Brand of Sacrifice – God Hand (Review)

Brand of Sacrifice - GodhandThis is the debut album from Canadian death metallers Brand of Sacrifice.

At a lean 26 minutes, God Hand gets in, does its damage, and gets out again. One of the things I like about Brand of Sacrifce, however, is even though their songs tend to be short, the band aren’t afraid to play with the modern death metal formula. Continue reading “Brand of Sacrifice – God Hand (Review)”

Vulvodynia – Mob Justice (Review)

Vulvodynia - Mob JusticeThis is the third album from Vulvodynia, a death metal band from South Africa.

If you haven’t encountered Vulvodynia before, they play brutal slamming death metal, and do it extremely well. Along with a handful of others they’re pretty much at the top of the pile when it comes to this sort of thing. Continue reading “Vulvodynia – Mob Justice (Review)”

Immortal Bird – Thrive on Neglect (Review)

Immortal Bird - Thrive on NeglectImmortal Bird are a blackened deathgrind band from the US. This is their second album.

Finally we have the follow up to 2015’s Empress/Abscess, which was one of the more notable releases of that year for me. Ahh, it’s nice to hear the band’s atypical intensity back. It sounds better than ever too, with a well-rounded production that is fuller and warmer than in the past. Continue reading “Immortal Bird – Thrive on Neglect (Review)”

Hex – God Has No Name (Review)

Hex - God Has No NameHex are a Spanish death/doom metal band and this is their second album.

Hex are a band that play a base of death metal that’s been infused with doom. It is, in general terms at least, a mix of old-school bands such as Paradise Lost, Bolt Thrower, Behemoth, Hypocrisy, and Dismember, with a few others thrown in too. Continue reading “Hex – God Has No Name (Review)”

Burial in the Woods – Church of Dagon (Review)

Burial in the Woods - Church of DagonBurial in the Woods is a one man blackened doom band, and this is his debut album.

Brought to us by the mastermind behind Asche der Welten, this new project’s debut release features four tracks in total. The first three each clock in at 7-9 minutes each, while the last is an imposing 24 minutes. At 49 minutes in total, Church of Dagon is a diverse and inventive listen, one which is definitely worth experiencing. Continue reading “Burial in the Woods – Church of Dagon (Review)”

Inert – Vermin (Review)

Inert - VerminThis is the debut album from Inert, an international, (Swedish/Spanish), death metal band.

Following on from the enjoyable Obliteration of the Self, with its homage to classic old-school Swedish death metal, Inert return with Vermin as a changed beast; two new band members, and an expanded set of influences. Continue reading “Inert – Vermin (Review)”

Yellow Eyes – Rare Field Ceiling (Review)

Yellow Eyes - Rare Field CeilingThis is the fifth album from Yellow Eyes, a black metal band from the US.

Yellow Eyes play modern black metal, raw and underground. Theirs is a bleakly charismatic form of blackened expression, one which provides the listener with many facets to explore throughout its 46-minute playing time. Continue reading “Yellow Eyes – Rare Field Ceiling (Review)”

Keitzer – Where the Light Ends (Review)

Keitzer - Where the Light EndsKeitzer are a German death metal/grindcore band and this is their seventh album.

Keitzer’s 2014 album The Last Defence was a particular favourite of mine, with its energetic and well-delivered deathgrind really hitting the spot. The follow up – 2016’s Ascension – was more of a death metal affair, and although I do prefer The Last Defence, it was still a solid and enjoyable record. Continue reading “Keitzer – Where the Light Ends (Review)”