered the room, or clung like a tightening coil long after the final impact.

 

This week’s choice cuts were stripped from the following release(s)

 

Poppy – “Empty Hands”

Aendsnigh – “Sun Eater”

Gros Enfant Mort – “Les Sang Des Pierres”

Concrete – “Absent Morality”

Temptress – “hear”

Furi Helium – “No Altar Stands Eternal”

---

 

⚔️ Total streams: 384 ↓ 1% vs. last week

🩸  Total Artists streamed: 29 ↑ 53%

⚔️ New Albums: 29 ↑ 39%

🩸  New Tracks streamed: 116 ↑ 4%

⚔️ Total Listening Time: 1 day, 2 hours ↓ 14%

🩸  Average Streams: 55 per day ↑ 0%

⚔️ Most Active Streaming Day: 92 on February 2nd ↑ 14%

---

 

⚔️ Top Artist: Poppy (62 streams)

 🩸  Top Album: Poppy – “Empty Hands” (62 tracks streams)

⚔️ Top Track: Gros Enfant Mort – “Paillason 4ever” (8 streams)

🩸 The New Flesh Index Playlist #5 (30 biggest tracks of the week)

PLAYLIST: 🩸 THE NEW FLESH INDEX #1 - MONTHLY ROTATION - January 2026

 

My Top January 2026 compiled by Deezer
 
⚔️ Total minutes streamed: 6147
🩸  Total Artists streamed: 54
⚔️ Total Tracks streamed: 352
 
🩸  Top 10 Artists (minutes streamed): 
 
1). Will Haven (916 minutes)
2). The Ruins of Beverast (361 minutes)
3). Megadeth (330 minutes)
4). Vesseles (290 Minutes)
5). Null Existence (265 minutes)
6). Death Cult (251 minutes)
7). Ov Sulfur (227 minutes)
8). Pict (205 minutes)
9). Kreator (196 minutes)
10). Vermocracy (190 minutes)
 
⚔️ Top Tracks (most streamed)
 
1). Gravity Chasm – “Decompiled” (25 times)
2). Pict – “III.Searching” (11 times)
3). Pict – IV. The Nomad (10 times)
4). Pict – “II. Condemned” (10 times)
5). Redivider – “Bask in the Rot” (10 times”
6). Redivider – “Quartred & Devoured” (10 times)
7). Deadwood – “Tales of Massacre” (10 times)
8). Vesseles – “Perpetual Chasm of Black Mirrors” (9 times”
9). Semper Acerbus – “One Day At A Time” (9 times”
10. B e s o t – “feral escalation” (9 times”
 
🩸  The New Flesh Index Monthly (Jan 2026) 49 tracks, 3hrs 31mins of music featuring, Pict, Redivider, Semper Acerbus, b e s o t, Lionheart, Deadwood, Death Cult, Will Haven, Denominate, Kreator, Force Carrier, Viserion, Bite Down, Megadeth, Aendsnigh, The Ruins of Beverast, Vesseles, Null Existence, Carrion Vael, Blanket.