So I was super happy for the band when they signed with Transcending Obscurity, a perfect label for them. And the duo (Sunshine Schneider—guitar, Bass, Vocals and Connor Gordon—drums) has not changed their delivery of churning Ulcerate—death metal mixed with a little introspection. Of course, with the jump to a big label comes better, tighter production, and of course, Transcending Obscurity’s trademark cool art, packaging, and merch- well deserved indeed.

So how are the new 10 tracks contained within Memories Fragmented? It is a continuation of the material on The Elemental Binding EP; blissfully dissonant, yet elegant murky, atonal death metal that’s heavily inspired by Ulcerate, Gorguts, Artificial Brain, Altarage, Ulsect, Dodecahedron,  Nightmarer, and such. But where those bands mostly leave you nauseous and spiraling into insanity, Crown of Madness is a little more measured and paced, with a well-crafted sense of mood and more tempered, despondent hues.

Don’t get me wrong, tracks like “Burdened”, “Deafening”, “Sea of Fangs”, “Dreamless Nights No Longer” and such still bring the discordant, chaotic lurch a stammer of their peers, but it is when the band reigns things in a bit and glosses the chaos with a little more contemplative where they really shine.

Tracks like “Sovereign”, “When I Dont Remember You”, “Ashes of Mine”, “Hollow Thresher”  and closer “The Grand Design”, while still monstrously dissonant, have palpable emotional, almost morose layers, not just pure discordant fury. and it makes the tracks just that little bit more engaging and fulfilling, instead of just pure dread, as many of their peers deliver.

However, as I stated in past reviews, I miss the delicate piano use that was in the debut EP that made the duo even more engaging, but I’m super happy for these guys and hope for continued success on future albums.  Another winner for transcending Obscurity as they continue their red-hot 2025.

But I was looking for an early 2025 release to review, and the promotional description of ‘progressive death metal’ caught my eye. so I grabbed the band’s third album, which has been released after a 5 year wait.

This is solid stuff. And while Progressive Death Metal is sort of in the right wheelhouse, this has all sorts of influences going on, noticeably New Jersey’s Cognitive. So there’s some sort of technical death metal/deathcore crossover here. Also, I get some skronky The Red Chord hues as well as some djent-y goodness that reminds me of a heavier, more death metal Periphery and After the Burial or the first Veil of Maya album. There are some very light keyboards, but there are almost no clean vocals. (YAY!) Yeah, a lot is going on here, but it’s all very good.

First, the band-managed production and master here is absolutely stellar; heavy, and crystal clear. This means the angular, lurching polyrhythms hit super hard as heard at the end of “Exiled From the Abyss” or the thunderous lope of “Fragments” (the lone song with clean vocals) and the heaving, stammering title track.

Every song delivers the goods and gets the old shoulders bobbing, notably massive numbers like “Mass Grave Memory” and “Drag Your Crosses”, one of the more death metal-y tracks on the album. And the ‘progressive element is by way of those few keyboards or progressive elements like the start of the 8-minute, more controlled standout closer “Silicone Regime”, there isn’t a ballad or interlude here to drag things own into more commercial territory.

I’m digging this album a lot, and certainly a kick-ass start to 2025, and certainly fans of Cognitive recent album should 100% check this out.

The style of hardcore Śmierć plays is of course a political/social style of hardcore rooted in a more melodic form of D-beat , a la country mates Spolegelse, Problems or Ninka’s chosen influence, Polish acts like Schizma, Inkwizycja, Traume, Incident, and such, which admittedly I’m not too versed in.

Frontwoman Ninka delivers her impassioned wails, croons, sneers and shouts in English, Polish, and Swedish with the expected array of anti-government, anti-establishment, and the riffs, of course, delivering rousing power cords and canters galore (“Uffe”, “Kto”, “Krewe”, “Kuren”), with some moodiness (“Prawda”, “Das Umheimliche”, “The Song”- with a cool little largely all-female hymnal to close to the album) and lots of song intro scattered among all of them. All with a nice DIY, garage band fuzz, but still nice and clear.

Certainly not my usual listening cup of tea, but there is a real authenticity and passion here that comes through on every note and every lyric (whichever language it is in ) and I like the overall vibe the band is delivering.

Well, we have seen some major bands not touring overseas due to the rising fuel costs, especially in Europe where the Diesel prices are astronomical, and …well you’ve read all the band members left As I Lay Dying again as the singer tries to put the band back together again.  The memes and GIF’s have been pretty funny to say the least.

Let’s not forget that legendary Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has officially retired from touring.  Their 2024 North American tour was incredible and he played amazing live.  With a new touring drummer in place, Simon Dawson, as they say, “The Show Must Go On”!!  Indeed it certainly does, with nary a breath of Kerry King announcing his new band and debut album, his main bread and butter the almighty Slayer, then coming out of retirement and announcing, festival dates, not only that have been played for 2024, but going forward into 2025.  What else is next, Metallica announcing they are going to do full tour sets of their first four and best albums??? Never say never, as we are seeing an all time high number amount of bands either reforming and or electing to do sets of their classic albums!!  It’s actually what the fans truly want, when it’s all said and done.

As far as the future, plenty to look forward to with 2025 just getting started with new metal releases and killer tours and fests.

All of us writers want to thank each and every one of you for visiting this page, and checking out our Facebook page and we hope we have turned you all on to some new and exciting bands.  That is always our goal – to spread the word of metal.  We thank you all for keeping up with our rants, in our reviews and we all wish you and yours a terrific 2025.  With that being said, let’s get into our exciting year-end lists….

ERIK T

1. Assemble the Chariots – Unyielding Night. (Self-Released). I flipped-flopped between this and the more emotional A Wake In Providence album, ultimately, fun and bombast won out.
2. A Wake in Providence – I Write to You My Darling Decay. (Unique Leader Records). An absolute tour de force of emotive symphonic deathcore.
3. Worm Shepherd – Hunger. (Unique Leader Records). A really solid third album from these consistent guys. Eager to hear more as they are a studio project only now after vocalist drama
4. Lamentari – Ex Umbra in Lucem. (Self-Released). Brilliantly chaotic symphonic black metal record.
5. Ensom – Poimandres. (Self-Released). Another killer release from these classically inspired black metal Spaniards.
6. Druparia – The River Above. (Self-Released). A stunning debut of Darkest Hour/ Light This City worshipping melodeath.
7. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Opera. (Nuclear Blast Records). These Italians can do no wrong, having perfected symphonic death metal for several albums now.
8. Exuvial – The Hive Mind Chronicles Part I – Parasitica (Silent Pendulum Records). A late, out of nowhere addition to the list that’s a brilliant tech death album reminiscent of Allegaeon.
9. Ensiferum – Winter Storm (Metal Blade). Another winning, wintery album from these epic Fins.
10. Spiritual Deception – Semitae Mentis (Amputated Vein). A superb example of symphonic, brutal death metal.
11. Eden Adversary – Kingdom Ov Heresy (Interlude Records). What happens if you lock a bunch of Indonesians in a room and make them listen to Lorna Shore’s Immortal and AIRTN EP and Mental Cruelty’s A Hill to Die Upon non-stop.
12. Moisson Livide- Sent Empèri Gascon (Antiq Records). Funky, punky, folky, revolutionary black metal from the Biosson  Divine Dude.
13. Darkness Everywhere– To Conquer Eternal Damnation, (Creator Destructor). Another tightly wound, killer Light This City clone- but with Light This City members.
14. Arkona – Stella Pandora (Debemur Morti). Pitch-perfect black metal from the ‘other’ Arkona.
15. Job For a Cowboy – Moon Healer (Metal Blade). The band’s transformation from SpongeBob deathcore to top-notch tech death is stunning.
16. The Mist From the Mountains – Portal – The Gathering of Storms (Primitive Reaction). A second album of even more rangy, epic Finnish black metal.
17. Xenotheory -Blissful Death (Self-Released). Bludgeoning Alien-themed deathcore/slam. The perfect orgasm indeed.
18. Unhallowed Deliverance – Of Specters and Strife (Self-Released). A beefy mix of tech death, deathcore, and slam from out of nowhere.
19. The Last Ten Seconds of Life—No Name Graves (Unique Leader Records). The more serious tone and delivery make for a lean, mean, downtempo deathcore record.
20. Vomit the Soul – Massive Incineration (Unique Leader Records). The best pure death metal album of the year that no one talked about.
21. Stilverlight—Dead Souls (Self-Released). The ten-year wait was worth it for these earworm-delivering power metal/Melo death Russian hybrids.
22. Asarhaddon – Era – (Self Released). Hypnotically repetitive but alluring atmospheric black metal from this underrated German Duo.
23. Dodsrit –Nocturnal Will (Wolves of Hades). A near-perfect record of atmospheric but despondent and melodic black metal.
24. Acathexis – Immense (Amor Fati/Extraconscious Records). See above.
25. Opus Irae – Into the Endless Night (Endtime Productions). A fantastic Symphonic black metal album, and yes it’s Christian.

EPs

1. Synestia/Disembodied Tyrant  – The Poetic Edda (Self-Released). The best collaboration of the year, and melds classic music. Brilliant.
2. Enemies Everywhere – Endless Discord. (Self-Released). Literally a note-for-note rendition of Lorna Shore’s  AIRTN EP and Pain Remains album. And I love it of course.
3. Heteromorphic Zoo –.New World. (Self-Released). Deathcore + a Violin = magic
4. Atavistia – Inane Ducam. (Self-Released). A revamped, darker, meaner Atavistia, and I like it.
5. House of Atreus – Orations. (Iron Bonehead Productions). After 5 years away, Greek-themed Melo death act returns triumphantly.

