This is the second album from Sunless, a death metal band from the US.
2017’s Urraca was a very notable and enjoyable release for me, even making it into that year’s end of year list. Progressive, technical, dissonant, avant-garde, psychedelic, and many other high-brow-esque appellations, Urraca was a multidimensional gateway to forward-thinking heaviness from a band who clearly knew their art well. Continue reading “Sunless – Ylem (Review)”
This is the latest EP from Æpoch, a Canadian progressive death metal band.
This EP delivers 19 minutes of Æpoch’s modern progressive/technical death metal assault. Laced with black and thrash metal elements, (but less than previously), and powered by melodic might, Hiraeth is a short but satisfying hit of metallic aggression. Continue reading “Æpoch – Hiraeth (Review)”
This is the debut album from Act of Denial, an international melodic death metal band.
Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as Death, Decapitated, Ephel Duath, Septic Flesh, and Testament, as well as the superlative singer of Soilwork/The Night Flight Orchestra, I was eagerly awaiting this release to see what kind of punch it packed. Continue reading “Act of Denial – Negative (Review)”
This is the third album from Finnish death metallers Ghastly.
Ghastly specialise in death metal that has a sort of creeping, otherworldly malevolence to it. It’s atmospheric and sinister in ways that are unusual. You can hear the debt that has been paid to band’s such as Death and Autopsy, etc., but you can equally Continue reading “Ghastly – Mercurial Passages (Review)”
This is the debut album from US death metallers Obsolete.
Obsolete play a technical mix of death metal with thrash elements. This is then peppered progressive, dissonant, and avant-garde influences to produce a 37-minute album that exceeds expectations. Imagine a combination of Death and Atheist, only with more Continue reading “Obsolete – Animate//Isolate (Review)”
Contrarian are a progressive/technical death metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.
I wasn’t expecting a follow up to last year’s Their Worm Never Dies so soon, but I’m not complaining. Along with 2015’s Polemic and 2017’s To Perceive Is to Suffer, I’ve really enjoyed all of Contrarian’s material so far. Continue reading “Contrarian – Only Time Will Tell (Review)”
This is the second album from Australian death metal band Faceless Burial.
Speciation contains 38 minutes of classic, old-school death metal. The formula for this sort of music may be tried and tested, but that doesn’t lessen its impact any when it’s done as effectively as it is here. Continue reading “Faceless Burial – Speciation (Review)”
Dark Divinity are a melodic death metal band from New Zealand, and this is their debut EP.
The promo blurn tells us that “Following in the footsteps of genre originators At the Gates, The Haunted & Dissection, the band also take cues from death/black metal acts such as Immortal, Morbid Angel & Death.” Bold words, but backed up by 18 minutes of music that cuts like a serrated knife, you’ll find no complaint from me. Continue reading “Dark Divinity – Messianic (Review)”
Obscene are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Obscene play Floridian USDM, spiced up with aspects of the UK and European styles. There’s a touch of thrash here too. Imagine a mix of Obituary, Death, Cancer, Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Slayer, and Master, and then get quite excited by how good The Inhabitable Dark is. Continue reading “Obscene – The Inhabitable Dark (Review)”
Exhumed and Gruesome are both US death metal bands, and they’ve teamed up for this split release.
We start with the bloody Exhumed, a band that are quite legendary in gore metal circles. Continue reading “Exhumed/Gruesome – Twisted Horror – Split (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 