Enjoy 29 minutes of pure, unfiltered Death Metal crafted with tons of hatred, energy and passion for old school extreme music by a very talented duo from Italy.
An old school Death Metal project created by vocalist Alessandro Nunziati (Sepolcrum, Theatres des Vampires, Lord Vampyr, Malamorte, Cain) and guitarist Alessio Bucci (Spectroscopy, Fecal Impaction, Gravestone) in 2022 in Rome, Italy, the ruthless The Tomb will kick you in the head to the sound of their debut full-length album, titled The Valley of Despair. Recorded, mixed and mastered by SK (aka Stefano Nuccetelli, who’s also responsible for bass and drum programming in the album) at Music Up Studio, produced by SK and the band itself, and displaying a blood drenched artwork Julian Felipe Mora Ibañez, The Valley of Despair will certainly please fans of bands the likes of Massacre, Cancer, Carcass, Death and Pestilence, among others, exhaling classic Death Metal during its 29 intense minutes.
Alessio ignites the band’s Death Metal attack with his sick riffs in The Gates of Suffering, sounding perfect for some brutal slamming into the pit while the music is at the same time very melodic and violent; followed by Horror Painted in Your Eyes, another blast of venomous riffs by Alessio while Alessandro delivers his trademark raspy roars. Moreover, the programmed drums by SK sound very organic, therefore adding an extra kick to the music, reminding me of the Beneath the Remains album sound by Sepultura. Then we’re treated to two and a half minutes of sheer aggression and wicked guitar solos by the duo in In the Twilight, supported by the rumbling bass by SK, being therefore recommended for admirers of 90’s Death Metal, whereas Entranced by the Smell of Death is another solid creation by The Tomb, with the guttural by Alessandro sounding even closer to old school Max Cavalera. And The Rise of the Ancestral Forces might not be as powerful as its predecessors, but it is still a good Death Metal tune by The Tomb.
Then a sinister, horror movie-inspired start explodes into an overdose of savagery titled Buried Alive, with Alessio once again delivering infernal riffs perfect for Alessandro to growl manically, whereas investing in a more ferocious sonority, the heavy-as-hell The House of Thousand Screams will hammer your head while the band makes sure there’s a lot of groove added to their sound, courtesy of SK’s infuriated bass, plus of course Alessio’s soulful guitar solos. The second to last deadly attack by The Tomb comes in the form of Delirium, showcasing Alessio’s usual riffs and solos and the menacing roars by Alessandro; and last but not least, the duo will crush our souls with the title-track The Valley of Despair, delivering one final round of savagery, heaviness and deep roars to close the album in great fashion.
You can enjoy Valley of Despair in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, follow The Tomb on Facebook for more details about one of the heaviest duos hailing form Italy, and above all that, grab a copy of their wicked album from the Great Dane Records’ BandCamp page or from the Despise The Sun Records’ BandCamp page, keeping the fires of Italian Death Metal burning while you enjoy an album of pure aggression and savagery that will surely inspire you to break your neck headbanging like a true metalmaniac.
Best moments of the album:Horror Painted in Your Eyes, Entranced by the Smell of Death and The House of Thousand Screams.
Worst moments of the album:The Rise of the Ancestral Forces.
Released in 2024 Great Dane Records/Despise The Sun Records
Track listing 1. The Gates of Suffering 3:50
2. Horror Painted in Your Eyes 2:38
3. In the Twilight 2:46
4. Entranced by the Smell of Death 3:18
5. The Rise of the Ancestral Forces 3:18
6. Buried Alive 3:51
7. The House of Thousand Screams 3:02
8. Delirium 3:12
9. The Valley of Despair 3:15
Band members
Alessandro Nunziati – vocals
Alessio Bucci – guitars
Ruling the night of women’s rites with their dark lullabies!
I think the month of May needs an extra kick, and there’s nothing better than some first-class Mexican spices to turn up the heat considerably, right? That’s exactly why we’re not going to have only one metal lady this month, nor even two. We’re going to feast your eyes and ears with nothing more, nothing less that THREE metal ladies hailing from Mexico, a country known for the passion their metalheads nurture for all types of heavy music. Our three breathtaking metal divas are vocalist Marlene Muñoz, bassist Elizabeth Castillo, and guitarist Caro Saturni, who together with drummer Nicolás Garza form the ruthless Death Metal squad known as Spit On Your Grave, and I’m sure you’ll have a very good time knowing a bit about this triumvirate of absolute female power in Heavy Metal.
Before talking about each one of our chosen metal ladies, let’s do a quick introduction on their amazing band Spit On Your Grave. Formed in 2012 in Monterrey, the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, Spit on Your Grave are a no shenanigans, visceral Death Metal entity with three full-length albums and one EP released to date, always dealing with topics such as madness, serial killers, death and isolation, among others, having already shared the stage with metal titans the likes of Carcass, Sepultura, Nervosa, Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse, Brujeria and Dark Tranquility, just to name a few. All the information you need about the band is available HERE, and don’t forget to also stream their creations on Spotify, on YouTube, and other streaming services.
Furthermore, although we’re paying our humble tribute to the three girls that are currently part of the band (there are other women who are former members of Spit On Your Grave, but those might be our metal ladies in the future as part of their current bands), only Elizabeth is featured in all of their albums. As a matter of fact, she’s the only remaining member of the original formation of the band, and therefore she deserves to be the first one we’re going to talk about here on The Headbanging Moose. It’s all about seniority, right? But before that, how about a short and sweet overview of each of the albums released by Spit On Your Grave?
