This Progressive Death Metal outfit strikes again with their thrilling fourth studio album, a sonic journey like no other blending progressive tendencies with Jazz elements.
Having self-released their debut EP Boundaries of Reality in 2015, followed by the full-length albums Engram of Decline (2017), Rhizomes of Insanity (2019), and The Impassable Horizon (2021), Nancy, Grand Est, France-based Progressive/Technical Death Metal outfit Fractal Universe returns to action now in 2025 with their fourth studio effort, entitled The Great Filters. Once again blending progressive tendencies with Jazz elements, philosophical topics such as existentialism and the fragmented nature of human consciousness, innovative songwriting and high production quality, the new album by Vince Wilquin on vocals, guitars and saxophone, Yohan Dully on the guitars, Valentin Pelletier on bass, and Clément Denys on drums invites the listener to embark on a sonic journey like no other, helping those French metallers in reaching the peak of the Progressive Metal mountain worldwide.
Their progressive and metallic vein arises from the very first second in The Void Above, with the enraged roars by Vince walking hand in hand with the beyond intricate bass and drums by Valentin and Clément, respectively. Then continuing to experiment with different sounds and nuances we have The Great Filter, while staying true to their core Death Metal essence; whereas the Djent-infused bass by Valentin will hammer our heads in Causality’s Grip, accompanied by the whimsical guitar lines by Vince and Yohan, sounding like a Progressive Death Metal version of Dream Theater. And The Seed of Singularity is another song that goes heavy on bass, with a futuristic background providing Vince with all he needs to shine on vocals.
After that we’re treated to The Equation of Abundance, a smooth and charming ballad by the band, with the harsh vociferations by Vince bringing an extra touch of anguish and melancholy to the overall result; then investing in a heavier, more thunderous sound the band blasts our faces with Specific Obsolescence, with all of its breaks and variations, boosted by Clément’s spot-on drumming and Vince’s melancholic saxophone, turning it into a must-listen for fans of the genre. Dissecting the Real is another complex, vibrant and multi-layered creation by the band, offering more of the stylish riffs by Vince and Yohan, plus the endless heaviness flowing from Clément’s drums, followed by Concealed, a six-minute explosion of Progressive Death Metal led by the striking riffage by Vince and Yohan. Finally, the album ends on a strong note with A New Cycle, where the classy sound of the saxophone by Vince beautifully clashes with their visceral Death Metal sounds.
If their previous albums like their latest opus The Impassable Horizon already exhaled progressiveness and rage, it’s with The Great Filters that the quartet takes a huge step forward in their career, solidifying their core sound without repeating themselves or getting stale, always working towards innovation, and always with a lot of energy, passion and focus on their music. You can get more information about the band by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, stream more of their music on their YouTube channel or on Spotify, and above all that, show them your utmost support by purchasing a copy of The Great Filters by clicking HERE. In other words, if you love the complexity of Progressive Metal, but at the same time you’re an admirer of the visceral sound of Death Metal, then Fractal Universe might be exactly what you’re looking for in the underground, with their newborn opus sounding and feeling absolutely sharp and exciting for our total delight.
Best moments of the album:The Void Above, Specific Obsolescence and Dissecting the Real.
Worst moments of the album:The Great Filter.
Released in 2025 M-Theory Audio
Track listing 1. The Void Above 4:26
2. The Great Filter 3:41
3. Causality’s Grip 3:35
4. The Seed of Singularity 4:08
5. The Equation of Abundance 6:25
6. Specific Obsolescence 6:49
7. Dissecting the Real 5:23
8. Concealed 6:05
9. A New Cycle 5:04
Band members Vince Wilquin – vocals, guitars, saxophone
Yohan Dully – guitars
Valentin Pelletier – bass
Clément Denys – drums
World domination awaits to the sound of the striking new beast by one of the must-see bands of the current Technical and Melodic Death Metal scene worldwide.
Never allowing themselves to stagnate, preferring to thrive on chaos, change and evolution, Fort Collins, Colorado-based Technical/Melodic Death Metal beast Allegaeon is back with their seventh studio opus, entitled The Ossuary Lens, the follow-up to their 2022 album Damnum, and their first with original vocalist Ezra Haynes since his 2015 departure following the Elements of the Infinite album. Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered once again by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio, the new album by the aforementioned Ezra Haynes on vocals, Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel on the guitars, Brandon Michael on bass, and Jeff Saltzman on drums might not be a concept album in the traditional sense, but there is an overarching theme to it, a representation of several different viewpoints of death, with its science-based lyrics sounding as challenging as the progressive musicianship, resulting in a set of songs that simply slay.
A serene, melancholic intro titled Refraction sets the tone for the reinvigorated Allegaeon to attack like a demented beast in Chaos Theory, where Ezra returns in full force to the band armed with his demonic roars while Jeff also showcases all his technique and rage behind his drums. In Driftwood the band blasts dark, violent words (“Blindsided, in a shell of silence, alone / Decided, motive breach the eyelids, then sewn / Reminded, death walks beside us, inside us / In hindsight it was the path of a nihilist and pawn”) amidst a beyond Progressive Death Metal sound; followed by the epic and imposing Dies Irae, with all background elements matching perfectly with the visceral riffage by Greg and Michael in an overdose of Melodic Death Metal. And The Swarm is a beautiful and violent depiction of the band’s core essence, with the inhumane screams by Ezra being boosted by the thunderous bass and drums by Brandon and Jeff.
