Album Review – Vile Desolation / Annihilating The Consciousness (2026)

This ruthless Indonesian trio is unleashing upon humanity their debut album of titanic, shocking power, offering us all Brutal Death Metal at its absolute, horrifying best.

From the ever-fertile spawning grounds of East Java, Indonesia comes another monstrous entry into the annals of Brutal Death Metal. Drawing on the extensive experience from its members in an array of bands from the Indonesian scene, Vile Desolation are unleashing upon humanity their debut album of titanic, shocking power, entitled Annihilating The Consciousness. Mixed and mastered at Endless Gruesome Studio, and bedecked in the bleak artwork of Timbul Cahyono of Bvllmetalart, the debut offering by Yudha Dwi Setyawan on vocals, Hendika Dwi Prasetyo on the guitar and bass, and Rama Maulana on drums is Brutal Death Metal at its absolute, horrifying best, positioning the band as apex predators of this most extreme musical landscape.

Rama wastes no time and kicks off the band’s demented feast of violence and gore in Veiled in Obscurity, while Yudha delivers those deep gnarls we all love so much in Brutal Death Metal. Whispers Through the Shadowed Gates carries a very poetic name for an absolutely devastating tune, with Hendika hammering his guitar and bass manically, supported by another bestial performance by Rama on drums, while Labyrinth of Torment starts with one of those dark, cinematic intros before all hell breaks loose to Yudha’s trademark “breeeeeeeeeeeeeees;” and Rama again dictates the pace in the infuriated Shattered Reverie while his bandmates make sure there’s plenty of blood and viscera in their music. And in The Sinister Symphony there’s not a single space left in the air. It’s pedal to the metal in a lecture in brutality by those Indonesian death dealers.

The second half of the album begins with another somber intro, with the bells tolling until we face more of the carnivorous roars by Yudha in Dementia’s Embrace, inviting us all to slam into the pit manically; and in Eyes of Madness we see the trio venture through old school Death Metal lands, sounding heavier and heavier as the music progresses, in special Yudha’s deep guttural. Then another phantasmagorical intro morphs into sheer bestiality in Eternal Lunacy, with Rama sounding like a demonic entity on drums; whereas in Chaos Unleashed the name of the song says it all, as it’s a lecture in Indonesian Brutal Death Metal led by the scorching riffs by Hendika. Their coup-de-grace comes in the form of Sanctified in Ashes, offering more of the trio’s venomous gnarls, visceral riffage and blast beats, ending the album on a demolishing mode.

Kiss goodbye to your sanity, as Vile Desolation are coming armed with their unrelenting debut album, and madness follows in their wake. If you think you have what it takes to face the gore, depravity and horror emanating from Annihilating The Consciousness, you should definitely follow the trio on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their bludgeoning music on any platform like Spotify, and grab a copy of the album from Comatose Music’s BandCamp or webstore. Fans of bands the likes of Suffocation, Anthropophagus Depravity, Beheaded and Molested Divinity will feel at home while listening to Annihilating The Consciousness, but in case you think those bands are way too heavy for you, I feel sorry for your frail soul.

Best moments of the album: Whispers Through the Shadowed Gates, The Sinister Symphony and Chaos Unleashed.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Comatose Music

Track listing
1. Veiled in Obscurity 3:17
2. Whispers Through the Shadowed Gates 3:03
3. Labyrinth of Torment 2:27
4. Shattered Reverie 3:12
5. The Sinister Symphony 3:01
6. Dementia’s Embrace 3:10
7. Eyes of Madness 3:37
8. Eternal Lunacy 2:42
9. Chaos Unleashed 3:15
10. Sanctified in Ashes 3:01

Band members
Yudha Dwi Setyawan – vocals
Hendika Dwi Prasetyo – guitar, bass
Rama Maulana – drums

Album Review – Symphobia / Hideously Traumatic (2025)

This Indonesian three-headed beast will crush us like insignificant insects to the sound of their debut album, an imposing invocation of purposeful destruction.

