Extortionist – Stare into the Seething Wounds Review

By Dear Hollow

Although my love for metal has its origins in the -core movement, it’s largely passed me by in the years since. New artists come and go, and the next thing I know, my favorite metalcore songs were all released in 2015 or earlier. Extortionist is also one of those bands I neglected, but when I first heard them, I immediately clocked it was not The Contortionist. With no prog in sight, Extortionist is known for their blend of deathcore, metalcore, and nu-metal, which has me running for the Tums right away. Oh, and they’re also known for supplementing their open snare tone by assaulting a metal beer keg with a baseball bat – beer to wash the antacid down, I guess. Anyway, here’s Extortionist’s fourth full-length.

If you clued in that Stare into the Seething Wounds looks like a Korn album cover, complete with warped symbols of childhood fed through the Tim Burton-on-weed machine, you’re dead-on. More than other “nu” acts like ten56. or Motionless in White, Idaho’s Extortionist sounds like these “on the kob” legends or Alice in Chains in its more subdued moments – complete with wonky guitar effects and vocalist Ben Hoagland’s best impression of Jonathan Davis. However, its less restrained identity enacts a brand of brutality seen in Bodysnatcher or The Last Ten Seconds of Life, weaponizing belligerent roars that recall Upon a Burning Body’s Danny Leal atop crushing breakdowns and thick riffs. Layering nu-metal’s wonky effects and lazy vocals with deathcore’s fat-bottomed tone abuse one song after another with the band’s signature drum production, the two faces of Extortionist are initially appealing, but by the end of Stare into the Seething Wounds, you’ll want to slap them both.

The subtler side of Extortionist is a more atmospheric and deadlier version of Korn’s melodies and Nirvana’s watery effects, focusing on drawling baritone vocals and short-lived random explosions into metalcore chugs. Achieving a sort of sonic haze through these means, the potential resemblance to Deftones in its layers of opaque instrumentals and minor chord progressions is a tempting one that ultimately falls flat. The dynamics are simply not there, as Extortionist will shift from the Davis drawl to a chuggy deathcore breakdown with Hoagland’s vocals providing the only crescendo. If heavier combinations of “Freak on a Leash” and “Come As You Are” sound like a good time to you, these tracks might satisfy (“The Break I Couldn’t Mend,” “Submit to Skin,” “Dopamine,” “Low Roads,” “Do You See It?”) – even if the band at large sorely lacks the charisma or songwriting chops to pull it off. These tracks end up being dull interludes between the slightly more interesting core exposés.

If being bored to tears is not your game, Extortionist’s numbskull brutality might appeal to you. Channeling a nu-metal-influenced, deathcore-forward breed of intensity that recalls early Crystal Lake or Alpha Wolf, the straightforwardness is at least unpretentious. Even then, some timing issues, usually tempo disparities between breakdown callouts and the breakdowns themselves, keep some tracks from achieving the soundtrack to the pit they so desperately strive for (“Cycle of Sin,” “Starve”). Even the more bulletproof metalcore/deathcore tracks (“Aftermath of Broken Glass,” “Detriment,” “Invisible Scars (Part III)”) offer no reason to listen to Extortionist compared to the plethora of -core rip-offs – these tracks are fast and solidly composed, featuring bone-crushing breakdowns but that’s about it: better incarnations exist in early The Plot in You and Loathe. A blessing and a curse, drummer and keg abuser Vince Alvarez’s performance is the clear highlight amid the sea of boredom and monotony, but that signature production and reverb manage to inflate the mix to something that clashes with the breakdowns and riffs, feeling lazy in the busy, overfilled attack.

For a very bloated forty-eight minutes, Extortionist blurs the lines between nu-metal, metalcore, and deathcore – their stark dichotomy of grungy drawling and brutalizing breakdowns ultimately boils down to boring and monotonous. However, if you ever forget that this is deathcore or metalcore, there will be a ten-ton breakdown to remind you. If you ever forget this is nu-metal, Hoagland will growl some off-beat “oh-oh,” “fuck,” or “yeah” faster than you can say “da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma.” All this to say, maybe I should have left Extortionist back in 2015 – peel away the cringe and novelty of Stare into the Seething Wounds and what looks so strong, so delicate.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: extortionist.bandcamp.com | extortionist.co | facebook.com/ExtortionistNW
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025

#15 #2025 #AliceInChains #AlphaWolf #AmericanMetal #Bodysnatcher #CrystalLake #Deathcore #Deftones #Extortionist #Grunge #Korn #Loathe #Metalcore #MotionlessInWhite #Nirvana #NuMetal #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #StareIntoTheSeethingWounds #ten56_ #TheContortionist #TheLastTenSecondsOfLife #ThePlotInYou #UniqueLeaderRecords #UponABurningBody

CYTOTOXIN – BIOGRAPHYTE (2025) | vía #SonidosOcultos

https://www.sonidosocultos.com/discos/cytotoxin-biographyte-2025/

#alemania #bloodblastdistribution #cytotoxinbiographyte2025 #deathmetal #discos #reseñadediscos #review #uniqueleaderrecords

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

By Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604

Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art, but they do to make great art. Denver, Colorado’s Cordyceps—whose debut EP drew acclaim from the late, great Trevor Strnad—have dug deep on their sophomore album Hell Inside and dredged up something nasty. A meditation on struggle, pain, and the time an ex-friend stabbed vocalist Rafael Gonzalez three times in the chest, Hell Inside portrays the tortured psyche by way of a metaphorical cordyceps fungus infecting and ravaging the mind. Cordyceps have done the soul searching needed for something special. But is it something special?

The title Hell Inside isn’t only a declaration of the album’s themes: it’s also an apt description. Paces shift frenziedly on “Filth” and “I Am Hate” while riffs chug and squeal on “Obliterate” and “Flock of Sheep.” Hell Inside’s guitar solos evoke Slayer with DeLorean Nero’s dive-happy antics (“Murder All,” “Flock of Sheep”) while drummer Michael Nolan commits percussion abuse with concussive and groovy octopus-handed drum fills. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Rosset brings a clicky, bludgeoning Cannibal Corpse-like tone and aggression throughout the runtime. Though death metal to the core, Hell Inside emits the occasional whiffs of thrash (“Flock of Sheep,”) doom (“Diseased Mind”), and even a little Panteraesque groove metal qualities (“I Am the Plague”) to stir up the mix. Much of Hell Inside’s appeal is that – bear with me – of deathcore, reveling in ridiculously down-tuned riffs, start-stop rhythms, and brown-note vocals. But Cordyceps isn’t beholden to deathcore’s reliance on breakdowns and instead fuels their pandemonium with a near-relentless fervor at times reminiscent of Ascended Dead’s Evenfall of the Apocalypse. Instrumentally, Hell Inside possesses the callousness of industrial machinery biting through fingers and is sure to nuke any unprepared listeners into fine assdust.1

But where Cordyceps’ vulnerability – their volatility – originates is Gonzalez’s vocals, the easy highlight of Hell Inside. He hardly sounds human, spitting wet, unhinged gurgles that at times sound like Lovecraftian squid-men (“Diseased Mind”), dying animals (“Obliterate”), Afterbirth’s Will Smith (“Regret”), and, at 2:14 in “Obliterate,” the nightmare echoes from the truck stop toilet bowl of Hell. But there’s a technicality behind Gonzalez’s vocals, too: see the obscene low notes of “Diseased Mind” or the twenty-six-second run in “Obliterate” taken in what sounds like one breath. Through it all, Gonzalez seems to muster every negative thought he’s ever had, evoking feelings of inner turmoil, misanthropy, and betrayal in manners both disturbing and cathartic. In short, Gonzalez’s vocals are the lifeblood in Cordyceps’ candidemia-ridden arteries.