Released in 2014, their debut full-length album Existential Murderer consists of ten tracks that refer to raw old school Death Metal, basing its lyrics on situations of revenge, perversions, death, and only Elizabeth from our three metal ladies played in that album as aforementioned, while vocals and guitars were done by two other great female musicians, Zitlalic Gómez and Cecilia Cárdenas, respectively. Then in 2015 the band introduced a more melodic sound to their core essence with the EP Unblessed, the watershed that led the band to a variety of events and concerts making their way to the big stages with international bands, showcasing the same lineup from their 2014 album.
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In 2018, after a few lineup changes, those being newcomers Kharen Guardiola on vocals, Aldo Guerra on drums, and one of our metal ladies Caro Saturni (aka Carolina Ampersand) on the guitar, the band released their sophomore opus The Night Of The Women’s Rites, incorporating a more melodic sound where guitar solos stand out, while the album’s lyrics talk about goddesses and female deities from different cultures that somehow changed the course of history, including for example The Whore Queen (Cleopatra), Aphrodite and Cihuacóatl (these three song also released in 2018 as a single named Cihuacóatl), showing the courage, personality, attitude and the leadership of those women.
In between The Night Of The Women’s Rites and their newest opus Arkanum, the band released the single Ixik Uh in June 2022, which actually serves as a connection link between The Night Of The Women’s Rites and Arkanum, talking about an ancient Mayan ritual to Ixchel, a Mayan deity known as the Goddess of the Moon, in addition to fertility, childbirth, pregnancy, medicine, rain, womanly crafts, and war. The single was already recorded by the current lineup, including not only Elizabeth but also Marlene and Caro, making it the first ever song to feature all of our three metal ladies of the month.
And lastly, on the second week of April, Spit On Your Grave returned with their third studio album, the pulverizing Arkanum, a conceptual album that tells the process of a mental detox, which draws thematically on mystical elements, and with each track inspired by a different tarot card.“It talks about an internal struggle to restore your inner self,” the band said, “where your demons surface, and everything you believed in is questioned. That moment when you realize that for years you have followed someone else’s lead. You’ve had enough and decide to leave everything behind. It’s about losing yourself by being influenced by someone else and the struggle to wake up from that reality. Centering the lyrics in this inner fight with yourself, involving depression, anxiety, mistrust, feeling unfairly judged by everyone and having no help around.” Moreover, there’s a nice interview (in Spanish) to a YouTube channel called The Chill Dude On A Couch, where they talk about the album.
Elizabeth Castillo
Having said all that about the band’s discography, it’s time to focus on each of their amazing women, starting with the remaining founding member of the band, Elizabeth Castillo. Born and raised in Mexico, she’s not only the bassist for Spit On Your Grave, having recorded all of their albums, EP and singles, as already mentioned, but she’s also responsible for the bass duties with Mexican Black/Doom Metal band Hagel since their reactivation in 2014, having recorded with them the album Veneration of the Black Light back in 2021, featuring some insane songs such as Decalogue of Misery. Not only that, you can also find Elizabeth in a distinct folk band named Sandunga, playing traditional Mexican and Latin American music while also dealing with the Mexican folklore; however, Elizabeth is not the bassist for Sandunga, but their guitarist, and she also plays an instrument called “requinto jarocho” or “guitarra de son”, a four- or five-stringed instrument that has originated from Veracruz, Mexico, played usually with a special pick. If you want to know more about the band, simply click HERE, and don’t forget to also enjoy their official video for the song Maclovia, as it’s an amazing song outside of the metal realm. and how about watching her blast her bass in great fashion in the official YouTube channel for Spit On Your Grave, playing the classic Hammer Smashed Face, by the almighty Cannibal Corpse? That’s a really cool video, my friends!
Caro Saturni
The next metal lady of this month of May is the band’s guitarist Caro Saturni. Born on January 18, 1996 in Mexico, she joined Spit On Your Grave back in 2016 and released with the band so far their 2018 album The Night of Women’s Rites (as Caro Ampersand) and their 2024 album Arkanum (already as Caro Saturni), becoming the lead guitarist of the band, and you can check all her dexterity in a video from the band’s official YouTube channel where she plays the song Adjusting the Sun, by Hypocrisy. She’s also the guitarist for an all-female rock and metal band from Monterrey named Sister Sinyster, and although there isn’t much online about the band (as they just started in November 2023), you can enjoy this recent interview to Metalhead Inter Radio, and keep an eye on their Instagram for news as I’m sure we’ll hear a lot about those girls soon.
Marlene Muñoz
And last but definitely not least, we get to the she-wolf Marlene Muñoz, who joined Spit On Your Grave back in 2020 and has recorded with them so far their breathtaking new album Arkanum. Her harsh screams and guttural gnarls are fantastic, adding an insane dosage of brutality to the band’s core Death Metal, therefore elevating the band’s status in the local Mexican scene as well as worldwide. Apart from Spit On Your Grave, you can find Marlene as the vocalist for a Monterrey-based Melodic/Progressive Thrash Metal band called Judgment since 2019, having released with them a self-titled three-track single back in 2019, plus a standalone song named All I Have, in 2022, and let me tell you that all four songs released so far are amazing, leaving us eager for a full-length album by those Mexican metallers in the near future.
In summary, fi you’re looking for some fresh metal music with a powerful feminine touch, you must check the creations by all bands featuring Marlene Muñoz, Elizabeth Castillo and Caro Saturni, because those three multi-talented women definitely put their hearts and souls into making high quality music for us fans, and if you’re near them in Monterrey keep an eye on their social media because you don’t want to miss the metal attack provided by their bands live, in special the fulminating Spit On Your Grave. Hopefully the band will keep growing and reaching new horizons, playing all across the US and Canada, participating in multiple European festivals, bringing their music to places like Brazil, Japan, Australia and so on, because they play ass-kicking Death Metal, and we always need ass-kicking Death Metal with a feminine touch to make our lives way better, right?
