What we have here is some excellent, dreamy, melodic/atmospheric black metal with some unique keyboards. Not unlike Violet Cold, Mesarthim or Christian Cosentino‘s Lawn release from 2021, the keyboards are not your standard symphonic black metal, neo-classical or orchestral arrangements but much rather a happier, almost synth-pop take on the style, with some enjoyable unique results.

The first 5 songs are from The Amythyst Fortress EP, and have a little more raw, rough production, but the compositions and keyboards are no less prevalent. And the songwriting itself is a pretty catchy, bouncy, left-field back metal that suits the pipe organ on speed keyboards perfectly with some really nice moments where everything comes together. For example, the second track ” The Crimson Gate” has a really nice, pure melodic black metal riff, but also offsets it with a catchy, somber darkwave-ish chorus. The same can be said for the third track “The Forsaken Realm”, where some surprisingly vicious black metal is broken up by some magical keys in the chorus. Those same keys start the next track ” The Fallen Star” before it gets into the more despondent territory. The EPs lengthy title track then actually gets a little more chaotic and dissonant, even with the keyboards sounding like a merry-go-round stuck in fast.

The 4 Moonstone Temple tracks are better produced and polished and also lean more into the unique circus-y/pipe organ/merry-go-round synths, with a more upbeat pace and delivery, though still with some cool melodic riffing. In particular,  “The Portal” and my personal favorite, “The Procession” with the latter having a very catchy, nifty little almost pop/techno jaunt in the chorus that will for sure have true/Kult black metal fans all worked up. But there is still a nice delivery of pretty scathing melodic black metal riffage as heard in “The Prayer” and closer “The Priestess”. But all four tracks show a more confident, developed Leleth as he finds his sound, a sound I’m really enjoying

A very promising, genre-defying newcomer, and one I will be watching as he develops the unique sound further. I’m just hoping he can retain the melodic back metal balance with the eclectic keyboards and programming, as heard on the newer Moonstone tracks, and not get too far out there.

So what we have on Hubris is basically something akin to the early years of Germany’s Crematory (think….Just Dreaming or Transmigration); some mid-paced, almost gothic metal-based melodic death metal with lots of keyboards.

It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. It’s very simplistic, plodding melodic death metal, albeit with a lavish, big production. The well-done synths (the album’s best element) of guitarist André Matos are big and bombastic, the vocals of Pedro Faria are adequately gruff rasps and growls, and there is a definite sense of veteran polish and confidence. However, the song-writing isn’t quite as dynamic as I’d hoped.

When seeing ‘symphonic death metal’ as a promotional tag, I’m envisioning something along the lines of Argentina’s  Mortuorial Eclipse, Brazil’s Humanizer, or maybe even the genre masters, Fleshgod Apocalypse. But with Hubris we get much more of a Gothic death metal sound like Crematory as mentioned earlier or mid-90s Nuclear Blast bands like Agathodaimon, Godgory, Sculpture, some tempered Dimmu Borgir and such. Fans of newer Rotting Christ and Septicflesh, will probably enjoy Hubris as well, as there is definitely an influence from those 2 bands here as well.

The problem is the songs never get out of second gear. Even with all the dramatic orchestration (they recently performed live with a 50-person orchestra), big, crunchy riffs, leather, and corpse paint, there’s rarely anything in the riff department that matches the bombast of the orchestration. But again it’s not bad.  It’s an easy listen, with a few foot-tapping, consistently paced moments here and there.

Of the 10 tracks, only “Media God” or “Faceless” really deliver something a little more fierce and urgent. Otherwise, its likes of “The Meaning of Life”,  “Black Mirrors”, “Godspell”  “The All Seeing Eye” and ‘Dawn” all having a pretty standard, more moody gait and pace, that never quite delivers. And that sort of sums up the whole of Hubris.

And while all of the genre tropes are here; melancholic but melodic tremolo-picked riffs, bleak, distant rasps, somber atmospherics, expansive songs (the album is 41 minutes but only 3 real songs and an interlude0  light dark hues etc. But where Lunar Mercia has a difference maker is the gorgeous often-used clean choral/choir-like vocals of bassist William Southworth. And I mean GORGEOUS. To hear such an angelic voice come from a big, bearded, burly dude like myself is jarring. Think Neige on Alcest’s debut Souvenirs D’un Autre Monde, or the epic climax from Light Bearer’s “Silver Tongue” track. And it’s not the only time I get a Light Bearer vibe, as some of the crescendoes and transitions could also come from Light Bearer‘s more introspective moments, but more on that later.

The 3 long songs are all enthralling, varied, expansive, slightly depressive journeys into atmospheric black metal.  The opener “On the Veiled Road” is a 14-minute monster that delivers everything the genre demands with top-notch skill and songwriting. In particular, after some bristling black metal,  the last half, which is largely acoustic/orchestral with Southworth’s ‘altar boy in a cathedral’ vocals, is just mesmerizing. The transition/bridge and subsequent chord progression about 10:45 in is just absolute, knee-wilting perfection, maybe because it, as I mentioned earlier conjures Light Bearer‘s finest moments.

“Sombre Corruption” is a mere 12 minutes and has a nice, proggy, Opeth-ian sway and Southworth’s croons and some wondrous keyboards for its first 8 minutes before a smooth acoustic bridge before a sudden and jarring pure black metal explosion that actually made me jump. Then the melding of black metal harshness, dramatic strings and Southwold’s clean vocals come together for a stirring final couple of moments.

After the lovely interlude “The Loss”, which is 2 minutes of acoustics and Southwold’s vocals,  the 12-minute title track rounds things out, and again its first few minutes keep me thinking of Light Bearer‘s beautiful builds and transitions, I kept expecting Alex CF to come in with a harsh shout at any time. The song has much more of a post-rock ebb and flow until about 5 minutes in where we get a superb, haughty 6/8 tremolo riff that Vallendusk would be proud of. And then the shift into a glorious mid-paced crescendo about 8 minutes in, is AGAIN,  something I expect to hear from Light Bearer, and it’s emotional, its brilliant right up to its watery fade out.

A killer, self-released debut from a new band I will most certainly be keeping an eye on and along with Lightlorn, and the new Woods of Desolation has gave atmospheric post-black metal a shot in the arm in late 2022.

No matter your view on the often questioned actual events of 480BC (or Spartan culture) and its cinematic representation in the movie 300, (one of my favorite movies ever, so I’m a bit biased), there is no denying that an epic battle took place where a few (300 Spartans or otherwise ) dudes took on a much larger number of Persians, and while they technically lost, the history and even fate of western Europe was forever changed.

Molon Labe, (meaning “Come and get them”- allegedly said by Spartan King Leonidas after the Persians asked them to lay down their weapons), covers the life of Spartan warriors, then the battle from start to finish, and features plenty of blistering death and black metal riffs and Hellenic atmospherics (three instrumentals and plenty of epic/moody keyboards)  to convey the era and bloody, heroic events of Thermopylae.

If you are a fan of ADE‘s Romanic themes and style of death metal or Ex Deo, England’s Imperivm, this is a release for you. But it’s the ADE comparison where I keep landing with Sirrush. They are black/death metal, with the needle firmly on the death metal side of things, with gruff vocals from Otagron and a burlier guitar tone.

After “The Path of Heroes” sets the mood, “Deimos” delivers 6 + minutes of thunderous, moody death metal lurching and loping, but then “A Son Set His Father Free” unleashes a blistering, more blackened furor. The next track, ” With Your Shield ..or on It” is my favorite on the album, with a stirring main riff that reminds me of “Mars’ Unpredictable Favor” from ADE’s Spartacus album. “Molon Labe” is another excellent track that conveys the battle and Hellenic era with brutal death metal precision.

“The Vision of Megistias” and “The Last Glorious Echo” continues the album’s excellent back end as the event’s inevitable treachery and conclusion draw to an end, which is also reflected as the songs shift to a more solemn atmospheres finishing with “Remember Who We Were”, which ends the album with a perfect, somber end note similar to the 300 or Gladiator movies (I’m not crying, you’re crying….).