Formed in 2024 in Pare, a town and district in the Kediri regency within the province of East Java, Indonesia, the ruthless, demented Brutal Death Metal three-headed beast Symphobia is ready to unleash hell armed with their debut opus, entitled Hideously Traumatic. Featuring a coalition of members from Demented Heart, Perveration, and Orbital Element, those being Jossi Bima on vocals, Dodik Bhre on the guitar, and Humam Aliy on drums, Symphobia will crush us like insignificant insects to the sound of their new album, an imposing invocation of purposeful destruction with devastating blast beats, a tormenting riff attack and gore-choked vocals, all boosted by the striking mixing and mastering by Tonebetter Soundlab (Vox Mortis, Nattmaran, Murtad) for a scathing, scalding sound and adorned in the eye-impaling artwork of Timbul Cahyono of BvllArt (Massacre, Nocturnus A.D., Witchburner), resulting in a sonic killing machine devoted to the destruction of every living thing.

There are only two words I can say about the opening song Hecatomb, and they’re “HOLY SHIT!”, what a fulminating tune where Jossi gnarls like a demonic pig; and Humam is definitely NOT human behind his drums in Monstrously, blasting our faces rabidly while Dodik slashes his axe in the name of savagery. Heinous is another explosion of vomiting guttural vocals, demented drums and vicious riffs by the trio, showing no peace at all, just violence and hatred, whereas Jossi’s high-pitched screeches couldn’t have sounded more demented in Spurted, or in other words, it’s simply BREEEEEEEEEEEEEE! And Deceased presents an overdose of the most demonic, vile and grotesque form of Brutal Death Metal made in Indonesia, sounding devastating form start to finish.

Jossi’s pig-like guttural will disturb your inner peace in Scattered, accompanied by another infernal performance by Humam on drums; whereas their ruthless Brutal Death Metal attack goes on in full force in Convulsively, where the Cannibal Corpse-inspired riffage by Dodik sounds absolutely awesome. It’s pedal to the metal in the beyond devastating Incessant, a song that could easily be used as the perfect depiction of the most extreme form of heavy music found in Indonesia, followed by Abominable, and a name like that demanded total chaos, violence and gore, which is exactly what the trio has to offer us in this hellish “lullaby”. Last but definitely not least, Humam will pulverize our putrid, frail bodies in Inebriated, while Jossi continues to vomit and bark the song’s unfriendly “words” (or whatever language that is).

Definitely leaving lasting scars upon your mind, Hideously Traumatic is a one listening experience that you are never going to recover from, being therefore highly recommended for fans of Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Immolation, and Kill Everything, just to name a few. Needless to say, you can get in touch with those torchbearers of violence and gore via Facebook or Instagram, stream their music on Spotify, and of course purchase the album from Comatose Music’s BandCamp or webstore, but be warned that their new album is not your average extreme music release; it’s indeed hideously traumatic.

Best moments of the album: Monstrously, Spurted and Incessant.

Worst moments of the album: The fact there isn’t a bassist in the band makes their sound feel a little bit thinner than what it could be.

Released in 2025 Comatose Music

Track listing
1. Hecatomb 2:43
2. Monstrously 2:41
3. Heinous 2:43
4. Spurted 2:52
5. Deceased 2:44
6. Scattered 2:40
7. Convulsively 2:31
8. Incessant 2:25
9. Abominable 2:41
10. Inebriated 3:34

Band members
Jossi Bima – vocals
Dodik Bhre – guitar
Humam Aliy – drums

Album Review – Sadistic Force / Midnight Assassin (2023)

This Texas-based three-piece Black and Thrash Metal outfit is ready to kill armed with their incendiary sophomore opus, inspired by true crime and 80’s slasher films.

