Ohio’s Redefining Darkness Records is turning into a solid little US-based death metal label with some really good releases and bands under their belt. They have also unleashed some impressive Swedish death styled metal gems such as Angerot, Tombstoner, In Shadows and Dust, Wretched Fate, Pyre Wombripper and Sentient Horror. Well, add Tampa Bay’s Carnal […]

I rather enjoyed the debut from Israel’s Scardust, The Sands of Time.  It was a more progressive, Dream Theater tinged, complex take on the standard Delain/Epica style of female-fronted symphonic metal. It was highlighted by guitarist Yadin Moyal, vocalist Noa Gruman and young keyboardist/orchestral arranger, Alex Nichola. And once again on another concept/story themed metal […]

“FFO Oathbreaker, Fall of Efrafa, Amenra, Downfall of Gaia, etc” Oh, you clever sons of bitches. THAT’S how you get my attention when it comes to promo emails. Heck, why not just throw in Tragedy to boot as well as, BJs, steaks, guns and the New Orleans Saints to top it off???? But unlike about […]

My Dying Bride‘s 2020 album, The Ghosts of Orion, was an Ok release, not the best of the legendary UK doom act’s third act (yey growls!), but still a decent MDB release, with 3 or so really strong songs, which is always a good thing. So to keep us entertained during these covid times, the […]

There’s not a lot of info out there right now on Stormkeep (a D & D, Forgotten Realms thing apparently), but I knew as I saw the words ‘triumphant’,  ‘epic’ and ‘melodic’ as well as the renowned JRR Tolkein artist Ian Miller cover art (who also graces one of my favorite other EPs ever, Abigor’s […]

There are two veteran, bigger, supergroup -ish acts vying for this autumn’s top, high profile Swedish death metal release; the second effort from LIK (featuring Niklas Sundin of Katatonia)  and the sixth album from Demonical, featuring current and former members of Centinex, Grave and others). And the clear winner is Demonical. I really enjoyed 2018s […]

Theoretically, for this review, I feasibly should just be able to say ‘If you like Bolt Thrower, seriously, just get this’ and be done with it. It should be that simple, especially after 3 albums and a slew of singles/splits and eps. However I’ve been in communication with guitarist Anders Biazzi for a few years […]

I don’t think there is any argument when it comes to the upper pantheons of early/mid 90s doom ( the gothic/funeral doom style). The holy British trinity of My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost are the clear top acts of the style and era- but what bout that slightly below elite, second tier- ( […]

Virginia’s Foretoken is the new technical, symphonic black/melodic death metal bans from Steve Redmond (guitars/orchestration) and Dan Cooley (vocals), who both serve in technical death metal band Cyaegha (whose debut Steps to Descent, I reviewed here way back in 2009). They are aided by drummer Hannes Grossman (Obscura, Necrophagist),  as well as a couple of […]

Sweden’s Mörk Gryning  (‘dark dawn’) were in a bit of a grey area coming up in the late 90s early 00s Scandinavian melodic black metal scene. Never achieving the status of say Dissection or Naglfar or the underground gem status of say Catamenia or  Vinterland years later, but delivering 5 decent albums arguably peaking with […]

Ok fuckers, get your pitchforks out, it’s female-fronted metal time. It’s been well documented in these pages that my guilty pleasure is peppy, bombastic female-fronted metal. From long time stalwarts Epica to Delain and newcomers like Scardust and Moonlight Haze, I’m a sucker for a catchy chorus and pretty voice. And one of my favorites, […]

I was clued into Scotlands Scordatura a couple of years ago by Paul Shaw, then owner of Blast Head Records who re-released the band’s 2013s debut Torment of the Weak, a solid slab of no frills, American styled, brutal-ish, death metal. I missed the 2017 follow up, Self Created Abyss,  but on album number 3, […]

