If you would have told me a few years ago that I’d be reviewing Dave Ellefson’s new Death Metal band I probably would have thought that you were fucking with me. Megadeth has always been a favorite of mine and I have always enjoyed catching him live. He’s been a thrash titan for years, is heavily involved with his Christian faith and just comes off as a laid-back and mellow dude. The last type of project I thought I’d ever see him as a part of is a skull-crunching Death Metal group.
After a four-year break, Dutch death/thrashers Legion of the Damned return with The Poison Chalice (Napalm Records), the band’s eighth full-length studio release their inception in 2005. Originally called Occult, only drummer Erik Fleuren and frontman Maurice Swinkel remain from that early incarnation spawned in 1992, the band never deviating far from their original sound, consistently honing their attack into an even more effective riff machine with each successive record.
With a career that has spanned 30-plus years to date (factoring in a 16-year departure), Dutch Death Metaller’s Phlebotomized are a band with a legacy and a cult following even amongst extreme music. Attributed as being one of the first such bands to use additional instrumentation including synths, theirs was a sound that was considered by many unique and pioneering at the time and in part a clear influence on many bands since then and in the current day. With this in mind, how does the new Phlebotomized hold up in the current day? On the evidence of Clouds Of Confusion (Hammerheart), pretty well.
Church of the Dead are ready to release more crushing old-school Death Metal with their second album Beyond Death (Redefining Darkness). The band does a terrific job of infusing several different styles into their classic death metal assault, black metal, some light synths, and even some punk rock are all thrown into the mix. The results leave a riff-heavy album that relies more on sheer power and brutality than any over-the-top theatrics.
Grindcore is one of those subgenres in the heavy music world that is often overlooked and is also one of the most abrasive. To a point where sometimes it is difficult to differentiate bands at times as the typical criteria of what makes a grindcore band, are quite narrow. Sometimes, the borders are pushed outward, such as can be seen on the latest Suffering Quota album, Collide (Tartarus Records). Take traditional grindcore, toss in some death metal, and make the breakdowns count with powerviolence, and you are left with the audio recordings of a true beatdown.
For seven years, the members of South Carolina-based Olkoth stewed over themes of horror and corruption. Interposed with a visceral hatred, At The Eye Of Chaos (Everlasting Spew Records) is the resulting debut full-length.
Bursting onto the scene, as Potteries pounders Black Coast did with Outworld their 2021 debut, is one thing, keeping the momentum going is another, and from the onset of the raging ‘REAL (Are You Listening)?’, it’s clear the five-piece contemporary metal outfit are not just looking to do that, but they intend not to waste the opportunity this five-song offering gives to remind people just how good and how potent they are ahead of any subsequent longer releases.
Texan Crossover Death Thrashers Creeping Death have shared their new single, “The Common Breed,” with a live performance video. The track comes by way of the band’s Boundless Domain LP, set for release on June 16th, 2023 via MNRK Heavy. Watch it now!
Check out our preview of the Rock and Metal new album releases dropping this week, on 5-19-2023:
Vomitheist. It’s a band name that you hear or see and know exactly what you are in for. What exactly is a Vomitheist? Is it an instrument or a profession? Is it like an Atheist? Do they not believe in vomit, or do they worship it? Perhaps they are well-versed in all things regurgitation. Regardless of how or why they came up with their band name, what I can assure is that Vomitheist can write some sick ass and filthy Death Metal.