Well, what a stacked death metal bill this is. Each band has a lot to offer on their own, but as part of the mighty Archspire’s European Vacation tour package, it promises a great evening of growls, riffs, and shreds. Continue reading “European Vacation – Archspire/Crown Magnetar/The Zenith Passage/Analepsy – Academy 2, Manchester – 27/10/26 (Live Review)”
Cognizance are a death metal band from the UK and this is their fourth album.
Following on from 2024’s strong Phantazein, Cognizance have now returned with the 37-minute In Light, No Shape. Once again we get treated to the band’s take on modern technical death metal, and, as usual, it’s a winner. Continue reading “Cognizance – In Light, No Shape (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Canadian death metallers Archspire.
If 2017’s Relentless Mutation was a Big Deal, 2021’s Bleed the Future was a Really Big Deal. So, with a new drummer in tow, (from Oubliette), expectations are high for Too Fast to Die. Can Archspire rise to the occasion? Continue reading “Archspire – Too Fast to Die (Review)”
This is the third album from Swedish death metal band Carnosus.
2023’s very enjoyable Visions of Infinihility made a splash in the death metal pond, and now Wormtales is here to capitalise. Let’s see what Carnosus have for us this time around. Continue reading “Carnosus – Wormtales (Review)”
Summoning the Lich are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Summoning the Lich throw a few different influences into a brutally tasty death metal blender, and shake it with great force. The end result is Under the Reviled Throne, which serves up 40 minutes of music that takes the melodic and technical death metal styles and soaks them in fantasy-soaked flavourings. Continue reading “Summoning the Lich – Under the Reviled Throne (Review)”
This is the tenth album from French death metallers Benighted.
I’ve enjoyed all of my encounters with Benighted so far, (Necrobreed, Dogs Always Bite Harder than Their Masters, Obscene Repressed, and live in 2016), so I knew I wanted to check out Ekbom. Running at a lean and mean 37 minutes, Ekbom is here to brutalise and destroy. Continue reading “Benighted – Ekbom (Review)”
Protosequence are a Canadian technical death metal band and this is their debut album.
Bestiary contains 33 minutes of technical mayhem that’s unusually variegated. After enjoying Protosequence’s 2020 EP A Blunt Description of Something Obscene I was looking forward to hearing this, and it has not disappointed. Quite the opposite in fact. Continue reading “Protosequence – Bestiary (Review)”
Aborted are a death metal band from Belgium and this is their twelfth album.
I can’t help but love Aborted. Their addictive blast and groove approach to death metal is tried, tested, and brutally efficient. I’ll link my reviews for Retrogore, Bathos, Terrorvision, and Maniacult, and urge you to check them all out, as they’re definitely all worth your time. Which brings us to Vault of Horrors, the new 40-minute Aborted offering. Continue reading “Aborted – Vault of Horrors (Review)”
This is the debut album from US death metal band Apogean.
Cyberstrictive contains 44 minutes of modern technical death metal. As a lazy intro, I’m just going to quote the blrub on their Bandcamp page – “Apogean drew their inspiration from such groups as Soreption, The Faceless, Obscura, Necrophagist, The Black Dahlia Murder, Archspire, and The Zenith Passage. It’s a safe bet that fans of those bands will thoroughly enjoy what they have to offer.” Continue reading “Apogean – Cyberstrictive (Review)”
This is the sixth album from French death metallers Exocrine.
A new Exocrine album is always a thing to be celebrated. 2018’s Molten Giant and 2020’s Maelstrom were both notable records, but then 2022’s The Hybrid Suns saw the band shift up a level once more. Now, hot on the heels of that last release, comes Legend, featuring 45 minutes of music, (40 without the bonus track). So what does Legend have to offer the discerning extreme metal fan in 2024? Continue reading “Exocrine – Legend (Review)”
