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Album Review – Undersave / Merged In Abstract Perdition (2025)

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These unheralded Death Metal heroes from Portugal return with their third opus, displaying a marked progression from their previous efforts without abandoning their core sound.

Unheralded Death Metal heroes from Portugal, Undersave have been carving their own path, and every half a decade or so we get an album that is a huge step ahead from the previous one. Mixed and mastered by Diogo Santana at Noise Portrait Recordings, and displaying a sinister artwork by Belial NecroArts (Hierarchies, Perishing, and many more), the band’s third full-length opus Merged In Abstract Perdition displays a marked progression from their 2018 sophomore Sadistic Iterations… Tales of Mental Rearrangement without completely abandoning their core sound, offering an infernal yet intricate slab of Dissonant Death Metal carefully crafted by Nuno Braz on vocals and guitars, André Carvalho also on the guitars, Renato Laia on bass, and Pedro Pereira on drums, being therefore tailored for fans of Immolation, Ulcerate, Replicant, Maere, Gorguts, Dysgnostic, and Saevus Finis, among others.

The band begins distilling their fusion of Progressive and Death Metal with experimental and uncanny sounds in Unshakable And Unlimited Levels Of Obsession, with the bass by Renato sounding utterly metallic and vibrant; and their feast of idiosyncratic sounds goes on in full force in Unconscious Assimilation…Path To Tangible Reality, with the vile guttural by Nuno being boosted by his own riffage alongside André’s also menacing guitar lines. Effervescent Futile Thoughts Of A Phobic Being is another excellent song with a creative and wicked title, with Pedro hammering his drums nonstop in a Progressive and Avantgarde Death Metal extravaganza, and Nuno and André simply shred their axes in Forced Retraumatization…Unlocking Spiritual Illumination, offering our avid ears an overdose of madness and intricacy. The band shows no mercy for our souls in Fictitious And Impermanent Self-Refinement, with Pedro taking the lead with his fulminating beats and fills, and there’s still time for more of their disruptive Death Metal in the form of Fathomless Contempt Nourished By Unrealistic Predictions, with Nuno roaring nonstop accompanied by the eerie sounds crafted by his bandmates. Last but not least, we’re treated to six minutes of pure insanity titled Narcissistic Supreme Alienation, where their experimental sounds and tones walk hand in hand with Pedro’s crushing drums.

In summary, Undersave may have just come up with a must-listen album for any fan of extreme music, rivalling if not surpassing not only their own albums but also those by the other luminaries in the style. Hence, you can find those talented Portuguese metallers on Facebook and on Instagram, including their pulverizing live shows, stream their unique creations on Spotify, and of course put your damned hands on Merged in Abstract Perdition from their own BandCamp or from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ BandCamp, main store, US store or EU store, or simply click HERE for all things Undersave. Merged in Abstract Perdition is indeed a masterful album that is at once dark, dissonant, and atmospheric, and once you dive deep into its vicious sounds, get ready for a one-way descent into madness.

Best moments of the album: Unconscious Assimilation…Path To Tangible Reality, Forced Retraumatization…Unlocking Spiritual Illumination and Narcissistic Supreme Alienation.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Unshakable And Unlimited Levels Of Obsession 5:39
2. Unconscious Assimilation…Path To Tangible Reality 5:20
3. Effervescent Futile Thoughts Of A Phobic Being 5:06
4. Forced Retraumatization…Unlocking Spiritual Illumination 5:43
5. Fictitious And Impermanent Self-Refinement 4:29
6. Fathomless Contempt Nourished By Unrealistic Predictions 5:34
7. Narcissistic Supreme Alienation 6:12

Band members
Nuno Braz – vocals, guitars
André Carvalho – guitars
Renato Laia – bass
Pedro Pereira – drums

Album Review – Vøidwomb / Spiritual Apotheosis (2024)

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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.

Worst moments of the album: Interludium.

Released in 2024 Avantgarde Music

Track listing
1. Exordium (Intro) 3:53
2. Metempsychosis 5:09
3. Black Putrescence 4:36
4. Liberation 4:51
5. Interludium 3:29
6. Vesselvoid 7:04
7. Azoth 2:41
8. Coagulation 6:19
9. Epilogus (Outro) 3:02

Band members
M.S.Vøid – vocals
Lord – guitars
Fractal – guitars
F.S.Void – bass, backing vocals
Noctvs – drums

Guest musician
Diogo Santana – vocals on “Metempsychosis”

Album Review – Colosso / Apocalypse EP (2020)

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Pestilence, War, Death and Famine masterfully turned into brutal and obscure Death Metal by a heavier-than-hell unity hailing from Portugal.