“‘O Stranger, send the news home to the people of Sparta that here we Are laid to rest: the commands they gave us have been obeyed.” – (Inscription on the Leonidas Statue and the Battle of Thermopylae monument)

But when Dying of Everything was announced, adorned with the last album artwork from the legendary artist Mariusz Lewandowski (RIP), (rather than the lazy logo-only artwork from the self-titled album) and the first single “The Wrong Time”, there was some hope, and I happy to report that Dying of Everything is one of the band’s better post-hiatus albums.

This may scare some folks off depending on how you feel about these albums, but I’m getting a The End Complete meets World Demise vibe from Dying of Everything. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but the balance of swampy grooves and more feral numbers seems to have that same balance, intensity, and modern sheen, minus the industrial, awkward mid-90s transitional sound that everyone had at that time.

As is the norm for the band’s recent output, you get a fast, urgent opener in “Barely Alive” before the aforementioned “The Wrong Time” delivers one of the band’s signature trundles. And while the band isn’t quite as ‘brutal’ as they were when you first heard them in 1989, (in particular, John Tardy is far more annunciated than he’s ever been), and those lurches are less icky and Celtic Frost based, with the last few albums, they have locked into a perfect, for lack of a better term, “Redneck Stomp” (a song from 200s Frozen in Time) sound that embodies their past and present perfectly.

That distinctly Obituary sound continues for “Without a Conscience” and “War”, until the title track (penned by newish guitarist Ken Andrews) gets a little more urgent, and less definably Trevor Peres sounding. “My Will to Live” recalls Metallica’s “Creeping Death” at times, with a simple crawl and chug. Then we get one of the album’s standouts in “By The Dawn”, one of the better songs the band has delivered over the last few albums.

There is a bit of a late album lull with “Weaponize the Hate” and “Torn Apart” but the mix from Joe Cincotta is locked in, delivering a perfect tone that melds sweaty, fuuzy heft, and razor-sharp, regardless if the riff kills or is merely a bit of a rehash. It’s nowhere more apparent than for the album’s final, murky, killer standout, almost 6-minute track, “Be Warned’ which ends things rather ominously.

Dying of Everything is better than the self-titled release, but not quite as good as the three albums that proceeded it. It’s a solid entry to the band’s discography and does nothing to tarnish their substantial legacy. And while the adage ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’, seem fitting, that’s OK when these truly old dogs don’t need any new tricks, as the ones they know, they have perfected over 30 years.

I always feel one of the most important aspects of making an album like this successful is in the creation of real, palpable atmosphere. I want to practically feel the dread oozing from its evil, cobweb-ridden pores, and as should be no surprise from these fetid French – Sépulcre pulls it off in spades. From the slow, building intro to “Cursed Ways of Sheol,” through the meandering, unsettling 9+ minute closer “Foul Divinity Enthronation,” the band’s intent to drag listeners through a bottomless crypt of horror and heft is ever-apparent.  Guitarists Hélène Leroy and Kev Desecrator (who also currently plays drums for Destroyer 666) do excellent work of balancing some burly-as-hell filth with a heavy dose of nicely layered, atmospheric breaks that bring a much needed sense of gloom and doom. It all works particularly well on “Relics from Unheartly Cult” which, to my ears, really showcases what the band is fully capable of bringing to the table – starting with a nasty, nostalgic SwedeDeath riff that never goes out of style, and using it as a backbone to bring in an assortment of lethal weaponry; from furious blasting, to impressive, melodic leads, to those spacious, unsettling breaks that simultaneously sound beautiful and utterly terrifying.

It’s also worth mentioning that, following 2020’s solid debut EP, Cursed Ways of Sheol showcases the band’s marked improvement on almost every level. The riffs are sharper and more focused, the drumming from Jon Whiplash is tighter and more impactful, and an added emphasis to creating more depth to the band’s sound with bassist Romain Gibet, all come together to really make for a more dynamic, pleasant listening experience. If I have anything to nitpick, it’s that the band introduces a subtle layer of organs at the end of “Aethyr Emanations,” and frankly I think its being underutilized. Incorporate that more, mes amies! They add such a nice added layer of dreadful atmosphere to the slower, more doomy stretches and I’m just left wanting even more of it.

Like I said earlier, I do think brevity is usually beneficial to this kind of offering – but I must say, Cursed Ways of Sheol definitely has me excited at the thought of a full length effort from these guys. But hey, if they wanna just keep cranking out killer little EPs like this, I ain’t gonna be the one to complain, either. Dive in to the crypt and get a hold of this beast.

Well, they have circled back to Swedish HM2-styled death metal with Carnal Savagery and have released album number 4 since 2017, with Worm Eaten and it continues their run of solid, enjoyable if unspectacular albums in the genre.

Like the members’ attempt at In Flames cloneage with Divine Souls, Carnal Savagery is also heavily rooted in other bands, namely the Swedish legends of yore. Worm Eaten is chock full of Dismember/Grave/Entombed-influenced goodness, with some more than palpable nods to Entombed and Dismember’s seminal debuts, Left Hand Path and Like an Ever Flowing Stream. 

Worm-Eaten isn’t going to change the genre or compete with the likes of Necom or In Pain as the year’s best in the genre, but it does have some cool, near-killer moments here and there. The production has the expected Stockholm, HM2 buzz and Dan Swanos master gives it plenty of mid-range heft and vocalist Mattias Lilja has a more midrange rasp (as he used with Divine Souls, though not quite as high-pitched here).

The songs are generally mid-paced lumberers like “Masticating Maggots”, the Autopsy reek of “Baptized In Mutilated Innards”, killer stomp of “Edible”, or “Perpetual Suffering”. Then toss in a few faster songs like “Revel in Madness” and all the bases of the genre are covered.

And the band isn’t shy about their influences on tracks like “Disembodied”, which uses the opening throes of Dismember’s “Dismembered” to start. Or “Perpetual Suffering” which has a “Casket Garden”-like riff, or the “Soon to be Dead” hues of “Miasma of Putrid Decay”. And for the closing outro “Evil Incarnate”, there is more than a subtle nod to “In Death’s Sleep”, that’s hard to miss. And the not so subtly named “Revel in Madness” even has a similar classic canter to its famous  Entombed namesake.

And that ends up being the minor problem with  Carnal Savagery (and has been for their discography); Where Divine Souls were a shameless In Flames rip-off,  Carnal Savagery often comes across as little more than a good Dismember/Entombed clone and dangerously close to a cover band. Itself, not a bad thing at all, but in a year that saw releases from In Pain, Entrails, Demonical, Disfuneral, Iron Flesh, Katakomba, Ripped to Shreds and such, Worm Eaten wasn’t quite up there in the top tier albums of the style for 2022.

In all fairness, the five originals found within In Darkness Alone are quite endearing examples of some quality black-death metal. At times the material rages with straight-up death metal aplomb and ferocity. Other times it drips with a blackness that is as razor-sharp as it is scathing. Though the deathly black combination that seeps through the majority of this extremity is what really fuels the fire. Imagine if Dark Funeral incorporated a bit of true death metal, à la David Vincent, into their sound, or maybe better yet, imagine the excellence of Cradle of Filth without the romantic ideologies and over-the-top Dani Filth-isms and you can get a pretty decent idea of what Scars of the Flesh has to offer with In Darkness Alone.

While all of the original material rages in a similar fashion, except the instrumental, “Mors Aetrena”, my favorite would probably be the album’s title track, “In Darkness Alone” (though “Memory Unknown” is a close contender). “In Darkness Alone” is heavy, driving, slicing, and ultimately, as beautiful as it is brutal. The track incorporates some terrifically strong and memorable melodies and lead guitar work. Compelling in its nature and moving in its arrangement, not to mention that the dual death and black vocals are fantastic; the song is everything I like about the band. The aforementioned instrumental, “Mors Aeterna” closes out the original material with a soft and beautifully done piece of guitar and piano, with some nice light synth work within, to create a well-done ethereal feel before the album moves on to the four bonus tracks that close out In Darkness Alone proper.

