Origin

Maze of Sothoth – Extirpated Light Review

Maze of Sothoth – Extirpated Light Review

“Established in 2009, Maze of Sothoth toiled underground, swirling amongst eldritch soil devoid of all life, carefully awaiting their time to emerge. Emerge they did with a twisted debut, Soul Demise, in 2017. Reveling in a grimy, horrid tech death reminiscent of Origin and Kronos, Soul Demise showed great promise for the fledgling band, fast and vicious were its crooked tendrils. Six years later, Maze of Sothoth emerge again from the inky void with the even grimier Extirpated Light,” Tentacle whap, tendril slap.

Psycroptic – Divine Council Review

Psycroptic – Divine Council Review

“Though they arrived too late to take part in the birth of tech-death in the 1990s, Tasmania’s Psycroptic made a big mark on the genre just after the turn of the century, and by now they’re something of a legacy act. Eight albums in, Psycroptic have managed to retain their core sound, wrapped around Joe Haley’s long, eclectic riffs, for more than 20 years. The band augmented that thrashy tech death with gospel choirs for their most recent record, As the Kingdom Drowns, nearly escaping the debt of expectation set by the classic The Scepter of the Ancients back in 2003. Four years later, Divine Council nods towards the Kingdom, but doesn’t rely on past successes to make its mark.” Psy-ops.

Carrion Vael – Abhorrent Obsessions Review

Carrion Vael – Abhorrent Obsessions Review

“What I like about their sound is the mix of The Black Dahlia Murder burliness with the relentless speed and riff changes of Mors Principium Est. Both albums run a similar course, but the sophomore release, God Killer, started dabbling with more technicality and subtle At the Gates vibes. You’ll even find some clean vocals rearing their ugly head on ‘Psalm of Lies.’ With an obvious desire to explore and expand their sound, one can only guess where this year’s Abhorrent Obsessions will take them. And, believe you me, it was not what you’d expect.” Carrion my wayward sons.

Omnium Gatherum – Origin Review

Omnium Gatherum – Origin Review

Omnium Gatherum have been at the forefront of the Finnish melodeath movement since 2003, conspiring with countrymates Insomnium and Amorphis to slather the globe in heavy, melancholic tuneage. They’ve shown themselves to be gifted at merging sadboi introspection with hooky melodeath moments on killer albums like New World Shadows and Beyond, and 2018s The Burning Cold was another quality platter, improving on 2016s somewhat somnambulant Grey Heavens. Since The Burning Cold however, nearly half the band’s lineup has changed over, with them losing a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. Armed with new members they’ve also shifted towards a new approach.” Ominous gatherings.

Ahtme – Mephitic Review

Ahtme – Mephitic Review

“It’s hard to believe considering my current taste, but back in the mid 00s I consumed all the tech death I could. I devoured Arsis, Deeds of Flesh, Origin, and all the other bands who were just coming into their own in the midst of MySpace and metalcore. My tastes have changed since then, but it doesn’t take much to make me give a genre another try. And by “doesn’t take much,” I mean a Monday night death metal show two years ago that just happened to be taking place at my favorite bar in town.” Easy Z.

Unmerciful – Wrath Encompassed Review

Unmerciful – Wrath Encompassed Review

“It’s evident from the outset that Unmerciful pull no punches. Wrath Encompassed is a ferociously brutal affair, featuring top notch musicianship, relentless pacing and raw boned aggression. Traces of Origin and Suffocation infiltrate the band’s hardened exterior, while occasional beams of blackened energy ripple through the maelstrom. Purely on execution and commitment to the cause, Unmerciful succeed in their mission of bludgeoning the listener with tightly performed, endlessly aggressive brutal death, featuring an impressive technical bent.” No mercy.

Blood Red Throne – Fit to Kill Review

Blood Red Throne – Fit to Kill Review

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m a giddy school child right now. No one in their right mind would have seen it coming but it has been a Grier wet dream to review Blood Red Throne. BRT is one of my top ten favorite bands of all time. Who? What? When? How? Where? Being the casual death metal listener that I am, this is the kind of death metal I like.” Fit to thrill.

Deconstructing Sequence – Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through Oddities of Space Review

Deconstructing Sequence – Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through Oddities of Space Review

“I’ve reviewed a decent amount of crappy records for AMG, and each one elicited a unique reaction. Some made me laugh; some made me cry; others still bored me to sleep or left me scratching my head wondering “why all the hype?” Listening to Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through Oddities of Space, the debut LP of Poland’s Deconstructing Sequence, made for an unexpected new emotional response to add to my repertoire of negative thinkpieces: I was actually rooting for this band.” Fight, fight, fight for our love!

NYN – Entropy: Of Chaos and Salt Review

NYN – Entropy: Of Chaos and Salt Review

“Okay, look. Look. I get that I’m not “The Tech Death Guy” around these parts, but I have valid opinions about the genre, too, I swear! In my high school days, whenever I wasn’t practicing Helloween riffs, I was trying (in vain) to replicate Gorod licks. And records like the latter band’s Process of a New Decline and Spawn of Possession’s Noctambulant were some of the most–spun records of my teenage years. Though I no longer ingest the stuff at a ravenous rate (my doctors told me all those noodles were bad for my health), the genre still holds my interest, with bands like Polyptych giving me hope that there’s life for the scene outside of countless Necrophagist clones.” Noodles through the ages.

Weregoat – Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication Review

Weregoat – Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication Review

“What do you get when you cross a werewolf with a goat? If you guessed “39 minutes of barbaric blackened death metal,” congratulations and welcome to a world where the only thing more bestial than the music is the sexual activity it describes.” Animal husbandry.