Despite featuring members of bands like Marduk, Pan-Thy Monium, Edge of Sanity, and Incapacity, and my love of all things Stockholm sounding, I never quite sunk my teeth into Rotten Death, the 2011 debut from this old school Swedish death metal group. Whether it’s the fact I was still reeling from the debut from Entrails […]

Prior to 2011’s surprisingly excellent All Guts, No Glory (which I still heard about a year after the fact), my last experience with Exhumed was 1998’s Gore Metal, which I never really cared for. So imagine my surprise when I was hearing a latter Carcass clone complete with melodic solos and hooky, catchy riffs, which […]

I’m not sure why it took me two months to crank out a review of Autopsy‘s 6th album, their second since reforming after a near decade layoff, but sometimes I get in a reviewing groove and get a hankering to review something specific. Also A) it’s fucking Autopsy, and B) this albums kills. While 2011’s […]

There are a few quality Amon Amarth knock offs out there; Heathen Foray, Asenblut, Wandersword and even Evocation are an Amon Amarth clone now. Adding to that list but adding some rather weird gore and undead themes into the Viking mix is Spain’s Vikingore and their fair to middling debut album Wolves in the Battlefront. […]

About this time last year, I reviewed the 3rd album from Malaysia war mongering, death metal stalwarts Humiliation, From Strength to Strength, and it was a pretty damn solid affair of Bolt Thrower-y and Jungle Rot styled barbaric simplicity (I still rock the heck out of “Preposition of Violence” on my ipod). Well, the band […]

The far reaching influence of Immolation has reached new heights over 20 years after the band released their debut, Dawn of Possession in 1991. In recent years the resurgence of old school death metal has peaked with a plethora of bands culling both from Immolation as well as the well documented Stockholm sound. One such band reaching into the past, culling from Immolation as well as Gorguts and other early but forward thinking death metal stalwarts is international act, Zealotry.

Featuring members of hardcore act Momentum and of course former Fall of Efrafa frontman Alex Bradshaw, the UK’s Light Bearer have quickly established themselves as one of atmospheric sludge/post rock’s most amazing bands, or one of the best metal bands of any genre for that matter with their stunning 2011 debut LP Lapsus and subsequent […]

Profane is my first exposure the France’s Svart Crown, despite it being their 3rd full-length album, but considering the brilliance of French black metal that has crossed my path in that time frame, it’s not surprising that these guys slipped under my radar. And while this is more of a blackened death metal record as […]

Hailing from the Netherlands, The New Dominion is a exciting and talented multifaceted act that features drummer Yuma Van Eekelen, who drummed on Pestilence‘s 2011 effort, Doctrine. And while that once great band’s lackluster return and that particular album might not lure you into listening to this loosely affiliated band, be aware that The New […]

Sidious is the side project from some of the members of UK doom act Eye of Solitude, and while I generally don’t dig EPs (musical cock teasers), Ascension to the Throne Ov Self is a fucking killer little 4-song release, and I very much look forward to a full-length. Sidious is a complete 180 from […]

They say good things come to those who wait. Well, in the case of the debut from Germany’s Sulphur Aeon, that is most certainly true. Originally released at the beginning of the year/late 2012 on Imperium Productions then licensed via FDA Rekotz, I finally ordered the album after months of waiting, forgetting, and looking on […]

Zealotry is a project that features Roman Temin, a former metal journalist for blistering.com, Unchallenged Hate, as well as a couple of other skilled veterans of death and experimental metal. While Temin plays rhythm guitars and does lead vocals, he has plenty of veteran and skilled assistance by way of Philippe Tougas of Chthe’ilist and […]

So here is a 9 song, 23 minute EP or short LP from France’s Years of Tyrants, and one thing is incredibly clear, these guys really like Beneath the Massacre. So much so, that when a track started playing, I had a hard time telling who they were seeing as I still have Beneath the […]

In this day and age of super speed, mega brutality and throwbacks there is something to be said for just riffs. Simple, catchy, driving riffs. And on their second effort of largely mid paced black ‘n’ roll styled metal, Germany’s Sonic Reign deliver them in spades. Those who hated Satyricon‘s last couple of outings, Now […]

It feels a little odd reviewing Abyssal‘s re-released debut, Denouement so close to the excellent review of their second offering Novit Enim Dominus Quie Sunt Eius, but here I am listening to and enjoying Denouement actually a little more than the band’s latest Profound Lore release. Originally self released by the band on individual, hand […]

Norway’s Blood Red Throne achieved a little attention in the 00s, being an American sound death metal band hailing from the then black metal dominated country of Norway and featuring Tchort of Emperor as well as a rotating line up of other Norwegian luminaries. They released a number of solid, well received albums, notably their […]

Norway’s Extol seemed to be that rare Christian metal band that were saved the usual ridicule and cries of “Get God out of my metal!” from knuckle dragging satanic metal heads when they surfaced in the late 90s. Whether it is because like thrashers Believer before them, they played a ‘real’ brand of metal (a […]

Hybrid is an apt name for this experimental Spanish metal act. Melding grindcore, djent, death metal, tech/math metal and jazzy experimental flourishes, the band is certainly adventurous with its sound, and on their second effort it creates one challenging, creative , if at times testing listen. This isn’t Azure Emote levels of crazy experimentation, but […]

With their first 3 albums, A Celebration of Guilt, United in Regret and We Are the Nightmare, James Malone’s Arsis, injected a feral energy and staggering musicianship to a stagnating melodic death metal scene and added the US as major players in the genre. However, personal and line up issues hindered the band’s progress and […]

After a 7 year wait, a considerable amount of hype and build up, something strange happened to Summoning‘s eagerly awaited 7th album. After the teaser trailers, after the first song was revealed, the metal world was brimming with anticipation and then the album came out a couple of weeks ago……..and there were *crickets*. Now I […]

Facedown records was in a bit of a slump in late 2012 and early 2013, but responded recently and mightily with Hope for the Dying‘s Aletheia, the heavier than thou release from Those Who Fear, Christian metal’s possible savior in the new Extol reunion, and this, the almost as punishing but slightly more experimental second […]

I am not sure I have ever heard a more perfect marriage on a split release than Sol, the 3 song, almost 70 fucking minute, Sun themed opus from two of the more exiting, new, one man black metal projects going right now. Both released stunning CDs last year; Mare Cognitum‘s An Extraconscious Lucidity, and […]

Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes (roughly translated to War of All Against All) is the debut full length album from one man project based in Harrowgate, England, who goes under the guise of ‘Leviathan’. I was interested in reviewing this because Bal Sagoth‘s Johnny Maulding engineered the album and helped out with some synths, and I’m […]

I’m usually a little leery of reissues of only 5 year old death metal albums. I prefer my reissues to be of a more classic musk, and frankly I don’t think there was much released in 2008 that really needed re-issuing. However, along comes the start up UK Label Wretched Decay Records and their re-issue […]

Sorry guys, those of who who clicked on this review link expecting or hoping for a melancholic Finnish or Swedish death/doom band based on the moniker,  will be a bit disappointed , as this is nothing of the sort. However, while you are here let me introduce you to this multifaceted, progressive metal band from […]