When bands make big shifts in sound, it is a huge gamble because if it is a miss it can mean the death of them. For the Netherlands’ Cryptosis, they released a highly Thrash tinged album with some progressive elements, but what really made it stand out was it was almost nearly all instrumental sounding, letting the guitars and drums really have the...

16/06/2025

Godz ov War Productions bring forth another Death Thrash effort from the Polish band known as Frightful. While this group used to be a Death Grind band, one can still hear traces in their speedy delivery on their 2nd full length album “What Lies Ahead.” Almost a foretelling of the shift in change, one can expect a mix of what sounds like Death meet...

10/06/2025

Hardcore is a bit of a double edged sword for most to listen to, especially when it is such a short listen one feels they didn’t really get to enjoy it fully. Decultivate hail from Czechia, Prague- an area that once barely really knew much about Metal at all- so it is nice to see more bands come from there, let alone a more socially charged Hardcor...

04/06/2025

Toughness are another Polish band signed to Godz ov War’s label that emerged from the start of the Covid era in 2020 and delivered their debut back in 2022 of some catchy Old School Death Metal with lots of groove and solos to boot. While retaining a bit of the low end and guttural side among the likes of Immolation and Morbid Angel, despite tracks...

02/06/2025

San Francisco’s Ominous Ruin are back with another blistering slab of Tech Death entitled “Requiem.” Shorter, sweet, and to the point, this band is like Obscura meets Archspire (though not as fast). While their last effort which took some time to get off the ground since their inception in 2010, “Amidst Voices…” was a fast guitar centered effort th...

28/05/2025

Cthuluminati are one of those bands to approach with certain expectations, but also to expect the unexpected. While this four piece touts itself as Progressive Blackened Stoner Doom, the expectation that this is going to be dense and minimalistic with a wintery cold edge would be a far cry from the result. Similar to their debut back in 2019, the e...

26/05/2025

It has been a few years but Netherlands’ Black Rabbit are back at it with a bit of a short EP entitled “Chronolysis” full of five enticing tracks to enjoy until the next full length. Not much has changed for these guys since they were reviewed back in 2023 but they have acquired a new drummer since then, and the sound on this EP shows it. Before, t...

21/05/2025

New EP from the unholy death metal band from Poland SoulCarrion, “Unholy Death Rituals” is the title  of this seven tracks EP, almost an album, full of darkness, with old school influences, good compositions to delight the ears of the most demanding old school death metal fans, including elements of black metal and the most warlike thrash meta...

19/05/2025

Post Black Metal is always a hard genre to nail right. Sounds too melancholic and depressing and it feels like Ghost Bath. Try to be too shoegaze tinged and it sounds like Alcest or Deafheaven. The biggest struggle is the vocals because they usually pattern after the harsh ‘kvlt’ pained sound to evoke more emotion, much like how a band like Xasthur...

13/05/2025

France’s Tales Of Blood were all but forgotten when they blipped up in 1993 and then kind of faded away until finally making a come back with their debut back in 2019. Continuing that Old School Splash this band has no frills and pays homage to the likes of the 90s bands like Cannibal Corpse and Immolation with the modern gusto of a band like Undea...

07/05/2025

Well known label Season of Mist has apparently acquired another rather ‘mystical Black Metal band’ from San Francisco who enjoys the style of anonymity with name and also looks. Headed by 4 half skull faced members, Wrath Of Logarius takes Tolkien styled Metal and breaks away from the usual Summoning expectations and presents a well balanced blend...

06/05/2025

Finland’s Kouristus continue to grind off faces and ears with Punk attitude as they unleash their full length album “Mielen Ja Maailman Rappio.” Translating to Decay of the Mind and the World, expect more short politically/ social/ culturally charged music in Finnish with the mix of Napalm Death meets Drain or even Municipal Waste. Compared to past...

01/05/2025

Little is known about Canada’s five piece of Brutal Slam Death known as Bayonet Dismemberment. Creating a sound that sounded like a mix of Suffocation meets Carnivore Diprosopus on their first EP back in 2024, a year later they unleash their second EP known as “Tomb Of Sand.” Slam Brutal Death is a genre where bands are a dime a dozen and it become...

28/04/2025

Necrogilistic Anomaly’s “Proverbs Of Profane Intent” may only consist of 5 tracks, but it sure hits like a full-length release. While the band could be comparable to well-known bands such as Internal Bleeding, Dying Fetus, Incantation, Entombed, and Aborted, they have created a concoction of aural atrocity that is second to none with this EP. Even...

24/04/2025

I owe Max James a huge thanks and horns up for getting me into Spiritworld back in 2022 with his end of year list. Aside from a kick ass album art for “Deathwestern,” the whole Western Death Metal premise intrigued me, and while the result wasn’t so much Death Metal but more Slayer and Gojira tinged riffs and drumming loaded with tons of samples th...

22/04/2025