Vipassi – Śūnyatā (Review)

VipassiThis is the debut album from Australian instrumental metal band Vipassi.

Śūnyatā is 30 minutes of instrumental music that combines elements of progressive, technical and death metal together to form an engaging and thoughtful listening experience.

Atheist, Cynic and Death are the Continue reading “Vipassi – Śūnyatā (Review)”

Sunlight’s Bane – The Blackest Volume: Like All the Earth Was Buried (Review)

Sunlight's BaneThis is the debut album from Sunlight’s Bane, a blackened sludge/grindcore band from the US.

This is nasty, raw and nihilistic music that wants nothing more than to terrify, scar and demoralise the listener. With a mix of Nails, Anaal Nathrakh, Hooded Menace, Aborted, Trap Them, Extreme Noise Terror, Primitive Man, Zao, and many others in their sound, Sunlight’s Bane have concocted an identity that’s very much their own and quite a hard one to accurately classify, if you care about such things. Continue reading “Sunlight’s Bane – The Blackest Volume: Like All the Earth Was Buried (Review)”

Grave Plague – The Infected Crypts (Review)

Grave PlagueGrave Plague are a US death metal band and this is their debut EP/demo.

With cover artwork and a band name that drew me in like a moth to a flame, I knew I had to listen to this release as soon as I could.

This short release features two tracks of ugly, primitive old-school death metal. No, I have not been disappointed. Continue reading “Grave Plague – The Infected Crypts (Review)”

Altar of Betelgeuze – Among the Ruins (Review)

Altar of BetelgeuzeThis is the second album from Finnish doom metallers Altar of Betelgeuze.

Full of fuzzy stoner riffs, this is stoner doom metal that has bitten off a good chunk of death/doom and regurgitates it across these 49 minutes.

Like a more underground version of Continue reading “Altar of Betelgeuze – Among the Ruins (Review)”

Killing Addiction – Shores of Oblivion (Review)

Killing AddictionThis is the latest EP from Killing Addiction, a death metal band from the US.

Having enjoyed their short-yet-brutal 2014 EP When Death Becomes an Art, it’s good to hear some new material from these veterans.

This EP is 15 minutes of classic, 90s-styled Continue reading “Killing Addiction – Shores of Oblivion (Review)”

Acranius – Reign of Terror (Review)

AcraniusThis is the third album from German brutal death metallers Acranius.

Slam! Bash! Death! Crunch! Destroy! Chug! Squeal! Blammo!

Here’s a band that loves to chug. Heavy chugs and vicious slamming beatdowns mean only one thing; it’s time to break out your best dance moves and head on into the mosh pit. Continue reading “Acranius – Reign of Terror (Review)”

Thunderwar – Black Storm (Review)

ThunderwarThis is Thunderwar’s debut album. They are a death metal band from Poland.

After their very enjoyable and promising EP The Birth of Thunder in 2013, we now have some fresh material from Thunderwar.

Thunderwar play their death metal with a melodic edge, a slight blackened feel and a sense of grandeur that’s aided and abetted by some sterling riffs. Continue reading “Thunderwar – Black Storm (Review)”

Aversions Crown – Xenocide (Review)

Aversions CrownAversions Crown are a death metal band from Australia. This is their second album.

This is modern, sophisticated death metal with haunting atmospherics that accompany the relentless brutality. With a science fiction theme that provides an overarching story for the album, Aversions Crown spend 50 minutes telling a brutal and engaging tale. Continue reading “Aversions Crown – Xenocide (Review)”

Repulsive Vision – Look Past the Gore and See the Art (Review)

Repulsive VisionThis is the debut album from UK death metallers Repulsive Vision.

Influenced by the old-school death metal classics, the songs on Look Past the Gore and See the Art are mainly short and to the point, with a slight punk/hardcore influence here and there. Continue reading “Repulsive Vision – Look Past the Gore and See the Art (Review)”

Shaarimoth – Temple of the Adversarial Fire (Review)

ShaarimothThis is the second album from Shaarimoth, a blackened death metal band from Norway.

Featuring a member of Gehenna, this is 48 minutes of blackened death metal that’s not for the weak of disposition or persons easily upset.

Listening to Temple of the Adversarial Fire is the aural equivalent of witnessing something you probably shouldn’t. The entire thing reeks of dark, baleful rituals that are probably better left unaired. Continue reading “Shaarimoth – Temple of the Adversarial Fire (Review)”