Tag Archives: enrico “h.” di lorenzo

Album Review – Overtoun / Death Drive Anthropology (2026)

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This Chilean unrelenting outfit offers in their third album a true Book of Death forged in sound, channeling the death drive into a relentless exploration of human rituals, mortality, and cultural collapse.

Expanding their fierce Chilean/American identity, channeling the death drive (Thanatos) into a relentless exploration of human rituals, mortality, and cultural collapse – a true Book of Death forged in sound – Santiago, Chile and Boston, Massachusetts-based Progressive/Technical Death/Thrash Metal beast Overtoun returns in full force with their third offering, entitled Death Drive Anthropology, the follow-up to their 2021 sophomore This Darkness Feels Alive. Recorded at Estudio del Sur, and produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Martín Furia at Somma Productions, the new album by Yoav Ruiz-Feingold on vocals, Matias Bahamondes on the guitar, Matias Salas on bass, and Agustin Lobo on drums further cements the band as one of the most compelling and forward-thinking forces emerging from the Latin American metal landscape. Rooted in the primal force of 90’s death-thrash yet sharpened by a modern, incisive edge, the album fuses Latin rhythms, folk-tinged guitars, and razor-tight riffs, being therefore a must-listen for admirers of the music by Carcass, Atheist, and Revocation, among others.

The album couldn’t have started in a better and more demented way than with What Unites All, featuring guest vocalist Max Phelps (Cynic, Death to All), with Matias Salas and Agustin sounding absolutely mental with their heavy-as-hell, groovy kitchen. Yoav keeps roaring like a beast in the very technical, melodic yet brutal The Final Beat, blending the most caustic elements from Death and Thrash Metal, and after a cryptic intro the music evolves into another feast of progressive violence in Memento Mori, featuring guest vocalist Enrico H. Di Lorenzo (Hideous Divinity), where Agustin once again dictates the pace while Matias Bahamondes slashes his axe nonstop. Their wicked riffs and pounding drums are the main ingredients in the electrifying Dur Khrod, inviting us all to slam into the pit in the name of our good old Death and Thrash Metal; whereas their progressive vein pulses even harder in Jade, Gold, Obsidian, led by the intricate and flammable riffage by Matias Bahamondes. And in Yūrei they offer a more modern side of their core musicality, alternating between groovy moments and extreme aggression.

Matias Salas  beautifully steals the spotlight with his metallic bass in Weeping, as if Sepultura, Dream Theater and Machine Head had a bastard son (who loves Death Metal), which of course translates into total sonic brilliance. Guest Shantanu Vyas (Hazing Over) lends his desperate vocals to the band in Wind and Water, keeping the album at an extreme level of violence and progressiveness; and we then face a killer three-part extravaganza, starting with the 30-second intro The Waves Suite: Siren, setting the stage for The Waves Suite: Ocean, where the band goes almost full tribal with their ruthless sounds, flowing like an arrow on fire in the dark until The Waves Suite: Caleuche puts a very melodic ending to such an interesting aria. The band still has the icing on the cake to offer in the album, the title-track Death Drive Anthropology, inviting us all to slam one last time with them to the sound of the demonic roars by Yoav.

As mentioned, Death Drive Anthropology aims at channeling the death drive into a sonic Book of Death that examines how different cultures confront mortality, violence, collapse, and rebirth through ritual and art, and if you want to feel part of such an exciting metallic ritual, you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their amazing music on YouTube or on Spotify, and above all that, grab a copy of the album from the band’s own BandCamp, as well as from the Time To Kill Records’ webstore. In other words, simply open the Book of Death written by these talented Chilean metallers, and let their sounds bring to your soul the always exciting duality between life and death.

Best moments of the album: What Unites All, Weeping and Death Drive Anthropology.

Worst moments of the album: Wind and Water.

Released in 2026 Time To Kill Records

Track listing
1. What Unites All 5:23
2. The Final Beat 4:46
3. Memento Mori 6:38
4. Dur Khrod 3:54
5. Jade, Gold, Obsidian 4:00
6. Yūrei 5:25
7. Weeping 5:28
8. Wind and Water 4:05
9. The Waves Suite: Siren 0:23
10. The Waves Suite: Ocean 4:11
11. The Waves Suite: Caleuche 1:42
12. Death Drive Anthropology 4:23

Band members
Yoav Ruiz-Feingold – vocals
Matias Bahamondes – guitar
Matias Salas – bass
Agustin Lobo – drums

Guest musicians
Max Phelps – vocals on “What Unites All”
Enrico H. Di Lorenzo – vocals on “Memento Mori”
Shantanu Vyas – vocals on “Wind And Water”

Album Review – Engulf / The Dying Planet Weeps (2024)

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A one-man studio Death Metal act drawing influence from all dark corners of the extreme music realm returns with his massive and savage debut full-length album.

