Deserted Fear – Drowned By Humanity


Sometimes you just know what you are going to get with a band’s new release, before you have even heard a note. It is the notion of a band knowing what they are good at and having no need or even desire to deviate, also known as doing a Motörhead. Case in point is German Death Metallers Deserted Fear, a band who have proven dogged in maintaining their sound for over a decade now. By knowing what to expect the latest album Drowned By Humanity (Century Media) to sound like, the flip side to that coin is that you also know you are in for a raucous time.Continue reading


Festerday- iihtallan


To say the history of Finnish Death Metallers Festerday is convoluted is like saying that the British Tory government has had a few mishaps recently. In a, sort of, thirty-year history, the band have undergone several changes of moniker and style, only returning to the name Festerday back in 2013, maintaining much of their core from 1989 with a line-up that has only taken a slight change since their return with Jani Kuoppamaa joining on drums. After a string of EP releases and splits in their early incarnation, this month sees them finally release a full-length debut in the solid, if unspectacular, iihtallan (Season Of Mist), where perhaps this varied history has had an impact.Continue reading


Deathrite – Nightmares Reign


By now a stalwart of the German Death Metal scene, Deathrite have, on the outside at least, been quietly plugging away under the radar, building a solid back catalogue and a strong reputation. Certainly, the name has cropped up more in 2018, both by signing to Century Media and with some high profile support slots, such as recently with Skeletonwitch. With this heightened attention, perhaps the expected thing to do would be to cement themselves and continue their formula up to this point, so it is surprising and a little bold to see them instead take some experimental steps; whether they be hit or miss.Continue reading


Order Of The Nameless Ones – Utter To Me The Word Of Wrath


By today’s standard, hearing of any Extreme Metal band being in some way influenced by the works of H. P. Lovecraft is about as surprising the influence of Satan, or of hearing a Black Metal band might be a bit racist. Roll up the enigmatic, worshippers of the darkened literature, Order Of The Nameless Ones who finally rise once again after a four-year wait since their debut EP release, with their full length debut Utter To Me The Word Of Wrath (Iron Bonehead).Continue reading


Psycroptic – As The Kingdom Drowns


I imagine if you as far into your career as Death Metal veterans Psycroptic are right now, you reach a certain point where it’s either stick or twist. Their albums since the very start have always delivered the goods but it wasn’t until 2003’s Scepter Of The Ancients (Unique Leader) that it truly felt like the band had arrived, they then proceeded to tread water somewhat with albums that never even came close to ScepterContinue reading


Bloodbath – The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn


Despite being established as Death Metal stalwarts, and already perhaps even close to attaining legendary status, the road for Bloodbath has often been seemingly a little bit bumpy. Admittedly a band that wasn’t always the main priority for its various members, over their time Bloodbath has had to lurk in the shadows waiting for busy schedules of to align. With alumni from the likes of Katatonia and Opeth, and more recently Paradise Lost, it has meant live shows are a rarity and album release schedules somewhat inconsistent. However, with Katatonia now on hiatus, it feels like Bloodbath can become a more prominent concern, which certainly seems evident with the fact that The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn (Peaceville) is quite possibly their most vibrant and strongest effort to date.Continue reading


Death Metal Round Up: Cast The Stone, Stillbirth, Siege Of Power, Monstrosity And More


It may have taken thirteen years to follow-up their sole release, but with a cast that includes Misery Index, Cattle Decapitation and Scour alumni, the trials of time can be forgiven with Cast The Stone, and new EP release Empyrean Atrophy (Agonia) shows that this band has a lot more worth than simply being a side dabbling for them.Continue reading


Thyrant – What We Left Behind…


Despite their infancy as a band, the story of Thyrant is one that stretches for a couple of decades in the local metal scene of Malaga, Spain. Having been friends for a long time but in various different bands, the group finally came together and began jamming and forming ideas in 2015, all with a love and passion for metal in many of its styles; a diversity that is clearly showcased on début What We Left Behind…(Indie), which despite requiring refining, definitely shows some potential and real passion throughout.Continue reading


Morta Skuld – Wounds Deeper Than Time


 

The name Morta Skuld may ring familiar to the seasoned extreme metal fan. You know the type. The nameless ghouls on the edge of the pit armed with their grimy battle jackets and salty disposition at Summer Slaughter every year. For the denim-less, know that Morta Skuld were one of the dozens of death metal bands lost in the mid-90s shuffle, but reanimated in 2012. Oh, and Wounds Deeper Than Time (Peaceville) is their first proper LP since 1997.Continue reading


Tomb Mold – Primordial Malignity


Take one swig of Tomb Mold’s debut LP, Primordial Malignity (Blood Harvest) and it’d be permissible to believe it was a lost recording from great death metal stock boom of the nascent 1990s. Somehow the young duo of Max Klebanoff (drums, vocals) and Derrick Vella (guitars, bass) made their way through time to scavenge Morrisound Recording studio archives and found untapped reserves of grimness.

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