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Album Review – Dysentery / Dejection Chrysalis (2025)

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Ten years since their last full-length opus, this American Brutal Death Metal brigade has finally re-emerged into the light, carrying with them a new album of heaviness beyond comprehension.

“The imprisoning cocoon tears beneath my new found claws and I emerge, a beast reborn, from my shattered dejection chrysalis…”

Ten years since their last full-length opus Fragments, Waltham, Massachusetts-based Brutal Death Metal brigade Dysentery has finally re-emerged into the light, carrying with them a new album of heaviness beyond comprehension entitled Dejection Chrysalis, providing us avid metalheads with spine-splitting slams and deep grooves like scars in the surface of the Earth. Mixed and mastered by Randy LeBoeuf at Graphic Nature Audio, engineered by Jared Weed and Joey Ferretti, produced by Peter Spinazola and Joey Ferretti, and displaying a sinister artwork by Hidris, the demented new album by frontman Scott Savaria, guitarist Peter Spinazola, bassist John Cook, and drummer Eric Taranto is a bludgeoning onrush of musical extremity, a must-listen for fans of Putrid Pile, Internal Bleeding, Guttural Secrete, and Pyrexia.

Peter wastes no time and kicks off their depraved party with his cutting riffs in Transference, prepping us all for Enslavement for the Obedient, Agony for the Wayward, accompanied by the ruthless beats by Eric while Scott vomits the song’s vile words in great fashion. Their slamming party goes on in Indignation Unravels, with the metallic bass by John and the pounding drums by Eric making the earth tremble; followed by Exhausted Bliss of Self Loathing, featuring guest vocals by Josh Welshman of Defeated Sanity, where Eric sounds like a machine gun on drums in the best Aborted style. Scott then shows no mercy for our souls with his inhumane guttural in A Bestial Omen, another excellent display of Brutal Death Metal infused with gore and hatred.

Guest vocalist Jared Weed (of bands like Burial, Concrete and Futility) then makes an insane duet with Scott in Shackled by Idolatry while Peter hammers his stringed weapon in the name of extreme music, and they keep blasting their ruthless blend of Brutal Death Metal, therefore inspiring us to slam nonstop, in Transposed Benevolence. More of their share of brutality comes in the form of Fratricidium, featuring guest vocals by JT Knight (of Episiotomectomy and Invoke Thy Wrath), sounding vicious and evil from the very first second, with Peter and John bludgeoning their axes nonstop. Obsidian Womb is simply neck-breaking and heavy-as-hell, with Eric once again showing his passion for sheer violence behind his drums; whereas ending the album we face one final explosion of absolute madness and aggression entitled Ascend This Harrowing Dream, with its slamming moments sounding utterly demented.

Dynamic beyond all expectations, Dejection Chrysalis is sonically formidable and absolutely devastating from start to finish, leaving us completely disoriented after all is said and done, while at the same time eager for more of the music by those American death dealers. Having said that, what are you waiting for to start following Dysentery on Facebook and on Instagram, staying up to date with everything surrounding such an infernal beast of Death Metal, including their ruthless live performances, to stream their sick creations on Spotify, and above all that, to purchase their rabid new album from Comatose Music’s BandCamp or webstore, as well as from other locations like Amazon and Waterloo Records? Because Dejection Chrysalis is how you deliver brutal, slam Death Metal, and make it meaningful and beyond devastating. Period.

Best moments of the album: Enslavement for the Obedient, Agony for the Wayward, Exhausted Bliss of Self Loathing and Fratricidium.

Worst moments of the album: Transposed Benevolence.

Released in 2025 Comatose Music

Track listing
1. Transference 1:58
2. Enslavement for the Obedient, Agony for the Wayward 3:08
3. Indignation Unravels 2:22
4. Exhausted Bliss of Self Loathing 2:50
5. A Bestial Omen 2:02
6. Shackled by Idolatry 2:29
7. Transposed Benevolence 4:13
8. Fratricidium 2:52
9. Obsidian Womb 2:38
10. Ascend This Harrowing Dream 4:24

Band members
Scott Savaria – vocals
Peter Spinazola – guitar
John Cook – bass
Eric Taranto – drums

Guest musicians
Josh Welshman – vocals on “Exhausted Bliss Of Self Loathing”
Jared Weed – vocals on “Shackled By Idolatry”
JT Knight – vocals on “Fratricidium”

Album Review – Sanguisugabogg / Hideous Aftermath (2025)

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The ‘Bogg is back in action with an ass-kicking record as gore-obsessed and violence-inclined as their prior works, but with a career-defining command over their ugly art.

