Finally, the new year is upon us! A fresh start for some, same shit different year for others; mainly, my minions who toil in the mines ducts of the Filter. Since they don’t get any holidays, they probably don’t even fucking know it’s 2026 yet, but that’s okay. As long as they come back to HQ with a substantial haul, their ability to know when it is is immaterial.

These are the sacrifices we (not me, though), make to ensure you get the goods relatively on time-ish. So say thank you!

Kenstrosity’s Freaky Foursome

Upiór // Forefathers’ Eve (Redemption) [January 2nd, 2026 – Self Released]

Featuring members of Gorod (Benoit Claus) and Xaoc (Kévin Paradis), Upiór pinged my radar after a certain cosmic Discordian pinged me. A blistering combination of Fleshgod Apocalypse opulence and Wachenfeldt aggression, sophomore release Forefathers’ Eve (Redemption) impressed me immediately as “The Black Paintings ripped my face right off. “A Blessing or a Curse” doubled down on speed, blasting rhythms, and eerie melodies to propel itself straight into my Song o’ the Year long-list. Even with three instrumental interludes, all of which are quite fluffy, Forefathers’ Eve (Redemption) crams pummeling riffs, exuberant percussion, and dramatic lushness into its 51-minute runtime. “Forefathers’ Eve (Part I),” a fantastic companion to Fleshgod Apocalypse’s “Cold As Perfection” without aping its features, conjures a similarly affecting character that draws me in completely. Forefathers’ Eve (Redemption)’s middle section continues to build personality and develop greater dynamics from that point, represented most clearly in melodic riffs and expressive leads/soloing (“The Woman that Weeps”). Leading into its conclusion, a tonal shift towards the dire at this junction foreshadows the imminent release of Upiór’s second act, Forefathers’ Eve (Damnation) (due in early April), charring songs like “Forefather’s Eve (Part II)” and “Between the Living and Dead” with blackened rabidity and dissonant flourishes. All of this to say, Upiór launched this latest arc with a striking blow, and I can only imagine what’s in store for Damnation.

Forefathers’ Eve (Redemption) by Upiór

KadavriK // Erde666 [January 9th, 2026 – Self Released]

Germany’s melodic death metal quintet KadavriK have been cranking out records since 2007, but I only heard about them this year, once again, thanks to Discord. Erde666, their fifth outing, takes an unorthodox and progressive approach to melodic death metal, which makes comparisons difficult to draw. Stripped down and raw in some moments, mystical and lush in others, Erde666 is all about textures. Its opening title track explores that spectrum of sounds and philosophies to its fullest, even drawing heavy influence from blues, psychedelia, and sludge at times (“Getrümmerfreund”), but it all coalesces seamlessly. Following up an opener as strong as that would be a tall order for anyone, but KadavriK are clever songwriters, and the long form served them well even compared to the more straightforward tracklists of previous installments (“Nihilist,” “Das Ende Des Anthropozäns”). Off-kilter guitar melodies countered against twinkling Kalmah synths and sweeping strings do a lot of work to elevate and liven the crushing chords of their high-impact riffs as well, which adds a ton of interest into an already unconventional melodic death record (“Widerhall”). All of this makes for a record that might not be as immediate or fast-paced as most aim for in this space, but, counterintuitively, significantly more memorable. Don’t sleep on this one, folks!

Erde 666 by KadavriK

Luminesce // Like Crushed Violets and Linen [November 20th, 2026 – Self Released]

Prolific at a scale I haven’t witnessed since Déhà, Luminesce mastermind Alice Simard, based in Québec, piqued my curiosity for the first time with Like Crushed Violets and Linen, her sophomore effort under the Luminesce moniker. Boasting machine-gun rapidity (“Exploited Monochromaticism”), off-kilter rhythms (“Silver”), and a downright romantic sense of melody (“Like Crushed Violets and Linen,” “Lamp of Fulguration”)—countered by lyrical themes ranging from guilt complexes to gender identity (“To Restore”)—Like Crushed Violets and Linen is a deeply personal record forged in a melodic technical death metal mold. And as such a record, it recalls the vicarious guitar pyrotechnics of Inferi and Obscura while securing a melodic sensibility more in line with neoclassical composition (“The Covenant of Counterfeit Stars”). Unlike many of her contemporaries, however, Alice is a master of editing. Filled with killer ideas and instrumental wizardry without involving a drop of bloat, each of these seven songs coalesce into a buttery-smooth 30-minute excursion that punches far above its feathery mass. The addition of delightful chiptune dalliances helps distinguish Luminesce further from the pack (“To Restore”), though I’m torn about how far forward they are in the mix. In fact, the mix is my main gripe, as Like Crushed Violets and Linen is muffled and a bit flat, despite boasting a much-appreciated meaty bass presence. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for an unlikely tech-death contender, Luminesce might be just what you need.

Like Crushed Violets and Linen by Luminesce

Bone Storm // Daemon Breed [January 30th, 2026 – Self Released]

As the CEO of this Filter company, I withhold the right to break the rules and include a very cool bonus fourth option, Bone Storm’s cavebrained Daemon Breed. Do you like Bolt Thrower? Yes, you do. Do you like Bear Mace? Yes, you do. By proxy, then, you already like Connecticut’s Bone Storm as they draw from the same chunky, groove-laden school of death metal. At a somewhat overachieving 50 minutes, Daemon Breed pummels the listener beneath a veritable smorgasbord of neck-breaking riffs built upon a framework of triplet grooves, swaggering syncopations, and galloping double bass assaults. Their approach is simple and unburdened by blistering speed, fiddly technicality, or atmospheric deviation, and in that way recalls the undeniable immediacy and brutal effectiveness of records like Black Royal’s Firebride. With highlights “Heaven’s End (Burn Them All),” “Plaguerider,” “Sanctimonious Morality,” and above all “Ritual Supremacy,” Bone Storm use that approach with aplomb, proving that the spirit of classic, no-frills death metal is vital and vicarious. Delightfully cogent roars and gutturals allow the most difficult deliveries (see “Daemon Breed”) to feel vicious and purposeful, while a subtle thread of melody (see “Cursed Born”) affords the record a small measure of songwriting variety to break things up just when Daemon Breed needs it most. Heavy reliance on triplets and perhaps a zealous desire to put down every idea that seems good even if it’s placed immediately adjacent to much better one (“Halo of Disease” and “Hammer of Judas” bookending “Ritual Supremacy” are tough positions to defend, as is “Wrist Slitter” next to the fun Frozen Soul-esque “Blood Priest”), hold it back from higher praise only mildly. Moral of the story? Enter the bone zone, with haste!

Daemon Breed by Bone Storm

Creeping Ivy’s Riffy Remainder

Lord Elephant // Ultra Soul [January 30th, 2026 – Heavy Psych Sounds]

Sometimes, you don’t need dynamic songwriting, harmonic density, or even a vocalist. Sometimes, all you need are riffs. Okay, and maybe some psychedelic leads to go over those riffs. Ultra Soul, the sophomore album from Italian instrumental trio Lord Elephant, delivers 48 minutes of pure, mostly unadulterated stoner-doom. In the feudal jungle of heavy riff rock, Lord Elephant pays scutage to King Buffalo, similarly forming longish compositions where simple, bluesy figures reign supreme, stretching their limbs in grassy patches. Occasionally, guitarist Leandro Gaccione, bassist Edoardo De Nardi, and drummer Tommaso Urzino lock into some lively, head-bobbing grooves (“Gigantia”). But mostly, Lord Elephant keeps things meditative, hypnotizing listeners with Earthless drones and lurches (“Smoke Tower,” “Black River Blues”). De Nardi’s bass often leads the way (“Electric Dunes”), the underwater tone of which reminds me of falling for Isis.1 Lord Elephant aren’t reinventing any wheels here; the familiarity of their bluesy riffing simply won’t interest those for whom such bluesiness is a staid marker of old-man rock. The absence of vocals, however, makes Ultra Soul work as pseudo-ambient music that can set the mood, or accompany tasks, or gateway a normie. Closer listening will reveal, though, a tight trio reveling in the rudiments of rock music—a drummer, bassist, and guitarist vibing on a riff.

