Devourment - Pious Impiety (EP, 2026) Review

After a seven-year void, Texas pioneers of brutal death metal, Devourment, have returned with a surprise new 12-minute EP that emphatically proves they haven't diminished an ounce of their purpose: absolute heaviness. The '10s saw the band releasing two albums with fairly different responses from the audience, yet I fully enjoyed both Conceived In Sewage (2013) and Obscene Majesty (2019), the latter being of course better.

 As with everyone else, I didn't see Pious Impiety coming, a three-track 7" of the band's relentless, trademark slabs of slam death, heavy in a way that suggests the band can take any kind of hiatus they want and still remain on point afterwards. 

Goetia - Mortuary Cult (2026) Review

 

I've known Washington D.C.'s Goetia for a while now and have enjoyed their series of highly regarded EPs from 2023 to 2025, bursting into the underground scene with a sort of boosted ferocity considering a band that barely existed a few years prior. 

 

Debut full-length album Mortuary Cult takes advantage of the momentum and embraces a straightforward yet highly volatile take on death metal, influenced by the classic era of the genre's birth and the style of heavy thrash's bands from the late '80s and start of the '90s.

Grave Pilgrim - The Pungent Wine of Pride (2026) Review

Grave Pilgrim have been on the rise in the American black metal underground. After releasing a remarkable self-titled debut album in 2021, the band initiated a conceptual trilogy of follow-up releases starting with 2023's The Bigotry of Purpose — a record you must listen to immediately if you haven't already. The Oregon duo's sound is rooted in black metal, but also carries traces of Americana, folk, and a martial grandeur. Most importantly to me, it's always driven by ideas. The Pungent Wine of Pride is the second chapter of this planned trilogy connected to the Nietzschean concept of transformation, specifically revolving around the figure of the Lion. This represents the spirit that breaks free from obedience and asserts its rightful own will.

Protrusion - The Last Suppuration (2026) Review

Protrusion's self-titled promo in 2023 fell on my lap around release date and I remember enjoying the worship of all things old school, yet I lost touch of the band and forgot since then. By the time the first new single Boiled At Birth dropped earlier this year, I hoped it would be the precursor of a full-length release in the same reverse progression, and that’s exactly what debut The Last Suppuration is. Even the title of the specific track immediately gives vibes of the old rotten years somewhere between the release of Butchered at Birth and the Boiling Humans EP, which is where this album ultimately belongs.

Below the ground, suffocating brutal death metal thrives on the decay of a forgotten atmosphere that was somehow captured by the noisy recordings of the earliest bands, yet it hasn’t been easily replicated since. Protrusion embrace tradition with gleeful morbidity and deliver a record dredged in the damp crypts of the early ‘90s, picking up influences from various giants like Suffocation or Mortal Decay, yet The Last Suppuration still feels refreshing to listen to, even as a new release in 2026. It looks back with romanticism but doesn’t mimic, explicitly mentioning the Morrisound-era death metal as a main influence and aiming to shape an equally ferocious album, reasonably succeeding with The Last Suppuration.

First things first, you’re welcomed with the grim artwork by none other than John Zig, who has done covers for countless bands, notably for Deeds of Flesh, Pathology, Defeated Sanity, Disavowed etc… Not only the band line-up includes members involved in the past in projects like Human Filleted, Found Hanging and Gorgasm, they’ve also recruited Tony Tipton from the legendary Regurgitation for the studio magic - seriously, how much death metal stench can one endure? Album opener “Confined to Anguish” presents twisted riff structures, suffocating mid-tempo grooves and vocals from the deepest depths, touching the unadulterated brutality of a combination of Chris Barnes on the first Cannibal Corpse records, and Demilich’s Antti Boman.

I quickly flipped over the striking guitar tone on the album, offering thick and murky distortion with enough precision to digest every scourging riff section. Half-buried and unwilling to stay dead, The Last Suppuration’s sound was forged to press on the listener and to feed from the genre’s roots, but above all it’s the tracks themselves that are exceptional, and their quality stands out to me the most here. The sombre piano opening, alongside the synth use and slower-paced middle part of “Morbid Mortality” almost gives it an early Greek black metal feeling, as the band keeps the tempo down to the gutter with the ominous “Exhumer’s Romance” and “Accursed Skin” (not a Teitanblood cover!). Apart from the filthy guitar layers, periodic soloing enhances the compositions and shows how well-versed Protrusion is in peak death metal.

