“When I look at the cover art for the sophomore full-length, God Has No Name, by Spain’s Hex, I see a hyperbolic metal label distribution PR blurb made pictorial. ‘Riffs so heavy, so scorching, they splinter the Earth’s crust into black obsidian shard,’ it declares. Straight-faced, it adds ‘A sound so singularly malignant, it tears a hole in the very heavens above. As it rends the firmament, fire erupts from blah blah blah,’ you get the point.” Sounds of an apocalypse fading.
“The wider death metal scene has been on a roll, particularly with 2018’s remarkably chockablock selection of superb albums. With the stakes raised and the scene heavily crowded, jostling for attention from the often time poor but insatiably hungry hordes of death metal fans, is no doubt going to prove increasingly difficult. Corrosive aren’t in the least bit interested in reinventing the wheel.” Drowning in death.
“Join me, dear reader, as I travel back through the mists of time to that forgotten era known as the early 90s, when all you needed to form a death metal band was a healthy love of Satan and the letters A-T-I-O-N. Yes, back when Bart Simpson’s puckish irreverence first caused prudish parents to clutch their pearls. Back before some of the writers on this site were yet saddled with existence, but well after Steel Druhm had received his first pension check. While Tampa Bay and New York became hotbeds for the burgeoning death metal scene, Imprecation coalesced in the relative obscurity of Missouri City, TX.” Olde as death.
“Electrocution emerged from a lengthy hibernation to drop their 2014 comeback album Metaphysincarnation, recharging the batteries for contemporary times. The album was a solid update from their early roots, taking a darker, more technical turn while boasting a cleaner modern sound. Despite being impressed by Metaphysincarnation at the time, I admit to rarely revisiting the album during the past five or so years. Yet my curiosity about another Electrocution album spiked when I spotted Psychonolatry in the promo dump. Coming off a monumental year of deathly delights, can the old dogs muster a mean enough bark for their gestating third LP?” Don’t pull the plug.
“Obliteration hail from Norway and boast an esteemed pedigree, garnering loads of underground cred and respect. Unfortunately I hadn’t heard of the band until recently and still have much catching up to do. But after listening to 2013’s Black Death Horizon I was impressed with their style. And with a name like Obliteration I expect some goddamn punishing, murky, blood and pus filled death. And in this regard, Obliteration certainly don’t disappoint.” Blood and pus for all.
“I hate to start off by being a Negative Nancy, but past the halfway point of 2018, I can’t squash the feeling that the year has been somewhat of a disappointment thus far when considering the plethora of metal releases that have dropped. Sure there’s been standouts and some genuinely very good to great albums, but these have been in short supply when stacked up against the sheer weight of albums that have filtered through the Angry Metal Promo pit. Of course, there’s plenty of time for the year to take an upward turn and blow us all away, and I for one am hoping the quality of death metal albums gets cranked up as the year progresses.” Less is gore.
“Californian upstarts Skeletal Remains is a solid exponent of old school death, worshiping early ’90s (mostly) American death like Christians cherish the Bible.” Remains of the death day.
“Sacrocurse’s 2014 debut Unholier Master holds a special place in my heart, but not for obvious reasons. If you’ll allow me to indulge in some selfish personal reflection. Unholier Master represented my first published piece here at Angry Metal Guy, so naturally, it has conjured up pleasant feelings of nostalgia as I prepare to sink my teeth into the band’s sophomore LP, Gnostic Holocaust.” And the AMG bathrooms have sparkled ever since.
“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.
“Despite their obvious affection for the meat and potatoes roots of old school American death, Soul Remnants craft a distinctive sound that weaves elements of thrash, melodic death and the occasional blackened and proggy moment into their tough, groove-laden death assault.” Meat, potatoes, death, fun.