If the first five songs of the album were an overdose of aggression, their technical and rabid feast continues majestically with Carried by Delusion, with Jeff once again stealing the spotlight with his unstoppable beats and fills. Then featuring guest acoustic guitars by world renowned musician Adrian Bellue, who brings an extra touch of finesse to the band’s demented sounds, we have Dark Matter Dynamics, where Greg and Michael’s shredding riffs and solos are a thing of beauty; and the band speeds things up considerably while letting their Technical Death Metal vein arise in Imperial, led by the melodic yet piercing guitars by Greg and Michael. Wake Circling Above is a seven-minute song that starts in a more introspective manner with a Stygian background atmosphere before evolving into a complex display of Technical and Melodic Death Metal, where Ezra screams manically to the caustic riffs, bass lines and beats by his bandmates; and lastly, the closing tune, entitled Scythe, is another sonic beast, an epic, climatic composition where Jeff’s thunderous beats are nicely complemented by the song’s Stygian ambience.
“I think in the beginning we were a little more stripped down,” commented guitarist Greg Burgess. “Very guitar-forward, focused melodeath. Over time, I think more technical, symphonic and progressive elements creeped in. Finally, where we are today is all of that combined, added with more ambient elements.” In summary, The Ossuary Lens is an accomplished album that sees a rejuvenated band at the peak of its powers, and you can enjoy their undisputed dexterity and passion for heavy music by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming their solid discography on Spotify, and by purchasing their excellent new opus from BandCamp or from Metal Blade Records by clicking HERE or HERE. In the end, world domination awaits to the sound of the newborn spawn by Allegaeon, one of the must-see bands of the current scene, always ready to kick our asses and melt our faces with their first-class, undisputed “melotech”.
Best moments of the album:Dies Irae, The Swarm, Dark Matter Dynamics and Wake Circling Above.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2025 Metal Blade Records
Track listing 1. Refraction 0:59
2. Chaos Theory 4:32
3. Driftwood 4:28
4. Dies Irae 3:48
5. The Swarm 3:28
6. Carried by Delusion 4:49
7. Dark Matter Dynamics 6:03
8. Imperial 4:08
9. Wake Circling Above 6:55
10. Scythe 5:40
Band members Ezra Haynes – vocals
Greg Burgess – guitars
Michael Stancel – guitars, backing vocals
Brandon Michael – bass, backing vocals
Jeff Saltzman – drums
Guest musician
Adrian Bellue – acoustic guitar on “Dark Matter Dynamics”
Depuis les lumières… Vers les ténèbres… La République est en marche!
March might still be a very cold month, maybe not as cold as January and February, but absolutely freakin’ cold if you live in the Northern Hemisphere in places like Canada, Finland, Russia and Belgium. And why did I mention Belgium instead of other colder countries, one might ask? Well, let’s say our metal lady of the month of March might have been born in a warm country, but she currently resides in Belgium, bringing some very welcome heat to “the Battlefield of Europe” with her powerful growls and badass attitude. Her name is Lorena Moraes, the frontwoman for an amazing Belgian Technical Death Metal entity known as Triagone, and I’m sure after this short and sweet tribute to her career in heavy music you’ll develop a strong craving for more of her music.
As aforementioned, Lorena wasn’t born in Belgium, but in the sunny and warm country of Brazil, more specifically in the capital city of Brasília, located in the Brazilian highlands in the country’s Central-West region, and the seat of government of the Federal District. A former photographer at Escola do Futuro de Goiás em Artes Basileu França, located in Goiânia, the capital of Goiás state in central Brazil, Lorena studied at Faculdade Cambury in Brazil, before relocating to Brussels, Belgium’s capital and home to the European Union headquarters, expanding her photography skills by studying at Ecole de Photographie et de techniques visuelles – Ville de Bruxelles while also taking her first steps through the vast lands of Extreme Metal.
It was back in 2019 when Lorena, alongside vocalist and guitarist Lou-Indigo Caspar, guitarist Lucas Lembert, bassist Leonard Ivanciu and drummer Lorenzo Vissol formed the Technical Death Metal beast that goes by the stylish name of Triagone, with roots in Brazil, Italy, France and Belgium, and the explanation to the name chosen is indeed very interesting. According to the band itself, the word “triagone” is a hybrid word inspired by the ancient Greek word “agôn” (ἀγών), which means contest, competition, or disputation (and can refer to a physical or mental contest, or to a dramatic conflict in literature), and a direct reference to the Greek name “trigone”, which means three angles, or the triangle, in parallel with the band’s inspiration by the connection between mathematics and music, like certain demonstrations of trigonometric relations that can be found in the circle of fifths, the demonstration of the C major scale granted to Pythagoras and his demonstrations on triangles, among others. In the end, the fusion of those two Greek words gives the band’s name a third way of understanding the music played by Lorena and the boys. Furthermore, another topic mentioned by the band regarding their name is their message against the pyramid structure our society adopted, an analogy where we’re pretty much slaves building a pyramid stone by stone, trying to climb the ranks of society, with all inequality bringing a lot of disadvantage for the oppressed against the oppressor.
It was in the beginning of 2023 when Triagone released their debut effort, a six-track EP titled Sem Papyrvs, a play on words between Latin and Portuguese, as “sem” means without and “papyrvs” means paper, referring to anyone in a difficult or precarious situation, anyone without an identity, without wealth, without history, or without a diploma, with its 26 minutes of Brutal and Technical Death Metal inspired by classic metal music, baroque, and even Mesopotamian music, also featuring hints of Latin American music rhythms, and all sprinkled with a blend of male and female guttural voices in ancient Greek and Latin and modern Latin and Germanic languages. The names of the songs in Sem Papyrvs are a thing of beauty, starting with Novvs Ordo Seclorvm (“The New Order of the Ages”), followed by Abyssvs Abyssvm Invocat (“The Abyss Calls the Abyss”), Ad Mortem Sem Papyrvs (“To Death Without Paper”), Nvlla Regvla Sine Exceptione (“The New Rules Without Exception”), De Beata Vita (“The Blessed Life”), and Imperivm in Imperio (“Empire in Empire”).
