Posts Tagged ‘2019’

Wormed – Metaportal EP

Spain’s Wormed, I can’t believe it, have already been around for 20 years.  Holy crap how time flies.  I would assume this little ditty of an ep, in the spherical form of Metaportal is a precursor to Wormed’s fourth full-length album.  I have been a huge fan of the band and have met them on […]

Bastard Grave – Dioramas of Human Suffering

The debut from this musty, old school Swedish death metal act, What Lies Beyond, was a solid record, but none one I’ve really revisited since I purchased it. And the same can be said true of the follow up: a solid old school Swedish death metal record, but one that’s likely to get lost in […]

Anger Machine – Trail of the Perished

Coming with the dreaded ‘groove/thrash metal’ tag, and some 80s B grade cover artwork (intentional I’m sure), I didn’t have very high expectations for the debut from this Netherlands act, but the old  adage  ‘never judge a book by its cover’, was pretty appropriate here, as I actually ended up rather enjoying this thrashy little […]

Demiurgon – The Oblivious Lore

Wow! I know I talk up Everlasting Spew Records quite a bit when I review their artists but I cannot help it. They put out such amazing releases! The trend doesn’t stop with Italian brutal tech death metallers Demiurgon and their 2019 2nd full length album The Oblivious Lure. It has been four years since […]

Borknagar – True North

I’m not going to lie, I’ve been waiting for ICS Vortex to be the full time singer again in Borknagar for a while now. No disrespect to Andreas Hedlund (Vintersorg) and his contributions on the last few albums, or even Garm’s superb early efforts, but I think most would agree the ICS Vortex albums (Quintessence, […]

Desecresy – Towards Nebulae

Finland’s Desecresy return with their 6th album and second as a one man act after Jarno Nurmi, vocals, departed after the Stoic Death album. Tommi Grönqvist continues along playing all instruments and singing and Towards Nebulae continues with the depressive, atmospheric and bulldozer heaviness we have come to expect from this great act. Opening with “The Gate”, this is one of […]

Pathology – Reborn to Kill

I’m not sure what is more surprising- that this is Pathology’s 10th album since 2006, or that its released on Pavement Music/Entertainment, once a prolific extreme metal label, now home to the likes of Dishwalla, Puddle of Mud, Flaw and Tantric. Either way, album number 10 sticks to the tenets of the last few albums, […]

Warthrone – Crown of the Apocalypse

Virginia’s blackened death metal band, Warthrone, return with their second album, and this follow-up to their debut: Venomassacre, showcases the band pummel the listener again and again and again.  The band further stream lining their line-up with now Erik and his wife Kristel as the members.  Erik plays drums, guitars and now is back to […]

Disillusion – The Liberation

While most are out there blowing their loads over the Tool album, I’ve been sitting here patiently awaiting the arrival of another long awaited progressive metal album, Disillusion’s reunion effort after 13 years!. Yep- it’s been 13 years since the divisive Gloria, which while a solid album, had the herculean task of following up a […]

Prophecy – Foreseen Scriptures

Texas has quite a nice death metal scene.  With Devourment, Kill Everything,   and many others…but don’t forget about Prophecy.  With Foreseen Scriptures as their 5th album, being newly released I would love to see them do some major touring, because this album destroys from beginning to end.  You want pure brutal American blood-flowing death […]

Impure – Satan’s Eclipse

Do you pine for the grimy years of Blasphemy?  Have you always hoped they would drop one last dirty bomb of skinhead ignorance?  Did you spend month’s booze budget for die hard versions of the last reissues?  If so, then dudes… there are a LOT of options in lo-fi bestial bands who have adopted that […]

Stellar Master Elite – Hologram Temple

Well,  at least I know that Germany’s Unholy Conspiracy Deathwork label knows how to package an album. As with label mate’s Der Rote Milan‘s Moritat, the fourth album from home land act Stellar Master Elite comes in some intriguing packaging, a black embossed  2mm black carton premium digipack, with 3 black foil prints on all sides […]

Sacred Reich – Awakening

Arizona Thrash veterans , Sacred Reich, return with their first full length since, Heal, from 1996.  Awakening is their 5th full length and after reforming years ago the band has made it more than a reunion, because unlike a lot of bands reuniting Sacred Reich actually recorded a new album, rather than continuing to rest on their laurels and tour […]

