Death metal’s legacy is inextricably wrapped around the works of Death. Their final release The Sound of Perseverance is now very olde, so let’s reflect on what once was.
Progressive Death Metal
Omnivortex – Circulate Review
“Since snatching my AotY crown in 2020 with their awesome Diagrams of Consciousness, Finland tech-death juggernauts Omnivortex have been hard at work on follow up Circulate. Needless to say, I’ve been at the edge of my seat. Remembering the indelible hooks and brutal heft of their explosive debut, I have no idea what Omnivortex need to do in order to top it.” Spinning on, spinning up.
Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit Review
A stealth Tomb Mold release that caught us off guard requires a double fisted countermeasure. Prepare for twice the number of moldy opinions about The Enduring Spirit.
Fabricant – Drudge to the Thicket Review
“Fabricant is the shiny, new progressive tech-death project founded by two members of Berkeley-based prog deathers Mefitis. On their excellently named full-length debut Drudge to the Thicket, the trio involved pull out all the stops to take you on a bouncy, jouncy, unpredictable ride through the progressive side of death metal, and by the time it’s all over, you’ll feel like you’ve been drudged THROUGH the thicket backward.” Tangled bush wrangling.
Stuck in the Filter – June’s Angry Misses
The boys of Summer were stuck ungunking the Filter for months. Salute them with pumpkin spice things as they emerge into a chilly Fall.
Fleshvessel – Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed Review
“What is prog metal? At times, it’s too easy to slap the label onto anything different and call it a day—I myself am guilty of using the phrase “progressive melodic death metal” as if it’s a thing. But every once in a while comes a record that’s so very prog, there’s just no way around it. Fleshvessel, who hail from the US of A, releasing their debut record Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed is one such record. I’ve seen this called “experimental death metal,” but let’s be honest with ourselves here, when there are more than four times as many instruments as band members, we can call it progressive metal and then call it a day.” Prog the skin and flesh out the death.
Scar Symmetry – The Singularity (Phase II: Xenotaph) Review
“It’s been a hot minute since this blog has beheld Scar Symmetry. Once the golden standard by which all melodic death should be measured alongside acts like Soilwork and Mors Principium Est that dominated the 2000s, Scar Symmetry has largely settled in the rearview in favor of young blood – always there, just rarely making it known.” Scars are forever.
The Zenith Passage – Datalysium Review
“The Zenith Passage’s debut effort Solipsist crackled with a flame stoked by the identity that The Faceless set ablaze with dry and percussive pick spittings, alien-warble soloing, and sneakily grooving rhythm, but it wasn’t all so cut from the same cloth. Main mind McKinney even then seemed to have thoughts a touch more mechanical firing in his brain chamber.” Man vs. machine.
Widow’s Peak – Claustrophobe Review
“I’m not a particularly skilled musician myself, and I won’t pretend for a second that I could play anything that Widow’s Peak does on this technical extravaganza of groovy and deathy leanings. Fitting for fret-melting of this caliber, this Canadian outfit has enlisted the engineering talents of Colin Marston (Krallice, Dysrhythmia, many technical credits).” Peak tech-freakouts.
The Anchoret – It All Began with Loneliness Review
There are some labels that you just know will deliver something interesting. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll like what you get but it will be different. I, Voidhanger is one such label. The Anchoret’s label, Willowtip is another. So, despite knowing nothing about progressive five-piece The Anchoret, or its debut, It All Began with Loneliness, I was ready for a journey.” Strange places, dark spaces.