Dark Descent Records

Burial Invocation – Abiogenesis Review

By Ferrous Beuller on July 14, 2018 in 2018, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Turkish Metal, Death Metal, 80 comments

“Truly am I an Angry Metal Malcontent. I haven’t enjoyed ov deep black metal since my early 20’s: I wish folk metal would collectively gather up the pointy ears and LARP the fuck off and, to make matters worse, I’m not entirely sure I’m on board with Lord Yngwie’s position that less cannot be more. While the extreme genres admittedly lend themselves to excess more readily than most, I’ll often wrap up a tech or prog record just wishing the band would take a step back and more fluidly translate their material, or perhaps highlight the weft and warp of the transitions with increased clarity.” Prog-death with extra fluid.

Ritual Necromancy – Disinterred Horror Review

By Ferrous Beuller on June 19, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 41 comments

“When I’m preparing for a full day of preaching stentorian from the mount, I always make sure said mound is grade A golgothic — nothing more, nothing less. Portland’s Ritual Necromancy are fellow infernals, further bolstering Dark Descent’s ridiculous roster with their second coming, Disinterred Horror. Now, masochist that I am, I rather enjoyed debut, Oath of the Abyss, but it was far from perfect, with a few stylistic choices that perhaps could have been better considered. Seven years later, Disinterred Horror casts a ruby eye to the sky and wisely makes some appropriate alterations, so as to more effectively spread their occult plague.” Can you undig it?

Skeletal Remains – Devouring Mortality Review

By Saunders on April 19, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 50 comments

“Californian upstarts Skeletal Remains is a solid exponent of old school death, worshiping early ’90s (mostly) American death like Christians cherish the Bible.” Remains of the death day.

Gravehill – The Unchaste, the Profane, & the Wicked Review

By Mark Z. on March 18, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 145 comments

“Formed in 2001, this California quintet have made a career out of scorching assholes and taking names, with works like 2011’s When All Roads Lead to Hell and 2014’s Death Curse being particularly hard-hitting. Gravehill occupy that perfect niche between black, death, and thrash metal, that general “extreme metal” breed which is more about delivering killer riffs than being grimmer than thou.” Evil art, foul censorship.

Ataraxy – Where All Hope Fades Review

By Madam X on February 12, 2018 in 2018, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 1 comment

“Where All Hope Fades is Ataraxy’s second full-length, following on from 2012’s Revelations of the Ethereal. With a promising title, and seeing Where All Hope Fades referred to as “gruesomely textured” harboring “a sense of deep-set misery, almost pushing the record into death-doom territory,” I felt compelled to check it out. What I sampled, proved an interesting nod to 90s era Finnish death metal with notable similarities to bands like Abhorrence and Amorphis.” Is the letter “A” the key to quality doom death?

Desolate Shrine – Deliverance from the Godless Void Review

By Ferrous Beuller on November 14, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 65 comments

“It comes as little surprise that Finland, a country whose sun-cycle engenders circadian insanity, is host to a veritable pantheon of definitively heavy bands. Desolate Shrine stand proud amidst their ranks, hoisting aloft a looming colossus of atmospheric death metal to further blot out the sun. Standing on the shoulders of an already potent discography, fourth album, Deliverance from the Godless Void, weaves arcane Incantations through Thergothonian vistas for yet another evocative and doubly crushing outing.” Finland murders the Sun.

Spectral Voice – Eroded Corridors of Unbeing Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on October 18, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 97 comments

“Any reviewer is more experienced with one subgenre than another, and that experience gives a more focused sense of what’s worth hearing and what’s not so compelling. This is why you’ll often see a weird or almost non-metal record get a good review and decent death metal platter an underwhelming one; something merely decent can sound far better without a wide-ranging experience, as what is the benchmark? That begs the question of why you’d have anyone write outside of their wheelhouse, and the answer is simple: because a review is one opinion and not the final word on a record.” Opinions, man….

Heresiarch – Death Ordinance Review

By Mark Z. on July 9, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, New Zealand Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 51 comments

“While I love the scorched-earth pummeling of bands like Revenge and Bestial Warlust, I’ll be the first to admit the genre isn’t exactly known for its variety and memorability. To me the style needs some musicality to balance out the brutality, otherwise, I’d just be blasting Tetragrammacide all day and sending my entire paycheck to Hells Headbangers. Fortunately, this was something New Zealand quartet Heresiarch understood pretty well.” Tuneful war.

Father Befouled – Desolate Gods Review

By Mark Z. on June 22, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 42 comments

“Of all the metal sub-genres to come to prominence in the last decade or so, perhaps the most frustrating is the so-called “caverncore” style. We’ve heard it time and again: murky guitars, gurgly vocals, and an unabashed love for Incantation in both sound and artwork. While it’s proven a successful sonic palette for bands like Cruciamentum and Dead Congregation (not to mention the recent Cemetery Urn album), many of these groups simply mire themselves in a riff-less murk that makes even Alestorm seem appealing.” When the crevice calls.

Ensnared – Dysangelium Review

By Akerblogger on May 10, 2017 in 2017, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 11 comments

“How do you like your Swede-death in the morning? I like mine with a kick. I like to gargle the shards of old-school chaos around my mouth with verve. Sometimes I take less pleasure from this, though. Sometimes the taste of old-school chaos can become a numbing experience. The thrill and energy can wear off as swarm after swarm of newer bands look to add polish to the dirty obscurity of the early 90s underground by bringing it to the unwashed masses of 2017. Ensnared are disciples of this old-school sound.” Olde school is never out for summer.