#Benighted
#Necrobreed
#SemaineDuBlanc
21/06/2025
#benighted
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
Coffin Feeder – Big Trouble Review
By El Cuervo
Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. The intellectual property rights-busting album artwork of Big Trouble by Coffin Feeder pays tribute to the silliest action movies of the 80s and 90s, just like the music within. This album represents the band’s full-length debut after a pair of EPs that tickled our very own Kenstrosity. Though the core members may be Belgian, the bands through which these guys ordinarily peddle their wares (Aborted, Leng Tch’e) are fused with a steaming smorgasbord of high-profile guest spots (Benighted, Cattle Decapitation, Archspire). The result is an energetic fusion of various cores, from death to grind to hard (also the order of events at Dr. A.N. Grier’s place on a Friday night). How are these sub-genres fused?
Distilling Big Trouble down into its key elements is relatively easy, even if those key elements themselves don’t offer easy listening. It combines the monumental heft of deathcore with the sneering attitude of hardcore and the speedy intensity of grindcore. “Porkchop Express” is prototypical of the album, as it blends a stomping lead that reeks of slam with a faster, tremolo-picked verse, while the vocals unpredictably flip between pig squeals, hardcore shouts, and deathly growls. These songs are extremely extreme, favoring an obnoxiously loud master, boisterous riffs, and relentless energy. It’s a lot, but also – at least on first listen – a lot of fun. It’s difficult to dislike something so active and aggressive, and it’s all too brief to become bored. The cacophony is more of an experience than mere music.
I also admire how Coffin Feeder lean into their own silliness; they represent the diametric opposition to bands that take themselves too seriously. It’s difficult to dispute the “What is best in life?” speech from Conan the Barbarian when layered over beefcake deathcore (“The Destroyer”). But I would also argue that Big Trouble favors style over substance. The sense of humor pastes over an album that’s solid in execution of the fundamentals, but not much better. It feels like the band has used up all their ideas by the back half of the record. The songs become predictable, shuffling between mid-paced/deathlier passages, faster/grindier passages, and slower/breakdown passages. Likewise, most of the riffs sound basically the same. Though the leads are typically entertaining, not many of the tracks really stand out because they follow similar sounds throughout.
Like all good -core music, the breakdowns are often the highlights. When those blast beats are broken down with a slower but groovier lead, heads will bang. In fact, breakdowns are such an easy win in -core music that they feel like a song-writing crutch. Big Trouble accordingly struggles more where there are longer gaps between those fist-pumping moments. “Plain Zero” is a straighter death metal track with a hefty punch, but the relative absence of breakdowns means my attention is less focused. Paradoxically, there are other tracks with poorly deployed breakdowns that disrupt their flow. “Love at First Death” features a pause that becomes a beefy breakdown, but it’s too sudden and changes the tone of the song. Despite solid leads and entertaining grooves, some tracks aren’t particularly cohesive. The music is so frenetic that it can feel disjointed; it’s an amalgamation of ideas but not written into tidy, individual songs.
Coffin Feeder boast some qualities that will undoubtedly appeal to those with a brutal, slamming proclivity. The songs flex with muscular riffs and mighty breakdowns, and the motley vocals go some way to offering a little variety. But Big Trouble (in Little Belgium) ultimately fails to distinguish its individual songs due to repetitive songwriting. Its sheer power can’t overcome a lack of creative spark or ingenuity required to elevate music beyond the average. I feel like there’s more to come from these Belgians.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Listenable Records
Websites: coffinfeederband.com | coffinfeeder.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/coffinfeeder
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025
#25 #2025 #Aborted #Apr25 #Archspire #BelgianMetal #Benighted #BigTrouble #CattleDecapitation #CoffinFeeder #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Grindcore #Hardcore #LengTchE #Review #Reviews
By Tyme
While you might not be familiar with the name Frank Lato, you may have heard some of the Chicagoan’s work. Contributing bass duties to the now defunct Polyptych in addition to the ongoing concern Headshrinker—the former was praised here in 2016 by Eldritch Elitist for Defying the Metastasis, while the latter’s Callous Indifference received a rare 4.0 from Steel in 2021—Mr. Lato has decided to slide out of the shadowy rhythm sections of his other projects to stand in the blazing light of judgment as a solo act with his new venture, Marrowomb. Alongside session drummer Kevin Paradis (ex-Benighted), who covers all the kit work, and a few friends contributing guest guitar solos, Marrowomb readies to independently release Phisenomie, a debut album nearly five years in the making. Reminiscing on many of the things I enjoyed from his previous contributions, Lato’s metal credentials excited me, but that doesn’t mean Marrowomb would get a pass. So I dove into Phisenomie with some reserved anticipation, ready to pounce if things went south.