The blood runs somewhat cold, however, when crafting standout moments. No song is a stinker, and runtimes never drag, but the formula of chug-chug-trem-GUUUUUURGLE dilutes eventually. While the closer “Regret” is as good as the opener “Filth” in a vacuum, it’s not as engaging forty minutes later. The band also over-employs start-stop breaks to transition between movements, which are effective on early tracks like “Filth” but become predictable with overuse. The few atmospheric bookends on Hell Inside, like the piano-closing “Suffocating,” feel superfluous. Rather than merging one novel idea with another, they just bridge one onslaught of death metal to the next. Generously, they can be seen as breaks for your ears, an unfortunate necessity given the album’s strident, undynamic mix. It’s got its memorable moments – the singular synth tone in “Diseased Mind,” Gonzalez’s declaration that he’s “GONNA BLOW [his] FUCKING BRAINS OUT” in “Murder All” and the aforementioned toilet deluge from “Obliterate” – but Cordyceps found something good on Hell Inside and perhaps did too much of it.

Hell Inside is a buckshot to the brain of visceral death goodness, an unbending divulsion into mankind’s worst tendencies. Though I don’t think it’ll draw in many who aren’t already sold on brutal death metal, its fans are sure to embrace this entry into the subgenre. Monotony issues notwithstanding, Hell Inside is a twistedly fun listen, and hopefully Cordyceps will one day take the rage and talent they brought here and turn it into something even more adventurous and memorable that’ll grow fungi in my brain. After what they did in there already, there’s room enough for a new growth.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Review Format: V0 MP3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Website: uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cordycepslv | Instagram.com/cordycepslv
Release Date: July 25, 2025

#2025 #30 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #Review #Reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#Blabbermouth
Still

https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/still-2

#ToTheGrave #Still #UniqueLeaderRecords #ExpectResistance #EveryonesAMurderer #Deathcore #Whitechapel #LornaShore #CannibalCorpse #Sydney

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
PEELING FLESH Reveal New EP Details; “Midnight” Single And Video Out Now

https://bravewords.com/news/peeling-flesh-reveal-new-ep-details-midnight-single-and-video-out-now/

#PeelingFlesh #PFRadio2 #Midnight #UniqueLeaderRecords #BrutalDeathMetal #Slam #DamontealHarris #SquareUpStudios #DeathMetal #NewEP

#tothegrave
#uniqueleaderrecords

https://youtu.be/vkXfhtlcIGs?si=872KA_PdQE1hzpk2

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection

LARCENIA ROE Names The Top Five Most Brutal Album Covers

https://metalinjection.net/lists/larcenia-roe-names-the-top-five-most-brutal-album-covers

#LarceniaRoe #Extraction #UniqueLeaderRecords #Vulvodynia #AlexKoehler #Filth #ExterminationDismemberment #Slipknot #CannibalCorpse #CattleDecapitation

Colorado deathcore band Crown Magnetar rake the earth with a new EP, Punishment. Review at FFR, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2025/04/07/crown-magnetar-punishment-unique-leader-2025/ #metal #heavymetal #rock #hardrock #deathcore #brutaldeathcore #CrownMagnetar #UniqueLeaderRecords

HIDEOUS DIVINITY- Unextinct
https://eternal-terror.com/?p=64936

RELEASE YEAR: 2024

BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/hideousdivinity/

Adveniens²⁰¹⁷ (Unique Leader Records), the Italian death metallers’ Hideous Divinity’s third album (after Obeisance Rising²⁰¹² and Cobra Verde²⁰¹⁴, both on Unique Leader Records) which I awarded a perfect score here, was universally acclaimed as their finest work. I had missed the subsequent […]

#brutalDeathMetal #CenturyMediaRecords #deathMetal #HideousDivinity #italy #ProgressiveDeathMetal #SymphonicDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #UniqueLeaderRecords

To the Grave – Everyone’s A Murderer [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Thus Spoke

To the Grave are not fucking around anymore; not that they ever really were. Lyrically, musically, and visually,1 Everyone’s A Murderer is the Sydney outfit’s most brutal, no-holds-barred audial assault to date. Vocalist Dane Evans states that the intention was to be the voice of activists in the fight for animal liberation; “There’s no words, no lyrics and no music that can describe the violence or bring back the lives stolen by human hands so this is for them.” Everyone’s A Murderer isn’t angry, it’s apoplectic. So brimming with bile and blood you can practically taste it in every neck-snapping groove and juddering, pong-snare breakdown.

If you thought you had To the Grave pegged after Director’s Cuts, you’d be wrong. “Dead Wrong,” in fact, as that monster of a closer itself epitomizes. Most of the melodies have faded; gone are the more metalcore-influenced sung choruses, and much of the modern-sounding deathcore polish has evaporated. This more stripped-back approach works wonders for the record’s brutality, in message and medium. Fast riffs are meaner and slow ones uglier, with jerky squeals chucked in a rhythmic, thrilling angles. Vocals are more frequently on the low end of a growl, and when they dip back into a whispered (“TerrorMilitary”) or squealed style (“Vegan Day of Violence”) they’re the vilest and most vicious they’ve been. The drums are blessed with a gloriously thick, clanging tone that culminates in some lethal charges (“Set Yourself on Fire (In Public)”) and primal headbanging moments (“DxE or Die,”2 “Eight Four One Six,” “Dead Wrong”). This is everything To the Grave need to hammer their point home and use the remaining nails to pin your ears back and make you listen.

Deathcore has historically had a reputation for misplaced macho swagger, and To the Grave, here as ever, turn this on its head, jabbing a finger at the ordinary people supporting inherently violent industries, to which the theatrical guts, gore, and vengeance of To the Grave’s music can hardly hold a candle.3 Not only sporting some of the best track titles this year—”Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “Vegan Day of Violence,” come on—these songs are effortlessly invigorating and expertly executed.4 The way lyrics are delivered to the bang of beatdown percussion, and grit of ten-tonne riffs, is incredibly satisfying, whether gutturally drawled (“Dead Wrong”), venomously spat (“A Body for a Body”) or on one guest feature, belted out in song (“Eight Four One Six”). To the Grave have not lost their propensity for groove, and the rougher, rawer sound only makes these rhythms chunkier, more murderous, and much, much catchier—see “DxE or Die,” “Burn Your Local Butcher,” and “Dead Wrong” in particular. And it’s not all ignorant stomping either. Mixed into the massacre is technicality that makes for some truly gnarly moments of rabid flailing and aggression (“Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “Vegan Day of Violence,” “Made in Aus”).

While mainly a perfection of pitilessness, Everyone’s A Murderer grants the listener a little mercy. Instrumental “Gaschamber P.T.” divides the album into two with an ominous ambience that grows uplifting as it closes with an empowering message. The crushing grisliness of “Eight Four One Six”5 is split open by the guest cleans from Sophie Wilcher,6 culminating in a gritty, but sort of beautiful duet that again, amplifies the voices of the activists and the reason To the Grave are doing this at all.

The Venn diagram of vegans and deathcore enthusiasts may be small, so I understand if not everyone can share my joy. But if you occupy either side, even tangentially, you’d be a fool to miss this. Actually, fuck that; just listen to it anyway. With this blaring in your headphones, watch if you don’t march up to your nearest farm and set every captive animal free.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “A Body for a Body,” “Made in Aus,” “Dead Wrong”

#AustralianMetal #Deathcore #EveryoneSAMurderer #Hardcore #Metalcore #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #ToTheGrave #TYMHM #UniqueLeaderRecords

Stuck in the Filter: July 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

After the tight lineup we cobbled together for June, July provided a similarly lean yield for our team to offer the masses. It appears that my minions responsible for scraping the channels clean have become far too efficient! That said, what we did find might be our most valuable haul yet this year.

And so, we persist. Always dedicated to bringing you the not-quite-best-but-also-still-good two months ago or so had to offer, we scour for little nuggets worth inspecting. What more could an Angry Metal Fan ask for?