An unrelenting Greek brigade will head into the battlefield armed with their brand new opus, consisting of eight war songs full of Death Metal riffing carnage, furious blast beats and cavernous filthy vocals.
Co-released by Satanath Records with Australis Records, the infuriated Forgotten Battlefields, the brand new album by Athens, Greece-based Death Metal band Dogtag Remains, will definitely crush you like an insect with its warlike-inspired old school extreme sounds. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Nick Setesh at Adyton Recordings, and displaying an obscure artwork by Julián Felipe Mora Ibanez, the album consists of eight war songs full of Death Metal riffing carnage, furious blast beats and cavernous filthy vocals, all carefully brought into being by Kostas Eleftheriadis on vocals and bass, Thanos Kougioulis and Jim Pastos on the guitars, and Vaggelis Kavalieratos on drums, being highly recommended for fans of Hail of Bullets, Grave, Skeletal Remains, and Dead Congregation, among several other amazing bands.
The album couldn’t have started in a more ferocious or heavier way then with Encirclement, with the crushing drums by Vaggelis hammering our cranial skulls in the name of old school Death Metal, and they put the pedal to the metal and keep consuming our souls in Varsity, with Kostas roaring rabidly supported by the austere riffafge by Thanos and Jim. Aachen, the third track of the album, brings sheer heaviness and obscurity to our avid ears, with Vaggelis dictating the song’s sluggish pace while Kostas gnarls and blasts his bass in great fashion, whereas The Glomfjord Power Plant offers us all six minutes of pure dementia in the form of Death Metal where the band’s guitar duo continues to slash their axes nonstop for our total delight, resulting in one of the most complex and detailed of all songs.
Then their classic Death Metal sounds keep piercing our minds in Behind Enemy Lines, with Kostas barking like a beast while Vaggelis sounds ruthless behind his drums, followed by The Man Who Never Was, another avalanche of brutality and violence by Dogtag Remains, living up to the legacy of the genre thanks to another infernal performance by Vaggelis on drums as well as Thanos and Jim on the guitars. It looks like their Death Metal onrush has no time to end based on the violence emanating from Landed Southward, with Kostas leading his bandmates with his sick growling and rumbling bass; and lastly, we’re treated to Hill 731, inspired by the Battle of Hill (Height) 731, a fierce battle fought during World War II in southern Albania, part of the Greco-Italian War, closing the album on a high note with more of the band’s trademark Death Metal assault.
If you have what it takes to face the horrors of war blasted by Dogtag Remains in their new album Forgotten Battlefields, you can start following such talented Greek brigade on Facebook and on Instagram for more of their music, and of course their tour dates. And above all that, go purchase a copy of the album (which is by the way available in full on YouTube) from the Satanath Records’ BandCamp page and support the underground, joining Dogtag Remains in the battlefield and fighting side by side with them in the name of old school Death Metal.
Best moments of the album:Varsity, The Glomfjord Power Plant and The Man Who Never Was.
Worst moments of the album:Aachen.
Released in 2024 Satanath Records/Australis Records
Track listing 1. Encirclement 4:54
2. Varsity 5:15
3. Aachen 5:53
4. The Glomfjord Power Plant 6:09
5. Behind Enemy Lines 5:08
6. The Man Who Never Was 5:28
7. Landed Southward 4:24
8. Hill 731 6:52
Band members Kostas Eleftheriadis – vocals, bass
Thanos Kougioulis – guitars
Jim Pastos – guitars
Vaggelis Kavalieratos – drums
Raise your horns high to the first full-length opus by this talented American Blackened Death Metal band, sounding technical yet brutal, melodic yet malevolent.
Formed in 2021 originally as a studio project amongst three friends to create fun, heavy Death Metal that eventually became a more serious endeavor to create more unique Black and Death Metal, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States-based Blackened Death Metal entity Nogothulahas just released their first full-length opus, titled Telluric Sepsis, the follow-up to their 2022 debut EP Gore Vortex Ascension. Recorded by the band itself (vocals, guitars, bass and synths) and by Eric Tuffendsam at Moonlight Studios (drums), mixed and mastered by Noah Buchanan at Mercinary Studios, and displaying a sick artwork by Niklas Webjorn (plus a beyond deadly logo by Crepuscular Gloom), the new album by Eric Payne on vocals and bass, Colton Deem on vocals and guitar, John “Nick” Moeller also on the guitar, and Alex Hooper on drums will please fans of both Black and Death Metal, always sounding technical yet brutal, melodic yet malevolent.
The intro Awakening offers us all the band’s heavy-as-hell, menacing welcome card, with their deep guttural and harsh screeches piercing our minds before Chaospore arrives like a hurricane of blackened sounds, with Colton and John hammering their axes nonstop supported by the massive beats by Alex. Then in Catacomb Cauldron the band invests in a more brutal, visceral Death Metal sound led by the unstoppable drums by Alex, while Eric and Colton keep vociferating rabidly, therefore resulting in a perfect song for igniting some insane mosh pits; followed by Lacerating Vibrations, another infernal explosion of Brutal Death Metal, inviting us all to slam into the pit while Eric and Colton continue to deliver their gruesome double vocal attack. And their avalanche of Blackened Death Metal gets even more sulfurous in Observers of Perpetual Rot, again presenting the wicked riffage by Colin and John accompanied by the always menacing bass by Eric.
