Tag Archives: death metal

Album Review – Abatuar / Mortandad (2020)

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Beware this unstoppable Panamanian beast and his brand new destructive installment, continuing on the legacy of the ultra-conservative declaration of Death Metal and Grindcore.

Active since 2013 and following the previous album Perversiones de Muerte Putrefacta, the side project of the sick mind from vocalist and drummer Cadaver, the Panamanian Black/Death Metal entity known as Abatuar,  has just unleashed upon us all feeble-minded bastards a new destructive installment entitled Mortandad, continuing on the legacy of the ultra-conservative declaration of Death Metal and Grindcore with clear influences of old school bands such as Napalm Death, Repulsion, Blood and mixing these with the regimental militancy of Proclamation and Black Witchery. Recorded at the rehearsal room Plug & Play (while the vocals were recorded in 2018 at Sendero el Pianista, a trail located in the city of Boquete, Panama), mastered by M. Dahmen at Liquid Aether Audio in Germany in 2018, featuring a demonic artwork by Indonesian artist Bayu Putrasangfajar, and also featuring guest guitarist Yigo Manzo (Merciless Death, Atrofia) and bassist and guitarist Anibal Sucre (Enslaver, Hatross), Mortandad is filled not only with the purity of the genres perhaps due to the isolation of the Panamanian scene where they are from, but also soaked with the Central American brutality which they draw their lyrical influences from.

The razor-edge guitars by Yigo ignite the sulfurous Death and Black Metal feast titled Ritual Nigromante Por Medio De Profanación De Cámaras Funerarias, while Cadaver basically regurgitates the song’s dark lyrics and smashes his drums manically, followed by La Muerte Ha Llegado, Todos Lo Pueden Ver, Atare Tus Manos Hasta Que No Puedas Defenderte, another bestial, old school display of Death Metal infused with Grindcore elements where Cadaver sounds utterly demented and enraged on vocals, and Sanguinaria Ejecución De Individuos Despreciables, a venomous headbanging tune where Cadaver’s insane blast beats are nicely complemented by the scorching riffs by Yigo. Then the rumbling bass by Anibal together with the vile drums by Cadaver will make your head tremble in the ode to primeval Black and Death Metal beautifully entitled Perversa Psicopatía De Infantes Homicidas Que Juegan Con Sangre Y Vísceras, with its second half inspiring you to break your neck headbanging like a maniac; whereas in Solo Los Que Han Matado Entenderán Esta Sensación, No Puedo Esperar A Estrangular De Nuevo the trio needs less than two minutes to decimate everything and everyone that crosses their path, showcasing demented drums accompanied by a crisp guitar solo by Anibal.

Rameras Desfiguradas Y Enterradas Vivas En Antro De Tortura Y Depravación Demoniaca is one more short and vile explosion of extreme music made in Panama, with Cadaver’s deep guttural gnarls adding an extra dosage of malignancy to the music, being therefore highly recommended for fans of the early days of Mayhem and Marduk. After such infernal tune it’s time for Trastorno Esquizoide De Trisomía Sexual XYY Con Impulsos Asesinos Y Necrofílicos, drawing inspiration from the sexual bestiality usually found in Goregrind while the guitars by Yigo couldn’t have sounded dirtier nor rawer, followed by Estrangulamiento De Prostitutas Callejeras Como Medio De Liberación De La Ira Y Lujuria, where a demolishing start to the sound of the sick beats by Cadaver and the thunderous bass by Anibal morphs into a gory and evil Death Metal extravaganza that will smash your skull mercilessly. And there’s not a single second to breathe as Cadaver and his henchmen explode our ears once again with Exterminio Humano Por Hambruna E Inanición Sistemática En Regiones Sublevadas, overflowing depravity, obscurity and blasphemy in the form of ass-kicking Death Metal. Lastly, an ominous, cinematic and cannibalistic intro suddenly explodes into a putrid onrush of Death Metal titled Rituales Necrófagos En La Selva Maldita, led by Cadaver’s gruesome vociferations. All I have to say is that this is what I call a spine-chilling ending to a metal album.

The distinguished, demonic and violent fusion of Black and Death Metal with Grindcore crafted by Cadaver in Mortandad can be experienced in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, and you can also follow the multi-talented Cadaver and his Abatuar on Facebook, but of course in order to properly show your support to evil music made in Panama you should purchase a copy of the album from the Dunkelheit Produktionen’s BandCamp page or webstore, from Ván Records, from Apple Music, from Amazon or from Discogs. In addition, why don’t you try translating the names of the songs (and their respective lyrics) and see what Cadaver has to say in Mortandad, which by the way is the Spanish word for “mortality”? I bet not only you’ll feel even more intimidated by his scorching metal music, but you’ll also see the decaying world we live in is nothing but a big, infernal and gruesome slaughterhouse.

Best moments of the album: La Muerte Ha Llegado, Todos Lo Pueden Ver, Atare Tus Manos Hasta Que No Puedas Defenderte, Perversa Psicopatía De Infantes Homicidas Que Juegan Con Sangre Y Vísceras and Estrangulamiento De Prostitutas Callejeras Como Medio De Liberación De La Ira Y Lujuria.

Worst moments of the album: Sanguinaria Ejecución De Individuos Despreciables.

