Incantation

AMG Goes Ranking – Incantation

AMG Goes Ranking – Incantation

“The life of the unpaid, overworked metal reviewer is not an easy one. The reviewing collective at AMG lurches from one new release to the next, errors and nOObs strewn in our wake. But what if, once in a while, the collective paused to take stock and consider the discography of those bands that shaped many a taste? What if two three aspects of the AMG collective personality shared with the slavering masses their personal rankings of that discography.” Incantagories.

Atomwinter – Sakrileg Review

Atomwinter – Sakrileg Review

“Walking the line between old school death metal and blackened speed-thrash, Atomwinter are barely fucking around. I say ‘barely’, rather than ‘not’, because there is the obligatory one-minute instrumental opener to skip on Sakrileg. The album would’ve opened far stronger had the band just ripped straight into “Ov Blood and Flesh,” which tells us immediately that these guys have listened to a lot of early Incantation and taken that as their creative starting point.” Up and Atom.

Re-Buried – Repulsive Nature Review

Re-Buried – Repulsive Nature Review

“2022 was a year of mucho death metal in the Charnel House of Steel. In fact, I listened to more of it than I did at any time since the early-to-mid-90s. The rogue pathogens and/or testy fungi released into the atmosphere during the Great Pandemic awoke something ugly in my Medusa oblongata, refracting my musical tastes back to my meatheaded twenty-something days. 2023 rolls around and I’m still stuck marinating in that rot tub grime machine. This unhealthy predilection led me to Seattle upstarts Re-Buried and their Repulsive Nature debut.” Ground n’ pound.

Deiquisitor – Apotheosis Revew

Deiquisitor – Apotheosis Revew

“The trio has hovered in the background of a reliably scuzzy death metal scene, falling short of even the modest notoriety achieved by fellow Danes like Undergang, Phrenelith, and Hyperdontia. Apotheosis consists of nine more loogies of old school death, hawked up at the aptly named Phlegm Studios and spat upon the sidewalk in front of your home with consideration for neither property values nor your delicate constitution.” BLEEAARGHH!

Hussar – All-Consuming Hunger Review

Hussar – All-Consuming Hunger Review

“The tactics for this campaign are tried and true. These songs explore the horror of warfare from the perspective of a foot soldier who’s grist for the mill, or a relative back home who lost a loved one and gained nothing of consequence in return. Thematically, this platter lives closer to 1914 than it does Sabaton.” Dead horses and live warfare.

Phobophilic – Enveloping Absurdity Review

Phobophilic – Enveloping Absurdity Review

“After hearing the first few seconds of “Survive in Obscurity,” I knew I wanted to review Enveloping Absurdity. Infectious death metal riffs, raw energy, palpable fuzz – the song had everything I could ask for. Enveloping Absurdity is a debut, but Phobophilic has an EP and a split with Sedimentum under its belt, getting picked up by Prosthetic in the process. These Fargo natives play death metal that is as gruesome as Fargo but much less distinctive, preferring to dwell in the darker corners of old-school death metal.” Death from the cold.

Vrenth – Succumb to Chaos Review

Vrenth – Succumb to Chaos Review

“Over the years, I’ve come to realize that death metal is more about the visceral reaction that your body and mind have to a barbaric aural bludgeoning than it is about memorability, and I’ve thus come to enjoy entire albums full of quality metal of the dead variety. But every once in a while, a death metal band comes along with the apparent intent of providing that same visceral journey while simultaneously providing riff after memorable riff, a host of unforgettable solos, and enough stylistic changeups to keep the listener on their toes. California’s Vrenth is just such a band.” Death with life.

Bones – Sombre Opulence Review

Bones – Sombre Opulence Review

“I have been in a weird space with death metal in 2022. While quality releases have trickled in at a reasonable rate, not much has really blown me away and shaken me to the core. In fact, I’ve spent ample periods revisiting the past, leaning on old favorites, while the latest dominating platter from reliable legends Immolation has remained in solid rotation. Yet as the last chunk of 2022 dawns upon us, optimism is high due to the often-fruitful later-year riches. Belgium’s Bones intend on bludgeoning their way into focus on their debut full-length, Sombre Opulence.” Lovely bones?