Kenstrosity’s Cataclysmic Critters

A Wake in Providence // I Write to You, My Darling Decay [July 26th, 2024 – Unique Leader Records]

Staten Island symphonic deathcore collective A Wake in Providence dropped a considerable payload back in 2022 entitled Eternity. Opulent and catastrophically heavy, Eternity bathed me in rich orchestration and legitimate riffs instead of stereotypical breakdowns and unending single-chord chugfests. Needless to say, I was enamored. Follow-up I Write to You, Darling Decay represents a deathcore equivalent to Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Opera, focusing more on lyrical storytelling and implementing vocal diversification as a vehicle for character development. Perhaps not quite as sophisticated— since those meatheaded, muscular chugs of the deathcore world still crop up here and there—I Write to You still offers major hooks and delectable detailing to keep my interest piqued through a full hour of new material (“Mournful Benediction,” “Agonofinis,” title track, “The Unbound,” and “Pareidolia”). Aside from those superficial qualities, I Write to You’s real selling point is album cohesion and overall fit and finish. Like a babbling brook across the smoothest bed of sand and soil, this record flows with a fluidity rarified in the genre (check out the awesome three-song transition between “Agonofris” and “In Whispers”). Combine that with a textured and multifaceted musical progression through a grief-stricken storyline, and you have a winning formula for an engaging record that earns its epic sound.

Cell // Shattering the Rapture of the Primordial Abyss [July 12th, 2024 – Self Release]

I first encountered Canadian black metallers Cell on a little Bandcamp stroll years ago, followed shortly by a breezy and brutal beach set just before 2020’s 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise. Nobody I knew had heard of them then, but I knew they had chops. With third album Shattering the Rapture of the Primordial Abyss, they’ve proven me right and then some. Combining icy Immortalisms with the chunky buzz of old school death, major bangers “Waking of the Blazing Night,” “The Plight of Council Skaljdrum,” “Drink the Sun,” “Unification of the Last Alliance,” and “Return of Tranquility through the Desolation of Truth” represent the sharpest, hookiest, and heaviest material Cell’s put down to date. Fury and fire characterize every riff, lead, and blast on Shattering the Rapture, but it’s the uncanny sense of groove that suddenly springs from Cell’s cells that takes this record within a stone’s throw of greatness. Tightening up the overlong fragments that bloat otherwise solid tracks like “Serenity in Darkness… Evermore” and closer “Carnage from the Sky” would go along way to throwing that stone past that threshold. Until then, rest assured that Rapture of the Primordial Abyss is a ripper, worthy of your time and your spine.

Dehumanaut // Of Nightmares and Vice [July 17th, 2024 – Self Release]

Just like Cell, Dehumanaut entered my rotation thanks to a serendipitous stroll through the Bandcamp ticker. Boasting a unique blend of death metal, thrash, and bluesy bar-crawl hard rock, these Brits offer something novel to the extreme metal catalog. With sophomore effort, Of Nightmares and Vice, Dehumanaut double down on the death and blues, evoking Entombed‘s Wolverine Blues in spirit as much as in execution. With swinging tracks like “Shred this Reality,” “A Perilous Path,” “Battle Weary,” “Epiphanies,” and “Black City” deftly stepping between deathly riffs and danceable grooves, thrashier cuts such as “Reject the Knife,” “Nexus of Decline” and “A Truth Most Foul,” and “It Has a Name” feel even speedier and more rabid than usual. Aside from affording Of Nightmares and Vice oodles of dynamics in songwriting, this multifaceted and structured approach to genre-bending showcases Dehumanaut’s versatility as musicians. Everything they attempt here feels effortless and reflexive, making every transition between measure and phrase not just purposeful but also buttery-smooth (“Battle Weary”). If it weren’t for a bit of bloat across the board, oddly muffled mixing, and somewhat flat death metal growls, Of Nightmares and Vice would be in play among my top records of July. Even still, it comes close!

Saunders’ Salacious Slams

Cephalotripsy // Epigenetic Neurogenesis [July 13th, 2024 – Self-Release ]

Looking for something so stupidly heavy and obnoxiously brutal that listening could kill brain cells and incite a rampage? California’s underground warriors Cephalotripsy have you covered on long-awaited sophomore album, and follow-up to 2007’s cult and apparently well received debut, Uterovaginal Insertion of Extirpated Anomalies. Unfamiliar with their previous output, I stumbled across this latest endeavor through a trusted recommendation, fulfilling my fix for devastatingly brutal slam death. Epigenetic Neurogenesis takes no prisoners and delivers blow after blow of steamrolling, pugnacious brutal death. Brimming with inhuman, sewer dwelling vocal eruptions of Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity), hammering percussion, and an onslaught of ridiculously thick, heavy riffs, exhibiting the sharp, technical skills of veteran brutal death axe wielder and long-term member Andrés Guzman. The newer members form a pummeling rhythm section driving the guttural swarm. Weighing in at a tight and efficient 32 minutes, the beatdown is relentless, though concise enough to avoid an early burn out. The songwriting doesn’t reinvent the brutal slam death wheel. However, the tight execution, dynamic tempo shifts, and memorable riffcraft elevates the material. Viscous, cranium crushing riffs and utterly devastating slams frequently deployed adds further grunt, immense weight and memorability on a set of killer tunes, including extra chunky gems “Alpha Terrestrial Polymorph,” ” Lo Tech Non Entity,” and “Excision of Self.” Nasty, crushing stuff.

Dear Hollow’s Disturbing Dump

Silvaplana // Sils Maria | Limbs of Dionysus [July 17th, 2024 – Self-Release]

Although shrouded in mystery, Silvaplana is a solo project of Alex DeMaria of Yellow Eyes and Anicon. Blackened punishment paired with atmosphere have long been the aim, but Silvaplana’s duel release finds duality: both take influence from parent releases separately. Sils Maria takes on a hyper-atmospheric, classically influenced, and dark ambient approach across six tracks and forty-one minutes, blackened blastbeats and distant shrieks hidden behind thick swaths of ambiance, organ, and piano, a relatively gentle affair that recalls the wild yet placid sounds of Yellow Eyes’ latest. Meanwhile, the two-track and also forty-one minutes of Limbs of Dionysus feeds a ritualistic fire with a scathingly raw black attack, reverb-laden growls, moans, and shrieks colliding with relentless tremolo that continuously scale minor and diminished frostbitten mountaintops with reckless abandon. Both seem entirely disparate in context to one another, but smartly they are held together by the thin thread of melodic motifs. The organ that populates Sils Maria’s tracks “II,” “IV” and “VI” are recalled in the closing remarks of “I” in Limbs of Dionysus; the ominous organ trills of the former’s “III” are warped into a blackened beast in the latter’s “II.” As Limbs of Dionysus concludes, the feedback-laden plucking feeds right into the morphing plucking populating the beginning of Sils Maria – an ouroboros of the blackened arts. Silvaplana exists on both self-indulgent and decadent ends of the blackened spectrum with Sils Maria and Limbs of Dionysus, both baffling and tantalizing in their rawness and ambiance, and otherworldly in their collaboration.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Inconspicuous Import

Quasidiploid // Deconstruction [July 1st, 2024 – Amputated Vein Records]