Ultra Soul by Lord Elephant

Andy-War-Hall’s Salvaged Windfall

Juodvarnis // Tékmés [January 23rd, 2026 – Self Released]

Lithuania’s Juodvarnis cooked for a long six years between albums for their fourth record Tékmés. With the confidence and sharpness displayed on all levels by Juodvarnis here, that was clearly time well spent in the kitchen. Sporting a brand of progressive black metal that blends the Enslaved framework of prog-black with the epic heft and melody of Iotunn and the crushing rhythms and harsh vocals of Gojira, Tékmés is tight, lively and achieves a remarkable level of melancholic thoughtfulness without neglecting the average listener’s chronic need for riffs. Translated to “flow” from Hungarian,2 Tékmés navigates inter-song and album-wide progressions of pummeling rhythms (“Dvasios Ligos”) and slow marches (“Tamsiausias Nušvitimas”), impassioned clean vocals (“Platybės”) and razor-throated screams (“Juodos Akys”) to achieve a gradual, natural sense of advancement across its 42-minute journey. If progressive black metal that knows how to riff and can turn the reverb off 11 sounds like a good time to you, give Juodvarnis’ Tékmés a shot sometime.

Tékmés by Juodvarnis

Thus Spoke’s Obscure Offerings

Ectovoid // In Unreality’s Coffin [January 9th, 2026 – Everlasting Spew Records]

Normally, it takes copious amounts of reverb, wonkiness, melody, or turbo-dissonance for death metal to be palatable to me. Every once in a while, however, an album like Ectovoid’s In Unreality’s Coffin comes along and shows me that there is another way. The music’s stickiness has a lot to do with its boundary-straddling take on OSDM. Ostensibly, the battering, percussion, sawblade riffing, and gruff gurgling growls mark it as your everyday modern no-nonsense death metal, somewhere between Cryptopsy and Immolation. But In Unreality’s Coffin is more like tech-death, disso-death, and brutal-death in a trench coat than it is any one of them, or another subgenre.3 Its arpeggios can be rhythmically snappy, sometimes combined with equally sharp vocal delivery (“Intrusive Illusions (Echoes from a Distant Plane)”), but more often than not channel a churning chaos that resists punchiness for a darker unease I find addictive (“Collapsing Spiritual Nebula,” “Erroneous Birth”). The music is constantly speeding up or slowing down, churning guitars collapsing with slides (“Dissonance Corporeum”) or pitching upwards in squeals (“In Anguished Levitation”), or evolving into mania as screams and growls fragment and layer (“Formless Seeking Form”). Rather than being exhausting, it’s exhilarating, with expertly-timed releases of diabolically echoing melody (“Collapsing Spiritual Nebula”) or a new groove to latch onto (“In Unreality’s Coffin”) coming to keep you afloat. Ectovoid keep you guessing without actually really pushing the boundaries, making In Unreality’s Coffin both a lot of fun and straightforwardly br00tal enough to sustain a savage workout; or just a really intense 45 minutes.

In Unreality’s Coffin by Ectovoid

Exxûl // Sealed into None [January 15th, 2026 – Productions TSO]

Phil Tougas has had an impressive start to the year. Before Worm’s Necropalace this February, came Sealed into None, the debut by Exxûl—a genre-blending, kinda blackened epic-power-doom-heavy-metal group also comprising several of Phil’s Atramentus band-mates. Several people brought up this album in the comments on my Worm review, often to the tune of “Exxûl better,” and while I respectfully disagree on the quality ranking of the two, I can’t deny how fabulous Sealed into None is. Here again are genres of music I’m usually unable to connect with—in this instance, power and classical heavy metal—but shaped in a way that opens my eyes and ears. Yes, the high-pitched wail style of singing first took me a little off-guard when they first arose on “Blighted Deity,” and they offend my usual tastes. But they are impressive, and work in a way I thought only harsh vocals could when following the trajectory of distorted keys and guitar (“Walls of Endless Darkness”), or shouting into an atmospheric abyss (“The Screaming Tower”). Oh, and of course, the overall vibe of magnificent, melodramatic blackened doom that sets the scene, capped off with—predictably—phenomenal guitarwork, is just magic and enough for me to get past my knee-jerk vocal ick and love it not in spite of that, but because of what it can bring to the whole. I love the slow builds to dazzling solos (“Bells of the Exxûl through to “Blighted Deity,” “The Screaming Tower”) and the way the camper, heavy-metal sides blur into something darker (“Labyrinthine Fate”). I just love this album, to be honest.

Sealed Into None by Exxûl

ClarkKent’s Canadian Catch

Turpitude // Mordoré [January 1, 2026 – Self Released]

Since 2019, Alice Simard has been a prolific presence in Quebec’s underground metal scene. She consistently releases albums for several different projects, from the ambient atmoblack of Coffret de Bijoux to the tech death of Luminesce (also uncovered in this month’s Filter by our Sponge Fren). Mordoré, the fourth full-length for Turpitude, thrives on its riffs and carries a cheerful energy reminiscent of the carefree raw black metal of Grime Stone Records stalwarts Wizard Keep and Old Nick. Yet Simard opts for traditional instruments, no synths, though production choices make the drumsticks sound as if they’re banging against blocks of wood, give the guitars a lofi reverb, and cause Simard’s voice to fade into the background in a cavernous growl. The riffs are the real star, with some terrifically catchy melodic leads and trems throughout (“La Traverse Mordorée,” “Aller de L’avant”). This combination of riffs, a raw sound, and often upbeat tunes draws comparison to Trhä and To Escape. While Mordoré keeps a mostly cheery tone, Turpitude’s no one-trick pony. There’s a tinge of the melancholic on the moody, atmospheric “Peintra,” as well as a successful stab at covering a non-metal song a lá Spider God on “Washing Machine Heart.”4 This is a worthwhile endeavor for those who like their black metal raw and energetic.

Mordoré by Turpitude

Grin Reaper’s Heavy Haul

Valiant Sentinel // Neverealm [January 16th, 2026 – Theogonia Records]

Greek heavy metal heroes Valiant Sentinel dropped their sophomore platter Neverealm back in mid-January, unleashing forty-six minutes that reek of high fantasy. Galloping riffs, driving drums, and vocal harmonies aplenty supply a cinematic adventure that basks in fun. While the pacing of Neverealm mainly operates in high-energy bombast, Valiant Sentinel smartly weaves in mid-paced might, evidenced by how the controlled assault of “Mirkwood Forest” provides a breather after opening chest-thumpers “War in Heaven” and “Neverealm.” Acoustic pieces “To Mend the Ring” and “Come What May” further diversify Neverealm’s heavy metal holdings, and while I’m usually keener on more aggressive numbers, these two tracks comprise some of my favorite moments on the album.5 Mostly, Valiant Sentinel summons comparisons to Germany’s heavy/power scene—chief among them Blind Guardian—going so far as to bring in BG drummer extraordinaire Frederik Ehmke. I also catch fleeting glimpses of Brainstorm and Mystic Prophecy in Valiant Sentinel’s DNA, though guitarist and composer Dimitris Skodras does a commendable job carving out a distinct identity for the band. Featuring skilled performances across the board and guest spots from Burning Witches’ Laura Guldemond (“Neverealm”) and Savatage’s Zak Stevens (“Arch Nemesis”), Valiant Sentinel packs loads of drama into a streamlined package. So what are you waiting for? Go grab your polyhedrals and a Spelljammer, and set sail for Neverealm.

Neverealm by Valiant Sentinel

Fili Bibiano’s Fortress // Death Is Your Master [January 30th, 2026 – High Roller Records]

Does Shredphobia keep you away from metal? Does the sultry siren call of licks, riffs, and chugs make you break into a cold sweat? If so, I strongly urge you to stay away from Fortress’ sophomore album, Death Is Your Master. Channeling Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath and 80s Judas Priest, Fortress drops six-string shenanigans that’ll get your booty shaking and the floor quaking, offering a romping retro slab that goes down slow ‘n’ easy. The overt classic 80s heavy metal worship on tracks “Flesh and Dagger” and “Night City” delivers riff after riff recalling the glory days, giving Fortress an authenticity that expands what could have otherwise been a one-dimensional LP. Guitarist Fili Bibiano sizzles with axe-slinging abandon, occasionally conjuring the neoclassical debauchery of Yngwie (“Savage Sword,” “Maze”). Still, it’s not all about the guitar, and drummer Joey Mancaruso and vocalist Juan Aguila nail their contributions as Fortress wends their way through a trim thirty-four minutes. On a guitar-forward album featuring slick songwriting and singalong jams, Death Is Your Master bumps, dives, and wails in a slow-burn frenzy of classic heavy goodness. Dig in!