Released in 2020 Dunkelheit Produktionen

Track listing
1. Ritual Nigromante Por Medio De Profanación De Cámaras Funerarias 2:58
2. La Muerte Ha Llegado, Todos Lo Pueden Ver, Atare Tus Manos Hasta Que No Puedas Defenderte 2:06
3. Sanguinaria Ejecución De Individuos Despreciables 2:07
4. Perversa Psicopatía De Infantes Homicidas Que Juegan Con Sangre Y Vísceras 4:15
5. Solo Los Que Han Matado Entenderán Esta Sensación, No Puedo Esperar A Estrangular De Nuevo 1:49
6. Rameras Desfiguradas Y Enterradas Vivas En Antro De Tortura Y Depravación Demoniaca 1:32
7. Trastorno Esquizoide De Trisomía Sexual XYY Con Impulsos Asesinos Y Necrofílicos 2:54
8. Estrangulamiento De Prostitutas Callejeras Como Medio De Liberación De La Ira Y Lujuria 2:40
9. Exterminio Humano Por Hambruna E Inanición Sistemática En Regiones Sublevadas 3:52
10. Rituales Necrófagos En La Selva Maldita 4:25

Band members
Cadaver – vocals, drums

Guest musicians
Yigo Manzo – guitars (session)
Anibal Sucre – bass, lead guitars (session)

Album Review – Chancroid / Bestial Perverse Of The Anomalies Psychoneurotic (2020)

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An up-and-coming Indonesian Brutal Death Metal trio is ready to kill with their debut opus, offering us all an onrush of psychological depravity, gore and terror.

Formed in 2011 in Bekasi, a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta, where the underground music scene teems with sounds of insane brutality and extremity past the point of reason, an unrelenting unity that goes by the name of Chancroid plays a furious blend of Brutal Death Metal and Deathslam that stands out for its blood curdling bludgeoning, even amongst those rabid, gore hungry hordes. Formed of vocalist Wira (Infinite Torture, Vomit Larynx, Hypocrisis), guitarist and bassist Hendri (Gyarotium, Hujjat) and drummer Arief (Digging Up, Opium), Chancroid are ready to please all lovers of the gore and endless brutality by bands such as Devourment, Skinless and Disgorge, among others, with their debut full-length release beautifully titled Bestial Perverse Of The Anomalies Psychoneurotic, an avalanche of psychological depravity, gore and terror, all embraced by the vile cover art and layout by Indonesian artist Aghy Purakusuma.

Like a good slasher flick the album starts with a phantasmagorical Intro, dragging the listener to the violent and gory world ruled by Chancroid with Coitus Deification Terminology showcasing straightforward lyrics vomited by Wira (“Bestiality ordered sacrilege committing / Deified sinners, morals depravity / Divine excoriated / Scriptures mockery / The terminology of new order”), sounding raw and visceral from the very first second with Arief hammering his drums manically, and even more infernal the band offers us all the putrid Maximum High Tension Penetrating, a pure, unfiltered Brutal Death Metal tune where Hendri fires some Cannibal Corpse/Aborted-inspired riffs accompanied by the always inhumane gnarls by Wira. And in Xyy, another blast of undisputed violence and dementia by Chancroid, it becomes very clear that although they might be only three guys, they surely know how to make a lot of noise, with Arief once again going berserk and furious behind his drum kit.

Hebephrenia is a cryptic instrumental interlude once again highly inspired by the greatest classics of the horror cinema, filling our ears with its darkly beautiful sounds and tones before the band attacks our senses once again in Bestial Perverse of the Anomalies Psychoneurotic, bringing forward another round of bestiality in the form of wicked lyrics (“From the chamber of atrocity / Brutal heavy killing machine / Inhuman deviations / Consists of lust and voracious / The anomaly / Stench of blood / Arousal concordance / Amalgamated / Bestial creature / Bestial perverse of the anomalies psychoneurotic”), hellish blast beats and scorching riffs. Chancroid continue their path of sheer devastation and savagery in Sadomasochist, where Hendri lives up to the legacy of classic shredding beasts while Wira doesn’t stop vociferating rabidly in this ode to Death Metal, and there’s no time to breathe as the trio continues to smash our cranial skulls in Abysmal Tranquility, where Hendri and Arief make a dynamic duo from hell with their classic riffs and beats, respectively. In Distortion Cognitive of Malicious they need less than three minutes to pulverize everything and everyone that crosses their path in a lecture in Brutal Slamming Death Metal spearheaded by the vicious drumming by Arief, and how about ending the album with more bestiality, blood and violence? That’s exactly what they offer us all in Haemophilus Ducreyi Inoculated, with Wira sounding truly demonic and enraged on vocals.

If you have never, ever in your life had any type of contact with a metal band from Indonesia, let’s say Chancroid might be one of the best options for you to start on the underground Indonesian scene, as not only they play high-end Death Metal, but their compositions are also very cohesive, entertaining and, above all that, very professional for a band that has just released their first album. Hence, let’s support this hellish Indonesian trio by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, and by purchasing a copy of the fulminating Bestial Perverse Of The Anomalies Psychoneurotic from their own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon. Wira, Hendri and Arief are more than ready to kill with their debut effort in the name of Death Metal, warning us all that this is only the first chapter in their history of underground brutality.

Best moments of the album: Maximum High Tension Penetrating, Bestial Perverse of the Anomalies Psychoneurotic and Distortion Cognitive of Malicious.

Worst moments of the album: Haemophilus Ducreyi Inoculated.

Released in 2020 Brute! Productions

Track listing
1. Intro 1:55
2. Coitus Deification Terminology 2:41
3. Maximum High Tension Penetrating 2:44
4. Xyy 3:11
5. Hebephrenia (Instrumental) 3:16
6. Bestial Perverse of the Anomalies Psychoneurotic 4:26
7. Sadomasochist 3:27
8. Abysmal Tranquility 3:07
9. Distortion Cognitive of Malicious 2:47
10. Haemophilus Ducreyi Inoculated 3:01

Band members
Wira – vocals
Hendri – guitars, bass
Arief – drums

Album Review – Intercepting Pattern / The Encounter (2020)

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A free-flowing 30-minute long composition ebbing and flowing between heavy syncopated grooves, Jazz fusion flourishes, ethereal synth-layered passages and cybernetic Death Metal.