Do you see that cover art? Yes, it’s some sort of countess of the undead summoning the skull-kind with a horn. Would you believe then that one of the features throughout Deconstruction is its inclusion of a female trumpet player to break up the tension of a relentless, brutal technical death metal? Oh yeah, she’s also the vocalist and possesses a vicious guttural bark, shrill and penetrating squeals and hisses (the vocal intro on “Disasters and Infection Routes” is a straight Dir en grey moment), and a higher register manic collapse that features at key moments. That’s all to say that the cover lands a bit on the nose, but, in turn, the carnival crazed whiplash of Quasidiploid swings between brutal Cryptopsy riff smashing, Pat Martino jazz guitar pleasantries, Necrophagist sweep punishing, and Chuck Mangione brass crooning (“Overture”)—unhinged, unbothered, and anything but accessible. I would call it too unpolished, as Deconstruction strikes with a bit of a demo quality. But sometimes we have to ask ourselves whether what we hear is a questionably processed demo or an intentionally shredded Japanese master? In any case virtuosity reigns as provably human skin slammer Vomiken pushes a bass-loaded kick and a high-crunch kit to abusive and enthralling accelerations only to crash in on the spurt of a forlorn trumpet or flourish of a prancing guitar line (“Brutal Strafing,” “Massacre Fantasy”). Guitar lines weave about traditionally nimble sweeps to tricky meter riff crushes on a dime (“Melodies of Distorted Time and Space,” “Disasters…”). Tonal identities flip between Nile-istic, snaking melodies, flippant yet tasteful guitar heroics, and propulsive rhythm blasts whose only break is the close of a song. The definition of something olde, new, borrowed, and blue, Quasidiploid has come from far left field to provide a classics-inspired but funky fresh version of an extreme genre that thrives exactly on this kind of weird—a curiosity now, but with all the makings of something truly explosive to come.

Mark Z.’s Musings

200 Stab Wounds // Manual Manic Procedures [June 28th, 2024 – Metal Blade Records]

Following a rapid rise to fame during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio death metal troupe 200 Stab Wounds thrust their Slave to the Scalpel debut onto the masses in 2021. While I was about as mixed on that one as Felagund was, their second album Manual Manic Procedures has proven these wounds cut far deeper than originally thought. The massive beefy chugs that the band have become known for are still here in full force, but now they’re paired with sharper hooks and a heightened sense of maturity. On Procedures, you’ll hear acoustic plucking, immense Bolt Thower riffing, grooves that will blow your guts out, and even some melodic death metal influence—and that’s just on the first song. The band also know when to give you a breather, be it a well-placed atmospheric instrumental (“Led to the Chamber / Liquefied”) or an extended ride on a great groovy riff (“Defiled Gestation”). With a monstrous guitar tone, plenty of killer moments, and a track flow that’s smoother than liquefied human remains sliding off a kitchen counter, these Cleveland boys have given us a record that truly feels like modern death metal coming into its own.

#200StabWounds #2024 #AWakeInProvidence #AbominablePutridity #AmericanMetal #AmputatedVeinRecords #Anicon #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BluesRock #BoltThrower #BrutalDeathMetal #CanadianMetal #Cell #Cephalotripsy #ChuckMangione #Cryptopsy #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Deconstruction #Dehumanaut #DirEnGrey #Entombed #EpigeneticNeurogenesis #FleshgodApocalypse #HardRock #IWriteToYouMyDarlingDecay #Immortal #JapaneseMetal #Jul24 #LimbsOfDionysus #ManualManicProcedures #MelodicDeathMetal #MetalBladeRecords #Necrophagist #Nile #OfNightmaresAndVice #PatMartino #Quasiploid #RawBlackMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #ShatteringTheRaptureOfThePrimordialAbyss #SilsMaria #Silvaplana #Slam #StuckInTheFilter #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicDeathcore #SymphonicMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #ThrashMetal #UKMetal #UniqueLeaderRecords #YellowEyes

Vulvodynia streaming visualizer for "Isandlwana"; stream new album Entabeni

https://metalnerd.net/vulvodynia-streaming-visualizer-for-isandlwana-stream-new-album-entabeni/

#Vulvodynia #UniqueLeaderRecords #deathcore #deathmetal

To The Grave announce new full-length Everyone's A Murderer; drop new single "Dead Wrong" feat. Empty Cages' Michael Kearney

https://metalnerd.net/to-the-grave-announce-new-full-length-everyones-a-murderer-drop-new-single-dead-wrong-feat-empty-cages-michael-kearney/

#ToTheGrave #UniqueLeaderRecords #deathcore #metal #deathmetal

Larcenia Roe sign with Unique Leader Records; share new single "Slippy Slide"

https://metalnerd.net/larcenia-roe-sign-with-unique-leader-records-share-new-single-slippy-slide/

#LarceniaRoe #UniqueLeaderRecords #deathcore #metal

Stuck in the Filter: March 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

While it was cold and gloomy just a couple weeks before writing, now it’s blisteringly hot and humid. Such is the transition from February to April in the land of Ken. It’s May now, of course, so we are once again traveling back in time to when our Filter was brimming with scabs and scaled plucked from the Hides of March. As is my prerogative, I sent my minions, which are legion, into the thick of it to retrieve those lost gems which would otherwise be damned for musty eternity.

So, without further ado, my I interest you in our March Filter wares? The answer is always yes (or else)!

Kenstrosity’s Singular Stipend

Saturday Night Satan // All Things Black [March 15th, 2024 – Self-Released]

Obviously, I was bound to spin this record. A kitty on the cover? Sold. That’s literally all I needed to know I was gonna dig Greek occult heavy metal duo Saturday Night Satan. Lo and behold, their debut full-length All Things Black RAWKS. The first five songs, from rollicking opener “5 AM” to “Lurking in the Shadows,” constitute perhaps the best and most addicting introduction to a new band that I’ve heard in ages. Jim Kotsis’ (Black Soul Horde) swaggering riffs, buttery-smooth bass, and infectious rhythms consistently motivate this record through high-octane, bar-ready romps and doom-y crawls with equal liveliness, proving himself to be a versatile and exciting musician. Meanwhile, Kate Soulthorn croons and belts her way across this record with a venomous, but brassy and clear delivery oozing with charisma (“Rule With Fire,” “Lurking in the Shadows,” “Witches’ Dance”). While the record loses just a touch of momentum in the middle (“By the River, Crown of Arrogance”), there are no bad tracks to be found. Furthermore, repeat spins yield even greater enjoyment, as this record has only grown on me since my first spin and I don’t expect that trend to taper anytime soon.

Tales From the Garden

Molten // Malicide [March 6th, 2024 – Transylvanian Recordings]

Sometimes a band does one thing so well you don’t really need anything else to be great. Molten doesn’t stand out because of its vocals, a serviceable but somewhat limited growl. The drums are likewise decent, but nothing to cream your pants over. But the riffs! If that hurly burly bouncing up the stairs riff of “Pathogenesis” doesn’t put your facehole in a grin, it may be time to call it quits on death metal. Same for the insane, blistering solo that punctuates “Scorched” or the absolute neck-snapping title track. The latter is also the best place to spot the skillful bass parts that sneakily elevate the guitars to sound as good as they do. With a bunch of short ‘n snappy tracks showcasing Molten’s chops, a sudden 9-and-a-half-minute thrash epic sounds like a disaster in waiting, but the riffs, the solos and the serpentine bass are all high enough quality that I don’t want the San Fran boys to stop firing their big hooky shit at my face anyway. Malicide is a humble package, utterly crammed with infectious fun and riffy goodness, so get on that shit or get off the death metal pot.

Saunders’ Smoldering Cinders

BRAT // Social Grace [March 15th, 2024 – Prosthetic Records]

Look beyond their questionable moniker and self-proclaimed ‘Bimboviolence’ tag, and NOLA up-and-comers BRAT impresses on their debut LP, Social Grace. Listeners would be foolish to pass over this band as some sort of gimmicky modern metal act, the rugged, ugly musical form BRAT composes packs a serious punch. Social Grace present a thuggish, volatile concoction where the crossroads of grind, death and powerviolence meet. Factor in sludgy hues and seedy NOLA tones adding layers of extra grime and grit to short, sharp, stabbing cuts that pull no punches. The blasty, belligerent throes of old school grind meets sludge stomp of “Hesitation Wound” showcases BRAT’s deft ability to shift gears and compliment rabid blasting and grindy chaos, with infectious riffs and brawling grooves. Social Grace features similarly raw examples of gnarly, unbridled menace. Amped aggression, throaty vocals and speedy surges are complemented by fun, headbanging riffs and toughened grooves, lending the album a catchy edge and solid replay value reflected on gems such as the rifftastic title track, contrasting charms of “Truncheon,” and feedback-drenched grind-punk fury of “Human Offense.”

