Doom_et_Al and Dear Hollow spice up the season with their Top Ten(ish) of 2022. Come for the selections, stay to harass them over same.
Astral Tomb
Universally Estranged – Dimension of Deviant Clusters Review
“Did you catch Reared Up in Spectral Predation last year? If not, you missed Universally Estrangedߵs startling debut, a cosmically competent slab of OSDM fury that dissolved slowly amongst the whirring of scattershot synth swooshes, robotic bleeps, and washed-out guitar heroism. Though it had its dips in quality and pacing, its unique presence and soundscape cemented a spot on my watchlist—a burst of potential that freed many from the inertia that OSDM often inspires. Drawing on sounds equally as earthy as extraterrestrial, this Texas-incepted act has brought forth its sophomore outing, Dimension of Deviant Clusters.” Estranged bedfellows.
Faceless Burial – At the Foothills of Deliration Review
“If you were expecting the same album over again, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Progression is the name of the game here, and Faceless Burial knows no other path but forward. I’ll let you in on a little secret, though, that may not entirely surprise some of you: I didn’t love Speciation. Heck, there might have been some days back in 2020 when I might have said that I didn’t even like it, but my enjoyment aside, it’s hard to argue that the act didn’t distill lethal doses of Neanderthal pit-chuggery into a slobbering mass of gnarled riffs and dripping gurgles.” Face re-burial.
Fleshrot – Unburied Corpse Review
“Another day, another death metal album. This must have been how reviewers back in the time of my younger youth felt when rethrash brought us swaths of sweaty song-named bands who littered the 4th to 5th spots on the local concert circuit. For every Blood Incantation or Astral Tomb that pops along—bands who play recognizably death metal but with a sense of ambition or divergence—there are at least a dozen other Dead and Dripping or Molder style bands that leak out of the collective pool of putrid palm-muted chugs. From this same OSDM ooze Fleshrot has seeped into our sudoriferous sump leaving enough of an odor for me to take a second look in the perennial quest to find the most 1991 of what 2022 has to offer.” Slowly we Fleshrot.
Astral Tomb – Soulgazer Review
“Good brutal death albums ruin your day. You swing your fists and frown, letting the caveman slams and moist leads saturate your eardrums in a coat of red mist as the mosh-pit hysteria results in a few too many lost brain cells. Astral Tomb does just that, featuring all the hallmarks of a good slam/goregrind/brutal death album: opener “Transcendental Visions” fitting this to a tee, the thirteen-minute opener reeks of Carcass-meets-Devourment-meets-Blood Incantation gore in its brutal emphasis on excess.” Star tombs, raw wounds.
