Expectations are high for Decrepit Birth’s third album. The wide spread acclaim for 2008’s Diminishing Between Worlds set the bar high, and many, including myself, thought the band simply peaked at the right time with their choice to add melody to technical death metal. Throw in a shift from Unique Leader to Nuclear Blast and […]

You are witness to a unique event. This review is literally written at the end of what is known as a ‘bender’. According to the urban dictionary: “A term commonly used to describe a period of time (preferably more than 24 hours) spent escaping life’s harsh realities (marriage, work etc) Consumption of alcohol and drugs […]

One of Dark Descent Records’ other first CD-releases is the debut from Turkey’s Burial Invocation, and it’s a very promising―4 tracks and 18 all too short minutes―old school death metal that culls from many influences, but most heavily the likes of Bolt Thrower and a smidgen of classic old school Floridian death metal. One only […]

So here is new label Dark Descent Records and their first CD release, the debut from Texas/Missouri trio Beyond Hell. Featuring Eletrokutioner (Decrepitaph, Father Befouled, Festered) on drums and two other dudes, you know what you are getting: Filthy old school death metal, that culls from the US scene. Namely Eletrokutioner’s bands, as well as […]

While Starkweather are not particularly prolific, when they do stagger into view, they carry a big fucking stick. After a 10-year hiatus, they returned with 2006’s blistering Croatoan, one of the best records of that year. And after a 4 year wait (though some of this material is from the Croatoan sessions) they have returned […]

HOLY FUCK. HOLY FUCKEN FUCKITY FUCK FUCK. So there’s been a pretty nice movement of retro death metal resurrecting the old Stockholm sound in the last few years; bands from back in the day reforming (Séance, General Surgery, Evocation, Interment), some nice odes and homage’s (Chaosbreed, Kaamos, Hail of Bullets, Bloodbath, Lifeless, Rib Spreader, God […]

So Willowtip has graced us with a killer trio of records this summer, taking a break from grindcore and delivering Fleshgod Apocalypse’s EP, Mafia, Circle of Dead Children’s disturbing Psalm of the Grand Destroyer, and the third album from Germany’s veteran masters of broodle death metal, Defeated Sanity. Following the template set by 2007’s watershed […]

After the killer little Nails release, the second best recent offering of D-beat hardcore is the debut from Cleveland’s Masakari who have given the genre some needed melody and thoughtfulness within their crusty, feral antics. Utilizing an obvious Discharge-backbone, Masakari have an undeniable, palpable rage within their rumbling power chords and gruff screams, but their […]

I was curious as to how Germany’s Equilibrium would fare with the follow up to 2008’s critically acclaimed Sagas. Not only because of that album’s brilliance, but also due to a line-up changes, as original vocalist/founding member Helge Stang is replaced by Robert Dahn, and the band has their third drummer in as many albums. […]

So the debut from this super group (or super duet really, as Jamey Jasta and Kirk Windstein are the main guys) was an expected mix of Hatebreed and Crowbar; it was a pretty fun but underwhelming listen. On their second effort, however, the duet, now working with a different backing group, appears to have really […]

Mixing brutal, technical death metal with classical elements, Italy’s Fleshgod Apocalypse exploded onto the scene last year with their debut full length player, Oracles (if you have yet to hear it, do yourself a favor and buy it now). Thankfully, the band isn’t letting us forget about them in 2010, unleashing arguably the best EP […]

Early on in my metal listening years, there were plenty of bands that were pushing the envelope in extreme metal. Bands that truly changed what I expected from death metal, black metal and such. Bands like Pan-Thy-Monium, Visceral Evisceration, Ephel Duath,  Summoning, Lykathea Aflame, Septicflesh, Arcturus, Emperor, Bal-Sagoth and such were just some of the […]

Apparently Earache was so impressed with the record breaking sales of Oceano’s Depths last year, and unable to wait for the bands follow up, Contagion, the label has gone and signed Detroit’s And Hell Followed With ― an almost identical act to Oceano. So now most of you have left, and those who remain are […]