For me, the array of “Boiled at Birth” right before “Slugs of Decadence” remains a standout even after listening to the whole album, as it strongly felt like listening to proto-brutal / technical death metal from a time these subgenres were not yet established. The underlying bass work on these tracks is impressive and the vocals introduce higher pitched variation and, also found later on “Scorned Vengeance” and the self-titled track, with the latter seriously approaching instances of clearer, uninterrupted groove. The Last Suppuration closes with the longest piece, “Anthropophilic Anomaly,” a fitting finale that gathers the record’s strongest elements. Dominating middle-paced riffs, a glorious church bell ringing at the track’s every turn and nudging at traditional doom metal, and an absolutely synth-driven, epic ending. Clearly the most ambitious track on the album, concluding Protrusion’s convincing first effort.

The territory is dark, the fidelity to the genre’s vows admirable. Rusted blades grinding against bone with a conviction to feel vital without engaging in radical experimentation, Protrusion’s debut feels like it holds the scepters of vile death metal that’s controlled and bestial at the same time. The Last Suppuration belongs to an ever-growing, ever-festering catalogue of underground records that rip to shreds and take no prisoners. Recommended for fans of the cave.

Release: March 13th, 2026
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

 

Dripping - Disintegration of Thought Patterns (2002)

On their official website, Internal Bleeding claim they invented the term "slam" as a subcategory of death metal as early as 1993. That's quite some time before the arguably first pure slamming brutal death metal album was released, which is Devourment's debut Molesting the Decapitated in 1999. 

Voracious Contempt by Internal Bleeding had been released four years prior to that and definitely had some elements, yet it was with the latter that this whole idea got the popularity that it has. Of course, there was the Psychopathic Embryotomy demo by Afterbirth in 1994 (who have since reformed for the last ten years and are now doing fine things), the first Dehumanized albums, Pyrexia's influential Sermon of Mockery already out in 1993 as well as the Japanese Vomit Remnants, all active around the same time in the mid / late 90's.

If you're thinking this is just caveman, mindless death metal, like the younger brother of the family who's evidently a bit behind, you're right. That's most of slam brutal death today, and almost was like that from the beginning, by no means at the same level as full on old school death, or brutal death of the 00's. 

Right at that time, a really particular band made its appearance, and nobody noticed. As Cadaverment, they were active from 1999 - 2000 and then put out a mini-release as Dripping in 2001, named The Lost Archives of Channeling Expeditions Through the Cosmos EP, with a clear concept about space and science fiction. Already things are quite unusual.

The EP was quite noisy and pretty crazy in content, as tempos change constantly in dusty sound that's hard to follow and there's numerous sound usage selections that will make you, wonder. Diary of an ancient astronaut? Skydiving out of the hemisphere? The second track "Interlude of Astrophysics" has some rap beats in there, and the whole thing sounds like madness. Dripping were tripping.

In 2002, we get served the debut (full title: Disintegration of Thought Patterns During a Synthetic Mind Traveling Bliss), which is a continuation of the smashed EP from the previous year, but they have by now completely let go of any sort of reason. Elements of slam brutal death are in the forefront, but the record is so unpredictable and experimental, that this lightning in a bottle case feels surreal that such innovation can fit in such a dull sub-subgenre.

Every time you listen to this, something new comes up. Gargantuan grooves, battered electronic passages, brutally filthy production, hip hop to slam and back within seconds, unheard of signatures, preludes with acoustic guitars at the levels of Dissection, sudden piano / female opera singing, all maniacally glued together in what's either a random mess, or a masterpiece. I go with the latter.

Dripping's Disintegration of Thought Patterns is one of the most unique pieces of extreme metal I have ever heard, one that makes you change the way you see the genres it touches. Much like Sigh's early works or the EP / full length of Infester, the initial listen is an once in a lifetime experience. How was it when you first listened to Intellect Made Us Blind?

It seems the band is active since last year. Could that mean they're recording new stuff or is it just to play gigs around? After Brodequin's return earlier in the year, hidden hellspawns from the past decades come back with a vengeance. One at a time.

Condemned - Realms of the Ungodly (2011) Review

I was a lot more into that stuff back in 2010 - 2011, and then Realms of the Ungodly was one of my more frequent listens weekly, which I remember I preferred a lot to their debut too. 