Death Is Your Master by Fili Bibiano’s Fortress

Baguette’s Brutal Burglary

Skulld // Abyss Calls to Abyss [January 23rd, 2026 – Time to Kill Records]

While last year was alright for death metal and notably starred Dormant Ordeal, I felt it was lacking in quantity of impressive releases for said cornerstone of the metal underground. Fortunately, Italian group Skulld is here to start off the year with a bang! Abyss Calls to Abyss takes Bolt Thrower’s tank-rolling grooves (“Mother Death”) and Dismember’s melodic buzzsaw action (“Wear the Night as a Velvet Cloak”) and adds in some crust punk influence as extra seasoning (“Le Diable and the Snake”). It feels like they’ve taken some influence from both Finnish and Swedish varieties of death metal as well, and I’m here for it! The band is fluent in switching things up at the drop of a hat without sacrificing energy or cohesion. “Mother Death” and “Drops of Sorrow” go from heavy, dissonant chords to big lead guitar melodies, which in turn lead to a chunky and punky death metal groove that’s bound to get your head moving. Teo’s drumming controls the mood in excellent fashion, adding fast blast beats or slow-pummelling stomps when called for. The vicious, varied growls of Pam further cement the violence contained within and add to the album’s attitude. At a brief 34 minutes spread over eight songs, it wastes no time going for your throat in a multitude of ways. Get this album into your skull or get Skulld!

Abyss Call To Abyss by Skulld

Total Annihilation // Mountains of Madness [January 16th, 2026 – Testimony Records]

What would happen if you took Vader, Slayer and Sodom and threw them in a big ol’ manic death/thrash blender? The answer is Mountains of Madness! While Swiss Total Annihilation’s earliest works were more in line with classic ’80s thrash metal, they have increasingly moved towards more aggressive and relentless pastures, and their songwriting is all the better for it. Fourth album Mountains of Madness channels records like Vader’s Litany and Sodom’s Tapping the Vein in particular (“The Art of Torture,” “Age of Mental Suicide”), taking advantage of a relentless, drum-forward groove and a furious vocal performance. The album’s dual guitar attack weaves together thrashier tunes with parts that reach straight up Swedeath territory, be it melodic or not. In addition, tracks like “Mountains of Madness” and “Choose the Day” throw some melodic thrash akin to Sodom’s self-titled album into the mix for that extra bit of variety and replay value. Mountains of Madness isn’t afraid to slow things down with a satisfying lead riff, but most of Mountains of Madness is at a respectful lightning-fast pace, as thrash should. Another brief but powerful addition to the January pile ov skulls!

Mountains Of Madness by Total Annihilation

Polaris Experience // Drifting Through Voids [January 2nd, 2026 – Distant Comet Entertainment]

On the earliest days of the year, Japan delivered an awesome surprise drop of death metal-influenced progressive thrash! Polaris Experience features various Cynical riffs (“Interplanetary Funambulist,” “Bathyscapes”) while sporting a similarly old-school guitar tone throughout. Being progressive thrash, the main focus is naturally on the oh-so-sweet instrumentation that balances melody and groove seamlessly. The instrumental “Parvati” alone highlights how tight everything is, from the snappy drumming to the bouncy bass work. Most importantly, the music is catchy and memorable despite its relative complexity and lack of brevity. Additionally, Drifting Through Voids uses vocals sparingly but in all the right ways, complementing its technicalities with a traditional thrashy, harsh bark. The fact that it’s a two-man project and a debut makes it all the more impressive. Fans of similar recent progressive and technical shenanigans like Species should take notes post-haste. Considering we’ve already had this and Cryptic Shift this early in the year, and how prog/tech thrash is usually only allowed one or two notable albums per year, we could be in for a banner year for the subgenre. It also marks the first time in ages that a Japanese album has genuinely good production. Welcome to the new millennium!

Drifting Through Voids by Polaris Experience

Back in 2023, Brazilian death crew Fossilization dropped their Leprous Daylight debut on the unsuspecting world below, impressing Cherd in the process with its Incantation-esque blend of ghastly cavern crawling and 5-ton doomy digressions. He even went so far as to suggest it was superior to Incantation’s then-new platter Unholy Deification while generally singing the praises of preserved beast bone recovery. Fast-forward a few years, and the band’s sophomore release, Advent of Wounds, falls to me as Cherd has gone missing in a very nonsuspicious way that does NOT require police involvement or any half-assed internet sleuthing of any kind. So what do the two men behind Fossilization bring to the archaeology party this time? More raw, unvarnished spelunk-core full of horrific nods to Dead Congregation, Phobocosm, and of course, the esteemed Incanters of OSDM. It’s heavy, nasty, rough and raw, just as you want it. But is this mere imitation of genre archetypes or something that can stand on its own pale and deformed feet? Let’s turn on the headlamps and see what scurries away into the darkness.

Opener “Cremation of a Seraph” comes out blasting savagely before going full caverncore with scads of hideous trem-riffs that inspire menace and dread. This is the kind of relentlessly heavy, abrasive death metal that destabilizes your brain health, and it can peel the paint off the walls of the mental asylum you’ll eventually be confined in. Yes, their style will remind you of the genre bigs, and it’s hard to miss the influences as they slither up between the floorboards, but Fossilization is legitimately good at what they do, and this song will wreck your internal organs. Better still is the ginormously destructive “Disentombed and Reassembled by the Ages,” which is like the mutated offspring of Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, and Hate Eternal, who’s been fed a steady diet of elephant steroids and military-grade bath salts. It’s fucking ugly and oppressive, and I can’t get enough of this muck fuckery. The drums blast your face off as an unruly collection of skin-flaying riffs rip at you from all sides. It’s like a maelstrom of torment with no escape hatch, so you must endure the abuse. The tempos shift just when they should, offering doomier segments that make the faster parts bite all the harder. This is lethal shit.

While the remainder of Advent of Wounds is undeniably solid and skull-crushing, nothing equals the sheer intensity of the first 2 cuts. “Scalded by His Sacred Halo” pummels and pounds away, only to drop a killer doom segment that will oppress your life and deathstyle. “While the Light Lasts” delivers awkward, herky-jerky riff arrangements, and the song has a strong Novembers Doom vibe that I wouldn’t have expected. Overall, it’s the least killer track present, but not bad at all. The problem I have as Advent unspools is that the merely good stuff makes me want to slap on some prime Incantation or Immolation instead. This is skillfully done stuff, but it’s close enough to the genre greats to appear the lesser for the comparisons. At a trim 35 minutes, though, it’s not a challenge to get through, and the fact that the songs are all kept in the 3-5 minute range helps the album’s flow. I like the production here, which gives the drums a primal impact and the guitars exude the proper force and weight.

Masterminds V and Z deliver a truckload of vicious riffs that feel fierce and feral. The use of scathing trems is highly effective and adds a dark, dangerous edge to the material. A lot of these leads feel like they have a life of their own as they flop and slither on the cavern flooor instilling terror and revulsion. The vocals by V are appropriately raw, inhuman, and subterranean, providing ample awfulness and bile to the already unpleasant soundscapes. The drums occasionally lapse into unusual patterns, and this can sound out of place, but it provides a level of identity and interest to the overly familiar style Fossilization plies you with.

