Obituary

Zealot Cult – Spiritual Sickness Review

By GardensTale on November 7, 2018 in 2018, Blood Harvest Records, Death Metal, Irish Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 47 comments

“One major player in the field were my countrymen Pestilence, particularly with their sophomore album Consuming Impulse. Until they stopped doing what they did best anyway. Then-vocalist Martin Van Drunen, with his anguished, slavering cries put the band on the map, his style often imitated but never transcended. Now, another imitator has arisen from the fields of Ireland by the name of Zealot Cult. Can they do justice to their idols, or will idolatry lead to naught but broken effigies?” Join up.

Monstrosity – The Passage of Existence Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on September 7, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Death Metal, 83 comments

“For what many people come to know nowadays as “Corpsegrinder’s old band,” Monstrosity has built a sterling reputation for themselves without the Cannibal Corpse front-beast. My first introduction to them was on Death…is Just the Beginning Vol. 2, but that was just one song. My true introduction was on 2007’s Spiritual Apocalypse, one of my favorite death metal records of that decade. Having not grown up in the prime era of Floridian death metal, the sound and the iconic Morrisound production style were awesome relics of a bygone time. With Spiritual Apocalypse, Monstrosity brought that time to the present; the Morrisound production was perfect, the songs were impeccable, and then… silence. That is, until now.” Now, Monstrous.

Twitching Tongues – Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred Review

By Dr. Fisting on March 9, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Hardcore, Metal Blade, Reviews, 44 comments

“Like many of you, I was shaken to my very core by AMG Himself‘s recent diatribe about subgenres. Fittingly enough, the very next album I’m handed to review is by a band that has blurred the lines of ‘metal’ and ‘hardcore’ for several years, confounding fans on both sides of the fence. As some of our longtime readers may have noticed, I really enjoy when bands do things that upset or confuse people, especially if it happens to result in interesting music. Enter Twitching Tongues and their fantastically-titled Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred.” When the pigeon can’t find the hole.

Genocide Pact – Order of Torment Review

By GardensTale on February 8, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 0 comments

“Though riffs are the backbone of many metal genres, there’s a few types where you can get away with their absence. Atmospheric metal, like drone and anything with the post- prefix barely graze the subject matter, and many progressive bands prefer ambling about with bridges and solos to memorable hooks. These genres are favorites among musicians lacking that innate ability to construct tasty nuggets of melody that can carry the songs. Death metal, especially the old school kind, doesn’t have this luxury (extreme atonal examples aside).” Death does not smile on the riffless.

Rotheads – Sewer Fiends Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on January 26, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Memento Mori, Reviews, Romanian Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 14 comments

“From Leonitus in the Republic of Plato to sad, lonely, middle-aged women reading the barely literate depravity of Fifty Shades of Grey, the ugly, vile, visceral, and disgusting has a wide-ranging abhorrent appeal. Death metal, our chosen disgusting delicacy, revels in refuse instead of aiming for transcendent beauty. Romania’s Rotheads have, with their debut Sewer Fiends, gone straight for the most repugnant place they could envision, and through their music they try to bring the listener down to grovel alongside them.” Filth hounds.

Ectoplasma – Cavern of Foul Unbeings Review

By Kronos on January 18, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, Greek Metal, Memento Mori, Reviews, Death Metal, 21 comments

“Ectoplasma might be new to the game, but the resolutely old-school Cavern of Foul Unbeings would never betray the fact. Their first LP since a 2016 debut, Cavern plunders all manner of late ’80s and early ’90’s death metal from Obituary to Death acquiring riffs and inspiration, complete with the B-movie samples and a noticeable absence of bass guitar.” Old death dies hard.

Forgotten Tomb – We Owe You Nothing Review

By Akerblogger on November 3, 2017 in 2017, Agonia Records, Italian Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Sludge, 41 comments

“Forgotten Tomb’s recent output has taken on a chunkier form – thick chord patterns becoming the prominent mode of expression. Their depressive black metal escapades of the early 2000s eradicated: the icy sheen of their stabbing tremolo making way for swampier humidity.” King of the Swamp or merely soggy?

Gravesite – Neverending Trail of Skulls Review

By Mark Z. on August 2, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Xtreem Music, Death Metal, 40 comments

“On 2015 debut Horrifying Nightmares…, the quartet excelled at slinging riff after riff at the listener, offering an experience that was enjoyable but didn’t always stick. Nevertheless the record impressed me enough with its lurching guitars and vintage horror creepiness that it narrowly escaped a Things You Might Have Missed writeup and a spot on my Year-End list. With sophomore full-length Neverending Trail of Skulls, I’m finally here to make the trek and reveal the sick world these former Undead Creep members have created.” Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Aposento – Bleed to Death Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on June 17, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Xtreem Music, Death Metal, 11 comments

“How many death metal records today are worth stealing from? Not many, I’d wager; we simply have too many of them to keep track of. Look to the language: the promo writers are bored, ‘brutal’ only has so many synonyms, and hearing that somewhere’s latest upstarts sound like old Deicide is only titillating for so long. But what else can be said? For the average death metal fan, the overabundance of material is a boon and a bane: you’ll never run out of grisly tunes, but you’ll never really dig into a record like older ‘heads did Altars of Madness because a brand new platter o’ splatter is ready and waiting.” Single serving death?

Horrid – Beyond the Dark Border Review

By Saunders on June 8, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Dunkelheit Produktionen, Italian Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 8 comments

“Sometimes it’s all in a name. As Mark Z. accurately observed in his recent Soulskinner review, certain names can be almost conclusively attributed to a particular style of metal. I came across a similar scenario with Horrid, a name that immediately screams death metal devotion. What proved more surprising as I delved into the band’s background is that in one form or another the Italian veterans have been active since 1989. Basically they were old school before being old school became cool again.” Horrid is as horrid does.