Album Review – Deamonolith / The Monolithic Cult of Death (2024)

This Polish cult will attack you with their debut offering, a 35-minute amalgamation of heavy and experimental sounds highly recommended for fans of the darkest side of Death Metal.

Formed in 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, Experimental/Progressive Death Metal act Deamonolith has just unleashed upon humanity their debut album, titled The Monolithic Cult of Death, a 35-minute amalgamation of heavy and experimental sounds highly recommended for fans of the darkest side of Death Metal. Recorded by Paweł “Janos” Grabowski at JNS Studio (guitars, bass and drums), by Szymon “Sigmar” Grodzki at Invent Sound Studio (vocals), and by Przemysław “Imp” Moszczyński (saxophone), mixed and and mastered by Paweł “Janos” Grabowski at JNS Studio, displaying a creepy artwork by Michał “Xaay” Loranc, with logo by Ihasan Art and layout by Paweł Ozon of XXV The Sign, plus several special guests to give their music even more depth, the debut offering by Kobuch on vocals, Major and Sunrise on the guitars, Lukas on bass, and Desecrate on drums and dark ambients will take you on a journey to the most obscure corners of the human psyche, overflowing heaviness, rage and evil.

Dark, devilish sounds arise from the underworld in The Afterfall, exploding into a visceral blend of Black and Death Metal led by the crushing drums by Desecrate while Kobuch roars manically, flowing into The Ultimate Solution, a slab of brutality where the thunderous kitchen by Lukas and Desecrate will make the earth tremble in the name of extreme music; and the following piece, titled The Fall, The Reek & Forlornness, is even more explosive and vile, with the riffs by Major and Sunrise sounding absolutely scorching. The Acknowledgment continues to burn our damned souls with the band’s venomous fusion of Black and Death Metal, with the Immolation-inspired vocals by Kobuch being an ode to classic Death Metal, immediately connecting with the longest of all parts of the song, Conquerors of the Void, a brutal Death Metal attack by the band overflowing hatred and obscurity, with Desecrate once again pounding his drums nonstop while also presenting a melancholic break and vibrant progressive passages, before all comes to an end in When All Has Been Done, with Lukas’ bass and Desecrate’s beats once again sounding ruthless accompanied by the wild riffage by Major and Sunrise until the song’s grim finale.

The Monolithic Cult of Death, which by the way contains only one song that lasts for longer than 35 minutes like the version available on Spotify (with cut episodes in the YouTube and CD versions to make the listening of the album easier), definitely sends a strong and sound message to the metal community about what Deamonolith are capable of, and if you want to know more about the band and show them your support you can find them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and of course purchase a copy of their debut opus from the Godz ov War Productions’ BandCamp or webstore, as well as from Ancient Dead Productions. In other words, it’s time to join Deamonolith’s cult of death, with their first ever album being the perfect soundtrack to such a unique and devilish celebration.

Best moments of the album: The Ultimate Solution and The Acknowledgment.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Godz ov War Productions/Ancient Dead Productions

Track listing
1. The Afterfall 5:19
2. The Ultimate Solution 3:53
3. The Fall, The Reek & Forlornness 4:19
4. The Acknowledgment 3:18
5. Conquerors of the Void 12:34
6. When All Has Been Done 5:47

Band members
Kobuch – vocals
Major – guitars
Sunrise – guitars, classical guitar
Lukas – bass
Desecrate – drums, dark ambients

Guest musicians
Łukasz Wypych – saxophone
Magdalena Sienkiel – piano
Sebastian Świciak – piano
Michał “Xaay” Loranc – male clean vocals, choir
Anna Malarz – female vocals

Album Review – Soulcarrion / Enthrone Death (2024)

A ruthless Death Metal entity from Poland will demolish your damned souls with their heavy-as-hell sophomore full-length opus.

