“I cannot claim familiarity or history with Romanian death metal act Necrotum, but the promo sump was shallow in January and an album title like Defleshed Exhumation was sure to catch the eye of Steel even in more target-rich environs. This is the band’s third full-length effort and it features a sound sitting at the crossroads of tech/prog/OSDM.” Right in the Necrotum!
“Eternal Rot are new to me but they’ve been slowly honing a truly repulsive death-doom sounds since way back in 2013. With two albums (that are really more like EPs) to their credit, this English/Polish collective took great pains to create some of the wettest, more caustic sewage spew out there. Third platter Moribound keeps the putrid times going with grisly, grotesque sub-sub-basement level filth suitable for a mass grave or Super Fund site.” Stepping in a rotpile.
“According to the Book of Isaiah, a Seraph is an angel that has “six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.” According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Seraphs are known as “the burning ones” and are recognized as the highest-ranking angels amongst the heavenly hosts. According to me, these winged warriors serve as a great inspiration for a death metal band name, especially if you’re referring to their tragic collapse. Enter Fall of Seraphs, a death metal quintet hailing from Bordeaux, France boasting a quality handle (as I overexplained above), and a keenly-honed, DM sound that also incorporates elements of tech, thrash and black metal.” Angel grinder.
“Finland’s Morbific returns with their second offering of music(?) in as many years, and it’s the sonic equivalent of a message written using scabs that have been arranged on the killing floor of an abandoned slaughterhouse. Here are ten tracks of caveman death metal that fetishize the pursuit of ugliness to a borderline-absurd degree.” Squirming in absurdity.
“Sedimentum is a Quebecois quartet that gained underground attention with their 2019 demo. There was something particularly unhinged and delightfully filthy about the whole thing that turned a lot of heads. Now, in 2022, we have their first full-length, Morphogénésiaque. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with death metal will have an inkling of what’s coming before a single note is played. The gloriously grotesque Brad Moore cover art, the Latin-y sounding name with more than a passing resemblance to Mortiferum, the malevolent-looking band moniker, all point to a band that isn’t here to fuck around or “subvert your expectations.”” Filth farmers.
“A strong concept can get you far. Even a challenging listen can be improved by a powerful concept that resonates. Enter the evocatively titled Bushmeat, the sophomore effort from Dipygus, an outfit hailing from Santa Cruz, California who produce a particularly gamey hybrid of death metal and grindcore. This hideous quartet are eager to infuse Bushmeat with their own vile take on 1970s exploitation jungle horror. With one banned album under their belts and a penchant for irredeemable jungle horror, does Dipygus’ aim to get by on concept alone, or do they have the chops to pull off a carnal marriage between theme and execution?” Jungle rot.
“After the overwhelmingly putrid scent of sweet death delighted the senses of genre enthusiasts in 2020, can death metal in 2021 piggyback off the momentum of a banner year for the genre and keep the brutality rolling in 2021 with similar levels of quality? Canada’s Altered Dead throw their bones in the ring of death on the follow-up to their self-titled debut from back in 2016.” Reanimatdead.
“By the time you’re an adult you’ve made many life choices and traveled many paths. Some you regret, some you embrace. Entombed’s legendary Left Hand Path is one of my personal favorites, and 30 years after its release, the legacy of its singular sound lives on. Chile’s Soulrot are big fans of that particular path, and sophomore album Victims of Spiritual Warfare is a loving stroll down the well-trod byway now known as Swedeath.” Pathfinders.
“Though I used to be a die hard death metal junkie, the past few years have found me sampling of it only sparingly, and mostly limited to the melodeath variant. I’m not sure if it’s current events or the need to stay in prolonged lockdown these past few months, but I’ve been on a major death kick of late, spinning heaps of old Suffocation, Incantation and Immolation albums at odd hours. This in turn led me to fish for noxious promos suited to my current listening predilection, and that’s where Switzerland’s Funeralopolis come in.” Forgotten pass.
“The overflowing embarrassment of death metal riches of 2018 was always going to be tough to follow when 2019 rolled around. Not that the year has been lacking in quality death metal, but for the most part the genre hasn’t blown me away. Perhaps an unheralded act is capable of stealing the show as the year winds down. Enter Greece’s Vultur, set to unleash their sophomore album, Drowned in Gangrenous Blood.” Blood drunk.