What if a vicious horde hailing from Portugal decided to turn the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, the Book of Revelation by John of Patmos, into gruesome and raw Death Metal? That’s exactly what a project formed in 2011, currently comprised of Max Tomé on guitars, keyboards and vocals, Alexandre Ribeiro (Grog) on bass and Robin Stone (Norse) on drums, collectively known as Porto, Portugal-based Death Metal unity Colosso, has to offer us all in their brand new EP simply titled Apocalypse, translating into modern and sharp Death Metal all the darkness flowing from the four riders Pestilence, War, Famine and Death.

After years of toiling in the underground, putting out six releases of ever-evolving Death Metal such as their debut full-length opus Peaceful Abrasiveness, in 2012, and more recently Rebirth, in 2018, Colosso seem to have reached their most demonic shape and form in Apocalypse, being highly recommended for fans of the music by Norse, Morbid Angel, Nile, Incantation and Suffocation, among other behemoths of extreme music. Mixed and mastered by Max Tomé himself, and featuring a beyond obscure album art by Phlegeton Art Studio, as well as guest vocals by Guilherme Henriques of Oak and Gaerea, Diogo Santana of Analepsy, and Sérgio Afonso of Bleeding Display, Apocalypse is an undoubtedly breathtaking and refreshingly diverse album, showcasing the myriad aspects of this bold and innovative Death Metal band without compromising on their aggressive, apocalyptic sound.

And pestilence and plague permeate the air in the vicious and heavy-as-hell Pestilence, blending the violence of Death Metal with the grim and infernal sounds of Blackened Doom while guest vocalist Guilherme Henriques barks and roars like a creature from the netherworld. Not only that, Robin smashes his drums mercilessly nonstop, with that disturbing and evil onrush of sounds going on and on until the song’s visceral ending. Then guest Sérgio Afonso lends his guttural vocals to Colosso in the also Stygian tune War, with the sounds of machine guns and explosions making the whole song even more realistic, leaning towards classic Death Metal. Moreover, Alexandre’s bass jabs and Robin’s beats feel like the epitome of evil, resulting in a pulverizing display of extreme music for lovers of the genre.

Max himself is responsible for the vocal duties in Death, a lot more melodic and crisper than its predecessors while still providing the band’s characteristic rawness and darkness. Furthermore, Max is spot-on with his razor-edged riffs accompanied by Robin’s intricate drums and, as a surprise, Max fires clean, ethereal vocals instead of the album’s characteristic putrid gnarls, bringing elements from Atmospheric Black and Doom Metal to Colosso’s core savagery. And last but not least, Diogo Santana provides his share of deep guttural roars to Famine, where the band gets back to their most demented and hellish mode, showcasing all band members in total sync led by Max’s strident riffs, while Robin sounds like a stone crusher on drums and, as a consequence, flirting with Brutal Death Metal at times.

In summary, if you’re an admirer of the meanest and heaviest side of Death Metal you must give these Portuguese metallers a very good try as Max and his henchmen have all it takes to explode your mind and darken your soul with their brand new installment Apocalypse, which by the way will soon be available from the band’s own BandCamp page and from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ webstore in distinct formats such as the awesome T-shirt + CD + Digital Download bundle. Also, don’t forget to show your support to Colosso by following them on Facebook and by listening to more of their somber creations on Spotify. As the four dreadful figures in the Book of Revelation who symbolize the evils to come at the end of the world get closer and closer to us, there’s nothing better than the avalanche of Death Metal roars crafted by Colosso to provide them a warm and friendly welcome, don’t you agree?

Best moments of the album: War and Famine.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Pestilence 8:14
2. War 4:07
3. Death 4:11
4. Famine 4:14

Band members
Max Tomé – guitars, keyboards, vocals on “Death”
Alexandre Ribeiro – bass
Robin Stone – drums

Guest musicians
Guilherme Henriques – vocals on “Pestilence”
Sérgio Afonso – vocals on “War”
Diogo Santana – vocals on “Famine”