Many have guessed what will be the soundtrack of the apocalypse. Poland’s 71TonMan has submitted its idea of such a soundscape. I believe they have a damn good shot with their latest album Of End Times (Transcending Obscurity). All of the heavy influences of doom and sludge metal, with small doses of black metal to cover some of the occult or taboo. Four tracks, averaging ten minutes each, bring this colossal death monolith to life.
Knowing well who, or what, Full of Hell and Primitive Man are separate, it is no surprise what to expect should these forces ever collide. Suffocating Hallucination (Closed Casket Activities) is just the very chaotic collaboration I expected, but even more sonically harsh and violent than originally thought. Five tracks drag you relentlessly through a half hour of torture and misery. To make this clear, these are all compliments of what is a literal, aural trip through Hell itself.
Fifteen unfinished chapters don’t combine to make a novel.
A New Tomorrow, the debut long-player from eclectic power-violence outfit Zulu (released via Flatspot Records), feels too much like a compendium of skeletal songs that largely fail to take off to truly work. Three of the first four tracks – the exception being the introductory ‘Africa,’ a piano and strings-infused number – start off heavy and emphatic, but they all conclude with a divergence. ‘For Sista Humphrey’ turns gospel; ‘Our Day Is Now’ descends into sound clips; and ‘Music To Driveby’ is marred by soft singing.
In essence, Melodic Death Metal began at some point in the early nineties when the Gothenburg scene laid a foundation for the subgenre to flourish. A lot of bands took flight later in the decade and pushed the boundaries of this newly formed category. Insomnium is known for taking its heavy, melodious riffs beyond the norm and conjuring a truly inventive tone full of dreamy dismalness and gripping gloom. Their ninth studio album, Anno 1696 (Century Media Records) is coming to light soon on which they share the perplexing horrors of humanity in vehement ways.
I have said it before and will say it again, finding new music that instantly grabs your attention is one of the best ways to fill your system with dopamine. Blackened Grindcore threesome, Tithe, has done this with their sophomore release, Inverse Rapture (Profound Lore). In just seven tracks and under a half-hour, your brain will be torn apart and put back together by the Portland, Oregon natives. Equal parts black metal and grindcore, with some doom sprinkled over the top, makes for a fresh look on the harsher side of heavy music.
Having taken the death metal world by storm, it is an understatement to say that Sanguisugabogg’s sophomore release, Homicidal Ecstasy (Century Media), is highly anticipated. Everyone and their cool horror movie-obsessed grandmother is looking forward to this record and they will not be let down! Sure, there is some maturation here, and maybe music videos depicting penis monsters duking it out, but this is The Bogg that we all know and love.
The blending of metal and horror is perhaps one of the greatest combinations in the universe. There is just something so satisfying about heavily distorted guitars and lyrics referencing seventies and eighties horror films that hits the perfect spot. It’s the perfect soundtrack to your favorite monster movie.
Following their 2020 Grave of a Dog debut which happened to feature a certain Kristin Hayter (Lingua Ignota), Sightless Pit (duo Lee Buford of The Body and Dylan Walker from Full of Hell) return (sans Hayter) with sophomore release Lockstep Bloodwar (Thrill Jockey).
Chipping away at the putrid exterior, Antimony (Transcending Obscurity) is Ashen Horde tackling a litany of musical techniques, touching upon elements of technical black and death metal. In doing so, guitar solos feel completely organic; the drums drive the rhythms throughout; and the sheer blasphemy housed within the guitars is palpable.Continue reading
What was the first bit of heavy music you ever heard in your life? Did you level up, gaining mana from the ear-peeling riffs and shouts? Lovers of extreme metal surely have had experiences like this in their lives, where their entire world is tossed upside-down a new band, or a clutch of new demos from an emerging scene. This is how my ears felt hearing Grief Symposium, with a new take on the Death / Doom sub-genre with their debut, …In The Absence of Light (Church Road Records). Although mysterious and secretive, they did not set out to reinvent extreme music, but rather invent themselves, and a sound that should echo for a long time.