Obviously, I feel that four bonus tracks included in the actual representation of the album is a tad over kill. I would have much preferred one more original track of raging black death metal and one, maybe two cover songs, but damn…alas it is what it is, and who really cares what I think. Over kill or not, these covers are done excellently and are quite the ragers if I do say so myself. Not to mention, the choice of bands that Scars of the Flesh have chosen to cover are great representations of where their influences lay.

With Behemoth‘s “Chant for Ezkaton”, Dimension Zero‘s “Silent Night Fever”, and Amon Amarth‘s “Victorious March”(so glad they chose a song from Once Sent from the Golden Hall) all receiving pretty faithful renditions, save for some added heft and minor tweaks here and there, and all easily standing shoulder to shoulder with the original, it’s Metallica‘s “The God That Failed” that comes off as the more interesting number out of the cover tracks.

If nothing else, the track is the most diverse take of the aforementioned cover songs. Successful in managing to maintain the same tempo and overall gait of the original while adding in some killer little flourishes of keyboard work that really do add to the effect of the song. The extreme vocal treatment and the added moments of double kick drums don’t hurt things either, as they give the track a stellar mid-’90’s Carcass vibe, all while maintaining a faithful guitar performance, leads, and all. A damn good take on one of Metallica‘s better songs of the ’90’s.

I hate to say that I can’t really attest to how In Darkness Alone stacks up to the band’s prior releases as I am only marginally familiar with the group. Though with them being a Texas band and myself being a born and raised Texan they earn a few extra points, at least enough to make up for the whole full-length debacle. What? It’s my review. If ya don’t like my logic well, tough shit. Seriously, I kid; facetious fun aside, Scars of the Flesh have produced a quality banger of an album, enough so that I’ll have to follow up on their back catalog a little more in-depth to see what I may have missed. As for In Darkness Alone? Check it out, I guarantee you will find something you like about it, in fact, I guarantee you will find more than a few things that you’ll think kick ass about it, and if not? Well…tough shit I guess… I kid, I kid.

And it ended up being a solid blind listen as The Burden, not quite being a replacement for Fall of Efrafa or Light Bearer, being more in the realms of Burst or Isis or fellow Dutchmen MØL. But it still has some nice additional crust and even black metal elements melded in successfully to create a very enjoyable album. Case and point, excellent 7 minute opener “Bricks of Grace” which has heaving post-metal/hardcore/sludge lopes, introspective bridges, huge bellows, pained screams, and a peak/climax of about 6 minutes in, which I really enjoyed.

The second track, “False Promises” is also a solid track and continues with the post-metal throb and lumber with some mountainous opening riffage, an acoustic bridge, and another late song peak. It’s the third song “Cleary Awake” where I get a bit of a Fall of Afrafa/Light Bearer vibe, with the more urgent, jangly/ crusty/punky chord progression and a very nice blackened, tremolo-picked blast beat than could be from Deafheaven’s Sunbather.

Another one of those more blackened moments appears in “Doubt” as well, and to start the excellent duo of “Hall of Mirrors and “The Burden Noose”, even if they are all too shortlived. But these moments do add a nice dichotomy to the huge, crumbling riffs and introspective moments (i.e.”Endless Blockade”). There is also a couple of well-placed female vocal/spoken injections (“Hall of Mirrors”, “Safta”) from local artist Shira van der Wouden, adding some emotional gravitas to the tumbling throes, again imbuing a little Fall of Efrafa. 

Everything sounds absolutely massive with a recording from Tim de Gieter  (Amenra) and master from Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Downfall of Gaia- also a solid reference point for some of the music on The Burden). And I’m enjoying this way more than last year’s Diorama from countrymates MØL, on a much bigger label.  And it’s one of the better releases in this hybrid style I’ve heard recently, though not the Fall of Efrafa replacement I was truly hoping for.

Keyboards, keyboards, and more keyboards. That was my theme in 2022. Whether melodic death metal, deathcore or black metal. “It needs more keyboards” was my mantra as all but a handful have keyboards of some sort, whether subtle, sweeping or bombastic.

Symphonic/orchestral/blackened deathcore in particular was spectacular in 2022, in addition to those on my list, physical and digital releases from the likes of Shadow of Intent, Hanging the Nihilist, Hammer of Dawn, Downfall of Mankind, Despite Exile, The Archaic Epidemic, Sold Soul, Synestia, Rotten Tongue, Art of Attrition, Devoured by the Abyss, Draconian Reign, Mire Lore and others showed the genre wasn’t about to go away (OK, Assemble the Chariots, hurry the fuck up an release an album already). And even regular deathcore delivered the goods with Enterprise Earth, Ingested, Angelmaker, Crown Magnetar and …And Hell Followed With. 

Slam had a solid year as well, with the Analepsy and Fleshgore making my list, the killer debut from newcomers Kanine as well as Crypt Rot, Xenotheory, 9 Dead, Peeling Flesh and veterans Organectomy. 

A shout out to Windrose for Warfront– the only power metal album in 2022 that got me remotely excited. “One Last Day” is so goddamn epic. Let’s see what Twilight Force can do in 2023.

Interestingly I could not settle on the best label of the year as lots of labels had good years, including Unique Leader, Century Media, The Artisan Era, Napalm Records, and Nuclear Blast.

As with most years, my top 5-10 is pretty solid, but everything after that was stuff I liked, and the order is pretty fluid.

1. Lorna Shore – Pain Remains (Century Media). No real surprise here. Despite the album being half-released digitally before it came out, the entirety of the album was still worth it. Particularly the epic “Pain Remains” trilogy of songs, which is the most enthralling and emotional 20 minutes of music I heard in 2022 if not the last five years. A real bar setter for deathcore and symphonic deathcore, if not all extreme music moving forward.
2. Imperial Circus Dead Decadence – 殯――死へ耽る想いは戮辱すら喰らい、彼方の生を愛する為に命を讃える――。(Radtone Music) The utterly bonkers, brilliant love child of Sigh, Babymetal, Cradle of Filth and an Anime soundtrack.
3. A Wake in Providence – Eternity (Unique Leader Records), Just pipped by Lorna Shore as the year’s best symphonic deathcore record. A brilliant answer to losing Will Ramos to Lorna Shore.
4. Amorphis– Halo (Century Media Records). You forgot about this one, didn’t you? Like a fine wine, these guys get better and better with a string of superb albums that not many bands can match. ” Seven Roads Come Together” is just stunning.
5. Greylotus – Dawnfall (The Artisan Era). A perfect supergroup of Artisan Era styles on one dynamic, epic, progressive album.
6. Wolfheart – King of the North (Napalm Records). These guys keep getting better and better and more and more epic. Kings of the North indeed.
7. Allegaeon – Damnum (Metal Blade Records). A sprawling display of American technical and melodic death metal. Pity Riley Mcshane left after a killer performance here. Curious to see who they replace that huge void with.
8. Epoch of Unlight – At War With the Multiverse (Dark Horizon Records) is The best reunion of the year. Well worth the 17-year wait.
9. Vehemence – Ordalies (Antiq Records). Early in the year, this was a contender for the best album of the year. Brilliant French medieval black metal.
10. Xaon – The Lethean (Self Released). Gloriously lush, lavish, catchy melodic death metal with some of the best keyboards of the year. One of my favorite new finds of 2022.
11. Worm Shepherd – Ritual Hymns (Unique Leader Records). Another band nipping at the heels of Lorna Shore, both in quality and style.
12. Necrom – All Paths Are Left here… (Osmose Productions). The best HM2 Swedish-styled death metal release of the year. Pity about the ‘other’ stuff’ .
13. Bonecarver – Carnage Funeral (Unique Leader Records). The sudden change to Lorna Shore styled synths in their deathcore core ended up being a really good decision.
14. Molder – Engrossed in Decay (Prosthetic Records). The most fun I had with a death metal record in 2022.
15. Aethereus – Leiden (The Artisan Era). The Artisan Era continues its run of excellent technical, progressive death metal.
16. Analepsy – Quiescence (Miasma/Agonia Records). The best slam record of the year from Portugal’s answer to Dying Fetus.
17. Fleshgore – Carnival of Flesh (Xtreem Music). A late-year addition that like Analepsy above, is pure Dying Fetus worship but from the Ukraine.
18. The Devils of Loudon – Escaping Eternity ( The Artisan Era). See 17  and just add 90s synths.
19. Fall of Stasis – The Chronophagist (Self-Released), A crazy debut of female-fronted folky, The Black Dahlia Murder and crazy symphonics. Looking forward to more from these guys
20. I Am the Night – While the Gods Are Sleeping (Svart Records). Old-school Emperor worship at its finest.
21. Katharos – Of Lineages Long Forgotten (Willowtip). Later era Emperor worship at its finest.
22. The Mist From the Mountains – Monumental – The Temple of Twilight (Primitive Reaction). More 90s-era black metal homage, this time to Borknagar.
23. Pestilent Hex – The Ashen Abhorrence (Debemur Morti Productions). The Third black metal supergroup on this list playing homage to the classic 90s sound.
24. Inanimate Existence- The Masquerade ( The Artisan Era). See 15 and 18.
25. Exocrine – The Hybrid Suns (Unique Leader Records). Superb tech death with some nice orchestral and experimental flourishes.
26. Spire of Lazarus – Soaked in the Sands (Reality Fade). A name change didn’t change the quality of this techy, video game-influenced deathcore outfit.
27. Blood of the Wolf: IV: The Declaration of War (HPGD Productions). Sheer, apocalyptic black/ death devastation.
28. Horror Within – Awaiting Extinction (Pathologically Explicit Recordings) Deathcore with an HM2 buzz saw guitar tone. Fuck yes.
29. Freedom Of Fear – Carpathia (Self-Released). EVP Recordings. Killer technical, sweep-filled, symphonic black/tech death from Australia with Obscura’s Mannes Grossman on drums.
30. She Must Burn – Umbra Mortis (Self Released). A strangely beguiling yet heavy mix of Cradle of Filth, Make Them Suffer and Bleeding Through. A nice comeback, but I Still miss Aimy Miller though.

