Fast forward to 2013 and the two track EP Ruins of Humans hints that the familiarly devastating sound of Brutality’s earlier output is back with a screaming vengeance. This great morsel was a mere teaser, a tantaliser that certainly raised expectations that a full length would surely be around the corner. So here we are in January 2016, almost 20 years since the release of In Mourning and upon first listen Sea of Ignorance is more of the same brilliance.

Title track “Sea of Ignorance” quickly proves Brutality is on the same form that made their earlier records so special. The familiar thunderous drumming, Reigel’s unmistakeable roar, the fearsome grooves of the riffing, and of course the sublime melodious guitar work are all present and correct. By the time second track “48 to 52” rolls in, it becomes abundantly clear that Brutality have lost none of their incredible song writing skills, this is simply an exemplary piece of pure old-school death metal composition at its dizzying best.Such perfection continues throughout the album, with “Tribute” being a particular highlight. It is a very rare thing for death metal to truly move me these days, but the beautiful guitar harmonies on “Tribute” had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end from the outset.

Perhaps the biggest surprise on Sea of Ignorance is the cover of Bathory’s classic 11 minute opus “Shores in Flames”. When I first heard about this cover I had my doubts. It begins sounding almost identical to the original complete with a very brave attempt to emulate Quorthon’s vocal sound, before slowly moving back into death metal territory. It works, and Brutality has certainly successfully put their stamp on a very well loved classic which was a ballsy move that could have easily backfired.

The greatest achievement of Sea of Ignorance is that given 20 years of advancement in recording technology have past, the band have successfully retained the integrity of the sound of their classic material that could have very much been mired by modern recording techniques. This has thankfully been avoided and while still crushingly heavy, the warmth and clarity within the sound that made When the Sky Turns Black such a classic is still there. Sea of Ignorance is nothing short of a triumph, a modern classic drenched in good old fashioned death metal ethos. What a great start to the new year!

Lucky for us, drummer David Gray and guitarist Matt Wilcock had unfinished business, and have spent the past few years honing the unused Akercocke material that would have otherwise been destined to be forever entombed in the rehearsal room. Quite rightly, without the involvement of Jason Mendonca, this material could never bear the name Akercocke, but this can almost be viewed as an extension of their discography given the circumstances. Aiding Messrs Gray and Wilcock with their evil task are Sam Loynes (Voices, Shrines) and Sam Bean (The Berzerker, The Senseless) on clean and death vocals respectively. With the line up complete, The Antichrist Imperium is finally upon us!

“Elegy” kicks off proceedings with a searing riff barrage that sets the precedent for the rest of the album. Guitars and drums sound phenomenal and are further embellished by Sam Bean’s deathly vocal delivery, which is more conventional and less feral than that of Mendonca, yet no less effective in its end result. Then come the clean vocals from Sam Loynes, again different from Mendonca’s approach. When they first come in on the opener I was slightly taken aback, not quite sure how they fitted, but my fears were allayed by the end of the track and indeed the rest of the album. Loynes’s vocals add an eerie melancholy to the mix, not too dissimilar to those of his Voices bandmate, and ex-Akercocke bassist, Pete Benjamin.

Wilcock’s guitar style is probably my favourite aspect of this release. The man can switch from ferocious, crippling velocity to bluesy, almost soulful soloing at the flick of a switch. The riffs themselves just keep coming in spades ranging from full on death metal, to thrash that wouldn’t seem out of place on an Exodus or Forbidden record, to black metal wall of sound, to acoustic beauty, it really is a mixed bag, but it works. It’s almost like everything I like about various styles of metal have been wrapped together into one exquisite package.

The standout track for me comes in the form of “The Stiffening of Death” which boasts an opening riff that both pummels the listener and features one of the best uses of natural harmonics I have ever heard. The mid-section of this track can only be described as a destructive and nightmarish cacophony. Closer “Epitaph” is also a highlight, although strictly speaking every track offered demands multiple listens. This is one off those records that hooks you from the moment you hear it and does not let go. While Macabre Omen’s latest offering has remained my strongest contender for album of 2015 since February, The Antichrist Imperium has come along and truly topped it. Bravo gentlemen, it is no mean feat to create an album of this quality and importance, and I can wholeheartedly state that this is an instant classic that I will revisit for many years to come.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still technical death metal bands out there doing a great job, but they are few and far between, almost lost in the ocean of a stagnant genre. Things weren’t always like this, back when the internet was something most people hadn’t even heard of there were bands pushing the death metal envelope in ways that left you wondering, “how the hell did they do that?”, without a YouTube guitar play through as a reference point. This was when the excitement was real, and Chicago’s Oppressor was one of those bands creating that excitement.

