Kenstrosity ‘s waitied patiently to uncork his first ever big boy list upon the world, and here it comes! Get ready to be convinced.
Carnation
Saunders and Felagund’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
Listurnalia rolls ever onward with curated lists from Saunders and Felagund . Things are gonna get HEAVY!
Carnation – Cursed Mortality Review
“Belgian five-banger Carnation are nothing if not reliable. Time after time, these purveyors of vicious and serrated old-school HM-2 death metal prove themselves to be a cut or two above the standard. Punky swagger often combined with rabid bloodthirst as Carnation spewed forth tome after tome of hard-hitting, hooky material without fail.” Flower POWERS.
Vomitheist – NekroFuneral
“Initial spins of NekroFuneral reveal a record that is a perfect fit for Transcending Obscurity’s roster, embodying a serrated OSDM character bridging the gap between label mates Goregäng,Crawl, and Feral. The label itself even corroborates such comparisons, adding more established acts like Autopsy and Dismember.” Holy hurls.
Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being Review
“Voids are not an uncommon thing to discuss in metal. Somehow putting to music the vastness, the unfathomability, the colossus of nothingness is a feat in and of itself, and many have attempted to bring it to life. It’s the ultimate futility, the great vanity. While many have tried, from the mysterious Prava Kollektiv’s Voidsphere, the Swiss enigma Death. Void. Terror., and the dense death metal of Desolate Shrine or Abyssal, they are mere glimpses of the monument, the perspective of madness. When the cold nothingness attaches to the skull and does not shake, will Predatory Void provide the siren’s song sprinting to the early grave?” When voids attacks.
Foretoken – Triumphs Review
“Foretoken take a particularly aggressive approach to melodic death metal, much like The Black Dahlia Murder do. Yet, this duo also share considerable affinity with more opulent acts such as Brymir, Mongol, Ephemerald, Stormlord and Aephanemer. Symphonics play a support role exclusively, however, as vicious riffing and ripping leads take charge and guide the record through battlefields of speedy tech-death percussion.” Wictory or death!
Ontborg – Following the Steps of Damnation Review
“Italian they may be, but Ontborg play melodic death metal of the sadboi persuasion starring the classic Swedish tones of an HM-2 pedal. This old-school Amorphis meets Omnium Gatherum by way of Carnation and Helslave combination threw me for a big loop when I first spun it. Few and far between are my encounters with slow and somber melodeath with such a gritty, serrated sound, and yet Ontborg make it work seamlessly.” Resistence is brutal.
Ashen – Ritual of Ash Review
“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.
200 Stab Wounds – Slave to the Scalpel Review
“Every so often, I’ll spot a promo that I have no choice but to grab. It’s a unique brand that I have trouble passing up: old school death metal with a gore-splattered cover from a band for which subtlety is a dirty word. Morally-bankrupt song titles (with even worse lyrics) and a grotesque, bludgeoning sound. And while there’s always a wide variation in quality, I find that each spin is fun in its own horrific way. This was precisely why I picked up Slave to the Scalpel, the first full-length release from Cleveland-based 200 Stab Wounds.” Knife life.
Dr. Wvrm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2020
Dr. Wvrm delivers his Top Ten(ish) of 2020 to all his patients. It sure as hell ain’t no trve vaccine.
