This is the début album from US band Mercy Brown. They play Metal.
This is a band that takes Heavy Metal and Death Metal, stitches them together and then sits back with satisfaction as its creation takes on a life of its own.
The music is on the harsher, heavier end of the spectrum and this is frequently augmented by more melodic moments and other Metal accoutrements.
The singer has a diverse voice, varying between deep growls, high screams and cleans. She has a powerful and charismatic voice no matter the style she sings in, and her different vocals work well with the more Death Metal-oriented music.
The band have a heavy sound that makes the most of their crushing delivery. This is Metal through and through. The sometimes-angelic female vocals shouldn’t make you think of bands like Lacuna Coil and Nightwish; this is more akin to Whitechapel mixed with Arch Enemy, only with clean vocals added in.
There’s a decent amount of stuff going on here. Apart from the straight-ahead Death Metal and Heavy Metal there’s plenty of other things happening to add depth and atmosphere. The band take the time to slow down and relax a bit on occasion, increasing the effectiveness of the heavier parts as well as these more reflective sections working well in their own right too.
I like this a lot as it’s a little different from the norm and well-delivered. Check them out.
This is the second album by Canadian Death Metal band Fragile Existence.
Featuring the extremity of Hate Eternal, the groove of 90s Death Metal and the Progressive tendencies of Death, Fragile Existence’s second album is 48 minutes of timeless Death Metal that pays homage to multiple Death Metal styles yet remains its own beast.
The songs are interesting and varied enough to hold attention while retaining the core heaviness of Death Metal’s angry bite.
Although they can pile on the blast beats when they need to, the songs are more about creating moods and telling musical stories than anything else. Cataclysms and Beginnings is full of mature songwriting in this sense, as these songs are very accomplished.
The vocals are mainly fleshy and deep; growls that are somewhere between a roar and a rasping shout. Staying at the deeper end of the grunting spectrum, the singer has a fluid aspect to his voice that stops him sounding completely guttural.
The guitars on this album are very enjoyable. Tasty riffs and licks abound, and the amount and length of some of the solos make me a happy camper too.
The Progressive elements in the songs work seamlessly with the more brutal aspects to create songs that are satisfying on both levels. The band have taken the time to craft songs that have a purpose and meaning, rather than just stringing riffs together for the sake of it. The rhythm guitars, drums and bass work together to further the needs of the songs and all instruments have their chance to shine, but only when necessary.
This is a very complete album and by that I suppose I mean that it has a lot of different facets to it and enough depth of composition and delivery to make a lasting impression. It reminds me, in some ways, of Helping the World to See by Vehemence. The albums are similar in many ways, and both take the listener on a journey through interesting and thoughtful Death Metal.
Cataclysms and Beginnings is a very thorough, engaging and impressive slab of mature Death Metal. Definitely one for you to investigate further.
This is the second album by Italian Death Metal band The Juliet Massacre.
This is modern Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore
The vocals consist of pig squeals, deathgrunts, screaming and even the odd semi-clean.
The songs blend blasting brutality with breakdowns and the odd melodic passage. While it’s modern and energetic, unlike a lot of Deathcore bands The Juliet Massacre remember the Death Metal side of the Deathcore equation.
This will probably be a bit too “-core” for a lot of pure Death Metal fans, which is a shame as there’s a decent amount of brutality to be had here. The songs don’t let up and the album supplies the requisite hit of aggression.
I enjoyed this. With a slightly stronger sound and a little tightening up in the songwriting department The Juliet Massacre could easily ascend to the big leagues. Until then, I’ll still be listening to this again in the future.
For fans of Despised Icon, All Shall Perish, The Black Dahlia Murder and Job for a Cowboy.
Abyssal Ascendant are from France and play Death Metal. This is their début album.
This is Lovecraft-inspired Death Metal that starts with ominous noises and otherworldly chants, designed to create an unsettling atmosphere before the Death Metal itself begins.
The band’s music is heavy and brutal, but not without atmosphere or nuance. This is Death Metal that has picked up a few creative flourishes along the way.