Best EP:– Winter’s Gate – The Voyage in Becoming. Some of the best keyboards of the year and one of my very favorite songs of the year in “Preordained”. Needs a CD release (also see below).

Best 1 song album:– Ode and Elegy. Self-titled – 50 minutes of enthralling folky, post-metal chamber music from the guy behind The Pax Cecilia.

Best digital-only releases/please do a fucking CD: – Winter’s Gate – The Voyage in Becoming, Pillaging Villagers – S/T: Rousing blue collar thrash/death metal mixed with Irish pub anthems. Xenotheory – Dawn of the Eyeless Realm (who does cassettes only????) Killer slam based on Alien/Aliens movies?. Oh hell yes. Synestia – Maleficium . Stunning orchestral deathcore from Finnish/Minnesota duo and Fleshgod Apocalypse‘s Francesco Ferrini.  C’mon guys not all of us are ready to move purely to digital music.

Biggest Surprise: – The killer amount of quality melodeath – Xaon, The Halo Effect, Defacing God, Grenadier, Norrskold, Brymir, Soilwork, Wolfheart, Clamoris, Burned in Effigy all released killer melodeath albums in 2022. Let’s see if In Flames can keep it going in 2023.

Guilty Pleasure: Bloodywood Rakshak. Indian tribal nu metal core? Yep. Now, if they only got rid of the rapper guy…..

Best Reunions:- Epoch of Unlight and Defleshed. Two 17-year hiatuses. Two glorious returns to the scene with killer albums.

Best Album Cover Art: I AM – Eternal Steel, Kanine– Karnage.

Bring in Invirulant – also hailing from Phoenix, AZ, newly formed, and guess what??  No don’t say chicken butt!  As taken from Metal Archives:  Initially formed by Brandon Shobe as a resurrection of Necrambulant with an entirely new lineup, but changed their name when it was disputed by other Necrambulant members, who had reactivated their band under the same name in 2022.

So what do you expect when you see Inherited Suffering Records putting something like this out?  Well, I can say that Invirulant’s Indomitable Worldwide Slamdemic debut album sounds like the rightful successor to Necrambulant’s debut album as if it was released let’s say in 2015, a few years after the debut.  You want sludge, putrid filth, knuckle-dragging brutal slam death metal – well the dark lord almighty – this is that record.  Fans of: Abominable Putridity, Traumatomy, Korpse, Kanine, Emasculated Vituperation will go apeshit over this album.  Also newly released on the label, prior to this, is the debut album from Slamadeus – Slamphony No. 1.  I mention this because that’s also in the vein of this album, is super killer and the band name has me and site owner Erik, in stiches.  Pronounce the band name again and then realize that’s something one usually does after eating Taco Bell.

Former Necrambulant vocalist, from the debut album, Brandon Shobe vomiting vocals are back in full swing after the interesting intro, which incorporates the album cover chaos going on.  “Slamophillic Supremacy of Specielitis Sigma Singulari” is such a monstrous and putrid opening song.  The isolated bass guitar parts, during the slam, will have slam pits tossing their refrigerators out the window.  The clogged-sewer pipe, vomiting on entrails stylized vocals are so fitting for this and the 808 bass bomb during the 2.40 section is actually one of those explosion styled 808’s, which are heard randomly throughout this album.  It will rupture your eardrums.  A Killer opening song and if you can recite what Brandon is spewing forth than you get a gold star, ‘cause I don’t know wtf he’s growling, but that’s the point with these type of vocals and he throws in some pig squeals as well as long growls.  I love this shit!

“Prolapsive Reticulatis from Detrivorist Coprophorgy” is a great song title.  Basically a play on words as to someone’s asshole collapsing and eating shit alongside it.  So the music is befitting, with all the burps, farts, and inhale vocals going on, it does sound like assholes are rupturing in purulence all over the bathroom floor in vomitrocious fashion.  I really enjoy the bass guitar plucking and the Holy Shit moment right before the 1.36 mark is the ticket!  Some gargles/throat burps and then right into the slamderific brutal gut-belching slam.  This is brutal and the blasts are minimal on this, but the guitar pinch harmonics will slice your head off and then play paddle ball head with it.

Ok, so Invirulant is brutal slam death metal.  You know what you’re getting into with this type of music.  I of corpse love every minute of it and the programmed drum machine sounds great.  The production is loud and crisp so every disgusting noise is heard on this.  Invirulant’s Indomitable Worldwide Slamdemic debut is 100% unadulterated and fun brutal slam, filthy, putrid, knuckle-dragging caveman brutality.  Come and get some!

Fleshgore is a Ukrainian band that has been around since 2000 with 5 full-length albums under their belt, and somehow with everything going on (and multiple lineup changes), has managed to belt out a sixth album, and it fucking slays.

The above referenced bands are pretty much all you need to know. This is pure NYDM with so many goddamn grooves and slams, that Frank Mullen’s chopping hand would fall off. Literally, every song on this killer album has some sort of Dying Fetus/Suffocation-like stomp and breakdown that cull from Destroy The Opposition and Effigy of the Forgotten. 

Where to even start? The album gets right the fuck to it with an opening groove immediately starting “Distorted Lights”, where the Dying Fetus influence isn’t just worn on their sleeve, it’s fucking carved out of their arm flesh.  Or how about the title track’s massive grooves, or the killer waltz-y stomp of personal favorite “Inhuman Existence”, or loping, pinch harmonic devastation of  “Buried Truth” or the huge grooving march in “Hive of Insanity”? It keeps going and going and  I can literally keep going and cover every track right to short, sharp closer “Ad Astra”

All of it is rendered with a nice big, but razor-sharp guitar tone and vocals from Italian transplant vocalist Michele Borniotto, who is channeling his inner Jon Gallagher/Jason Netherton with dual deep growls and shouts with aplomb. Just listen to “Frail Utopia” and tell me thats ‘s not pure Gallagher/Netherton/Voyles era Dying Fetus worship through and through.