 

The sound is thick but not super polished and generally, it's quite heavy and dark album compared to average gory / slam brutal death metal. It goes a bit in the direction of early Disgorge thematically, but the music is significantly less effective compared to the other San Diego giants. 

 

Artwork and titles are fantastic, it wouldn't hurt for it to be a bit faster sometimes, but the necessary brutality and seriousness is maintained throughout. 

 

Compared to other brutal death metal bands at the time, I would draw some slight references towards maybe Disentomb of the same era. The guitars and vocals are decent enough for me, but the non-existent band is a problem and could add some magnitude to this if it was present. 

 

Any time bands like that go for a bit more hateful lyrics rather than just pure gore, I am happy. However, Condemned today sound a bit of a letdown to me, thinking what this could have been. 

 

My younger self would not agree, but I still wouldn't bash and discard the record. There's definitely a lot worse out there. [3 out of 5 - Good]

San Diego, California, US | Unique Leader Records

Website | Listen

Track listing:

1. Eirgmos.. Aidios...
2. Ere the Dark Sovereign
3. Baptismal Incineration upon Simonists
4. Catharsis of Human Impurity
5. Embodied in Elms of Eternal Misery
6. Realms of the Ungodly
7. Forged Within Lecherous Offerings
8. The Divine Order of Babylon
9. Manipulated for Servitude
10. Submerged unto Phlegethon

Total runtime | 00:32:54

Lamp of Murmuur - Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism (2020) Review

One of the problems with the modern scene is how saturated it is across all genres, but the fact that someone points it out again is in itself saturation. Stop making new bands.

Looking at a bleached black and white cover, with stapled titles in thorny fonts and a dude in corpse paint, makes me sigh instantly nowadays. Romanticism? There goes another mellow project that's into gothic rock, post-punk and no energy trying to put me to sleep. Lamp of Murmuur is none of all things. 

Their demos leading to this full length were all amazing. The music here is catchy, memorable and harsh. The Dead Can Dance cover is great. Finally, here is a project that managed to pull of the melodic / raw black metal trick properly, and this result is quite an achievement. 

Pretty epic album, with long tracks full of fantastic material for your ears and your friends. It will also help you not think of their latest release. Recommended. [4 out of 5 - Excellent]

Los Angeles, California, US | Self-released

Website | Listen

Track listing:

1. Of Infernal Passion and Aberrations

2. Bathing in Cascades of Caustic Hypnotism

3. Gazing Towards the Hallways of a Peaceless Mind

4. The Scent of Torture, Conquering All

5. Chalice of Oniric Perversions

6. Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism

7. The Stars Caress Me as My Flesh Becomes One With the Eternal Night

8. In The Wake Of Adversity (Dead Can Dance cover)

Total runtime | 00:47:29

Brodequin - Festival of Death (2001) Review

Since a new Brodequin album has been announced, which already may be one of the happiest pieces of news of the year, we gladly dive back to their back catalog of excruciatingly brutal early 00’s albums. 

While I think nothing can beat Instruments of Torture for me, as it has the catchiest and filthiest tracks, they kept ripping and banging for all their albums, including the follow-up Festival of Death in 2001. 

When I think of the peak of brutal death metal, I think of an era up to 2005, and bands like Brodequin, Disgorge, Mortician, Pyaemia and so forth. This is the stuff that is sincerely heavy, without being ridiculous or pretentious, or even abusing slams / grooves / overplayed hardcore with gutturals. 

Ugliness is the word of the day, and Festival of Death is for the ears that have the capability to acquire it. 

Definitely one of the most intense records I have ever listened to, just a thick, big, 700 kg bear mauling your face. Festival of Death straightens the soul. Hopefully the new one is as sick. Listen to their other stuff too. [4.5 out of 5 - Brilliant]

Knoxville, Tennessee, US | Unmatched Brutality Records

Website | Listen

Track listing:

1. Mazzatello

2. Judas Cradle

3. Trial by Ordeal

4. Torches of Nero

5. Vivum Excoriari

6. Lake of the Dead

7. Blood of the Martyr

8. Gilles De Rais

9. Flow of Maggots

10. Bronze Bowl

11. Auto De Fa

Total runtime | 00:30:53

Pessimist - Slaughtering the Faithful (2002) Review

I would not say that I like this band’s debut that much but it’s been a while since I listened to it. However, their last album Slaughtering the Faithful from 2002 is a very decent mix of some Morbid Angel / Deicide riffing and vocals, also sharing elements of Diabolic or later mid-era Broken Hope, with strongly anti-religious lyrics and no breaks through the album except a short acoustic introduction. Drums are a bit repetitive and funnily sounding, but if you’re into aggressive, hateful death metal that pulls no punches, Slaughtering the Faithful is definitely for you. The great cover, titles and logo also help nurture the sensitive taste buds of the pure death metal fan, and Pessimist definitely succeed in being a band that you know only if you’re truly into it. I don’t think the tracks themselves are impressive, but in a way everything is consistent, even though some more memorability would work in their favor. Some great solos too (e.g. in “Stripped of Immortality”). Approved. [3.5 out of 5 - Great]

California, United States | Lost Disciple Records
Website | Listen

 

Track listing:

1. Requiem
2. Baptized in Blasphemy
3. Summoned to Suffer
4. Embodiment of Impurity
5. Slaughtering the Faithful
6. Infernal Abyss
7. Metempsychosis
8. Resurrected Torment
9. Stripped of Immortality

Total runtime | 00: 35:31

Brutal Truth - Sounds of the Animal Kingdom (1997)

It’s unfortunate to say this since this album has maybe one of my favourite grindcore related openers ever, which is a phrase that I find myself repeating in my head when I generally listen to suboptimal music: still not loud enough, still not fast enough… As much as Brutal Truth is not your typical band of the genre, and Sounds of the Animal Kingdom was definitely another bold creation, it’s a bit all over the place, with damaged production and not nearly as good as the first two masterpieces from the band. The 22-minute mayhem at the end was kinda unnecessary and numerous tracks are skippable, yet there’s a few really amazing riffs and sections around, but you have to find them. I dig the Marvel-like cover, the title and the first three tracks. Then it’s a hit or miss. [2.5 out of 5 - Average]

Release: September 23rd, 1997

Label: Relapse Records

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Ushangvagush - Pestmo'qon

Black metal from the United States.

Album out on September 22nd, 2023 through Realm and Ritual.

From the band's Bandcamp page:

The separation of the human mind and natures spirit has caused the starvation of this planet. The disconnection of earth and mind has destroyed the connection between humans, animals, and plants.

The growth has diminished creating starvation across a planet that is no longer home. The fear of a non-existent future deteriorates the mind, allowing the starvation of the human vessel.

We have reached a point of no return.

_________

Pestmo’qon is the second full-length release from indigenous black metal project Ushangvagush. Composed of a monolithic 45 minute track, Pestmo’qon ( “Starvation” in the Mi’kmaq language) is a dense slab of obsidian darkness lamenting man’s ongoing destruction of the earth and the complete disconnect between the human mind and the spirit of nature.

Ushangvagush’s sole member, D, screams through grit teeth over furious guitars and pummeling drums, “scorch & take, doe, retreat back to the stolen world. the spirits no longer bathe. gatherers flown, fear for nothing. uncertainty awaits the putrid towers.” The raw anger only subsides in momentary waves throughout Pestmo’qon, with the last gasps of beauty fading in sun-laced ambient passages before being snuffed out and returning to bitter misery. Pestmo’qon is a painfully realized album, an immersive and emotive journey through destruction and loss–of nature and of culture–to the end of all things.

The A.C. report:

---

Music: 4

Production: 4

Vocals: 3.5

Text: 3.5

Cover art: 4.5

Originality: 4

Instrumentation: 4

Atmosphere: 4

Flow & cohesion: 3.5

Impact: 3.5

Replayability: 3.5 

Innovation: 3.5

---

Overall: 3.8 out of 5 [Excellent]

Serpent Column - Kathodos

Region: United States

Genre: Avantgarde black metal

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1. Departure of Splinters [4.5]

2. Kathodos [4.5]

3. Night of Absence [3.5]

4. Dereliction [3.5]

5. Anodos [3.5]

6. Seinsverlassenheit [3.5]

7. Splinters of Departure [4]

8. Wind and Fog [4]

9. Pathlessness [3.5]

10. Offering of Tongues [3.5]

11. Desertification [3]

-----

Autumn 2020, Mystískaos

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Ebony Pendant - Ebony Pendant

Will o' wisps reflecting in the lake
Ephemeral glow ever looming
Across the shimmering pools of time and fate
Until that bright light fades from view

----------

Listen

Deeds of Flesh - Trading Pieces

Before the modern day studio effect pollution, this is how death metal albums used to sound like. Debut by now legends Deeds of Flesh came out as organic and as thick as they could make it, in about the middle of the best decade ever. 