Biggest Surprises

1. Daath – The Deceivers. Who would have thought a fairly average groove metal band from the early/mid-00s that I didn’t give a rip about would drop a killer album 14 years later?
2. Oceano – Living Chaos. Once at the top of the deathcore heap, a 6 year layoff made this a superb, album of controlled, downtempo chaos. Of course, people of the internet ruined it and the band is no more.
3. Henry Kane – Circle of Pain. Jonny Petterson took a hard turn away from death grind into keyboard-drenched atmospheric blacker metal. “A Swarm of Idiots” was the most fitting song title for 2024 as well.

Biggest non-surprise.

Immortal Disfigurement – KING (Self-Released). CJ McCreery gets booted from Lorna Shore after Immortal, and releases….. Immortal pt 2. But it hit my sweet spot regardless.

Album Cover

Keres – Homo Homini Lupus

Disappointment

Massacre – Necrolution. A lazy, lethargic album after a solid album in Resurgence. Inhuman Condition is clearly the better version of Massacre right now.

Best Label:

“Self-Released”. The number of top-notch self-released EPs and albums, that were either digital (Bandcamp, etc) only or physical was astounding.

FRANK RINI

2024 was yet another great year for metal releases and excellent to see us get the hell out of COVID.  Tours ramped up in full swing.  Highlights for me were the Iron Maiden tour and the Desolus album release show.  I had a guest spot on the Crushuman debut album and already tapped for a few guest spots in 2025.  My top 25 is in order of what I felt were the best releases for 2024 and fun sub-categories.  Please enjoy my list and all the other great writers’ lists here.  For 2025 look out for releases from:  Anthrax, Gorguts, AngelMaker, King Diamond, Internal Bleeding and Sanguisugabogg to name a few.  Enjoy the new year.  Be Safe.  Be Smart. m/

1. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (Sony Music)
2. Deicide – Banished by Sin (Reigning Phoenix Music)
3. Ripped To Shreds – 三屍 (Sanshi) (Relapse Records)
4. Nile – The Underworld Awaits Us All (Napalm Records)
5. Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (Century Media Records)
6. Arka’n Asrafokor– Dzikkuh (Reigning Phoenix Music)
7. Drown In Sulfur– Dark Secrets of the Soul (Scarlet Records)
8. The Dread Crew of Oddwood– Rust & Glory (Self-Released)
9. Eminem – The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records)
10. Exhorder – Defectum Omnium (Nuclear Blast Records)
11. PeelingFlesh – The G Code (Unique Leader Records)
12. Hail Spirit Noir – Fossil Gardens (Agonia Records)
13. Lord Goblin – Lord Goblin (Self-Released)
14. Ensiferum– Winter Storm (Metal Blade Records)
15. Assemble The Chariots – Unyielding Light (Seek & Strike)
16. Midnight – Hellish Expectations (Metal Blade Records)
17. Unleash The Archers – Phantoma (Napalm Records)
18. Morta Skuld – Creation Undone (Peaceville Records)
19. Totengott – Beyond the Veil (Hammerheart Records)
20. Kanonenfieber – Die Urkatastrophe (Century Media Records)
21. Mad Hatter– Oneironautics (Art Gates Records)
22. Skeletal Remains– Fragments of the Ageless (Century Media Records)
23. Extermination Dismemberment – Butcher Basement (Revamp) (Unique Leader Records)
24. Mutilation Barbecue– Amalgamations of Gore (Maggot Stomp)
25. Brodequin – Harbinger of Woe (Season of Mist Underground Activists)

Comeback Album of the Year: Atrophy – Asylum (Massacre Records)

Sleeper Hit Album: Neon Nightmare– Faded Dream (20 Buck Spin)

Best Debut Album: Theurgy– Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence (New Standard Elite)

Best Stoner/Doom Album:  WyndRider – Revival (Electric Valley Records)

Heaviest Release: Rabid – Rabid Demo (Self-Released)

Best Reissue/Re-recording: Cavalera – Schizophrenia (Nuclear Blast Records)

Best Hardcore Album: Speed – Only One Mode (Last Ride Records)

Best EP: Disentomb – Nothing Above (Unique Leader Records)

Most Underrated Active Band:  Deceased

Best New Band: Desolus

Best Record Label:  Maggot Stomp

STEVE K

It’s possible that many of you, our dedicated readers, may have noticed my involvement here at Teeth of the Divine took a dramatic hit this year. Or maybe you didn’t, because… I mean lets be real, I have no significant role one way or another in your lives. And that’s fine! And while none of you are asking or really care to know (again, totally rational and fine), I at least owe it to my colleagues here at this excellent site to explain my decrease in productivity. Long story short, 2024 was the year I’ve officially hit my midlife crisis. I owe this to a myriad of circumstances in my personal life that I won’t get into, but lets just say it caused me to both spiral a little bit, but also take a good hard look at my life and evaluate what needed more attention, what was really important, and what things I really needed to just let go of in order to be happy and move forward in a way that gave my life more meaningful purpose.

But don’t get it twisted, my dedication to the music and artists I love is not taking a back seat. It just took me a beat to get some things reorganized so that I can hit 2025 with better focus and energy. And here’s the thing that has always been true – music was a gigantic part of helping me get through a lot of the lows, and made me appreciate just how much the bands i care about really mean to me. So to that end, I hope to get back to dumping more of my nonsense on you guys in 2025, and hopefully do a better job of spreading the word about the music we all love and need in our lives.

So I’ll keep this list short and sweet, and just say that the following 10 releases, in no particular order, are the ones that really meant something to me at various points in my journey through 2024. Plus a couple extras that I feel like maybe could add value to your lives as well. Are they objectively the best albums of 2024? I don’t know. I don’t really fucking care. These are just my favorites. Keep an open mind.

• Dodsrit – Nocturnal Will (Wolves of Hades): The Swedish one-man-wrecking-crew-turned-full-band continues to fly under the radar with yet another stellar, beautiful and forceful release that sees some of the crustier, D-Beat leanings of the project’s earliest work, give way to increased melody, atmosphere and, dare I say, vibes. This band’s journey continues to surprise and impress.
• Demiser – Slave to the Scythe (Metal Blade): Still no frills, still no fuss, the southern sons of Blackened Thrash and Speed continue to be amongst the most metal fucking bands on the planet. Don’t think to hard about it, just enjoy what it is.
• Winterfylleth – The Imperious Horizon (Candlelight): Majestic, flowing, another album greater than the sum of it’s parts. Winterfylleth albums rarely blow you away with one or two individual tracks, but instead demand a look at the full picture, and the one laid out here is nothing short of stunning.
• Gaerea – Coma (Season of Mist): While Gaerea has already been widely revered around the world, this latest opus showcases the band’s most focused and, in many ways, accessible material. This is far from a bad thing. Instead, Coma puts the band’s brand of cathartic, emotional chaos center stage for a greater audience to bear witness.
• Midnight – Hellish Expectations (Metal Blade): It’s Midnight. Doing Midnight things. Obviously it rules. It’s also perhaps the band’s biggest celebration of Metal music to date, and that’s something we can, and should, all get around.
• Wristmeetsrazor – Degeneration (Prosthetic Records): No one was more surprised by this one as me. This was a fucking awesome, nostalgic look back at Metalcore’s heyday mixed with the best part of Nu Metal to make for a thoroughly interesting, and simply just goddamn fun record.
• Unleash the Archers – Phantoma (Napalm Records): To be honest, it took me a minute to really get into this one, which was surprising given that they are, unquestionably, my favorite band of the last decade. But over time, the brilliance of the band’s evolution and dedication to the themes present on Phantoma really shined through.
• Kublai Khan TX – Exhibition of Prowess (Rise Records): Look, no one is gonna sit here and try to tell you this is some kind of brilliant work of art or game-changer. But perhaps no record was more self-aware in 2024. You want heavy? This shit’s got heavy on lockdown. It’s dumb and knuckle-dragging and goddamn I adore it.
• Sovereign – Altered Realities (Dark Descent Records): An old school slab of Sepultura and Pestilence worshipping Death Metal pulled off in a way that sounds far more sincere and authentic than many of their throwback-thumping counterparts. One of my favorite early records of the year stood the test of time.
• Mega Colossus – Showdown (Cruz del Sur Music): Another early entry, Showdown is still the year’s most fun Heavy Metal record in my mind. What more do I really need to say? It rules.

Remember when I said “Keep an open mind?” Ok well, here’s 5 non-metal records that left just as big an impact on me this year as any of our heavier-hitting brethren. Give ’em a shot.

• Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well (UMG Recordings): Keep in mind my earlier rant about going through midlife crisis if you decide to take a listen to this one. You won’t find a better-written record this year or, indeed, many others.
• Sierra Ferrell – Trail of Flowers (Rounder Records): A beautiful collection of vintage Americana, Folk and Country tunes, including my personal song of the year candidate “American Dreaming,” Trail of Flowers is as beautiful and compelling as it is raw and distinct.
• Goldie Boutilier – The Actress EP (Goldie M&E Enterprises): A fantastic storyteller, Boutilier weaves another compelling tale of vintage vibes that’s altogether sultry, melancholic and gorgeous. Another stellar release in an increasingly impressive catalogue.
• Orville Peck – Stampede (Warner Records): Country music’s premier gay cowboy returns with a voice that would make Roy Orbison blush, but this time combining it with talent ranging from the legendary Willie Nelson and Elton John, Noah Cyrus, Margo Price, Kylie Minogue and so many more. At times a campy thrill ride, other times heartbreaking and sincere, Stampede is a hugely entertaining record.
• Hozier – Unreal Unearth: Unending (Island Records): A sprawling, incredibly complex work based loosely on Homer’s The Odyssey, Hozier brings his work to an entirely new level to create his most ambitious release yet.