Formed in 2016 in the city of Berlin, Germany, a distinguished Progressive Metal unity known as Intercepting Pattern is comprised of vocalist Daniel Sander, guitarist and keyboardist Marte Auer, bassist Clemens Engert and drummer Lille Gruber, all seasoned musicians known for their time in projects such as Defeated Sanity, Infecting the Swarm and Cerebric Turmoil. Produced, mixed & mastered by Tom ‘Fountainhead’ Geldschläger at FountainheadHQ and featuring a stunning artwork by Niklas Sundin (Mitochondrial Sun, Dark Tranquillity), Intercepting Pattern’s debut effort, entitled The Encounter, was created and designed as one free-flowing 30-minute long genre-bending composition, ebbing and flowing between heavy syncopated grooves, Jazz fusion flourishes, ethereal synth-layered passages and cybernetic Death Metal with seamless ease, appealing to fans of groups such as Meshuggah, Cynic and Panzerballett, among others. For release purposes, The Encounter is split into 10 “song” sections, although it is strongly suggested to listen to it in one session as it was intended when being created.

Clearly inspired by classic TV shows and movies that dealt with alien forms of life, the opening track Extragalactic Radio presents Lille and Clemens bringing endless groove and intricacy to the music with their beats and bass punches while Marte adds a touch of finesse to the overall result with his riffs and solos, flowing into the Progressive Death Metal feast titled Signal-to-Noise, where Daniel fires anguished, raspy roars accompanied by the always blazing guitars by Marte, resulting in an excellent option for breaking your neck headbanging. And their mysterious, otherworldly story goes on in Interlude I, an atmospheric and futuristic creation by Intercepting Pattern that will certainly send shivers down your spine before Eigenlicht offers us all Jazz and Blues united with the band’s hybrid of Progressive and Groove Metal, or in other words, a complex and extremely enjoyable tune where Marte and Lille are in absolute sync with their incendiary riffs and beats, whereas Hypnagogia is another wicked instrumental creation by the quartet with Clemens’ bass jabs making your head tremble in awe, all spiced up by background voices and ethereal keys, and running smoothly until its whimsical conclusion.

Interlude II is a cinematic bridge created to keep the listener hypnotized and eager for what’s next, as Daniel returns in full force with his rabid growls in Rebiogenesis, with the band’s razor-edged guitars and rumbling bass together with the sick drums by Lille generating a multi-layered wall of sounds for our total delectation. Then featuring guest Jimmy Pitts (Eternity’s End, Eynomia, NorthTale, NYN, The Fractured Dimension) on keyboards we have Fuga Finalis, an explosion of Progressive Groove Metal infused with Jazz and other idiosyncratic sounds and tones. Not only that, can you feel the anger bursting from Daniel’s roars? It’s sick and amazing at the same time, of course. And the music makes an instant bridge with the also demented and progressive Asmodeus, sounding as bold and weird as possible while led by the jamming beats by Lille, being therefore highly recommended for musicians who love the fusion of metal and Jazz, before the outro Epilogue ends the album in a cryptic and again atmospheric manner, with its instrumental pieces exhaling melancholy and heaviness until all is said and done.

“Having played in various metal bands before, we were kind of drawn to modern jazz and fusion records at the time and wanted to challenge ourselves with a more complex and improvisational approach to music. Of course, being the metal kids that we are, we couldn’t totally hide from our roots, but overall we tried to emphasize extended harmonic concepts and recurring rhythmic motives common to a Jazz/Fusion context”, commented the band about their newborn spawn, and after listening to the album in its entirety it’s easy to understand exactly what they wanted to accomplish in The Encounter. Needless to say, they more than succeeded in their quest, and if you want to give Intercepting Pattern a try you can grab your copy of The Encounter from the Rising Nemesis Records’ BandCamp page, and soon also from the Rising Nemesis Records’ Big Cartel and from IndieMerchstore. You can also get to know more about the band by following them on Facebook, showing your appreciation for their wicked hybrid of Heavy Metal and Jazz, and inspiring them to keep exploring the outer space and alien life with their refined music for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Signal-to-Noise, Rebiogenesis and Fuga Finalis.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Rising Nemesis Records

Track listing
1. Extragalactic Radio 3:26
2. Signal-to-Noise 1:56
3. Interlude I 1:38
4. Eigenlicht 3:07
5. Hypnagogia 3:56
6. Interlude II 1:46
7. Rebiogenesis 4:48
8. Fuga Finalis 2:34
9. Asmodeus 4:35
10. Epilogue 2:15

Band members
Daniel Sander – vocals
Marte Auer – guitars, synths
Clemens Engert – bass
Lille Gruber – drums

Guest musician
Jimmy Pitts – guest keyboards solo on “Fuga Finalis”

Album Review – The Glorious Dead / Into Lifeless Shrines (2020)

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Ranging from blasting intensity to a more down-trodden doom crawl, enjoy over 50 minutes of “Filthy Northern Death Metal” by this talented Michigan, US-based act.

Founded by T.J. Humlinski (Feast Eternal) and Marty Rytkonen (Prosthesis, Slaunchwise, Charnel Valley, Bindrune Recordings) in Traverse City, a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, Death Metal four-piece act The Glorious Dead is a band that finds its roots planted somewhere back in 2008 and 2009 with the three-song demo The Burdensome Ceremony of Internment. Upon suffering a few line-up changes the band went dormant until 2017, when drummer Chris Fulton (Reasonable Deception, Neither) relocated to the area and agreed to join the band. With Chris Boris from the Northern Michigan band and forest metal stalwarts Pan permanently joining the ranks on bass, the band finalized a two-year quest and all necessary material for their debut full-length album Into Lifeless Shrines, offering the listener songs that range from blasting intensity to a more down-trodden doom crawl. Highly influenced by ancient Death Metal and the 80’s darkened thrash movement, The Glorious Dead focuses on memorable and diseased sounding riffs lurking at its core in Into Lifeless Shrines, resulting in the rise of what they like to call “Filthy Northern Death Metal”.

The eerie, cinematic intro Solium Mortis opens the gates of hell to the putrid and violent Vitreous Hemmorhage, a solid and straightforward Death Metal song with no shenanigans where T.J. roars and growls like a creature of the underworld while his bandmates generate a venomous ambience with their instruments, whereas Chris Fulton pounds his drums nonstop in the heavy-as-hell The Noise of Gravediggers, another bestial Death Metal feast with T.J. and Marty extracting sheer savagery from their stringed axes, living up to the legacy of renowned acts like Cannibal Corpse, Deicide and Morbid Angel. And they keep smashing our skulls with their brutality in Cranial Festering, where Chris Boris and Chris Fulton generate a dense and menacing base perfect for T.J. to thrive with his gruesome gnarls, maintaining the album at a high level of aggressiveness and obscurity.

The band then ventures through the realms of Doom Metal and Blackened Doom, and the final result is a sluggish and grim creation entitled Tenebris Arca, with the slashing sound of the guitars bringing an extra touch of malignancy to the overall result, while the crushing beats by Chris Fulton dictate the rhythm in the venomous Putrefactive Adoration, a brutal display of classic Death Metal shredding by the band’s guitar duo, all spiced up by the always vile guttural by T.J. After such high level of dementia, it’s time for the quartet to arise from the pits of the netherworld and fire one more round of bestiality in the form of Reunite in Grotesque, a lecture in old school Death Metal with no artificial elements, just plain, unfiltered violence, tons of shredding and the unstoppable beats by Chris Fulton. And even darker than its predecessors, Celebrate the Corpse blends Death and Doom Metal with subtle nuances of Black and Thrash Metal, presenting a great job on the guitars by both T.J. and Marty while Chris Boris keeps delivering endless groove through his bass punches.

Into Lifeless Shrines, one of their oldest compositions, comes smashing our heads mercilessly, showcasing a violent pace boosted by the song’s austere lyrics while once again bringing to our avid ears classic Death Metal spiced up by the most Stygian elements from Doom Metal, and the rumbling bass by Chris Boris kicks off the also visceral Leave it with the Worms, where the guitars by T.J. and Marty will pierce your ears while Chris Fulton gives us all a very good reason for slamming into the pit. Following this ode to darkness, Cannibal Corpse-inspired riffage and intricate and berserk beats are the main ingredients in the Death Metal extravaganza titled The Ruin of Flesh, with T.J. demonstrating all his skills as a growler once again, and there’s nothing better than a huge dosage of gore and violence to end a Death Metal album, which is exactly what you’ll get in Exordium of Decay, with its wicked guitar solos and hammering drums keeping the music vibrant and grim until the song’s climatic finale.

If you consider yourself a fan of underground Death Metal, then you should definitely give the guys from The Glorious Dead a try, as their raw and pulverizing creations might be exactly what you’re looking for in extreme music. Hence, don’t forget to follow them on Facebook for news, tour dates and other details about the band, and purchase a copy of Into Lifeless Shrines from the Bindrune Recordings’ BandCamp page or webstore, fueling The Glorious Dead to keep demolishing our heads and disturbing our peace with their frantic and heavy Death Metal for many years to come. Put differently, let’s all hail the northern hordes of Death Metal together with the talented metallers from The Glorious Dead, with Into Lifeless Shrines marking the most cohesive and detailed step in their career so far.

Best moments of the album: The Noise of Gravediggers, Tenebris Arca and Reunite in Grotesque.

Worst moments of the album: Celebrate the Corpse.

Released in 2020 Bindrune Recordings

Track listing
1. Solium Mortis (Intro) 1:42
2. Vitreous Hemmorhage 4:17
3. The Noise of Gravediggers 5:02
4. Cranial Festering 3:16
5. Tenebris Arca 5:27
6. Putrefactive Adoration 4:21
7. Reunite in Grotesque 4:14
8. Celebrate the Corpse 5:33
9. Into Lifeless Shrines 4:20
10. Leave it with the Worms 4:11
11. The Ruin of Flesh 5:25
12. Exordium of Decay 4:37

Band members
T.J. Humlinski – vocals, guitars
Marty Rytkonen – guitars
Chris Boris – bass
Chris Fulton – drums

Album Review – Pandemmy / Subversive Need (2020)

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A violent and primeval feast of Death and Thrash Metal by one of the most promising names of the Brazilian Northeastern metal scene.

Transitioning between the realms of Death and Thrash Metal just like several Brazilian bands from the 2000’s,  Recife, Pernambuco-based act Pandemmy have recently released their third full-length album, titled Subversive Need, recommended for fans of the aggressive and primeval sound blasted by renowned bands like Kreator, Sepultura, Carcass and Hypocrisy. Produced by the band’s own vocalist and guitarist Guilherme Silva and guitarist Pedro Valença, and featuring a classic artwork by Deafbird Design Lab, Subversive Need showcases an evolution in the sound of Pandemmy since their inception in 2009, offering the listener the same level of violence and heaviness while exhibiting a much more polished and professional overall production when compared to the previous efforts by Guilherme and Pedro together with their bandmates Marcelo Santa Fé on bass and Vitor Alves on drums, therefore positioning Pandemmy as one of the most promising names of the Brazilian Northeastern metal scene.

Raw and putrid from the very first second, the opening track Deforestation is an old school Death Metal tune led by the deep guttural roars by Guilherme, while Vitor alternates between doomed and visceral beats, setting the stage for the vicious Neohate and its in-your-face lyrics (“New legions ignore words of insanity / Blind hordes of prejudice and hypocrisy / Christians are enemies of their own god / Rotten rich and stupid elite who hates the poor / Your vote repeats the past / Your choice are lies that hurt / Neohate, old hate! / Generations alienate / Neohate, old hate! / We will fight, you shall fall”) while the band delivers sheer violence from their sonic weapons, with Guilherme and Pedro being on fire with their dirty Thrash Metal riffage. And they keep smashing our heads with their old school sonority in Free Mumia (A Panther In The Cage), where Guilherme, Pedro and guest Danilo Coimbra bring forth berserk riffs and solos while Vitor doesn’t stop crushing his drums in a solid fusion of Death and Thrash Metal.

Then eerie guitars are boosted by the rumbling bass by Marcelo in the heavy-as-hell Webchaos, a great option for slamming into the circle pit while the band generates a menacing atmosphere, also featuring the gruesome roars by guest Lohy Fabiano, whereas investing in a more frantic, thrashing sound the quartet pulverizes our ears in Xenophobia, showcasing an excellent job done by both guitarists while at the same time reminding me of some of the creations by bands like Slayer, Testament and Exodus. After such demented song, a somber intro morphs into the melodic, mid-tempo I Choose My Blood, where the guitars by Guilherme and Pedro sound truly lancinating, always supported by Marcelo and his menacing bass punches, and getting closer to the Melodic Death Metal played by Arch Enemy but with the band’s own Brazilian twist.

Terror Paranoia offers our avid ears another blast of their straightforward Death and Thrash Metal, with Vitor taking the lead with his vicious beats while Guilherme’s deep roars are nicely supported by his bandmates’ classic backing vocals. On the other hand, I’m not sure what their intention was in The Illusion Of Suffering, as they undoubtedly failed in their experiment  to mix harsh vocals with acoustic passages, sounding like a big mess in the end despite the fact their guitar lines are quite decent. Fortunately for all of us, Pandemmy get back to their boisterous mode in Charlottesville, bringing forward a demented sonority showcasing venomous growls, slashing riffs and pounding beats, clearly inspired by the horrible neo-Nazi movement that sadly put the city in the worldwide map of racism, with a final sinister and progressive jamming putting an end to such meaningful composition.

You can enjoy this feast of Thrash and Death Metal made in Brazil in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show your true support to the underground scene you can purchase Subversive Need from Pandemmy’s own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon, and also follow the band on Facebook, on Instagram and on YouTube. Guilherme, Pedro, Marcelo and Vitor still have a long road ahead of them to reach stardom in the world of heavy music, but we must admit they’re working hard and developing their own sound with each one of their releases, with Subversive Need giving us all a very good idea of what to expect from those Brazilian metallers from now on.

Best moments of the album: Free Mumia (A Panther In The Cage), Webchaos and I Choose My Blood.

Worst moments of the album: The Illusion Of Suffering.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Deforestation 2:19
2. Neohate 4:00
3. Free Mumia (A Panther In The Cage) 3:15
4. Webchaos 4:16
5. Xenophobia 5:17
6. I Choose My Blood 4:11
7. Terror Paranoia 3:20
8. The Illusion Of Suffering 1:40
9. Charlottesville 7:19

Band members
Guilherme Silva – vocals, guitars
Pedro Valença – guitars
Marcelo Santa Fé – bass
Vitor Alves – drums

Guest musicians
Danilo Coimbra – guitars on “Free Mumia (A Panther In The Cage)”
Lohy Fabiano – vocals on “Webchaos”

Album Review – Dethlehem / Maelstrom of the Emerald Dragon (2020)

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Raise your swords and enjoy this epic album of Melodic Death Metal that will make you want to bang your head while beating the living shit out of magical creatures.

Hailing from Ghorusalem (it’s actually Pittsburgh, a city in western Pennsylvania, in the United States, but please bear with us), the warriors of Dethlehem have traveled through time and space to fight against dragons, wizards, warlocks, leviathans, shape-shifters and a shit ton of other things that needed to die since their inception in 2008. Despite the gimmick, it would be a big mistake to think that Dethlehem’s sound is no more than a witless joke. Truth be told, once you enter their realm you’ll face some good and epic Melodic Death Metal, as the fourth full-length opus from this four-piece army formed by Brutalitus the BloodBeard on vocals, Paladin Bovice on the guitars, Ranger Grimshaw Longfellow on bass and Overlord Brom on drums, entitled Maelstrom of the Emerald Dragon, harnesses the spirit of old whilst drawing from the power of modern Death Metal, creating a multi-layered sound that becomes even more compelling if you go full Dungeons & Dragons with the “Story Mode” edition of the album. Featuring an original artwork by American artist Joe Mruk (Red Buffalo Illustration), Maelstrom of the Emerald Dragon presents a band that has truly stepped up their game, sounding tighter and more technical than ever, showcasing a more progressive take on Death Metal and covering a lot of ground on an album that will make you want to bang your head while beating the living shit out of magical creatures.

And the story begins with Prelude – As Fate Would Have It, where acoustic guitars permeate the air before all hell breaks loose in A Tale That Time Forgot, with all band members blasting ass-kicking Melodic Death Metal sounds led by the raspy roars by Brutalitus, also bringing forward some good breaks and variations, a considerable amount of progressiveness and endless epicness. Although I understand Interlude I – Cloud Megalopolis is the explanation to the beginning of the adventure, it’s way too lengthy for people like me who prefer music rather than talking, sounding like one of those frustrated Manowar interludes from their latest albums; however, back to what really matters, which is metal music, the quartet fires another berserk, groovy and heavy-as-hell tune titled Return to the Halls of Madness, where Overlord Brom does an amazing job pounding his drums with strength and fury accompanied by the scorching riffs by Paladin Bovice, and they keep smashing their instruments in Mind Flayer, where Paladin Bovice’s guitar lines walk hand in hand with the rumbling and groovy bass by Ranger Grimshaw Longfellow, also bringing an Iron Maiden-ish vibe to make things even more vibrant.

Interlude II – Task for the Bog Witch is another interlude to advance the storyline, shorter and more entertaining with a lot of special “characters”, setting the stage for Escape From Wolf Mountain, a lot heavier and also more metallic than its predecessors, with Brutalitus growling manically and, consequently, injecting more adrenaline to the story being told, while Overlord Brom fires classic, furious beats nonstop, followed by the also frantic Beware the Mimic, showcasing a flammable fusion of classic Death Metal with Epic and Melodic Death Metal where once again Paladin Bovice shreds his strings in great fashion, all spiced up by the song’s old school lyrics (“Terrorize / In the rivets and wood lives teeth and eyes / Biding time / Ready to strike and dissolve your insides / This quagmire in plain sight / The treasure it holds is…”). After another decent bridge titled Interlude III – A Ravenous Storm where the heroes interact with a couple of funny giants, it’s time for a brutal extravaganza titled On the Backs of Giants, with sheer epicness flowing from its lyrics (“We rode on the backs of giants through the snow / Making our way through fractured ice / This journey lumbers on”) while all band members craft another vibrant and dark ambience with their respective instruments.