 Carnival of Flesh is also one of those albums that makes me go back and buy a band’s entire discography. It is also one of those albums that I get every year that is a late-year/December release that jacks with the year-end list that I’ve been carefully crafting for weeks.  And this year it’s Carnival of Flesh.. Good Job guys.

Many of these bands, I find are either from Europe or Scandinavian countries and Finland’s Folkrim are back with their sophomore effort, On Foaming Waves.  This comes a mere year after their outstanding debut Tales of Tumult dropped.  This is a band of five gents who have some form of facial hair and like to sing about drinking, viking folklore, friendships and traveling to lands that time seemingly forgot oh, and did I mention drinking already??  Folkrim play a conglomeration of black metal, with some death metal influences and plenty of folk thrown in and heavens to Betsy I have not had as much fan listening to a band, then when I first discovered Sabaton or Nekrogoblikon.

14 songs in close to an hour’s worth of quality music and I do like, as Folkrim did on their debut, will sing in their native tongue on a few songs and “Rövarehumppa” is that song on this album.  I do want to cut to the chase and skip around a bit.  Other than guitars, bass and vocals other instruments frequently rear their heads on the album, such as a ukulele, banjo, mandolin and I swear that’s a tin whistle every so often, or my name isn’t Frank “The Punisher”-an ‘ole nickname bequeathed to me many years ago.

I am going right to my Anatomy of a Song because this is my favorite song for 2022 –  with “Entwined!”  This is the sixth song on this album and the band has a video as well. It erupts with black metallish vocals and a variety of the above instruments jamming together.  There are some tongue-n-cheek moments in the video that are absolutely hysterical.  When the main guitar riff, comes in, as the song slows down the folk influences erupt with the whistle, viola’s or violin’s and the video has the band doing what can best be described as a folk chain dance.  Each member, walking behind the next moving their heads up and down and their fists up and down in perfect cheesy unison.  The dude with the peaky blinders hat who has a beard and glasses is too much with this dance.  While I am laughing and being entertained I’m also mesmerized at how frickin’ catchy this song is-it’s almost criminal at how catchy the tune is.  The video has the band drinking, playing the song and stumbling over each other because either the meade or rum has gotten the best of them.  The video and song are a perfect match.  The catchy chorus of: So come and drink from the waters of the Entwell, to have the wisdom and age of trees, oh, we shall drink from the waters of the Entwell, Entwined we shall be!  – is so much fun.  The music is catchy, heavy, fun and the little polka dance parts all come together cohesively.

Going backwards – “Blackout” (not a Scorpions cover) opens the album and is fast and brisk.  Excellent dual layered vocals and the blast beat, early on, over the tin whistle moment is exceptional as the start and stop heavy parts kick in and kick our teeth in too.  We get some deeper gruff vocals too, so the death metal influence is across the album, with these type of deeper vocals sprinkled throughout the album.  The blast beat returns over the whistle and the main guitar riff is melodic, yet still heavy.

“Brace Yourselves” is another upbeat tune and is only 36 seconds.  It’s blasting madness with a variety of sounds and has some fun vocals.  It’s over before you sneeze your battle ring through your nose.

“Rövarehumppa” is so much fun, it reminds me of being at an Oktoberfest.  Drinking arm in arm, the meade swill spilling all over our shoes as we sing in unison, whatever the hell the band is singing.  It’s catchy.  The deeper vocals, the gang shouted drunken backing vocals and variety of choruses with the bee-bopping polka metal parts make this a fun party song.

I cannot get enough of this album or band.  Folkrim’s On Foaming Waves is fun, well-played folk metal with enough extreme metal influence to bring together a variety of fans.  The production is great and the variety of sounds and instruments and vocals all come together clearly in the mix.  It’s impossible not to be in a good mood while listening to this and after the album is over too.  Conjure up all the imagery of Vikings, castles, swash-buckling battles, mixed with copious amounts of libations, wenches, dragons, huge wood carved ships, nostalgic fun stories all mixed in with folk metal and blast beats and winner winner, chicken dinner!  Folkrim are terrifically entertaining.

when I first laid eyes on Zeke Sky‘s Intergalactic Demon King, I thought for sure I knew what I was getting into, and i was all about it. Looking at that logo, my mind immediately went to traditional, Manilla Road-loving Heavy Metal (yes, please!). Then I saw the whole album cover and… MY GOD that album cover! Keeping score, we’ve got a fire lion, we’ve got a herd of fire demon… skull goats? Gnarly. Then there’s our hero up top all swole-out and ripping away on his guitar. And there’s a burning grand piano? For, uh, reasons? Oh and it’s all in space, obviously. Duh. The point is, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and I was all-in to take this puppy for a ride.

Friends, this is something else entirely. There is… SO MUCH going on here. And it’s all rad as hell.

So this being 2022, Zeke Sky (guitarist, vocalist and full composer of everything going on aside from drums on Intergalactic Space Demon) got his foot in the door of the music biz on, where else, Youtube. This is not to disparage him or Youtube musicians/entertainers in any way shape or form, it just means that inevitably, I haven’t heard of him until right now. As it turns out, he is the living version of the swole-as-hell dude on the album’s cover, which makes me wonder just when the hell he finds the time of day to hit the gym as religiously as he obviously does, while becoming such a damn virtuoso on the guitar and amazing composer. I can barely find the time to function as an adult.

In the interest of attempting to find a category to throw Zeke Sky into, I suppose you could call it… Progressive Power Djent? Or Progressive MeloDjent? Imagine Devin Townsend, Blackguard, Protest the Hero, Periphery and, like, a smidge of Unleash the Archers coming together in a sort intergalactic super force of all things epic and righteous. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear he was part of the epic Canadian Metal scene but, alas he’s from Philadelphia. Regardless, this dude can SHRED. After setting the table on the multilayered, picture-painting “Overture,” my dude immediately breaks out the big guns with “On the Tip of the Tongue,” starting with a fantastic, cascading piano intro that brings to mind everyone from Meatloaf, to Celine Dion (stop laughing THIS IS SERIOUS), to Yes. That sort of Prog-mindedness certainly takes center stage, with layers of guitars, vocals and overlaying synths taking you on a journey with a decidedly metal back bone that balances everything out with an appreciated dose of heft. And while at no point during the proceedings would one doubt the man’s musical chops, the minute he busts out his first epic solo, you know we’re dealing with something REAL serious here.

But before you think this is gonna be an all-out noodle fest, “Light the Sky” comes in guns blazing with a ferocious, breakneck riff that has you feeling like you’re in a shuttle launch getting ready for an atmospheric breach. Midway through though, everything shuts down and gives way to a neat little atmospheric break led by a… theremin, maybe? It’s a nice little reminder that this album is certainly going to continue taking you on a bit of a journey, even if Zeke Sky decides to bust out the heavy shit – such as in the case on the follow-up title track, which very much gives a whole lot of those Protest the Hero vibes right from the first note – intricate, busy fretwork on full display, backed by a bruiser of a riff and some pounding, bombastic drum work that balances it all out really nicely. Even on “Level the Heights,” perhaps the album’s heaviest track (it even boasts a nasty little Lamb of God-inspired breakdown halfway through), Zeke Sky keeps his progressive tendencies well in-play, deftly transitioning from the aforementioned LOG-like heft to bust out a lengthy, expertly tapped solo that’s more Satriani than Slayer.

After a stretch of heavier tracks lasting through “Light in the Hollow,” the album starts to turn back towards a more Progressive, Heavy Metal flavor. Intrumental “Firewitch Forever” features an incredibly fun riff that brings to mind everyone from Deep Purple to Iron Maiden, capped off with Sky’s most ostentatious, self-indulgent soloing on the album which may sound like a dig, but I assure you it’s epic and righteous and very much necessary. “Faith and Sorrow” may have a foundation built on a super crunchy riff, but it’s the extra accents that make the song special – the all-too-brief organ hits (I KEEP TELLING EVERYONE, USE MORE ORGANS), the brilliant leads, the spacey backing vocals, it all creates a vivid fever dream of a picture that I want to soak myself in and return to again and again.

