Despite the retro thrash moniker and 1985 artwork, Massive Assault is actually a killer throwback Swedish styled death metal band who hail from the Netherlands. And whereas Denmark’s Funeral Whore were easily linked to Grave, Massive Assault are equally as easily linked to Dismember and fellow Dutchmen, Hail of Bullets (musically when they slow down, […]

It has been a killer first part of 2012 for metal fans, with the godfathers of grind and death, Napalm Death and Cannibal Corpse respectively, both dropping new albums. The new Napalm Death absolutely slayed, and proved once again who still carries the grindcore crown. The questions when a legend comes out with a new […]

Haters gonna hate. To be frank, I think Cannibal Corpse is a strong brand name that has always cemented the band’s “indisputable” place as one of death metal’s most important bands. Look, Cannibal Corpse are one of those staple American death metal bands who have always done and probably will always do a brutally good […]

You’ll have to forgive Indiana’s Nocturnal Torment for their horrendous 90s CG cover art, logo and moniker. You see, they actually formed in 1988 and up to now only had one 2009 demo to show for it. However, seeing as 1/2 of the band released some quality Swedish styled death metal via the underrated Invasion, […]

Formed in 1987 in suburb of  St. Louis, Missouri as Doom Lyre, Timeghoul were largely unnoticed  in the early 90s. Heck, I lived in Missouri in the early 90s, and I never heard of them. But here is Dark Descent Records to give you another one of their well done re-issues, but like the label’s […]

A handful of lesser known, lower profile releases of brutal/technical death metal have grabbed my attention of late; the likes of Pyrrhon, Nocturnal Torment, and Parasitized have shown that there is still plenty of new bands from unexpected realms delivering material to compare to big boys like Origin, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Spawn of Possession and such, […]

If fans of old school Swedish death metal thought 2011 was a good year for the genre, boy are you going to enjoy 2012! With Horrendous‘ excellent debut already out, this year is slated to see releases by  Zombie Inc., Revel in Flesh, Black Breath, Massive Assault, Blood Mortized, Megascavenger and this — the debut full-length […]

Technical death metal is a unique beast. When pulled off well (Origin, early Neuraxis, Decrepit Birth), it is one of the few genres that can make you stop and go – “Whoa… what the hell was that?!?”; leaving you reaching for the rewind button on your cd player to re-listen to what you just heard. […]

So, I’m playing a bit of catch up here having just recently received CDs from new label Blast Head Records, based out of Canada and Belgium’s Shiver Records, so expect a few late 2011 releases, seeing as they sent actual CDs not digital files. First up is the first release from Blast Head Records, the […]

The Rotted are finally back with their new full length Ad Nausea, the follow up to Get Dead Or Die Trying and is their second under the new moniker since Gorerotted became The Rotted. They are bringing another dose of crusty death metal to the masses, but besides the heavy as fuck instrumentation, this release […]

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a good slab of old school death metal? The debut album for Zombie Inc. was released to the world on February 14, and I am sure it was the soundtrack for many a candlelight dinner. Well ok probably not, but it definitely reeks of ironic humor […]

So Mexico is getting in on this retro death metal resurgence with Ominous Crucifix and their take on cavernous, gnarly simple old school Incantation-y death metal. And while Ominous Crucifix don’t really do anything wrong on The Spell of Damnation, the album is still a pretty average effort resulting in one of FDA Rekotz’s weaker […]

A new discovery for some and a reaffirmation for others, old school Swedish death metal has achieved a level of appreciation and acceptance these past few years that exceeds that afforded it during its original era. As an admitted fan I’d be the last person to find fault with that, but let’s not forget the […]

The name, Hellcrawler, immediately piqued my interest, while the combination of album title and grim cover art guaranteed that I’d have to give Wastelands a spin or 10. While maybe not as perpetually disappointing as finding out the girl with the sexy voice on the phone looks nothing like she sounds, making the leap from […]

Their press info lists them as a metalcore band, but to lump these Germans into such an oft-hated genre does a bit of a disservice. These Germans play a form of thrash/death/punk with a large dose of early Napalm Death for good measure. So if you do want to put them in the metalcore genre, […]

It’s been 4 years since Mithras‘ stunning last album, Behind the Shadows Lie Madness, so rather than prolong the agony, the guys have dropped this quick little EP. Two new tracks and three live songs. Not a ton of material, but Mithras doesn’t just write songs – they write galaxy-destroying, mind-warping, all-consuming astral death metal […]

Blood Mortized‘s self released 2009 debut was one of my coolest old school Swedish death metal discoveries during the genre’s current revival. And though featuring former and current members of Amon Amarth and Crypt of Kerberos, the band didn’t seem to have as high of a profile as some of their contemporaries, but with an […]

When an album cover depicts four long haired zombies devouring the flesh of the dead from the grave, I expect it to be a very unrelenting death metal album. Dismemberment, mutilation, disembowelment and any other descriptor for human evisceration are what I expect to drive the music and lyrics. Exhumed delivers the splattered gore on […]

Listen, I’ll readily admit to being one of those shallow, close minded types that judges a book by its cover, or a band by its moniker. And quite frankly a band with the name The Gardenerz wasn’t something I was ready to dive into. It’s the same reason I’ve never listened to Weekend Nachos and […]

Well fuck! That didn’t take long! After kicking my ass for a majority of 2011 with the likes of Entrails, Cryptborn, Uncanny, Miasmal, Undead Creep, Corpsessed, Gorephilia and such, Dark Descent Records, a mere two fucking days into 2012, has unleashed yet another gem of awesome old school death metal. Despite the label and PR […]

Despite being around since 1991 and with 6 full-length releases under their belt, Germany’s apparent death metal stalwarts Dead are new to me. But after hearing Hardnaked…but Dead, I can’t say I’m too bothered by the fact that I have missed out on their 20 year history. With a tongue in cheek grooving sense of […]

First- just look at the cover… (courtesy of renowned fantasy artist Daarken whose work you’ve have seen grace games like Warhammer Online and Warcraft games ). FUCKING LOOK AT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If that doesn’t make flaming metal skulls shoot from your cocks/vaginas, you simply don’t like metal. Second, how in the fuck is Arkansas’s Vore […]

Do you enjoy your death metal most thoroughly when it reeks of decaying viscera and echoes the sounds of torturous carnage?  You do?!  Then hold onto your butts, for Tormented is poised to offend your delicate fuckin’ sensibilities with the churning tomb stench that embodies Rotten Death, the band’s 2009 debut repackaged and exhumed by […]

As You Drown‘s first album, Reflection was one of my top 25 albums of 2009, so I was pretty psyched to hear these Swede’s follow up. I’ve sort of mentally linked As You Drown to Australia’s The Red Shore,who released their 2nd album ( I know its their third but here in the US, albums […]

I wondered from time to time if Tacoma, WA’s Infernal Legion was ever going to release a follow up to 2005’s Your Prayers Mean Nothing, a slab of old school based, no-frills death metal that I thoroughly enjoyed. The wait now over, I found third full-length The Spear of Longinus to be an album that […]