If Benighted had gotten pregnant during some ancient Anaal Nathrakhian sex rite, the child of that ceremony would share audial DNA with Marrowomb. While at first blush this might sound intriguing, ultimately, Marrowomb lacks the histrionic technicality of Benighted and the all-out, brain-searing intensity of Anaal Nathrakh. Still, it’s blast furnace riffs scourged over machine gun blast beats (“Sickness unto Life,” “Black Gossamer”) that primarily serve as the sonic foundation for Phisenomie’s hierarchy of blackened death. Marrowomb‘s slight forays into bass-moody interludes (“Vicarious Visage”), experiments with tech-twitchy riff patterns (“Veil of Cold”) and full-on deep dives into doom pools (“Despairloom”) combine with sparse synth work to bring atmospheric variation but ultimately fall short, a result of Phisenomie‘s most significant flaws, which are its construction and the mix.
Like its digitally assembled cover art,1the music on Phisenomie sounds cut and pasted together. Dissonant leads come out of nowhere (“Phantasia Kataleptike”) as do awkwardly incorporated solos (“Black Gossamer,” “The Mirror”) like tin-eared tails mistakenly pinned to a riff donkey’s neck. This immature cohesion and lack of integrality enshrine Marrowomb‘s guitar performances as weak, a negative further spotlighted by the mix. Phisenomie is pretty loud, and as a result, much of the bass and guitar work is left muddied. Solo work at the beginning of “Despairloom” suffers most from this mud-bog mix as much of the interesting guitar runs garble as if played through a wet towel.
As a general liker of things,2 I’ve perhaps been overly harsh with Marrowomb, but not everything here is as dire as I’ve portrayed. A case in point is Lato’s vocal performance. I’m not sure if he ever contributed vocals on any of his other projects, but he’s got a decent ability to spit growls and rasps alike. I hear more of Dave V.I.T.R.I.O.L. Hunt’s grunts and shrieks in Lato’s delivery than I do the “Reee Reee” stylings of Julien Trouchan, but suffice to say, the man’s voice is compelling. Paradis’ kit performance, another highlight, is full of pummeling double bass bashing, frolicking fills, and enough snare abuse to remind you that, yeah, this guy played on Ekbom. These things give me hope that not everything about Marrowomb is lost.
Marrowomb‘s debut album, Phisenomie, is not what you’ve been waiting for. I enjoyed Polyptych‘s output and look forward to hearing the next Headshrinker for sure, but Marrowomb hasn’t done enough to sell me, and I can’t recommend this album as a result. I am, however, a fan of Frank Lato’s ability, which is inarguable, and I respect him for taking this project on and getting more of his work out there. With a more fleshed-out guitar vision and the chops to back it up, there could be a promising release in Marrowomb‘s future; Phisenomie just isn’t it.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: February 21, 2025
#20 #2025 #AmericanMetal #AnaalNathrakh #Benighted #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #Feb25 #Independent #Marrowomb #Phisenomie #Review #Reviews
New Artist announced for Brutal Assault 2025
Benighted
Added top 5 songs to the playlist Brutal Assault 2025
Listen now on YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB5UNN-XlHr0rh29U4Y_z9bLsEvq2Ne_v
#Brutal_Assault_2025 #Benighted #fyre_festivals #livemusic #youtube #music #2025 #musicfestivals
New Artist announced for 70.000 TONS OF METAL Festival 2025
Benighted
Added top 5 songs to the playlist 70.000 TONS OF METAL Festival 2025
Listen now on YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB5UNN-XlHr1Y2InGhyGwonUwZI1Afb_c
#70.000_TONS_OF_METAL_Festival_2025 #Benighted #fyre_festivals #ytmusic
C'est quoi vos claques/découvertes/déceptions musicales de 2024?