They still have a lot more fuel to burn, starting with Labyrinthian Sunken Spires, where their raspy, unfriendly roars match perfectly with all the instrumental devastation crafted with tons of hatred, sounding and feeling absolutely infernal until the very end; whereas Morbid Seas of Stygian Blood carries a beautiful name for a lecture in Blackened Death Metal, sounding very detailed, obscure and caustic thanks to the band’s usual demonic vocal lines and crushing drums. Then the title-track Telluric Sepsis brings forward the band’s trademark animosity and rage without forgetting to sound melodic and vibrant, with Alex stealing the spotlight once again with his massive beats and fills; and lastly, let’s enjoy eight minutes of cryptic sounds, vile passages and the band’s hammering Death Metal in Meandering Comatose Twilight… The Carrion Viaduct, where their guttural vocals sound utterly deep, sending shivers down our spines and obviously closing the album on a sulfurous note.
The guys from Nogothula are waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram with news, tour dates, more of their music, and other nice-to-know details about the band, letting their caustic sounds penetrate deep inside your psyche. Needless to say, above all that, don’t forget to grab a copy of Telluric Sepsis, which is by the way available for streaming in full on YouTube and on Spotify, from their own BandCamp page, keeping your horns high in the name of Black and Death Metal to the sound of the visceral new album by one of the most promising bands of the current American scene.
Best moments of the album:Catacomb Cauldron, Lacerating Vibrations and Morbid Seas of Stygian Blood.
If you love mosh pits from the bottom of your blackened heart, then Friday night in Toronto was the place to be, courtesy of four insane bands in a feast of pure, brutal Deathcore.
I have no idea what’s happening with the traffic to get to Toronto. I mean, it has always been bad, but this weekend it seems that things got even worse, which delayed my arrival at The Phoenix Concert Theatre to see SNUFFED ON SIGHT, SIGNS OF THE SWARM, ANGELMAKER and THY ART IS MURDER kill everything and everyone during the Toronto stop of their Godlike North America Tour 2024, another fantastic event brought to the city by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment, and “day 1” of my more-than-awesome “metal weekend” with three days of shows in a row. Besides the heavy traffic to get in and out of the city, there was also a lot of wind and rain, but nothing that could stop a horde of avid Deathcore and Death Metal fans to invade the venue and generate some of the wildest mosh pits I’ve ever seen live. Holy shit, the kids were mental inside the pit, with the action flowing nonstop until the very last second.
Due to traffic, I couldn’t make it in time to see San Francisco, California-based Brutal Death Metal/Hardcore act SNUFFED ON SIGHT, but fortunately my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there to take some wild pictures of the band, and to confirm what I suspected after listening to their 2023 album Smoke, that they’re extremely heavy and really fun to see live. If you want to experience their fury, you can stream their sick creations on BandCamp, Spotify, or any other streaming service, as well as get to know more about the band by clicking HERE, and as soon as you realize how brutally amazing this band is, you’ll be smarter than me and plan your trip ahead of time to be able to see them kicking some serious ass on stage.
Setlist
Intro
Blunt Cough
Time 2 Dip
Dummy (smoke break) Smoke
All Talk
Slippin
Band members Seven Kane – vocals
Walid Gad – guitars
Spencer Metala – bass
Kendric DiStefano – drums
Although I had to miss Snuffed on Sight, I was lucky enough to witness live one of the heaviest, most insane concerts ever, courtesy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s own Deathcore beast SIGNS OF THE SWARM. Led by the amazing frontman David Simonich, the band delivered sheer violence, groove and fire during their short but extremely destructive set, playing songs form their most recent album Amongst the Low & Empty such as the title-track Amongst the Low & Empty, Tower of Torsos and Pray for Death. The circle pits, walls of death and crowd surfing were freakin’ insane during their whole concert, showing how electrifying their music is (and you can check it out yourself on Spotify or by clicking HERE). I can’t wait to see those guys again live, but I’ll be sure I have some sort of body armor to endure their sick mosh pits, no doubt about that.
Setlist
Amongst the Low & Empty
Tower of Torsos
Pray for Death
Borrowed Time
Between Fire & Stone
Dreamkiller
Malady
Band members David Simonich – vocals
Carl Schulz – guitars
Michael Cassese – bass
Bobby Crow – drums
Next on the bill was North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based Deathcore infantry ANGELMAKER, and yet again The Phoenix Concert Theatre became a hurricane of mosh pits thanks to their incendiary performance on stage. It’s interesting that they were able to fit all seven members of the band on stage, because not only they have three guitarists, but they also have two demented vocalists, Casey Tyson-Pearce and Mike Greenwood, and oh boy, their double vocal attack is beyond infernal. Playing songs the likes of Godless, Hollow Heart and Leech, it was a wild ride together with those Canadians, keeping the action in the mosh pit moving as fast as a shark hunting for food. Go check their crazy creations on BandCamp and on Spotify, and don’t miss the chance to see those seven wicked musicians live whenever they hit your city, as it’s absolutely worth it.