Gelatinous Cube Labyrinth is perhaps the most modernized tune of the album, with its guitars and bass at the same time piercing your mind and punching you in the stomach, flirting with Progressive Death Metal while Paladin Bovice adds a touch of awesomeness to the overall result with his sick guitar solos, whereas Interlude IV – Welcome to Your Doom is obviously another interlude preparing the listener for the final chapter of the story, with our heroes facing a witch and a dragon in The Emerald Dragon, bringing to our avid ears over seven minutes of melodic passages, clean and harsh vocals, thunderous bass punches and crisp guitars, while Overlord Brom sounds absolutely mental on drums from start to finish, flowing smoothly until its epic conclusion and setting the tone for the outro Interlude V – Cyclical Past, putting an interesting conclusion to the album while making the heroes “aware” of “the listeners”, leaving us all eager for more of their fantasy stories. Well, as it’s mentioned during the outro, the story is “to be continued”, which means we’ll hear a lot more from those dauntless metal warriors in a not-so-distant future.

There are actually two versions of the album available, one with no theatrical interludes for those who just want the music, and the full experience presented in the form of the semi-cohesive story that intertwines with the musical tracks, as reviewed above. You can stream the simpler version with no interludes in full on Spotify or purchase it from the band’s own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon, or you can prove yourself a true metalhead, grab your sword and shield, and buy the full Story Mode version of Maelstrom of the Emerald Dragon also from their BandCamp page. In addition, don’t forget to join Dethlehem in their quest for metal by following them on Facebook, on Instagram, and by subscribing to their YouTube channel, staying up to date with all things Dethlehem, knowing where their next battles (or live concerts, if you prefer) will happen, and getting useful tips on how to ride giants while fighting witches and dragons at the same time you listen to their crushing and modern extreme music.

Best moments of the album: A Tale That Time Forgot, Escape From Wolf Mountain and On the Backs of Giants.

Worst moments of the album: Interlude I – Cloud Megalopolis.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Prelude – As Fate Would Have It 1:53
2. A Tale That Time Forgot 6:00
3. Interlude I – Cloud Megalopolis 4:20
4. Return to the Halls of Madness 5:01
5. Mind Flayer 5:04
6. Interlude II – Task for the Bog Witch 1:53
7. Escape From Wolf Mountain 4:00
8. Beware the Mimic 5:52
9. Interlude III – A Ravenous Storm 1:56
10. On the Backs of Giants 4:54
11. Gelatinous Cube Labyrinth 5:06
12. Interlude IV – Welcome to Your Doom 3:39
13. The Emerald Dragon 7:36
14. Interlude V – Cyclical Past 1:36

Band members
Brutalitus the BloodBeard – vocals
Paladin Bovice – guitars
Ranger Grimshaw Longfellow – bass
Overlord Brom – drums

Guest musicians
Lord Bonecrush – narrator, boisterous witch, Overlord Brom, backing vocals
Dan Behrens – Magic Man Dan
Bridget Yeager – Veldras
Dan Gold – giant 1, giant 2
Leighann Calamera – valley girl witch
Doyle M. Daigle II – Nildorph
Jack – himself

Album Review – Resin Tomb / Resin Tomb EP (2020)

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A newborn Australian quartet offers in their debut effort a thrilling blend of dissonant Death Metal with flesh-ripping Black Metal and visceral grind madness.

Formed just two years ago by members of the underground Australian bands Hell Sounds, Descent and Snorlax, the furious Brisbane, Australia-based Death Metal/Grindcore unity Resin Tomb is unleashing upon us their debut self-titled EP, offering a blend of dissonant, intricate and soul-crushing Death Metal with flesh-ripping Black Metal and visceral grind madness at times as their signature sound, exuding a vibe not too far removed from one of their other projects, Snorlax. Recorded and mixed at Black Blood Audio, mastered by Simon at Empty Hall Studio, and featuring an old school, cadaverous artwork by Ethan Lee McCarthy (from bands like Primitive Man and Vermin Womb), the EP will decimate your senses with its five grotesque tracks full of bestial and serpentine riffs coupled with a skull-crushing percussion and guttural vocals, showcasing how vile the Dissonant Death Grind played by vocalist Matthew Budge, guitarist Brendan Auld, bassist Mitch Long and drummer Perry Vedelago can be.

Get ready to be smashed like an insect by Resin Tomb in the eerie and acid opening track Abrogate, blending the savagery of Grindcore with the obscurity of Black Metal while Matthew gnarls rabidly and Brendan cuts your skin deep with hi riffs, whereas Penance is even more devastating, sinister and atmospheric, presenting an amazing job done by Perry with his intricate and demonic beats, while Mirch’s bass generates a thunderous background perfect for the piercing roars by Mathew, therefore resulting in a lesson in contemporary Death and Black Metal infused with Deathcore elements. Then the strident riffs by Brendan ignite the also menacing Surfacing, an infernal Black Metal extravaganza spearheaded by the crushing drums by Perry while Matthew’s gruesome gnarls penetrate deep inside your psyche; and rumbling, vicious guitars and bass lines permeate the air in the short and absolutely violent Prostrated, with Brendan once again firing sheer darkness and wrath through his riffs, accompanied by the pounding beats by Perry and the always hellish growls by Matthew. And last but not least we have Bestial, where the name of the song says it all, bringing to our avid ears a brutal and of course bestial display of extreme music displaying the most visceral elements from Black and Death Metal. Furthermore, Brendan and Mitch are on fire with their stringed weapons, providing Matthew all he needs to shine with his deranged screams and gnarls, ending the album on a truly demented note.