J MAYS

I adopted my new best friend, Judith Priest. I went to Maryland Death Fest by myself and outpaced kids half my age. I lost my mom in June, my grandma in November, and my only remaining grandparent has dementia. Somehow, I’m managing my depression better than ever. I really need a great 2025, though. Get fucked, 2024.

1. Unleash The Archers – Phantoma (Napalm Records)
2. Kittie – Fire (Sumerian Records)
3. Neon Nightmare – Faded Dream (20 Buck Spin)
4. Cemetery Skyline – Nordic Gothic (Nuclear Blast Records)
5. Darkest Hour – Perpetual Terminal (MNRK Heavy)
6. Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (Century Media Records)
7. Valletta – Summer (Self-Released)
8. Mourning Dawn – The Foam of Despair (Aesthetic Death)
9. Better Lovers – Highly Irresponsible (SharpTone Records)
10. Gaerea – Coma (Season of Mist)
11. Dead Icarus – Zealot (MNRK Heavy)
12. Witnesses – Joy (Self-Released)
13. Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence (Profound Lore)
14. Molder – Catastrophic Reconfiguration (Prosthetic Records)
15. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (Epic Records)
16. Replicant – Infinite Mortality (Transcending Obscurity Records)
17. Hell is Other People – Moirae (Transcending Obscurity Records)
18. Opeth – The Last Will and Testament (Reigning Phoenix)
19. Intranced – Muerte y Metal (High Roller Records)
20. Vexing Hex – Solve Et Coagula (Wiseblood Records)

Best Songs: My number 1 album.

Best Label: Transcending Obscurity

Best Live Bands:

1. Agalloch
2. Powerwolf
3. Dismember
4. Unleash The Archers

JEREMY BECK

Goddamn you 2024. This was another glorious year for the Metal community. So many killer albums were released that it was a bitch to cover ALL of them, but cover I tried and on this list are the cream of the crop. There are some change ups from last year; nothing crazy just a few surprises. This is definitely not the Rolling fucking Stone list by any shape or form. So without further ado here it is!

Album of the year: Flotsam and Jetsam (AFM Records) – I am the Weapon. Here’s why, no album got me through the blistering hell scape that was this summer… and fall… I couldn’t get the chorus out of my head. That’s what makes it my AOTY and they’ve also claimed the Top Thrash album spot! Huzzah!

Best of categories: These bands stood out from other bands in their respective genres.

Best Black Metal: Mork (Peaceville Records)- Syv. This was a toughie, but in the moment of listening and continuing to get my mind in shall we say; a ritual frame of mind, plus this album just fucking kills. Easy pick.

Best Death Metal: Mother of Graves (Profound Lore Records)- The Periapt Of Absence. Fuck me running this was hard as hell; mainly because there were SO many killer albums released. But when I think about the album that touched me the most in terms of brutality and staggering emotions, Mother of Graves have killed it with The Periapt Of Absence.

Best Grindcore: CrusHuman (HPGD PRODUCTIONS) -S/T. CrusHuman meld a few different genres into their arsenal but at the heart of this malignant beast is Grindcore. So it’s only fitting that they get this spot.

Best Original Concept Album: VHS (Crucial Blast/Grand Vomit Productions)- For a Few Riffs More. Ok, so a few people didn’t dig it; or should I say they didn’t get it. For a Few Riffs More is an album that puts these nutty Canadians squarely in this list.

Best Power Metal Album: Mad Hatter (Art Gates Records) – Oneironautics. I was looking for a certain vibe this summer so I asked my fellow scribes and they pointed me to to these guys. Oneironautics is a fucking solid Power Metal album that needs your attention.

Best Folk Metal Album: Thy Catafalque (Season of Mist) – XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek. There were a few bands that put out uplifting, deeply emotional records but this album is so good that it knocked out the rest. Highly recommended!

Best Instrumental Album- Zombi (Relapse Records) – Direct Inject. 2024 may have been filled with speed and malice, but one album would turn into the soundtrack for my year and Direct Inject was that album. Mesmerizing and sensual, hardcore and subtle.

The rest of the list:

These are bands that I can’t go without mentioning, here’s some top albums in various categories:

Top Thrash –

1. Flotsam and Jetsam (AFM Records) – I am the Weapon.
2. Atrophy (Massacre Records) – Asylum
3. Nasty Savage (FHM Records) – Jeopardy Room

Top Death Metal –

1. Mercyless (Osmose Productions) – Those Who Reign Below
2. Loudblast (Listenable Records)- Altering Fates and Destinies
3. Fluids (Hells Headbangers) – Reduced Capabilities
4. Replacire (Season of Mist) – The Center That Cannot Hold
5. Sedimentum (Me Saco Un Ojo / Dark Descent)- Derrière les Portes d’une Arcane Transcendante
6. Black Dahlia Murder (Metal Blade Records) – Servitude
7. Severe Torture (Season of Mist)- Torn From the Jaws of Death
8. Vincent Crowley (Hammerheart Records) – Anthology of Horror
9. Dripping Decay (Satanik Royalty Records) – Ripping Remains EP
10. Trocar (Selfmadegod Records) – Extremities

Top Black Metal-

1. Rotting Christ (Season of Mist)- Pro Xristoy
2. Avmakt (Peaceville Records)- Satanic Inversion Of…
3. 1349 (SeasonofMist) – The Wolf and the King
4. Horna (W.T.C.Productions)- Nyx (Hymnejä yölle)
5. Arkona (Debemur Morti Productions) – Stella Pandora
6. Trelldom (Prophecy Productions) – … By the Shadows…
7. Mutiilation (Osmose Productions) – Black Metal Cult
8. Funeral Winds (Osmose Productions)- 333
9. Hammerfilosofi (ATMF)– Solus
10. Furze (Devoted Art Propaganda / Polytriad Fingerprints)- Cosmic Stimulation of Dark Fantasies

Top Power Metal-

1. Hammerfall (Nuclear Blast) – Avenge the Fallen
2. Krilloan (Scarlet Records) – Return Of The Heralds
3. Shadows of Steel (Metallic Blue Records) – Twilight II

Top Instrumental-

1. Kólga (Otitis Media Records) – Black Tides
2. Shadow Knell (Relapse Records) – Shadow Knell
3. Gotho (Supernatural Cat) – Gothron Vs Fartark

Best Live Album-

Helloween (Reigning Phoenix Music) – Live At Budokhan

Worst Live Album-

Amorphis (Reigning Phoenix Music)- Tales From The Thousand Lakes (Live At Tavastia)

The best of the rest, the iceberg of Metal from 2024:

1. Sur Austru (Avantgarde Music) – Datura Străhiarelor
2. Totengott (Hammerheart Records) – Beyond the Veil
3. Gravenoire (Season of Mist: Underground)- Devant la porte des étoiles
4. Moss Upon the Skull (I, Voidhanger Records)- Quest for the Secret Fire
5. Panzerchrist (Emanzipation Productions) – Maleficium Part I
6. Ritual Fog (Transcending Obscurity Records)- But Merely Flesh
7. Chained to the Dead (HPGD PRODUCTIONS)- Only Hunger Remains
8. A La Carte (Self Release) – Born to Entertain
9. Aussichtslos (Purity Through Fire) – Schicksalstotschlag
10. Todesstoss (I, Voidhanger Records) – Das Liebweh-Dekret
11. Kildonan (CaligariRecords) – Embers
12. Feed the Corpses to the Pigs (HPGD PRODUCTIONS) – Anthology
13. Downcross (Cavum Atrum Rex) – White Tower
14. Bloodcross (Personal Records) – Gravebound
15. Wolves of Perdition (Folter Records)- Ultraviolence
16. Satanic North (Reaper Entertainment) – Satanic North
17. Kawir (Soulseller Records) – Kydoimos
18. Hacavitz (Moribund Records)- Muerte
19. Aklash (Self Release) – Reincarnation
20. Kommandant (ATMF) – Exhibition of Conquest
21. Unleashed (Napalm Records)- Before the Creation of Time
22. Kratti (Signal Rex) – Matka Kohti Kosmista
23. Mudshow (HPGD PRODUCTIONS) – Destiny
24. Lvme (Noevdia)- Of Sinful Nature
25. Whispering Void (-Prophecy Productions)- At the Sound of the Heart

Best Non-Metal album: The Cure (Fiction, Lost Music, Universal, Polydor and Capitol Records) – Songs of a Lost World

Best Live Experience:

I went to a bunch of shows this year and I could just make a list based on all the ones I went to, but I’m just going to pick one and it is (of course); King Diamond/ Overkill/ Night Demon. It eclipsed even Devastation on the Nation which was tough to do.

There it is, my 2024 list! Thank you, constant reader! Happy New Year!

]]> https://www.teethofthedivine.com/blog/teeth-of-the-divine-staff-picks-for-2024/feed/ 0 https://www.teethofthedivine.com/reviews/druparia-the-river-above/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=druparia-the-river-above https://www.teethofthedivine.com/reviews/druparia-the-river-above/#respond Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:35:57 +0000 https://www.teethofthedivine.com/?p=69435 Darkness Everywhere: “Hey guys! I think, we might have released the best Light This City/Darkest Hour-influenced melodic death metal of 2024 with To Conquer Eternal Damnation, I mean c’mon, we have current and ex-Light This City members in the band!!!!”