Setlist Radiance in the Light of a Dying Sun
The Bridge Between
Suffer Forever
Day/Day
Godless
Gutless
Shia LaBeouf
Vengeance
A Dark Omen
Hollow Heart
Leech
Band members Casey Tyson-Pearce – vocals
Mike Greenwood – vocals
Colton Bennett – guitars
Matt Perrin – guitars
Johnny Ciardullo – guitars
Cole Rideout – bass
Steven Sanchez – drums
After three insane openers, it was then time for the main attraction of the night, Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia’s own Deathcore institution THY ART IS MURDER, to crush the souls of all concert goers with their visceral, harsh and furious performance. Promoting their 2023 album Godlike, the band now fronted by the talented Tyler Miller, of Australian Technical Deathcore band Aversions Crown (as the iconic Chris “CJ” McMahon has recently quit music for good, starting a career in real estate) kicked some ass during their solid performance (just as good as the last time I saw them opening for Cannibal Corpse back in 2019), with songs like Slaves Beyond Death, Death Squad Anthem, Make America Hate Again, Godlike, and of course Puppet Master, driving all fans crazy inside the wild mosh pits that kept moving frantically in the middle of the floor section. Leaving concerts earlier than the end seems to be the new norm in Toronto, maybe due to public transportation hours, maybe due to the increase in violence at night, but I would say more than 90% of the crowd stayed at the venue until the very last second, and hopefully it won’t take long for the band to return to the city for another demented concert like Friday night.
Setlist We Like to Party (Vengaboys song) Destroyer of Dreams
Slaves Beyond Death
Death Squad Anthem
Make America Hate Again
Blood Throne
Join Me in Armageddon
Holy War
The Purest Strain of Hate
Godlike
Keres
Everything Unwanted
Reign of Darkness
Puppet Master
Band members Tyler Miller – vocals
Andy Marsh – lead guitar
Sean Delander – rhythm guitar
Kevin Butler – bass
Jesse Beahler – drums
A raw album of Portuguese Death Metal presenting a downward spiral into madness, a vision of our post pandemic society that’s slowly collapsing due to its many emerging social problems and near outbreaks of a world war.
A one-man Death Metal band formed in 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal out of the post-COVID pandemic by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist B.R. (aka Bruno Rodrigues), of bands like Rotem and Savager, the venomous beast named Hellwalker has just unleashed a raw and dirty EP titled Coldblooded, following up on the project’s 2023 self-titled debut full-length album. Continuing to worship the old school way and its sound while trying to push the threshold of the extreme by using lower guitar tunings with a more gruesome and dirtier chainsaw sound, low guttural vocals and a more polished production, Coldblooded is a downward spiral into madness, a vision of our post pandemic society that’s slowly collapsing due to its many emerging social problems and near outbreaks of a world war, showcasing B.R.’s talent and passion for the extreme during the album’s 27 minutes of visceral, raw Death Metal sounds while also enfolded by a sick artwork designed by our lone wolf himself.
The title-track Coldblooded starts in a dirty, obscure way with B.R. showcasing his most demented side through his wicked vociferations, or in other words, it couldn’t have sounded rawer than it already does, and he keeps extracting sharp and visceral sounds form his guitars and bass in Decimation while his deep gnarls will darken the skies in the name of primeval Death Metal. Love Turns into Hate is a mid-tempo tune where his riffs and drums walk hand in hand, sounding a little weird, in special the slower, darker moments, but overall it’s an interesting song; whereas Them Crooked Vultures is another eerie, cadaverous creation by our Portuguese lone wolf where his devilish vocals match perfectly the song’s somber rhythm, and with the utterly metallic sound of his bass reverberating inside our cranial skulls mercilessly.
In the thrilling Breath In Breath Out the multi-talented B.R. adds an amazing dosage of the Rock N’ Roll played by The Misfits to his wicked sonority, inviting us all to hit the dance floor and raise our horns by bringing to our avid ears an endless dosage of rebelliousness through his raspy vocals and caustic riffs. Then offering another round of old school extreme sounds blended with industrialized elements we have My Name Is Hate, with the song’s beats sounding like an evil assembly line while B.R. keeps growling in the name of darkness. And last but not least, the rhythmic Fantasmas (a Portuguese word that means “ghosts”) closes the album by presenting B.R.’s trademark fusion of Death Metal with rock and industrial sounds, sounding and feeling again absolutely dark and grim until the very end.
If you want to listen to Coldblooded in full to feel the fury and rawness emanating from B.R.’s vocals, riffs, bass and drums, you can find it on YouTube, on BandCamp, and on Spotify (where by the way you can also enjoy his 2023 self-titled debut album if you’re curious to listen to the evolution in his sound from that album to Coldblooded), as well as on Amazon Music and on Apple Music. Also, Hellwalker is not on any social media, showing how underground and primeval B.R. wants the project to be, proudly raising the flag of old school Death Metal in his homeland Portugal, and hoping for his vile noises to reach the four corners of the earth. Hellwalker is the absolute opposite of mainstream, and if that’s your cup of tea, go for Coldblooded as you won’t get disappointed at all.
Best moments of the album:Decimation and Breath In Breath Out.
Worst moments of the album:Love Turns into Hate.
Released in 2024 Rot’em Records
Track listing 1.Coldblooded 4:20
2.Decimation 3:32
3.Love Turns into Hate 1:57
4.Them Crooked Vultures 4:49
5.Breath In Breath Out 3:46
6.My Name Is Hate 5:28
7.Fantasmas 3:15
This ruthless Polish brigade returns with their sophomore album crafted as a revival of the old school Death Metal sound, bringing the horrors of war while also inspired by the vast, dystopian universe of Warhammer 40k.
Three years after the release of the excellent Blightmarch, Warsaw, Poland-based Death Metal brigade Chainsword returns to the front with their sophomore opus, titled Born Triumphant. Recorded at Primate 666 Studio (vocals, guitars and bass) and by by Mikołaj Kiciak at Santa Studio (drums), mixed, mastered and reamped by Haldor Grunberg at Satanic Audio, and displaying a warlike artwork by Paweł Charkowski, Born Triumphant was crafted as a revival of the old school Death Metal sound, wit its lyrics being based on horrors of war and/or inspired by the vast, dystopian universe of Warhammer 40k, all brought into being by vocalist Herr Brummbär, guitarists Sarin Spreizer and Herr Hoffman, bassist Wutender Ente, and drummer Herr Feldgrau.
Like a ruthless brigade form hell the band begins their Death Metal onrush with Nekrodermis, where the riffs by Sarin Spreizer and Herr Hoffman will inspire you to bang your head nonstop in the name of war and evil, whereas the devilish, deep vociferations by Herr Brummbär will haunt your damned souls in Sinistramanus Tenebrae, while Herr Feldgrau keeps hammering his drums in a classic Death Metal extravaganza. After that we have Wrapped in Barbed Wire and Yellow Fog, another pulverizing display of Death Metal where Wutender Ente hammers his bass mercilessly while the bands guitar duo cuts our skin deep with their sick riffs, meaning it should work extremely well if played live; and there’s no time to breathe as they keep delivering sheer aggression and gore in Abominable Intelligence, a beyond heavy and infuriated tuned where Herr Brummbär’s roars sound visceral. And in Grand Funeral Pyre we face guest vocals by GÄMBIT, who bursts his lungs screaming (therefore adding a extra rebellious vibe to the music) while the band puts the pedal to the metal in the most thrashing way imaginable.
Switching gears to a more cadenced rhythm and vibe while still sounding demonic and heavy, Herr Feldgrau smashes his drums in an ode to 90’s Death Metal titled Ov Flesh and Steel, setting the stage for the band’s guitars to shine; then featuring guest vocalist Janek Kulinicz, Trident, Rise! is a headbanging composition by Chainsword that sounds a bit like a random Metallica song (except for the guttural vocals of course), followed by Death to the Enemies ov Man, a merciless Death Metal attack by those Polish marauders where Herr Feldgrau obviously sounds inhumane on drums, leading his bandmates to total annihilation. The second to last song of the album, entitled Mankind’s Last War, offers us all six minutes of no shenanigans, straightforward Death Metal that’s true to the foundations of the genre, with their guitars, bass and drums sounding tight and sharp until the very last second, and there’s still time for one final blast of brutality titled L-G P, again showcasing the guttural roars by Herr Brummbär amidst an endless amount of heaviness and rage.
The imposing Born Triumphant is available for a full and detailed listen on YouTube and on Spotify, but if you consider yourself a true trooper of Death Metal you should support the band by buying a copy of the album from their own BandCamp or by clicking HERE, and don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and all other things surrounding the most ruthless brigade to ever arise from Poland. In a nutshell, Chainsword once again bring the horrors of war in the form of top-of-the-line Death Metal in their newborn opus, a highly recommended soundtrack to dive deep into the muddy trenches of the warfield as the battle rages on.
Best moments of the album:Sinistramanus Tenebrae, Wrapped in Barbed Wire and Yellow Fog and Death to the Enemies ov Man.
Worst moments of the album:Trident, Rise!.
Released in 2024 Independent
Track listing 1. Nekrodermis 3:36
2. Sinistramanus Tenebrae 4:20
3. Wrapped in Barbed Wire and Yellow Fog 3:10
4. Abominable Intelligence 2:59
5. Grand Funeral Pyre 3:55
6. Ov Flesh and Steel 4:22
7. Trident, Rise! 5:16
8. Death to the Enemies ov Man 5:03
9. Mankind’s Last War 6:00
10. L-G P 6:30
Band members Herr Brummbär – vocals
Sarin Spreizer – guitar
Herr Hoffman – guitar
Wutender Ente – bass
Herr Feldgrau – drums, backing vocals
Guest musicians GÄMBIT – vocals on “Grand Funeral Pyre”
Janek Kulinicz – vocals on “Trident, Rise!”
Behold the debut album by an American band that’s the epitome of brutality, drawing together two horrors, two powers from beyond the light, the essence of Death Metal sent spinning into a dominion of torture beyond understanding.
Welcome to a kingdom of the obscene and absurd, where reason is dissected and destroyed and reality is warped into nightmare. That’s the kingdom ruled by Boise, Idaho-based Technical/Brutal Death Metal entity Brutalism, who’s unleashing upon humanity their debut effort titled Solace In Absurdity. Mixed and mastered by Dante Haas and Jake Hotchkiss, and displaying a sick artwork by Moon Ring Design, the first ever full-length album by Cameron Bass on vocals, Jason Taylor and London Howell on the guitars, Ian Dodd on bass, and Dante Haas on drums draws together two horrors, two powers from beyond the light, the essence of Death Metal sent spinning into a dominion of torture beyond understanding, being therefore recommended for fans of the brutality blasted by renowned bands like Morbid Angel, Immolation, Defeated Sanity and Suffocation.
Introlism is a brutal, gory attack by the quintet, where Dante already crushes his drums manically supported by the visceral riffs by Jason and London, not to mention how metallic the bass by Ian feels; whereas showcasing one of the best lines from Conan as its intro, the pulverizing Asphyxiating on Vomitous Excretion presents a rabid Cameron on vocals, growling and barking nonstop while his bandmates deliver sheer sonic violence in the name of Brutal Death Metal. The title-track Solace in Absurdity offers another two minutes of dementia in the form of Death Metal, with Cameron delivering his trademark “breeeeees” while Dante sounds infernal behind his drums; and the band sounds even more infuriated and bloodthirsty in Astrocytomic Hemorrhaging, taking their Brutal Death Metal sonority to a whole new level with their guitar solos feeling absolutely sharp. It’s then time to slam like a metalmaniac into the circle pit to the sound of the wicked bass by Ian in Accelerated Decrepitude, the perfect fusion of Technical and Brutal Death Metal with endless aggression, whereas in Flesh Pyramid we face a demented riff attack by Jason and London, of course boosted by the classic blast beats by Dante, resulting in another evil Death Metal feast.