Formed in 2019 in the always pleasant city of Warsaw, Poland, the ruthless Death Metal duo comprised of Michał on rhythm guitars and bass and Greg on lead guitars, known as Soulcarrion, will demolish your damned souls with their sophomore full-length opus, titled Enthrone Death. Mixed and mastered by Darek Młody at PanzerStudio, and displaying a sick cover art and layout by Maciej Kamuda Art and an evil logo by Paweł Pawłowski Illustration, the follow-up to their 2023 self-titled EP and their 2022 debut album Infernal Agony offers the listener 30 minutes of intense, undisputed Death Metal for the masses, with the support of session musicians Mateusz Sibila (Imperial Sin) on vocals and Darek Młody (Hellfuck, Embrional, Stillborn) on drums adding an extra touch of heaviness and insanity to the whole album.

Starting in a sinister, doomed manner, the opening tune Cage of Nothingness already invades our minds with a demonic onrush of Death Metal boosted by tons of Brutal Death Metal elements thanks to the inhumane gnarls by Mateusz and the boisterous drums by Darek, whereas Night Ceremony keeps the album at a Stygian, venomous vibe with the riffage by both Greg and Michał sounding utterly infernal, albeit a bit repetitive at times. Then featuring guest vocalist Vesper Locust (Dammnatorum), the title-track Enthrone Death offers pure hatred and darkness to our putrid ears, with the ripping sound of the guitars matching perfectly with the blast beats by Darek, and there’s no sign of peace or hope, as Infernal Agony is an overdose of old school Death Metal tailored for fans of the genre, with Mateusz once again roaring and barking like a beast for our total delight.

Oblivion will hit us hard with its two and a half minutes of brutality blasted by those talented Polish metallers, with Greg and Michał once again demolishing our senses and adding endless heaviness to the music armed with their stringed axes; and enhancing the album’s obscurity and malignancy, the Doom Metal-infused aria Revenge is Mine brings forward another round of Darek’s massive beats accompanied by the sick riffage by the band’s guitar duo. After that we have Deathoskullum, following a similar pattern as the previous song, with the deep, hellish riffs and beats blasted by the band penetrating deep inside our rotten corpses, being therefore perfect for some intense headbanging; and lastly, World of Putridity carries a beautiful name and puts a beyond vicious ending to the album, with Mateusz vociferating rabidly in the name of classic Death Metal until the very last second.

The Polish underground has always been one of the most exciting of all, in special if you’re a fan of extreme music, and of course Soulcarrion offer in their new opus a high dosage of all that sonic awesomeness that’s found in Poland. Hence, don’t forget to show the guys from Soulcarrion your utmost support and admiration by purchasing a copy of the sulfurous and infernal Enthrone Death from the Godz ov War Productions’ BandCamp page or webstore as a CD or as an ass-kicking CD + shirt bundle, keeping the flames of Polish Death Metal burning for many years to come. Soulcarrion are on fire throughout the entire Enthrone Death, and they’re more than eager to burn your soul armed with the caustic compositions from such insane album.

Best moments of the album: Enthrone Death, Oblivion and World of Putridity.

Worst moments of the album: Night Ceremony.

Released in 2024 Godz ov War Productions

Track listing
1. Cage of Nothingness 4:08
2. Night Ceremony 4:17
3. Enthrone Death 5:03
4. Infernal Agony 3:38
5. Oblivion 2:29
6. Revenge is Mine 3:02
7. Deathoskullum 4:56
8. World of Putridity 2:50

Band members
Michał – rhythm guitars, bass
Greg – lead guitars

Guest musicians
Mateusz Sibila – vocals (session)
Darek Młody – drums (session)
Vesper Locust – vocals on “Enthrone Death”

Album Review – Chimera / Gloria Mortis (2022)

Playing what can be described as a mix of Heavy and Black Metal, this up-and-coming Polish group returns with their sophomore album, as dark and heavy as it is melodic and epic.