Suicidal Angels // Profane Prayer [March 1st, 2024 – Nuclear Blast]

Unsung Greek institution Suicidal Angels have pumped out material since the early aughts, crafting Euro-flavored thrash with a heavy dose of American influence, including Exodus and Slayer. Throw in an occasional atmospheric, melodeath twist, and you are left with a dependably solid batch of meat and potatoes goodness. Although rarely blowing minds, Suicidal Angels’ retro thrash platters, such as Dead Again and Bloodbath, represent potent examples of the band’s trusty formula. Following a five-year recording gap, Suicidal Angels return with their eighth LP, Profane Prayer. Profane Prayer follows a familiar trajectory, yet sounds fresh, full of energy and armed with fiery, aggressive riffage. These dudes are a tight unit, and the explosive speediness and exuberant performances shine alongside killer old school riffage, slashing solos, and technical embellishments. Ferociously infectious thrashers like “When the Lions Die,” “Purified by Fire,” “Crypts of Madness” and ‘Virtues of Destruction” sound more inspired than I’ve heard from the band in some time. Profane Prayer has moments of bloat, but the pros outweigh the cons, resulting in a largely enjoyable and explosive thrash platter. Props to the band for stretching their wings on the epic, progressively leaning journey of “Deathstalker,” and similarly adventurous closer “The Fire Paths of Fate,” showing Suicidal Angels still have some tricks up their sleeves.

Thus Spoke’s Forgotten Findings

Carrion Vael // Cannibals Anonymous [March 29th, 2024 – Unique Leader Records]

I was introduced to Carrion Vael by Dr. Grier’s review of their 2022 LP Abhorrent Obsessions where he deemed it “a beast of a record,” and I wholeheartedly concurred. Fortunately for all of us lovers of the Indiana melodeath/deathcore/generally heavy bunch, Cannibals Anonymous largely picks up where the previous one left off. It’s vicious, and satisfyingly slick, the rapidly descending/ascending scales, smooth, fast transitions between always-driving-forward tempos, and cutthroat snarls once again betraying a Black Dahlia Murder influence, but with a bit more of a deathcore angle. The riffy kind of deathcore. Because yeah, this thing has riffs (see especially ” “Love Zombie,” “Discount Meats,” and “Pins and Needles”)—as well as gore—spilling out of its every orifice, and they’re great. Also surprisingly fun are the further extended use of cleans now appearing on most of the album’s tracks, which only serve to make them more catchy, compelling, and fun, whether they’re shouty and atonal (“Discount Meats”), or genuinely mellifluous (“Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” “Augusta’s Dead”); and they’re more often the latter. Carrion Vael also lean a little further into the urgent-minor melodic refrain territory that made Abhorrent Obsessions so sticky, with “Savage Messiah,” “Pins and Needles,” and “Everything/Nothing” standing out. This isn’t changing the scene, but goddamn it if you won’t have a fucking fantastic time chucking some heavy weights around or generally vibing with a massive grin on your face whilst listening to it. Go on, you know you want to.

Dear Hollow’s Deafening Debris

Givre // Le Cloître [March 29th, 2024 – Eisenwald]

It’s not often that a black metal band willingly discusses Christianity in a somewhat endearing light, so the Quebecois Givre is a bit of a conundrum. However, in the most brutal fashion possible, this trio discusses examples of female saints and each respective trail of pain left behind in the pursuit of holiness. Given the subject matter, you can imagine the cross that is borne across its forty-two-minute runtime. Each track carries with it a mood and style of its own, united as a whole through the atoning power of agony, as all characters throughout have suffered greatly for the sake of Christ. That being said, this is regardless a hopeful album, and in many ways, La Cloître feels like a meditation, fluid movements whose organicity revolves around gentle plucking. While tracks like opener “Marthe Robin (1902-1981)” and “Sainte Thérèse d’Avila (1515-1582)” embrace this aesthetic of prayerful lamentation, it does not stop the winding riff punishment of “Louise du Néant (1639-1694)” from scorching the surrounding soil, or the mysterious, nearly Southern rock-oriented, “Sainte Hildegarde de Bingen (1098-1179)” and desperate start-stop riffs of “Sainte Marguerite de Cortone (1247-1297)” from commanding otherworldly planes. While the stylistic choices differ and may be jarring to listeners, it is cemented by its theme as it pursues God down lesser-trodden trails of atonement through flagellation.

Profane Burial // My Plateau [March 1st, 2024 – Crime Records]

The Norwegian black metallers channel nearly everything they can get their grimy claws onto in My Plateau. Profane Burial professes to be “cinematic black metal,” and that is an accurate description in its boundary-pushing of atmospheric and symphonic texture: imagine if Midnight Odyssey and Septicflesh met at a midnight showing of The Exorcist. Besides its more contemplative moments, you’ll find that My Plateau is a deceptively mammoth listen, as chugging guitars and colossal drums collide with grim symphonics and haunting ambiance. The opening title track, “Fragments of Dirge,” and “Disambiguate Eradication” are aptly bombastic kabooms in mad waltzes of demonic proportions layered with rich symphonic textures, while the blasts colliding with chugs and piano trills in “Moribund” and “Righteous Indoctrination” add to the Wreche-on-crack vibe, while the triumphant battle cry in closer “Horror Code” is equal parts macabre and pummeling. For being inspired by horror scores, Profane Burial is scatterbrained and wonky, but it doesn’t stop My Plateau from embracing the bombast in a fun-as-hell symphonic black metal foray touched by madness.

#2024 #AllThingsBlack #AmericanMetal #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSoulHorde #BRAT #CanadianMetal #CannibalsAnonymous #CarrionVael #CrimeRecords #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Doom #Eisenwald #Exodus #Givre #GreekMetal #Grindcore #HeavyMetal #LeCloître #Malicide #Mar24 #MelodicDeathMetal #MidnightOdyssey #Molten #MyPlateau #NorwegianMetal #NuclearBlastRecords #OccultMetal #OccultRock #Powerviolence #ProfaneBurial #ProfanePrayer #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews #SaturdayNightSatan #SelfRelease #SepticFlesh #SepticFlesh #Slayer #SocialGrace #StuckInTheFilter #SuicidalAngels #SymphonicBlackMetal #TheBlackDahliaMurder #ThrashMetal #TransylvanianRecords #UniqueLeaderRecords #Wreche

Stuck in the Filter: February 2024’s Angry Misses

By Angry Metal Guy

Ah yes, February. Wait, what? It’s almost MAY!!! Who approved this two-months-late bullshit?

Oh… right, that would be me. Shit.

Well, you know, sometimes life gets in the fucking way, you know? It’s been rough days, and I know I’m not the only one struggling. With 2024 on such a rocky start, it should come as no surprise that we grasp desperately for media to help us escape and find solace in the art of others. Unfortunately for my Filter minions, they don’t get to escape from the mire and muck of the neglected filtration system from which we find what could be generously described as “art.”

Undeterred, we soldier on. And as we do, we find those nuggets of goodness-but-just-shy-of-greatness which help us survive one more day in this unforgiving world. May you find something in these selections that helps you survive, too!

