When it comes to the technical-brutal death metal arena, few bands can lay claim to a having a bigger influence than Origin.  Their blasting, hyperactive take on the genre is one that sends mere mortals running for cover and leave listeners and aspiring musicians constantly asking “how the hell do they pull this stuff off?”  […]

Along with the likes of Origin, Spawn of Possession, and Beneath the Massacre, Hour of Penance has been one band that has been at the forefront of the technical brutal death metal genre.  Their style, along with the others mentioned, comes at you from all sides like an infantry battalion, with riffs flying all around […]

Malaysian grinders Damokis play an odd, distortion filled style of mid-paced grind.  With a few splits and an EP under their belt, Grinding Mother Whore is their debut album, and it’s an odd genre-bender that might grab some, but didn’t really do anything for me. Damokis play a slower, Insect Warfare-ish type of grind, with […]

If you were to introduce someone to extreme metal, and they hadn’t heard the genre or weren’t previously a fan, you could do little better than to throw on the new Aborted album. It’s all that is right and enjoyable about the metal genre, and on their 8th full length album these Belgians show absolutely […]

When Killswitch Engage very publically parted ways with lead singer Howard Jones, I was worried about how the new KSE album would sound.  Well last year’s Disarm the Descent was to me a massive disappointment, even with the return of original vocalist Jesse Leach.  The vocals were easily the biggest letdown on that album, and I […]

The debut album from Italians Hiss from the Moat has been described as blackened deathcore, because that’s exactly what we need in the metal world is another sub-genre.  Well fear not and don’t stop reading now, as I’m here to tell you there’s nary a ‘core element to this one, and if you’re a fan […]

If you’re a death metal fan, one of the Dutch scene in particular, you’ve likely heard of the band Prostitute Disfigurement.  In addition to their catchy name, they’ve managed to produce some pretty good albums.  The last one of theirs I got into was 2008’s Descendants of Depravity, but then the band broke up in […]

Last year around this time, a Unique Leader release by the band Katalepsy set the brutal death world on edge with their album Autopsychosis; it also ended up as one of my top 5 albums of the year. Now early in 2014, label mates The Kennedy Veil have tried to once again recreate what Katalepsy […]

Though not quite as crushing as the recent full length from Comatose label mates Necrotic Disgorgement, the new one from Mortal Decay is yet another fine underground 2013 brutal death metal release.  This is only the 4th full length from these New Jersey natives, though they’ve been honing their craft for over 20 years.  I […]

So do you like your brutal death metal with a razor-thin production, monotone vocals and no real attempt at songwriting?  Well if so, then you’ll love the new full length from Italy’s Exhumer.  It’s a straight forward exercise in how to do brutal death by the book, without really even caring to open the cover […]

One of the best things about metal is the breadth of styles and genres available, and finding a band out of nowhere and being blown away by their style is something that will never get old for me.  The debut album by Oakland natives Secrets of the Sky is just that type of find.  Playing […]

It’s been a pretty down year for deathcore, with few good releases coming out that really struck a chord with me (Joe Deathcore Hater: dude there’s NEVER been a good year for deathcore!  Deathcore sucks!  Well, this review wasn’t written for you JDH, so pour some cold water down your pants and go fire up […]

Calling yourself Ferocity is a risk, because if you’re going to give your band such a powerful name, you better make damn sure you bring the goods.  Luckily Danish death metal band Ferocity has done just that.  If you’ve followed the Danish death scene, there have been a number of heavy-as-hell acts coming out of […]

Portland grind metallers Transient have been around since 2007 with a bunch of splits and EPs to their name, and now have released their first self-titled full length. This is the first I’ve heard of the band, and after spinning this one a few times I have no desire to look up their past work. […]

Having honed their craft since 2007 in the UK metal scene, Scordatura have unleashed their first full-length (originally self released but picked up by Blast Head Records), and this thing is an impressive debut. Jumping from the gates following a horror movie sample, “Necromantic Disposition” gets the show started, and the brutality starts to flow […]

When listing countries that churn out the best death metal, India would likely be way down the line of most people’s lists.  But lurking in the depths of some of these lesser known countries, however, you can find some solid metal being played.  That’s the case here with three piece band Plague Throat, who has […]

It’s taken all the way to September, but we have a late favorite for what very well could be the brutal/slam death album of the year. If you were disappointed in the last LP from USA slam death kings Devourment (as I definitely was), then Saprogenic are here to cure what ails you. They’ve put […]

If you’re a grind fan and haven’t hear of Squash Bowels well then… what the hell is wrong with you?!? The Poles have been blasting away since 1994, with a ton of splits and EPs and now Grindcoholism, their 6th full-length album. Despite their longevity, these guys haven’t quite reached the top tier of the […]

Nervecide is the brainchild of Italian do-it-yourselfer Giorgio Benedetti. He handles everything on this album, from the vocals all the way down to the drum programming. It’s a solid album, made more impressive by the fact it’s all done by one person. Following the intro, you get a blast-beat-backed stop-start riff, and this album brings […]

Swiss grind metallers Mumakil are a band I’ve been following for a while. From their little known debut LP Customized Warfare, to follow up Behold the Failure, these guys have been blasting through the underground with a style of grind they call “blastcore” (because yeah that’s all we need is yet another sub-genre). But categories […]

As the big name bands continue to put out disappointing albums (looking at you most recently Blood Red Throne… I mean wtf?!?), it has allowed the underground to show where the action’s at. You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of these Ohio broot-brewers, as it’s been almost 10 years since their last full […]

The second EP by Ohio deathcore metallers Death of an Era starts out pretty strong. The first track is a polyrhythmic, syncopated chugfest that fans will instantly gravitate towards. Near the end of that first track you get some almost painful sounding background lyrics, and one might wonder if that’s a sign of things to […]

As the Monster Becomes… what?!? Another deathcore album? Why yes folks that’s indeed what it is. Now that 4 of you are left reading this review, we can continue. This Italian quintet have dropped an EP that basically is exactly what you’d expect: you get plenty of breakdowns, bass drops, a dual-vocal attack, some djent […]

One of the bonuses of being a reviewer is that it forces you out of your comfort zone, and as one who listens to an unhealthy amount of death metal, this is a good thing.  Looking for a change I grabbed the debut album from In the Silence.  This album was actually released last summer, […]

Having enjoyed their last full length five years ago, nOn, it was good to see The Amenta back in LP land. Their blend of pseudo-industrial death metal caught my attention years ago and I was stoked when I heard this was coming out. On Flesh is Heir, the band picks back up with that same […]