Pour ma part, j'ai adoré les albums suivants:
- #Benighted : Ekbom. Un très bon album, mieux que les précédents qui étaient pourtant chouettes. https://youtu.be/MT2OBVFVNFg?si=WdfKJJx0HeiTPJcB
- #Houle : Ciel Cendre Et Misère Noire. Du #blackmetal français avec thématique la mer. Chouettes compos et magnifique pochette!
https://houle.bandcamp.com/album/ciel-cendre-et-mis-re-noire
- #Lofofora : Coeur de Cible. Leur meilleur album depuis au moins Mémoire de singes. Les titres en live sont monstrueux!
https://youtu.be/qeY5PvVYwDY?si=4UKed5Gz8cHPSBZV
#musique #music #RadioPouet #radioTeigneux #2024 #sorties2024
New photo report online of #Benighted #Baest #CoffinFeeder at Poppodium 013!
Check the #ZwareMetalen report via: https://zwaremetalen.com/liveverslagen/fotoverslagen/benighted-baest-en-coffin-feeder-brengen-chaos-geweld-en-zweet-in-poppodium-013
All photography by me!
:megaphone: DEMNÄCHST!
*Zusammenfassung 29.11. bis 30.12. für Münster
Baest
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / ResonanzWerk
Baest, Benighted und Coffin Feeder
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / ResonanzWerk
Benighted
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / ResonanzWerk
Bollock Brothers
29.11.2024 Dortmund / Musiktheater Piano
30.11.2024 Dortmund / Musiktheater Piano
Bonfire
29.11.2024 Dortmund / Musiktheater Piano
Cryptex
29.11.2024 Dorsten / Vinylcafe Schwarzes Gold
Dayseeker
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / Kulttempel
Dead Venus
29.11.2024 Essen / Turock
Deathrite und Obnoxious Youth
29.11.2024 Mülheim an der Ruhr / AZ Mühlheim
#AZMuhlheim #Baest #Benighted #BollockBrothers #Bonfire #Cryptex #Dayseeker #DeadVenus #Deathrite #Dorsten #Dortmund #DyingFetus #Essen #Herford #Kulttempel #Kulturwerk #MulheimAnDerRuhr #MusiktheaterPiano #Oberhausen #ResonanzWerk #Turock #VinylcafeSchwarzesGold #SteelFeed #SteelFeedSoon
:megaphone: DEMNÄCHST!
*Zusammenfassung 29.11. bis 30.12. für Düsseldorf
Alphaville
29.11.2024 Solingen / EmslandArena
Baest
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / ResonanzWerk
Baest, Benighted und Coffin Feeder
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / ResonanzWerk
Benighted
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / ResonanzWerk
Cryptex
29.11.2024 Dorsten / Vinylcafe Schwarzes Gold
Dayseeker
29.11.2024 Oberhausen / Kulttempel
Dead Venus
29.11.2024 Essen / Turock
Deathrite und Obnoxious Youth
29.11.2024 Mülheim an der Ruhr / AZ Mühlheim
Frenzy
29.11.2024 Essen / Delta Musik Park Essen
Ignite
29.11.2024 Köln / Essigfabrik
Orphaned Land
29.11.2024 Essen / Turock
#AZMuhlheim #Alphaville #Baest #Benighted #Cryptex #Dayseeker #DeadVenus #Deathrite #DeltaMusikParkEssen #Dorsten #Druckluft #EmslandArena #Essen #Essigfabrik #Frenzy #Ignite #Koln #Kulttempel #MulheimAnDerRuhr #Oberhausen #OrphanedL #ResonanzWerk #RisingInsane #Solingen #Turock #VinylcafeSchwarzesGold #SteelFeed #SteelFeedSoon
📍 #013poppodium
🗓️ 27/11/2024
🔥 #Benighted
📷 #Sethpicturesmusic - #SethAbrikoos
📽️This video is made to give an impression of the concert. I am absolutely not a videographer, so please check my page for my photography;)
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#metal #metalband #deathmetal #concert #concertphotography
🤘✌️
Photographing #BENIGHTED + #Baest + #Coffinfeeder at 📍 013 was fun!