All instruments sound perfectly organic, it's quite technical, the production is perfect and the drums are way above average. Simple and ugly lyrics throughout, and lot's of tempo changes as well as great guitar riffs.

Good first step for the band, especially after an equally juicy EP a year earlier, Gradually Melted. Trading Pieces can be there for all your death metal cravings. [4/5 - Excellent]

Tracklist:

1. Carnivorous Ways

2. Born Then Torn Apart

3. Trading Pieces

4. Hunting Humans

5. Impious Offerings

6. Acid Troops

7. Deeds of Flesh

8. Erected on Stakes

9. Chunks in the Shower

10. Blasted

11. Outro

Autumn 1996, Repulse Records

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VoidCeremony - Threads of Unknowing (2023) Review

It took me a while to realize that this band is comprised of a few highly skillful and talented individuals, who sometimes do not go down the regularized death metal framework in their musical projects. Having been (and still until now) oblivious of their debut full length album Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel, released in 2020, I was drawn to this new work initially because of its vividly purple colored front cover (done by Juanjo Castellano). 

 

With that in mind, one of VoidCeremony's composers is the guitarist also involved in Worm, Atramentus, First Fragment and Chthe'ilist, yet under this name the compositional aspect blows out of proportions when it comes to complexity and technicality. Structures are completely dismantled in Threads of Unknowing, where each track is chopped into a lot of pieces and then all are seemingly glued back together into a random order, yet there lies the splendor of such exceptionally well thought material. Jazz elements luxuriate the album and strongly drive the tracks  towards the baffling orbits that it resides within, resulting in superlative and grossly expressive pieces. 

 

These playing techniques are especially obvious in the masterful bass work as well as the guitar solos, which feel like the first time one would listen to the solos from Destroy Erase Improve. Main guitar lines squeeze dismal energy from distant sources, like the cutting riff fluidity of Immolation or the procedural temperament of Demilich, as Threads of Unknowing might as well leave the listener starstruck if one does not expect this kind of musicianship from the band. 

 

Lyric-wise, the record is also quite creative and offers intriguing text to dive into, going great along the vile but harmonious instrumentation. VoidCeremony combines the two aforementioned genres brilliantly, without losing sight neither of the necessary brutality nor the technical playing style, and in a way it clearly sounds as death metal but with a powerful convolution inside jazz, stemming from the band's impressive instrument abilities. 

 

I would only potentially skip the instrumental piece "At the Periphery of Human Realms (The Immaterial Grave)" in future listens, but interest is replenished by the following, closing and also longest track "Forlorn Portrait: Ruins of an Ageless Slumber", which is spectacular at 11 minutes length. On the other hand, Threads of Unknowing opens with a short and sweet, fantastic track "Threads of Unknowing (The Paradigm of Linearity)", at only 3 minutes, but generally VoidCeremony show that they can create solid tracks under any context. 

 

While other records try hard to be as heavy as possible, this one provides pure pleasure just by listening to the guys playing, and is additionally quite heavy in the process. There's not much to complain for the album, it is exquisite and of high quality across all aspects, then it falls on personal taste how much to indulge in it.

Out on April 14th, 2023 | 20 Buck Spin

DAMAGE: 4/5 [Excellent]

Kommand - Death Age (2023) Review

Death Age is the second full length album by primitive, dusty death metal band Kommand from California, after a rather well-received debut in 2020 named Terrorscape. Its band members are involved in various underground metal / hardcore / d-beat bands in the area, but under this moniker a clearer approach is taken, even though such elements sometimes make an appearance as well. 

This follow-up record has the same, stripped down and down tuned character of the first release, but maybe with a less surrounding sound and generally thinner production, which makes Death Age easy to listen to on one side, but not so complicated to be fully engaged on the other side. The album’s duration remains at the lower end of the scale, clocking up to 26 minutes with 6 tracks, and all of them feature very distinct, familiar elements: clogged, hefty riffing, cavernous vocals with an ounce of reverb and a tempo dance between fast paced death metal and middle paced groove fiestas. 