Elements of Cannibal Corpse, Nile and Morbid Angel conspire together, resulting in an album that has a lot to offer. Fast and brutal meets atmospheric and evil. The band do both very well. I like a band that can play ferocious brutality on one hand and then create dark, sinister moods with the other.
The singer has a terrifically deep growl that sounds absolutely abyssal. His voice fits the music perfectly and really drives the songs forward with a deathly charisma.
Tight, focused playing is apparent from the off and the drums keep everything in check. The production is very nice on this release; everything coalesces together in an unholy mass and all of the instruments are well-balanced against each other. Everything sounds great, with the drums sounding particularly satisfying and well-rounded.
This is a very impressive album, especially for a début release.
This is the début album from US one-man Death Metal project Deviance.
This is Technical/Progressive Death Metal that’s not shy of flexing its musical muscles and showing off what it can do.
Frequent leads and solos are built around a sturdy rhythm section and scathing vocals. The songs tread that fine line between ostentation and brutality without sacrificing too much of one for the other.
Decent grooves and riffs work with the overt technicality. Winding melodics make brief appearances and the songs seem to pulsate and mutate with careful yet unexpected life.
The tracks are intricate beasts that sometimes keep a central theme to them so that a song is still identifiable amidst the complex barbarity; other times though they allow themselves to journey where they see fit, snaking and sliding their way through involved guitar sections and convoluted drumming. Either way, it’s an enjoyable listen.
This album has an interesting feel to it. The music is less-song oriented than Progressive Death Metal can sometimes be and instead veers towards outright Technical Death Metal territory where the songs are a lot more frequently sacrificed for the sake of complexity. Having said that though, this is notable in that it’s not overly-frenzied or chaotic as a lot of Technical Death Metal can be. This is a more restrained and thoughtful complexity; the brain behind Deviance knows exactly where he wants to take the music and the journey is what matters, rather than the structure itself.
Cello, violin and keyboards all make appearances, widening the musical vistas available to the listener. It all adds value and makes a good impression.
The vocals sound like scraping sheets of steel grinding against each other. That’s the deep growls. The higher screams just sound like reality is tearing.
This is a quality album of Technical Death Metal that’s notable for its lack of chaotic frenzy and for its more restrained approach to complexity and nuance. Throw in a bit of atmospheric enhancement and the end result is a most enjoyable 50 minutes.
Chaos Plague are from Italy and this is their début album. They play Progressive Death Metal.
I enjoyed their first EP, and two of the three songs on this appear on the album too.
The vocals are mainly growling shouts that are halfway between legible and guttural. Added to these are clean vocals that have improved since their first outing on their EP.
The music is Progressive Death Metal that is influenced by the likes of Death, Atheist, Cynic and the like.
There are enough solos and technical flourishes to keep the listener happy and these songs all pack a good deal of content into their running time. At 60 minutes in length this is not for the faint-hearted, but there’s enough variation and good songwriting to keep things flowing nicely.
A good production makes the most of what they can do and I especially like music that you can hear the bass on; Chaos Plague make good use of this often neglected instrument and Existence Through Annihilation is enriched by its prominence.
There’s a lot to take in here but perseverance pays off and Chaos Plague have a lot of talent for this kind of thing.
Wrvth, (otherwise known as Wrath of Vesuvius), are from the US and play Death Metal. This is their third album.
Well this is a little different. Progressive/Technical Death Metal is always a pleasure to hear when it’s done well and Wrvth pull all of the right moves on this release.
Although it has its fair share of fretboard wizardry and crazy, complicated playing, there’s a lot more here than is the norm for Technical Death Metal. This release also features a melodic edge and a good groove when it wants to. Add to this a keen Progressive edge that borders on the Post-Metal, (Post-Death Metal?), in places and this album is a stormer. Oh, a saxophone also makes an appearance too.
Mixed in with the chaos and carnage are some introspective moments of calm that largely seem to be there just to make everything else sound heavier and crazier. It works, of course, and the songs on this release are a complicated melange of Progressive restraint and chaotic mayhem.