Listen, I’m not much of a power metal/heavy metal guy. My enjoyment of the genre is pretty much limited to Iron Maiden, Manowar and Rhapsody of Fire, with maybe short bursts of Dragonforce. I simply can’t get into the vocals, even with the admitted skill within bands like Tarot, Avantasia, Kamelot, Pharoah, Sonata Arctica and […]

I’m not much for gimmicks, but when a CD is sent to me with the ‘jewel case’ cut from a 12-pack of beer, and the track listing is printed on a Camels lights -pack, I’ll admit it: Well played, good sirs! Delivering a proggy shimmery take of spacey, indie/alt rock/punk, mixed with some post-rock, some […]

Following up on the old school death metal successes of 2009 (Fatalist, Asphyx, Banished From Inferno, Hod, Rape Pillage & Burn, etc), Ibex Moon Records has unleashed two quality, pure old school records this summer in the form of Cardiac Arrest’s Haven for the Insane and this reissued debut from Germany’s Lifeless. While Beyond the […]

I’ve been digging some d-beat/crust of late such as Masakari, D.I.S, Warvictims, Early Graves, and even pulling out some old Victims and Disfear records, but the best of the bunch has to be this blistering little 15 minute record from South Carolina’s Nails. Due to a super crunchy, mid-range buzzing guitar tone to die for, […]

There’s not a single original note on the debut from the Ukraine’s Acephala, but what they do deliver is a solid slab of slamming Eastern European brutal death metal that should fit right in with the likes of label mates Katalepsy, Murder Intentions and of course, Devourment. With twelve bludgeoning songs (as well as an […]

Hailing from Tennessee, As Hell Retreats is one of the recent addictions to the Strikefirst/Facedown Records family, so you know they play some form of quality Christian metal, and in this case it’s a hybrid of melodic metalcore and crumbling deathcore. Not as utterly devastating as label mates Impending Doom or Earth From Above and […]

In itself, the formula for a successful female fronted gothic metal act is simple; lush production, lavish synths, some catchy riffs, a ballad or two and all of it sung by some buxom, corset clad beauty. It’s been done to death, resulting in somewhat of a saturation of the genre over the last few years. […]

So, Christian Älvestam delved into a few projects after departing from Scar Symmetry. The standard melo-death of Miseration, the more aggressive The Few Against Many, and now the Swede is involved in (restrained and commercial) supergroup Solution .45. The presence of Älvestam’s Miseration and The Few Against Many cohorts (guitarists Patrik Gardberg and Tom Gardiner, […]

If you enjoyed Aeon’s recent Path of Fire opus or even thought is was a bit safe, then be sure to check out the debut from fellow Swedes Syn:drom (all the –tion and –blood names are officially taken I guess?) as it delivers a high quality death metal assault that competently mixes brutality, technicality and […]

When you are reviewing an album that has tracks called “Spitting in Infinity’s Asshole” and “Strip Nude for Your Killer”, you know you are in for a good time… and by good time, I mean a sickening black/sludge/doom affair that falls under the same umbrella as Cough, Negative Reaction, Highgate and such. The formula for […]

Germany’s Twilight Vertrieb is having a solid few months with releases by the likes of Lost Dreams, Mastic Scum, Abrogation, In Slumber, Requiem and the re-issue of The Monolith Deathcult’s White Crematorium album. Nothing ground breaking, but a solid slew of local death metal releases. However, mixed in with all those is the debut full […]

Compared to 2009, this year hasn’t been quite the landslide of killer tech/brutal death metal. But over the last few weeks the likes of Aeon, Brain Drill, Fleshrot, Syn:Drom and Deivos have made 2010 slightly more respectable. As with 2008’s Apocalyptic Feasting, Brain Drill are still plying  a form of über technical, noodly, Origin-like death […]