One of the most compelling features in Triagone is the electrifying vocal duet comprised of Lorena and Lou-Indigo, which allows the band to explore new patterns and nuances, as well as the aforementioned lyrics in multiple languages, thanks to the undisputed combined talent of the duo. They can sound at the same time visceral and melodic, dissonant and cryptic, captivating and menacing, purely mathematical and extremely violent, and you can enjoy all that on most streaming services, like Spotify. As a matter of fact, Lou-Indigo explained in an interview that the band had to rework some of the rhythms, textures and timbres (mainly because he mocks up everything with his own voice) after Lorena joined the band, as they wanted her voice to be more present in the final product. Also, although she’s not responsible for all vocal parts nor for all lyrics, this is something Lou-Indigo wants to change in the near future, giving her more singing time, more flexibility, and therefore let her be the main vocalist of the band.
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Before joining Triagone, Lorena was the vocalist for a Brazilian Death/Thrash Metal band named Suttura, and another one named Erinyes, both from the city of Goiânia. Suttura was formed back in 2010 by Lorena alongside drummer Sílvio, bassist Thiago and guitarist Rildo, and although there isn’t a lot of information online about the band, you can stream some of their creations on YouTube, including the excellent songs Need of War, Overlook, and Villas Boas Incident. Furthermore, back in 2015 the band played at the 21st edition of a Brazilian rock and metal festival named Goiânia Noise Festival, at a venue named Centro Cultural Martim Cererê, together with renowned acts the likes of Nervochaos and Ratos de Porão, and countless amazing underground bands from Brazil and other parts of the world, and before that in 2013 they played at the 11th edition of Headbanger’s Attack Festival, held at Círculo Operário do Cruzeiro Velho in Brasília, with each of the eight bands from that specific festival having at least one woman in their lineup as a tribute to the bands Valhalla and Flammea. Apart form Suttura, the festival also featured the bands Soror, Sound’n’Rage, Gulag, Armum, Decimator, Roasting and No Sense. On the other hand, unfortunately there isn’t much online about her previous band Erinyes, except for this nice cover version of AC/DC’s all-time classic TNT live back in 2007, but it’s enough to see she has been developing her vocals in great fashion through the years.
It was when Lorena was still a member of Suttura that she and Lou-Indigo met for the first time, when Lou-Indigo’s former band Dehuman was touring in Brazil, as Lorena was playing with Suttura at the same festival as them. After Lorena moved to Belgium together with Lou-Indigo, they did some Cannibal Corpse covers together, and after he showed those to Lorenzo and Leonard they decided to recruit her to be their frontwoman, as they loved her voice and charisma. Speaking of her relocation to Belgium, Lorena mentioned in one of her interviews that she believes there are more possibilities in Belgium to make a musical project live and grow, that music is taken more seriously there if compared with the metal scene in Brazil, her native country. “In Brazil,” she explains, “each band needs a lot of financial investment and a lot of time, and I think there is more openness here in this regard.”
Apart from her work with Triagone, as well as with the previously mentioned bands Suttura and Erinyes, Lorena was a guest vocalist in the song Arterial Red, from the album Crusher of Souls, released in 2024 by Belgian Brutal Death Metal act Storm Upon the Masses. It’s a great album of sheer brutality and rage, by the way, and Lorena’s contribution to the aforementioned song only makes the whole experience of listening to it even more compelling, proving she a beyond versatile vocalist with a wide arsenal of vocal styles, always ready to stun us all in the name of extreme music. I personally can’t wait to see what’s next for Lorena as a metal vocalist, and for Triagone as a band, again proving how badass women can be in heavy music.
““Everyone in the band is very talented and committed to making the band evolve. I have a lot of admiration for them. My goal is to continue singing, improve my vocal technique and establish more contact with the audience. I hope that Triagone will record an album soon and that we can show our music to more people.” – Lorena Moraes
It doesn’t matter how much snow there is in Toronto, the metalheads in the city will always be there for a night of sheer violence with bands like Decapitated and Incantation.
After the massive snow storm that hit the city of Toronto and most of the province on Ontario from Wednesday night until Thursday morning, bringing an endless amount of snow to the streets and, therefore, turning any commute into a true nightmare, I thought all roads would be clear Thursday evening when Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I headed to The Phoenix Concert Theatre for a night of sheer brutality offered by EXMORTUS, DARKEST HOUR, INCANTATION and DECAPITATED during their Nihility Across North America Tour 2025, another killer event brought to the city by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. Unfortunately, my predictions about the roads being clear of snow were wrong (although I was right about traffic being light that evening due to people staying home instead of going to work that day), and Toronto was still a huge freakin’ mess when I got to the show, but in the end no one seemed to care about the gargantuan snow banks blocking every single sidewalk and some streets, as the crowd at the venue was really good for a night when the best thing to do was staying home.
Less than half an hour after the doors opened, Whittier, California’s own Technical Thrash/Death Metal beast EXMORTUS kicked off the festivities with a frantic, very technical and absolutely fun performance, igniting some of the coolest and wildest circle pits of the entire night. Spearheaded by the talented vocalist and guitarist Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez, the band played a short but powerful set including songs form their latest opus Necrophony, available by the way on Spotify, and the reaction form the fans already at the venue was superb. Those guys are simply amazing live, playing all songs to perfection, and I guess it won’t take long for Torontonians to see them again in the city, and hopefully next time they’ll be the headliners and play a full set for our total delight.