Known for being THAT band with the unpronounceable name and unreadable logos, Columbus, Ohio-based Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore entity Sanguisugabogg returns to action with Hideous Aftermath, a record as gore-obsessed and violence-inclined as their prior works Tortured Whole (2021) and Homicidal Ecstasy (2023), but with a career-defining command over their ugly art. Recorded by Zach Weeks, produced by Kurt Ballou at Godcity Recording Studio, and mastered by Mike Kalajian at Rogue Planet Mastering, the newborn beast by frontman Devin Swank, guitarist Drew Arnold, bassist Ced Davis, and drummer Cody Davidson is the work of a band who has already cut a bloody swath into the underground and beyond, leaving any “Caveman Death Metal” tags in the dust while also flexing every muscle they have.

It’s pedal to the metal right from the beginning in Rotted Entanglement, led by the vicious drumming by Cody, almost sounding like old school, primeval Death Metal. In Felony Abuse of a Corpse we face guest vocals by the one and only Damonteal Harris (of Brutal Death Metal beast PeelingFlesh), and of course such an awesome partnership with Devin would result in pure sonic madness, with the riffs by Drew exhaling hatred; followed by Ritual Autophagia, featuring guest vocals by Todd Jones (of Nails), another slamming extravaganza by the quartet with the bass and drums by Ced and Cody, respectively, transpiring heaviness. They show no mercy for our souls in Heinous Testimony, offering an avalanche of unyielding Death Metal, with Devin’s Neanderthal vocals bringing pure hatred to their music; whereas the roars by guest Josh Welshman (of Defeated Sanity) add even more insanity to Abhorrent Contraception, with its lyrics reeking of evil (“Don’t run away, let’s play house, just stay / I’ll send them to their room, just ignore them for one day / And while they’re there, it’s just you and me right here / I’ll do what it takes for us forever”).

The second half of the album kicks off in an ominous manner, with a cryptic tune titled Repulsive Demise, led by the rumbling bass by Ced and setting the stage for the band to  kill us all in Erotic Beheading, with Drew setting fire to the atmosphere with his scathing riffage. In other words, its putrid, vile sound will please all fans of the most demented form of Brutal Death Metal, and needless to say, it will work brilliantly live. The quartet keeps hammering their sonic weapons in great fashion in Sanctified Defilement, with the deep, gargantuan vociferations by Devin sending shivers down our spines; and in Semi Automatic Facial Reconstruction we’re treated to the more-than-special guest vocals by Travis Ryan (of the unparalleled metal commando Cattle Decapitation), obviously turning it into one of the top moments of the album, with the instrumental chaos blasted by Drew, Ced and Cody providing such a phenomenal vocal duet with exactly what they need to crack the skies with their visceral roars. Lastly, featuring guest vocals by Dylan Walker (of Full of Hell), Paid in Flesh offers almost eight minutes of the most demonic form of the band’s blend of Death Metal, showcasing lots of break, variations, and of course, endless violence flowing from their riffs, beats, and the gruesome gnarls by Devin.

With Hideous Aftermath, Sanguisugabogg have proven themselves more than just an eccentric death crew on an acid-addled hateroll. They’re both champions of the underground and a musical force unto themselves. “It’s definitely our most death metal record, our most personal record, our most focused and brutal record to date,” commented Devin Swank, who’s waiting for you alongside his bandmates on Facebook and on Instagram with news, tour dates and so on. Don’t forget to also stream their undisputed brutality on Spotify, and of course to grab a copy of their excellent new album from their own BandCamp or webstore, from Century Media Records, or by clicking HERE or HERE. Hideous Aftermath showcases a band that’s not just out for blood, but out for YOUR blood, and once you find yourself in the hands of the ‘Bogg, there’s no escape.

Best moments of the album: Felony Abuse of a Corpse, Semi Automatic Facial Reconstruction and Paid in Flesh.

