Italian Blackened Thrashers BARBARIAN have unleashed “Mercy Swallower”, the second single off their upcoming sixth LP “Reek Of God”. The latter comes out on January 23rd, 2026 through Dying Victims Productions.

following a trio of hailed albums for Hells Headbangers – “Cult of the Empty Grave” (2016), “To No God Shall I Kneel “(2019), and “Viperface” (2022) – BARBARIAN join forces with longtime fans DYING VICTIMS for the Italians’ sixth full-length, “Reek of God”. Like clockwork, it’s another three years between albums, and BARBARIAN deliver the goods. And yet, this is also a new chapter in their series: “retrogarde metal,” chronologically after “total metal,” “absolute metal,” “obtuse metal,” and “regressive metal.” As such (and in possession of exactly 98 riffs in 35 minutes), the ten central songs comprising Reek of God are shorter and more to-the-point but basically with no classic rock structure of verse / chorus. BARBARIAN’s characteristic sound – in the simplest of terms, raw speed and epic metal meets even rawer proto-extreme metal – has here been enriched with a vein close to mid ‘80s death metal and even metal-tinged punk, but with a flow of tempo-changes and riffs to be found only in late ‘80s / early ‘90s developments of extreme metal. BARBARIAN are nothing if not studious acolytes; they know their shit, and then make records about it.

Tracklist: 1. Warning 2. Maxima Culpa 3. Sledgehammer 4. Eighth Sacrament 5. Shit He Forgives 6. Cardinal Sinner 7. Cancer Cross 8. Crossburn 9. Mercy Swallower 10. Freak Magnet 11. Retrogarde Metal 12. Crurifragium