Germany’s death/thrash act Messticator is a relatively new act formed with former and ex- members of various other German thrash and death metal bands I am not familiar with, like Embers of Flesh and Devarium. Total Mastery is their second album, following up 2022s Forthcoming Revelation. As they all do, the promo materials tell me […]
After 4 albums on FDA Records, Germany’s Autopsy Worshipping duo, Slaughterday (an Autopsy song title for the newbies), has jumped to Testimony Records for album number 5, but that’s the only thing that has changed. While 2022s Tyrants of Doom added a cleaner, clearer sound and some other old school death metal dynamics to the […]
Back in 2023, an album was released that I absolutely loved. It was Khnvm’s Visions of a Plague Ridden Sky, and not only did I review it in these hallowed pages, it also made it onto my year-end list (shocker). Fast forward to 2025, and they are back with another bludgeoning album in the form […]
I have been a fan of Germany’s Deserted Fear and their brand of European-inspired melodic death metal since their great 2012 debut album – My Empire. Their killer second album in 2014, Kingdom of Worms, is still my favorite by them. Veins of Fire is their sixth album, and their last three albums have all […]
When Morgoth ceased to exist following the shitty Feel Sorry for the Fanatic there was a hole left in the Death Metal community. They did reunite, albeit without vocalist Marc Grewe for the pretty good Ungod, but it wasn’t the same. It’s ok though because Leper Colony was formed to fill that sizeable void. As […]
After two fine albums on FDA Records (including 2022’s fucking outstanding Feldwärts), Germany’s war mongering death metal act Scalpture have made the jump to a different German label, Testimony Records for their 4th album, though it comes with mixed results. Saying Landkreig is a step back from Feldwärts is probably a bit over an overstatement, […]
2025 is a new year, right? I’d imagine this new year for those of us in the United States is kind of like opening a gift of jars in the mail, thinking “Oh, cool someone sent me these to support my growing interest in canning.” Of course, you open the first one and it’s farts. […]
With a moniker like Sodomisery, I blind-clicked on the promo for the band’s second album fully expecting a brutal death metal album full of ass, blood, and guts-filled lyrics with gurgled vocals. It was not that. Pleasantly so. Then I dug into the band a little and found it a more melodic Swedish death/black metal-based […]
Along with Abscession’s Rot of Ages, the best Swedish-styled HM 2 album I heard last year was the second effort from Italy’s Organic. The follow-up to 2019s solid debut Carved in Flesh, delivers everything a sophomore album should; improving on a fine debut with improved songwriting and confidence delivered a tried tested, and popular sound […]
So already this year I’ve talked about how HM2 pedals have surfaced in the unlikeliest of places like Indiana (Psychomancer), Chile (Soulrot), and even Ireland (Fleshwolf). Well, here is yet another surfacing in an unexpected place; Tokyo Japan. My experience with Japanese metal, let alone old school Swedish death metal from Japan is virtually zero, […]
Ho Hum, another Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Revolting, Ribspreader, The Grotesquery, Down Among the Dead Men) project. Let’s see who he has joined up with this time shall we? Well, we have Wombbath’s Håkan Stuvemark on vocals and guitars, Jon Skäre of Defiatory on drums and Mathias Back from Fimbultyr on bass (what, no Jonny Pettersson?????). […]
I remember reading a review of Horrified‘s 2018 full-length release, Allure of the Fallen, where the band was described as having a sound familiar to Horrendous, but without the prog attributes. While this isn’t my favorite description of the band’s style, it’s admittedly, not too far off either, and ends up working well since more […]
KHNVM ( pronounced as kha-nooom) is a multinational Magdeburg /Bangladeshi duo comprised on ‘Obliterator’ on guitar,bass and vocals and hes aided by drummer Krzysztof Klingbein (Aggressor, Resurrection and Thunderwar), and while a solid, furious death metal offering, the the first offering from Testimony Records that hasn’t truly blown me away like say Demonbreed, Sentient Horror […]
From newish German label that already brought us fine releases by Demonbreed, Carnal Tomb, and Sentient Horror in their short lifespan, comes another excellent slab of buzz saw laden, HM 2 drenched, Swedish styled death metal with the debut from Italy’s Organic. Fans of the genre will probably be ordering this as I speak, but yeah this is a […]
Germany’s Demonbreed hit the heavy home run on their 2016 debut album, Where Gods Come to Die. Bludgeoning Swedish inspired death metal heaviness and a well-written album through and through. So while the underground waits with bated breath for album #2, Demonbreed provides a little taste with an ep in the form of Hunting Heretics. […]
When Dan Swano says “One of the best SweDeath projects I have come across in 20 years. The perfect blend of all the highlights from the Swedish scene from 89 to 91. Truly awesome!”, I buy instantly and listen later. And having mastered this release from Sentient Horror (with mixing assistance from Damian Herring of Horrendous), […]
Those in the know are aware that Lay Down Rotten were one of Germany’s most consistent but underrated death metal bands, releasing 7 fine albums from 2003 to 2015, when they split up. Well, 4 Lay Down Rotten members have regrouped and formed Demonbreed and continued the former bands chunky take on death metal, but […]