You may be forgiven for not remembering Oppressor, while they released three amazing albums in the 90s, they never quite got the recognition they deserved, whether it be through a lack of label promotion or a lack of self-promotion through the live circuit, I am not certain. What I am sure of is their small discography remains classic within death metal’s history, at a time when the genre was at its least popular. Many people would perhaps be more familiar with the band formed by three quarters of Oppressor’s line up, along with Broken Hope’s Shaun Glass after the band’s demise. Soil enjoyed moderate success and a heavy rotation on MTV in the early 2000s with their radio-friendly brand of hard rock, but that is just a side note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tSnW_qPZ6U

Back to the band and release in question, Solstice of Oppression was first released in 1994 on Red Light Records to little fanfare. By this stage in time death metal already had its fair share of bands innovating beyond the boundaries of the now established sound. While the likes of Death, Pestilence, Atheist and Cynic had already made waves with more technical and unorthodox albums, often melding new techniques with influences outside of metal, there were also a handful of lesser-known bands following afterwards such as Europeans Phlebotomized, Disharmonic Orchestra and Pavor, and of course the USA’s Oppressor, all of which released equally as impressive albums as their more established peers. Where Solstice of Oppression stands out as a masterpiece of technical death metal is that it compromises none of the savagery or brutality that the genre was founded on in favour of the progressive and melodic touches of the jazz influences that are scattered throughout the album.

Instead of watering down the raw aggression of the music, these outside elements simply compliment and highlight it. The guitar work in particular is outstanding throughout, I can honestly say that from my memory this was the first time I had ever heard a metal band use a sweeping arpeggio outside of a solo and utilise it in a main riff (please correct me if there was something earlier), a technique which has now become a staple for technical death metal bands. This type of innovation alone is something that calls for Oppressor to be regarded as pioneers, even if their influence has spread far and wide beyond their original fan base, they should be credited with breaking down walls that many bands 20 years down the line never knew existed. I cannot stress enough how important this album was, and yes by today’s standards it sounds raw and unpolished, but it remains a milestone in the evolution of death metal. If you’re a fan of death metal, you should own this album!

This reissue is the first time Solstice of Oppression has ever appeared on vinyl, and has been lovingly presented by Repulsive Echo Records, who have been quietly doing a stellar job resurrecting hard to find and forgotten gems and re-releasing them in extremely well put together packages. Whether you are an existing fan of the band or a new one that needs to add this classic to your collection, I suggest you act quickly as there are only 250 pieces being produced. Catch it before it falls back into sublime obscurity!

While the Death influence is the most predominant on False Prophecies, largely down to the song structures and the pace of the compositions, the sound of the Dutch old guard is also present throughout. Pestilence, Asphyx, Thanatos, Gorefest and even early Sinister all spring to mind at various stages during the album. The most obvious Dutch influence here is the vocal style. Where Matt Harvey did a cracking impersonation of Evil Chuck, whoever it is behind the microphone for Undead is certainly a fan of the legendary Martin van Drunen. I am forced to say “whoever” due to the fact that Undead have left their identities shrouded in mystery, with all members using pseudonyms and simply appearing as cloaked silhouettes. Hell, for all I know it may well even be van Drunen himself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMp96rRi6Ik

Mentioning all these great influences hardly gives Undead the credit they are due, as they are not merely a copycat band relying solely on relics from the past. The song-writing on display here is top notch in its own right, highlights of which include the closing solo section of the title track, the hypnotic “Voices Within”, and the straight ahead and down the line “Castrate Humanity”. Closing track “Emerging from the Depths” contains two of the best riffs I’ve heard in years perfectly bringing what is an exceptional album to an end.

There has been a trend for mimicking the old school since the turn of the millennium, with crossover thrash, Bay Area thrash and Stockholm style death metal receiving the majority of re-workings and re-hashes. While there are quality bands making great music doing this, it has resulted in a quagmire of releases requiring the proverbial wheat having to be sorted from the chaff. This more classic style of death metal however has been tackled by far less bands thus far, and if the quality of material remains this high I certainly hope it stays that way.

Arcturus continue to create music that is certainly not for everyone, they are very much a love ‘em or loathe ‘em band. To those that love ‘em, Arcturian will surely prove to be a provocative, challenging and ultimately rewarding listen. As with their previous albums there are multiple treasures to discover that only repeated listens will uncover. The familiar keyboard driven sound is very much in the foreground of the mix, this time around wonderfully enriched by violins throughout the album. The guitars, while intricate in their own right at times, primarily serve as support for the keys and synths, reinforcing Sverd’s visionary playing. Then there’s the drumming. We all know that Hellhammer is an extraordinary drummer, but I can honestly say his performance on Arcturian is possibly his most impressive and technical to date – no mean feat considering his gargantuan discography.

This brings me to the most distinctive part of Arcturus’ multi-faceted sound, the vocals. Many would argue that the band’s best work came during the Garm era. However, I would argue that ICS Vortex is the superior vocalist, and while La Masquerade Infernale and The Sham Mirrors should rightly be considered classics of the avant-garde/progressive metal genres, I think the addition of Vortex only upped the intensity and theatrical atmospherics. Not only is his range outstanding, but he is neither afraid to use it or experiment with it. The vocals on display here vary from operatic, with Vortex’s familiar inflections, to the downright deranged – moments almost harking back to the band’s black metal roots. Lyrically, the albums focus remains on the cryptic, surrealist and often witty themes present on previous releases.

It all knits together perfectly taking the listener on a strange and otherworldly voyage, my only problem is that the journey has to come to end, although it is a journey that I will certainly repeat many times in the foreseeable future. It’s another jewel in the crown for the Norwegians, I just hope they don’t fall through a wormhole and leave us hanging around another decade until the next.