There’s not a lot of moments in Death Age that would make it stand out, but most parts are properly written just enough to not discard the record, and it contains a certain level of rawness and heaviness that would appeal to fans that dislike works that are too polished. The one-dimensional production doesn’t give justice to the already average instrumentation, making a lot of the riff-driven parts of the record feel quite empty and  the whole outcome slightly unstable and not efficient enough, in general terms but as well as compared to Kommand’s generally more detectable first release. 

“Fleeing Western Territories” is one highlight that stands out as it maintains some compositional coherence, as well as the closing piece “Collapse Metropolis” and some moments in “Final Virus”. Yet, in other sections like the slow-moving “Global Death” or “Polar Holdout”, things are pretty standard, or to put it better, substandard. 

Death Age somehow barely floats after its conclusion, however it doesn’t have something that would keep the listener hooked or to remember to come back to Death Age later, without just thinking that Terrorscape was simply better. For death metal, it at least has the ugliness and some partial brutality, yet it lacks the merit. I would not discourage someone to listen to it, but there’s better fruits on the market for you. Pick a couple of tracks that you like from here, and move on to the next chapter of your playlist.

Out on March 31st, 2023 | 20 Buck Spin

DAMAGE: 2.5/5 [Average]

Lamp of Murmuur - Saturnian Bloodstorm (2023) Review

Among the numerous underground, noisy raw black metal projects that make appearances and disappearances in the scene the last few years, one of the most talked about ones has definitely been Lamp of Murmuur. After a series of demos and a split with Revenant Marquis, this band captivated the audience with its grandiose debut Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism in 2020, a record that found its way even to more mainstream lists and ears despite its harsh nature. Undoubtedly, there was massive inspiration and merit in that release, which did not evaporate at the follow-up album Submission and Slavery in 2021, establishing the Lamp of Murmuur name for good as a newcomer to look out for in black metal. 

Up to now, everything has been bleached in black and white representation, which brought the first wave of shock in the form of the well-designed, colourful cover art of the new record Saturnian Bloodstorm (which is, as the title, actually delightful). I had been in waiting for the time Lamp of Murmuur will actually step outside of its shadow and aim bigger, this attempt coming now with this polished work that wants to take them closer to the spotlight. 

While I am all for band ambition, the discography on their shoulders is already quite heavy and for what it is, Saturnian Bloodstorm is surprisingly uninteresting and stale. It is clear that the band makes almost tribute albums to their music role models (Submission and Slavery was a love letter to Sisters of Mercy) and now this record looks Immortal straight in the eye. Taking a production even cleaner than At the Heart of Winter, a worrying chunk of this album feels and sounds like Immortal, their landmark guitar sound and riff structure. The guitar lines are too close to that (reeking examples in “Hymns of Death, Rays of Might”, “Seal of the Dominator” and “In Communion with the Wintermoon”, as in, wintermoon…) but the record lacks the energy, the pathos and the vitality of the previous Lamp of Murmuur works. 

It almost doesn’t feel like them, and what was unique and exciting to listen to before from this band, has now completely disappeared, them having turned into a Scandinavian norsecore clone with slim to none of their own identity. Saturnian Bloodstorm is fun to listen to, it is clean enough to not be annoying and has a couple of catchy moments. But this statement by itself, is a huge disappointment when talking about Lamp of Murmuur.

Out on March 26th, 2023 | Argento Records

DAMAGE: 2.5/5 [Average]

Suicide Silence - Remember... You Must Die (2023) Review

Things have not always been smooth throughout the career of Suicide Silence, with the death of  their original frontman Mitch Lucker being a clear point of division of the pre- and post- era of the band. Even while being one of the most influential names in the deathcore scene, their discography always floats around the average mark with some extremely weak points and only a handful of notable moments. 

The new record Remember… You Must Die comes after a couple of generally skippable (or worse) previous releases of the last five years and finds the band still deep in the struggle. Tracks feast on constantly ongoing chugging, down-tuned grooves, with an actual riff making an appearance here and there throughout a streamline of breakdown after breakdown as if the band is on complete autopilot and doesn’t have to think anymore for new material. It amazes me how the current singer Hernan Hermida, always sounds much worse than the times when he was in All Shall Perish, a fairly respectable deathcore band. 

