Aug 20, 2026

Proclamation - Nether Tombs of Abaddon (2012) Review

The final album by the Spanish war metal horde didn't diverge even to the slightest from delivering exactly what was expected, and exactly at the same manner: bestial chaos in reverb and echo. As daring this style inherently is, Proclamation had decide to fully compromise to its definition parameters with a record that sounded like their previous works, sounded like well-known war metal, focused on efficient simplicity and primitive aggression you already know of. 

It's hard to tell tracks apart, as they all move at the same fast-tempos and feature a thick, noisy production that turns the guitars into a layered sound rather than a more noticeable aspect. The few riffs and solos that one can notice are great, yet the overall frantic attitude of the record is executed well, but repeated to exhaustion not just by Proclamation, but by the whole of this genre. A ten-track runtime feels a bit tedious, it relies too heavily on washed-out reverb and sits well as a product of a stale, yet clear-cut formula. Fans of black / death metal are right to worship this band, especially as one of the voices of its more recent status and rebirth 15 years after the classics of the '90s, but that's about it. Combined with the never-failing, red-and-white blasphemous cover art, the purposeful murk and raw noise in visuals and music, Proclamation made just another standard war metal album, before breaking up a year later. Being active for a decade (2003 to 2013), the band was infamous in the '00s inside that niche's circles, and the record proves why. 

It works like a charm, given that you already are a fan and have the appetite for this specific sound. I wouldn't be able to say which Proclamation album I prefer even if my life depended on it, and despite their shortcomings whenever I listen to them again, I somehow always suggest them around for a listen. A mediocre yet acceptable blast of underground chaos.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 

Aug 14, 2026

All Shall Perish - The Price of Existence (2006) Review

As the band celebrates the 20th anniversary of this album with a 30-day tour and the release of a remastered version, coupled with the roll we have going on here with related posts, it is high time we discussed one of the foundational deathcore releases, and undoubtedly one of the best. I don't think I'm mistaken, but All Shall Perish's live shows around 2005–2006 were among the first instances in which the genre term itself was even being uttered, alongside Despised Icon's "Montreal deathcore" tag. On The Price of Existence, however, the band's aerobatics reached high enough to gaze over into the neighboring territory of death metal. 

Aug 5, 2026

Chelsea Grin - Eternal Nightmare (2018) Review

I remember very distinctly hearing "Crewcabanger" from Chelsea Grin's self titled EP in 2008, and the excitement surrounding the announcement of their debut full-length, Desolation of Eden, in 2010. Between those releases, there was a lot of discussion when that album would finally arrive and what shape it would take, as fans had little more than a short EP to obsess over. The band's reputation had already outgrown the modest runtime of its available material. A similar case was that of Thy Art Is Murder during the gap from Infinite Death EP (2008) and The Adversary (2010), though that is a story for another time. 

Aug 3, 2026

Oceano - Ascendants (2015) Review

Oceano Ascendants 2015 cover

Both Oceano and deathcore had entered a transitional phase around the time Ascendants was released, one that, for the band at least, was necessary after the release of the weaker Incisions in 2013. As increasingly polished production and cinematic orchestration was slowly entering the genre, the Chicago outfit has always tried to stand behind the same formula of testo-chug: lay down a set of monotonous, simple riffs and let Adam Warren sound like the apocalypse. 

I'm a big fan and own both Depths (2009) and Contagion (2010), with the former having achieved landmark status within the genre, and the later having several enjoyable tracks nonetheless. I've personally even had a blast with Incisions despite the colder response from the press ("Slave of Corporotocracy" and "Blasphemous Mask" are really great). But who are we kidding, we're talking about a band wholly hated by the non-core metal community. Another reason to listen to them.

Aug 1, 2026

Annotations of an Autopsy - Before the Throne of Infection (2008) Review

One of my earliest and shortest posts on here in October 2012, was about Annotations of an Autopsy and their second full-length album, II: The Reign of Darkness. A more death metal-related record compared to the band's discography, it was the next step after a straight-up brutal deathcore / hardcore debut titled Before the Throne of Infection, in 2008. 

Driven by the charming youthful excess of that era, these British lads grew a notorious name for themselves by encapsulating all the best and the worst of UK deathcore, while being one of its most characteristic presenters. Building on the considerable attention through the Welcome to Sludge City EP, whose introduction, samples and grotesque visuals got legend status in the Myspace generation, this full-length expanded on the palette but stayed true to that circle.