First pics are published on my page!
Just got home, despite the 🚂 delays (again).
Tomorrow's photo stop will be #Patronaat
Fractal Generator – Convergence Review
By Dear Hollow
Fractal Generator has always tortured me. 2020 debut Macrocosmos was an affair that I gave a 4.0 to, not because it convinced me of its excellence, but the Sudbury, Ontario trio convinced me of its complete lack of wrongness. I felt obligated to give it high marks because I could not see a flaw, but it did not capture my heart enough to award it a spot at year’s end. The issue was that, in spite of my praises of accessibility, the brutal passage of time found that Macrocosmos operated a relentlessly riffy and punishingly dissonant deathgrind with a surgical precision and faceless sterility that effectively robbed it of its humanity. Four years later we are faced with the forbidden knowledge of its follow-up, Convergence.
Old habits die hard, and Fractal Generator should not let their hard-hitting blend of dissonant death metal and deathgrind die. They’ve always encapsulated crawling Portal-esque dissonant sensibilities and Gigan-inspired sci-fi avant-gardisms – but fed through the Benighted machine. Serocs is a fair comparison, complete with triumphant atmospheres amid blasting tempos, and Convergence finds a newly honed balance and enriched textures that make it feel more like a passage through fantastical alien worlds and unknowable dimensions. It nonetheless lacks that humanity needed to meet us where we are, but Fractal Generator will kick your ass heartily with dissonance and riffs all year long.
There’s very little reprieve on Convergence, like any good deathgrind worth its mettle. Fractal Generator utilizes thick bludgeoning riffs to make its point, then sorely beating you over the head with dissonant leads, while synths, choral keys, and ambiance peak out amid the towering punishment like curious extraterrestrials. Riffs are the real world-eaters, however, as tracks “Cryogenian,” the title track, and “Obelisk” offer cutthroat insanity and frantic intensity that hit with the weight of colliding stars. Dwelling in warped melodics, “Askesis,” “Ancient Civilizations,” “Xiphoid” and closer “Encephalon” put scathing dissonance and squealing pinch harmonics ahead of chunky riffs, adding greater avant-garde weight to the intensity. Contrary to Macrocosmos, Fractal Generator manages to add honed dynamics, as tracks like “Ciphertext,” “Obelisk,” and opener “Cryogenian” infuse more atmospheric tricks that add greater contrast to the punishment, making them excellent cosmic mile markers in galaxies riddled with brutality. Contrary to Macrocosmos, Convergence is a far denser affair, which fits its more destructive tendencies, as brutal death metal’s familiarly squelching guitar gurgle is far more actualized.
Fractal Generator’s motto is “loud and proud and weird,” and with its scant appearances of wonky atmosphere, Convergence still manages to create something completely alien. While calling the act “the deathgrind Artificial Brain” is fair in theory, Fractal Generator still adheres to its sterile depiction. While the denser production fits the deathgrind a la cosmicism mold, it also creates more of an issue with the audibility of some elements, as tracks like “Convergence” and “Algorithmic Pathways” find leads and snare drowned out in the thicker interpretation, worsened further by abrupt passage and tonal shifts. Perhaps unsurprising, vocals are largely one-dimensional throughout Convergence, relying on a subterranean roar, while bass remains nearly nonexistent.
