Tag Archives: jordan varela

Album Review – Dichotomy / Lucifer Owns The Fence (2026)

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This American death dealer strikes again with a new solo project, overflowing with rampant Death Metal riffs, firmly anchored to the roots of the genre but hitting with a powerful contemporary impact.

The multi-talented Jordan “HeavenHammer” Varela knows Death Metal. The essence of it runs through his veins. He’s the drummer for the crushing Lust of Decay, the multi-instrumentalist behind the ferocious music of Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement, and a former member of legends of brutality Lividity. Now in 2026 this Charlotte, North Carolina-based death dealer strikes again with his new solo project, the venomous Dichotomy, and its debut offering Lucifer Owns The Fence. Overflowing with rampant Death Metal riffs, firmly anchored to the roots of the genre but hitting with a powerful contemporary impact, the album is a must-listen for fans of Hate Eternal, Deicide, Immolation, and Cannibal Corpse, among others, resulting in one of the most formidable and accomplished albums of Jordan’s career.

A demented guttural scream kicks off Jordan’s insane journey in He Is…, presenting no shenanigans, no artificial elements, just pure Death Metal madness flowing from his vocals, riffs and drums, and his relentless drumming is boosted by his metallic bass in The Antithesis, another bestial display of Death Metal by Jordan, followed by What A God, where he continues to blend old school sounds with a modern twist. Moreover, his guitar and bass work sounds amazing as usual, not to mention his drumming is demonic as expected. Jordan’s deep guttural will haunt your frail souls in The Fence, again presenting his trademark brutality for our total delight; while Better To Be Drowned With A Millstone Around The Neck carries an amazing title for a Death Metal song, and Jordan makes sure the music is just as harsh as those venomous words.

There’s no sign of Jordan slowing down or selling out at all in The Perseverance; quite the contrary, he keeps firing inhumane growls, Stygian riffs and demolishing beats and fills until the very last second. In The Greatest Lie Ever Told nobody but Jordan himself is sure which lie he’s talking about (as there are so many), but the Death Metal coming from his riffage and gruesome vocals will surely inspire you to slam into the pit even if you don’t like Death Metal. Through Christ We Live offers our putrid ears less than three minutes of pure savagery by Jordan, not recommended for the faint at heart, pounding our cranial skulls with his trademark beats and fills, until we face Satan Will Kill You, but let’s say Death Metal will save you, where his metallic bass and nonstop drums combo sounds like a sonic earthquake, ending the album on the most demented note imaginable.

Every note, every beat, every excoriating roar found in the nine tracks of unequivocal Death Metal on Lucifer Owns The Fence is the work of Jordan Varela, and if you want to show such a hardworking, talented and passionate metaller your support and admiration, you can find him and his Dichotomy on Facebook, and of course purchase a copy of his breathtaking new offering from the project’s own BandCamp, as well as from Rottweiler Records. In other words, be prepared for a monumental Death Metal assault to the sound of the fulminating Lucifer Owns The Fence, opening up the pit for a high dosage of violence and, therefore, fueling the unstoppable Jordan Varela to deliver another blast of Death Metal under Dichotomy in a not-so-distant future. It’s always amazing to witness one single person being responsible for an undisputed, demented high level of aggression and noise, and if there’s one thing Jordan has mastered doing, that is certainly delivering us all that and more in his solid career.

Best moments of the album: He Is…, What A God and Satan Will Kill You.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Rottweiler Records

Track listing
1. He Is… 4:45
2. The Antithesis 3:28
3. What A God 2:49
4. The Fence 3:37
5. Better To Be Drowned With A Millstone Around The Neck 3:37
6. The Perseverance 2:30
7. The Greatest Lie Ever Told 3:21
8. Through Christ We Live 2:54
9. Satan Will Kill You 3:21

Band members
Jordan Varela – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Lust Of Decay / Entombed In Sewage (2025)

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Twenty five years since their tale of terror began, the demigods of death return with their long awaited, gory and brutal fourth full-length album.

Twenty five years since their tale of terror began and far too long a time since the release of their last album Purity Through Dismemberment back in 2006, the demigods of death, legends of the underworld, Kings Mountain, North Carolina-based Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore beasts Lust Of Decay have returned, carrying with them in their bloodstained, disease riddled hands something bleak and soul destroying, ten new commandments of depravity and tragedy, new incitements to violence and degradation, their long, long awaited fourth full-length album, Entombed in Sewage. Mixed and mastered by Tony Tipton at Metal Foundry, and displaying a gory, demented artwork by the indomitable Daemorph, the new opus by vocalist Jay Barnes, guitarist Steve Green, bassist Ryan Coulter, and drummer Jordan Varela has a surprisingly bright and vibrant sound that brings every element, every weapon in the Lust Of Decay armory into play to tremendous effect, being therefore perfect for fans of Cannibal Corpse, Psycroptic, Disavowed, and Prostitute Disfigurement.

Prepare your damned bodies for a wild and gruesome ride starting with Parasitic Exsanguination, a demented display of the band’s trademark Death Metal where Jordan sounds absolutely inhumane on drums, and they managed to sound even heavier and more deranged in Hallucinations of the Decrepit, where Jay’s demonic growls are the epitome of madness and violence. The screeching of dirty pigs ignite Nourishing the Swine, another exhibit of pure violence and gore by the quartet where once again Ryan and Jordan make the earth tremble armed with their infernal kitchen; and you’ll be smashed into pieces in the best Cannibal Corpse-style in Fetal Contamination Process, led by Steve’s infuriated, scathing riffage.

