Dissonant Death Metal

Atrae Bilis – Aumicide Review

By Kenstrosity on April 20, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 39 comments

“2020 saw the rise of an exciting new EP by Canadian oddball tech death outfit Atrae Bilis, entitled Divinihility. While that record carved deep grooves into the earth, forming a tight network of twisting channels into which the band planted their roots, the wrangled tangle of barbed vines that sprung out of debut LP Apexapien exhibited more dissonant and atmospheric traits than I anticipated. It wasn’t a direction I would’ve preferred Atrae Bilis to take, but there’s no denying now that it was the smartest move. The band’s signature gnarled expulsions kept me intrigued enough that I eagerly snapped up sophomore full length Aumicide for my warped death fix.” Matrix babies are the new sphere.

Replicant – Infinite Mortality Review

By Kenstrosity on April 12, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, Hardcore, Technical Death Metal, 112 comments

“I was never a big fan of Replicant. The New Jersey quartet’s sophomore record Malignant Reality earned a high score on this here blog, but it failed to resonate with me at all. It featured solid enough tunes with big grooves and chunky riffs, but for one reason or another nothing stuck. However, every advance single for third LP Infinite Mortality struck a chord, so I snagged the promo in hopes that Replicant were about to turn the tables on me this time around.” Busted furnikits.

Kvadrat – The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion Review

By Thus Spoke on April 2, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 33 comments

“Back in June 2021, when my Instagram page was fresh-faced and non-AMG-affiliated, I reviewed Kvadrat’s EP Ψυχική Αποσύνθεση. Struck by its mesmerizing blend of atmospheric, dissonant death and black metal, I bemoaned its truncated length as I was sucked in by what I then described as “a gripping black hole of sound.” With the vividness of this experience having faded into a memory of “that really great Greek EP,” everything came flooding back upon receipt of a DM from the (sole) individual behind Kvadrat, Ivan Agakechagias, asking if I wanted to review his upcoming debut.” Greek tragedy.

Weston Super Maim – See You Tomorrow Baby Review

By Dear Hollow on March 23, 2024 in Reviews, Deathcore, Djent, Mathcore, 52 comments

“These guys describe their sound as “imagine if Meshuggah couldn’t count,” describing a blend of the mathy pioneers’ wonky rhythms, Will Haven’s dissonance, Crowbar’s riffs, Car Bomb and Humanity’s Last Breath’s boundary-pushing technicality.” Baby’s got back (hair).

Hecatoncheir – Nightmare Utopia Review

By Dear Hollow on March 15, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, 42 comments

“The journey begins by following a dark silhouette, each installment describes surreal and dreamlike landscapes, strange characters, and objects—with monolithic importance attached in the strange way that dreams do. In the latter tracks, ever-vigilant eyes watch from the stars and assume a more horrific face as they emerge from the darkness as the cruel pelagic and empyrean deities and monsters among Lovecraft’s multitudes. Hecatoncheir’s uniquely dreamlike take on chthonic horror, balanced by its ambitions in liminal spaces, set one hell of a precedent for the music contained herein.” Fear and loathing in Slovakia.

Slimelord – Chytridiomycosis Relinquished Review

By Thus Spoke on March 6, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, 61 comments

“Slimelord employ a twisty, sticky kind of death metal, fusing the hallucinogenic swampiness of Worm or Tomb Mold, with the colder more surgical brutality of acts like Replicant or Asystole. Whether it drags itself along like a primordial monster or comes at you with flailing, slimy limbs at breakneck speed, Chytridiomycosis Relinquished is consistently bonkers and brutal.” Where the slime rule.

Pestilength – Solar Clorex Review

By Dear Hollow on February 12, 2024 in Reviews, Death Metal, 23 comments

“Last we met the secretive Basque duo Pestilength, they had released their second full-length Basom Gryphos, an album that was appropriately slimy and punishing but fell by the wayside due to its scattershot compositions and unashamed Portal worship. Its potential was there, lurking beneath the surface like eldritch grandiosity yet to be awoken, but the right combination of incantations and blasphemies were needed to truly wreak havoc on mankind. In many ways, what Pestilength does is braver than dissodeath acts of similar ilk, refusing to shroud its riffs in murk or atmosphere and letting the chord progressions do the talking – putting added pressure on the string attack.” Clorexing the murk.

Knoll – As Spoken Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on February 1, 2024 in Reviews, 39 comments

“I got a chance to see Knoll live in 2022 shortly after the manic Metempiric dropped. All in all, only twenty people scattered about my favorite hometown venue—a homely bar with a solid stage attached to a bowling alley. This ragtag group of kids who looked to be no older than high school graduates gave the performance of a lifetime—gut-churning rhythms, sudden breakaways from ripping guitar phrases to crying trumpet blares, a vocalist whose life depended on the successful bleeding of the audience’s ears. Knoll represents the ideal of youthful ambition. As Spoken is the result.” Young horrors.

Saevus Finis – Facilis Descensus Averno Review

By Thus Spoke on January 10, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 18 comments

“With a name that translates roughly to “The Savage End,” Saevus Finis aim to live up to their moniker with their equally-ominously-titled debut Facilis Descensus Averno (An Easy Descent into Hell). Exercising a particularly gnarly blend of dissonant death and black metal, this plays out in the expectedly extreme metal fashion, amelodious odes of cavernous, claustrophobic cacophony. And it’s pretty cool. In a funny coincidence, it turns out the vocalist of Saevus Finis—Mortvorvm— also provides pipes and guitars for Wells Valley, which received the TYMHM 2023 treatment from yours truly.” Black birds of a feather.

Wells Valley – Achamoth [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

By Thus Spoke on January 8, 2024 in Things You Might Have Missed 2023, 27 comments

“When was the last time something supposedly dissonant and avant-garde really gripped you? Maybe it was one of this year’s releases from Blut Aus Nord, Thantifaxath, or Rorcal. Or perhaps you’ve been bored since Obscura. Whichever the case, Achamoth, from Portugal’s Wells Valley has got to rank highly as one of the more arresting examples of extreme metal in recent times.” In the valley of the dark things.