Kenstrosity’s Murdery Deathkillers

Aesthetic // An Enigmatic Creation [February 16th, 2024 – Self Release]

Spanish melodic death metal troupe Aesthetic have been kicking since 2000, but the aptly named An Enigmatic Creation is only their second LP. This record is one strange beast, because for almost anybody with working ears, myself included (ostensibly), it’s almost unlistenable. Entirely the result of a production that makes the album sound like it was recorded with copper instruments inside an oversized tin can, An Enigmatic Creation tests the boundaries of human enjoyment by way of unforgivably boomy drums and guitars, far too forward vocals, and a snare tone that for all intents and purposes is the equivalent of smacking the lid of an aluminum trash can with your palm. However, with the exception of one cringe-worthy, spoken-word travesty entitled “A Strange Encounter,” every song offered here is a straight-up banger. Vivacious Bal-Sagoth/Kull riffing meets Brymir‘s adventurous spirit, a tidal wave of blackened tremolos, and a chorus of melodious bells, all filtered through a nautical-sounding aesthetic reminiscent of Sulphur Aeon’s Gateway to the Antisphere. Songs like the titular opener, “Vanishing Memories,” “Flashes of Clarity,” and “This Neverending Nightmare” prove that Aesthetic know how to write killer tunes with tons of variety and myriad points of interest. It’s a shame An Enigmatic Creation’s bewildering production almost ruins it, but the artistry behind these compositions leaves me stunned and thirsty for more.

Volucrine // ETNA [February 16th, 2024 – Inverse Records]

Finnish progressive death metal group Volucrine caught me by surprise this year. If I remember correctly, I first encountered third album ETNA while scrolling my Bandcamp feed, attracted by its unique and captivating cover art. A fellow Discordian then reminded me of it in passing, leading me to spin it almost nonstop for an entire day. Progressive death metal with potentially divisive and idiosyncratic vocals lands Volucrine in the same camp as bands like The Odious and Omnivortex circa Diagrams of Consciousness, rounded out with a gentle twist of Coheed and Cambria’s bright earnestness (“Old Friend”). Fortunately, Volucrine’s songwriting flexibility helps ETNA stand out. Early hits like the thrashy “Riptide,” the In Mourning-esque “Combatant,” and “Scarred Earth” function successfully as an impressive portfolio of Volucrine’s talent and skill. While this means ETNA’s first half contains much variety, it compromises cohesion to meet that quota. However, the back half, featuring killers like “Bloodsport,” “Godsized,” and “Escapist,” prioritizes continuity above all else. An interesting strategy, honing in on developing steady and consistent momentum in the back allows ETNA’s forty-seven minutes to feel more like an even forty, thereby making revisits effortless. ETNA’s unorthodox packaging, combined with Volucrine’s twisting and unpredictable songwriting, results in one seriously creative, interesting, and entertaining record!

Atoll // Inhuman Implants [February 23rd, 2024 – Unique Leader Records]

Phoenix, Arizona five-banger1 Atoll chug along at a brisk pace, releasing new LP’s with remarkable velocity over the course of their short decade of existence so far. Clocking in for its shift as Mambo Album No. 5, Inhuman Implants is yet another relentlessly brutal, slamming death metal assault. Doing absolutely goddamn nothing differently compared to anything else in their discography, this record will beat you to within an inch of your life, infect you with virulently memorable slams, and then leave your bruised and battered body in the gutter (“Autonomic Autosarcophagy,” “Vomit Altar,” “Missionary Opposition”). Chunky rhythms (“Berdella of Blood,” “Primordial Rage”) and swaggering beatdowns (“Husks”) allow this record to retain a notably smooth momentum from start to finish, which in turns makes this respectably tight twenty-nine minutes instantly replayable. But of course, this wouldn’t be a slam record without slamples, and Atoll deliver here as well. Album highlight “Gay for God” earns its highlight status in part due to it’s incredible It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to South Park to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia-again triple-slample that I’ve got officially penned in my handy-dandy notebook as a… [checks notes]… certified banger. If you should need any further information on Inhuman Implants, you may send your request to my boot on its trajectory to your curb-kissing jaw.

Tales From the Garden

Monkey3 // Welcome to the Machine [February 23rd, 2024 – Napalm Records]

Monkey3 has been around a while. Over 20 years on the market, with a discography running 7 studio albums deep today, the Swiss quartet’s impact has remained modest. Listening to Welcome to the Machine, I have to wonder why. The market for instrumental bands is a bit limited, granted, but not many bands can strike the balance between free-form space rock jams and colossal tidal wave post-metal riffs this well. The slow build on the first half of “Rackman” is superb, growing in gravity as it collects orbital detritus while holding fast to a solid central core, but the second half shifts gears and sounds like it could dual as a soundtrack for Blade Runner or Cyberpunk 2077. If there was any doubt the album title referred to Pink Floyd, the opening stretch for “Collapse” contains some clever, tasteful nods to “Time,” and the incredible wealth of solos strewn across the running time draws from Gilmour and contemporaries alike. It takes a lot to get me invested in a guitar solo these days, but Monkey3 shows incredible expertise at keeping solos interesting through great performances and captivating songwriting. An all-around masterclass at instrumental space-rock, every prog fan owes themselves a spin of Welcome to the Machine.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Twelve-Step Tee Off

Crippling Alcoholism // With Love from a Padded Room [February 29th, 2024 – Self Release]

If a song by the forcefully titled Crippling Alcoholism popped into a playlist when you weren’t looking, its jangly post-rock leads, melancholic refrains, and rock steady rhythms may not register right away as the air-sucking void that lurks about the unpredictable turns throughout With Love from a Padded Room. Its title serves a snippet of the album’s theme: the reimagining of a prisoner’s story as told from solitary confinement. Though a few tracks feature the back and forth of a distant guest vocalist, a majority of this hour’s worth of snarling, pitch-shifted, starkly-reverbed, and dead-faced diatribes feature as an unkempt solo breakdown to maintain the unsettling mood. Stylistically a melange of spearing-synth depressive rock (“Otessa,” “Rough Sleepers”), modern Murder Ballads goth shuffles (“Evil Has a Babyface,” “Sav”), and metal-fringed left-field swings (“Red Looks Good on Him,” “Mob Dad”), With Love avoids striking twice in the same lane to give each character its own space to fester and boil over. And, if you listen with just a little bit of attention, you can make out how truly horrifying Crippling Alcoholism has crafted these vignettes. Whether you come for the music and stay for the macabre or latch onto to the bloody details and nightmare fuel cover despite this hard-to-tag adventure straying away from the comfort of riffs and solos, Crippling Alcoholism can find a powerful hold on your musical journey if you let it. Pairs well with meth., King Woman, Sunrise Patriot Motion, and extended dissociation.2.

Dear Hollow’s Blackened Booty

Nocturnal Sorcery // Captive in the Breath of Life [February 9th, 2024 – KVLT Records]

From the cover to the moniker to the record label, you can probably guess what Nocturnal Sorcery sounds like. Captive in the Breath of Life, the Finnish trio’s second full-length since 2011, offers the bounty of blackened arts in nearly the exact form that you expect it sound like. Cold and raw tremolo, manic shrieks, and blastbeats are all unholy partakers in this trinity of second-wave worship, but thanks to formidable composition, powerful performances, and a willingness to focus on what they can control, Captive in the Breath of Life is everything you love (or hate) about traditionalist black metal. While Nocturnal Sorcery is bloated in a few too many interlude tracks and fluff over its forty-nine-minute length, tracks like “Oath at Mt. Hermon,” “Cry of the Wounded Heaven,” “Joyless Dance in the Shadow,” and “Beyond Salvation” are blackened rippers that toe the line between punishment, catchiness, and frigidity – solidly written flow between blazing riffs and passages of slower reverie with jagged teeth bared. More patient epics take the cake, tracks like “Captive in the Breath of Life,” “Damned by the Law of the Stars,” and true closer “Lucifer’s Shade.” Sure, it’s black metal, but its bulletproof compositions don’t pretend to be anything more, so Nocturnal Sorcery offers a grim ‘n cold occult trip to the 90’s with Captive in the Breath of Life for those interested.