Rusty Razor Rimjob requires no comments about its title, while the music is just as gory and depraved, with Jay vomiting its visceral words amidst an overdose of Death Metal insanity. Jay sounds even more demonic in Order 66, inviting us all to crush our damned skulls into the pit, not to mention how fulminating Jordan is once again behind his drums. Put differently, it can’t get any more Death Metal than this, whereas Desiccate the Epithelium sounds beyond perfect for breaking your neck into tiny pieces headbanging like a true maniac to the nonstop riffs by Steve. Finally, they offer our putrid ears the horror movie-like title-track Entombed in Sewage, starting in an cinematic manner before all hell breaks loose to the heavy artillery crafted by Steve, Ryan and Jordan.

Unleashed upon the world like a knife from the dark into the throat of the festive season, Entombed In Sewage is a must-listen for fans of absolute brutality and gore, and you can put your putrid hands on such a precious gem of the extreme scene by grabbing a physical copy of the album and merch by clicking HERE, or from Comatose Music’s BandCamp. Don’t forget to also give those guys a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, keeping an eye on their live concerts, and to stream their sick music on Spotify or any other platform. Needless to say, if you refuse to do so, get ready to be mercilessly entombed in sewage.

Best moments of the album: Hallucinations of the Decrepit, Order 66 and Entombed in Sewage.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Comatose Music

Track listing
1. Parasitic Exsanguination 4:26
2. Hallucinations of the Decrepit 4:01
3. Nourishing the Swine 4:29
4. Fetal Contamination Process 3:58
5. Rusty Razor Rimjob 3:45
6. Order 66 3:41
7. Desiccate the Epithelium 3:45
8. Entombed in Sewage 5:18

Band members
Jay Barnes – vocals
Steve Green – guitars, backing vocals
Ryan Coulter – bass
Jordan Varela – drums

Album Review – Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement / Constructing The Cataclysm (2022)

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A demonic American duo is back in action with eight songs of fiercely implacable Death Metal bristling with riffs like lethal weapons and devilish growls, inspired by the history and mythology of the samurai.

Drawing on the complex history and vibrant mythology of the samurai, the powerful warrior caste of feudal Japan, Gastonia, North Carolina-based outfit Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement has carved out their own kingdom of intense and characterful Death Metal, and although the demonic duo formed of multi-instrumentalist Jordan Varela (Lust Of Decay) and vocalist Jay Barnes (Cesspool Of Vermin) unveiled their second album Resuscitating The Vile almost a decade ago and may have fallen on their swords, consigning the project to the dust of ages, their third full-length opus, entitled Constructing The Cataclysm, is about to see the light of day. Recorded by Mike Clevenger at Audio Helm Studios, and displaying a fantastic samurai-inspired artwork by Andreas Christanetoff of Armaada Art, the album features eight songs of fiercely implacable Death Metal bristling with riffs like lethal weapons and devilish growls and howls, taking the duo to new levels of intensity and sheer class.

Get ready to be transported to feudal Japan before Jordan begins decimating his drums in the hellish Insurrection of the Diabolic while Jay growls and roars like a rabid beast, offering us all unrelenting and extremely vile Death Metal that goes straight to your jugular. Then blasting old school Death Metal the likes of Morbid Angel and Deicide it’s time for the duo to crush us all in Breaching the Gates of Tranquility, where Jordan is not only an evil machine behind his drums but his riffage is also caustic just the way we like it; and there’s no time to breathe as Jay and Jordan continue to hammer our heads with their Brutal Death Metal in Insidious Spiritual Incarceration, a fantastic option to slam into the pit to the wicked, demented vociferations by Jay. And Awaiting the Infinity of Oblivion doesn’t have a single moment of peace or boredom; quite the contrary, it’s an endless Death Metal onrush that will leave you completely disoriented when it’s over.

Jordan once again gives a lecture in caustic riffs and blast beats in Irrevocable Siege of the Abominable, offering Jay exactly what he needs to infernally roar the song’s dark words nonstop, being therefore perfect for some good old headbanging, whereas in Fragmenting the Profane the duo adds some welcome elements from Thrash Metal to their core sonority, resulting in another riff-fueled devastation by the duo tailored for igniting some serious circle pits at a live concert or festival. The second to last explosion of intricacy and rage by Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement, entitled Tribunal of the Oni, keeps the album scorching hot, with Jordan sounding fantastic with both his riffs and metallic bass, followed by the title-track Constructing the Cataclysm, putting a sick ending to the album by blending traditional Japanese sounds in the background with the fury of American Death Metal, while also leaving our corpses lying in the battlefield like deceased samurais after all is said and done.

The metal samurais Jay Barnes and Jordan Varela are waiting for you to join them in the battlefront by following them on Facebook, by streaming all of their wicked compositions on Spotify, and mainly by purchasing a copy of the excellent Constructing The Cataclysm from the Comatose Music’s BandCamp page or webstore (as a regular CD or a CD + shirt + sticker bundle), as well as from Apple Music and other retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Plastic Head Megastore. Having said all that, instead o committing a seppuku or hara-kiri, use your katana for something a lot more fun such as raising it in the air while banging your head to the music blasted by Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement in their high-octane new album, honoring all metalheads that came before us.

Best moments of the album: Insidious Spiritual Incarceration, Fragmenting the Profane and Constructing the Cataclysm.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2022 Comatose Music

Track listing
1. Insurrection of the Diabolic 4:19
2. Breaching the Gates of Tranquility 4:10
3. Insidious Spiritual Incarceration 3:43
4. Awaiting the Infinity of Oblivion 4:46
5. Irrevocable Siege of the Abominable 3:13
6. Fragmenting the Profane 4:06
7. Tribunal of the Oni 3:47
8. Constructing the Cataclysm 4:55

Band members
Jay Barnes – vocals
Jordan Varela – guitar, bass, drums