A one-man studio Death Metal act drawing influence from all dark corners of the extreme music realm, New Jersey, United States-based entity Engulf is back with its catchy riffs, gnarly vocals and brutish yet dark vibes in the project’s massive and savage debut full-length album, titled The Dying Planet Weeps. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Chris Kelly, mastered for vinyl by Carlo Altobelli at Toxic Basement Studio, displaying an otherwordly artwork by Pär Olofsson (with additional artwork by Chris Kiesling of Misanthropic-Art, and logo by Steve Crow of Malevolent Icons), and featuring an array of very special guest musicians, the album is the perfect follow-up to the three story-driven EP’s released between 2017 and 2019, showcasing all the talent and passion for heavy music by the project’s mastermind, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Hal Microutsicos.

Eerie, cryptic sounds permeate the air in the opening tune Withered Suns Collapse until all explodes into a Technical Death Metal attack by our lone wolf, where he not only extracts sheer violence from his riffage, but his guttural roars also bring endless insanity to the song. Then featuring guest vocals by Kevin Muller (of Alluvial), Bellows from the Aether offers more of Hal’s groovy and dissonant Death Metal, supported by the rumbling bass by session musician Giacomo Gastaldi (of Darkend); and Hal keeps hammering his instruments in The Nefarious Hive, featuring guest vocals by the one and only Sven de Caluwé (of Aborted), who delivers his deep, inhumane growls as expected, making a devilish vocal duo with Hal. After such inspiring metal attack, Ominous Grandeur brings elements from Doom and Black Metal to Engulf’s already demonic sonority, resulting in over five minutes of insanity and heaviness where the bass by Giacomo sounds absolutely rumbling until the very end.

The second half of the album will hit you hard in the head with its even heavier and more venomous sounds, starting with Lunar Scourge, a brutal and evil attack of Death Metal by Hal with its blast beats and sick riffage inviting us all to join Engulf in pitch black darkness, whereas Plagued Oblivion, featuring a guest guitar solo by Pat Bonvin (of Near Death Condition), reminds me of some of the wicked creations by Death Metal veterans Unleashed, also presenting some sick elements from Black Metal in its riffs. Then featuring guest vocals by Enrico “H.” Di Lorenzo (of Hideous Divinity) and a guest guitar solo by Chris Kelly, Earthbore is a six-minute journey through the realms of cryptic and savage Death Metal, starting in a serene manner before morphing into a Dissonant Death Metal extravaganza led by the wicked riffs by Hal, flowing into the title-track The Dying Planet Weeps, an extended instrumental outro that follows the same pattern of the previous song, but that takes away a bit of the album’s energy due to its length.

The multi-talented Hal Microutsicos and his demented beast Engulf are waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram with more nice-to-know details about the entire project, and you can also stream his wicked creations on Spotify and on several other streaming services. Furthermore, in order to show Engulf your utmost support, you can purchase a copy of The Dying Planet Weeps by clicking HERE (physical version) or HERE (digital version), inspiring Hal to keep crafting first-class Death Metal for years to come. The Dying Planet Weeps will surely please most fans of all types of Death Metal due to its versatility and dynamism, once again proving how important one-man or one-woman bands are to the continuity of the underground scene.

Best moments of the album: Bellows from the Aether, The Nefarious Hive and Earthbore.

Worst moments of the album: The Dying Planet Weeps.

Released in 2024 Everlasting Spew Records

Track listing
1. Withered Suns Collapse 5:51
2. Bellows from the Aether 3:31
3. The Nefarious Hive 3:38
4. Ominous Grandeur 5:19
5. Lunar Scourge 4:28
6. Plagued Oblivion 4:45
7. Earthbore 6:11
8. The Dying Planet Weeps 2:19

Band members
Hal Microutsicos – vocals, all instruments, drum programming

Guest musicians
Giacomo Gastaldi – bass (session)
Kevin Muller – vocals on “Bellows from the Aether”
Sven de Caluwé – vocals on “The Nefarious Hive”
Pat Bonvin – guitar solo on “Plagued Oblivion”
Enrico “H.” Di Lorenzo – vocals on “Earthbore”
Chris Kelly – guitar solo on “Earthbore”