Following the release of their critically-acclaimed 2021 debut album Aces Wild and an impressive 11-date UK tour, Austin, Texas-based three-piece Black/Thrash Metal horde Sadistic Force returned to Texas to work on their upcoming sophomore opus, titled Midnight Assassin. Recorded by J. Petri at Come and Track It, mixed by Noah Buchanan at Mercinary Studios, mastered by Joel Grind, and featuring a sick cover art by Timbul Cahyono, Midnight Assassin is an album positively dripping with sinister undertones brought into being by founder James Oliver on vocals and guitars (who fully immersed himself in the writing process, devouring countless hours of true crime and 80’s slasher films for inspiration), Blaine Dismukes on bass and backing vocals, and Jose Alcaraz on drums, being highly recommended for admirers of the darkest and most sulfurous side of Thrash and Speed Metal.

Composed and recorded by Long Island, New York-based Thrash Metal entity Electrocutioner, The Unseen Force is a cryptic intro that sets the stage for Sadistic Force to crush us all in Corpsewood Curse, with the razor-edged riffs by James together with the rumbling bass by Blaine inspiring us all to slam into the pit in the name of pure evil in a lecture in Blackened Thrash Metal. And the band shows no mercy for our souls with the demonic Speed Metal hymn Speeding Black Leather Hell, where Jose dictates the song’s thrashing pace and James delivers his raspy, dirty roars nonstop; whereas the title-track Midnight Assassin will put you to bang your head together with those American metallers, with the growls by James walking hand in hand with his own striking riffage. Then Jose kicks off the Motörhead-infused chant Nuremburg Nights, showcasing the band’s trademark guitars lines, rumbling bass and classic Thrash Metal drums.

There’s no sign of slowing down as they keep attacking our senses with their fusion of Black and Speed Metal in The Butcher’s Apron, a very technical yet extremely devilish creation by the trio highly recommended for some fun action inside the circle pit; and Blaine will smash your head with his metallic bass in Marked for Death, another song perfect for some vigorous headbanging spearheaded by the classic beats by Jose, sounding a lot more melodic than the other songs from the album. Their Rock N’ Roll vein arises in Campaign of Sin, with the guitar lines by James sounding sharp and incendiary in this fun mid-tempo tune, once again presenting a vibrant Motörhead taste that will certainly compel you to raise your horns, whereas closing this insane album of Thrash Metal we have Howl of the Horde, a hurricane of harsh roars, visceral riffs and crushing beats that will inspire even non-fans of this type of music to slam into the circle pit.

“Midnight Assassin is a record steeped in blood and terror,” said the band’s mastermind James Oliver. This comes as no surprise considering the source material with songs inspired by serial killers, stalkers and necrophiliacs, transporting the listeners into a dark and twisted sonic arena that exposes the harsh realities of human depravity and violence. Hence, don’t forget to follow those Thrash Metal slashers on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on, to stream more of their demented creations on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course to purchase a copy of Midnight Assassin from the band’s own BandCamp page or from the Goat Throne Records’ BandCamp page (or you can click HERE for all things Sadistic Force). Do you have what it takes to survive the Black and Thrash Metal attack by Sadistic Force in their new album? If your answer is yes, just get into the pit and enjoy such excellent opus by this up-and-coming trio from Texas, but get ready because, as you know, there will be blood.

Best moments of the album: Corpsewood Curse, Speeding Black Leather Hell and Howl of the Horde.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Goat Throne Records

Track listing
1. The Unseen Force 0:31
2. Corpsewood Curse 6:03
3. Speeding Black Leather Hell 4:57
4. Midnight Assassin 5:19
5. Nuremburg Nights 4:33
6. The Butcher’s Apron 4:49
7. Marked for Death 5:52
8. Campaign of Sin 3:34
9. Howl of the Horde 5:02

Band members
James Oliver – vocals, guitars
Blaine Dismukes – bass, backing vocals
Jose Alcaraz – drums, additional vocals

Guest musicians
Evelyn Albarran, Chris Hall, Austin Harris & Marcello Murphy – additional vocals
Electrocutioner – everything on “The Unseen Force”