Setlist Oathbreaker
Feast of Flesh
Storm of Strings
Warrior of the Night
Let Us Roam
Metal Is King
Band members Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez – vocals, guitars
Chase Becker – guitars
Brice Snyder – bass
Adrian Aguilar – drums
After a very short break, Washington, D.C.-based Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore act DARKEST HOUR hit the sage at the Phoenix Concert Theatre for a very energetic show, thanks in part to the breathtaking performances by guitarists Mike Schleibaum and Nico Santora, who didn’t stop shredding their axes, headbanging, running and jumping around the stage, not even for a single second. Currently promoting their 2024 album Perpetual | Terminal, available on both BandCamp and on Spotify, the quintet was eager to get more action from the crowd, which seemed a bit tired most probably due to an entire day of shoveling and braving snow banks across the city. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get some sick mosh pits during their show, and of course every single time frontman John Henry asked people to move inside the pit, he was promptly answered with some nice action by the crowd.
Setlist Societal Bile
The Sadist Nation
Stand and Receive Your Judgment
The Flesh & The Flowers of Death
Rapture in Exile
Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)
Tranquil
Amor Fati
Convalescence
With a Thousand Words to Say but One
Goddess of War, Give Me Something to Die For
Band members John Henry – vocals
Mike Schleibaum – guitars
Nico Santora – guitars
Aaron Deal – bass
Travis Orbin – drums
I guess fans were also saving some energy for the ruthless performance by Johnstown, Pennsylvania’s own Death Metal veterans INCANTATION, who after a considerable delay started playing their 1994 cult album Mortal Throne Of Nazarene in full, just like in all other stops from their current tour. And let me tell you, the live rendition of such a classic album of Death Metal with Doom Metal influences sounded utterly evil, heavy and demented onstage, with the bass by Chuck Sherwood making our heads tremble during their entire show. The iconic John McEntee sounded as infernal as usual on vocals, inspiring us all for some brutal headbanging and, therefore, reminding us all why Incantation have been a staple of the extreme music scene worldwide for so many decades. It was just my second time seeing those guys live, and hopefully not the last one, as I’m sure Incantation love Toronto as much as we love their music.
Setlist Mortal Throne of Nazarene
Demonic Incarnate
Emaciated Holy Figure
Iconoclasm of Catholicism
Essence Ablaze
Nocturnal Dominium
The Ibex Moon
Blissful Bloodshower
Abolishment of Immaculate Serenity
Band members John McEntee – vocals, guitars
Luke Shively – guitars
Chuck Sherwood – bass
Kyle Severn – drums
Last but not least, it was time to turn up the volume to 11 with the infuriated performance by the main band of the night, Poland’s unrelenting Technical Death/Groove Metal horde DECAPITATED, and when I say it was loud, it’s because it was LOUD. Performing their 2002 classic album Nihility in full, plus a few other songs as part of the encore, the band now fronted by vocalist Eemeli Bodde (who by the way contributed vocals for the track “Flooding Secrations”, performed by a fictional band called Impaled Rektum from the 2018 Finnish movie Heavy Trip), Decapitated crushed our damn minds, souls and bodies with endless heaviness and violence, inspiring all mosh pit lovers to have a very good time inside the hurricane formed in the middle of the floor section. My only complaint is that the show started late, after 10pm, and some fans had to leave before the end because they had to take public transportation home, or simply because they were absolutely tired. As I said, the snow storm drained a lot of our energy during the day, but of course there’s always some left when the band in question is as infernal and vibrant as Decapitated.
Setlist Nihility
Perfect Dehumanisation (The Answer?)
Eternity Too Short
Mother War
Nihility (Anti-Human Manifesto)
Names
Spheres of Madness
Babylon’s Pride
Symmetry of Zero
Suffer the Children (Napalm Death cover)
Encore:
From the Nothingness With Love
Cancer Culture
Kill the Cult
Hello Death
Iconoclast
Band members Eemeli Bodde – vocals
Wacław Vogg Kiełtyka – guitars
Paweł Pavlo Pasek – bass
James Stewart – drums
This American Progressive/Technical Death Metal outfit makes their triumphant return to the battlefield with eight tracks of devastating power and haunting warnings of the darkness that lies ahead.
Boston, Massachusetts-based Progressive/Technical Death Metal outfit Pathogenic makes a triumphant return with the release of Crowned in Corpses, a brutal and immersive display of prog and tech death. This marks their first full-length release in over half a decade, promising a bold evolution of their signature brand while retaining the intensity that has defined the band for years. Produced and engineered by Pathogenic, Raymond Marte, and Anthony Lopardo, recorded at Westfall Recording Studio and at Chris Gardino’s Crispy Crackers Audio Emporium, and mixed and mastered by Raymond Marte, the newborn beast by vocalist Jake Burns, guitarists Chris Gardino and Justin Lich, bassist Dan Leahy and drummer Tyler Montaquila is a ferocious musical declaration, offering the listener eight tracks of devastating power and haunting warnings of the darkness that lies ahead.
Just hit play and an avalanche of technical and visceral sounds will hit you hard in Mass Grave Memory, with Chris and Justin showing all their dexterity armed with their stringed axes, followed by The New Rot, a lecture in modern-day Technical Death Metal with enhanced brutality thanks to the venomous drums by Tyler. Then the riffage by the band’s guitar duo revs up their Death Metal engine in Dead But Not At Rest, again offering a high dosage of violence flowing from Jake’s roars, and it’s time to slam into the circle pit to the demolishing Exiled from the Abyss, a beyond metallic, in-your-face, ruthless creation by the quintet, with the thunderous bass by Dan bringing sheer groove to the overall result.
Fragments showcases a more cadenced, atmospheric and sinister side of the band, not as visceral and exciting as the other songs, though, while back to a much more infuriated mode the quintet will hammer our putrid bodies with the title-track Crowned in Corpses, where Jake roars like a beast accompanied by the massive, intricate beats and fills by Tyler. Chris and Justin’s riffs, supported by the ruthless bass lines by Dan, will penetrate deep inside our skin in Drag Your Crosses, a first-class Technical Death Metal onrush perfect for some action inside the circle pit; and last but not least, the band will embrace us with in a Death Metal aura with eight minutes of scorching riffs, damned vociferations and crushing drums in Silicon Regime, properly ending such a great comeback by Pathogenic.