#2024 #Aesthetic #AmericanMetal #AnEnigmaticCreation #AtollInhumanImplants #BalSagoth #BlackMetal #Brymir #CaptiveInTheBreathOfLife #CoheedAndCambria #CripplingAlcoholism #DeathMetal #Deathcore #ETNA #Feb24 #FinnishMetal #GothicMetal #GothicRock #InMourning #InverseRecords #KingWoman #Kull #KVLTRecords #MelodicBlackMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #Meth_ #Monkey3 #NapalmRecords #NocturnalSorcery #Omnivortex #PinkFloyd #PostRock #PostMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveRock #PsychedelicRock #Review #Reviews #Rock #SelfReleased #Slam #SpanishMetal #StuckInTheFilter #SulphurAeon #SunrisePatriotMotion #SwissMetal #TheOdious #UniqueLeaderRecords #Volucrine #WelcomeToTheMachine #WithLoveFromAPaddedRoom

Stuck in the Filter – October’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

Frens, frenemies, poseurs, all. It’s been one helluva year, hasn’t it? Not only has the year of our Jørn 2023 played host to an unseemly number of metal releases, but an unusual quantity of those releases were good enough to earn their place in these hallowed Filters. Now, the end of the year looms, and we’ve got one more collection of filthy chunks to share.

I would like to thank all of the many contributors who have supplied material for this feature, helping it thrive these last couple of years. And of course, I’d like to extend my thanks to Steel Druhm and AMG Himself for entrusting me to manage this segment, and for further supporting and upgrading this feature so that it might gain an even greater presence for our readers in coming years. Without further ado, and in the spirit of Listurnalia, we welcome you to the final Stuck in the Filter piece of 2023. HUZZAH!

Kenstrosity’s Mildewed Masses

Akouphenom // Death·Chaos·Void [October 13th, 2023 – Avantgarde Music]

Spanish blackened death metal band Akouphenom sprung out of absolute nowhere for spongekind. Encountered during a biweekly listening session I attend with some Discord frens, debut record Death·Chaos·Void represents one twisted, barbed tome of scorched extreme metal. From the onset of opener proper “Devour,” I revel in the dark incantations of infernal horror which takes the form of vile riffs, phlegmy rasps, and rabid blasts. Reminiscent of Belphegor, Ars Magna Umbrae, and Veilburner, Death·Chaos·Void demands my soul as the price for engaging with its devilish charms, charms which allow its long-form constructs to fly by in the blink of an eye. You wouldn’t expect tracks like the twelve-minute “Upper Cycle of Infinite Tails” to shred time into ribbons, but its vicious and memorable songwriting enlivens each and every second such that it feels lithe and agile rather than bloated and clumsy (“Flesh Sublimation,” “Death·Chaos·Void”). An excellent production job further solidifies Death·Chaos·Void’s merit, especially considering this is Akouphenom’s first full length. With no weak songs to be had and very little to criticize, you may wonder why this record doesn’t earn a full Things You Might Have Missed article from yours truly. The answer? Neglect. I simply didn’t listen to this album in full until very recently. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Get in on this before the year’s out!

Eye of Horus // Noxium [October 14th, 2023 – Self Release]

Like it or not, The Black Dahlia Murder’s influence on the metalsphere cannot be denied. Imitators everywhere crib their material and try to grasp the glory that the legendary melodic death metal band secured for themselves over their storied career. While none of the bands strongly inspired by TBDM share the same success, many still put out worthy material. One such band is Eye of Horus, an unheralded Canadian melodic death metal quintet whose sophomore record Noxium represents one of the better slabs of TBDM worship I’ve heard. At a tight thirty-six minutes, Noxium brims with top-of-the-line hooks and compelling songwriting. Opener “Modern Meat Grinder” is proof positive of that end, with its infectious gang shout chorus of “FEED YOUR NEIGHBOR TO THE MEAT GRINDER!!!” Couple that with excellent riffcraft, meaty roars, and acrobatic drumming, and you’ve got yourself a top-notch start to a criminally fun record. To my great joy, many subsequent cuts live up to the initial quality established early on. “Patriarch,” “Hellbound,” “Phantom Sepulchre,” “Gripped by the Grave,” and closer “Beyond the Mortal Veil” all offer plenty of metallic goodness and exciting songwriting to push it above the pack. While they still lack a unique identity, Eye of Horus show ample potential to grow into their own voice down the line. Keep your eye on them!

Crystal Coffin // The Curse of Immortality [October 31st, 2023 – Self Release]

Doom_et_Al should’ve covered this record months ago. He knew it was coming. I am convinced of it. Don’t believe his denials! Thankfully, I am here to pick up the ball. Hailing from Vancouver, Crystal Coffin dropped their third LP The Curse of Immortality back on Halloween. While I agree with Doom‘s assessment of predecessor The Starway Eternal, something about Crystal Coffin’s latest effort feels elevated, refined, and matured. Lushly layered melodies, groovy drumming, and invigorated songwriting characterize The Curse of Immortality in a way we’ve not heard from this group before. Coupled with their already well-established knack for interesting storytelling and novel subject matter, the pieces come together to create an album greater than the sum of its parts. Opener “Shadows Never Cast” offers a great encapsulation of what to expect, replete with ripping tremolos, infectious energy, and fun electronic effects. Black-n-roll bangers like “The Undead,” “The Vortex of Earth and Death,” “Final Breaths,” and “Leviathans Encased” showcase Crystal Coffin’s versatility in fine fashion too. Juggling swaggering riffs with delicate piano, crooning cleans, and whimsical synthwork, these songs evoke an eerie, sci-fi atmosphere that deviates from the popular application of such aesthetics in black metal. In short, if you’re looking for quality black metal of a niche mold, give Crystal Coffin’s The Curse of Immortality a go.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Nonpareil Nuggets

Comaniac // All for None [October 13th, 2023 – Metalworld]

With a name oddly ripped from a classic Artillery song, banger titles like “Desolation Manifest” and “Breakdown Rite,” and an atemporal, battle-ready cover All for None screams with the rustic abandon of rowdy, shreddy thrash. Comaniac hail from the mountainous scape of Switzerland, a land that once hosted the neoclassically inclined, rapid-fire riffage of the legendary Coroner. Following in similar footsteps, ripping trash break after ripping thrash break litters this sweeping outing. And much like their countrymen in Stortregn, or a whimsical, aged act like Forbidden, guitarists Jonas Schmid and Valentin Mössinger—the latter of whom also provides a spacious and sparkling mix/master job—kill the electrics to up the drama with serenading nylon passages (“Eye to Eye,” “Life Long Doll,” “Self Sacrifice”). But this dash of progressive attitude doesn’t get in the way too often, though it can push Schmid’s already unadvisable, rabid bark into an accented croon that’s not particularly polished (“Life Long Doll,” “Self Sacrifice”). The strength of the shred-forward, throat-abusing cuts land powerfully enough make up the difference though (“Desolation Manifest,” “Breakdown Rite,” “Between the Stars”), with plenty of rapid tempo shifts and pull-off runs to dizzy an already spinning crowd. A techy thrash band this exciting hasn’t come around for me in a long time, and if I were a smarter man I’d probably have caught them sooner then this—All for None is their fourth album after all. But I don’t being late to the party when ass-kickin’ thrash is on the menu.

