Author Archive

Several months ago Everlasting Spew Records posted about the new Fractal Generator album Macrocosmos and posted a brand new song.  I had never heard the band before and after checking out the song immediately got their 2015 self-released debut, the outstanding Apotheosynthesis.  I was blown away by this Canadian brutal band as they combine death […]

What happens when you get members of Gravehill together, throw in some female vocals, keyboards and the drummer from past bands like Morgion and Crimson Relic?  Well you get a doom metal outfit called Stygian Crown releasing their self-titled debut album….and it’s heavy. This is a 2020 release and yes I know it’s 2021, but […]

Witchwood flew into my radar last year, just like the owl on this album cover.  This Italian progressive Hard Rock/Classic metal band has two previous albums-their 2015 monster 80 minute Litanies From the Woods, their 2016 Handful of Stars and now their third album, Before The Winter.  Witchwood play a type of music that sounds […]

Sweden’s Wombbath have been very busy since their 2014 reformation. I initially thought it would be just to record 1 album but no as the band has recorded a full 3 full lengths as well as this, I guess you can call fourth full length however this is more of a fun walk down memory lane. 2020 […]

As if Transcending Obscurity Records didn’t already kill it with phenomenal releases in 2020, we now get the sophomore effort from Heads For the Dead who are made up of: Ralf Hauber on vocals, Ed Warby on drums and Jonny Pettersson on all other instruments.  The band’s 2018 debut Serpent’s Curse flew past me in […]

Greece’s  Misanthropy Apotheosis released their debut album, Black Death Euphoria, in 2018.  I have perused it, but need to go back and spend some more time with it.  It’s pretty brutal and well-played death metal.  It was self-released and really went unnoticed.  Since I love all obscure bands I was very happy when Repulsive Echo […]

Australia’s Abramelin reformed in 2016 after lying dormant since 2002.  Century Media Records released the phenomenal 3cd collector’s edition Transgressing the Afterlife: The Complete Recordings 1988-2002.  The complete material of the band, even since their Acheron days. Abramelin released several killer and brutal death metal albums back in the mid 90’s and in 2000.  I […]

Thætas is fairly new to the death metal scene and other than a demo and a split, released their debut album Shrines to Absurdity on the awesome Maggot Stomp record label several months back.  What got me real hyped about this album and band is the fact they hail from my home state New York, […]

So one of my new friends contacts is Håkan Stuvemark who is in Consumption, Henry Kane, Wombbath just to name a few bands.  He’s quite a guitarist and songwriter and Rex Demonus is yet another project – a melodic black metal band.  The debut album Damnatio is 9 songs in 47 minutes of really kick ass black metal. Starting […]

The Rise of Heresy ep has been released by three different labels.  Blood Blast Distro for the cd in October, then Metalized Distro with the cd and a patch and now Repulsive Echo Records for the cassette.  Since Kostas Vaxevanos, Repulsive Echo Records owner, is a friend of mine amd is now putting the release […]

Finland’s new act Proscription’s debut album Conduit is some pretty evil and heavy music.  I am a big fan of guitarist/vocalist Christbutcher’s Excommunion as well as his past band – Maveth who were incredible.  I interviewed Christbutcher for allabouttherock.uk some years ago when Maveth were active, since he was born and raised in America and […]

Chalk up another winner from the Cruz del Sur Music record label.  Witch Hazel was a band from 2007-2020, but now a new band has been formed called SpellBook.  Hailing from Pennsylvania Spellbook play an earlier form of Heavy Metal mixed in with NWOBHM and some slight power metal elements.  Think: Blue Oyster Cult/early Maiden/Priest/Rainbow/Angelwitch […]

Long running German death metal act Profanity return with their fourth album – Fragments of Solace, which is 7 songs in 41 minutes guaranteed to rip your head off, slam it against the concrete then shove it through the Earth’s core exploding it in the process.  I have seen the band logo for years, but […]

Macabre has remained one of the most original and one of my favorite death metal bands for many years now.  Their second album, Sinister Slaughter, had been out for a short time and when I was with Internal Bleeding and touring in the 90’s I bought the cassette at one of the shows and let’s […]

Angerot burst onto the scene in 2018 with a pretty damn killer debut The Splendid Iniquity which immediately put them in the category of Swedish inspired buzzsaw guitars, stylized death metal.  Take classic Entombed/ Dismember/ Grave and toss into a blender.  Angerot, also stood out and still stand out, in this overcrowded style of death […]

I have been a fan of Russia’s brutal death metal masters, Ossuary Anex, since their Awakening debut album close to a decade ago.  They have morphed into a brutal slam death metal band into some more technical death metal realms throughout their other releases and on their new 3rd album Obscurantism Apogee Ossuary Anex bring […]

Ohio’s TON have been around for close to 3 decades and part of the reason they have had their sound continue in a cohesive manner is the stable line-up.  Jeff Shepler on vocals/bass, Kevin Kraft on vocals/drums and Dan Gates on vocals/guitar have stayed the course to fight the good death metal fight.  When I […]

The day I stop getting excited about new releases and debuts from bands, I have never heard, is the day I stop writing – I would assume.  Once I saw this new band, Consumption advertised as a mix of classic Swedish buzzsaw death metal and Carcass’, best album imo, Symphonies of Sickness, I was like, […]

Due to the stupid pandemic Carcass decided to hold off on releasing their follow-up to their excellent 2013 reunion album – Surgical Steel, until 2021.  Smart decision, since pretty much any albums released in 2020 are dead in the water due to no live shows/touring and 2021, at least in Europe, looks to start resuming […]

Göden is the spiritual successor to Long Island NY’s death/doom band Winter.  Never did I envision this possible and Winter’s 1990 debut and only album Into Darkness is my favorite death/doom album of all time.  I have seen them live prior to their debut and after their debut was released in NY.  So damn heavy […]

I’m a big fan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s long running death metal act – Morta Skuld.  All their releases rule and their 1993 debut Dying Remains is still a huge influence on the death metal scene today.  The band, always being more of a mid-paced demolishing type of death metal machine but still never afraid to […]

I was a big fan of the 2018 debut ep Our Demise, by Voracious Scourge, in 2018.  Originally planned just to release an ep, Jason McIntyre, pursued the thought of wanting to release a full length and here we are.  Mike Smith, from Suffocation fame, again lays down the drums and Aad Kloosterwaard continuing to […]

Coming out the starting gates with their seventh full-length album, UK longtime thrashers, Onslaught, know how to do deliver well-crafted and brutal thrash metal music.  I have followed the band since their debut album Power From Hell.  Yes, The Force is my fave album from them and that will never change- sorry, but all their […]

Napalm Death, the greatest grindcore band ever, have just dropped their 16th album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism.   I have followed ND since Scum in 1987 blew my mind apart. I remember getting the LP and inside had an order form for Napalm Death shirts. I had to have my father get […]

This is a nice little ditty of a release with Matt Harvey leading the way in both bands.  For the Exhumed side it’s 3 songs and 2 for the Gruesome side – “The Gruesome Twosome”…I couldn’t resist.  5 songs in about 20 minutes and I have gone through this split multiple times and it’s a […]