I’m a fan of the style heard on Advent of Wounds, and like Cherd before me, Fossilization have a lot of good things going for them. However, I think their debut packs a bigger, more consistent impact than this one does. There are great moments here that speak of huge potential, but too much of the album is merely good. I’ll keep my eyes on these cretins because they have something potent developing. I just hope they can harness it more completely next time and really shake up my skeletal system. Worth a loud investigation.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew
Websites: facebook.com/fossilization | instagram.com/fossilizationprocess
Releases Worldwide: February 13th, 2026

Imperishable – Revelation in Purity Review

By Tyme

As I prepare to flip the calendar over to what looks like a pretty stacked September,1 I took a moment to reflect on my Angry Metal August. Forays into the sump pit this month yielded several better-than-good releases that I was lucky enough to snag and pen words for. My final entry for this last month of summer2 comes by way of South Carolina’s Imperishable. Formed in 2020 as a side gig by Nile’s Brian Kingsland and Olkoth’s Alex Rush, Imperishable didn’t become a three-piece until 2023, when drum aficionado Derek Roddy (ex-Hate Eternal, ex-Malevolent Creation) entered the fold. Imperishable’s 2024 EP, originally titled Demo’s, caught the ear of Everlasting Spew Records, who signed on to release the band’s debut album, Revelation in Purity. With no question as to the metal cachet of its constituency, the only thing left for me to do was determine if Imperishable’s first outing would signal the end of my August hot streak.

With a blackened death metal heart, Revelation in Purity pierces several veils, tossing traces of groove, doom, and ’90s grunge into the mix. Within moments, album opener “Oath of Disgust” evokes strong Emperor vibes, its eddying riffs and clean, choral-like vocal section landing somewhere between the mighty Anthems3 and IX Equilibrium. These blackened moments are a red thread running throughout Imperishable’s death metal tapestry, expertly woven into a single style, rather than a collection of either-or compositions. As much as Olkoth and newer Nile (“Where Dead Omens Croon”) nestle in the nooks of Imperishable’s sound, there’s some Morbid Angel crouched in the crannies as well (“The Enduring Light of Irreverance”). Kingsland’s grasp of tension and melody, especially evident in his excellent solo work, provides a guitar tour de force of towering tremolos, whirlwind riffs, and bright, splashy chord harmonies (“Revelation in Purity,” “Spewing Retribution”). His vocals, whether gutturally growled, blackly screamed, or cleanly harmonized, are also impressively discernible as Rush’s sinister bass lines, crisp as Cliff Burton’s and full of malice, hold sway over Revelation in Purity’s nether realm alongside Reddy’s devastating drum work—a maelstrom of stormy snares, deadly double-kicks, and fancy fills.

Revelation in Purity navigates many twists, turns, and serpentine paths without getting lost, Imperishable’s songwriting filling the role of expert trail guide. As deftly merged as their black and death metal elements are, it’s the seamless incorporation of those disparate offshoots that helps Revelation in Purity stand out. On the heels of tremolodic leads and some chaotic verse accompaniment, “Exclusion Continuum” hits a nice little groove at the two-minute mark that continues as it slows to a very satisfying, chuggy crawl before re-igniting with one of Kingsland’s sustained yawps. And it’s the doomy atmospheres of “Iniquity,” with its “Where the Slime Live” feel, that, along with follow-up track “Where Dead Omens Croon,” incorporate vocal harmonies straight out of Alice in Chains’ Staley/Cantrell playbook of old, making this late round, one-two punch my favorite section on Revelation in Purity.

Imperishable dispels atmospheric, interludial frivolity by packing Revelation in Purity’s thirty-two-minute runtime with let-our-music-do-the-talking decisions, outperforming any of the recent output from their main gigs. Jamie King’s mix and master, though slightly muted, still allows every single performance to shine in a way that highlights the musical talent of each member, while Ronnie Bjornstrom’s re-amped rhythm guitars lend an organic air to Kingsland’s performance that never detracts from the cohesiveness of the whole. My biggest gripe with Revelation in Purity is that nearly half of the songs have been circulating in some form or fashion since late 2020, when the first raw versions of “Exclusion Continuum” began to appear. A mostly minor, personal disappointment that Imperishable didn’t keep more of their cards a tad closer to the vest.

Imperishable’s all-killer, no-filler approach makes for some impressive blackened death metal, and while Revelation in Purity isn’t doing anything particularly groundbreaking, what it does do is very good. While I was pleasantly surprised by last year’s Nile album and am wholly looking forward to Olkoth’s follow-up, Imperishable is now on Tyme’s list of things to watch for. I’m eager to hear what a batch of fresh new ideas and songs will sound like from this crew, because, as evidenced by Revelation in Purity, Imperishable has a bright future ahead of them.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Record Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 29th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AmericanMetal #Aug25 #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Emperor #EverlastingSpewRecords #Imperishable #MorbidAngel #Nile #Olkoth #RevelationInPurity #Review #Reviews

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#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
IMPERISHABLE Feat. NILE, HATE ETERNAL, MALEVOLENT CREATION Members To Release Debut Album In August; Videos Streaming

https://bravewords.com/news/imperishable-feat-nile-hate-eternal-malevolent-creation-members-to-release-debut-album-in-august-videos-streaming/

#Imperishable #Nile #HateEternal #MalevolentCreation #RevelationInPurity #BrianKingsland #AlexRush #DerekRoddy #EverlastingSpewRecords #DeathMetal

Disembodiment – Spiral Crypts Review

By Steel Druhm

It’s been a minute since I got my iron claws stuck into some rancid, cesspool-grade death metal, and I was badly jonesing for some. Along comes Quebec-based filth-death crew Disembodiment with their Spiral Crypts debut, and they put Steel right back in the rot pit! Featuring a former member of Serpent Corpse, these canucks bring the seeping offal to the public toilets with nary an ounce of excrement left unsmeared. Spiral Crypts is disgusting caverncore awfulness for the caveman death setters, and you’ll feel the toxic grime and gunk accumulating in your pores before you get through the first song. It’s every bit the unnatural mating of Incantation with Autopsy and early Tomb Mold, with bits of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation stuck in the soft serve like corn. But is an unapologetic scuzz-bucket puke product enough to sell a cynical deathhead on what Disembodiment is hawking? Let’s dive in!

The album opens appropriately with the sounds of something wet leaking somewhere sticky as flies buzz and a woman whimpers and screams in abject horror. Soon the band shows us why, as they kick the basement door in and proceed to put the “fist” in fistula on “Morbid Infestation.” It’s chuggy OSDM with enough scab and pus on the sound profile to put off all but the twisted. The tempos skew wildly from doomy, oppressive plods and blasty, thrash explosions that reek of the late 80s/early 90s death landmarks, and at times, little strains of vintage Death surface from the primordial ooze. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s gumming up the rotors with lots of raw sewage. The riffs are spicy and interesting, and the vocals approximate an overworked garbage disposal trying to process an entire Christmas ham. It’s a shitshow, but one you can’t look away from. The band demonstrates a bit more range on “Stygian Overture,” playing with mood and tempo for a more expansive sound, making sure the rubber boot never comes too far off the trachea as they slow things down and showcase impressive riff-sense. What’s most entertaining is the way the band tries to be more “proggy” while the vocalist seems to devolve into something even less human.

My favorite moment comes on “Larval,” where all the maggots come home to roost. This one kicks off with an insanely heavy, utterly brainless chug stomp that will flatten your ass. Those chug grooves are heavy enough to decimate a concrete bunker, and you will feel yourself regress to your most apeish nature as you blast this one. While some tracks hit harder than others, none disappoint or leave you feeling clean and safe spacey. Every tune is infused with swampy but sharp riffing and enough tempo shifts to shake your IQ downward several points. At a very reasonable 30 minutes, Disembodiment know that too much of a rancid thing may lead to cesspool fatigue, so things go down the drain before you retch up any organs you might really need. The production is a master class in muck, crust, sleaze and revoltingness. The guitar tons is nasty as fook, and the bass is booming and oppressive. My only complaint is that there are skips in the master where it sounds like someone cut a few seconds of the song out entirely. It only happens a few times, but it’s weird and disruptive.

Mathieu Breton is credited as the lead voKillizer, and he does a convincing job of sounding like he’s hurling up the biggest, wettest loogey-woogey in the history of mankind. He’s perfectly vile and repellant, and I love everything he does. Guitarist Chris unleashes a vast collection of scathing, scouring riffs and makes Spiral Crypts an exceptionally riffy death metal platter. His style is heavily grounded in the Incantation / Autopsy school but he wanders into the realms of Death and Morbid Angel as well. He has a great handle on atmosphere and mood, and he can craft a creepy doom riff that makes you feel legitimately uneasy. This is a crew that knows how to snake a shitter.

