“Don’t call it a comeback”? Don’t mind if we do! Hiatuses, breakups and line-up changes couldn’t stop these six bands but only made them come back stronger than before – with the following albums.
Words: Christina Wenig
Neurosis – An Undying Love For A Burning World (2026)
It’s the comeback no one saw coming: Following the split from Scott Kelly in 2019, Neurosis went on a hiatus that many believed to be permanent. But behind the scenes, big things were brewing. The band enlisted singer and guitarist Aaron Turner (Isis, Sumac, Old Man Gloom) – a post-metal institution in his own right – and created a new album that many already consider one of the best of their career. An Undying Love For A Burning World was released without prior announcement and showcases Neurosis’ ability to shift the world axis with the sheer power of their emotional and musical heaviness.
Khanate – To Be Cruel (2023)
Another surprise release: When Khanate dropped their fifth album To Be Cruel out of nowhere in 2023, effectively ending a 17-year hiatus, the world of drone doom got one of its greats back. The experimental quasi-supergroup consisting of James Plotkin and Alan Dubin (OLD), Tim Wyskida (Blind Idiot God) and Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O)))) had called it quits in 2006 but unveiled a whole new world of sonic terror with their comeback. Slowly unfolding their eerie harshness, these three 20-minute tracks revel in abrasive sound textures, droning feedback and the brutality of decelerated minimalism.
Immortal – Northern Chaos Gods (2018)
In their 35 years as a band, Immortal have been through a lot. Following the release of their weakest album All Shall Fall in 2009 and the exit of Abbath in 2015, it’s somewhat incredible that the band managed to release a new album in 2018. Forced out of his quasi-retirement as an active musician, lyricist Demonaz (who is now the only official band member), took up vocal and guitar duties to usher in a new Immortal era with Northern Chaos Gods. Sure, it may never reach the level of, say, At The Heart Of Winter (1999), but you just have to respect a man who’s so dedicated to the grim and frostbitten life.
Cave In – Final Transmission (2019)
Probably the most emotional release in this collection: Final Transmission was released “only” eight years after its predecessor White Silence, but in these eight years, Cave In’s entire universe collapsed. In 2018, bassist Caleb Scofield died in a car accident; the band channeled their grief and uncertainty into this album, which consists of Scofield’s last recordings with them. Simultaneously closing one chapter and opening a new one, Final Transmission is a testament, love letter and swan song in its most raw and authentic form – a bittersweet farewell that allowed them to move on to new shores with their follow-up Heavy Pendulum (2022).
Possessed – Revelations Of Oblivion (2019)
One thing that’s incredible about Possessed is that they managed to become one of the defining bands of the newly born death metal genre with their debut album Seven Churches in 1985. Another thing is that they managed to return with a new album 33 years after their last full-length release. Featuring original singer Jeff Becerra, Revelations Of Oblivion avoids the pitfalls of trying to imitate modern metal, instead summoning up the demons of the eighties and reminding us all why this band has earned its rightful spot in the annals of extreme metal history.
Warning – Rituals Of Shame (2026)
We might be getting ahead of ourselves here, but Warning’s upcoming album – their first in twenty years – is bound to be one of the defining doom metal releases of this year. The title Rituals Of Shame illustrates what fans already know: This record is going to destroy us emotionally. Bandleader Patrick Walker (40 Watt Sun) hasn’t lost any of his trademark ability to wrap his anguish and heartbreak up in towering melodies and heavy yet delicate layers of melancholy – the ideal soundtrack for some dedicated summertime sadness.