Druparia: “Hold My Beer”.

Seriously, first off, go check out Darkness Everywhere‘s debut album To Conquer Eternal Damnation. Then come and listen to the debut from Ohio’s Druparia (a pseudo-synonym for the blackthorn plant that plays a part in some circles of occultism and witchcraft and is composed of folks from local acts Inoculation, Mythrias, Once Flesh, Sea Biscuit, and Eternal Legacy) and then tell me they aren’t two of the best releases in the style of 2024, maybe even better than the source material, Light This City‘s Terminal Bloom and Darkest Hour‘s own Perpetual|Terminal. If you liked “The Nihilist Undone”  from that album, this is basically a whole album of that. I’d throw in some Dark Tranquillity and Arsis as well to boot.

First, David Moran is a dead ringer for early John Henry, second, the guitars of Tyler Clark and Josh Gatka deliver the same peak Darkest Hour hack ‘n’ slash melodeath, dripping with intense melody. Then add some Light This City leads and atmospherics and you have an absolutely killer album.

The River Above rips from start to finish, with 11 searing songs that are packed with sublimely executed melo-death riffs and leads. They can do fast (a whole lot of it with the likes of “Voiceless Regret”, “Bereavement”, and “Bled For Comfort”), they can do mid-paced (” Kintsugi”, “Firmament…And The Renewal“), they can do introspective (“When Cranes Return”, album ending cover of The Civil Wars’ “The Violet Hour”). They can even add some gorgeous acoustics/piano/cellos here and there to “Bereavement”, “In Repose, Descend”  and “Sever the Roots”, the latter two being arguably the best duo of back-to-back tracks of the year in the genre, in my humble opinion.

The River Above is one of those albums I listen to from start to finish, with no skips. Every single shredding, slicing riff and solo in each track hits so hard, I grin constantly. I just hope someone a Creator-Destructor Records, Prosthetic Records or 20 Buck Spin reads this and snatches these guys up, as they deserve to be on a solid label with this scorching debut album.

After hearing the beginning of “Horizon of Spikes,” the opener, you might call me an idiot. While that’s true, stick with me. It’s visceral and straightforward. You may notice hardcore influence in the vocals of Christoffer Kofoed. His delivery is confident, forceful, and intelligible. Maybe the breakdown at the end will bring home my point.

What gives me metalcore vibes is the production. It’s not bad by any means, but I could certainly use more CHONK and heft. Tracks such as “Shackled to a Corpse” aren’t too far from being massive. Luckily, this minor gripe doesn’t take too much away from the overall impact. When there’s a massive breakdown such as the one with twenty seconds left, the song is still worth every single moment.

As far as the rest of the album, 46 minutes go by quickly and smoothly. “SILO,” the second to last track, is furious and unrelenting. At nearly 3 minutes, there’s what briefly sounds like a thrash breakdown, which leads into an instrumental section. Stops and starts coupled with pinch harmonics permeate it. A brief vocal passage momentarily breaks it up, but the last 3 minutes are essentially vocal-free.

Up next, there’s no room for lengthy experimentation on the final track, “Face Splitting Madness.” It’s straight for the throat, just as expected. Around 3 minutes, some deeper vocals come in, there’s a bit of a pause, and one can feel the breakdown coming. It doesn’t. There’s a tease of some atmospherics, then back to the pummeling. The last minute brings some but keeps it simple.

Dear reader, have you ever enjoyed an album to such a great deal that you feel like you’ve had it forever? In this case, I have had the album for over a month, yet it feels longer. Long enough that I forgot I had a review of it to knock out. Since it was released at the end of the year, its presence on lists may not be a foregone conclusion. That’s a shame, because it’s quite an album, and I feel it will be on some of 2024’s “what I missed” rankings.

The Periapt of Absence is the second album following the accolades laden first album Where the Shadows Adorn. When an album speaks to me I’ll listen to it on repeat all day, which is exactly what I did and my fucking God this album drips emotion, it’s like a trip into the mind of a person dealing with incredible loss. I found myself being drawn into the suffering and ruminating on my own losses.

It all starts with “Gallows” and it’s here that my ears picked up some My Dying Bride impressions, this song rocks hard; Don Curtis is a beast behind the kit and a human metronome; and on “Shatter the Visage” it’s the work of Chris Morrison – guitar, and Ben Sandman – guitar that conjure up the most killer riffing, with a solo that worms into your mind and shreds it to bits.

“A Scarlet Threnody” goes hard on the Doom, it’s an earth moving track with some gorgeous guitar work and the coolest lyric “at the throat of the world I kneel” and then it fucking swings with this killer hard rocking beat. The thing I love most about The Periapt of Absence is how they bring different styles together while maintaining a solid footing in the Death Metal realm.

“Apparition” is one of my favorite tracks, it just goes for the throat with fury, a brilliant shift from raging power to some utterly mesmerizing keys and it’s a Doom back to back with the title track bringing a big Candlemass feeling, right around the 3:33 mark; it’s another great moment that Mother of Graves throws at you.

The arrangement of the songs is used to maximum effect, the production is stellar, bringing more weight to the album, from the press release: The crushing production work of The Periapt Of Absence, provided by the band’s Ben Sandman with dynamic mastering by the legend Dan Swanö, amplifies the monumental rhythm section anchored by drummer Don Curtis and bassist Corey Clark, while illuminating the intricate guitar harmonies skillfully woven by guitarists Ben Sandman and Chris Morrison.

DAN FUCKING SWANÖ! The guy is a legend in so many ways and his hands are all over The Periapt Of Absence.

“As the Earth Fell Silent” brings more of a solid Death Metal monster with some crushing double bass near the end. “Upon Burdened Hands” is a huge, My Dying Bride circa Turn Loose the Swans and even Paradise Lost around Gothic era. “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame” is the massive closing track and when I say massive, I mean the shelf clouds leading up to a brutal storm filled with tornadoes and death guaranteed.

The bottom line, down to the bone marrow: The Periapt of Absence is raw emotion laid bare, a blood eagle of sorrow. Mother of Graves have created an album so incredibly good that it deserves your attention, constant reader. This is a record you need in your collection.

Moss Upon the Skull has been the soundtrack to my life for the past week. They’ve been in the game since 2010 and released their “Imperial Summoning” single back in 2014 followed by the EP Scourge of Ages in 2016. A compilation followed and then in 2018 they released In Vengeful Reverence; that was followed by absolutely nothing for six years and now they’ve resurfaced in 2024 with full-length Quest for the Secret Fire.

The Secret Fire concept has its origin in the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster, and refers to the divine essence of the universe, towards which all matter yearns to move.

“Dwelling on Charnel Grounds” is the opener blasting it’s way through the boundaries of Hell. There’s an Incantation vibe that is absolutely welcome as it adds that cavernous feel to this punishingly beautiful track.

Quest for the Sacred Fire has a bit of a 90s influence and that’s evident on “Heretical Experiments in the Subterranean Citadel” which has a huge Pestilence vibe circa Hadeon this is a brutal beating and the fucking intro is on fire, it blasts and marches like a thousands strong army; some killer ambient effects pushing it forward.

“Reprisal from the Deep” has a Disincarnate vibe and dips into some Cynic territory near the end, it’s as otherworldly as the teachings of Zoroaster himself (yes, he was a real person, if you want to know more, Google that shit) and provides a brutal mind fucking experience.

“Paths Towards Chrysopoeia Pt. I” continues with the lumbering and lunching madness, it has an Atheist meets Pestilence mixed with more Disincarnate smell of filth to it that is extremely appealing to the noses of those who love that sort of thing.

“Initiation to the Extracorporeal Odyssey” is a 3:25 instrumental and it’s a mind flayer, “Writhing Through the Nebulae of Macrocosmic Disharmony” is the perfect extension of the former, it lunches and yes, it writhes with these sick as fuck riffs that get wrapped up in your cerebellum and just keep boring into the soft tissues.

“Woe to the Goldmakers (Paths Towards Chrysopoeia Pt. II)” is one of those perfect tracks like “Twisted Truth”; it’s avant-garde Death Metal muscle showing true dominance and it is the soul reaping technicalities of           “Quest for the Secret Fire (Theurgic Practice)” it rolls and thrashes like an alligator doing a death roll. It has this mesmerizing interlude around the 3:38 point that acts as a motherfucking bridge to savagery with some quick Death Thrash that goes full force blaster at the 7:34 point, beating you to a bloody mess.

At the end of the day Moss Upon the Skull has crafted a solid Death Metal creature that pulses with the heart of the 90s while blasting into the unknown. I urge you, constant reader to seek out this slab of grime, purulence and metaphysics combined; go out and obtain it. Now!

Their 2022 debut, Dawn of An Eyeless Realm, got the band on my radar, but with this year’s Alien Romulus film being released and reinvigorating my interest in the franchise, they aren’t just on my radar, they are..wait for it…..bursting from my goddamn chest.

The band’s Xeno universe-based (books, comics, and film), mid-paced downtempo slamming brutality is absolutely pummeling, and add the Alien-verse-based lyrics (some obscure, some not) and samples, and it’s a perfect mix, the only thing that would get me harder is a Gladiator-themed symphonic/blackened deathcore band.

Xenotheory is heavy. Fucking heavy. The main focus of the music is more downtempo, controlled slopes and lurches that are more in the Distant, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Impuritan and Black Tongue realm, though there are blast beats here and there (i.e. “The Fortieth Night”, “Le Dixième Cercle pt 1”). Like the debut, many of the songs also contain some samples (it used some from the 1979 Alien film), though I can’t place many of them (other than “Ozymandias”, influenced by Alien Covenant), the as well as subtle FX, and slight use of synths that whine and hum menacingly like the engines of the Nostromo in the background of many of the songs.

The album’s 11 (literally) monstrous songs are all head-splitting, chest-bursting songs of steady but sheer, lurching menace. From the openers “Resurrection” and “The Chasm” through “Ozymandias”, “Eclipse”, “The Call” (ft. Crown Magnetar‘s Dan Tucker), “Son of Man” (ft. Jason Gerhard from Kanine and Danny Louzon from Hurakan) to the closing two-part duo of “Le Dixième Cercle”, the album is just a goddamn nonstop beatdown of the highest order.

I’m not sure how these guys are not on Lacerated Enemy, Reality Fade, or Unique Leader Records yet, as this is my clear slam record of the year  ( though Peeling Flesh, Infectious Jelking and an Analepsy reissue are in the mix), but I guess… ….In Space, no one can hear you slam.

“Life of Decay” immediately starts with a fast paced, not quite blast beat pace with Rogga’s throaty vox all over this song.  The production is in your face.  The guitar tone sounds terrific and the galloping moments are classic.  The doomy slow down about 90 seconds in is excellent as the guitar solos and harmonies erupt all around us.  Strong opening number.

The title track has a lot of doomy metal moments and the section at the 1.19 part is excellent.  Rogga lets out a vintage Celtic Frost, “Ugghhh” and the song gets right into a tasty galloping moment.  This song pounds and Matthias Fiebig’s double bass drums at the 2.40 mid-paced section is vicious as Rogga lets out some anguished vocals.  Martin Klasén provides the bass guitar and you can hear the bass underneath all the heaviness.  This song has that swede melo-death sound perfectly with nods to Desultory and In Flames.  Think early 90’s inspired for reference.  There is a lot of melody and some intricate guitar work going on.  I really enjoy bands putting forth an effort to make their title track a strong number.  This is no exception.

“Viking Supremacy” right out of the starting gates begins with that hyper-fast death thrash beat before the galloping moments take over.  The song then goes back and forth between these two speeds with Rogga’s enunciated vocals sounding really good.  You do not need a lyric sheet – bonus!!  Some other tempo shifts take us to some slower groovier moments and the isolated drumming at the 2-minute mark is a thing of beauty.  Just as the guitars fade out the drums start with that galloping speed, before the rest of the instruments join in.  This is my favorite part of the album.  It’s frickin’ awesome and classic all over it.

The rest of the album is more of the same.  If you have enjoyed Paganizer’s previous efforts, especially their last several, you will enjoy Flesh Requiem.  Rogga knows death metal, knows how to write catchy music and knows how to surround himself, with all of his various bands, with quality musicians.  Flesh Requiem has a nice production.  Organic, not processed and it sports a nice mix to boot.  The album cover is well done and all the nods to the old school of yore has my fist in the air on these songs.  Keeping each of the songs to about 3 ½ minutes is a smart choice, as they have more of a punch to them.  Some of the songs get a bit samey, however that’s to be expected from the band at this juncture.  This is a real fun and catchy album!

Despite members coming out of the genre’s birth in the early 90s as Cromlech (then diverging to melodic death metal act Divine Souls, they have always been just ‘good’, and never a threat to acts like Entrails, Necrom, Brutally Deceased, Iron Flesh, In Pain, Demonical or Ripped to Shreds as the genre top dogs.

However, with album number 5, released earlier this year, Into the Abysmal Void, the duo of Mikael Lindgren and Matthias Lilja appear to have found the sweet spot and improved their efforts into something far more memorable than 2023’s Worm Eaten. And that appears to have continued for the quick sixth follow-up album.

What’s changed? Well, the Dan Swano master is still there delivering a full-on buzzing chainsaw-ridden HM2 sound, and the songs are still rooted in Dismember’s more melodic canters (tell me opener “Nailed to the Cross” isn’t “Of Fire” from Death Metal).

But as with their album from earlier this year, there is a much more increased Autopsy stench (though it’s always been there), with about every other song brimming with crawling, sinewy, icky pacing and riffs. And when blended with the already solid, if unoriginal Dismember worship (“Gallery of Flesh”, “Graveworms, Cadavers, Coffins and Bones”, “Charred Mass of Flesh”, “Burnt to Death” and thunderous closer “Decapitated”), it comes together to finally deliver a top-notch album (s?) of the genre.

As with their Dismember-inspired songs, the likes of  “Carnal Blasphemy”, and especially “Bind Torture Kill”, “Death Triumphant” and “Mutilation”, come criminally close to Autopsy cover songs (I mean look at the album title- Autopsy’s last album was called Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts), but it all finally clicks with an energy and confidence you’d expect from a duo of veterans that came up when the scene started, much like Entrails and In Pain.

With their two 2024 albums, Carnal Savagery has finally elbowed its way into the conversation as one of the genre’s better/top acts and appears to entering the conversation in the same breath as early Entrails… finally. A fine feat considering the quick turnaround and high productivity, usually a sign of quality over quantity. This is not the case for Carnal Savagery in 2024.

Holy shit, not only were these guys fast as a fucking shark; they were from Germany which was even cooler because back then the Cold War was still going on and Germany had this air of mystery and intrigue to it. I give all credit to Helloween because without them I never would have heard Kreator and Destruction, thus only feeding my growing hunger for Teutonic Thrash.

Now as far as live albums go, I covered Amorphis and their “live” Tales From The Thousand Lakes album recently and was less than thrilled with the “live” claim. Hearing the crowd and the band interaction is the heart of a great live album. Judas Priest did it with Priest…Live, King Diamond’s Abigail… Live 1987 is considered a classic for me, and I can’t leave out Iron Maiden and KISS.

Six live albums later Helloween have come back with a seventh and I’m here to tell you constant reader, it’s a beast. Four discs if you get the physical copy, there’s also a live video so that you can get the full experience of playing both at the same time for total aggressive immersion.

This is a career spanning experience kicking off with opening intro “Orbit” and once that’s out of the way it’s time for the 12:51 minute epic “Skyfall”. Maybe it’s about the James Bond movie, maybe it’s not; it doesn’t matter because it’s such a killer song. They smack right into a blistering rendition of “Eagle Fly Free” Michael Kiske sounds phenomenal as does Kai Hansen on “Kai’s Medley”, 16:07 minutes of a dive into the bands early albums so we get bites of “Savage” and “Ride the Sky” to name two.

I’m going to get it out of the way, just get it off my chest, this is an enjoyable in the moment live album. You’re literally there, listening (or watching) and cheering along with the Nippon Budokhan crowd. There’s a banter between Kiske, Andi Deris and Hansen that shows how current and former vocalists can share a stage and be friends with each other.

The production and mastering work is godly, each and every instrument stands out; especially the triple guitar attack from Michael Weikath, Kai Hansen, and Sascha Gerstner is just fucking massive. Slashing their way through “Mass Pollution” and “Future World” you can actually hear the crowd singing along; a sold-out crowd I might add.

There’s even a ballad thrown in with a funny introduction and “Forever and One (Neverland)” takes control. I would’ve liked to hear “A Tale that Wasn’t Right” from Keeper of the Seven Keys part 1; but whatever it’s the only slowdown that happens on an otherwise magnificent Power Metal album. Helloween are Power Metal, period.

After the ballad they blow through the rocking hard “Best Time”, “Dr. Stein” from Keeper of the Seven Keys part 2 and “How Many Tears” from Walls of Jericho. Having to pick songs out of such a fantastic back catalog must’ve been a great undertaking, but the show flows with hot blooded intensity; each song bringing more and more nostalgia for the glory days of German Power Metal.

“Keeper of the Seven Keys” gets a 20:46 minute rendition that’s captivating. “Perfect Gentleman”, and “I Want Out” round out the last of the album; “I Want Out” is by far one of my favorite Helloween songs; among others obviously but that riffing is absolutely hypnotic.

Alright, this album kicks ass; if that wasn’t apparent enough. If you love Power Metal, if you love Helloween (and the offshoot from them, the mighty Gamma Ray) then this is the album (and Blu-ray) for you! Hoch lebe Power Metal!

Enough hysterical talk aside, Furze is Cosmic Black Metal on the scale of Deathspell Omega, Ruins of Beverast, Trelldom and Teitanblood. My first exposure was their seminal release from 2007 UTD, I remember getting it at a mega-bookstore of all places and I loved it immediately. The psychotic meeting of the psychedelic slamming headfirst into Black Metal Jazz blew my mind.

However they fell off my radar until 2018’s The Presence which was a complex album, but then each Furze release is an experimental phenomenon of what psychotic Black Metal with some DSBM crawling chaos can be.

It starts with an “Intro” that just gets you ready to have your virgin pineal gland opened and fucked sideways because second track “    Beautiful Living on the Left Hand Path of Death” drops your pitiful soul into a deep pit and I mean your subconscious doesn’t stand a chance. The guitars are barely restrained into making cohesive chords while the drums play whack a mole to keep things going. To the average listener it would sound like the solar winds set to music, but I fucking love it.

“Cosmic Stimulation of Dark Fantasies” has a creeping intro before the real mind fucking begins. This gutted corpse of a track starts with a bouncing, absolutely sick riff, that quickly grows into a twisting and turning black serpent with devastating venom. There’s some relentless blasting going on in between the thrashy bits; this might be the fastest song on the album.

“Caw Entrance” is described as a ballad in the presser… ok, I’ll play along. This track has some of the strangest vocals I have ever heard, Woe J. Reaper tries really hard with the high, clean-gruff vocals; hitting some strange and off-kilter high notes. If this was any other album or genre they would certainly not work, but here they work out like the screams of the damned. “Waswasah” continues with the clean vocals, although here they’re more annunciated and maybe understandable. Musically it’s a doom laden flesh and bone dungeon crawler. Sort of Black Sabbath-ish but then there’s that crooning, and it’s suitable to the music’s mournful feeling.

“Marrow Creed” is the final track and it starts with some phased bass lines that are mind twisting.  Some of you may remember the part in Spinal Tap where the bassist goes in a prog direction? That is  “Marrow Creed” in a nutshell. It just meanders around that rolling bass line. It’s a weird as fuck ending to a weird as fuck album.

Yet, I still love it’s presentation; it’s avant-garde to the absolute maximum level, it’s not for everyone and the ones who write it off will do so without fully embracing the strangeness and chaos that Furze create. Cosmic Stimulation of Dark Fantasies is for those odd fuckers (like me) that love Oranssi Pazuzu, Teitanblood, Ruins of Beverast and Deathspell Omega. It’s deadly Black Metal that you should check out.

Opus Irae hails from Germany, and Into The Endless Night is their debut album. It was mixed and mastered by Dan Swano, who needs no introduction, and the artwork is by Kristian Wåhlin (Emperor, Dissection, etc.), so they have some immediate credibility right off the bat. The album absolutely delivers as well.

Speaking of right off the bat, opener “The Burden of Man” gets right to it, no intro no build-up, just symphonic bombast and a nice little flute-y, melodic bridge within the first minute. My immediate comparison is 90s/00s stalwarts Hecate Enthroned, Anorexia Nervosa, Arthemesia and such as there are dual screeched/gruffer vocals, and the energetic pacing, but as the album keeps going, there is so much more here especially some of the just amazing little bridges and moments like in the opener that litter the album amid the symphonic bombast. There is definitely a little more of the Gothic vibe going on as well.

Other such cool moments that made the album an absolute delight are the choral/female vocal parts that end “Requiem Aeternam”, the flute and subsequent melodic gallop bridge, and the wonderfully uplifting close out of “The Battle at His Great Return”, the little classical music interplay in the otherwise blistering “The Vision of Resurrecting Flesh”,  and the delightful duo of instrumental “Strict Canon in A Minor” and female only ballad “Lament”. A special mention to composer/keyboardist, ‘Nacht’, who really does give everything a more playful, bright gloss with his classical-inspired strings and piano.

After those two lovely numbers, we get “The Light of the Morning Star”, with a killer melodic main riff, and “Stream of Sorrow” where at 1:11 there is a cool little jaunt that makes me grin from ear to ear, and is one of the year’s most infectious moments for me. “War Everlasting”, starts with a more stern melodic death metal lurch before a gorgeous mid-song break that again highlights Nacht’s excellent work. “Furoris Irae” closes the album out with some spoken words from ‘Revelations 12:13′ and orchestral dramatics.

I thought Suffering Souls’ An Iconic Taste of Demise, would be the year’s best German Symphonic black metal album, but Into the Endless Night has come out of nowhere and might be one of my favorite symphonic black metal albums of the last couple of years, German or otherwise.

Oh, another surprise. These guys are a Christian band, but you more theological readers might have picked that up from some of the song titles and of course, the label, who are/have been home to Crimson Moonlight, Extol, and Antestor).

Rotpit are a filthy death metal band featuring members residing in Sweden and Germany.  Ralf Hauber on vox (Revel in Flesh, Heads For the Dead), Jonny Petterson on guitars/bass (Heads For the Dead, Wombbath) and Erik Barthold on drums (Darklands) return with their second full-length album and have managed to make this a tad filthier than the 2023 debut Let There Be Rot.  10 songs in 35 minutes and the album cover is another great old school drawing, although I would have liked to see the band return with the color green on the cover, as they have done on their previous releases.

“Sewer Rot” starts with some great growls and wild guitar solos, and Ralf steps a bit away from his Revel in Flesh stylized vocals.  He is going for a far filthier gruff tone, taking us back to the days of Rottrevore, if you will.  The album has a very late 80’s early 90’s vibe to it.  The mid-paced rumblings are heavy and the organic nature of this song and album is pretty fluid, not forced.  It is sometimes a bit different when a death metal band chooses to open an album with a slower song and this song stays in neutral throughout, without nary a gallop.  Good opening song, though.

“Massive Maggot Swarm” is up next bringing forth some double-bass bastardized rumbling heaviness with excellent throaty growling vocals.  The classic gallop starts at the one-minute mark and this is a terrific moment, so classic and the pounding heaviness is increased on the slow down with Ralf, really not sounding like any of his other band releases, which I love.  If I did not know prior, I would not have realized this was Ralf on vocals.  So it is a testament to his willingness to continue growing as a singer.  This tune has a variety of tempo shifts with some dense heaviness and I love the galloping moments on this track.  I can picture a killer circle pit during those moments. The song gets a bit quicker then slows back down, really punctuating that Autopsy doom like heaviness, that classic Autopsy did so well.

The title track has a huge emphasis on doom/death metal as this song plods along…heavy…cavernous, even.  You know this release would have also been perfect on Dark Descent Records too.  This song is heavy AF.  Jonny driving home those terrific old-school riffs.  The song picks up the pace with some cool guitar solos and effects in the background.  It sounds like a horror movie soundtrack, and I love it.

“Dirt Dwellers” has a massive pounding heaviness to it and is vicious.  There is a huge doom/death atmosphere to this.  Think early Asphyx with that plodding heaviness covered in fog that were on the first several albums.  It’s maybe not as heavy, but the feel is there, very evident.

“The Triumph of Rot” starts with pounding heaviness and such a great galloping heaving heaviness.  Very headbang worthy of your time and the riffs are catchy and not complicated.  Easy to get into and more of those wild effects-laden solos.  The drums pounding hard and organic.  The galloping nature, guitar riffing, and cool melodies stay pretty much the duration of the song.  Another high-quality tune.

So if you were to take Autopsy and send on a date with Rottrevore, to have a one-night stand, well Rotpit would plop out.  Long Live the Rot has an excellent blend of the old school with all the right ingredients and the right amount of filth to sink your dirty teeth into.  There are a lot of circle pit moments, as well as, an increase in the doom/death department with this sucker.  Heavy, organic, catchy.  Truly a fun album!

Anyway, you get the point. I’m obsessed, but then I could be obsessed about worse things like whose fucking who in Washington; so there’s that. My current obsession is a little band from Lima, Ohio called A La Carte who play charcuterie tray perfect Death Metal; grilled baby fingers and all. They’ve been around since 2018 and their Tastless Tastings Demo in 2020 was followed by full-length Soup Dejour in 2022.

Now, fresh off the production line and Recorded at Phaze Studios in Dayton, OH. Mixed and mastered by Rylie Ellen Wechta (Guttural Secrete) at Sound Horizon Studios in Las Vegas, NV. This is a twelve track menu of Organic 100% American Death Metal.

“Born to Entertain” kicks this extravagant feast of spoiled meat and fly encrusted piles of poultry. The opening riffing is tight as fuck and it’s sort of a Cannibal Corpse swarming purulent shredder at one point, but then it’s countered with banshees screaming the next minute. It’s a bit of a Broken Hope-style stomper with some Morbid Angel for pepper and salt, respectively. Some more tasty Cannibal Corpse pinch harmonies and it just keeps hitting you like food poisoning.

This trio comprised of Chef Highman- drums, Chef Cuck-Guitars, Bass, Vocals and The Maitre ‘d-vocals; have their chops in order and on next track “Choice Cuts” we’re treated to a baby crying before shit gets underway. This bad motherfucker plows forward with some Dying Fetus level riffing while the drums blast with nuclear intensity. Now how about those baby fingers fries?

“Ashtray Souffle” has a sample of Bill Paxton from Weird Science and his dirty ashtray line, when it hits in the context of the album it’s hilarious and works perfectly. It’s a dirty little glob of molded sour cream that’s as thick as the guitar tone rocketing along with the blasting drums. “Chamber Pot Pie” is a short track at 2:58 and that’s ok because it’s a chaotic little bastard, another Dying Fetus-style rumbler with an infectious main riff. “Beef Stroakenoff” has a Necrophagist ring to it and this whacky riff that just makes me smile with glee and there are random samples of ‘beef, it’s what’s for dinner’ tossed about. “Bulimic Beetle Bile Buillion” has some trippy phased-out guitar intro before the track locks into a slow groove with intermittent blasts thrown in for spice.

“Gluttonous Maximus” is another one of those Carcass dual vocal tracks and they do this cool thing where the guitars match up with the movie samples. The ending of the track is sort of a Morbid Angel-esque Kingdoms Disdained vibe with more tasty pinch harmonies, “Maxi Pad Thai” is a pile driving blaster, but with a sick as fuck intro riff and it’s built on some more sick as fuck drum work, it’s one of my favorite tracks not just because of the song title but the structure of the song is fucking killer. “Terrormisu” has a really interesting structure and some Pestilence-ish jazzy moments with a splash of Cynic. It surges forward like a flood of Molasses, which is fucking great.

“Deconstructed part 1” and it’s companion track “Deconstructed part 2” are the final tracks and they’re fucking beautiful with Part 1 being a light instrumental ending with crowd applause and the Part 2 second half is a pummeling, meat mallet with jackhammer precision.

There’s a lot going on with this gory buffet. It’s punchy; benefitting greatly from that sexy production I mentioned earlier. There’s moments where Morbid Angel meets Carcass and even some Basement Torture Killings style riffs come creeping in. This really is a smorgasbord of Death Metal tasty, blood soaked goodness. Get it!

But the challenge is, can you follow up on such an album? Once that glow and fan excitement of a reunited legend fades, can you keep it up? We have yet to see with Naglfar as they have yet to follow up Cerecloth, but … And Oceans did OK, with the second reunification album As In Gardens, So In Tombs.  So how does Mörk Gryning fare with their second album after reuniting?

Well, pretty damn good, but not quite as truly stunning as Hinsides vrede.

As Hinsides vrede before it, with “Fältherren”, Fasornas Tid comes out of the gate strong with perfect 90s styled melodic black metal pulling from the above bands and of course Dissection with “The Seer” “Tornet”, “Before The Crows Have Their Feast”, arguably the album standout with the subtle but well-done synths on the chorus and some clean vocals arise here and there, but they are sparing and fit in decently.

That said, like its predecessor, the album’s back end tails off a bit, with two slower mid-album songs in “Savage Messiah”, and “An Ancient Ancestor Of The Autumn Moon” that drag the ferocious momentum down a bit. I’m all for some slower, songs to break up the pace, but two in a row really bring things down a bit. The mid-paced rollick of “Black Angel” instrumental acoustic interlude “Barren Paths” doesn’t help.

The final trio of “The Serpent’s Kiss”, particularly vicious “Det Svarta”, and “Age Of Fire”, bring back some of the energy from the album’s early stages, ending things on a solid note, as “Black Spirit” did on the prior album.

And while the album has some great riffs, nothing comes close to “A Glimpse of the Sky” from Hinsides Vrede, which was arguably one of my favorite songs in the genre from the last few years.  But Fasornas Tid is still a great 2nd album after the reunion and shows that Hinsides Vrede wasn’t just a one hit reunion.

Blazing Inferno is the sophomore album and the band has some new members.  The only original member is the bassist Jim Mutilator and new on this release are Vasilis Stavrianidis – Drums, Nikolas Perlepe/ Naberius – Guitars and vocalist He.  So a brand new band.

Blazing Inferno continues the theme with the demon/devil adorning the cover, as it has done in the previous releases.  The album cover is striking and fierce which is exactly what these  8 songs are.  The title track opens with immediate impact, slower but the production is absolutely stunning and powerful.  The song has outrageous black metal guitar melodies and the new vocalist has a very good raspy and deep approach.  The song picks up the pace with galloping tendencies and there are some guitar moments reminding me of Germany’s Chapel of Disease with the classic metal moments.

“But Fear Not” is next starting fast and furious then slowing down with some moodier rhythms before erupting into more of that double-pounding, not quite blast beat, speed.  The vocals over this moment are excellent and the song slows down and we are treated to some death metal stylized spoken word type vocals.  Excellent.  The mid-paced moments with the instrumentation, aria chanting in the background, contributes to a massive sound.  This sounds like a big production and with so much going on it goes to show you can be heavy and melodic and still memorable.  This is one of the best moments Yoth Iria has ever achieved.

“Purgatory Revolution” starts off as if it was written by an 80’s heavy metal band.  Erupting with a guitar solo, this moment is off the wall and the music hits and there is more guitar soloing going on over this mid-paced part.  The solos fade away and the mid-paced black metal moments come in and are excellent.  The galloping speed makes an appearance and very good vocal patterns and these are not irritating black metal vocals.  None of that super high trebly shrieking.  I’d rather stab my cheek with an icepick than listen to that.  These are powerful and well-done vocals.  Great rhythm section over the mid-paced parts.  More guitar solos ignite and the song fades away and you will want to hold up your horns for this song.

Yoth Iria have lost none of their oomph with their new members and Blazing Inferno is a scorcher.  The band is not a brutal style of blasting black metal madness.  They are more melodic and ethereal, while they chant and sing about the devil, pentagrams, and other shit like that.  This album is their best-produced one yet and I feel this is their strongest release to date.  It is impressive and there are a lot of moving parts to this release.  Whether it’s guitar solos, chanting in the background, or the strong guitar harmonies and leads, this album is memorable.  Damn good album!

Now, I can’t speak too much about some of the band’s more recent efforts like 2021s Wolfbite or 2019s Echoes of Yore as I gave up on the band after the acoustic/folk music-only effort Cimbric Yarns, but when we got the promo for their latest effort, I thought I’d give them another shake and see how one of my old flames has fared since we broke up.

Well, it appears they are doing swimmingly as after a brief intro, Darkanakrad comes screaming out of the gate with “As Heroes Abide”, a fucking attention-throttling, album-opening number for the ages, signaling that indeed Suidakra are still going strong. And the album does not let go from there.

The guitar tone is to die for with a modern Hypocrisy-ish crunch (it’s come a long way since Lupine Essence), and just enough folky/Celtic vibes to make it still Suidakra. “Unraveling Destinies”, continues the strong start with a more mid-paced crunch, that allows the excellent production to breathe and we some of those Celtic clean vocals.

“Seven Sentinels” is an epic  6-minute tune that has a little of everything that Suidakra has delivered over the years, while “A Tainted Dominion” is a more urgent, fierce number, where again I keep coming back to the killer guitar tone ( which founder and frontman Arkadius is responsible for).

“Ashes of Truth” delivers one of the band’s trademark acoustic/folk numbers that they have delivered since the debut before the trio of “Heart of Darkness”, “The Last Guardian” and “Cruinnath’s Breath” deliver sturdy, crunchy melodeath, but nothing as great as the opening act.

That all said, this album lacks some of the consistent truly Celtic moments, as only “The Last Guardian” and instrumental “In Shadows Deep” have bagpipes, which made some of the early albums so good. It appears they are pretty much more straight-up modern melodic death metal with a few Celtic-ish riffs and song titles (i.e. “Cruinnaths’s Breath”). A fact sort of cemented by the final track “At The Gates Medly” (that seems to be the band’s first three albums only). But it’s still pretty good, and certainly one of the ‘ups’ of the band’s considerable discography.

Still, I guess I need to check out Wolfbite and Echoes of Yore now.

Oof. What a dick.

So why did I grab the promo for the band’s 5th album? Especially as I have not heard any of the prior three after the debut? Well, full disclosure, I glanced at the promo email and thought it was ‘Chaos Inception‘ the black/death band from Alabama.  It wasn’t until I started listening, and checked the band name again that I went back to see my old review of the debut. Second, I’ve been digging German metal in 2024 with the likes of Asharhaddon, Dauþuz, Opus Irae, Kanonenfieber, Suffering Souls, Far Beyond, Atronos, Unhallowed Deliverance, Stiriah and label mates Servant.

Then there’s the fact the album comes out of the gate red hot with the album title track, immediately grabbing my attention and then I decided to stick with it, and I’m glad I did, as Wherever We Roam….is a blisteringly solid black metal record.

If you are into the simpler, more direct, less symphonic, slightly melodic stylings of the second wave of black metal, with bands like Dark Funeral, Funeral Mist, Watain, 1349, and such, this album is for you. It is just frosty razor-sharp riffs, upon frosty razor-sharp riffs. No synths, and a few atmospheric segments, but otherwise this is blisteringly slicing black metal, with a perfectly searing Woodshed Studio production (Secrets of the Moon, Obscura, Sulphur Aeon, The Ruins of Beverast).

The second track, “Ideal Sodom” is the perfect blend of viciousness and melody, before the third track cools off the album’s white-hot start with the mid-paced march that dominates “Golden Gates And Terrene Light”  before “Bridges Aflame” unleashes another absolutely scorching number, with a bristling Celtic Frost -ish groove mid-song. 

The rest of the album is simply perfect, modern black metal. From “No Throne Withstands”, to the moodier (for the start) “The World Wants Us Dead” with some clean vocals, searing “Only In Darkness” with its subtle synth use and more clean vocals, and more ritualistic, atonal closer “Engravings On A Gleaming Pedestal”.

Hey you. Chaos Invocation dudes, I hope this makes up for my dickery back for your debut. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Four years ago the band released their debut album Infernal Comedy, on Lavadome Productions and this two-piece act returns with a blistering follow-up which bests their impressive debut.  Jérôme Mahé – Guitars, Bass, Drum programming (2017-present) and Samuel Girard – Vocals, Drum programming (2017-present) really crafted one helluva brutal album with Le ballet des anges.  I am not a Hate Eternal fan, maybe because the music always seemed one-dimensional to me.  I do however like the Japanese version of the band, Desecravity – because they have at least more tempo shifts and I like their riffs better.  So if you are into Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal….well you get the point, brutal shit.  Le ballet des anges is 10 songs in 32 minutes, exactly the amount of time for shit this brutal.

“The Overture” is a cool intro, befitting for the lyrical themes the band has established with their debut, a kind of Danse Macabre with elements of the satanic and angelic all woven into one.  “And the Watchers Will Be Frightened” blasts opens the doors after the intro with crazy blasting.  Ok, yes, this is programmed drums, but you know what, not only do they sound incredible, they sound just like the live drummers on these types of albums who already have their riggs triggered from head to toe.  The riffing is fast and furious (without Vin Diesel thank God!!) and the guitar harmonies are excellent.  At two minutes the song is over fast.

“Shemihazah the Great” is next and has an awesome starting gallop collapsing chest cavities all over the place.  Some of the stop-and-start moments are breath taking and the harmonies can be heard amongst all the chaos.  Vocals are powerful.  Deep and gruff, but also quite powerful. The section at the 2.10 mark is great with the mid-paced bludgeoning and guitar harmonies and soloing.  Sounds like the soundtrack from hell as the song picks up at a ferocious speed.  More galloping moments that slide right into those blasting moments.  I swear this song throttled me from one neck of the woods to the other then a tombstoned pile drived me through the earth.

“Enchain Them All!” is a tad over five minutes and is the longest song with some swirling Morbid Angel/Immolation styled dissonant riffing going on.  Excellent opening with the mid-paced moments.  They go a long way with the music being able to breathe and these moments, which are all over the album, make those blast beats even more punishing.  This type of music needs tempo shifts and Ad Vitam Infernal knows this in crafting their songs.  The mid-paced bludgeoning moments are impactful and flow well, even with the programmed drums, the rhythm section ignites.  Over the crazy blast beats the weird guitar moments, with the harmonies, are terrific and add depth and resonate with me a lot.  Again this stuff is blistering and relentless.

Le ballet des anges is scorching and Ad Vitam Infernal are not a band for the faint of heart.  For my gym weight lifting and cardio I always find myself being able to lift a little more and run a little faster when listening to this band.  It gets my blood boiling since it’s so aggressive.  This is well produced and for this style of music a clear and concise production is needed and it’s achieved on this.  If you want some absolute brutal and fast death metal you must give this band a try!

Boasting a very cold and depressing album cover ( “Eiger” is conceptually focused on the 3967-metre mountain of the same name in the Bernese Alps. Since 1935, at least 64 climbers have died attempting to conquer the Eiger’s sheer, ice-covered north face which has earned it the nickname of ‘Mordwand‘ (‘murder wall‘). The album specifically examines an attempt to climb the Mordwand in July 1936 which ended in tragedy, as four young mountaineers succumbed to treacherous conditions and disappeared, presumed caught in an avalanche.), Eiger is  8 songs in 55 minutes, which while still is Aara, conjures up some of their earlier, colder releases, namely their debut So fallen alle Tempel in 2019.

At over nine minutes, the opener, “Die das wilde Wetter fängt” is the longest song and rips along nicely with monstrous blasting and if you’re not a fan of the higher pitched black metal type of vocals, Aara will do nothing to change your mind on that.  For me I have grown accustomed to their sound and style so it fits.  The part at the 4.25 section thumps hard!!  Great rhythm section with this slower paced moment.  It is excellent and has a very strong and heavy feel to it, before some classic Aara atmospherics come in later on with the acoustics.  The thumping beats come in some more with some excellent drum work.  Those black metal melodies are a thing of beauty.  Harmonious, cold, yet emotive.

“Felsensang” has a nice brooding opening which is quite doomy as well.  There is a sadness played with these acoustic moments which are interspersed with the metal.  The light drumming begins to build up for the brutality that ensues as the song thrusts forward into a killer blast.  The vocals are harsh and match the music.  How do black metal singers, who go for those raspy highs, not throw out their voices???  Anyway, the song continues to blast forward with incredible guitar melodies and I love how the song abruptly slows down around the 2.40 mark, then speeds back up.  Aara knows how to do tempo shifts but makes them impactful.  Another one at the 3.17 mark, goes right into an atmospheric acoustic moment, right after the ferocious speeds prior.  This part has a classical flair and those damn guitar melodies right after…I mean Aara may write the best black metal guitar melodies out there folks!!  The moving and emotive riffs are impressive.  Towards the end of the song, with all the blasting metal madness to hear the acoustic guitar over the blast beat, it is a new one for me, and it fits rather nicely.

Turn down those headphones because “Der Wahnsinn dort im Abgrund” has no atmospheric build-up.  Goes straight for the gulliver with monstrous blasting, right out of the starting gates.  And I mean this moment goes on for a long time.  Over a minute, before there are some drum rolls and a classic galloping metal beat takes us back to a time of yore.  The double bass drums over this section are terrific.  This opening segment is one of the most intense Aara experiences, I might add.  The song slows down and ushers in atmospherics and then right back into the intensity.  The slower portion, towards the end with that main guitar riff, is excellent.  Heavy stuff.

Eiger is excellently produced and Aara are writing machines.  I do not think they play live/tour, so it gives them a chance to pretty much release an album every year.  However, there is no drop off in quality in writing, ability, song structure, or production.  The albums never seem rushed and that is a testament to a band focused on their musical style and as musicians.  Highly commendable.  This is yet another stellar release from Aara, one of the leaders in the current black metal scene!!

Such is the case with Mammoth Grinder and their blistering EP Undying Spectral Resonance. After four full-length albums and four EPS, with some split EPS thrown in for good measure. This album is like a trip down memory lane to the Death Thrash days of the 90s when Massacre was releasing their eponymous From Beyond and Carcass were inventing Goregrind with Symphonies of Sickness and Reek of Putrefaction. Mammoth Grinder has taken the best of those worlds and vomited out such a viciously  cavernous Death Metal EP that hits like a fucking hammer blow.

All of this comes together with Undying Spectral Resonance. Opening track “Corpse of Divinant” rumbles in on super compressed guitar tones that are simply crushing. It sports a dive-bomb solo reminiscent of those found on From Beyond, it’s a great way to start off this brutal bastard.

“Undying Spectral Resonance” the title track is another prime Death Metal track starting off with a little bit of a Carcass inspired opening riffing, this mean sonofabitch is a slow and methodical dissection of your eardrums, it rips open a dimensional hole when the solo kicks in with the speed right before tracks end. “Call from the Frozen Styx” provides a nice interlude of ambient crawling terror.

Chris Ulsh, Ryan Parrish, Andy Horn and Sebastian Phillips comprise this gargantuan band and they rage through the final two tracks “Decrease the Peace” and “Obsessed with Death”. The former being a grimy slog through the diseased underbelly of society through a barrage of deadly riffs and the latter being a hefty Death Metal creature out for the blood of the posers in the world of Metal.

I absolutely love Undying Spectral Resonance, hell, I love Mammoth Grinder for that matter. This is an immense EP, devastating in delivery and calculated like a ballistic missile; for the people who live for Carcass, Massacre, Incantation and General Surgery. Play this fucker LOUD!

To remind us they are still a major player in the genre, the band has dropped a 6 song EP. The first three songs are tracks that never made it to the Carnel Heresy album, and the second set of three songs are covers of Death Metal royalty in Morbid Angel, their clearest influence, Bloodbath and Nihilist.

The first three tracks are what you expect: big, crunchy Swedish Death metal, with opener “With Ashen Breath”, delivering arguably one of the grooviest, best riffs of the style in the year, and “Callous Mutilation Grandeur” being a faster ferocious number.

The three covers are of pretty legendary songs in the annals of death metal, no off-the-wall or surprising covers here; you get Morbid Angel‘s short sharp “Dominate”, Bloodbath’s iconic “Like Fire” (still with arguably one of the top opening riffs in the genre), where Adrian Selmani continues to deliver the best Akerfedlt sounding growls in the genre, and “Abnormally Deceased” from Nihilst (and also Entombed).

None of the covers do anything new or exciting, but deliver virtually note-for-note renditions of classic songs with a fervent energy, reminding us these guys are indeed possible heir apparent to the Swedish death metal throne.

“Koshercannibal” begins with a slight intro that goes right into the mid-paced death metal, and one that has strong early European/Swedish leanings.  The song picks up the galloping pace with strong throaty vocals, sounding eerily similar to Masse Broberg from the early and best Hypocrisy releases.  And yes the mid-paced rumblings with the galloping snare sounds even similar to something that you would find on Penetralia or Osculum Obscenum.  The guitar tone even having a Hypocrisy vibe.  Strong album opener.

“Beyond the Autopsy” at over six minutes is the longest song here with vocalist Max Foam letting out some cool opening growls and then the 90’s galloping death metal speed gets into full gear and the mix and production is pretty powerful, not overly triggered produced type, this album has an organic by powerful mix to it.  The snare drum really cuts through on this album and this song is truly headbang worthy.  The Swedish buzzsaw sound at the 3.20 mark is killer – really heavy, beatdown worthy.  Tiziano Mortician knows how to write catchy and heavy guitar riffs, let me tell you!  Leonardo Sastro’s drum sound is chest collapsing.  Would love to see this band live, as this drum sound and some of his fills are really cool.  Jacopo Simonelli provides the undercurrent of bass heaviness.  Yet another strong song.

“Blooduniverses” gets things going right from the beginning with a very cool blast beat, sounding like it was played in 1991. There is an air of primitiveness to it, making this moment raw and aggressive.  The tune settles into a killer mid-paced groove with those Hypocrisy tinged guitars slicing and dicing you into smithereens.  Excellent slower moment around the ninety second mark, that gets back into the mid-paced shredding.  The bass guitar volume is increased a bit towards the end and it has a great sound that reminds me of the bass guitar sound on Autopsy’s Severed Survival masterpiece.  That wall of bass!  It’s so dense, like a thick fog that pounds you over the head from every direction.

After the Flesh is an impressive debut album from Kaivs.  As I stated earlier this has a strong early Hypocrisy sound and style to it.  Heavy and memorable with a great production.  I am really digging the mix on this release.  No instrument or the vocals overtake the other.  You can clearly make out what is going on.  The band uses a variety of tempos and check out that bass returning and some doomy elements on “Blasphemer After the Flesh”, which is another terrific song.  I am truly looking forward to the development and next recording from Kaivs.  Damn good!