Spiral Crypts is one of the those fucking disgusting OSDM albums you hear and love on the very first salvo, and it offers everything you could want from this unclean, unsanitary style. Disembodiment are now on my radar and I’m eager to hear what they dump on the floor next. Someone wise once said, in a world of shit, be the grossest turd in the bowl, That’s the Disembodiment way. Get your face in this crawlspace and huff deeply.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew
Websites: facebook.com/disembodimentdeath | instagram.com/disembodimentdeath
Releases Worldwide: July 11th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Autopsy #CanadianMetal #DeathMetal #Disembodiment #EverlastingSpewRecords #Incantation #Jul25 #Review #SpiralCrypts #TombMold

Golem of Gore – Ultimo Mondo Cane Review

By Saunders

Metal burnout can be an unfortunate affliction that strikes most metalheads at various stages. The condition works in mysterious ways, and not necessarily in the ways you might expect. For example, my recent rotations have not abandoned metal entirely, but the urges of extremity have been largely repressed, aside from an unhealthy and wonderfully nostalgic Acid Bath binge. What better way to forcefully treat the matter than plunging into the deepest, ugliest depths of the promo sump to retrieve a grimy, rancid underground act set to help pummel me back to my metallic senses. Unheralded Italian act Golem of Gore specialize in rank and indecent goregrind mixed with brutal death mayhem on second full-length, Ultimo Mondo Cane. Taking cues from the likes of early Carcass, Blood Freak, and Regurgitate, Golem of Gore plant their acidic tongues firmly through rotted cheeks. The goresome foursome wield their gnarly, rusted tools of the trade to create some blood and guts spattered shitfun for underground gorehounds to chomp into. Let us see if this form of extreme depravity can remedy the burnout funk.

Firstly, this kind of humorous, over-the-top goregrind needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Incomprehensible gurgling grotesqueries and shattering screams make up portions of the violent vocal onslaught, cutting ugly, puckered paths through blast-heavy percussive assaults, brutal goregrind riffage and punky attitude. Each short, sharp ditty bleeds into another, best absorbed as one wet, sloppy stream of brutality across the album’s fairly meaty 37-minute rundown (at least for their chosen style of carnage). Song titles win points for silly inventiveness, as a sample-laden intro track unsubtly morphs into the no-holds-barred, unforgiving blast of “The Fragrance of Pus-Filled Eyes of the Dead.” The song is an in-your-face blast that largely forgoes hooks for white knuckled extremity. While a suitably crunching beginning, Golem of Gore function most effectively when they mold greasy hooks and d-beaten punky edges to the sewer-dwelling bouts of lowbrow brootality and ludicrous vocal eruptions.

While the songs tend to bleed into one vomitous mass of goregrind mayhem and occasional samples, the wacky ride is littered with some undeniably fun moments. “Withdrawal Crisis – Through the Keyhole of Madness” possesses a mean, nasty grind streak, as glass gargling vox, feral grooves, and frantic riffs rise above the album’s more run-of-the-mill songwriting. Numerous songs revel in their blastastic, relentless brutality and vocal obnoxiousness, unfortunately at the expense of memorable riffs and engaging compositions. When a sick groove, catchy riff, or memorable segment pops up, it reminds the listener of Golem of Gore’s potential as skilled purveyors of utterly nasty goregrind. “Chronic Obstructive Caustic Vomit” leverages its machine gunning blasts and brutal death throes, with vicious hardcore grooves and genuinely catchy riffs. Sadly, the songwriting cannot quite match the ambitions of what feels like a lengthy runtime, which lags on occasion and overstays its welcome.

Imbued with a sloppy, amateurish charm, Ultimo Mondo Cane finds Golem of Gore having an apparent blast with the subgenre’s intentionally grisly, offensive, and over-the-top nature. Ultimo Mondo Cane has an endearingly DIY underground aesthetic in both production and delivery. Sure, the drums sound kind of shitty and distracting, and heavier swarms of noise lack definition, but sonically, the rough around the edges, messy production fits the band’s violent sound well. Overall, there is the makings of a solid album buried under the ooze and occasional more inspired and infectious moments. When they decide to lean into their thrashy impulses and showcase more rhythmic and vocal variation, such as those displayed on “The Slasher in Black Latex – Acrid Aroma in Tenebris,” the formula carries more substance.

Golem of Gore crafted a ludicrously overzealous, manically fun slab of goregrind madness to appease the most dedicated of underground gorehounds. However, for all of its relentlessly filthy caveman brutality, outrageously mucky vox, and fun, boneheaded vibes Golem of Gore fall short in the songwriting department to warrant a hearty recommendation. Mileage will vary for goregrind enthusiasts, however, for all its ugly charms Ultimo Mondo Cane is an occasionally fun but ultimately disposable platter of splatter, albeit one to recalibrate my extreme urges.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 30th, 2025

#25 #2025 #AcidBath #BloodFreak #BrutalDeath #Carcass #EverlastingSpewRecords #GolemOfGore #Goregrind #ItalianMetal #Regurgitate #Review #Reviews

Stuck in the Filter: February 2025’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

February comes down the pipe about two or three months after February. A perfectly normal thing to experience here at AMG HQ, this Filter’s tardiness is brought to you in part by my body getting stuck in one of the tighter conduits that lines the concrete interior of this confounded bunker. My minions are elsewhere, trudging through similar environs, and report their findings to me via eldritch beast telepathy. Since I obviously don’t speak eldritch tongue, I have to use my Codex of Enspongification to decipher these antediluvian transmissions. I’m sure you can imagine, that takes no small measure of time, especially when you’re stuck in this galvanized prison of rusting sheetmetal.

Until my ungrateful minions can find me and rescue me—something I don’t expect to happen anytime soon considering I give them no workers benefits or pay of any kind—you’ll have to make do with the selections of rough-hewn and sharp, but valuable, ore provided below. OBSERVE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Kenstrosity’s Crusty Grab

Metaphobic // Deranged Excruciations [February 28th, 2025 – Everlasting Spew Records]

When Atlantan death metal quintet Metaphobic caught my attention with the megalithic riffs opening their debut LP Deranged Excruciations, I thought the stank face it brought out of me might be permanent. Nothing new and nothing sophisticated awaits here. Just brutalizing riffs delivered in a relentless sequence of destruction. Lead guitars squeal and scrape against the swampy ground underfoot, leaving a noxious slime trail behind “Mental Deconstruction” and “Execration” that tastes of Tomb Mold, Incantation, and Demilich to varying degrees. Guttural utterances and cacophonic—but accessibly structured—riffs offer the same infernal ferocity of the olden ways. However, in a similar manner to Noxis, their application here feels modern and fresh-ish (“Execration,” “Veiled Horizons,” “Hypnosis Engram”). Not nearly as nuanced as that comparison might suggest, Metaphobic are more than satisfied to use their brutish death metal as a cudgel for blunt force trauma. Nods to death doom in long-form wanderings like “Disciples of Vengeance” and “Insatiable Abyss” provide an appreciable variation in pace, though it doesn’t always work in Metaphobic’s favor. While those songs tend to meander too long on ideas unfit to support such mass for so long, livid outbursts like “Veiled Horizons” and “Reconstituted Grey Matter” more than make up for it. In short Deranged Excruciations commands my attention enough to earn my recommendation here, and my attention going forward.

