Unique Leader

Distant – Tyrannotophia Review

By Saunders on June 15, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Deathcore, Dutch Metal, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Deathcore, Slam, 25 comments

“Distant is a curiously subtle and vague moniker for a deathcore band with slam death leanings. Describing themselves specifically as downtempo deathcore, whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean, the Netherlands outfit bring their down-tuned grooves and pig squealing brutality in typically boneheaded style with the subtlety of their chosen name certainly not translated into their musical template. That’s all good and well, yet with an increasingly stacked year of quality metal releases, does Tyrannotophia deliver to the expected standards of brutality and songcraft on their debut full-length?” Short armed.

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.

Osiah – Kingdom of Lies Review

By Kenstrosity on May 10, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Deathcore, English Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Deathcore, 30 comments

“Summer is fast approaching—for those who have four seasons, anyway. That means all of the deathcore in the whole world is about to flood the markets and beat down the public just as the blazing Southern sun beats down pasty nerds such as I. English quintet Osiah opted to join the front lines of that inevitable invasion of breakdowns and br00tality with their sophomore album, Kingdom of Lies. This will also be their first outing signed onto Unique Leader. Most of you could guess what to expect from that fact alone, but let’s break it down anyway, shall we?” Break like the wind.

Dawn of Demise – Into the Depths of Veracity Review

By Saunders on April 18, 2019 in 2019, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Slam, 37 comments

“Dawn of Demise are the death metal equivalent of comfort food; they’re high in calories, addictive and provide an unhealthy dose of tasty goodness that proves difficult to resist. The Danish veterans have been plugging away with their beefy, groove-laced brutal death formula for well over a decade. And while they may struggle to hit truly great heights, I’m always eager to dive into the thick, gooey depths of their simple and bludgeoning formula. Fifth album Into the Depths of Veracity largely offers more of the same as a follow-up to 2016’s solid The Suffering LP.” Brutal buffet.

Applaud the Impaler – Ov Apocalypse Incarnate Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on April 7, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Deathcore, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Unique Leader, Deathcore, Technical Death Metal, 32 comments

“Drum patterns emphasize velocity, above which electric guitar promulgates a chaotic aesthetic — not infrequently utilizing dissonant scalar patterns — to complement, to the point of a studious avoidance of juxtaposition, the aesthetic of furious speed cultivated herein. A huge breakdown hits right after, rattling skulls and seething with adrenaline. Complexity is easy, simplicity is hard — just look at academic writing. The difference between these two sentences — the first overtly if not needlessly complex, the second easy to read and appealing to those who grew up enjoying the deathcore boom of the mid-to-late 2000s — is a good picture of my reaction to Applaud the Impaler’s new record Ov Apocalypse Incarnate.” Tip your impaler.

Truth Corroded – Bloodlands Review

By Saunders on March 25, 2019 in 2019, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Metalcore, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Metalcore, 12 comments

“Right off the bat, the name Truth Corroded rang a bell. Further investigation reveals the band hail from my homeland of Australia, lurking in the metal scene since their formation way back in 1997. Yet despite the familiarity and possibility that I’ve caught them live before, Truth Corroded have never landed on my radar. So I was curious to hear what the veteran act could muster on their sixth full-length album and first since 2013.” Badlands, Bloodlands, no man’s lands.

Continuum – Designed Obsolescence Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on February 21, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, Unique Leader, Technical Death Metal, 115 comments

“The internet has created an interesting world where, no matter how esoteric what you do or like is, someone else is doing or enjoying the very same thing. On the one hand, this is great; it’s easier than ever to get recommendations on obscure Brazilian goregrind bands, because there’s a small online community devoted to just that. On the other hand, it’s a bit haunting to some types of people to be not whatsoever original in their tastes.” Fetish-tech.

Cognitive – Matricide Review

By Akerblogger on October 28, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, 30 comments

“Glaring faults have surfaced after revisiting Cognitive’s 2016 release Deformity. At the time of my 2016 review, I was taken aback by Deformity’s barrage of brutal death metal merged with playful yet apt spurts of technicality. I complimented the vocal approach, too — using disgusting hyperbole I labeled vocalist Jorel Hart a monstrous vocal shapeshifter. However, upon my recent revisit, Deformity’s mix sounds dense in an obscuring, impenetrable way, the vocals are way too forward in the mix and carry a distracting monotony at times, and the technical escapades are either too brief or twist a song into an unnatural gait. Still, moments of exciting power remain, but they’re not as prominent or convincing as when experienced in 2016. I’ve become much more jaded since then. Fast forward 24 months and Cognitive are back with Matricide, their third full-length.” Time does not heal.

Internal Bleeding – Corrupting Influence Review

By Saunders on October 18, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Slam, 33 comments

“Unfortunately, there’s a tragic side story around the album’s conception, bringing a deeper emotional depth to Corrupting Influence. In 2017, founding member, powerhouse drummer, and veteran New York firefighter Bill Tolley sadly passed away while bravely performing his duties during a complicated emergency. Determined to press on and honor Bill’s memory, Internal Bleeding forged ahead with their latest opus of slammy, hardcore-tinged death.” Once and future heroes.

Exocrine – Molten Giant Review

By Kronos on August 21, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, 84 comments

“Exactly once a year, on an undisclosed and constantly shifting date, Unique Leader puts out a killer death metal record. Think about it. Last year I heaped praise on Cytotoxin’sGammageddon. Frankly, it smacks of conspiracy. I have no idea what the label stands to gain from this strategy of randomly inserting quality product among a dozen bags of Drano, but this Skinner box of brutality does keep me coming back to the alley in the hopes that the next record I pick up from them will be the one that’s allowed to shine. Molten Giant never stood a chance.” SKINNER!!