Worst moments of the album: Repulsive Demise.

Released in 2025 Century Media Records

Track listing
1. Rotted Entanglement 5:37
2. Felony Abuse of a Corpse 5:23
3. Ritual Autophagia 4:48
4. Heinous Testimony 3:20
5. Abhorrent Contraception 5:30
6. Repulsive Demise 4:02
7. Erotic Beheading 2:52
8. Sanctified Defilement 3:32
9. Semi Automatic Facial Reconstruction 4:33
10. Paid in Flesh 7:50

Band members
Devin Swank – vocals
Drew Arnold – guitars
Ced Davis – bass
Cody Davidson – drums

Guest musicians
Josh Welshman – vocals on “Abhorrent Contraception”
Travis Ryan – vocals on “Semi Automatic Facial Reconstruction”
Dylan Walker – vocals on “Paid in Flesh”
Todd Jones – vocals on “Ritual Autophagia”
Damonteal Harris – vocals on “Felony Abuse of a Corpse”

Album Review – Ancient Torment / Follow the Echo of Curses (2025)

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The leading torchbearer of New England’s Black Metal will attack armed with their debut offering, an immersive, introspective journey through the shadows of abysmal suffering and mysteries of death’s embrace.

From the coastal reaches of New England, Rhode Island-based Ancient Torment emerged in 2016 as a leading torchbearer in the region’s Black Metal underground. Now, nearly a decade after their inception, the band formed of Stygal on vocals, Tormentum and Apparition on the guitars, Czarnobóg on bass, and Zealot on drums is prepared to unleash their first full-length, aptly titled Follow the Echo of Curses. Recorded at Distorted Forest Studio, mixed by Josh Welshman at Flux Studios NYC, mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio, and displaying a Stygian artwork by David Thiérrée, the band’s debut album is an immersive, introspective journey through the shadows of abysmal suffering and mysteries of death’s embrace, always taking influence from the gloomy darkness of the Finnish scene and triumphant misery of their Québécois neighbors to the north.

The band will destroy your senses right from the very first second in Hanging from a Dead Star, with Stygal already roaring like a beast for the delight of admirers of the darkest side of music while their riffage sounds absolutely sulfurous. Zealot shows no mercy for our putrid bodies in Spectre at the Crossroads, smashing us like insignificant insects while Czarnobóg sounds like an animal pounding his bass nonstop; whereas bringing sheer doom to our blackened minds it’s time for Sorrow Verses, with Tormentum and apparition firing their most obscure riffs of the whole album. In Dejected Dreams Molested in Purgatory, the music certainly lives up to the song’s poetic name, a Black Metal aria exhaling rage and darkness with Zealot once again making the earth tremble with his drums, followed by Under the Guise of Virtue, another long and detailed black mass by Ancient Torment where the demonic screeches by Stygal will send shivers down your spine while the music remains violent, deranged and thrilling until the very end. And finally, let’s open the gates of the underworld to the sound of the nine-minute aria Rotting Temperament, with their Black Metal magic flowing majestically to the scathing riffage by Tormentum and Apparition.

Within a duration of 42 minutes, Follow the Echo of Curses is a testament to the mysteries of true death worship, driven by nuanced aggression and drenched in cold melodies, covering themes that span the swirling depths of depravity, suffering, and infernal release. In other words, Ancient Torment have at last arrived to reclaim bloodied ground, and you can join their dark army by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming their wicked music on Spotify, and of course by putting your damned hands on such a sulfurous album on BandCamp. Ancient Torment offer pure, unfiltered Black Metal in their debut offering, mastering the craft of the dark arts while remaining loyal to the foundations of the style, resulting in a must-listen for any worshiper of the darkest side of music.

Best moments of the album: Hanging from a Dead Star and Under the Guise of Virtue.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Eternal Death

Track listing
1. Hanging from a Dead Star 6:44
2. Spectre at the Crossroads 5:47
3. Sorrow Verses 7:04
4. Dejected Dreams Molested in Purgatory 5:08
5. Under the Guise of Virtue 7:31
6. Rotting Temperament 9:00

Band members
Stygal – vocals
Tormentum – guitar
Apparition – guitar
Czarnobóg – bass
Zealot – drums