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Tag Archives: Death Metal reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: Vølus – Thrown to the Abyss
It is not every day that one stumbles upon a one-person, blackened death metal band. However, today is that day! Vølus has dropped his sophomore release, entitled Thrown to the Abyss (Vargheist). The best way I can sum up this album has to be trancelike. I found time and time again that I would lose myself in the chaos that Justin Vølus has created while also bobbing my head in time.
REVIEWS ROUND-UP: Through The Cracks Of Death; Disfuneral – Dischordia – Intolerance – Viande (April Part II)
Deceived by whispers of comfort from the dread pages, Richard Benton tarried too long among the blasphemous text of the Book Of Dead Names – and four eldritch nightmares followed him back.
ALBUM REVIEW: Aeviterne – The Ailing Facade
Like all movements that promise to reinvent a genre, dissonant / experimental Death Metal collapsed into a messy trend of imitators focussing on the most obvious aspects of their influences’ sound and missing the nuance. Fortunately, it passed the test of leaving behind enough building blocks for worthwhile successors to construct something interesting – and New York four-piece Aeviterne are one of the most interesting in a while.
ALBUM REVIEW: Immolation – Acts of God
Even though Immolation have been around from the dawn of death metal, the New York four-piece have never enjoyed the same level of prominence as many of their peers. Debut album Dawn of Possession (R/C Records) is still widely regarded as one of the finest examples of the genre but the 1991 release also remains a millstone around the band’s neck, the general consensus being that, no matter how hard they try, their illustrious debut will never be bettered.
ALBUM REVIEW: Druid Lord – Relics Of The Dead
Mickey Mouse. Universal Studios. The Everglades. It’s a safe bet that among the first things that come to mind when everyday folk think about Florida, Death Metal wouldn’t even be as high on the list as some of those often unbelievable “Florida Man…” headlines. However, to a certain breed of humans, that particular southeastern state has been a location of serious interest since Death released their debut album back in 1987.
ALBUM REVIEW: Vulvodynia – Praenuntius Infiniti
There is a powerful being that has arrived with one goal in mind: wreak havoc over everyone and everything until existence itself is all but wiped out. But it’s not a pandemic, it’s Praenuntius. The South-African six-piece Vulvodynia is responsible for this entity, and they’ve told its story via Praenuntius Infiniti (Unique Leader Records) in the form of crushing Deathcore and downright nightmarish lyrics.
EP REVIEW: Bodom After Midnight – Paint The Sky With Blood
Recorded towards the end of 2020, Paint The Sky With Blood (Napalm Records) was meant to signal the beginning of a new era in the career of Bodom After Midnight frontman Alexi Laiho. His first release since leaving the groundbreaking Finnish melodic death metal act Children of Bodom the previous year should have been the beginning of an exciting new journey. Instead, his tragic death in late December means it ultimately becomes an epitaph.
ALBUM REVIEW: Baest – Necro Sapiens
Death Metal is in rude health. It is a status that has been brewing and broiling over the last ten years, with pushes and spurts in pocketed sub-sub genres, until now the whole scene, and its multitude of variants and mutations and off-shoots, feels like it is not just doing alright, but burgeoning with a lush virility unseen since it’s fomentation some thirty years ago.
ALBUM REVIEW: Gatecreeper – An Unexpected Reality
Not content with being hailed as one of the leaders of a New Wave of Death Metal bruisers (NWODMb anyone?) taking inspiration from the founding fathers of three decades past along with Blood Incantation and Tomb Mold – a pack that looks likely to be joined by impressive newcomers Frozen Soul and their glacial Bolt Throwerisms – Arizonian quintet Gatecreeper have taken it upon themselves to mix things up and show some gnarly dexterity in style and idea, and try and shake things up a little in response to the current COVID landscape and restrictions.