Bringing to our avid ears over 42 punishing minutes, the album offers us all labyrinthine riffs, relentless rhythms, and chilling visions of a decaying world, showcasing a sound that is ferocious, intricate, and unapologetically heavy. Hence, in order to show Pathogeinc how much you missed their sonic savagery, go give them a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel, stream their wicked music on Spotify, and purchase Crowned in Corpses from their own BandCamp page, from Skepsis Records, or by clicking HERE, welcoming the band back to the scene while also beautifully crowning them in corpses.
Best moments of the album:The New Rot, Exiled from the Abyss and Drag Your Crosses.
Worst moments of the album:Fragments.
Released in 2025 Skepsis Records
Track listing 1. Mass Grave Memory 4:30
2. The New Rot 5:32
3. Dead But Not At Rest 4:58
4. Exiled from the Abyss 4:28
5. Fragments 7:14
6. Crowned in Corpses 3:37
7. Drag Your Crosses 4:12
8. Silicon Regime 8:08
Band members Jake Burns – vocals
Chris Gardino – guitar
Justin Lich – guitar
Dan Leahy – bass
Tyler Montaquila – drums
Richmond, Virginia’s own Technical Death Metal beast strikes again with a caustic new EP, exploring themes of societal collapse, humanity’s potential, and the inevitability of self-destruction.
Two years after their striking 2022 debut EP Manifestum I, Richmond, Virginia’s own Technical Death Metal beast Pyrrhic Salvation returns to action with another vicious and extremely experimental EP, entitled When Society Crumbles. Displaying a sick artwork by Austin Weber of The Lung Swarm Art, the new EP by Michael Altobello on the guitars and Sagar Nadgir on drums and bass, plus newcomer Shawn Ferrell on vocals (who was also responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album), is split into three cohesive movements, each forming a track within the title piece, exploring themes of societal collapse (“Infrastructures”), humanity’s potential (“Insight”), and the inevitability of self-destruction (“Inferiority Complexed”), concluding with a standalone track which ventures into themes of existential dread and humanity’s moral decay, adding an introspective complement to the tripartite title composition.
When Society Crumbles Part I – Infrastructure already starts in full force to the venomous roars by Shawn and the always demented riffage by Michael, sounding and feeling very experimental and progressive, yet exhaling pure Death Metal, making an instant bridge with When Society Crumbles Part II – Insight, continuing their overdose of experimentations and harsh sounds, with Sagar taking the lead with both his sick drums and metallic bass lines, flowing into When Society Crumbles Part III – Inferiority Complexed, where the guitar lines by Michael add an extra dosage of insanity to the overall result, not to mention how rabid Shawn sounds on vocals. Lastly, closing the EP we face Every Last Soul Unmade, a demented Experimental Death Metal attack by the trio where Michael sounds possessed with his riffs and solos, all boosted by the inhumane growls by Shawn.
While When Society Crumbles distances itself from the Black Metal elements of the debut, the group’s affinity for spiraling tenebrous sounds remains evident, churning out songs that are deliberately disorienting and chaotic with a barrage of musical complexity, experimentation, and sporadic strange melodies. Hence, if you want to explore this unique amalgamation of sounds by those talented metallers, you can find them on Facebook, stream their music on Spotify, and purchase their caustic new EP from BandCamp, leaving the fires of experimental music burning bright until Pyrrhic Salvation stun us all once again in the near future with, who knows, maybe their first ever full-length offering.
Best moments of the album:When Society Crumbles Part I – Infrastructure and Every Last Soul Unmade.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2025 Independent
Track listing 1. When Society Crumbles Part I – Infrastructure 4:50
2. When Society Crumbles Part II – Insight 4:43
3. When Society Crumbles Part III – Inferiority Complexed 4:23
4. Every Last Soul Unmade 5:43
Band members Shawn Ferrell – vocals
Michael Altobello – guitars
Sagar Nadgir – drums, fretless bass
Let’s all embark on a one-way trip to incessant and inevitable hallucinations to the sound of the debut opus by this Dissonant Death Metal creature.
Members of Acausal Intrusion and Dwelling Below conspired amongst themselves to create Dissonant and Technical Death Metal that pushes the limits of reality under a newborn beast named Hierarchies, labelling their own music as “low gain high energy aggressive jazzy tech death with lots of weird timing and insane riffage,” which is exactly what they have to offer in their self-titled debut album. Mixed by Nick Turner at Malevolent Sound Studios, mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios, and displaying a deadly artwork by Belial NecroArts, the album showcases vocalist and drummer Jared Moran (Dwelling Below, Acausal Intrusion), guitarist Nicholas Turner (Dwelling Below, Acausal Intrusion) and bassist Anthony Wheeler (Dwelling Below, Hollowed Idols) bringing into being a truly frightening experience not merely outwardly but one that is also psychologically scarring for the listener, and endlessly fascinating all the same.
The guitar lines by Nicholas sound utterly dissonant from the very first second in Entity, accompanied by the pounding drums and demonic gnarls by Jared, being full of breaks, variations, demented moments and grim passages. Consecrate Phenomenon is another experimental beast by the trio where Anthony hammers his bass nonstop while Nicholas keeps firing strident, piercing riffs for our total delight; and the band shows no mercy for our souls in Dimension, blasting an amalgamation of the visceral sounds of Death Metal with progressive and experimental nuances, with Jared roaring like a demonic entity. Then adding elements from Doom Metal to their already evil sonority we have Twilight Tradition, turning the song into a blackened, sluggish creature.