Novere // Nothing Stays Hidden in Daylight [October 1st, 2023 – Trepanation Recordings]

Founded by Dawnwalker guitarist Matteo Bianciotto, Thai-born now UK-based vocalist/bassist Top Tarasin,1, and a couple of other friends from the UK scene, Novere has been stewing their cinematic, heavy-hitting post-metal sound for a few years leading to this stunning full-length debut. Pulling from the hazy domain of alt-legends Tool and the ritualistic roar-to-altar of Amenra, Novere fills a wide scope with delicately recorded clean passages only to tear them away layer by layer with full volume crashes (“Hydra,” “Aphelion”). “Danse Macabre” may land as the most challenging of the bunch for those who crave the harsh release those first two numbers promise, its beautiful and folky expression leaning firmly in a glistening, textural post-rock world, dreamy croons included. But at four tracks, thirty-five minutes, and the haunting, ISIS-imbued speaker-rattling close of “Cromlech,” Nothing Stays Hidden in Daylight escapes the trapping trope of “never-ending whoosh” that the genre of post-metal so often harbors. With lush production handled by none other than postmaster himself Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna), each careful listen of delicate string touches, wobbling bass lurches, splashing cymbal arrays, resonates more deeply than the last—truly ear candy. Once you’ve fallen prey to this as many times as I have in my short time with it, you’ll be hoping too for a quick turn around on a follow-up.

Dear Hollow’s Gutter Garbage

The Voynich Code // Insomnia [October 13th, 2023 – Unique Leader Records]

Look, deathcore can be cool again, although I’m not sure if it ever was. Aspiring deathcore shenaniganizers just need to play like Portugal’s The Voynich Code. Sounding like a deft combination of Born of Osiris and Shadow of Intent, with just hints of old Veil of Maya and Lorna Shore, there’s a lot going on with the four-piece’s second full-length. Following the milquetoast Aqua Vitae in 2017, I was resigned that perhaps The Voynich Code had better short-form pieces, as their debut 2015 EP Ignotum offered potential galore while 2021’s Post Mortem offered a punchy batch of solid tunes with tasteful brevity. Offering an absolute mammoth deathcore sound with hints of blackened and djent flavors, they more than make up for their poor stylistic choices with a penchant for shredding and tasteful technicality. “Homecoming,” “A Dying Age,” and “Hell’s Black Heart” offer blades of shredding riffs and wildly technical leads, while the blackened symphonic Dimmu Borgir flavors of “Insomnia” and “A Flicker of Life” offer a gravity of dread that adds an unmistakably horror-based experience. Ultimately, does The Voynich Code do anything earthshaking? No. The vocalist could stand to expand his range, the songs start to bleed together by a certain point, and there is a lot going on. But there’s also shredding technicality, dizzying intensity, full-throttle brutality, and a whole lotta fun to get your head bobbing.

End // The Sin of Human Frailty [October 27th, 2023 – Closed Casket Activities]

Excuse me while I add another soundtrack for my sellout. For the uninitiated, End is a supergroup from New Jersey, featuring heavy hitter veterans from household bands like Counterparts, Fit for an Autopsy, Shai Hulud, and The Acacia Strain. While the tag “metalcore” is present here, you’ll find more Full of Hell or Cult Leader in this caustic concoction rather than any of the August Burns Reds of the world. Brendan Murphy has never sounded so commanding, while the buzzsaw Nails-esque riffs of Will Putney and Gregory Thomas gash with furious intensity, undergirded by the abusive rhythm section of Jay Pepito and Matt Guglielmo. Bordering on powerviolence and grind at sporadic intervals in tracks like “Gaping Wounds of Earth” and “Twice Devoured Kill” (featuring Pig Destroyer’s J.R. Hayes) End features an expertly honed balance between bludgeoning weight and skronky technicality. While “Thaw” is a strangely EDM, industrial, and experimental inclusion (also featuring the croons of Heriot’s Debbie Gough), The Sin of Human Frailty sees End laying it on with a grind intensity, deathcore weight, and hardcore attitude – a punch in the face you’ll come back for again and again.

Tales from the Garden

The Answer Lies in the Black Void // Thou Shalt [October 13th, 2023 – Burning World Records]

Both of my entries this month are returning artists I had intended to review properly, but life and my head got in the way, so this is my mea culpa. Last time The Answer Lies in the Black Void trod their unwieldy handle unto our doorstep I slapped down an enthusiastic 3.5, and Thou Shalt is up to par with that lovely debut. TALITBV2 is a collaboration between Martina Horváth (Thy Catafalque) and Jason Köhnen (Bong-Ra et 300 al) and is less weird than either collaborant implies, instead opting for gothic doom that’s both heavy and heavy on the atmosphere. Good use of tempo changes, enthusiastic integration of synths and Horváth’s expansive vocals (reminiscent of Anneke van Giersbergen) fill in an outline of chunky riffs with pitch black gloom. Though less versatile than its predecessor, it is also more consistent, and any fan of Draconian-style despondency should give this one a whirl.

The Lion’s Daughter // Bath House [October 13th, 2023 – Self-released]

Last time we saw The Lion’s Daughter, I expressed my fears the band was going down a path of sleazy industrial à la Marilyn Manson. Well, my fears were ultimately unfounded. Bath House is what remains when Mastodon is stabbed to death with broken neon tubes. While remaining firmly in the sludge firmament, all the ways in which it branches out makes it uglier, much like the thing on the cover. Feverish staccato rhythms are overlaid with screeching feedback and sardonic vocals akin to a coarser Baroness. The album wields synths with horror movie precision, permeating the music with a claustrophobic unease that makes you look over your shoulder between tracks just to check for serial killers. The opening trio bashes your brains in, after which the band gets a little more creative with the shards of your skull, with “12-31-89” a particularly horrifying highlight. An excellent turnaround for the Missourians.

#2023 #Akouphenom #AllForNone #Amenra #AmericanMetal #AnnekeVanGiersbergen #ArsMagnaUmbrae #Artillery #AugustBurnsRed #AvantgardeMusic #Baroness #BathHouse #Belphegor #BlackMetal #BlackNRoll #BlackenedDeathMetal #BongRa #BornOfOsiris #BurningWorldRecords #CanadianMetal #ClosedCasketActivities #Comaniac #Coroner #Counterparts #CrystalCoffin #CultLeader #CultOfLuna #Dawnwalker #DeathMetal #DeathChaosVoid #Deathcore #DimmuBorgir #DoomMetal #Draconian #End #EyeOfHorus #FitForAnAutopsy #Forbidden #FullOfHell #Grind #Hardcore #Insomnia #Isis #LornaShore #MarilynManson #Mastodon #MelodicBlackMetal #MelodicDeathMetal #Metalcore #Metalworld #Nails #NothingStaysHiddenInDaylight #Novere #Noxium #Oct23 #PigDestroyer #PortugueseMetal #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #ShadowOfIntent #ShaiHulud #Sludge #Stortregn #StuckInTheFilter #SwissMetal #SymphonicMetal #TALITBV #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheAcaciaStrain #TheAnswerLiesInTheBlackVoid #TheBlackDahliaMurder #TheCurseOfImmortality #TheLionSDaughter #TheSinOfHumanFrailty #TheVoynichCode #ThouShalt #ThrashMetal #ThyCatafalque #Tool #TrepanationRecordings #UKMetal #UniqueLeaderRecords #VeilOfMaya #Veilburner

Dawn of Azazel

Auckland black metal group lead by bassist/vocalist Rigel Walshe. From 1997 till 2017 the group went through several line-ups and produced a number of well-received, polish albums; touring across the

https://thebigcity.co.nz/artists/d/dawn-of-azazel/

#8FootSativa #AgoniaRecords #DawnOfAzazel #Division #ExordiumMors #ExtremeImprint #FilthyLucifer #ForcedToSubmit #Graymalkin #HellflameProductions #Hydranaut #Perditionist #Scoria #Skuldom #UniqueLeaderRecords #VASSAFOR

Humanity's Last Breath - Labyrinthian (Album Stream)

https://youtu.be/ME9COqOWMAA

#music #metal #heavymetal #deathcore #humanityslastbreath #uniqueleaderrecords

Atoll - Human Extract (Official Video)

https://youtu.be/CXVmOpeRxYM

#music #metal #brutaldeathmetal #atoll #uniqueleaderrecords