Repulsion

Ashen – Ritual of Ash Review

By Kenstrosity on January 12, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 40 comments

“One of my good friends hates Dutch tilts. His vehemence against the technique stems from its serial overuse, especially in the horror genre. Much like him, struggling to love anything that generously applies Dutch tilts, I struggle to love much of HM-2 death metal. Outside of the classics and a few modern upstarts, this particular guitar tone, for whatever reason, brings with it an overused set of songwriting tropes that render many albums of this style totally forgettable. Australian newcomers Ashen aim to change my mind with their debut record, Ritual of Ash.” Ash lovers.

Encryptment – Dödens Födsel Review

By Ferox on November 17, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 24 comments

“Along comes Stockholm’s Encryptment with debut Dödens Födsel, a title that translates from their native Swedish as… wait, give me a second with Google Translate… my goodness! “Dead Fetus.” That’s grisly, but fair enough–the Kingdom of Metal is a tough place to be an angel or a fetus. Dödens Födsel was a random pluck from the Promo Sump, and I half-hoped to let it go neglected in the crush of list season and day-job deadlines. Then I pressed “play,” and the album assaulted me with a half-hour of crusty, blackened death vitriol.” Womb raider.

Vanik – II: Dark Season Review

By Angry Metal Guy on November 10, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Shadow Kingdom Records, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 22 comments

“There are many ways to celebrate Halloween: candy; costumes; horror movies; punk-influenced thrash metal albums from Cleveland. The latter is brought to you this October [Er, November… my bad – Ed.] by Vanik, a thrash band Frankensteined together from punk and metal musicians harvested from the likes of Toxic Holocaust, Ringworm and Vindicator. Following up their self-titled debut, Vanik have now sharpened their Voorheesian machetes in preparation for spreading terror with their new Halloween-themed record II: Dark Season, released by Shadow Kingdom Records.” Is one of the ways you can celebrate Halloween as dressing up as a retro thrash band and releasing a record? That answer, inside!

DeathgraVe – So Real, It’s Now Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on June 26, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Grind, Reviews, Tankcrimes Records, Death Metal, 63 comments

“The question of why we listen to this stuff is asked so frequently as to become quite meaningless. Sam Dunn’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey documentary concluded that you either “get it” or you don’t, and that’s fine. Find a seventeen-year-old who’s just heard Nile or Behemoth and they’ll inform you that metal is for the musically elite, wrapping words about history and antitheism in swathes of dizzyingly technical instrumentation (especially the drums). I disagree with both to some degree, and the question being posed by a great friend I have tremendous respect for led me to think more about it than normal.” Why do we metal?

Yer Metal Is Olde: Brutal Truth – Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses

By Saunders on January 20, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Earache Records, Grind, Yer Metal Is Olde, Death Metal, Grind, 30 comments

“Formed in 1990 by prolific bass-slinging band whore Dan Lilker (Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, Blurring, Venomous Concept, S.O.D. & many others), New York’s Brutal Truth threw their hats into the grind ring and captured lightning in a bottle with their phenomenal 1992 debut, Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses; a dead-set grind classic, now certified as an olde motherfucker. There’s something special about Brutal Truth’s underappreciated debut that sets it apart from pretty much any other grind album I’ve experienced.” The ugly truth.

Gravesite – Neverending Trail of Skulls Review

By Mark Z. on August 2, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Xtreem Music, Death Metal, 40 comments

“On 2015 debut Horrifying Nightmares…, the quartet excelled at slinging riff after riff at the listener, offering an experience that was enjoyable but didn’t always stick. Nevertheless the record impressed me enough with its lurching guitars and vintage horror creepiness that it narrowly escaped a Things You Might Have Missed writeup and a spot on my Year-End list. With sophomore full-length Neverending Trail of Skulls, I’m finally here to make the trek and reveal the sick world these former Undead Creep members have created.” Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Extremity – Extremely Fucking Dead Review

By Ferrous Beuller on April 10, 2017 in 20 Buck Spin, 2017, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 44 comments

“I don’t know about you, but I’m genetically predisposed towards some kind of Pavlovian response when faced with a death metal band called Extremity flaunting an album entitled Extremely Fucking Dead. And, frankly, if a package like that doesn’t pique your interests, then you, sir, are a swine and a cad, and no friend of mine.” Extremity in defense of fucking death is no vice.

Collision – Satanic Surgery Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on February 15, 2016 in 2016, Dutch Metal, Grind, Hammerheart Records, Hardcore, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Hardcore, 24 comments

“Sometimes I feel like a wine critic. Not because I spit booze into a bucket like a drunken ibex and pretend it’s a real job when I write about it, but because I’m describing what I hear and then telling you good folks about how my “palate” reacts to it. Although it would be substantially easier to just sniff, taste or write “a bold 90s flavour, Good/5.0” and call it a day, this metal gig actually lets me reference hamburgers, beer, and philosophy at a frankly ludicrous frequency so I can confidently say I made the right choice. With that in mind I’ve taken many sips from the boxed Merlot of Dutch thrashcore merchants Collision’s fifth full-length Satanic Surgery, and much like a baffled wine critic (Diabolus in Vino?) I had one Hell of a time figuring out why it tasted funny.” Time for speed tasting!