Abstract brings forward an ever-evolving, maniacal feast of harsh gnarls and cryptic riffs, all boosted by another hammering performance by Anthony on bass, followed by Complexity Parallels, perhaps the craziest of all tracks of the album, with the visceral guitar riffs by Nicholas sounding absolutely disturbing for our vulgar delectation. Subtraction presents their second to last display of insanity and heaviness compressed into five minutes of a truly unique sonic experience led by the intricate drumming by Jared, sounding as perturbing and experimental as it can be, and Vultures displays a more than proper name for a song to end such a wicked, vile album of Dissonant Death Metal, with all band members simply crushing their instruments with endless dexterity, madness and rage.
The debut album by Hierarchies is a dark, murky, nightmarish dive into a realm where trajectories from multiple dimensions manifest to intersect and overlap before dissipating, taking different temporal forms. Nothing is permanent in their world; the tunes change every few seconds and so does everything around them – the implications are in real-time and catastrophically mind-melting. Hence, if you want to experience all that and more, you can find the band on Facebook and purchase a copy of their caustic album from their own BandCamp, as well as from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ BandCamp, main store, Europe store, or US store, joining the band on a downward spiral of your consciousness where the out-of-control thoughts overwhelm and overpower, taking you on a one-way trip to incessant and inevitable hallucinations.
Best moments of the album:Entity, Dimension and Complexity Parallels.
“Fans still compare me to Bruce Dickinson. I have people coming up to me and saying, Don’t you know that could’ve been you? And I tell them, That was me! I just didn’t want it..” – Paul Di’Anno
It’s hard to put into words the loss of our beloved Paul Andrews (17 May 1958 – 21 October 2024), better known by his stage name Paul Di’Anno, one of the most iconic musicians in the history of heavy music, helping Iron Maiden be what they’re today by giving that edgier vibe to the albums Iron Maiden and Killers, therefore influencing all future generations of musicians not only in Heavy Metal, but also in Punk Rock and Rock N’ Roll. He was a legend and will be sorely missed by anyone who loves good music. There’s not much we can do at The Headbanging Moose to honor his life and work, but we’ll keep celebrating heavy music in his name for as long as we can. I wish he could have played one final show in Toronto so Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I could have registered such a unique moment in the city, but unfortunately time is not always in our favor. Anyway, it might be a very sad year to the metal community worldwide with an irreplaceable loss like that, but heavy music lives on, and that’s why here we have once again The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2024, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums, to keep the spirit alive and keep raising our horns to countless metal musicians like our great Paul Di’Anno.
1. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (REVIEW) Nothing can stand in the way of the Metal Gods as they raise the invincible shield of Heavy Metal.
Best song of the album: The Serpent and the King
2. Werewolves – Die For Us (REVIEW) Australia’s most savage beast is back with their fifth studio opus, a lecture in Death Metal perfect for beating anyone back to life.
Best song of the album: Spittle-Flecked Rant
3. Aborted – Vault of Horrors (REVIEW) These Death Metal and Deathcore beasts open their demonic vault of horrors to bring brutality, gore and evil to our damned souls.
Best song of the album: Death Cult
4. Necrowretch – Swords of Dajjal (REVIEW) This French Blackened Death Metal horde returns blacker than ever with a magnificent opus dedicated to the Islamic Antichrist.
Best song of the album: Vae Victis
5. Gaerea – Coma (REVIEW) The torchbearers of present-day Black Metal arise again, erupting with intensity, casting forth black ashes over the world.
Best song of the album: Coma
6. Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (REVIEW) Blood Incantation offer us all two sensational compositions that are as confounding as they are engaging in their scope.
Best song of the album: The Stargate [Tablet I]
7. Benighted – Ekbom (REVIEW) Let’s dive into the auditory abyss with this Brutal Death Metal and Grindcore entity armed with their newborn beast.
Best song of the album: Fame of the Grotesque
8. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Opera (REVIEW) One of the torchbearers of Symphonic Death Metal worldwide returns with their strongest opus to date.
Best song of the album: I Can Never Die
9. Arhat – Secrets of Ancient Gods (REVIEW) The newborn spawn by this Ukrainian horde will take you on a journey into the world of ancient gods and mysterious rituals.
Best song of the album: Abyss of Flame
10. Grand Magus – Sunraven (REVIEW) Sweden’s own Heavy and Doom Metal institution is back with a new collection of battle hymns inspired by the tale of Beowulf and Grendel.
Best song of the album: Skybound
And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:
11. Ecclesia – Ecclesia Militans (REVIEW)
12. The Last of Lucy – Godform (REVIEW)
13. Rotting Christ – Προ Χριστού (Pro Xristou) (REVIEW)
14. Rage – Afterlifelines (REVIEW)
15. Ingested – The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams (REVIEW)
16. Blaze Bayley – Circle of Stone (REVIEW)
17. Striker – Ultrapower (REVIEW)
18. Kerry King – From Hell I Rise (REVIEW)
19. Accept – Humanoid (REVIEW)
20. Hiraes – Dormant (REVIEW)
In addition, as I always like to say, sometimes a band doesn’t need to release a full album to kick some ass, and that’s why we also have our Top 10 EP’s of 2024 to show that sometimes less is more, or maybe I should say, less is heavier!
1. Rifftera – Coda (REVIEW)
2. Trollwar – Tales from the Frozen Wastes (REVIEW)
3. Atavistia – Inane Ducam (REVIEW)
4. Ways. – Are We Still Alive? (REVIEW)
5. Enforced – A Leap Into The Dark (REVIEW)
6. Gutvoid – Breathing Obelisk (REVIEW)
7. Onslaught Kommand – Visions of Blood and Gore (REVIEW)
8. Golgothan Remains – Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death (REVIEW)
9. Infernalivm – Conquering the Most High (REVIEW)
10. Dragoncorpse – Fall of House Abbarath (REVIEW)
Do you agree with our list? What are your top 10 albums of 2024? Also, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 10pm BRT on Rádio Coringão to enjoy the best of classic and underground metal with Jorge Diaz and his Timão Metal, and every Thursday at 8pm UTC+2 on Midnight Madness Metal e-Radio for the best of underground metal with The Headbanging Moose Show!
Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2025!
In the end, there’s no Christmas-inspired song this year, nor anything festive like that, but I’ll leave you with the official video for one of the most important songs ever recorded by Iron Maiden, one with a strong punk and thrash vibe, with the one and only Paul Di’Anno on vocals. Let’s raise our horns to him forever and ever, my fellow metalheads! RIP legend!
Get ready for the debut EP by a new and vile horde hailing from France, pointing to a new reign of dark Death Metal terror.
Formed in 2022 as a studio-only project by Melek Dlth Aton (Novae Militiae) on vocals and guirtars, Raph Daethorn (Merrimack, Ritualization) on bass, and Kevin Paradis (Benighted, Svart Crown) on drums, a Paris, France-based Death Metal legion that goes by the stylish name of Infernalivm spawned straight out of the French “Orthodox Satanic Death Metal Movement”, with their background lying the foundations for a Death Metal band heavily rooted in Satanism (in the vein of Deicide, Profanatica, and Incantation), but musically versed in a highly technical and complex strain of ultra-violent, abysmal, and dissonant Death Metal in the vein of Immolation, Nile, and Morbid Angel. Now it’s time for their debut EP, entitled Conquering the Most High, to see the light of day (or the dark of night), an inaugural and demonstrative twenty one-minute, four-track onslaught of inescapable dark Technical/Brutal Death Metal crafted in the sanguinary jaws of the Antichrist.
Kevin kicks off their infernal feast in the best Krisiun style in the title-track Conquering the Most High, hammering his drums like a demonic beast while Melek roars and barks deeply nonstop. In other words, it’s a beyond demolishing welcome card by those French metallers, who also show absolutely zero mercy for our putrid souls and rotten bodies, decimating us all in Temple of a Destroying Sun, with the thunderous bass by Raph adding even more energy to the blast beats by Kevin. Ashes of the Saints offers four minutes of undisputed Black and Death Metal tailored for admirers of the genre, with the harsh roars and sharp, caustic guitar by Melek inviting us all to slam into the circle pit frantically; and the last song of the EP, titled The Maze of Havoc, definitely leaves us eager for more Infernalivm, as its riffs, bass lines and blast beats are a stunning fusion of the music by Cannibal Corpse, Marduk and Krisiun.
In a nutshell, the band’s debut EP is a dissonant, bludgeoning beast seething with all the might and power of the Antichrist, a dark and violent abomination with an immensely evil and antihuman atmosphere and an infernal aura casting massive, ominous shadows across the face of European Death Metal and sending a clear message on the magnitude of things to come, pointing to a new reign of dark Death Metal terror. Furthermore, you can join them in their quest for all things dark and evil by following them on Facebook, and by purchasing their EP from their own BandCamp or from the Sentient Ruin Laboratories’ BandCamp or webstore, and I honestly can’t wait to see what’s next in the career of this promising horde hailing from France.
Best moments of the album:Conquering the Most High and Ashes of the Saints.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2024 Sentient Ruin Laboratories
Track listing 1. Conquering the Most High 5:23
2. Temple of a Destroying Sun 5:39
3. Ashes of the Saints 4:00
4. The Maze of Havoc 6:44
Band members Melek Dlth Aton – vocals, guitars
Raph Daethorn – bass
Kevin Paradis – drums
Metalheads from all parts of Toronto enjoyed a killer Tuesday night in the city, celebrating the brutality and energy of Death Metal and Deathcore blasted by five incredible bands.
What a wild night of love, friendship and collective tree hugs brought to the city of Toronto by HEAVY/HITTER, ORGANECTOMY, MENTAL CRUELTY, CRYPTOPSY and CARNIFEX during their Necromanteum Part II USA and Canada Tour 2024 at The Opera House, setting the circle pits on fire throughout the entire event. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to witness such a moshing party blasted by those five amazing bands, and although I had to miss Orlando, Florida’s own Deathcore unit HEAVY//HITTER due to work, as the whole show was a very early one with doors opening at 5pm and Heavy//Hitter hitting the stage already at 6pm, I highly recommend you go after their music as it’s freakin’ heavy and hits you in the face mercilessly, just like what the name of the band says. You can find their music on Spotify and BandCamp, and get ready for their brand new EP Moments of Misery out this November 8.
Setlist (Unknown) (unreleased)
Paved in Blood
(Unknown) (unreleased)
Waste Of Life
No Mercy, No Remorse
Heaven’s Gate
Wall of Wax
Band members Austin Hayes – vocals
Dane Loeprich – guitar
Chris Perez – bass
Josh Archeval – drums
However, I was lucky enough to get to The Opera House just in time for New Zealand’s heaviest band of all time, the demented Christchurch-based Brutal Death Metal squad ORGANECTOMY, who led by the infuriated, unstoppable frontman Alex Paul (and sporting shirts of their idols Cryptopsy, by the way) put on a fantastic show, crushing our damned souls and demanding us all to slam into the pit like there’s no tomorrow. I’m a fan of all of their albums, I had seen them live once, but I must say their new songs Plague Mouth, Corpsethrone andTracheal Hanging (all available on Spotify, by the way) sounded absolutely insane live, and I can’t wait for their next full-length album whenever they’re thinking about releasing it. After their show I went to their merch booth and got a very cool, high-quality beanie for a very decent price, and had a chance to chat a little with Alex about his music and his stunning country (as I was there recently on my Maiden quest in Australia and New Zealand). He’s a really nice guy, an extremely talented growler, and a hardworking musician, putting his heart and soul into his onstage performance. Having said that, don’t waste a single second and go check the music by one of the best bands ever hailing from New Zealand, and get ready to be smashed like an insect if you have a chance to see those ruthless metallers live.
