Dead Congregation

Fossilization – Leprous Daylight Review

By Cherd on September 8, 2023 in Reviews, Death Doom, Death Metal, 12 comments

“I’ve been listening to, thinking, and talking about Incantation a lot lately. If I had wanted a palate cleanser after our monumental ranking piece, I could have chosen a better promo than ,b>FossilizationLeprous Daylight. São Paulo’s V and P are no strangers to the AMG gauntlet, making up half of sludge doom outfit Jupiterian, whom we’ve favorably reviewed twice. For this project, the Brazilian duo, like their New Jersey forebearers, make grimy death metal full of searing tremolo riffs, disgustingly guttural vocals, and wretched doom stretches.” Incanting the remains.

Burial Hordes – Ruins Review

By Ferox on June 12, 2023 in Reviews, 26 comments

“Burial Hordes seems to be familiar with me, and also with you… and for some reason, they hate us both. The band has been releasing blackened death metal at odd intervals since 2001, living in the shadow of the members’ estimable other gigs. With Ruins, Burial Hordes makes their claim on the spotlight. Are you willing to expose yourself to what Burial Hordes has been up to for the past two decades… and how the fuck have we all stayed safe from this unit since the turn of the century?” Sinister plots available in your area!

Golgothan Remains – Adorned in Ruin Review

By Ferox on April 5, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 29 comments

“Here’s one that stands astride the world like a colossus. With Adorned in Ruin, Golgothan Remains birth a slab of death metal massive enough to register on the Richter scale. Four years after their initial effort Perverse Offerings to the Void landed the coveted Kronos Seal of Approval, these Aussies stomp back over the horizon line with a sophomore offering that builds on the promise of their debut.” Ruined by death.

Lie in Ruins – Floating in Timeless Streams Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on November 20, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 7 comments

“Stylistically, Lie in Ruins plays what someone who likes dumb music puns could call “Finncantation” – basically that weighty, doomed style of death metal made famous by Incantation played with the strange but characteristic melodicism of Lie in Ruin’s home country of Finland.” Like an everflowing cavern stream.

Temple Nightside – Pillars of Damnation Review

By Mark Z. on August 5, 2020 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 35 comments

“Readers of this site will not find it surprising when I say that I love blackened death metal of the chaotic and brutal variety, with groups like Impiety, Archgoat, and Angelcorpse being some of my favorites. In the last decade, however, a new strain of blackened death metal came to prominence that seemed to prioritize atmosphere and uneasiness above all else. Some of the more notable bands in this category are Portal, Abyssal, and Teitanblood—groups whose work I respect, even if it doesn’t resonate with me as deeply. When I grabbed Pillars of Damnation, the fourth album by Australia’s Temple Nightside, I had no idea what strain of blackened death metal it would be.” Cavern kegger.

Casket Huffer – Filth Ouroboros Review

By Mark Z. on November 12, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Hibernation Release, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 9 comments

“Casket Huffer. There’s a name that begs the question “because why the fuck not?” Given their moniker, I originally expected this Wyoming quartet to produce noxious fumes of the bestial blackened death metal variety. And while there’s always room in the house of Z. for the Conquerors and Caveman Cults of the world, what Huffer have produced on their second album Filth Ouroboros is actually quite a bit different.” Smell the casket.

Psychotomy – Aphotik Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on September 26, 2018 in Death Metal, Everlasting Spew Records, Italian Metal, Death Metal, 55 comments

“Italy’s Psychotomy is a new band with an old vision. Aphotik is a death metal record which is made of three main ingredients, like a cheese pizza. Our dough is Incantation, specifically their material after Diabolical Conquest; this is the foundation for the rest. Our sauce, perhaps the least important part, is the Immolation-isms of Ulcerate represented on The Destroyers of All. The sauce is not slathered on, but plays its part nonetheless in making it a pizza instead of cheesy dough.” Excuse me, there’s death in my pizza.

Cemetery Urn – Barbaric Retribution Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on August 15, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 58 comments

“When it comes to pretension, quoting yourself is one of its masturbatory peaks. Allow me to indulge in a scratch that lingers slightly too long and paraphrase what I said about Australia’s Cemetery Urn in the distant year of 2017. The band’s self-titled release showed a great deal of promise with its punishing yet coherent death metal, making them a band worth paying close attention to. While I had been anticipating a new release, this quick of a turnaround is worrying. Can Barbaric Retribution be the result of a productive fit of inspiration or a public jettisoning of leftovers deemed unworthy of records past?” Respect isn’t given. It’s Urned.

Drawn and Quartered – The One Who Lurks Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on July 28, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Krucyator Productions, Reviews, Death Metal, 56 comments

“To people unacquainted with beer, they’ll all taste the same. For those acquainted, the differences will be recognized but sometimes tough to adequately express. Such is it too with the genus of murky, cavernous death metal, the type which Drawn and Quartered traffic in on The One who Lurks.” Beer, lurking and death.

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.