“A catastrophizing depiction of humanity’s mutual destruction greets us, the blazing fire and distraught figures a dramatic allegory for the harm and alienation caused by relentless tribalism. So, at least, Legacies of Frailty purports its art and musical content to revolve around. The personal project of Woe’s founder Chris Gregg, it marks the band’s first solo record since acquiring a full lineup with 2010’s Quietly, Undramatically.” Woe tide.
“For all the hype, Nervosa has never blown me away. With each release, I hope for that breakout record that’ll drop me to my knees, but instead, they’ve established a catalog of solid releases with a handful of stellar pieces. For a minute, I was intrigued by the release of 2021’s Perpetual Chaos because the band picked up a new vocalist. In doing so, I hoped that it would be that great album, but it never panned out. This time around, founding guitarist Prika Amaral takes to the stage and lends her growls and barks to Jailbreak.” Jailbait.
“I beg your pardon, Svartkonst–but it appears you got your corpse paint on my cargo shorts. Over the course of two albums, Rickard Törnqvist–until now the only member of this Swedish outfit–has been concocting and refining his signature blend of Entombed-core Swedeath and Watain’s fierce approach to melodic black metal. 2020’s Black Waves was a revelation and a highlight of that dire year, taking the best of Svartkonst’s influences and boiling away whatever Törnqvist didn’t need. Not since the mad lads over at Reese’s had their mishap with chocolate and peanut butter has a mashup gone so swimmingly. Now Törnqvist is back with a five-man touring lineup in tow, as Svartkonst drops new long player May the Night Fall.” Be-Twix and between worlds.
“Hate them or love them, you know them. Australia’s Thy Art Is Murder catapulted into the deathcore stratosphere in the early 2010s, through the technical The Adversary (2010) and the powerful Hate (2012). Despite its inconsistency, Thy Art Is Murder’s output earned sizable crossover appeal from death metal fans; think All Shall Perish, not Bring Me the Horizon. Godlike, whose release was delayed a week by line-up drama, follows four years after the middling deathcore-fest Human Target.” Thy Art is Drama.
“The unheralded band that could. Moonlight Sorcery are a melodic black metal band that materialized out of nowhere and destroyed any skepticism I had about their buzz. Their first EP, Piercing through the Frozen Eternity, was killer, comprising 4 tracks of bona fide 4.5 material. The sequel, Nightwind: Conqueror from the Stars, was darker, moodier, and less melodic but still extremely compelling. Not even a year following the second of these, I was delighted to discover that a full-length debut was due; 44 minutes of premium black metal was promised. Is it even possible for these Finns to match my expectations?” Finnish magic and mayhem.
“Rorcal’s approach to auditory darkness is nonetheless unmistakable, post-hardcore and post-metal coursing through every vein. Dissonant and ominous, tar-thick slogs of drone/sludge contrast mightily with raw wounds of blackened shreds with impeccable balance.” Silent but deadly.
“I’ve talked at length about my distaste for overly progressive music, and no genre draws my ire for incorporating unnecessary fluff more than death metal. I’d even go a step further and say that I really don’t enjoy much “beauty” or “fun” in my death metal at all; just give me the raw, stinking sewage and keep your melodic and atmospheric death metals. Of course, this is all just personal preference, but I can’t stand when bands like Blood Incantation, Tomb Mold, or even the mighty Death add so much experimentation that the songs cease to exist as songs, becoming instead exercises for demonstrating technical ability and/or progressive sensibility.” Ugly down to the death bone.
“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.
“There was a dark time in the 80 when death metal was unknown to the masses, a mere potentiality. The early output from Possessed and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost helped define its borders, and the ripping intensity of Dark Angel and Slayer filled them with anger and aggression. All these disparate elements pissing in the same ghatly gene pool would eventually birth the abomination we all know and love, which would be spearheaded by Death and pushed outward into progressive vistas. That strange journey from tortured birth to shambling early adulthood is captured quite quaintly on the debut full-length Lost in an Eternal Silence by Chile’s Blood Oath.” Old blood, new death.
“Named after Father Damian Karras from The Exorcist, this French power(violence) trio expend tons of energy and vinegar, but precious little time, on their second full-length We Poison Their Young. To quote the vernacular, this strikes the face and/or buttocks region with an open-palm swipe AND it has enjoyable recreational sexual intercourse. This is the type of grind and punky, powerful powerviolence that your late grandpappy warned you about when he was cradling his shotgun from the comfort of his rocking chair on the porch, all while blaring Napalm Death and Nasum at ear-bleeding volumes.” Commence to grinding, son!