Setlist Concrete
The Third Mutation
Corpsethrone
Plague Mouth
Tracheal Hanging
Terror Form
Entropic Decay
Band members Alex Paul – vocals
Sam McRobert – guitars
Matthew Bolch – guitars
Tyler Jordan – bass, backing vocals
Levi Sheehan – drums
The other band that I was utterly eager to see live again was Karlsruhe, Germany-based Symphonic Deathcore beasts MENTAL CRUELTY, and let’s say their show this Tuesday night was way more explosive and fun than the first time I saw them at Hard Luck Bar, despite the fact the setlist was pretty much the same based on their most recent opus, the masterpiece Zwielicht (available on Spotify and on BandCamp). The band kicked some serious ass during their entire set, with their frontman Lukas Nicolai stealing the show with not only a flawless vocal performance, but his interaction with the crowd was amazing as well, with him getting on top of the barricade to sing together with the crowd and with a nice show of flashlights during Zwielicht, right before they blasted our minds with their best song to date, Symphony of a Dying Star. I also had a chance to talk to Lukas about Mental Cruelty, about the fact I keep trying to convince my German friends to listen to their music, and got a nice patch from those guys. Needless to say, the next time Mental Cruelty takes the city of Toronto by storm, I’ll certainly be there.
Setlist Midtvinter
Obsessis a Daemonio
King ov Fire
Forgotten Kings
Nordlys
Zwielicht
Symphony of a Dying Star
Band members Lukas Nicolai – vocals
Nahuel Lozano – guitars
Marvin Kessler – guitars
Viktor Dick – bass
Danny Straßer – drums
After a very quick intermission, it was time for the iconic Montreal, Quebec-based Brutal/Technical Death Metal institution CRYPTOPSY (aka the “Kings of Hallmark Romantic Christmas Movies”) to simply destroy anyone who dared to face them inside the circle pit. What a bestial show by Matt McGachy, Christian Donaldson, Olivier Pinard and Flo Mounier, sounding one hundred percent heavy, enraged and evil from start to finish, with songs like Slit Your Guts, Crown of Horns, Open Face Surgery and Flayed the Swine (this one from their amazing 2023 album As Gomorrah Burns, available on Spotify and on BandCamp) demolishing our souls and melting our faces, all while Matt kept roaring like a demonic creature and headbanging in the best Corpsegrinder stile. Hell yeah, Canada has its own Corpsegrinder, ladies and gentlemen! Flo was also infernal behind his drums, proving why he’s one of the best of the entire genre, and his dexterity, fury and passion for heavy music inspired the fans to keep the circle pit moving absurdly fast. I honestly don’t know how I was able to catch one of the guitar pics thrown by Christian because the floor section was nonstop madness, but I can’t wait to see them again live and, who knows, grab something else like a drumstick next time.
Setlist Slit Your Guts
Crown of Horns
Graves of the Fathers
Sire of Sin
Open Face Surgery
In Abeyance
Flayed the Swine
Phobophile
Band members Matt McGachy – vocals
Christian Donaldson – guitars
Olivier Pinard – bass
Flo Mounier – drums
The last attraction of the night was also the one most fans at The Opera House (a mix of very young fans and way older metalheads, but still young at heart) were waiting for, and they didn’t disappoint the crowd at all, bringing forth a massive display of heaviness and hatred on stage. I’m talking about San Diego, California-based Deathcore masters CARNIFEX, who armed with their pulverizing 2023 album Necromanteum, available on Spotify, sounded insane on stage and, therefore, fueled some of the sickest mosh pits of the night. Vocalist Scott Ian Lewis didn’t stop screaming, barking and roaring, and I honestly don’t know how he can do that night in, night out without losing his voice, bringing even more fury to already furious songs the likes of Torn in Two, Graveside Confessions, Hell Chose Me and Heavenand Hell All at Once. It was total chaos until the very last second of Drown Me in Blood, and I must say I was very happy the show ended before 10:30pm as I had enough time to get back home and have a decent night of sleep. To be fair, if their show had been longer I wouldn’t have complained at all, because you know, first comes heavy music, then the superficial stuff like sleeping, eating and working, right?
Setlist Torn in Two
Graveside Confessions
Dark Days
Necromanteum
Slit Wrist Savior
Crowned in Everblack
Lie to My Face
Hell Chose Me
Heaven and Hell All at Once
Dark Heart Ceremony
Hatred and Slaughter
Drown Me in Blood
Band members
Scott Ian Lewis – vocals
Cory Arford – guitars
Neal Tiemann – guitars
Fred Calderon – bass
Shawn Cameron – drums
Having self-released their debut EP Boundaries of Reality in 2015, followed by the full-length albums Engram of Decline (2017), Rhizomes of Insanity (2019), and The Impassable Horizon (2021), Nancy, Grand Est, France-based Progressive/Technical Death Metal outfit Fractal Universe returns to action now in 2025 with their fourth studio effort, entitled The Great Filters. Once again blending progressive tendencies with Jazz elements, philosophical topics such as existentialism and the fragmented nature of human consciousness, innovative songwriting and high production quality, the new album by Vince Wilquin on vocals, guitars and saxophone, Yohan Dully on the guitars, Valentin Pelletier on bass, and Clément Denys on drums invites the listener to embark on a sonic journey like no other, helping those French metallers in reaching the peak of the Progressive Metal mountain worldwide.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 