Review by Kimmarie Erickson for MPM
Underrated metalcore powerhouses Butcher Babies released their sixth studio album, Nightbloom, on October 2, 2026. The ten-track album, produced by Howard Benson (co-produced by Joe Rickard, Neil Sanderson, and Henry Flury) on Judge & Jury Records, will definitely appeal to fans of multiple metal genres. This is the band’s first album since co-lead singer Carla Harvey left, and by all accounts, it may be their best to date. Nightbloom touches on heartbreak, trauma, survival, and Heidi Shepherd’s personal therapy journey. It is an album most metalcore bands wish they’d created.
The first track, Lost in Your Touch, cast a spell on me instantly with its ballad vibe. I wasn’t sure this was really the Butcher Babies, then frontwoman Heidi Shepard’s guttural growl blindsided me. I was sucked into the vortex of Shepard’s unique vocal style. In Shepard’s own words, this track is a 25-year retrospective love letter to her past and a clear departure from the Butcher Babies’ original sound. The second track, Sincerity, comes out of the gate ferociously. Full-bodied and vindictive, the first verse leads into a deep, dark bundle of lyrical gold: I should’ve known it was a fight I wasn’t ready for. You played the martyr in a holy war. The bridge is hauntingly melodic with a strong snarling outro. Blame it on the Wind, track three, features an ethereal guitar solo by Henry Flury. This track has bittersweet, star-crossed-lover vibes. The fourth track, Broken and Beautiful, is catchy but poignant with gritty aggression. The pre-chorus and chorus beat is choppy and deliciously devious. The tempo switch-up is nothing short of genius. Are You Waiting Up?, the fifth track, opens with an intricate, running, electronica-tinged guitar hook that runs through the song. This track shows a massive flex in the band’s multifaceted writing style.
The album shifts with track six, Black Clouds Over Georgia, which starts soft and melancholy, then unfurls into a robust cauldron of bitterness. The seventh track, Fever in My Neck, slides back into chaos, with Dave Nickles’ feverish drum attack. Dave dominates his zip code with his insane double-kick mastery. Songbird, the eighth track, is sneakily acidic and seething with malice. If evil had a theme song, this would be it. The second-to-last track, Leaving California, broke my cold dead heart, for real. What a magnificent, layered creation, gentle and heart-ripping, with Heidi Shepard’s gorgeous, clean vocals being shattered by her heavy growl. I’m not crying…you’re crying. Last track, Black Dove, wiped my tears and kicked my ass. Shepard comes out of the corner swinging with this track. I swear I was ready to start a one skullgurl mosh pit when this one came on. Bassist Sean Violet laid down a concrete bass line that cut through the tsunami of battling instrumental lines. Make no mistake, this guy has chops.
A band’s evolution can make or break it. Bands that don’t test boundaries tend to fade into the background, becoming like ghosts. Butcher Babies is not one of those bands. Nightbloom is a meteoric masterpiece from start to finish. The band thought outside the box, and it paid off. Since 2013, this band has been building momentum, and now it’s time for them to take center stage. Are you a Butcher Babies fan? If you said no, I am very disappointed in you. I am always amazed when Metalheads tell me they have never heard of this band. I demand you check out Nightbloom immediately; you can thank me later. I give this album 10/10 skulls.
Stream/Order @ ButcherBabies.com