Established at the end of 2013 in Warsaw, Poland, Chimera play what can be described as a mix of Heavy and Black Metal, which is exactly what they have to offer us all in their sophomore opus Gloria Mortis, the follow-up to their 2016 debut effort Transmutation. Recorded at Hainrich House Studio, Gloria Mortis is just as dark and heavy as it is melodic and epic, being highly recommended for admirers of the newest wave of extreme music, in special all the new names hailing form the vibrant underground scene in Poland, therefore showcasing all the talent by the band currently formed of Krzysztof Gałecki on vocals and guitars, founder Rafał “Charon” Mazur on lead guitars, Wiktor Waliłko on bass, and Andrzej Ruszkowski on drums.

An eerie intro simply titled I, where Krzysztof distills his Polish words to give it a darker edge, sets the tone for the pulverizing and grim Dunkelheit (“darkness” from German), presenting Black Metal riffs by Krzysztof and Charon while Andrzej hammers his drums powerfully, being at the same time ferocious and melodic, and kicking things off on a very high note. Then investing in a similar sound of its predecessor, Necrosis of Soul is another infuriated creation by Chimera where the band adds elements from Groove Metal and Deathcore to their core essence, not to mention Krzysztof sounds inhumane with his deep roars; whereas Madness sounds and feels even heavier and more demented, with Charon being on fire with his riffage and solos accompanied by the rumbling bass by Wiktor in an electrifying fusion of Black, Heavy and Death Metal. And the thunderous bass and beats by Wiktor and Andrzej, respectively, generate a menacing ambience in Nieistniejąc (“non-existent” from Polish), with the sharp riffs by the band’s guitar duo slashing our ears mercilessly.

The album’s “second act” begins with the horror-movie inspired interlude II, also displaying cryptic vocalizations and morphing into the intricate and groovy Immortal Self, reminding me of the music by several bands from the current American modern metal scene. Moreover, the song’s devilish growls and razor-edged riffs will pierce your mind like a bullet, whereas headbanging guitars and a Stygian atmosphere will embrace your soul in The Bable Tower, where Krzysztof continues to vociferate like a creature from the underworld in a vicious onrush of Black and Death Metal. Then in Asmodeus we’re all invited to slam into the circle pit thanks to its endless brutality, groove and electricity, with Andrzej sounding insane behind his drums supported by the metallic bass by Wiktor, resulting in one of the best songs of the album hands down. And the band keeps delivering their trademark hybrid of violence and intricacy in Dziki Sęp (“wild vulture” from Polish), bringing forward an awesome job done by Krzysztof and Charon with their Black Metal-infused riffs. There’s still time for one last breath of pure insanity entitled Among Wolves, getting heavier and heavier as time passes by, all spearheaded by the venomous vocalizations by Krzysztof before a narration-style outro named III puts a Stygian ending to the album.

If you’re an admirer of a modern fusion of Black, Death and Heavy Metal with a dense background, you should definitely give the new album by Chimera a try by streaming it in full on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course purchase it from the band’s own Facebook page to show your utmost support to the underground. In addition, go check what the band is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, including their tour dates, and subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music and videos. Gloria Mortis is undoubtedly a step forward in the career of such promising band from the Polish metal scene, and I’m pretty sure that we’ll hear more from those guys sooner than we can imagine as their third opus isn’t far from seeing the light of day.

Best moments of the album: Dunkelheit, Madness and Asmodeus.

Worst moments of the album: Immortal Self.

Released in 2022 Independent

Track listing
1. I 1:48
2. Dunkelheit 5:36
3. Necrosis of Soul 4:33
4. Madness 4:02
5. Nieistniejąc 5:15
6. II 1:22
7. Immortal Self 4:01
8. The Bable Tower 4:05
9. Asmodeus 4:30
10. Dziki Sęp 3:28
11. Among Wolves 3:59
12. III 1:07

Band members
Krzysztof Gałecki – vocals, guitars
Rafał “Charon” Mazur – lead guitars
Wiktor Waliłko – bass
Andrzej Ruszkowski – drums