What if you took the filthy icky ooze and sinewy, punky sneer of Autopsy, gave it a Sunlight Studio Swedish death metal buzz, an obsession with alcohol and puking, and a tongue in cheek sense of sick humor? Well, you’d get Stockholm’s Repuked and their fun little third album , Dawn of Reintoxiation. With some […]

England’s Benediction, is one of the UKS oldest and earliest Death metal bands and have some notable vocalists since their inception in 1989. From Barney Greenway, now the long term face of Napalm Death on the band’s 1990 debut Subconscious Terror, to Dave Hunt, now known as VITRIOL in Anaal Nathrakh, who served on the […]

I’m not sure what made me check out the promo from Glasgow’s Necrocracy (the Exhumed album?). Bland cover, weird band name (I guess the band started out more death metal, which makes the name make a little more sense), unassuming album title, released last year digitally and re-released on CD earlier this summer by a […]

For some reason, we didn’t review the last album from the British stalwarts, Anaal Nathrakh, A New Kind of Horror, despite reviewing the band’s album pretty consistently from blistering the debut, The Codex Necro, through personal favorite Eschaton, more direct Vanitas, to 2017s The Whole of the Law. But let’s be honest, does it really […]

Jesus, Unique Leader is having/had a fucking ridiculous summer of releases. From the reliable,  slammy duo of Ingested and Katalepsy to the vastly improved duo of Athme and Exocrine to the monstrous Stillbirth, the label killed it (not even counting the upcoming Humanity’s Last Breath remaster and reissue of Detestor EP and self titled album […]

Much like Connecticut’s Fires In The Distance, Austin, TX’s Hinayana (‘Lesser Path’ in Sanskrit) is a US based band playing an excellent  melodic doom death style that sounds like they come from Finland or some other Scandinavian shore that perfects this style of metal in their sleep. Deep vocals, crunchy guitars, layers of somber melody […]

So earlier this summer, I got 2 Quebec Black Metal releases to review from Sepulchral Productions, both beginning with ‘S’, both featuring members of other Quebec bands and both being pretty good, atmospheric black metal. First up was Sombre Heritage and the one-man debut Alpha Ursae Minoris, which is pretty solid, and then this debut […]

While not overly familiar with Germany’s long-running brutes  Stillbirth, I’ve checked some of their releases via promotional material in the past but never been really impressed to put pen to paper and express my opinion about them, especially as they came off with a bit of a weed-based, tongue in check vibe (i.e song titles […]

Boy, I have not reviewed a Kataklysm album in years, not since the Digitalmetal.com days. But after rather enjoying 2018s Meditations, I thought I’d give Unconquered a go and see if the band’s 14th (yes 14th!) album grabbed my attention as their last effort did. And yes it has. I’m squarely in the Kataklysm camp […]

So I got three cassettes, the first 3 releases, from new label, Gurgling Gore. So rather than review the 12 songs individually, I thought I’d combine all 3 into a Cassette extravaganza!!!! First up is Wharflurch’s 5 song debut Lurking Doom EP. Hailing from Florida, the curiously named duo (a theme for these releases it […]

I thoroughly enjoyed the debut LP, Relinquishment, from Finland’s Ordinance, and it made my year-end for 2014. However, I never heard anything this else for the next 6 years- no splits, no EPs, no news, nothing. Then out of the blue, I get a promo from The Sinister Flame for a brand new album. And […]

So already this year I’ve talked about how HM2 pedals have surfaced in the unlikeliest of places like Indiana (Psychomancer), Chile (Soulrot), and even Ireland (Fleshwolf). Well, here is yet another surfacing in an unexpected place; Tokyo Japan. My experience with Japanese metal, let alone old school Swedish death metal from Japan is virtually zero, […]

Fuck, I really overlooked this, the fourth album from Australia’s Aversion’s Crown. So, sorry for the belated review. I’ve enjoyed the last 2 efforts (2017s Xenocide and 2014s Tyrant), but can’t say I’ve revisited them much since their release. But holy shit am I glad I revisited this on a whim after hearing the closing […]