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Album Review – The Tomb / The Valley of Despair (2024)

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Enjoy 29 minutes of pure, unfiltered Death Metal crafted with tons of hatred, energy and passion for old school extreme music by a very talented duo from Italy.

An old school Death Metal project created by vocalist Alessandro Nunziati (Sepolcrum, Theatres des Vampires, Lord Vampyr, Malamorte, Cain) and guitarist Alessio Bucci (Spectroscopy, Fecal Impaction, Gravestone) in 2022 in Rome, Italy, the ruthless The Tomb will kick you in the head to the sound of their debut full-length album, titled The Valley of Despair. Recorded, mixed and mastered by SK (aka Stefano Nuccetelli, who’s also responsible for bass and drum programming in the album) at Music Up Studio, produced by SK and the band itself, and displaying a blood drenched artwork Julian Felipe Mora Ibañez, The Valley of Despair will certainly please fans of bands the likes of Massacre, Cancer, Carcass, Death and Pestilence, among others, exhaling classic Death Metal during its 29 intense minutes.

Alessio ignites the band’s Death Metal attack with his sick riffs in The Gates of Suffering, sounding perfect for some brutal slamming into the pit while the music is at the same time very melodic and violent; followed by Horror Painted in Your Eyes, another blast of venomous riffs by Alessio while Alessandro delivers his trademark raspy roars. Moreover, the programmed drums by SK sound very organic, therefore adding an extra kick to the music, reminding me of the Beneath the Remains album sound by Sepultura. Then we’re treated to two and a half minutes of sheer aggression and wicked guitar solos by the duo in In the Twilight, supported by the rumbling bass by SK, being therefore recommended for admirers of 90’s Death Metal, whereas Entranced by the Smell of Death is another solid creation by The Tomb, with the guttural by Alessandro sounding even closer to old school Max Cavalera. And The Rise of the Ancestral Forces might not be as powerful as its predecessors, but it is still a good Death Metal tune by The Tomb.

Then a sinister, horror movie-inspired start explodes into an overdose of savagery titled Buried Alive, with Alessio once again delivering infernal riffs perfect for Alessandro to growl manically, whereas investing in a more ferocious sonority, the heavy-as-hell The House of Thousand Screams will hammer your head while the band makes sure there’s a lot of groove added to their sound, courtesy of SK’s infuriated bass, plus of course Alessio’s soulful guitar solos. The second to last deadly attack by The Tomb comes in the form of Delirium, showcasing Alessio’s usual riffs and solos and the menacing roars by Alessandro; and last but not least, the duo will crush our souls with the title-track The Valley of Despair, delivering one final round of savagery, heaviness and deep roars to close the album in great fashion.

You can enjoy Valley of Despair in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, follow The Tomb on Facebook for more details about one of the heaviest duos hailing form Italy, and above all that, grab a copy of their wicked album from the Great Dane Records’ BandCamp page or from the Despise The Sun Records’ BandCamp page, keeping the fires of Italian Death Metal burning while you enjoy an album of pure aggression and savagery that will surely inspire you to break your neck headbanging like a true metalmaniac.

Best moments of the album: Horror Painted in Your Eyes, Entranced by the Smell of Death and The House of Thousand Screams.

Worst moments of the album: The Rise of the Ancestral Forces.

Released in 2024 Great Dane Records/Despise The Sun Records

Track listing
1. The Gates of Suffering 3:50
2. Horror Painted in Your Eyes 2:38
3. In the Twilight 2:46
4. Entranced by the Smell of Death 3:18
5. The Rise of the Ancestral Forces 3:18
6. Buried Alive 3:51
7. The House of Thousand Screams 3:02
8. Delirium 3:12
9. The Valley of Despair 3:15

Band members
Alessandro Nunziati – vocals
Alessio Bucci – guitars

Guest musician
SK – bass, drum programming

Album Review – Dogtag Remains / Forgotten Battlefields (2024)

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An unrelenting Greek brigade will head into the battlefield armed with their brand new opus, consisting of eight war songs full of Death Metal riffing carnage, furious blast beats and cavernous filthy vocals.

Co-released by Satanath Records with Australis Records, the infuriated Forgotten Battlefields, the brand new album by Athens, Greece-based Death Metal band Dogtag Remains, will definitely crush you like an insect with its warlike-inspired old school extreme sounds. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Nick Setesh at Adyton Recordings, and displaying an obscure artwork by Julián Felipe Mora Ibanez, the album consists of eight war songs full of Death Metal riffing carnage, furious blast beats and cavernous filthy vocals, all carefully brought into being by Kostas Eleftheriadis on vocals and bass, Thanos Kougioulis and Jim Pastos on the guitars, and Vaggelis Kavalieratos on drums, being highly recommended for fans of Hail of Bullets, Grave, Skeletal Remains, and Dead Congregation, among several other amazing bands.

The album couldn’t have started in a more ferocious or heavier way then with Encirclement, with the crushing drums by Vaggelis hammering our cranial skulls in the name of old school Death Metal, and they put the pedal to the metal and keep consuming our souls in Varsity, with Kostas roaring rabidly supported by the austere riffafge by Thanos and Jim. Aachen, the third track of the album, brings sheer heaviness and obscurity to our avid ears, with Vaggelis dictating the song’s sluggish pace while Kostas gnarls and blasts his bass in great fashion, whereas The Glomfjord Power Plant offers us all six minutes of pure dementia in the form of Death Metal where the band’s guitar duo continues to slash their axes nonstop for our total delight, resulting in one of the most complex and detailed of all songs.

Then their classic Death Metal sounds keep piercing our minds in Behind Enemy Lines, with Kostas barking like a beast while Vaggelis sounds ruthless behind his drums, followed by The Man Who Never Was, another avalanche of brutality and violence by Dogtag Remains, living up to the legacy of the genre thanks to another infernal performance by Vaggelis on drums as well as Thanos and Jim on the guitars. It looks like their Death Metal onrush has no time to end based on the violence emanating from Landed Southward, with Kostas leading his bandmates with his sick growling and rumbling bass; and lastly, we’re treated to Hill 731, inspired by the Battle of Hill (Height) 731, a fierce battle fought during World War II in southern Albania, part of the Greco-Italian War, closing the album on a high note with more of the band’s trademark Death Metal assault.

If you have what it takes to face the horrors of war blasted by Dogtag Remains in their new album Forgotten Battlefields, you can start following such talented Greek brigade on Facebook and on Instagram for more of their music, and of course their tour dates. And above all that, go purchase a copy of the album (which is by the way available in full on YouTube) from the Satanath Records’ BandCamp page and support the underground, joining Dogtag Remains in the battlefield and fighting side by side with them in the name of old school Death Metal.

Best moments of the album: Varsity, The Glomfjord Power Plant and The Man Who Never Was.

Worst moments of the album: Aachen.

Released in 2024 Satanath Records/Australis Records

Track listing
1. Encirclement 4:54
2. Varsity 5:15
3. Aachen 5:53
4. The Glomfjord Power Plant 6:09
5. Behind Enemy Lines 5:08
6. The Man Who Never Was 5:28
7. Landed Southward 4:24
8. Hill 731 6:52

Band members
Kostas Eleftheriadis – vocals, bass
Thanos Kougioulis – guitars
Jim Pastos – guitars
Vaggelis Kavalieratos – drums