Not only you can show your support to this sinister, up-and-coming horde from Australia by listening to their debut EP in full on YouTube and on Spotify, but you can (and should) also purchase a copy of it from the band’s own BandCamp page, from the Brilliant Emperor Records’ BandCamp page or webstore in LP format or as an LP + longsleeve shirt bundle, or from Amazon. Also, don’t forget to give the boys a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, keeping up to date with their upcoming releases, live concerts (whenever this COVID-19 madness is over, of course) and other nice-to-know details about the band, keeping the flames of extreme music burning bright in the always prolific Australian metal scene.

Best moments of the album: Penance and Bestial.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Brilliant Emperor Records

Track listing
1. Abrogate 1:53
2. Penance 3:02
3. Surfacing 3:59
4. Prostrated 1:35
5. Bestial 5:16

Band members
Matthew Budge – vocals
Brendan Auld – guitars
Mitch Long – bass
Perry Vedelago – drums

Album Review – Vesicarum / Reign Of Terror EP (2020)

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Follow the story of a serial killer from his beginnings through stages of murder and torture in the form of crushing and visceral Death Metal made in the UK.

Formed in 2016 as a solo project by vocalist Glynn Neve and growing in early 2018 to include guitarists Martin Shipton and James Thompson, bassist Orla Blue Reed and drummer Donal McGee, Vesicarum are a visceral five-piece Death Metal band from Kent, UK bursting at the seams with brutal energy, featuring frantic, technical riffing topped off with Glynn’s signature vocal style, unleashing upon us now in 2020 their debut EP Reign Of Terror. By the way, the name “vesicarum”, meaning “to fester” in Latin, is an ode to the sinister nature of the band’s music and lyrical content. Featuring darker subjects including serial killers and The Ankou (The Graveyard Watcher), the central lyrical theme is hatred, while the band describes their music as an adrenaline rush that is a great escape from the stresses and strains of life. “The EP tells a story of a serial killer from his beginnings through stages of murder and torture,” states Glynn, complementing by saying that “The first four songs on the EP are about the killer and his development – however the last track [Undivine End] switches to the victim’s point of view – it was written to give the listener the impression of a victim tied up in the killer’s torture chamber awaiting his demise.”

Bringing to our ears a fusion of Groove and Death Metal, the sick bass punches by Orla match perfectly with the deep roars by Glynn in the opening track Reign Of Terror and its horror flick-inspired lyrics (“Using my nails to tear at the skin / My ghastly life is about to begin / I’m in a frenzy my head starts to spin / My patience in these scum is wearing real thin / Committing murder is a pleasurable sin / Always giving me a sinister grin / Acts of horror, such a beautiful thing / Pure fucking evil, pure fucking grim”), whereas The Sick And The Depraved sounds even groovier and more imposing from the very first second, with Glynn growling manically accompanied by the slashing riffs by James and Martin, also presenting elements from the Death Metal by renowned acts such as Obituary and Unleashed. Then it’s time for Donal to crush his drum set in Midnight Slasher, a true headbanger where the guitars by James and Martin are spitting fire while Orla generates a rumbling atmosphere in the background, feeling modern and at the same time loyal to classic Death Metal. Early Warning Signs Of A Serial Killer brings forward more insanity and fear in the form of extreme music, showcasing another bestial kitchen work by Donal and Orla while Glynn continues to distill his venomous, guttural vocals. In other words, simply crack your neck headbanging to this sick tune until the disturbing outro Undivine End captivates your senses, offering us all eerie instrumental passages that sound as if the whole song was taken form an actual horror movie.

The psychological terror blasted by Vesicarum through their undisputed Death Metal in Reign Of Terror can be better appreciated in full on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course you can show your deep passion for extreme music by purchasing the EP from Vesicarum’s own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon, and also by following the band on Facebook, on Instagram and on YouTube, filling your ears with all the wrath, violence and heaviness flowing from the band’s crushing music and, therefore, leaving us all curious to witness the next chapter in the career of this up-and-coming UK-based squad in their reign of violence, insanity and metal.

Best moments of the album: The Sick And The Depraved and Early Warning Signs Of A Serial Killer.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 One Eyed Toad Records

Track listing
1. Reign Of Terror 6:23
2. The Sick And The Depraved 3:30
3. Midnight Slasher 4:33
4. Early Warning Signs Of A Serial Killer 3:20
5. Undivine End 2:14

Band members
Glynn Neve – vocals
James Thompson – guitars
Martin Shipton – guitars
Orla Blue Reed – bass
Donal McGee – drums

Album Review – Barbaric Horde / Axe of Superior Savagery (2020)

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An uncanny entity from Portugal is unleashing upon us a savage beast that lives up to the legacy of dirt and raw old school Black Metal.

The gates to the underworld are open in the beautiful city of Lisbon, Portugal, thanks to the venomous and unrelenting fusion of Black and Death Metal played by a mysterious entity that goes by the name of Barbaric Horde, ready to decimate your senses and leave you completely disoriented after the 28 minutes of infernal music found in their debut full-length opus, nicely titled Axe of Superior Savagery, are over. Featuring an old school artwork by Warhead Art and layout by Maciej Kamuda Art, Axe of Superior Savagery is a much bolder beast than their 2016 demo Gasmask Perpetrators and their 2017 demo Tainted Impurity, while at the same time keeping the band’s utterly raw and dirty core musicality intact, therefore living up to the legacy of the early days of Black Metal.

And this uncanny Portuguese entity quickly arises from the pits of hell with the fulminating opening track Tyrant of the Dark Trynity, offering our putrid ears a high dosage of evil in the form of insane blast beats, crude riffs and Stygian vociferations. Put differently, it can’t get any more underground than this, followed by Antichrist Command, bringing forward blasphemous, acid lyrics (“Flames of holocaust unconquerable / A new world alliance / Forged on the caustic fires of vengeance / Hideous fiends throw the kings head to the rats / One by one the knife will do god’s work”) amidst another infernal and visceral display of Black Metal infused with Death Metal elements. Then rumbling, doomed bass lines permeate the air in the also wicked Venomous Infernal Carnage, with extreme aggression flowing from their riffage while the song’s apocalyptic and tribal beats give the overall sonority a sense of despair and violence; and even more disturbing than its predecessors, Barbaric Provocation is a lesson in primeval Black Metal showcasing gruesome gnarls and roars, while the guitars and bass keep reverberating and piercing our ears mercilessly.