In spite of its more suffocating feel, Convergence feels far more dangerous than its predecessor, vicious and refined compared to Macrocosmos’ strange blend of organic breathability and sterile precision. Fractal Generator’s sound is unique, its dissonance-on-alien-steroids formula slowly making solar waves in crowded deathgrind and dissonant death. Convergence is a step in the right direction, as it begins to cement its creators as the wrong divine and cosmic forces to fuck with, but Fractal Generator needs a connecting point to its audience beyond alien intensity and otherworldly squelching. Meantime, you can let this trio wreck you with the intensity of a thousand suns with Convergence.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: fractalgeneratorofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/fractualgeneratorofficial
Released Worldwide: June 6th, 2024
#2024 #35 #ArtificialBrain #Benighted #BrutalDeathMetal #CanadianMetal #Convergence #Deathgrind #DissonantDeathMetal #EverlastingSpewRecords #FractalGenerator #Gigan #Jun24 #Portal #Review #Reviews #Serocs #TechnicalBrutalDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal
Aujourd'hui, je vous propose une interview de Julien et Pierre de @_BENIGHTED , réalisée pendant la date warmup @hellfestopenair de Crest.
Un entretien passionnant, à réserver à ceux qui n'ont pas peur des insectes !
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
What Was The Best Release Of April 2024?
April 2024 was loaded with a lot of excellent releases!
https://metalinjection.net/news/poll/what-was-the-best-release-of-april-2024
#HumanoidAcidMammoth #SupersonicMegafaunaCollision #ACxDC #GOT #AtræBilis #Aumicide #Attacker #TheGodParticle #BalanceOfPower #FreshFromTheAbyss #BeneathTheBlazingAbyss #Benighted #Ekbom #Darkthrone #ItBeckonsUsAll #Dayseeker #Replica #Deicide #BanishedBySin #Disbelief #KillingKarma #Dool #TheShapeOfFluidity #Dvne #Voidkind #Eidola
L'étape rhône-alpine du #Hellfest #WarmUp Tour 2024, c'est demain à #Crest !
Le groupe de black/hardcore #Areis ouvrira la soirée.
L'évènement se poursuivra avec les deux groupes phares de la tournée : #Ten56 et #Benighted.
Pour l'occasion, #LeCrestois n°6440 a publié une #interview de Jean-Claude « JC » Cognard, le président de l’association crestoise la Boîte en metal qui accueille cette escale :
[abo] https://le-crestois.fr/index.php/journal-le-crestois/magazine/7896-le-26-avril-le-hellfest-celebre-festival-de-metal-se-delocalise-a-crest
#Metal #Hardcore #Deathcore #DeathBrutal #HellCrest #BridgeToHell
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
The Weekly Injection: New Releases From NECROT, TÝR, CASTLE RAT & More Out Today 4/12
Plus releases from Benighted, Eidola, Heavy Temple, Northlane, and Spit On Your Grave.
#WeeklyInjection #NewReleases #Necrot #Ekbom #Benighted #CastleRat #Eidola #HeavyTemple #Northlane #SpitOnYourGrave #Tyr #BattleBallads #FolkMetal #DeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #AlternativeMetal #ProgressiveMetalCore #PostHardcore #StonerMetal #PsychedelicMetal
By Saunders
Springing to life some twenty-five years ago, France’s Benighted have carved a legacy of quality output. From rougher beginnings, the deathgrind powerhouse developed and honed their potently addictive formula to a fine point, throwing down technically proficient, slammy deathgrind fireballs with plenty of gusto, a deliciously unhinged bent, and a pig squealing, asylum rioting sense of fun. In a richly competitive modern extreme metal and deathgrind field, Benighted stood out as a personal favorite and remarkably consistent act, remaining an underrated force that don’t get the credit they deserve. Tenth LP Ekbom arrives following a couple of high-quality back-to-back bangers that didn’t quite reach the peak levels of outstanding albums such as 2006’s bludgeoning Identisick, or 2011’s masterwork Asylum Cave, yet were stellar albums, nonetheless.
