Old School Death Metal

Contaminated – Final Man Review

By Saunders on July 10, 2017 in 2017, Australian Metal, Blood Harvest Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 35 comments

“Glance at the cover art for this grotesque slab of stripped-back brutality and immediately you get an insight into the album’s grimy and barbaric death metal aesthetic, unleashed in all its fury in what is likely to be one of the most gruesome releases of 2017. Crafted by the hands of Aussie underground scene veterans, Contaminated live up to their chosen moniker with uncomfortable ease and while the album has some issues and certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted, it’s a hell of a punishing ride.” Clean the Toilet ov 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.

Scorched – Echoes of Dismemberment Review

By Saunders on November 28, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Unspeakable Axe Records, Death Metal, 5 comments

“It’s easy to slip into Grinch mode as we hurtle towards the silly season. Unfortunately for many, before the Christmas and other holiday festivities hit full swing, there’s a shitload of commitments and deadlines to navigate before it’s time to kick back and relax. On top of these realities comes the nauseating Christmas commercialism that predictably takes over and gets jammed down throats, making me feel as if I’m going to start shitting elves any day now. Thankfully metal is here to keep sanity in check.” Death to commercialism!

Ruinous – Graves of Ceaseless Death Review

By Saunders on November 9, 2016 in 2016, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 20 comments

“With the relative ease in which bands are able to record and self-release, on top of the multitude of established artists and independent labels on the scene, I’m pretty much constantly playing catch up and trying to absorb as much quality metal as I can get my grubby hands on. All the while trying in vain to siphon out the bullshit that inevitably pops up in the endless flood of artists emerging.” That siphon’s not gonna clean itself.

Krypts – Remnants of Expansion Review

By Saunders on October 27, 2016 in 2016, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 8 comments

“For reasons I can’t quite pinpoint, the band’s solid debut didn’t wow me like it did others, leaving me a touch underwhelmed after diving headlong into the thick as a brick stew of churning riffs and unsettling atmosphere. Repeat listens after an extended break have been kind and my opinion of the album is a little more positive. So being a persistent trooper I jumped on Krypts follow-up platter, Remnants of Expansion, hopeful they could capitalize on their considerable potential.” Talk to the monster hand.

Decomposed – Wither Review

By Saunders on October 5, 2016 in 2016, Chaos Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 9 comments

“Amidst all the inevitable aspects of life and death metal, as we know it, the tried and true sounds of old school Swedish death appears here to stay. Nostalgia is a powerful thing and the rotted riffs and buzzsaw tones of the Stockholm death metal scene that spawned endless imitators of varying quality remains a strong source of inspiration for up and coming death metal bands. And sucker’s like I keep coming back for more.” You can’t have just one bite of Swede-death.

Deathcult – Beasts of Faith Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on October 3, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, Invictus Productions, Reviews, 24 comments

“Deathcult can be comfortably lumped in the niche “weird” OSDM scene with bands like Obliteration, Morbus Chron, and Tribulation. The root of it all is old Death, Entombed, and Autopsy riffs, but it tries to be more “progressive” by making the songs a bit more technically involved and spaced out, but less immediate along with hints from the melodicism of the old Swedish scene to spice things up. Beasts of Faith aims to mix this all together with a nearly transparent coat of new paint much like The Matrix added virtual reality to a combination of Descartes’s “evil demon” thing and Plato’s cave allegory.” This isn’t your father’s old school death.

Coffin Lust – Manifestation of Inner Darkness Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on May 8, 2016 in 2016, Australian Metal, Death Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 11 comments

“Before diving into the death metal that obviously flies under a banner like Coffin Lust, let’s briefly talk Cinderella. Whether or not you’ve had the feeling of being utterly awestruck by a woman to the point where you’d be willing to run around like a lunatic with a shoe for an hour and change trying to get her name and number the day after, I’m sure the sentiment is appreciated. With music you can have a corresponding experience, hearing a song that makes a huge impression that forces you to seek it out, along with the record it came from.” If the shoe fits, hammer smash it!

Temisto – Temisto Review

By Saunders on March 1, 2016 in Death Metal, Pulverised Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Uncategorized, Atmospheric Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 7 comments

“I can almost hear the collective groans as I break the news that we have another old school death metal band on our hands, hailing from Stockholm, Sweden no less. That horse has been pounded into dust after all and the number of sub-par clones has exceeded the saturation point. Yet being a sucker for old school death I always approach such situations with a glimmer of optimism, particularly when bands like Horrendous and Tribulation have demonstrated that old school death metal can be executed with a degree of originality and innovation.” We review death metal. Deal with it.

Cut Up – Forensic Nightmares Review

By Roquentin on July 8, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 18 comments

“Just one look at the cover of Cut Up’s Forensic Nightmares will tell you pretty much everything there is to know about the music hidden beneath it. What else could a cool depiction of a disassembled human body represent other than some cool, old school death metal?” Cover o’ the Year? Maybe.