Furious and frantic drums dictate the rhythm in the ode to darkness and blasphemy titled Bow Before the Altar of Satan, where razor-edged guitar riffs will cut your skin deep and make you bleed in the name of extreme music, whereas the title-track Axe of Superior Savagery will simply smash your skull with its fusion of the rawest forms of Black and Death Metal. Hence, it couldn’t have sounded more demonic, as if Cannibal Corpse and Mayhem merged into one single entity of pure evil. Vicious guitars and a menacing, bold atmosphere are the main ingredients in the also disturbing chat Storms of Primitive Violence, sounding and feeling berserk and insane form start to finish, also presenting a very raw sound that will please all fans of the genre, before they offer us all one final blast of demented sounds not recommended for the lighthearted in the form of Wrath of Goetic Glorification, where truly demonic growls from the depths of the underworld lead this sick display of pure and unfiltered Black Metal, ending the album on a perturbing note.

Barbaric Horde’s infuriated display of Black and Death Metal can be better appreciated in its entirety on YouTube, and you can also show your support to the underground of the underground by listening to more of their music on Spotify and by purchasing Axe of Superior Savagery from the Godz ov War Productions’ BandCamp or webstore, from Rex Diaboli’s BandCamp or Big Cartel, or from Discogs. This eerie Portuguese horde, which I suspect is formed by two devilish members, is showing a lot of potential with Axe of Superior Savagery, aiming at carving their name in the Portuguese metal scene as one of the most barbaric, inhumane and dirty entities playing our beloved Black Metal, consequently putting a huge smile on Satan’s face for effectively representing him in our decaying and rotten world through their hellish music.

Best moments of the album: Antichrist Command and Bow Before the Altar of Satan.

Worst moments of the album: Venomous Infernal Carnage.

Released in 2020 Godz ov War Productions/Rex Diaboli

Track listing
1. Tyrant of the Dark Trynity 4:23
2. Antichrist Command 3:02
3. Venomous Infernal Carnage 4:32
4. Barbaric Provocation 2:57
5. Bow Before the Altar of Satan 3:27
6. Axe of Superior Savagery 3:03
7. Storms of Primitive Violence 3:34
8. Wrath of Goetic Glorification 3:31

Band members
*Information not available*

Album Review – Texas Murder Crew / Everyone’s Last Breath EP (2020)

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Capturing the music of the flies buzzing to the sight and stench of inhuman cruelty, this Dallas, Texas-based act will pulverize your senses with the boiling, filthy sound of their debut opus.

Capturing the music of the flies buzzing to the sight and stench of inhuman cruelty in their wicked creations, Dallas, Texas-based Brutal Death Metal/Deathslam six-piece act Texas Murder Crew will pulverize your senses with the boiling, filthy sound of their debut EP entitled Everyone’s Last Breath, drowning you as you reach in agonized desperation for a hand held out in pity. Featuring the dual guttural vocals of Logan Ross and Brent Wells, offering differing shades of sickening brutality, a thick wave of riffs by guitarist Kevin Clark (Devourment, Kill Everything), crushing foundations by bassist Timothy Dewayne Ratcliff and drummer Benjie Quezada, and hallucinatory shadows and the buzzing of the flies by Terry Burleson and his samplers, Everyone’s Last Breath is a must-have album for fans of underground brutality and rage, sounding absolutely verminous and gruesome, and having your body twitching, hungry for violence throughout its 17 minutes of unrelenting extreme music.

As soon as you hit play, a truly cinematic, somber intro grows in intensity until all hell breaks loose, preparing the listener for the pulverizing Curse of Humanity, with Brent and Logan making a bestial vocal duo with their sick gnarls and screeches while Kevin and Timothy decimate their stringed weapons mercilessly, resulting in a Brutal Slamming Death Metal avalanche infused with tons of groove and infinite aggressiveness. Destroy the Witness is another devastating lesson in Death Metal where Logan fires his Cannibal Corpse-inspired riffs while Timothy and Benjie shake the foundations of the earth with their thunderous instruments, not to mention how inhumane the vocals by both Brent and Logan sound, and if you thought they were going to slow down their savagery you’re utterly wrong, as the band keeps smashing our skulls in Beneath My Feet, offering us all three minutes of putrid, wicked Death Metal where Kevin once again takes the lead with his sick riffage. The band’s demented vocal duo continues to bark and vomit their gruesome words in the title-track Everyone’s Last Breath, with Benjie sounding like a stone crusher on drums, or in other words, this is a dense and cohesive Death Metal feast that perfectly represents the band’s dexterity and passion for brutality. Finally, Terry kicks off the closing tune Stronghold with his sinister samplers, being gradually joined by the violent sounds blasted by his bandmates, requiring only a little less than two minutes to annihilate us all.

There are multiple locations where you can put your dirty and blood-soaked hands on Everyone’s Last Breath, such as the band’s own webstore, Comatose Music’s BandCamp and webstore, Amazon, and other alternative options such as Randy’s Record Shop and Saturn. Also, let’s show the guys from Texas murder Crew our total support by following them on Facebook and on Instagram to know more about their music, tour dates and plans for the future, keeping the fires of Brutal Death Metal alive for many years to come and, of course, making sure those talented death metallers will keep delivering their wicked and brutal creations until their very last breath.

Best moments of the album: Curse of Humanity and Everyone’s Last Breath.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Comatose Music

Track listing
1. Intro 1:39
2. Curse of Humanity 3:31
3. Destroy the Witness 4:00
4. Beneath My Feet 2:50
5. Everyone’s Last Breath 4:19
6. Stronghold 1:29

Band members
Brent Wells – vocals
Logan Ross – vocals
Kevin Clark – guitars
Timothy Dewayne Ratcliff – bass
Terry Burleson – samplers, backing vocals
Benjie Quezada – drums