Tyme’s Missing Minutes

Caustic Phlegm // Purulent Apocalypse [February 28, 2025 – Hells Headbangers]

Caustic Phlegm is the filth project helmed solely by Chestcrush main man Evan Vasilakos, who joyously employed his HM-2 and RAT pedals to create the utter disgustingness that is Purulent Apocalypse. A far cry from the angsty, I’d-rather-see-humanity-dead blackened death metal of his main outfit, Caustic Phlegm is a throwback to the days when Carnage walked the streets of Sweden and Impetigo was melting faces and killing brain cells. Purulent Apocalypse is a platter of pestiferous riffs (“Fouled, Infected & Infested,” “Soft Bones,” “Blister Bliss”), so many it’s like sitting on a death metal toilet puking and shitting riffs ad nauseam. Evan’s drum work, replete with the occasional but very satisfying St. Anger snare tone, drives the mindless fun forward, and the 80’s zombie giallo synth work would have Lucio Fulci himself clawing out of his grave to eat your face. Vasilakos’ vocals are a fine litany of belches, squelches, and gurgles that sound like a colony of maggots cleaning the putrid flesh from a corpulent corpse. Caustic Phlegm is the foul stench of death and will have you reaching for the soap and steel wool as you try to rid yourself of the Purulent Apocalypse infection.

Vermilia // Karsikko [February 14, 2025 – Self Release]

Had the incomparable Darkher not released The Buried Storm in 2022, Vermilia‘s Ruska would have garnered my top spot that year, which put her on my radar for the first time. When I saw Vermilia‘s follow-up, Karsikko had dropped in February—sadly we didn’t receive a promo—I jumped at the chance to filter it. While Karsikko is a bit more straightforward than Ruska, it’s full of liltingly beautiful pianos (“Karsikko”) that give way to icy black metal riffs (“Kansojen Kaipuu”) and gorgeously rendered folk metal melodies (“Koti,” “Veresi”). Comparisons with Myrkur and Suldusk would be appropriate, but Vermilia continues to carve out her own space in the folk black metal scene, marrying beatific melody with beastly aggression. Performing all of the music on Karsikko, as is her one-woman calling card, renders her finished products even more impressive. The highlight has always been the voice, though, as Vermilia deftly transitions between angelic cleans (“Suruhymni”) and frosty rasps (“Vakat”), completing a circle that makes each of her releases a joy to listen to. It’s confounding that another of Vermilia‘s albums is an independent release, which might be artistically intentional or the result of bone-headed label execs. Either way, don’t miss out on Karsikko, as Vermilia shouldn’t stay unsigned for long.

Killjoy’s Drowsy Discovery

Noctambulist // Noctambulist II: De Droom [February 7th, 2025 – These Hands Melt]

Although I love blackgaze, I must admit that it can be challenging to find artists who stand out in the genre, whether through quality songwriting or unexpected twists. It turns out that the Dutch band Noctambulist1 offers both. Noctambulist II: De Droom is a fun and fresh blend of Deafheaven-adjacent blackgaze with a Molotov cocktail of post-punk energy. The power chord-driven guitar lines prove to be an unexpectedly compatible fuel source to propel the shimmering, gazey tremolos and blackened rasps to new heights. Many songs (particularly “Aderlater” and “Lichteter”) start with neat intro melodies that catch the listener’s attention, then build and ride that momentum throughout the remainder. A faint sense of loss—stemming from the achingly relatable theme of homeownership drifting further out of many people’s reach—pervades the record, but there is also an infectious cheerfulness. Despite their name, Noctambulist are hardly sleepwalking as they tread along a well-worn genre.

Thus Spoke’s Disregarded Diamonds

Sacred Noose // Vanishing Spires [February 2nd, 2025 – Breath Sun Bone Blood]

My experience with Irish extreme metal has been that it is all incredibly dark, twisted, and supremely, gorgeously dissonant.2 Belfast3 duo Sacred Noose make absolutely no exception to this rule. Vanishing Spires’ ruthlessly brief 31 minutes are defined by stomach-tightening twisted blackened death designed to cut to the heart of misery and fear. The lurching sensation brought about by rapid tremolo descents and sudden accelerations of ever more dissonant chords, impenetrable drums, and pitch-shifting feedback is nauseating (“Entranced by Concrete Lathe,” “True Emancipation”). The pure horror of the inhuman, high-pitched shrieks answering the already fearsome bellows is anxiety-inducing (“”Black Tempests of Promise,” “Moribund”). The near-constant buzzing of noise is oppressive (“Terminal Prologue,” “True Emancipation”); the creeping, malevolent scales unnerving. And Sacred Noose play with their victim, luring them into a trap of deceptively familiar cavern-core (“Sacred Noose”) before throwing a hood over their head and yanking them backwards into more horrifying mania; or perhaps they’ll start with the assault (“True Emancipation”). This more ‘straightforward’ edge to Sacred Noose is most akin to a faster Sparagmos, while their dominant, demonic personality I can compare most faithfully to Thantifaxath, if Thantifaxath were more death-metal-inclined. Vanishing Spires is the first time since the latter’s 2023 Hive Mind Narcosis that a record has genuinely made me feel afraid.

Crown of Madness // Memories Fragmented [February 28th, 2025 – Transcending Obscurity Records]

Life unfortunately got in the way of me giving this a proper review, but Crown of Madness deserve better than to slip by unmentioned. Memories Fragmented is the duo’s debut, but Crown of Madness is one of several projects both are already in.4. The ominous yet colourful sci-fi/fantasy cover art and spiky logo scream ‘tech-death’ and that is indeed what Crown of Madness deliver. At base, there is some damn fine technical death metal here that’s impressive and acrobatic (), but snappy, not outstaying its welcome—the entire record barely stretches beyond 35 minutes. But there is more to Memories Fragmented, and as a result, it is memorable.5 A drawl to certain refrains (), the tendency to gently sway to a slow, near-pensiveness (), the atmospheric hanging of some tremolos over a warm, dense bass (). There is depth. And it reminded me quite starkly of early Ulcerate. In this vein, the record leans towards the more meandering side of the subgenre, gripping not with hooky riffs and heart-pumping tempos, but an intricate kind of intensity. Memories Fragmented arguably goes too far in the indistinct direction, and as a result, loses immediacy. But the churning, introspective compositions presage the potential for true brilliance on future releases.

Vacuous // In His Blood [February 28th, 2025 – Relapse Records]

Full of youthful vigour, London’s Vacuous demonstrate their willing ability to evolve with their sophomore, In His Blood. While debut Dreams of Dysphoria, which I covered back in 2022, played more or less by the disso-death book, here they are already experimenting. Strange, almost post-metal atmosphere now haunts the boundaries (“Hunger,” “Public Humiliation,” “No Longer Human”), combining brilliantly with the band’s already cavernous death metal sound, and amplifying its fearsomeness. Crowning example of this is the gem Vacuous save for the record’s final act in closer “No Longer Human.” In His Blood also sees them flirt with a punkier energy that borrows more than a little bit of malice from the blackened handbook (“In His Blood,” “Flesh Parade”), backed up by d-beats, and contrasting well with their now less frequent crawls. At its most explosive, In His Blood feels downright unhinged, in the best way (“Stress Positions,” “Immersion”), but it never feels messy, and there’s potential in here for Vacuous to evolve into yet another, incredibly potent form of unique, modern hybrid extreme metal. I wish there were more than 30 minutes of this.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Bottom o’ the Barrel Boons

Pissgrave // Malignant Worthlessness [February 21st, 2025 – Profound Lore Records]

Though it may appear, at a glance, that I have gold-colored glasses for bands of rank and urological reference, I’d call it more of a chance happening that such miscreant acts have created intriguing works. And, truthfully, PISSGRAVE has leaned closer to filth first, function second with the war-leaning crackle (and brazenly offensive cover art) that relegates their lineage to corners of listening ears who need therapy with a high tolerance for guts and grime. Malignant Worthlessness, of course, is not accessible by any means, though, despite these Philly boys packing these nine ode to a failed society in a package that doesn’t cause immediate squirm. But with grooves trapped in an endless skronk and blast, and vocals shifted and layered to reflect the sound of a swarm of Daffy Ducks with a serious disdain for life, PISSGRAVE still embodies an endless swirl of unleashed aggression rendered in riffed and regurgitated form. Malignant Worthlessness lives on the dry and crispy side with most of its tones, which allows copious hits of quick delay and reverb on OUGHs and EEEEEEEUGHs to land with an extra psychedelic knocking when you least expect it. Little slows down the pain train here, with tracks like “Heaping Pile of Electrified Gore” and “Internment Orgy” taking brief detours into chunky guitar builds that feel within grasp of normalcy just before dropping back into an intensified flaying. Elsewhere, a martial urgency that reminds of Paracletus-era Deathspell Omega or the industrial-tinged pummel of Concrete Winds, stirs a twitching movement response, all while retaining a grinding death snarl and chromatic fury, leading its fused-by-hatred structures toward an explosive and fuming conclusion. Humanity has no place in the PISSGRAVE environs, and Malignant Worthlessness, in its celebration of a hostile world, does everything it can to reinforce that.

