"What to expect and wish for in 2026"

I'm not a psychic, but I do have some predictions for the upcoming year. A disclaimer statement is in order. The predictions are limited to the data and knowledge available to me, and may not be entirely accurate or comprehensive. Sibyls also made predictions. The word sibyl comes from the Greek term sibylla, meaning prophetess. The sibyls were oracles in Ancient Greece. At first, there appears to have been only a single sibyl. By the fourth century before Christ there appear to have been at least three more. By the first century before Christ, there were at least ten sibyls, located in Greece, Italy, the Levant, and Asia Minor. While the sibyls have increased in numbers the gothic country genre is going in the opposite direction. Fewer and fewer acts remain for every year. The best days in the genre have come and gone. It's obvious. Some people doesn't agree and claim that there are numerous acts out there. Yes, the copiers, fakers, imitators, impersonaters and imposters are numerous and out there. There isn't much I can do, except to show my disinterest, contempt and disgust (in that order). I will not be swayed.    

This year turned out to be a modest year when it comes to number of releases. I count to seven releases: Murder by Death (Egg & Dart), Woodbox Gang (Brown Cane Toad), Salter Cane (Deep Black Water), Lonesome Wyatt & The Holy Spooks (Sad Witch Cult), Sons of Perdition (Ars Moriendi), Slackeye Slim (Perpetual Tunes) and Uncle Sinner (Everybody Wants to Know How I Die). In terms of quality, 2025 was a good year. 

What about next year? I have three wishes for 2026. The first wish: a new gothic country album by Christian Williams. The second wish: to acquire one of the remaining three of the hard-to-find four missing albums, read more here (opens in a new window). The third wish: to get my Devil's Ruin Records collection complete. At the moment, I got 36 out of 40 registered albums on Discogs. The remaining four albums were probably never manufactured and distributed, read more here (opens in a new window). Well, then my third wish is a complete collection of Foddershock albums (this dream seems very far away).

What about new album releases in 2026? This is what I know: The Builders and the Butchers (No Tomorrow), Swarme of Beese (Orchards of Dreams), Mr Plow (untitled) and David Eugene Edwards (untitled). That's all. It looks like it's going to be a meager year, but you never know. Sons of Perdition will maybe or maybe not release their new album (Caul-Birth King and Other Abruptions). Those Poor Bastards release a new album now and then. So maybe it's time again. Antic Clay (Broom of Fire) has been scheduled for eight years in a row. Maybe the upcoming year is the year when it will finally happen? We will see what the future brings.