Zeke Sky is a brilliant musician who has effectively made one hell of a proper entrance into the world of Heavy Metal. Hype has already begun to build in spades and, to these ears, it’s all well-deserved. Intergalactic Demon King is a joyous, twisting ride that should appeal to a wide range of metalheads, and I suspect its accolades are only just starting to pile up. Check this out pronto.

Either way, what we have here from this particular Crypt Rot, is a killer 30 minutes of brutal, slamming East Coast style death metal that reminds me of a muddier Dying Fetus or Eternal Suffering and has the same sort of killer slamming energy as the Analepsy album, Quiescence , and Vomit Forth‘s Seething Malevolence from earlier this year but with a little more murderous vocals and brutality akin to say  Ohio’s 200 Stab Wounds 2021 album, Slave to the Scalpel

Starting with “The Work Of Worms” which brings on the stankiest of stank faces, this power trio absolutely brings the fucking thunder on An Ancient Summoning, mixing some super catchy slam influenced by the above bands ( I get notes of fellow Brits Ingested as well) and more putrid, gurgling, sewering dwelling brutal death metal (think Seep from Gurgling Gore Records’ roster). And there is a metric fuckton of those super heavy, but grooving slams littered in every song on the (all too short) album; “Arcane Rites”, “One Thousand Serpent Tongues”, “A Pit of Snakes”, “Pestilential Vortex”  and closer “Diabolically Reborn” in particular deliver earth-shaking, shoulder bopping slams.

Vocalist Kyle Shaun Thomas has an absolute blast furnace of a (layered/ modulated?) voice, but is also helped out on a number of tracks by some guests; Fiore Stravino (Fulci), Floor van Kuijk (Carnifloor),  and Larry Wang (Fatous Rump), some notable folks in the brutal death metal/slam world putting the maggot filled cherry on the killer slice of slamming cake.

A most perfect case in point would be Lamentations‘ just released sophomore album, Passion of Depression. While the album came at me totally out of left field, as I am previously unfamiliar with the band, I can definitely assure you that it will be on my list of best albums of 2022. In fact, it just may very well claim the number one spot.

Applying an equally impressive mix of both progressive and technical death metal, Lamentations present a style that is pure bliss to my ears. Imagine a project where the collaborative talents of Paul Masvidal, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Steve Tucker, and ICS Vortex came to fruition in a supergroup of the unfathomable. If you can wrap your head around that, then you pretty much understand what Lamentations brings to the table. Sure, saying that they sound like a mix of Cynic and Opeth with late 90’s to early 2000’s era Morbid Angel and Borknagar vocals may seem like a common, death metal man’s way of describing such an amazing showmanship of extremity, but shit man, if that description doesn’t pique your interest, then I don’t know what will.

Just a few minutes shy from being an hour long affair, Passion of Depression manages to keep the listener fully engaged at all times and never does the album seem long in the tooth or guilty of overstaying its welcome. While the aforementioned influences are clearly noticeable the band also brings a quality of acts such as Extol, Black Crown Initiate, Archspire, Psycroptic and of course Monotheist, whom Lamentations share  pretty much every member  with on Passion… So impressive are the tracks of Passion of Depression, that I’ll kiss my own ass if you can find one song that actually stands above the other. No sir, this album is seven tracks of pure excellence, each standing on their own identity and integrity, but honestly, working marvelously together as whole in bringing quite an enthralling experience to the listener. Hell, turn down the lights and throw this bad boy on your headphones and your likely to transcend  and hallucinate some wild shit. That says a lot, considering that the majority of Passion... is some ferocious death metal.

Proficient and skillful masters of their craft, Passion of Depression is uplifting, melodic, and memorable right from the onset. The textures woven throughout each track create a kaleidoscope of possibilities, never knowing what twist or turn may come next, what peak or valley lays ahead. The juxtaposition of beauty and beast are transposed flawlessly and with such a natural and progressive flow. You, get an “80 days around the world” experience in every moment on Passion…, quite an impressive feat. Like I stated earlier, there are no songs that truly outshine the other here, no filler to be found, just pure technical and emotional brilliance that deserves to be heard. Huge riffs, mammoth grooves, fantastic leads and melodic flourishings, thoughtful and intelligently busy bass and drumwork, and vocal performances that can bring a tear to your eye as well as a fist to someone’s face.

This album is the real deal my friends, and to try and break down the tracks or even focus on  one or two parts of them is honestly, insulting. This album, these songs, they deserve to be treated as a proper listening experience, unmolested by intense critique, as to have you develop your own bond. Just trust me, this is an album you need and it actually excites me to think of others hearing this from start to finish for the first time and being engulfed in its immensity and awesomeness.

Major accolades to Lamentations main man and mastermind, Danny “Jungle” Jacob for surrounding himself with such a great line up as to bring his creations to brilliant fruition and for keeping everything genuine. With guest spots from the likes of Max Phelps (Cynic, Death DTA), Ethan McKenna (Black Crown Initiate), Ole Børud (Extol, Fleshkiller), Jason Globel (Cynic), and  Santiago Dobles (Aghora, Pestilence, Cynic),  one might think there is simply just too much and too many involved for Passion… to truly be cohesive, but fret not, like I just  mentioned, this is an album you need.

Sure, I guess I could have mentioned some individual traits of certain tracks, like that groove (that fucking groove!) at the 1:39 mark of “Shiver” that eventually leads into clean vocals of beauty and serenity before brilliant synths mix with brutal gutturals and the track again shifts into fields of tranquil transcendence and virtuosity. Yet that’s just an inkling of what is to be found within the almost ten minutes of said track, much less all across the entire album.

If you thought you had your “best of” or favorite albums of the year figured out, and you haven’t had a chance to indulge in Passion of Depression yet, well you’re going to be pissed. Don’t worry though because that pissed off feeling will soon be replaced with awe and joy at what Lamentations brings to your ears. Yeah, it might bring a bit of sadness too when you realize whatever album you thought was the ultimate tits this year is pale in comparison to Passion of Depression, but you know what they say…”you win some and you lose some.” Thankfully for us, Lamentations and Passion of Depression is a winner winner all the way around.

Well, for the follow-up, Iron Flesh continues the same sound going full-on Dismember homage with 48 minutes and 10 songs of hacking melodic death metal with an HM2 buzz and some slower-loping songs that basically cull from the entirety of Dismember’s catalog notably the albums from Death Metal forwards.

“Overthrow ov the Sermon ov God” (“Override of the Overture” anyone ?) gets things going with a rip-roaring track of energetic leads and time changes. Then we get “Cursed Within”, a slower stomping track that recalls “Let the Napalm Rain” or the groovier tracks like “Casket Garden” from the divisive Massive Killing Capacity album. 

And that’s pretty much the rest of the album summed up in two killer tracks. I mean just listen to “In Agony You Must Reborn”, “To Become One with the Dead”, the title track or certainly “As Ghouls March On”. Pure Dismember worship circa Hate Campaign or Where Iron Crosses Grow, that recalls everything from “Questionable Ethics” to “Like Fire” and “Patrol 17”. Even down to Julien Helwin’s Matte Karki-like bark and the razor-sharp guitar tone the delivers subtle somber but melodic riffs and leads throughout.

And whereas the prior album had some sickly, slow tunes like “Death and the Reaper’s Scythe”, “Demonic Urn”, on Limb After Limb we get the likes of “Blessed Be the Creators”, with its solemn lead work, “Honour In Death” and closing instrumental  “A Procession of Living Cadavers” with its haunting opening cello.

Another solid entry in the genre, that makes no bones about its influence and is up there with Necrom, Carnal Ruin, Ripped to Shreds, Katakomba, In Pain, Entrails, Demonical, and such for the year’s best in the genre.

Enter in Helldprod Records to reissue this debut album and bring this brutal record to the masses once again.  The sound appears to have been tinkered with as well, but it’s a benefit and not a hinderance.  You have to give it up to Grog for releasing a brutal album when the sights and sounds of the underground were going through changes.  Many major bands, we all loved and followed, began exploring other musical elements and many of us die-hard fans felt they were abandoning their original sounds to make way for more commercial success.  Grog had an IDGAF attitude and dropped Macabre Requiems, a 13 song debut of bludgeoning proportions, that had a lot of heart.