終末回路 // 終端から引き剥がす [February 20th, 2025 – Self Release]

For things that wander around the math rock world, nailing a vibe remains essential to enjoyment. It’s all too easy in this day and edge to fall into the comfortable trap of ambient tapping and comfortable posty swirls to pleasant crescendos that renders many modern acts to high brow background music (even including bands I like, to a degree, like Covet or Jizue). New Japanese act 終末回路,6 however, chooses to imbue their nimble and tricky instrumental center with the searing emotion and urgency of a noisy post-hardcore, with searing vocal inclusions adding a gravitas to passages that would otherwise threaten to flutter away in glee (“誤殖,” “知らねぇよ”). On one end, 終末回路 delivers a bright playfulness that swings with the pedal power and psychedelia of a young Tera Melos. Yet, weighted with a punk urgency and rawer Japanese assembly of tones, which give a physical clang to tight kit heads and blazing squeal to shrill loops and feedback, 終末回路 finds a constant momentum in their shorter form excursion that makes my lack of understanding of its introspective lyrics a non-issue. Packing plaintive piano melodies (“ご自由に “), speaker blowing synth cranking (“dgdf++be”), and prog-tinged guitar flutters (“知らねぇよ”) into one listening session isn’t easy, but with this debut outing of 終端から引き剥がす,7 終末回路 makes it seem as if they’ve been honing the craft for years.

Saunders’ Salacious Skeeves

Möuth // Gobal Warning [February 14th, 2025 – Self Release)

Veteran rockers The Hellacopters returned with a typically rollicking, fun album in February. Elsewhere, dropping with little fanfare, fellow Swedes and unsung power trio Möuth emerged with an intriguing debut rock platter, entitled Global Warning. Featuring more than meets the eye and flashing a dynamic rock sound, Möuth embrace both retro and modern influences, whipped into an infectious concoction of styles, ranging from Sabbathian lurches, doomy grooves, stoner vibes, and elements of psych, punk and hard rock. For the most part it works a treat, creating a welcome change of pace. Fuzzy, upbeat rockers (“Dirt,” “Appetite”) snugly reside amongst moody, psych-bending numbers (“Alike,” “Mantra”), and heavier doom-laden rock, such as powerful opener “Holy Ground,” and brooding, emotive album centerpiece, “Sheep.” Vocally, the passionate, Ozzy-esque croons hit the spot, matching up well to the band’s multi-pronged rock flavors. Compact and infectious, varied in delivery and featuring enough tasty rhythms, fuzzy melodies and rock punch to satisfy, Global Warning marks an intriguing starting point for these Swedish rockers.

Chaos Inception // Vengeance Evangel [February 21st, 2025 – Lavadome Productions]

Emerging from a deep slumber in the depths of the underground, Alabama’s long dormant death metal crew Chaos Inception returned with their first album since 2012’s The Abrogation. Third album Vengeance Evangel went under the radar, festering unclaimed in the promo sump. After the fact, the album’s crushing, controlled chaos smacked me upside the skull with a violent modern interpretation of the classic Floridian death metal sound, with the musty hues of Tucker-era Morbid Angel most prevalent. This is blast-riddled, relentless stuff, played expertly by the trio of Matt Barnes (guitars), Gray White (vocals) and session drummer Kevin Paradis (ex-Benighted). Incredibly dense, atmospheric, and blazingly fast, Vengeance Evangel is a brutal, knotty, technical hammering, punctuated by sick, wildly inventive soloing. While not traditionally catchy, Vengeance Evangel is the kind of intense, layered death metal album that gets under the skin, grafting a deeper impression across repeated listens. The insane tempo shifts, jigsaw arrangements, and wickedly deranged axework delivers big time. From the violent, intricate throes of opener “Artillery of Humwawa,” and disturbed soundscapes of “La Niebla en el Cementerio Etrusco,” through to the brutish grooves of ‘Thymos Beast,” and exotic, tech death shards of “Empire of Prevarication,” Vengeance Evangel does not neatly fit into any one subgenre category but ticks many boxes to cast a wide appeal to death fans of varied equations.

Steel Druhm’s Viscous Biscuits

Ereb Altor // Hälsingemörker [ February 7th, 2025 – Hammerheart Records]

Steel loves his epic metal. I was raised on the stirring odes to swordsmanship and ungovernable back hair from Manowar and Cirth Ungol, and in time, I took a place at the great table in Wotan’s Golden Halls to appreciate the Viking metal exploits of Bathory and later adherents like Falkenbach and Moonsorrow. Sweden’s Ereb Altor got in the game late with their epic By Honour debut in 2008, boasting a very Bathory-esque sound and emotional tapestry that felt larger-than-life and stirred the loins to begird themselves. 10th album Hälsingemörker is a glorious return to those halls of heroes and bravery. This is the large-scale songcraft first heard on Bathory albums like Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, and it’s most welcome to these ape ears. Cuts like “Valkyrian Fate” are exactly the kind of sweeping, epic numbers the band’s excelled at over the years. It takes the core sound of Viking era Bathory and builds outward to craft bombastic and heroic compositions that feel HUUUGE. It’s the kind of metal song that embiggens the soul and makes you want to take on a marauding horde by your lonesome and usurp all their battle booty. On “Hälsingemörker,” you get a fat dose of Moonsorrow worship, and elsewhere, Primordial is strongly referenced to very good effect. Hälsingemörker is easily the best Ereb Altor album in a while and the most in line with their beloved early sound. Strap on the sword and get after it!

#AmericanMetal #Arboreal #Benighted #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #Blackgaze #BreathSunBoneBlood #Carnage #CausticPhlegm #ChaosInception #Chestcrush #ConcreteWinds #Coscradh #Covet #CrownOfMadness #Darkher #Deafheaven #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathspellOmega #Demilich #DerangedExcruciations #DissonantDeathMetal #DustAge #EmbodimentOfDeath #ErebAltor #EverlastingSpewRecords #FolkMetal #GlobalWarning #Hälsingemörker #HellsHeadbangers #Impetigo #InHisBlood #Incantation #IrishMetal #JapaneseMetal #jizue #Karsikko #LavadomeProductions #MalignantWorthlessness #MathRock #MelodicBlackMetal #MemoriesFragmented #Metaphobic #MorbidAngel #Möuth #Myserion #Noctambulist #NoctambulistIIDeDroom #Noxis #OzzyOsbourne #Pissgrave #PostMetal #postPunk #ProfoundLoreRecords #PurulentApocalypse #RelapseRecords #Rock #SacredNoose #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #SermonOfFlames #Sparagmos #SwedishMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TerZiele #TeraMelos #Thantifaxath #TheHelicopters #TheseHandsMelt #TombMold #TranscendingObscurityRecords #UKMetal #Ulcerate #Vacuous #VanishingSpires #VengeanceEvangel #Vermilia #VultureSVengeance #終末回路 #終端から引き剥がす

Diabolizer – Murderous Revelations Review

By Tyme

‘O mighty sub-genre, how you vex me. As our human need to bring order to chaos and make sense of complexity increases, so does the proliferation of the sub-genre and its many sub-sub offshoots. Where once only death metal stood, today, a plethora of choices exist. And because that most un-descriptively generalized tag wasn’t enough, we now banter over the finer nuances of tech death vs. old school vs. melodic, brutal, ultra brutal, and more. I’m not deriding the importance of sub-categories and their use in the metalverse as much as I’m highlighting the fact that sometimes, it’s refreshing to run across an album that strikes at the heart of a genre. Enter Turkey’s Diabolizer. After receiving a coveted 4.0 from Holdeneye in 2021 for Khalkedonian Death, Diabolizer returns to rape your ears with its second unholy metal of death platter, Murderous Revelations. Will this sophomore effort find Diabolizer taking a step back from their well-received debut, or will the onslaught continue, another clawing leap toward the upper echelon of death metal practitioners?