In the demonic Sickening Synaptic Pathways, a horrifying intro quickly explodes into a venomous display of brutality and gore, with the pounding sound of their drums being supported by the massive, intricate bass lines by Ian, whereas the raw, devilish album production makes Compulsive Acts of Repulsion sound even heavier and more demented, or in other words, not recommended for the lighthearted, where once again the rumbling bass by Ian and the gruesome vociferations by Cameron exhale Death Metal. Elimination of the Heliosphere might be one of the most complex of all songs, but it still presents the band’s most demented side, and of course the final result is beyond thrilling with Ian and Dante stealing the show with their demolishing kitchen. Brutalism then show no sign of slowing down at all, smashing our cranial skulls with Consuming Obsession, with the guttural by Cameron sounding one hundred percent inhumane during the entire song; and lastly we have Asyncritus, beginning in a visceral, blood soaked manner with all band members showcasing their talent and passion for brutality. Moreover, there isn’t a single second of peace during the song’s massive seven minutes, with Dante taking the lead armed with his boisterous blast beats.
Solace In Absurdity is undoubtedly a gruesome and violent album of Death Metal, leaving us completely disoriented while at the same time eager for more of the sick creations by Brutalism. Hence, you can show your support to those American metallers by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their music on Spotify or any other streaming service, and of course, grab your desired copy of their demented debut album by clicking HERE (physical copy and merch) or HERE (Bandcamp), as well as from Apple Music, adding an extra share of sheer brutality to your already infernal collection. The band is not called Brutalism in vain, and if you have what it takes to face the endless aggressiveness found in Solace In Absurdity, you’re going to have a very good (and brutal) time.
Best moments of the album:Astrocytomic Hemorrhaging, Accelerated Decrepitude and Elimination of the Heliosphere.
Worst moments of the album:Solace in Absurdity, but only because it might be the less brutal of all songs.
Deliver your soul to this nine-track immersive Black Metal experience that will guide you through the inherent utter darkness of human condition and the cathartic search for enlightenment.
“SIC ITUR AD ASTRA”
On the shores of Portugal, deep in the north of the country, a creature lurks in the shadow. Forged in the fires of Barroselas, Viana do Castelo in 2019, Vøidwomb are a Black Metal quintet who’s back to the light after three years in the shades with their first full-length opus, titled Spiritual Apotheosis. Mixed and mastered by Diogo Santana at Noise Portrait Studios, with a cover painting by prolific painter Daniel Hermosilla of Nox Fragor Art, the follow-up to their debut EP Altars of Cosmic Devotion is a record about understanding darkness and sacrificing self to reach transcendence, a nine-track immersive Black Metal experience that will guide you through the inherent utter darkness of human condition and the cathartic search for enlightenment, all carefully brought into being by vocalist M.S.Vøid, guitarists Lord and Fractal, bassist F.S.Void, and drummer Noctvs.
Ominous and grim from the very first second, the extended intro Exordium will darken the skies before the band begins their vile black mass in Metempsychosis, featuring guest vocals by Diogo Santana (Fustilarian, Necrobode, Raw Decimating Brutality), offering us all five minutes of absolute darkness and hatred spearheaded by the Black Metal beats by Noctvs, while M.S.Vøid distills his venomous gnarls nonstop together with Diogo. Black Putrescence feels even more primeval and demonic than the opening track, with the guitars by Lord and Fractal piercing our damned souls mercilessly; whereas Liberation keeps the sulfur flowing majestically in the album, with the vociferations by M.S.Vøid matching perfectly with the massive, Stygian sounds blasted by his infernal bandmates, flowing like an uncontrolled, vile beast from the underworld until the very end.
The band then offers a cryptic (and way too long) interlude simply titled Interludium, once again blackening our minds and souls before those Portuguese metallers attack our senses with Vesselvoid, bringing forward seven minutes of sheer despair and void, with M.S.Vøid roaring from the depths of the underworld while F.S.Void and Noctvs sound thunderous with their respective bass and drums, resulting in a lecture in Black and Death Metal by the band. Then the atmosphere switches from the epicness of longer tunes to the violence of a short and devastating one titled Azoth, where the entire band sounds evil and tight during its less than three minutes of savagery, with of course Noctvs sounding beyond brutal on drums. Lastly, they blast our ears with another six-minute feast of Black and Death Metal entitled Coagulation, with their strident riffs and rumbling bass generating a menacing atmosphere perfect for M.S.Vøid’s eerie growls and gnarls, morphing into the outro Epilogus, presenting three minutes of desolate passages, grim sounds and tones, and an absolute sense of nothingness.
As mentioned, Vøidwomb will guide you through pitch black darkness in their excellent new album, and you can get to know more about such promising name of the current Portuguese scene by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming more of their eerie creations on Spotify or on any other streaming service, and above all that, by purchasing Spiritual Apotheosis from the Avantgarde Music’s BandCamp page, from Sound Cave, or by clicking HERE. In other words, let the Black Metal darkly crafted by Vøidwomb in Spiritual Apotheosis reach deep inside your rotten soul, joining them in darkness for all eternity. And so we go to the stars.
Best moments of the album:Metempsychosis, Vesselvoid and Azoth.
UK’s most hardworking Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore entity is back with their eight studio album, showcasing a band willing to expand its creativity without sacrificing the ferocity that made it one of the most impressively destructive names of the current scene.