Themed in horror noises and some clips “Embrace My Cold Body” begins after a minute + creepy atmosphere with an interesting narrative, spoken in death metal vocals and this is the entire 3+ minute intro.  It’s cool and common for horror/goregrind during this time, but then “Tribal Flesh Ceremony” comes blasting through the speakers.  The groove at the 30 second mark-well it’s intense.  Pedra’s vocals were fairly filthy and guttural, but really fit the music.  The song has some higher raspier vocal sections, like he’s chewing on shards of glass – I love it.  Around the 2.25 mark the blast beat hits and while it may not have been the tightest it sure was intense.  The vintage 90’s beat, though, is quite terrific and really calls for some serious headbanging action.  The slow beat down at the 3.49 part was really quite a killer moment.  The remastering brings out the bass guitar on this section.

“Splashterized Autopsy” may be one of the most hilarious song titles.  The song has a strong Impetigo/Cadaver/early Carcass sound to it.  Super intense with killer blasts but enough groove to satisfy the pits.  That was one thing that made this debut really cool.  The varying shifts in tempos.  The band did not blast just for the helluva it.  Now they blasted quite a bit, but the mid-paced, classic 90’s speed and groovier passages really kept the songs interesting.

“Sado-Masoquist Butchery”, from the jump, is just extreme goregrind brutality.  Love it.  Monster blasting and bashing of cymbals from here to Jupiter and beyond.  Super-fast blasting, and pretty cool guitar riffage going on and putrid vocals.  If you enjoy goregrind – and you never heard Grog, well time to get on the Ye ‘Ole Grog wagon train now.

Macabre Requiems was and still is a damn good death/grind/goregrind album.  The interesting and memorable riffs, especially on those slower passages, truly added to this being a classic 90’s debut album.  If you were looking for melody you should probably go elsewhere as this is a face-ripping album that will peel your skin from head to toe and then sell it as a limited edition meat suit.  The sound seems to have been remastered, the sound hits a bit harder than I remember and the awesome zombie album cover remains intact with some better colors, though.  I urge you to check this reissue out – Grog are one of the better goregrind bands and have been around for some time. Nice filthy brutality!

I missed part II, the EP, Blood Legend, but here we are with part III, now on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions (who also released  I: The Law of Retaliation and part II as a compilation in 2018), and the 3-year wait was totally worth it as The Declaration of War is indeed a fucking heralding of war upon all those that are listening.

At a short but perfectly savage 36 minutes, The Declaration of War is 9 ravaging tracks that cull from fellow Chicagoans, Forest of Impaled, the UKs Spearhead, mid-era Behemoth, Hate, and other black-tinged death metal acts. Big burly, furious, militant death metal riffs and vocals with some scathing black metal structures and tremolo-picked riffage.

It gets right the fuck to it with “With Lightning for Vengeance” and doesn’t let up. The second track “Father War Enthroned” has some Romanic/ ADE / Imperivm vibes and delivers sonic barbarity fitting the war and butchery the video above portrays perfectly.  I kept waiting for a requisite militant marching song, but ” Domination Decree”, “The Sword Everlasting”  and “Their Blood is Our Warpaint’ just kept peeling my flesh, though the latter has a bit of a slow section early on. But otherwise, there is nary a respite until we get to “From Kingdom to Collapse” where I can finally take a breath with a slower, churning number.

Then it’s back to the ferocious flesh peeling with “Ritual Overkill” and one of my favorites from the album ” I Am the Blade of Eradication”, which has a mix of pure blistering ferocity and a more imposing march, which is where I really start the kitten stomping again. The killer closing title track rounds things out with some sneaky vicious melodies fused into the molten riffs and bellows, ending the album on a savagely epic high note.

The only downside for this release I the mix /master (again from Joe Tiberi) seems a little ‘lighter’ or shriller than the prior album, with a little less heft and low end, being more black metal sounding overall. Still, it’s slice your skin sharp, and it doesn’t change the fact that fact the album literally rips from start to finish and shows Blood of the Wolf and one of the US underground’s most lethal acts.

I keeeeed. It’s brutal slamming death metal – what do you think it would be?

9 Dead (named after a Pearl Jam concert incident that left 9 dead) hail from) hail from New Jersey and consist of members from a local multi named, defunct act The Gurchick Tree,/Molesting the Dead/Vomiting Omophagia. It’s a modern slamming/brutal death metal band with a bit of a deathcore vibe (especially the vocals), maybe the most of any Comatose band, early/mid-era Ingested comes to mind mixed with some East Coast groove akin to Dying Fetus. But it definitely delivers a solid slab ‘o slams within its simple, concise 30-minute assault.

The 9 songs get to it pretty hard with the opener “Abysmal Stupor”, “Wake” and “Tortured” with some hefty, shoulder-bobbing slopes and slams that I imagine are great fun at a live show. “115” features Don Campan of Waking the Cadaver, probably another idea of the style you are getting here, and goes as hard as the ‘heavy’ periodic table element it’s named after, Moscovium.

The next 2 tracks, “Realms” and “F-A-C-E” deliver more of the same until “Andromada” delivers a jarring acoustic number before the 6+ minute closer “Desecrate” delivers a more mid-tempo, varied, steady rumble that shows these guys can develop their sound a little when they want.

A solid slam album, although Kanine’s Karnage still remains my top pick in the genre in 2022.

Once I was able to slow down and catch my bearings so to speak in a little shop whose name I don’t recall, the duo in question came out from the shadows, gave me a glossy, beautiful digipak version of their new album, as well as some shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Cool. What murder?

Of course, that brings us to the new Veilburner album VLBRNR, which is the name of the band minus vowels. There’s probably something to that, but I don’t know what it is. Disregard my nonsense and let’s focus on the very first track, which is called “VI (Vulgar Incantations).” I had thoughts this might just be an intro, then saw the 6-minute runtime. There are many things Veilburner does well and one of them is writing excellent, repetitive riffs and leads. I believe I mentioned in my review of their previous album that these riffs can sometimes be annoying, but then they get stuck in your head well after listening.

On the second track, “Envexomous Hex,” the vicious vocals are on display as well as some old school sci-fi sounding synth work, which appears a little over 2 minutes in. It just makes me think that I could really use getting abducted by aliens right now. On top of that, the excellent production shines on this one as the riffing is excellent and clear.

Moving much further ahead in the album is track 7, “Repulsed by the Light,” which is a feeling I understand well. It begins with an isolated bass (it coooouuuulllld be a guitar), then as the main riff kicks in, it has that same melody. That riff only lets up while the guitar solo is happening slightly over 2 minutes in. Then again with more soloing before the 4-minute mark. The end of this track is brilliant as it includes more soloing and an almost post-metal finish.

The last track is called “Ruin” and it has an industrial stomp with trademark skronky riffing on top. Of course, that doesn’t last because the band rarely stands still. Halfway in, the vocals take on more of what I would call an evil orator approach and marching, military esque drumbeat, followed by creepy synths end the album.

Veilburner make complicated, beautiful music for complicated, beautiful people. Am I including myself in this? Yes. It is, however, a lot to take in at 12 tracks and 56 minutes. It doesn’t seem like it, though. I may get assaulted by the boys themselves, but I put this is up there with Sires… as their best album. The songs are no less heavy or weird than what has been done before, but there’s a certain memorability to them and in some instances, dare I say “catchiness?” I did, so this is probably the last time you’ll hear from me, but please take my recommendation to listen to this album as an honor to my memory.

So what does this ambitious project sound like when all those folks come together? Pretty simple really... latter Dimmu Borgir.

That’s pretty much all you need to know really. Just listen to the opening bars of the EP’s title track. Weingarten delivers some very nice, dramatic, theatrical orchestration to a decent mix of blackened/death metal and when Jessy Christ comes in with her witchy vocals there’s a definite vibe of Agnete Kjølsrud on “Gateways” from the Abrahadabra album. So use that as sort of a starting point for Exist in Ruin‘s sound.

