Unique Leader Records

Mental Cruelty – A Hill to Die Upon Review

By Kenstrosity on May 24, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Deathcore, Melodic Black Metal, Slam, 72 comments

“Everyone loves a good comeback story. For German brutal deathcore quintet Mental Cruelty, their comeback story begins in 2018, wherein they rolled up on your beach brandishing a weapon of divine destruction named Pergatorium. Then, Inferis dropped less than a year later. To my dismay, that record abandoned much of what made Pergatorium fun and compelling, instead resorting to cheap genre tricks, lifeless breakdowns and unsatisfying symphonics. Looking back, I probably overrated Inferis by a half-point, such was my disappointment with the album after such a strong debut. Enter third installment A Hill to Die Upon.” Obsessed by (Mental) Cruelty.

Osiah – Loss Review

By Dear Hollow on May 4, 2021 in Reviews, Deathcore, Slam, Technical Death Metal, 16 comments

“Another day, another album called Loss. While some crews take up this tragic mantle with sobriety and melody, Osiah’s content pummeling you with big “djunz” time and I guess the “loss” is, like, a loss of goddamn peace and quiet. This is a band I inherited from the Spongey One who simply didn’t have the time to devote to deathcore. Shocker, I know.” Identity loss.

Korpse – Insufferable Violence Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on March 1, 2021 in Reviews, Slam, 35 comments

“For those who don’t know anything about brutal Dutch bruisers Korpse, the cover of their third full-length Insufferable Violence provides an interesting commentary. See, nobody except weirdos and fun-hating scolds take brutal death metal seriously, at least thematically. If you didn’t get into horror in high school, you probably won’t get it – and that’s fine. For those of us who did, we’ll pass by album covers with all manner of atrocity on them, thinking nothing of it. It’s not so much about being desensitized to real violence and death, but just the fake stuff.” Korpse grinding.

Humanity’s Last Breath – Välde Review

By Holdeneye on February 21, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Deathcore, Djent, 44 comments

“Just about a year and a half ago, I shocked the world by covering Humanity’s Last Breath’s sophomore record, Abyssal. Djenty deathcore is not normally in my wheelhouse, but every once in a while, I get a craving for something über heavy. I really liked a lot of what I heard on Abyssal. Humanity’s Last Breath paint horrific scenes using an crushingly bleak sonic palette, and when things clicked on Abyssal, it shook the very ground. But as much as I loved most of what the band did on that record, it felt like it could have used some trimming to sharpen the impact. When I heard that followup Välde was scheduled for a February release, it immediately landed a spot on my most-anticipated albums of 2021 list.” Next to last breath.

Ingested – Where Only Gods May Tread Review

By Kronos on August 12, 2020 in Reviews, Deathcore, Slam, 44 comments

“You won’t be blown away by their virtuoso performances or brainy lyrics, but your speakers will suffer some such fate if they play an Ingested record at full blast. In fact, most of the love or hate for Ingested comes down to their production; extremely loud drum samples, very polished presentation, and a ton of vocal layering.” Indigestion.

Stillbirth – Revive the Throne Review

By El Cuervo on August 5, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, Deathcore, 48 comments

“Boasting one of the fattest rosters of death metal and its derivative sub-genres, Unique Leader Records stands out as one of the most single-minded purveyors of metal in existence. Following such numbers, I frequently find gaps in my knowledge within such a roster. Enter Germany’s Stillbirth and their sixth full-length entitled Revive the Throne. Despite this number of releases spanning back to 2003, they’re not a band who have previously featured in the thousands of bands reviewed at this website.” Throne saw is ready!

Katalepsy – Terra Mortus Est Review

By Twelve on July 30, 2020 in Reviews, Death Metal, 21 comments

“Ah, death metal, my old nemesis. This style and I have never quite seen eye to eye on things, which I think comes down to me not having an especially high tolerance for prolonged brutality. I like rhyme and reason, order, and all things calm and sane. So given that, you might wonder why I would read the words “Russian brutal death metal masters Katalepsy return with their devastating new record Terra Mortus Est” and think “sounds good to me!” Honestly, I would too.” Insanity and Terra.

Ahtme – Mephitic Review

By Mark Z. on July 20, 2020 in Reviews, Technical Death Metal, 27 comments

“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.

Viscera – Obsidian Review

By GardensTale on March 14, 2020 in 2020, British Metal, Death Metal, Deathcore, Reviews, Unique Leader, Deathcore, 29 comments

“In Hollywood, there’s a phenomenon called ‘twin films.’ Sometimes movies released around the same time have an uncannily similar plot, even though they’ve been in production around the same time and couldn’t have copied one another. A few well-known examples include Armageddon and Deep Impact, Antz and A Bug’s Life, and The Prestige and The Illusionist. Now, considering the frequency of release and inherent similarities, this isn’t really a thing in metal, but it still gave me pause when I noticed I was about to go through the second Unique Leader techy deathcore release with wav format tracks in just a handful of weeks.” Guts check.

Afterbirth – Four Dimensional Flesh Review

By Kronos on March 10, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Slam, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Slam, 61 comments

“Welcome to my ass. We won’t be long. I’ve gathered us here today before my review of the brilliant new Afterbirth record because I didn’t want to drag you through here in the middle of it. Suffice it to say that my critique of Afterbirth’s The Time Traveler’s Dilemma has proven unassailably correct: Afterbirth should get right back on the horse, they should keep exploring their progressive tendencies, and they absolutely should record with Colin Marston. Probably no thanks to my scolding they have. Four Dimensional Flesh is a triumph, one of the most charismatic and original death metal albums you’ll ever hear.” Ass above, so below.