The musicianship is first-rate and these songs expertly combine Progressive elements into a Technical Death Metal framework that allows the band to steal the best from both worlds. Technicality is apparent but the Progressive elements keep the songs focused and allow for emotive passages rather than just a procession of impressive riffs and time changes.
It’s like a strange cross between Protest the Hero, Pyrrhon, Gorguts and The Faceless. The reality is that Wrvth sound every bit as good as that mash up sounds. The only thing missing is the clean vocals.
Speaking of vocals, the singer does his best impression of someone attempting to destroy their throat. He screams himself almost hoarse and when that’s been accomplished he switches to hostile growls and roars.
This is an innovative and impressive release from a band who are clearly not content to be average. I love releases like this. Here we find a winning combination of aggression, restraint, feeling, depth, chaos and outright passion.
Wrvth have just become one of my new favourite bands.
Skinless are from the US and play Brutal Death Metal. This is their fifth album.
Skinless have returned! Anticipation is high with this release.
Immediately the band make a strong entrance with a massive sound, evil guttural vocals and those ultra-sexy Skinless riffs that only they do so well.
It’s a pleasure to hear the guttural stylings of the original vocalist once more. He personifies the stereotypically rough, ultra-low Death Metal growl and as such is absolutely one of the best at performing them.
Skinless have always had a certain special knack for combining aggressive carnage with brutal grooves. The slower, groovier riffs are a particular favourite of mine. Slow or fast though, there’s always an infectious energy about them.
The songs are all winners and each one earns its place in the Death Metal premier league. Although the band are Hellishly brutal, there’s more than that going on here as the riffs tell a bloody story and the drums thump out their malevolent beat. Memorable, impressive songs are the meaty main course in this sumptuous feast of rotten flesh.
Skinless are heavy and they’ve always been exceptionally heavy. Death Metal by its very nature is a heavy form of music, but there’s heavy and then there’s HEAVY. Skinless own the latter.
The music on this album should be a wakeup call for any band playing this style. Daddy is home. While Skinless have been away the Brutal Death Metal scene has multiplied and mutated, as these things always do, but who cares? Skinless are back and ready to show everyone how it’s done.
I’m incredibly pleased with this return to the fray by one of the best Death Metal bands out there.
Barús are a Progressive Death Metal band from France and this is their début EP.
The music that Barús play is complex and unforgiving. This is not music for the weak.
The band’s take on Death Metal is one that combines the Technical and Progressive Death Metal sub-genres into something pretty special. There are even some hints at Post-Metal and Black Metal here and there.
The songs evoke complex reinterpretations of bands such as Gorguts, Morbid Angel, Mithras, Nile, Akercocke, etc. – bands that are not content to be constrained by the norm and reach for greater and higher. Barús now join their hallowed ranks.
The dense guitar riffs seem to layer on top of themselves and Barús’ music seems to have levels upon levels of extremity to hide itself in. For all of this though they are also aware that sometimes simpler is better, but even here there’s usually a lot going on.
Sometimes twisted melodies appear to float up out of the chaos to bring an otherworldly element to their already esoteric sound. A great deal of variation exists across these 4 tracks and each song is both self-contained and part of a greater whole.
The vocals are predominantly deep grunts but a whole load of other vocalisations are used too, from semi-clean moans to spoken word to chants and everything in between, including, briefly, actual singing.
I love it when you find a band like Barús who are willing and able to take the standard Death Metal template and experiment with it until it’s mutated into their own personal view of the genre. This EP has a personality and style of its own and these songs are involving and engaging from start.
An extremely promising beginning for Barús. This EP is a strong start to their existence and if they manage to keep up the quality levels then their début album will be fantastic. Here’s hoping.
Ichor’s third album, Depths, is a thoroughly modern aggressor that drowns the listener in blast beats and hyper-aggressive brutality. I got to explore the darkened reaches of the sea with vocalist Eric…
For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!
