If the striking artwork courtesy of Ian Miller of Ulthar was not a giveaway, Chitin (Transcending Obscurity Records) is far from a conventional affair. As previous output from Defect Designer proved, this Russian (by way of Norway) vehicle is one totally unafraid of formulas and usual genre structures even amongst a seemingly increasing amount of more esoteric death metal acts. Even previous experience however will not fully prepare listeners for proceedings here however with some equal parts innovation and outright absurdity- for better or worse.Continue reading
Tag Archives: OSDM
ALBUM REVIEW: Skeletal Remains – Fragments of the Ageless
On paper, Skeletal Remains should be on top of the mountain for many a Death Metal connoisseur. All the parts are here, really: plenty of double-kick drums, blast beats and screaming lead guitars to go around.
They’re even from California, and we all know how much of a gold mine the West Coast has been for extreme metal in the last four decades.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Pestilength – Solar Clorex
Art is a reflection of life. Thus the upswing in Death Metal – a renaissance that is not just a matter of marketing hitting just right. There is a wide breadth of different stylistic turns being taken, rather than just a worldwide tribute to the Tampa of the eighties. As someone who lives in Tampa at present, this might be the one city without an abundance of the deathly goodness that the rest of the world is nailing right now. Continue reading
EXCLUSIVE SINGLE PREMIERE: Opium Death Shares Their New Single “Genocidal Nemesis I: Fear”
Chicago’s Brutal Death Metallers Opium Death are soon to release their debut album Genocidal Nemesis on April 19, 2024, carrying forth the tradition of Mid-Western Old-School Death Metal bands! Today they drop their new single here at Ghost Cult Magazine – “Genocidal Nemesis I: Fear” which you an stream now, and watch a visualizer too! Pre-orders are live at the link below. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Master – Saints Dispelled
It is fitting that 2024 finds the resurgence of death metal gathering even more momentum as death spreads across the globe. Death is a logical progression to the cycle of life, so death metal should be a celebration of this. Paul Speckmann has shown up to this celebration with this 14th album as Master. At sixty, he shows little sign of slowing down. Is it more deliberate than their 1990 album? Yes, but the songwriting is more polished. This album is a study on the roots of death metal, so prepare to take notes, there will be a quiz.Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: Cattle Decapitation – Immolation – Sanguisugabogg – Castrator Live at The Warsaw
Brooklyn’s newly reopened Warsaw venue, and witnessed an unforgettable night of extreme metal. The line-up boasting Cattle Decapitation, Immolation, Sanguisugabogg, and Castrator delivered performances that showcased the raw energy and technical prowess of the genre. This diverse range of death metal styles made it a night to remember for fans.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Abyssal Rift – Extirpation Dirge
The year is ending, the days grow shorter, the sun sets earlier, and death metal gets more gruesome. Newcomers Abyssal Rift have dropped their debut release in the form of Extirpation Dirge (Sentient Ruin Laboratories). Six tracks spanning over thirty-six minutes is the perfect snack-sized introduction the metal world needs to get their first taste of the Ohio group.Continue reading
CONCERT REVIEW: CAVALERA – Incite – Recall the Remains Live at KK’s Steel Mill
Another cold night in wintry Wolverhampton beckons but KK’s Steel Mill is always a welcome sight. A former factory building owned by former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing, the venue, opened in 2018, has already gained a great reputation, landing many top quality metal acts ahead of other local rivals.
ALBUM REVIEW: Autopsy – Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts
Autopsy is a band that understands itself. Like spiritual death metal brethren Cannibal Corpse, the band has core musical, thematic and visual staples you can almost always depend on (the poo-chomping album cover of Shitfun being an outlier). Think Autopsy, think the evil, Black Sabbath-inspired tri-tones, pulverising percussion, slow, menacing crawls blended with charging gallops, malevolent guitar lines, bowel-loosening bass, squealing bursts of lead guitar and rasping vocals, all tied up in a bloody bow of bodies being monstrously torn to pieces.
ALBUM REVIEW: Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
Technical progressive Death Metal trailblazers Tomb Mold must have known they had something remarkably special on their hands when label 20 Buck Spin announced out of nowhere on social media that The Enduring Spirit would be released.