Not many top-tier Death Metal bands can record and release an album a year and follow it with an extensive tour. That’s hardly ever been the case for Manchester, England’s crushing, visceral Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore entity Ingested. Since the release of their fifth album Where Only God May Tread, in 2020, the band has been on a creative tear that has produced almost a full record every year – even through the COVID pandemic – but has resulted in the kind of musical growth that only comes from constantly practicing, playing, and writing. Now in 2024 the band formed of frontman Jason Evans, guitarist Sean Hynes, and drummer Lyn Jeffs returns with their eight studio effort, titled The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams, sounding as innovative and brutal as their latest opus, the bleak, firestorm Ashes Lie Still, released in 2022. Displaying a stunning artwork by David Seidman, the album showcases a band willing to expand its creativity without sacrificing the ferocity that made it one of the most impressively destructive and technical Death Metal bands on the scene.
The opener Paragon of Purity is insanely slamming and brutal from the very first second, with Jason already sounding inhumane on vocals while Lyn hammers his drums without a single drop of mercy, whereas he keeps smashing our skulls in Endless Machine, another perfect depiction of modern-day Brutal Death Metal highly recommended for some mosh pit action; and an eerie start gradually evolves into another demented display of the band’s trademark sound in the form of Where No Light Shines, this time sounding more Deathcore than ever, with Sean kicking some ass with his devilish riffs. Then featuring guest vocals by Josh Middleton (Sylosis), it’s pedal to the metal in Expect to Fail, with Lyn taking the lead with his fast-paced beats while Jason and Josh make an infernal vocal duet sounding like two demons roaring to each other. After that, their fusion of Death Metal with Deathcore brings to our avid ears another bestial creation titled Starve the Fire, where Jason’s vocals reach a new level of insanity (similar to the latest creations by Ov Sulfur, by the way).
After an overdose of pure hatred and heaviness, the band brings forward an ethereal, enfolding (and a bit too long) interlude titled Numinous, soothing our melancholic souls before all hell breaks loose in In Nothingness, featuring guest vocals by Mark Hunter (Chimaira), with Mark adding his share of dementia to the overall result supported by the massive drums by Lyn, while Sean’s riffs are tailored for some brutal slamming. Pantheon is simply an ode to violence, blood and insanity by Ingested, with Jason proving why he’s one of the top voices of the current Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore scenes worldwide, and I can’t wait to witness the band delivering this wicked tune live; and Jason and the boys continue to deliver first-class aggression in Kingdoms of Sand, where Lyn’s drums sound insanely heavy and groovy. Put differently, this awesome song couldn’t have sounded catchier and more devilish. Finally, the last song of the album, A Path Once Lost, is also the longest and most intricate one, a sinister musical journey spearheaded by Jason’s introspective vocals while still presenting Ingested’s trademark violence, also showcasing a more melodic side of the band.
The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams is proof that once Ingested sniff out a trail of musical blood, they ravenously follow it until they’ve uncovered a festering feast. Hence, if you want to show your support to one of the most hardworking bands of the current extreme music scene, you can check what they’re up to on Facebook, and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel and also check them out on Spotify for more of their savage music, and above all that, purchase the venomous The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams from the Metal Blade Records webstore or by clicking HERE. I bet it won’t take long for Ingested to deliver another blast of their first-class fusion of Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore in the next couple of years, but it will certainly be really hard for them to beat the quality found in their newborn beast. I said hard, not impossible, because Jason, Sean and Lyn seem to be on an absolute roll in the past few years, and we can always expect the utmost excellence from those amazing musicians.
Best moments of the album:Paragon of Purity, Expect to Fail, Pantheon and Kingdoms of Sand.
Worst moments of the album:Numinous.
Released in 2024 Metal Blade Records
Track listing 1. Paragon of Purity 4:22
2. Endless Machine 3:37
3. Where No Light Shines 4:31
4. Expect to Fail 4:17
5. Starve the Fire 4:06
6. Numinous 3:50
7. In Nothingness 4:39
8. Pantheon 3:30
9. Kingdoms of Sand 5:23
10. A Path Once Lost 6:51
Band members Jason Evans – vocals
Sean Hynes – guitars, backing vocals
Lyn Jeffs – drums
Guest musicians
Josh Middleton – vocals on “Expect to Fail”
Mark Hunter – vocals on “In Nothingness”
Thomas O’Malley – bass (live)
An old school Death Metal project created by vocalist Alessandro Nunziati (Sepolcrum, Theatres des Vampires, Lord Vampyr, Malamorte, Cain) and guitarist Alessio Bucci (Spectroscopy, Fecal Impaction, Gravestone) in 2022 in Rome, Italy, the ruthless The Tomb will kick you in the head to the sound of their debut full-length album, titled The Valley of Despair. Recorded, mixed and mastered by SK (aka Stefano Nuccetelli, who’s also responsible for bass and drum programming in the album) at Music Up Studio, produced by SK and the band itself, and displaying a blood drenched artwork Julian Felipe Mora Ibañez, The Valley of Despair will certainly please fans of bands the likes of Massacre, Cancer, Carcass, Death and Pestilence, among others, exhaling classic Death Metal during its 29 intense minutes.
You can enjoy Valley of Despair in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, follow The Tomb on Facebook for more details about one of the heaviest duos hailing form Italy, and above all that, grab a copy of their wicked album from the Great Dane Records’ BandCamp page or from the Despise The Sun Records’ BandCamp page, keeping the fires of Italian Death Metal burning while you enjoy an album of pure aggression and savagery that will surely inspire you to break your neck headbanging like a true metalmaniac.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 