9 Dead - 9 Dead

9 Dead’s self-titled 8 song release brings forth some of the most abominable brutal death metal that one’s ears could ever hope to hear. Starting out, we have the ever glorious ambient/ethereal intro which gets you all nice and comfortable; then out of nowhere this diabolic riffage from hell fills your auditory sensors with some of the most demonic...

24/07/2023

Walhalla - Release The Beast

Finland’s Walhalla has been rather quiet for almost 20 years, releasing an album back in 2000 and then going inactive for 19 years. Guitarist Lord Heikkinen is one of the sole remaining members and has been involved in a variety of other projects like the gothic metal band Soulgrind or Speed Metal Fierce. In 2019 he revived Walhalla and recruited n...

18/07/2023

Depraved Murder - Unethical Terrestrial Collapse

Depraved Murder’s newest offering, “Unethical Terrestrial Collapse”, was an intense and sufficient aural thrashing unlike any other. I really dig these brutal death metal albums that start off with ambient/ethereal type intros and then, without warning, kick things into full-gear straight through until the end. It’s like a direct kick to the nuts,...

19/06/2023

Whore Of Bethlehem - Ritual Of Homicide

Whore Of Bethlehem’s “Ritual of homicide” is an aural gaze into the horrendous and beautifully orchestrated sounds of what true and unadulterated death metal should sound like. The band truly take control of their art and make it their own, even though there are comparable vibes and influences abound. While there is an undeniable technical feel to...

26/05/2023

Vayron - Demo 2022

Very little is known about Vayron save that they are from France and the members are from the likes of the groups such as Silure and Unanswered. A 4 piece rooted in the more late 90s Death Metal style, “Demo 2022” is a very quick but engaging work. It’s a mix of Immolation meets Deicide especially when hearing a track like ‘Dirty,’ which has the vi...

24/05/2023

Maniae - Vestiges

France’s Maniae’s future might be a little unclear with the departure of their bassist this year, but at least since their inception in 2022 they grant listeners a little something to get excited about for 2023. Fusing black and death metal for a short EP of mid paced but furious music, one can hear a mix of older Dark Funeral meets newer Bloodbath...

16/05/2023

Black Rabbit - Hypnosomnia

Black Rabbit are a Death Thrash band that formed back in 2014 but have been pretty quiet up until 2020 when they unleashed their first EP. Now 3 years later they hit hard with their 12 track debut full of music that is full of aggression and groove. Listeners might be happy to know that this five piece from the Netherlands do not take the conventio...

15/05/2023

Overlord - Fake Salvation

Groove stomping its way out of Petershagen, Germany, 2 man band Overlord present their version of death metal with their debut “Fake Salvation.” It as actually a pretty decent load of songs that are similar in structure, but feature plenty of melody and groove that these 2 could easily become the Satyricon duo of death metal. Each track is rather m...

02/05/2023

Astral Sleep - We Are Already Living In The End Of Times

Finland’s Astral Sleep has gone through quite the sound changes in the last few years. Originally a Death Doom band with a thick, almost Funeral Doom sounding sound with the lo fi production but also having gothic and psychedelic tinges. Over time, especially with the psychedelic touches, they got more prominent and more present, and now with the n...

26/04/2023

Exul - Path To The Unknown

Poland’s Exul have been around since 2011, but the time it has taken to get things really going has taken quite a while. Active for a short bit then taking a break before becoming active again, 2023 is finally seeing a full length debut after a few demos, so the title “Path To The Unknown” is very fitting because listeners/ fans, and even the band...

25/04/2023

Hackberry - Breathing Space

Hackberry are pretty unknown, but those that do know they are a five piece from the Netherlands that perform all instrumental prog/psychedelic rock or metal, depending on the track they are hearing. The music here is definitely not by any means aggressive or abrasive, like a Post Metal trip or overly dramatic and keyboard soaked like that of solo w...

24/04/2023

Litost - Pathos

Litost hail from Spain, and “Pathos” is their 2nd full length album right along the lines of their debut, “Ethos.” Following a similar approach with a few more surprises, one should not take this black metal releases lightly or think it is going to be a raw ‘kvlt’ affair (like Judas Iscariot) or an overly dramatized black metal symphony (like that...

19/04/2023

Ars Notoria - Chronicles

“Chronicles” is the debut full length from French solo Death Metal band Ars Notoria. Headed by Antoine Grasser since 2017 who has been part of other acts like Beyond the Void, which was formed more recently, listeners are going to get a bit more of technical side of what they’ve heard from Grasser in the past and compared to other projects he has b...

18/04/2023

Posthuman Abomination - Mankind Recall

Posthuman Abomination’s album “Mankind Recall” is a visit into the depraved depths of the reality of what is must be like trying to reason with insanity. You know what’s coming, and you know what your fate is, but the origin of your fear is knowing you cannot stop the inevitable. That is the very definition of this album. A massive slab of sinew ri...

17/04/2023

Awaken The Misogynist - Descended From Vast Dimensions

Awaken The Misogynist’s album “Descended From Vast Dimensions” is one hell of a chaotic ride through hell. The sheer rawness and feel of this release has not been heard since the days, but is reminiscent of, early Napalm Death and Deviated Instinct. Perhaps not in sound mind you, but just in the absolute raw presentation of their material. If you c...

05/04/2023