The 6 songs are all pretty well written, sound superb, and have enough death metal crunch (largely Moreira’s vocals) to go with the blackened/orchestral elements, so much so that it comes close to being more symphonic death metal akin to bands like Godiva or Scepticflesh and Rotting Christ at times.

The songwriting is pretty strong with some nice moments amid the 6 song, 27-minute EP, notably on the EP’s back end such as the standout “Paradigm”, “Scourge” and closer “Although I live, I Die”. Everything is polished professional and enjoyable, especially in my current mode of listening to anything with symphonic or orchestration involved.

A very promising project that Teren looks to be building here. I’ll be interested to see if he keeps a revolving door of folks involved (Weingarten in particular needs to stay involved) and I look forward to hearing more.

Maybe the Brits have just been waiting for their new champion to escape from the shadows of their past heroes, to raise the banner and claim the throne that is rightfully theirs. And just maybe, Tailgunner is that band.

One thing is for certain, if you’re a fan of Traditional Heavy Metal, you’ll be hard pressed to walk away from Crashdive without a big ol’ dumb smile on your face. We’re talking instantly-memorable, catchy-as-all-frig choruses, a barrage of simple but super mighty riffs, really all the hallmarks you’re looking for to don the leather pants, sleeveless Ts and Nike Hi-Tops and bang your head like your life is depending on it. From the get-go, “Shadows of War” offers up the band’s more rousing side, opting for a dose of mid-paced rhythmic rumbling – accentuated with some perfectly executed melodic leads, and one hell of a hook that will bury itself in your brain and won’t let go. It’s a perfect introduction to get you familiar with what Tailgunner is here to do, immediately reaching out to the listener and essentially making them part of the whole experience, because before the song is over, you will be singing along. I’m sorry, you just don’t have a choice in the matter.

From there, Tailgunner really rips the throttle into a high gear. “Guns for Hire” ups the energy on a big way, without sacrificing any of the innate memorability or catchiness of the more anthemic opening track. If anything, the more aggressive riffs and full-throttle attack make this track even more immediately magnetic, drawing you with an old school swagger and, probably more importantly, some really dang good riffs. The duo of Patrick van der Völlering and Zach Salvini are taking every lesson they’ve learned from the greats like Maiden, Priest, Saxon and Tokyo Blade – and putting their influences on full display for the world to enjoy all over again. In a world of F-35s and Su-57s, it’s like taking a Supermarine Spitfire out of some old British countryside barn, slapping a new coat of paint on and taking to the skies – and I mean this in the absolute very best way. It’s not gonna hit in the same kind of way as more modern metal bands might, but like seeing a Spitfire in flight, goddamn if it isn’t still a thing to behold.

The band keeps the high-energy attack going with “White Death” which is, in my humble opinion, where we begin to start seeing the band’s real potential. From every songwriting perspective, it’s an absolute clinic – strong, purposeful riffs, perfectly complimentary rhythms, a dizzying lead section that is arguably the EP’s best, and great, storytelling lyrics that, all put together, make for the band’s strongest effort yet. It’s not that I wasn’t taking Tailgunner seriously to that point, but it gives the band more of an air of authenticity – like this isn’t just a band trying to capitalize on nostalgia – It feels like a band playing with genuine passion for this style of Heavy Metal. To back up that effort, title track “Crashdive” again feels like a band with far more experience than their young careers would suggest, leaning good and heavy on King Diamond‘s Abigail as its primary influence (though the chorus is 100% Maiden). It’s is easily the band’s most adventurous and ambitious track yet, and for me, cements the act as true, bona fide Heavy Metal heads, not just a bunch of dudes doing retro metal cosplay.

Kinda like how the NBA is better when the Celtics and Lakers are good, the world of Heavy Metal is better when the Brits are leading the pack. I’m not going to say that Crashdive quite puts them in the drivers seat just yet, but it’s a heck of a starting point – and hopefully serves as a catalyst to a country whose Heavy Metal roots practically demand more modern representation. Keep Tailgunner (along with new Atomic Fire subsidiary, Fireflash Records) on your radar, because I predict some very exciting things on the horizon for these dudes.

Firstly, this album is a progression from their other work, which is not to discount it. However, it’s so well done that it feels like this is the top of the mountain for which they were reaching. It’s a concept album with an underlying story, but each song also stands well on its own, even the ones that are meant to be together.

The opener, “Euphoric Parasitism,” does an excellent job of setting the stage with a characteristically slow build. The song basically stops on a dime and changes a little more than 2 minutes in. I must admit that every time vocalist John Yelland sings the line “my body’s withered like an old fruit rotting,” I expect and hope he says “Fruit Roll-Up.” He doesn’t, but that might be the only letdown. The chorus is excellent, and the key flourishes in the background blend seamlessly.

I wanted to mention track 2, the title track here, but cut that part out, which I saw coming early on.

However, what I did not see coming is track 4, “Daughter of Swords,” with its blasting, squeals, and almost tech death opening. Upon the first listen, I looked down at my iPod (make fun of the old guy, you fucks) and wondered if I somehow started another album. Once the heavy main riff comes in, it still sounds slightly like a different band, almost like Dream Theater’s Train of Thought. Cheesy as it may be (this is power metal after all), this is the best chorus SO FAR on the album.

This takes us to tracks 5 and 6, “Ursa Minor” and “Ursa Major.” If you couldn’t already tell this album is personal, the lyrics right in the beginning will hammer that home. The first part also is the first time the phrase “brother bear” is mentioned, and while it may sound lame at first, it’s clear this is meaningful. In the latter track, the repetition of the “brother bear” phrase is unexpectedly catchy and emotional.

Of course, the longest track is the last one, “Metamorphosis.” There are some great leads, some somber horns, and of course the lyrics to match. The heavy subject matter comes together here in all 9 minutes. It’s rare that a long, mid-paced power metal track is worth the time, but this one certainly is. It’s beautiful, especially those closing lines.

As I mentioned previously, I haven’t indulged in a lot of power metal this year, but Judicator might render any other exploration unnecessary. What the band has done is something I have always wanted from power metal. Sure, dragons, wizards, and yes Blind Guardian, we know you guys take a yearly sojourn to the real-life Middle Earth just to jack off. It’s weird, but it’s fine. Dedication to their craft and what not. What I really want is for it to be personal and emotional. In other words, I’m impressed, and expect this album to make several year-end lists. It’s their best work yet. Pony up some coin.

This album is chock full of surprises and guest vocalists galore, including Frank Rini from the mighty Internal Bleeding, and fellow author here at TOTD. Also guesting on the album is Richard “GrindFather” Johnson (Agoraphobic NoseBleed, Drugs of Faith, Enemy Soil) and the kit devastating Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Suffocation).

The brutal tone is set with the sampled intro and the triumphant melody (yes, melody and harmony exist even in the most aggressive settings) that doesn’t hinder, on the contrary it pulls you into the soundscape Snipers of Babel have created. Frank Rini is the first guest vocalist and his vocals on “Gabriel” and “Your God’s War” are fucking incredible, adding the perfect level of menace to propel the album onward. This is a long album, the songs live in the five-to-seven-minute range, but like I said before the songs breathe on their own, it doesn’t seem like it’s as long as it is.

Besides those tracks, there’s the saber rattling of “Digital Death” with a twisting DNA strand of a riff that’ll eat into your vulnerable mind, while “Crushuman” does exactly that: crushes you. This is such a relentless record, and the stellar production means that each savage note is like a knife slice and the bass and drums are a battering ram of clarity. I could fan boy the shit out of this album so much, it’s already in the top five of my year end list (if that matters, I mean I’m just a guy with a laptop and an opinion) and since I’ve never done a year end list its exciting to be able to add these guys.

I agree with the for fans of blurb in the press kit, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, and Fear Factory. But I would also add Misery Index and Internal Bleeding, this is maximum brutality, an East Coast beatdown that I cannot recommend enough. Snipers of Babel have created an absolute beast of a debut, so what are you waiting for? It’s out now!