Bludgeon – Devoted to Lunacy (Review)

Bludgeon - Devoted to LunacyThis is the debut album from UK death metallers Bludgeon.

In some ways this album is a textbook example of what-you-see-is-what-you-get – the album cover just screams brutal death metal ripped from the underground in huge great bloody chunks. In other ways, however, this does Bludgeon a disservice, as this release is surprisingly technical and involved, and the band’s individual personality shines through the gore with an unexpected brightness. Continue reading “Bludgeon – Devoted to Lunacy (Review)”

Dysmorphic – An Illusive Progress (Review)

Dysmorphic - An Illusive ProgressDysmorphic are a death metal band from France and this is their second album.

Dysmorphic play a mix of technical and brutal death metal, meaning that they fuse straightforward extremity with wandering basslines and intricate guitar complexity that probably requires more fingers than the average human possesses. Continue reading “Dysmorphic – An Illusive Progress (Review)”

Cryptopsy – The Book of Suffering – Tome II (Review)

Cryptopsy - The Book of Suffering - Tome IIThis is the latest EP from Canadian death metallers Cryptopsy.

Wow, has it really been three years since The Book of Suffering – Tome I? Apparently so. Well, Book II is now here, gifting us with 18 minutes of brutality and mayhem. Continue reading “Cryptopsy – The Book of Suffering – Tome II (Review)”

Bloodtruth – Martyrium (Review)

Bloodtruth - MartyriumBloodtruth are an Italian death metal band and this is their second album.

Bloodtruth’s 2014 debut album Obedience was characterised by crisp brutality, efficient technicality, and, unusually, the occasional Gregorian chant. You can think of Martyrium as a refinement of the process that was started on Obedience, only this time with an added concept for the entire album. Continue reading “Bloodtruth – Martyrium (Review)”

Benighted – Dogs Always Bite Harder Than Their Master (Review)

Benighted - Dogs Always Bite Harder Than Their MasterBenighted are a French death metal band and this latest release is to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

Sometimes you just want something ultra-brutal to knock away the cobwebs and get rid of the lethargy. Sometimes you need something to truly get the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing. For times like these, the simple pleasures of a good brutal death metal band rarely fail to hit the spot. Continue reading “Benighted – Dogs Always Bite Harder Than Their Master (Review)”

Aborted – Terrorvision (Review)

AbortedAborted are a death metal band from Belgium and this is their tenth album.

Aborted are one of my favourite death metal bands. Their combination of utter brutality, sickeningly groovy riffs, very charismatic vocals, and memorable songwriting has taken them far and wide over the years. Although some of their output has varied in quality, they always deliver the goods in one way or another. Continue reading “Aborted – Terrorvision (Review)”

Stillbirth – Annihilation of Mankind (Review)

StillbirthThis is the fifth album from German death metallers Stillbirth.

This is unrelentingly brutal death metal, the variety that uses plenty of slam and deathcore influences to batter and bruise across the 44 minutes of material here. Elements of ferocious grindcore and modern death metal can also be heard. Continue reading “Stillbirth – Annihilation of Mankind (Review)”

Exocrine – Molten Giant (Review)

ExocrineThis is the third album from French death metallers Exocrine.

Playing modern technical death metal, Molten Giant gives us 35 minutes of material, as well as some pretty damn monstrous cover art. Continue reading “Exocrine – Molten Giant (Review)”

Mouth of Sauron – Hearken the Echo of Music (Review)

Mouth of SauronThis is the debut album from US death metallers Mouth of Sauron.

Hearken the Echo of Music contains 39 minutes of music, and exists at the nexus of where brutal, technical, and progressive death metal collide. Continue reading “Mouth of Sauron – Hearken the Echo of Music (Review)”

Depths of Hatred – Bloodguilt (Review)

Depths of HatredDepths of Hatred are a Canadian death metal band and this is their latest EP.

Here we have 22 minutes of Depths of Hatred’s brand of punishing intensity. Mixing together multiple strains of death metal with some decent character and a professional recording, the band’s modern attack is easy to recommend. Continue reading “Depths of Hatred – Bloodguilt (Review)”