“Presumably vocalist/bassist/guitarist Nabucodonosor III has been busy with black-thrashers Force of Darkness while drummer Hateaxes Command has been pounding the skins for seemingly every band in the Chilean underground. Nonetheless Archer’s sophomore full-length is finally upon us, and it probably isn’t too far off what you’d expect from a record with ‘impure’ in its title and poorly rendered titties on its cover.” Raw is a lifestyle choice.
“OK, think fast: what’re the first two bands that come to mind when you think of Zurich? If you’re me, it’s Celtic Frost and Triptykon. Sure, there are plenty of others, but regardless which ones you picked, I bet Antiversum wasn’t one of them. Nothing against this mysterious, black/death group, but with only a demo and a six-way split to their name, I’m sure only a few people here have heard of them. But, now that their debut record is out, here’s your chance.” Blackened Swiss for all.
“Heads up, Angry Metal Explorers! Today we’re taking a magic carpet ride to a whole not-so-new world, a faraway place where the caravan camels roam. We’re going (going, back back) to Israel. Israel. Not exactly a land lauded for its black metal scene, but here we are, gathering our courage to sneak a glimpse at a trve monster born of death metal dreams in blackened Arabian nights.” Jinn and juice.
“Being a crusty Swe-death record, Decreation draws heavily on Entombed, Dismember, Nihilist, Grave, and the like, with the modern touch of Black Breath and their ilk. There’s little else to say…” Shortest. Review. Ever.
“Before reading this here review, do me a huge and grab your nearest dictionary. Go on, I’m a patient man-cat. Scroll to the letter ‘E’ and look up the word “experimental” for me. ‘Experimental,’ by definition, relates to ideas never been used before, or lands never traversed prior. It means that whatever this amalgamation is, it’s something truly hasn’t been done before. It’s tough to pull off in metal music, but it does happen. So when the word ‘experimental’ (and next-of-kin descriptive noun ‘individualistic’) gets thrown about in a one-sheet promo PDF, the hairs on my neck stand on end.” Pavlovian neck hairs?
“If there’s one thing Dyscarnate have taught me, it’s that other modern death metal needs to step up its collective shit. Formed in 2004, this British trio first caught my attention in 2012 with sophomore full-length And So It Came to Pass, a record which may as well have invented the term “chunky riff.”” Hammer time.
“The Lucid Collective may have made Archspire’s career, but Relentless Mutation is the album that will make their legacy. Three years ago, Archspire’s second record dropped, followed by the mandible of many a tech death fan. Just when we thought the late 2000s tech death sound generated by the Sumerian/Unique Leader cohort was finally on its way out, here was an album that took the style and sprinted away with it, not even pausing at the finish line to let your ears catch up. It was concise, brutal, and spectacularly tight, setting new standards of both performance and writing, simultaneously catchy and indulgent. I would have been quite pleased to see Relentless Mutation recap the whole thing. But that’s not what happened.” Evolve via mutation.
“First, a question: do you love King Diamond? If the answer is no, you’re dead to me. If the answer is yes, congratulations; my definitive opinion deems you worthy. If, however, you’ve always been enticed by the inherent fun of the King’s horror-fiction but have never been able to click with Bendix’s unique vocals, or perhaps found the music a little lacking in extremity, then… you’re dead to me. But fear not, fallible one, a saviour crests on this wan-mooned abyss of night. Zornheym, a Stockholm based predator culled from the likes of Dark Funeral, Diabolical, and Facebreaker, have collectively extended their talents into a symphonic project whose oeuvre borrows from both black and death metal.” A one way ticket to the nervous hospital.
“Kill! is most largely occupied by thrash influences but splices in death growls, hardcore sneers and the occasional slower, dirgier riff. The staccato style of djent also features, particularly in the introductory riffs to a number of tracks. The two bands I hear most are Kreator and Meshuggah, rendering it established in the modern day but definitely facing backwards.” Crippers and blood.
“Comprised of a line-up featuring a combined membership of various high profile bands, including Iron Reagan, Gatecreeper, Municipal Waste, and Six Feet Under, perpetual pun machine Cannabis Corpse have risen beyond pure parody status to forge their own identity in the death metal underground. Paying tribute to their slightly tweaked namesake, specifically the Barnes-era, and the ’90s Floridian death metal scene at large, remains the band’s weed bread and hash butter.” The grass is always greener.