Keeping trend with recent releases, Ekbom offers few surprises while the brutality, intensity and top-shelf musicianship burn as brightly as ever. Benighted couple brutal death and slam with a lethal, punk-infused dose of deathgrind, further excelling in their ability to instill creepy atmosphere and disturbed lyrical themes/imagery into uncompromisingly heavy yet infectious tunes that still know how to have a good time. Transcending the dumb fun label they’re often saddled with, Benighted’s watertight formula features more than enough technical fireworks, clever dynamic twists, and variables to completely fall into boneheaded realms. Benighted have remained a model of consistency for the best part of their career, with nothing ever feeling forced or phoned in. Ekbom is no exception.
“Scars” unloads explosive bursts of trademark modern Benighted tropes, leaning into tech-ier territory and sliding from intense, charred black atmospheres that would do Anaal Nathrakh proud, to pulse-pounding speed, as sick, gurgling grooves set in. Hooks are scattered plentifully amidst the chaos, as the ludicrously fast rhythms and neck-snapping grooves of “Nothing Left to Fear” attests, featuring an inspired vocal appearance from motor mouthed Archspire frontman Oliver Rae Aleron, a perfect foil to the mangled and versatile vocal chops of Julien Truchan. Ekbom is a precise, bone-jarringly heavy affair, leveraging Benighted’s extreme inclinations and relentless speed with cranium-crushing beatdowns and subtle shreds of melody and technical nuance. The tight runtime makes repeat listens a must and the largely filler-free album refuses to let up. “Le Vice des Entrailles” harnesses Benighted’s most vicious traits into a ripping blackened deathgrind construction, with brutality cranked for maximum impact. Elsewhere, “A Reason for Treason” leans into their punky, grind side with head-stomping bouts of slam and the album’s most bludgeoning grooves. “Scapegoat” hooks, stabs, and pummels in equal measure, while the machine-gunning speed and tech flourishes of “Flesh Against Flesh” are skillfully offset with fun moments of slam-infested deathgrind mayhem.
Despite only the versatile, twisted pipes of Truchan remaining from the original line-up, the current incarnation of Benighted remains solid and performances are on point. Kevin Paradis is an exceptional drummer, propelling their speed-laced, groove-heavy assault with lightning footwork and effortless shifts in rhythm and tempo, amidst creative drum patterns. A phenomenal beast of a vocalist, Truchan’s impressive range stretches across the extreme metal spectrum. Sure, the pig squeals will no doubt rub some people the wrong way, though they aren’t over-used. However, it’s his array of guttural growls, gurgles, rotten eruptions, and glass-shattering shrieks that steal the show and create a formidable stream of extreme vocal flair and variety. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Dalle’s axework stays true to Benighted’s deathgrind roots, infusing infectious riffcraft and technical prowess with punk, black, and brutal death embellishments.
As usual, Benighted’s sonic profile is of the clean and polished variety, almost to a fault on Ekbom, while the throwaway intro track and slow-to-get-going closer mark the only songs that don’t quite hit the mark. Meanwhile, Benighted’s over-the-top brutality and occasional BREEEE BREEEE vocals will remain divisive. Nevertheless, Ekbom marks another quality addition to an entertaining and consistent all-round discography. Benighted remain stubbornly persistent within their chosen craft and mode of gleeful destruction. Ekbom may fall marginally short of the high standards of their past few albums, though it hardly rates as a disappointment due to the band’s lovable x-factor and consistently brutal, engaging songwriting. While long-standing contemporaries and deathgrind veterans Aborted may get more accolades, I encourage the uninitiated to dive headlong into Ekbom and Benighted’s stellar catalog for a primo, chunkified dose of deathgrind supremacy.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: benighted.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/brutalbenighted
Releases Worldwide: April 12th, 2024
#2024 #35 #Aborted #AnaalNathrakh #Apr24 #Archspire #Benighted #BrutalDeathMetal #Deathgrind #Ekbom #FrenchMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #Slam
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