As the vocals in Remember… You Must Die are mediocre, it is painfully annoying in terms of it textual work. This album title, most of the track titles, as well as the lyrics are dull, superficial and of seriously low quality, as are bits and bytes of the compositions too, apart from the obvious breakdown abuse. Slightly interesting is the middle paced, baleful part of “God Be Damned” which gives a slightly different note but unfortunately only last some seconds. Other than that, all the rest of the music in the record is poorly made, unimaginative, it fails to achieve essential heaviness even when the band tries to be even more intense (for example in “Endless Dark”). 

It might just be that the fate of Suicide Silence is like that, and coming from someone who once listened to the band a lot, I enjoy some of their work while acknowledging that it can’t reach the bar compared to serious-minded extreme metal artists. Remember… You Must Die doesn’t have tracks even to serve as guilty pleasures, it carries all the sins of its genre and can’t seem to escape its own formula, by now re-chewed and served to you as fresh. The last song this band wrote was “Human Violence”, and that remains true for now.

--------------------

DAMAGE: 1.5/5 [Bad]

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Release date: 10 Mar 2023

Release label: Napalm Records

Listen: Spotify

Scalp - Black Tar (EP, 2023) Review

Plain and comprehensive, Scalp deliver a compact set of ultra aggressive, medium paced grind (yes) with their new EP, Black Tar. Clocking at just 12 minutes, the band’s ferocity once again aims for the throat with this mixture of the ugliest extreme metal genres and is done with you before you even notice.

With a bloated, harsh production, one crystal clear comparison can be drawn after the one minute abstract introduction of the EP: these guys are big Nails fanboys, and especially the singer. Black Tar doesn’t achieve the same earthquake as your average Nails rocker, but Scalp try hard to emulate the same kind of frenzy across the whole of Black Tar, especially in its faster moments like in “Jesus is God”, “Pollute” or the introduction of “Diabetic Necrosis”. The slower grooves are also sometimes too close unfortunately, for example in “Endless Relapse”, which sounds a lot like “Endless Resistance” or the excruciating slow ending of closing track “Broken Vein”. 

It is noticeable how Scalp practice less speedy, modern noise / hardcore-like breakdown parts quite often, something that made me wonder if Black Tar generally reaches the minimum limit of velocity to be considered grind, but the case remains. As far as the originality of this material goes, get ready for a short amusement park ride for all Nails fans and the likes, yet for me in this case, it would be more relevant to stick to the original. However, Scalp are heavy enough and hit hard with this fine EP, which lacks a bit in memorability what it has in fury. 

Three years since their previous EP, which was also 30% longer in duration, had me thinking that it’s high time this band releases a proper, careful debut full length album, and that will decide a lot about the perception they leave to the scene. 

DAMAGE: 3/5

Links:

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Autophagy - Bacteriophage (2022) Review

Experienced members in the modern sludge / doom / death metal scene comprise Portland's Autophagy, who caught the attention back in 2018 with an initial, quite solid first demo release. In the form of Bacteriophage, the band presents a concise debut full length album with a simplistic but effective formula: Swedish death'n'roll and old school death metal, with some doom metal touches, all drenched in down-tuned, grisly sound directly from the swamps only meant to disgust you. The magnificent cover art was catered by Brazilian designer Marcio Blasphemator, it immediately catches the eye and thankfully the material inside doesn't disappoint. Again, Bacteriophage doesn't overstep its own boundaries, so after a couple of tracks, you know what you're in for. Wonderful hidden guitar solos arise here and there (for example in "Beneath the Moss, Between the Roots") but for the most part, the whole record is one giant groove with a handful of faster and even less slower parts, but at least executed quite adequately. Doom / death metal glory resides in the self-titled track and the latter part of "Sacrificial Spawn, which also includes speedier tempos as in "Eviscerated Remains", "Abhorrent Abomination" and "Dawn of the Endless Plague". Tunes like "Return to the Charnal Hall" sit comfortably sit in what basically is pure death'n'roll, and "Becoming" has a little bit of everything, which actually is the case for all the tracks in Bacteriophage, and points out their tolerance in combining these few elements that make up the record. I was never overwhelmed by massive musical insight when listening to this, but all the tracks maintain a certain level of ugliness that is always admirable in death metal and its own kind of beauty, which I think shines with Autophagy and their neat debut. Hats off to the deep growls of the singer as well, who never dared to exit the cave when recording these vocals, and why would he. [3.5/5 - Great]