Power From Hell – Profound Evil Presence

Here’s the 6th album from Brazilian Black/Thrash veterans Power From Hell, whom I’m not familiar with due to my general lack of knowledge or affinity for Black/Thrash metal. And due to those reasons, probably won’t check out again, but fans of the genre should check them out if they haven’t already. Culling from  the first […]

Cropsy Maniac – Carnage EP

You’ve heard of the Six Degrees of Separation right? Hell, you’ve probably even heard of the quirky, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Well, I guess you could say that it was the Six Degrees of Dave Ingram that led to my introduction of  Cropsy Maniac. You see, it goes like this: I’m a big Benediction […]

False – Portent

I’m unfamiliar with female fronted Minnesotan black metal act False, but seeing as their second effort was released on the usually reliable Gilead Media, who recently dropped the magnificent third Falls of Rauros album, I though Id give this a go. And what I was greeted with was some fantastic 90s styled , Scandinavian semi […]

Witch-Hunt – Darkened Anthology 1992-2002

Virginia’s Witch-Hunt were together for 10 years from 1992-2002 and played a very early form of death metal/thrash, which eventually went towards a black metal sound towards the last few years of their existence.  This anthology collection compiles the majority of their songs throughout their releases, which are: Both 1993 demo’s Born Dead and Fearless,  […]

Shadow of Intent – Melancholy

I’m on a bit of a symphonic metal kick of late, especially deathcore,jamming the likes of Carnifex, Ov Lustra and When Plagues Collide on a regular basis. So here is Connecticut’s Shadow of Intent, who are one of the online deathcore community’s darlings with 2 albums under their belt (Primordial and Reclaimer). They have made […]

Ov Lustra – Tempastas EP

Most will roll their eyes at blackened deathcore with symphonic elements , but Arizonians Ov Lustra (“Of Glory? Of Shining?”Of Mirrors?) has absolutely knocked it out of the park with this ‘debut’ EP, utilizing some of the most effective orchestration I’ve heard in any metal genre with perfect results. Formerly known as Sun Speaker and […]

Immortal Suffering – Preyed Upon

New Yorks’ Immortal Suffering return with their second full-length album and a real nice follow-up to their long awaited debut in 2015, the awesome, yet very short Asylum.  Since that record the newest member is Randall Reekstin on drums.  The rest of the band staying intact with Joe Provvisiero and Leo Bakman on guitars, John […]

Rogga Johansson – Entrance to the Otherwhere

A seasoned veteran and stalwart of the Swedish death metal scene, the prolific Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, Down Among the Dead Men and countless other acts) has dipped his toes into solo waters again for sophomore album, Entrance to the Otherwhere. The multi-talented artist handles all lyrics, music and songwriting duties, ably assisted by session […]

Aftermath – There is Somethings Wrong

Chicago’s progressive-thrash metal/crossover band Aftermath return with the follow-up to their 1994 debut-Eyes of Tomorrow, with There is Something Wrong.  Aftermath reformed in 2014 and this album has Charlie Tsiolis on vox, Steve Sacco on guitar, Ray Schmidt on drums and George Lagis on bass.  So being away for so long and your second album […]

Sinners Bleed – Absolution

I had high hopes for this.  It was either because it was named after an Entombed song from Clandestine, or that drummer Eric Krebs is the drummer here, and he is in another German death metal band called Golem, who released one of the early 00s most underrated death metal albums, Dreamweaver. Unfortunately, I was […]

Overt Enemy – Possession EP

Ahh Thrash Metal…For the most part there are usually two camps when it comes to the liking of the genre. One camp simply being lovers of the trade, relishing in everything it is, in all of its neck breaking glory; the other camp tends to keep its distance from the beer and sweat smelling, denim […]

Carnifex – World War X

After Whitechapel’s The Valley, you could argue that Thy Art is Murder’s’ Human Target, and Carnifex’s 7th album are 2019s other ‘big name’, veteran deathcore releases. And while I have yet to hear Human Target, The Valley was phenomenal, so where does World War X stand? Well, I had some reservations when I saw/heard first […]