Vulvodynia

Vulvodynia – Praenuntius Infiniti Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on September 22, 2021 in Reviews, Deathcore, 37 comments

“When Vulvodynia put out Psychosadistic Design all the way back in 2016, it served as an intro to slam for a great number of people. It was up there with Ingested’s Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering for entry-level stuff that would eventually lead the listener to bands like Ecchymosis, Gorevent, and Kraanium. It had a modern sheen, plenty of obvious hooks, and an obnoxious sense of humor, but it also had enough in common with slam to draw the listener down the rabbit hole.” Death, where is thy slam?

Wormhole – The Weakest Among Us Review

By Kenstrosity on January 12, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Death Metal, Lacerated Enemy Records, Reviews, Slam, Technical Death Metal, Slam, Technical Death Metal, 45 comments

“Karen, Plankton’s computer wife, defines ‘seaweed’ as, and I quote, ‘50% sea, 50% weed.’ I define Wormhole as ‘50% worm, 50% hole,’ where ‘worm’ represents tech-death and ‘hole’ represents slam. I rarely encounter genre-blending bands who can evenly balance the weight each constituent style bears upon their respective sounds, but Wormhole might be the first to find a perfect 50/50 distribution.” Numbers, worms and holes.

Devourment – Obscene Majesty Review

By Kronos on August 21, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Death Metal, Relapse, Reviews, Death Metal, Slam, 98 comments

“This album will take years off your life. It is exfoliant, defoliant, supreme scourer of the Earth. You’ve heard death metal before. Maybe you’ve even heard slam. Maybe you’re a total slam fiend; even then, you’re still not prepared for this record. Maybe, just maybe, you’re familiar with Christopher Scotes’s work mapping and visualizing continental drift through time. If you are, recall that about 80 million years ago the Indian subcontinent, until this point a background character in tectonics at large, suddenly jettisons Madagascar to the West and just books it North, plowing into Asia to create the geologic equivalent of the Vulgar Display of Power cover. That’s what Obscene Majesty is like.” Landmassive.

Vulvodynia – Mob Justice Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on June 29, 2019 in 2019, Lacerated Enemy Records, Reviews, Slam, South African Metal, Slam, 17 comments

“Vulvodynia’s 2016 monstrosity Psychosadistic Design joined Ingested’s Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering at the top of the relatively accessible slamming deathcore pile. Upon its release, it sold a boatload of copies due to its mixture of self-aware ridiculousness and a charmingly cavalier attitude towards everything but riffs. Both records were great ‘gateway slam’ records — their production was friendly to ‘core ears and the riffs were unfairly catchy. Structurally, both took the general deathcore idea and replaced breakdowns with slams and both were a lot of fun for it. Both toed the line between excess and parody expertly, which made them easy to like and laugh along with. Three years later, Vulvodynia have returned.” Flash slam.

Organectomy – Existential Disconnect Review

By Kenstrosity on June 17, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, New Zealand Metal, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Slam, 78 comments

“The Summer of Slamcore and Other Slammy Things™ continues for this guy right here. So far, my choices from the promo bin failed to impress or rapidly soured after the initial bout of Shiny New Thing Disorder lifted. But there must be light at the end of the tunnel. As soon as I saw New Zealand’s very own modern slam juggernauts Organectomy peeking out from under all of the mediocre black metal dreck littering the place, I knew I had found that light.” Wham, bam, thank you, slam!

Mental Cruelty – Inferis Review

By Kenstrosity on May 18, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Deathcore, German Metal, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Deathcore, Slam, 25 comments

“Well, I guess the Pope is a zombie now. Admit it, you all saw that coming. A religious leader, let alone one that wields as much influence as the head of the Catholic Church? Come on. Whatever, that’s a tangent for another time. For now, let’s talk about the second full-length album by Mental Cruelty, named Inferis.” Popecore.

Ingested – The Level Above Human Review

By Kronos on April 26, 2018 in British Metal, Death Metal, Deathcore, Reviews, Unique Leader, Deathcore, Slam, 46 comments

“Slow year for death metal though it has been, things are speeding up — metaphorically, that is. Manchester’s finest slamongers are back with their fourth full-length insult, The Level Above Human, and as always they’re peddling their trademark combination of deathcore and brutal slam. It’s an influential mix and one that plenty of today’s slam-purveyors like Vulvodynia and Abominable Putridity owe their success to. Yet as fun, as the beatdown combo can be, quality control has never been a hallmark of either genre. Ingested navigate the bloodied, goopy waters of brutal deathcore as well as any crew of veteran slam sailors, and though The Level Above Human won’t change your world, it will change the position of your head in relation to that world with great regularity.” Level up or die.

Ruff Majik – Seasons Review

By GardensTale on April 22, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Plug Music Agency, Reviews, South African Metal, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Metal, 29 comments

“Located at the very tip of the African continent, South Africa may win the prize for ‘Most Accurate Country Name,’ challenged only by the uniformly low and flat Netherlands. Metal, however, is not what the nation is generally known for (apartheid and the guy who directed District 9 both rank higher, for instance.) In our extensive archives, only 9 articles bear a ‘South African Metal’ tag. Until today, that is, because Ruff Majik come forth from the shadows of Pretoria, the South African capital.” South Africa rising.

Ophiuchi – Bifurcaria Bifurcata Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on April 12, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, Reviews, Self-released, South African Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, 28 comments

“I’m about as fluent in South African metal bands as I am in French. And that’s a goddamn shame (the SA band thing, not the French thing). But, even for my limited knowledge of SA scene, I’m happy to say I spend a lot of time with a couple of good ones (Vulvodynia and Wildernessking). So, when I received a promo from a little known South African outfit (from our own SA native, Madam X), I was more than a little excited. Especially when I hit ‘play.'” This springbok has sharp horns ov iron.

Mark Z and Diabolus in Muzaka’s Top Ten(ish) of 2016

By Madam X on December 27, 2016 in 2016, Blog Posts, Lists, 62 comments

The lists keep coming and the choices are getting stranger. Now Mark Z. and Diabolus in Muzaka get the spotlight for their Top Tens. Follow along and take copious notes if you know what’s good for you.