Mortem Obscuram initially got on my radar with their debut Eradication of the Human Endeavor back in 2021, a solid if unspectacular release of blackened/symphonic technical deathcore/death metal. It was OK, but I really didn’t give it that much attention, post-release. But boy, with The Wretched Divinity, they certainly have not gotten on my radar- […]

New York’s Contrarian has been an active contributor to the progressive death metal scene for quite some time now. Having released five full-length records through Willowtip Records Contrarian has decided to release an album of older material. What makes this release interesting is that all the tracks are instrumental. Founding members Jim Tasikas and Ed […]

When I heard Japan’s Imperial Circus Dead Decadence‘s 殯――死へ耽る想いは戮辱すら喰らい、彼方の生を愛する為に命を讃える――。 last year, it ended up being my second favorite album of the year. It was the utterly bonkers love child of Sigh, Cradle of Filth, and an anime soundtrack, and I thought I’d never hear anything quite like it ever again. I was wrong. Enter Countrymates […]

If you had told me in 1994 that a band with the name Dying Fetus (DF) would eventually become one of the biggest names in death metal I would have told you to get your head examined…..but that is precisely what has occurred through the decades.  Dying Fetus returning with their ninth full-length album Make […]

Unfortunately, I missed the last album, Zerfall, from these guys. So the last taste in my mouth from them was the strange tangent EP, #YOLO, a departure from the band’s epic, cinematic stylings. But from what I gather Zerfall was indeed a return form of prior albums like2 012s Rastlos and 2015s  Mach Dich Frei. […]

I stand by the sentiment in my review of Crypta’s debut, Echoes of the Soul. There is room for them, as well as Nervosa. However, I took the diplomatic approach and didn’t take a solid stance on which album is better. That was a mistake because Echoes of the Soul is better and holds up […]

I have been fortunate enough to review the last several Purtenance releases and The Rot Within Us is their fifth proper full-length album.  These Finish death metal slayers are not newcomers to the scene and after a 20 year absence returned in 2012 and since then their output has been good to excellent. Any fan […]

Eternal Rot is a three-piece from the UK, and they play some lumbering, shambling death doom with some of sickest, moistest, icky gurgling vocals I’ve heard since Seep’s Souvenirs of a Necrosadist EP back in 2020. Moribound is their third album, but I’ll be certainly checking out the prior two albums as this is pretty […]

Marduk are a steadfast part of the Black Metal scene. From the beginnings with their more death metal debut, Dark Endless to their Dracul trilogy and fast forwarding to their ultra-military Germania and the mighty as cannot be fucked with, the Black Metal equivalent of Slayer’s Reign in Blood; you know what the fuck I’m […]

Ever since I saw Exmortus with Amon Amarth I’ve been a fan. Their absolutely over the top performance was amazing, the guitars shredded like a fucking meat grinder and the energy of the band made for a memorable experience. Following that show, I picked up Slave to the Sword, Ride Forth and The Sound of […]

As the days and months and years keep piling up, it’s become more clear to me than ever that the idea of growing “mature with age” can mean two very different things: There’s the literal, more widely recognized notion where time and experience allows you to take stock of the things that actually matter in […]

It took me a good while into Devouring Eclipse of Darkest Realm to figure out who Russia’s Cadaver Carnivore sounds like. It’s an enjoyable, modern one-man death metal project from ‘Necrodaemon’  aka Dmitri Krasnopeew, who has no other credits or bands to his name, and its a sort of chunky atmospheric almost industrial death metal […]

If you’re not into modern metal, or what some painting with the broadest of brushes calls “metalcore,” you’re not going to like this. However, I am going to make like the gallon of milk I left in my car, spoil it, and let you know I do. Why do I like it, though? I’m so […]

The creators of cavernous unholy death metal, Incantation, once again return to the table with Unholy Deification.  A 10-song 41-minute album that is not quite on par with their last album, Sect of Vile Divinities, which I reviewed three years ago, and which I hailed as one of the finest albums they ever crafted. One […]

Panzerchrist are stalwarts. Literally, since 1995’s Demo they’ve been putting out their Blackened Death Metal beginning with Six Seconds Kill in 1996, to the utterly fantastic Room Service in 2003 they’ve steadily put out quality God Dethroned meets Bolt Thrower meets Marduk and they all have an orgy where out pops Panzerchrist. On the eighth […]

You know what they say, Outer Heaven, innie belly button. Or something. These young cosmic death metal fiends took a risk by letting five years pass between albums at a time when the new wave of old-school death metal is taking over. So, it has high expectations, especially from me since I almost literally live […]

I have quite a great deal of respect for Danny Schuler, drummer for Biohazard.  When Bill Tolley passed away, in the line of duty for FDNY, in 2017 Danny posted on the Internal Bleeding Facebook wall his support and leaving us his number.  This warmed my dark heart.  When I joined IB back in 1994, […]

Ohio’s Astralborne is back with the follow-up to 2021’s excellent debut, Eternity’s End. The debut was a very enjoyable slab of meaty American melodic death metal with nods to Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquillity, In Flames ( there is a cover of “December Flower” from The Jester Race on this album), and the usual suspects, but […]

I’ve consumed a substantial amount of death metal this year. It has typically been that nasty, new-school death metal I’ve been enjoying. Coffin Mulch is in that mold(er), except they’re that buzzsaw variety of Swedish death metal, hailing from somewhere not Sweden… It’s the UK if you’re wondering. I quite enjoyed Septic Funeral and nearly […]

One of my favorite things to ask people when they wanted to haggle over the pricing at the stores I worked at was “do you think you’re in an open market in Bangladesh”? You might gasp, how dare you ask a customer that?! Then ask yourself if you’ve ever done it… Anyhoo all kidding aside, […]

It still amazes me, even 2 years later, 3 Russian death metal dudes (all three are in the HM2 worshipping Wombripper) delivered one of 2021’s best black metal records in Eminence.  And it still stands up there with label mates Véhémence as Antiq Records’ very best releases and bands. Well, the follow-up is finally here, […]

I am unsure if the death metal world was clamoring for a reformation and subsequent new album from defunct NY death/doom metal act, Sorrow, who broke up in 1993 but here are some historical references about my connection to the band, or their other projects;  The band started in the late 80’s under the name […]

California’s The Zenith Passage returns with their second full-length album Datalysium.  It has been seven years since their debut album Solipist was released.  I was very much impressed with their debut full-length.   These guys have an incredibly progressive and mechanical approach to technical death metal. This is the second metal blade album I have heard […]

This is a great metalcore album. More than that, it’s just a great album regardless of genre. I hadn’t listened to Death Ray Vision’s last one, but enjoyed the first mainly because I’ll listen to pretty much anything in which these metalcore masters are involved. Add Brian Fair of Shadows Fall and you have me. […]

There’s a feeling I get when I know that summertime is here. Dread is one way to describe it, the short word answer is dread. I’m not scared of Summer, it used to be pleasant when I was younger and obviously, it wasn’t 116 every fucking day. Here in Central New Mexico, it has been […]