Hi , we are a five piece extreme death metal bastard from Germany . We like the horror of the deep sea and live by the code of metal! Drinking beer and listening to metal all night!
Give us a bit of history to Ichor
Ichor started blasting in 2008 and shortly after in 2009 the début full length “the siege” was released via Bastardized Recordings. We started touring immediately, playing a lot of live shows all over Europe supporting bands like Aborted, The Black Dahlia Murder or Benighted. When we weren’t on the road we wrote songs for the next album Benthic Horizon which was released in 2010, again via Bastardized Recordings and re-released in the UK via Siege of Amida. Again we started touring relentlessly and worked on our latest record Depths which was released last year.
What are your influences?
I would say that our main influences are polish death metal bands like Behemoth, Hate or Decapitated and some old school american death metal like Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Morbid Angel. Everyone in Ichor has kind of a unique taste in music, not only metal but throughout all kinds of genres and everyone brings new ideas to rehearsals. But we don’t see music as our only source of inspiration. The deep sea for example has a huge impact on our work, the secrets that lure deep down in the unknown, its cataclysmic force which destroys everything in it’ way once it is unleashed.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
Behemoth’s The Satanist, Watain’s Lawless Darkness, Whitechapel’s This is Exile, At the Gates’ At War with Reality and Vader’s Litany.
What’s your views on the current state of Death Metal in 2015?
The development is going crazy, more brutal, more faster, more tech. It is fucking amazing how many good bands are out there, I would love to buy every single CD, but my pockets are always empty har har! Sometimes I am loosing the focus out of all these bands, but there are many talented kids out there.
What did you want to achieve with your new album?
As I said, we are really big fans of the polish scene and we’ve recorded in the same studio as Behemoth and Vader. Our aim is just to play extreme death metal which we like most, just to live our metal way of life. Of course it’s not easy to be outstanding, we just wanted to play some great metal shows and blast some shit out to the crowd and drink some beer with good old friends.
As this is your third album, how do you feel you have progressed since your earlier work?
Yes, we have changed in some way. In the early days we’ve had more modern death core elements in our sound and nowadays we are blasting more than ever. No mosh just blast beats.
Are you happy with how Depths turned out?
Yeah, we’re satisfied with the outcome. We would never release anything which is unsatisfying for us. Of course in retrospect there are always things which we could have done better, but it’s no use to be pissed off about things like that. Sometimes when you hear the songs you think, ah damn, I could have done that differently, or play this harmonic or whatever. But that’s part of the process as an artist. It makes you wanna try harder on the next record, get to a new level and when you have reached that new level, technically or in terms of composing and songwriting, you produce and release a new record, be pissed off about that and so on and so on. That’s progress 😀
What’s your favourite song on the album and why?
The Heretic King it shows the whole spectrum of the band.
What can you tell us about the lyrics?
Depths is about the end of the world as we know it. Most of the surface gets destroyed by an asteroid and humanity divides itself into people who stay on the surface, being heavily mutilated and those who were forced to find a new place to live in the depths of the sea. They form a new civilisation, hybrids of humans and underwater creatures. Depths describes the inevitable war between those two societies.
Give us a bit of information on the songwriting process.
Usually we just start jamming for a while. When we find any harmony, riff, rhythm or something else that we think could work in a new song we look into that and try to build it up, play variations of it. Most of the time we feel right on the spot whether it will work or not. But sometimes one of the members writes a song at home, records it and sends it to the others so that they can work with it at home and when we meet in rehearsal we can directly start playing. Both kinds of processes work for us.
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
I think we will try some new elements perhaps more heavier stuff like Desire of the Depth. Expect the unexpected is usually said hehe.
What’s next for Ichor?
We started writing songs for the next album. We will take our time to make it sound as good as possible, we’re definitely trying to reach a new stage, beyond Depths and everything we have done before. But until that, we are planning to play a lot of live shows and touring Europe. As much fun as writing and recording is, the best part of being a musician is playing live, seeing different cities and meeting all those crazy-ass metal people out there.
This is the début album from US band Mercy Brown. They play Metal.