Murderous Revelations‘ deliciously demonic cover art reveals much about Diabolizer‘s brand of death metal. Straight out of the get-go of hell’s gate, “Into the Depths of Diseased Minds” sears the senses with swirling speeds and tricky time signatures, a maelstrom of riffs that set the stage for what the entirety of Murderous Revelations has in store. With its founding lineup intact and still repping pedigree—members hail from Hyperdontia, Burial Invocation, and Engulfed—Diabolizer merges its Deicidedly Cannibal Corpseish chunk-n-chugs perfectly with rifferous technical velocity that’s full of Nileistic Krisiunisms. Reminiscing on a younger me hearing the likes of Malevolent Creation and Krisiun for the first time, Murderous Revelations hit like a time capsule, instantly returning me to a simpler age. It is a solid step forward that shows, once again, how Diabolizer shines with plenty of pristine performances and the ability to merge many styles into something so purely death metal it defies sub-categorization.

Diabolizer‘s guitar hero duo of Can and Mustafa drop savage riff after savage riff (“Purulent Divinity in Black Flames”) and bring tons of technically tornadic, swirling solos to bear with vile virtuosity (“Seeds of the Dethroned”). Malik’s excellent finger-happy bass work provides many a Ramen noodle moment (“Bloodstream Bonegrinder”), complementing Abberant, who barbarously bashes through every track on Murderous Revelations, laying down a vicious sledge to the head style drummeling. Completing Diabolizer’s cadre of calamity is vocalist Abomination. His brutal, ground-shaking roars still harken to scene veterans like Glen Benton and Christian Älvestam, to be sure. Still, I hear a fair amount of Barney Greenway’s Napalm Death snarl in Abomination’s lower register, and this serves as a foil to his newly developed vomitous rasp (“Hogtied in Razorwire”), which took me aback at first but has grown on me with repeat listens.

Making a strong case that Diabolizer should be this Turkish quintet’s main gig, the songwriting on Murderous Revelations is top-notch and wastes nary a moment of its value-packed run time. A relentless onslaught that maintains a breakneck pace, Murderous Revelations provides listeners with nearly no air to breathe. The only moments of respite come at the outset of “Set the World Ablaze (“Infernal Dawn”) with its majestic, mid-paced riff and tremolo opening and the brief fade-in to “Deathmarch of the Murderous Tyrant,” which revs up and shoves its boot right back down on your windpipe. There’s so much I like about Murderous Revelations that I’ve been racking my brain, searching for some balancing critique to levy. So, while I’m still not 100% on board with Abominations’ new, raspy tone at times, that quibble is a minor one.

Diabolizer provides bree-bree-free brutality with layman’s terms technicality and enough chug-chugs to satiate my inner caveman. Murderous Revelations is death metal performed as Satan intended. It left my face in a state of perma-stank, and fans of Khalkedonian Death should be well-pleased. I’m incredibly blessed to be able to do what I do here, and the shine of my most recent status change still blinds me sometimes. I want to thank Holdeneye for introducing me to Diabolizer four years ago and for entrusting me to share my thoughts on Murderous Revelations.1 It’s a fantastic death metal album I’m sure to be talking about come year’s end.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Labels: Dark Descent Records | Me Saco Un Ojo Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025

#2025 #40 #Apr25 #CannibalCorpse #DeathMetal #Deicide #Diabolizer #EverlastingSpewRecords #KrisiunUnOjoRecords #MeSacoUnOjoRecords #MurderousRevelations #Nile #Review #TurkishMetal

Ashen Tomb – Ecstatic Death Reign Review

By Steel Druhm

After wallowing in the Goth tears of Swallow the Sun and swinging swords with Grand Magus, what Steel needed was a nice soak in the cesspool of reeking death metal. Finland’s Ashen Tomb promised me just such a therapeutic marination on their full-length debut Ecstatic Death Reign. Featuring members of God Disease and Inequity, Ashen Tomb deliver pig squealing, brain tenderizing old school death mixing the scuzz and moist ick factor of Autopsy with the skull-busting crunch and groove of Maul and Sanguisugabogg. On paper, this reads like the script to a timeless romance, but can they make the various brutalities coexist in holy headlock?

Tooth-removing opener “Body Bag” impressed right off the bat with a low-fi, no-IQ beatdown so grisly and savage as to render me a bloody skid mark on the pavement. Mammoth chug grooves, frantic blasts, sick riff-switches, and unbelievably foul vocals assault the senses without respite. It’s the aural equivalent of a bucket of bloody organs dumped over your head while you’re mid-yawn. So gooey, so sticky, so tasteless, I love it! Some of these riffs will install T-tops in your cranium and make your eyeballs pop out like a champagne cork. Give me 40 minutes of this swill and I’m in your debt! “Catharsis Through Torture” does give more, with a horrific sludge-doom influence that slows things down like a molasses avalanche at times. It’s effective and crushing. However, it’s here that the first sign of Terminal Bloat Disorder rears its fatuous assface. This is a 5-minute song that should be 4 minutes with the final minute dragging things out needlessly.

Nearly every subsequent song struggles with this handicap with varying degrees of impairment. The title track is such a rip-roaring boot party that it survives the extra weight around the middle and performs admirably. “Anamorphosis” gives you an absolute ass-kicking for 4-and-a-half minutes and then runs aground for the last minute-and-a-half. “Ancient Tombs Sealed with Dead Tongues to Preserve the Hidden One Slumbering in the Bowels of the Earth (Mummified in Cavernous Darkness)” warns of unnecessary length via that abomination of a title and fulfills its threat with 2 extra minutes of faffing, farting, needless jamming and uncalled for noodling. “Cave of Staring Eyes” fares better with a limited runtime and mostly remains on target to carpet bomb you with thick, chewy riffs and vomitous magnificence. “Heartworming” (great title) however, fails to make its shorter length pay dividends, overusing a cool riff until you want to blast Mariah Carey X-mas songs to drown it out. The excessive jiggery-pokery on Escatic Death Reign takes away from the 100-ton sledgehammer Ashen Tomb wield and waters down the final product. It also makes wading through the 41-minute runtime more challenging. The band can certainly rock monstrous death ditties capable of collapsing a small star. Sadly, only a few tracks get down to their dirty deeds unhindered by a fanny pack full of unsightly flab. It says something about Ashen Tomb’s talent that the material still exudes a bizarre Neanderthal charm despite the added ballast.

I’m a big fan of Ilkka Laaksonen’s completely inhuman vocals. His subterranean gurgles are phlegmy and repellant and his lapses into garbage disposal mode and Little Piggy porn are satisfyingly over-the-top and freaky deaky. Everything he touches gets impukeified and he makes the material worth sticking around for even when the songs refuse to stand down. Joonatan Mäkinen and Roni Oksanen deliver several garbage trucks full of nasty fretboard flatulence and plow the field of fever dreams with ginormous chugs, grooves, and greasy harmonies. I love what they do but they don’t know when to step back and let a song flow (or end). They tend to lapse into jammy disgressions that kill momentum and they’re also prone to over-repetition of good ideas. With a band as talented as this, these kinds of self-owns are tragic. I would be a poor excuse for a reviewer if I didn’t point out the tremendous job Valtteri Viro does on the kit. The man is everywhere at once and he must have several phantom limbs to make this kind of unholy ruckus.

There’s a 4.0 album hidden in Ecstatic Death Reign but it’s almost completely obscured by blubber, lard, and rubbery chubbery. Nearly every song exceeds its sell-by date, yet somehow this ends up a marginally successful descent into grotesque overindulgence. If Ashen Tomb tighten their approach by even 10%, look the fuck out! More swamp hog, less mud slog next time, okay? Tanks much.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew
Websites: everlastingspew.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ashentomb | instagram.com/ashentomb
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AshenTomb #Autopsy #DeathMetal #EcstaticDeathReign #EverlastingSpewRecords #FinnishMetal #Incantation #Maul #Oct24 #Review #Reviews #Sanguisugabogg