'Happy-go-lucky' mum, 41, dies days after stillborn birth in double tragedy

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/happy-go-lucky-mum-41-36628709

"After all the storms we’ve weathered since our 20s, I never expected our traumatic experiences with surrogacy to threaten our togetherness. But grief cakes on, layer over layer. Our future has never felt so limited." —Kristina Kasparian for The Rumpus

https://therumpus.net/2025/12/30/rumpus-original-fiction-center-of-gravity/

#Pregnancy #Surrogacy #SurrogatePregnancy #Stillbirth #Miscarriage

Rumpus Original Fiction: Center of Gravity - The Rumpus

I’ve always been good at picking Ethan out of a crowd. When you love someone, you know where they are. I can taste the roar and purr of the ice under his blades. I imagine his parents watching him as a boy—the way we would’ve watched ours, the way we never will— slitting the ice like scissors through silk.

The Rumpus

Kelsey Parker reveals she is trying for another baby as she admits 'it's OK not to be OK'

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/kelsey-parker-reveals-trying-another-36503795

Australian researchers have identified premature placental ageing as a key factor behind some stillbirths, opening the door to early detection and prevention through maternal blood screening. https://english.mathrubhumi.com/lifestyle/women/placental-ageing-discovery-may-explain-stillbirths-edzs697t?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Stillbirth #PregnancyResearch #MedicalBreakthrough #HealthScience

Damn, what a sad and infuriating text about women who make money promoting "free birth" (births without a midwife or any other medical assistance).

Trigger warnings for still births and neonatal deaths:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/22/free-birth-society-linked-to-babies-deaths-investigation

#freebirth #stillbirth #freebirthsociety

Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world

A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors

The Guardian
Higher #Stillbirth Rates in #US, Many Cases Still Unexplained

Higher #Stillbirth Rates in #US, Many Cases Still Unexplained

Indian Flash

Stillbirth – Survival Protocol

By Samguineous Maximus

I take a seat in a cramped, rusted chair. Across from me sits a gorilla in some sort of crown and a man whose face could only be described as Abbathian. It’s time for my first performance review at AMG Headquarters, and things aren’t looking great. “Atmospheric nü metal/free jazz? German dance music? What are we, discount Pitchfork?” Druhm bellows between frustrated simian grunts. I turn towards the head honcho for mercy, but instead, he fixes me with an eldritch stare. The words don’t pass his lips—they appear directly in my skull like a psychic command: “Brutal death metal.” He hands me a grime-encrusted CD which reeks of beer and seaweed. German brutal death metal veterans Stillbirth are responsible for this fetid package, which lies before me. It’s Survival Protocol, their ninth full-length. The attached blurb promises “a dystopian landscape” that’s “equal parts destruction and party.” The last time this group of fun-loving krauts appeared here with 2020’s Revive The Throne, it was deemed competent, but nothing impressive. Does Survival Protocol break this cycle? Or are we once again strapping in for forty minutes of well-crafted bludgeoning destined to dissolve into the great gory morass of brutal death mediocrity?

The sound present on Survival Protocol is a particularly modern and clean take on the subgenre, which bridges the gap between brutal death, slam, and deathcore. Stillbirth employ chugtastic beatdown riffs and dexterous chromatic tremolo runs atop ever-present double bass gallops in a way that we’ve come to expect from this style. On this record, however, the band showcases some more melodic and prog-leaning moments alongside impressive technicality in a way that reminds me of countrymates Cytotoxin. The best songs weave between stankface-inducing over-the-top slam breakdowns and surprisingly tasteful guitar harmonies (“Baptized in Blood,” “Sacrificial Slaughter”). There’s just something magical about the juxtaposition of impressive death metal licks and stupidly gauche “BREEE”1 frog noises. The band showcases a sly songwriting wit that, when deployed correctly, brings a grin to my jaded face. Unfortunately, not every slab of meat on this cornucopia of carnage has festered appropriately.

The biggest issue with Survival Protocol is that large sections fall into a kind of monotonous death metal “grey zone,” where everything is maximally heavy, so none of it feels particularly impactful. I appreciate Stillbirth’s take on the classic “Liege of Inveracity” riff when it surfaces for premium ape-brained satisfaction (“Existence Erased,” “Cult of the Green”), but you can only hear so many slam riffs into tech-adjacent fast riffs into more slam riffs before things start to dull a bit. To the band’s credit, guitarists Leonard Willi and Szymon Skiba are clear devotees of the ancient texts, and their riffcraft is consistently enjoyable. They demonstrate both instrumental mastery and a playful energy that’s just fun to bask in. This shines most on the closer, “Kill to Rule,” which is built around a repeating chord progression and gives both players room to show off with dueling leads. Unfortunately, standout moments like this aren’t consistent, and even after repeated listens, I find myself struggling to remember which parts belong to which songs.

That’s not for lack of effort, though. Stillbirth inject bits and pieces of other musical styles here and there to keep things fresh and the pit moving. “Trapped in Darkness” opens with a fun electronic interlude before diving into classic brutal death riffing, while album highlight “Baptized in Blood” begins with a playful, salsa-inspired acoustic section that reappears during the bridge to introduce a tasty solo and melodic outro. Moments like these add welcome levity and variety to the tracklist, while also showcasing the band’s solid grasp of their death metal fundamentals. Stillbirth clearly know their way around a Suffocation riff (or twenty), and their delivery of the brutal death formula on Survival Protocol is at least entertaining. It checks all the expected boxes, but it checks them well enough that the full album remains an enjoyable listen.

With Survival Protocol, Stillbirth once again deliver a competent, meaty slab of brutal death/slam that gets the job done without breaking a sweat or a boundary. The riffs are chunky, the grooves are mean, and the band’s veteran polish is unmistakable. This is an album that bludgeons efficiently but rarely leaves a lasting dent. There’s no question these guys know their craft. Several tracks here hit hard and hit right, but Survival Protocol ultimately feels like a victory lap rather than a challenge. It’s a fun listen while it’s on, and it’ll get a pit moving without issue, but once the dust settles, there’s not much urging me to spin it again.

Rating: 2.5/3.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Website: facebook.com/StillbirthParty
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#25 #2025 #BrutalDeathMetal #Cytotoxin #DeathMetal #Deathcore #GermanMetal #Oct25 #ReigningPhoenixMusic #Review #Reviews #Slam #Stillbirth #Suffocation #SurvivalProtocol

STILLBIRTH (Alemanya) presenta nou àlbum: "Survival Protocol" #Stillbirth #BrutalDeathMetal #Deathcore #Octubre2025 #Alemanya #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic