As one of the godfathers, if not THE godfather, of the deathcore genre, Despised Icon have enjoyed a special place at the top for fans of the style.  Though the band themselves have rejected the label, they have no doubt played a huge part in spearheading a genre that is oft-hated, but no doubt has […]

Sometimes I get in the mood for some good old fashioned, no frills, second wave black metal, and occasionally a release comes along that fills that void perfectly. Earlier this year it was Germany’s Darkened Nocturne Slaughtercult and their album, Mardom, and here in the fall/winter as the nights grow longer and darker, the fittingly […]

England’s Unfathomable Ruination return with their third full length Enraged and Unbound.  I must admit I am not too familiar with this group. Unfathomable Ruination play a style of brutal technical death metal similar to: Cryptopsy, Origin and Internal Suffering.  Needless to say these gents waste zero time getting things moving and shaking. “An Obsidian […]

Relatively new to the death metal scene, Connecticut’s Vomit Forth have been acquired by Maggot Stomp to take both the 2018 Vomit Forth demo and Inherit Laceration ep and throw them on a cd combining the 2 new songs in 2019, making up the Northeastern Deprivation for a total of 9 songs on this compilation […]

With autumn upon us and the seasons starting to turn colder this review is a bit ironic for this reviewer in that if fills me with so much joy to review another insanely talented band from Minnesota for your ears to discover. Formed in 2008, Grand Demise of Civilization is a meticulously layered Black Death […]

If you have ever been out to dinner with Toxic Holocaust, you know what to expect from the band’s sixth full-length album, Primal Future: 2019. While Toxic Holocaust releases have never been the Wolfgang Puck or Gordon Ramsay of thrash metal, they are far from being the local McDonald’s brand of drivel that barely satisfies, […]

Strigoi is the new death/doom/crust project from Paradise Lost‘s guitarist/vocalist Gregor Mackintosh after he disbanded Vallenfyre, after 3 albums. And even though hes joined by a slightly different line up (bassist Chris Casket of Extreme Noise Terror and session/studio drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, also of Paradise Lost), the result sounds exactly like Vallenfyre’s latter, crustier output, […]

Ave! Italy’s Romanic death metal warriors ADE are back with yet another new line up,  another label and another quality album..despite that Dance of Death level artwork… Lone original member/founder/primary song writer Fabivs again has a whole new legion surrounding him including bassist Cornelvuis  and vocalist/lyricist Diocletianvs  (both formerly of Suicidal Causticity/ Oredreth), the band’s […]

What’s in a name? Are you the type to disregard a metal band due to a dubious moniker? Germany’s Fvneral Fvkk would probably fit into the category if you were so inclined to feel that way. Is this a lo-fi piss-take black metal act or novelty metal band? If you thought you had the band […]

Sweet Texas watermelon! Has it been two years already? Wow…it really doesn’t seem like a couple of years have passed since Exhumed released their fan and critic praised Death Revenge, but here I am blasting my eardrums as well as my face, clean into oblivion with the aural onslaught that is Horror, Exhumed‘s seventh full-length […]

Despite being the arguable top act in the Swedish death metal revival since 2010s Tales From the Morgue, I had some reservations about the band’s sixth album. Mostly due to yet another line up change surrounding founder Jimmy Lundqvist, this one involving the addition of Markus Svensson on guitars but mainly, Penki Samuelsson moving to […]

If the novel “War of the Worlds” and any Zelda game ever created got together and had a baby, the result would be Rings of Saturn.  That’s about the most succinct way I can sum up this album. On Gidim, the band’s fifth full length album, they have continued what they have dubbed “aliencore”, and […]

2019 has been a banner year for power metal, especially for some of the bigger name bands, and more importantly power metal bands I actually like: Battle Beast, Beast In Black, Twilight Force, Sabaton , Grimgotts, 43 Rhapsody based bands and even grizzled Hammerfall all released albums,  with some of them certainly in the mix […]

Hailing from Denver, Colorado Blood Incantation return with their sophomore album Hidden History of the Human Race, the follow-up to the monstrous 2016 debut, Starspawn, which I reviewed on this very site. In their existence since 2011 Blood Incantation has garnered a well-deserved reputation for their raging live show and yes live, they’re one of […]

Transcending Obscurity is on quite a roll in 2019, firmly establishing themselves as one of the best labels going around in the underground metal scene. Already the label has dished up an impressive quota of quality metal releases this year, and with the upcoming The Drowning album yet to drop, there’s plenty more goodness to […]

Do you like early Asphyx? Do You like early, Drunen led, Consuming Impulse Era Pestilence? Then the always reliable FDA Records has a release for you, the full length debut from German death metal act Evoked, and it’s a scorcher of an album, despite its clear influences. Culling heavily from The Rack as well as […]

Shortly after its inception in 1995, France’s Blut Aus Nord started traveling two separate, but parallel paths. The first two albums Ultima Thulee and Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Ages fell right in with the other second wave black metal of the time: lo-fi, buzzy, fast, and melodic. Then the band split off […]

New Jersey’s Fit For An Autopsy got on my radar back when they started in 2008, as they initially featured one of my favorite vocalists of the era, vocalist Nate Johnson from very short lived deathcore act Deadwater Drowning as well as noise-mongers Premonitions of War. Even after Johnson left, Ive purchased all the albums, listened to […]

Admittedly, I was zero percent familiar with Aggravator and any of their previous output before their new self-titled EP. Though after spending some quality time with said EP, thanks to Unspeakable Axe Records, who have just recently re-released Aggravator after being independently released earlier this year, I will be hunting down their earlier efforts and […]

When I reviewed Nile’s fourth album, Annihilation of the Wicked way back in 2005, I mused how long the band could keep up the high quality and continue  the  long running Egyptian themes. Well 14 years and 5 albums later, that answer is pretty clear. Even with a bit of a lull with 2012s At […]

Oh Dear. I saw the writing on the wall for Equilibrium’s downfall with 2016s Armageddon, and its epically bad lead single “Born to be Epic”). But I didn’t see the next album being such a complete and total disaster that completely alienates the band’s fan base. After 4 albums that arguably  stand among the very […]

Formed at the end of the 80’s Pentacle has remained a staple in the underground death metal scene and helping to push forth the Netherlands metal scene, which is one of the best, in my opinion.  With the members in various other bands and still to this day, we have Alex and Mike Verhoeven on […]

What the Fuck? Have I gone back in time to 2006-2008? Unearth released a great album last year, Killswitch Engage released a great album earlier this year, and now As I Lay Dying have released a great album!!!! I digress. But personally I have found the story arc of AILD frontman Tim Lambesis more interesting […]

Well summbitch…As if I needed another reason to love Denton, Tx;  here comes Creeping Death, hot off the heels of their last EP, Specter of Death, with their full-length debut, Wretched Illusions. Besides being a cool place that I’ve always had great times in, whether playing shows with my own band, scouring records shops for […]

Born from the most treacherous and violent sewers in Delaware, Flesh Tomb unleash their debut ep-Torn From The Womb of The Sky.  Zach Wilson on vox, Ryan Giordano-guitar, Jack Mulvanerty on bass and Ladon Vance on drums this 6 song 14 minute ep will fly by you so fast, heads will be lopped off pathetic […]