Pestilent Death – Pathways to Infinite Malignity (Review)

Pestilent Death - Pathways to Infinite MalignityPestilent Death are a death metal band from the US and this is their latest EP.

It’s been a while since the putrid death metal assault of 2019’s Chapters of Depravity, but now Pestilent Death have waded into the fray once more. This is primal underground death metal, in all of its disgusting glory. Continue reading “Pestilent Death – Pathways to Infinite Malignity (Review)”

Apes – Penitence (Review)

Apes - PenitenceApes are a grindcore band from Canada and this is their debut album.

I thoroughly enjoyed 2017’s Lightless, with its hybrid blackened sludge/grind assault. It wasn’t until 2022 that we saw new material though, with the EP Lullabies for Eternal Sleep. Thankfully we haven’t had to wait quite as long for Apes’ second album, Penitence. Continue reading “Apes – Penitence (Review)”

Beaten to Death – Sunrise over Rigor Mortis (Review)

Beaten to Death - Sunrise over Rigor MortisBeaten to Death are a Norwegian grindcore band and this is their sixth album.

Beaten to Death are a well-regarded grindcore band that I’ve never listened to before now, but I’ve heard good things about for years. Branded as progressive/melodic grindcore, and stated as suitable for fans of Fuck the Facts, Gridlink, and Discordance Axis by the promo blurb, I knew I had to check this out. Continue reading “Beaten to Death – Sunrise over Rigor Mortis (Review)”

Primitive Warfare – Extinction Protocol (Review)

Primitive Warfare - Extinction ProtocolThis is the debut album from US black/death metallers Primitive Warfare.

Extinction Protocol brims with 31 minutes of violent war metal aggression. Primitive Warfare are here to force the horrors of war right into your face, through your skull, and out the other side. Continue reading “Primitive Warfare – Extinction Protocol (Review)”

Sulaco – Black Cloud (Review)

Sulaco - Black CloudThis is the latest EP from US deathgrinders Sulaco.

I’ve enjoyed following Sulaco over the years – 2011’s Build & Burn, 2018’s The Prize, and 2020’s The Privilege – so Black Cloud is most welcome here at Wonderbox Metal. Containing two songs, and with a duration of 8 minutes, there may not be much material here, but this is about quality, not quantity. Continue reading “Sulaco – Black Cloud (Review)”

Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)

Ancst - Culture of BrutalityThis is the fourth album from Ancst, a shapeshifting German metal band.

You’re never quite sure what you’re going to get from Ancst. Black metal, crust, hardcore, death metal, dark ambient – these are just genres to play with for the band, using and discarding styles and influences at will, depending on the needs of any given release or song. Which brings us to Culture of Brutality, a 35-minute, 20-track album that fuses deathgrind, metalcore, and hardcore into a monster of brutal heaviness. Continue reading “Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)”

Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss (Review)

Full of Hell - Coagulated BlissThis is the sixth album from US grindcore band Full of Hell.

New Full of Hell is always a bit exciting, and this time they have returned with their most colourful album cover yet. What does this mean for the music contained within? Before we get to that, I’ll just link to my previous reviews of 2017’s Trumpeting Ecstasy, 2019’s Weeping Choir, and 2021’s Garden of Burning Apparitions, as all are damn fine albums worthy of your attention. Continue reading “Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss (Review)”

Bell Witch/Knoll – Rebellion, Manchester – 14/04/24 (Live Review)

Bell Witch Knoll - Rebellion, ManchesterNow here’s an interesting show. A bill of extremes, from the deathgrind mayhem of Knoll to the funeral doom crawl of Bell Witch. How could I miss such a compelling reason to journey to one of my favourite venues in Manchester once more? Continue reading “Bell Witch/Knoll – Rebellion, Manchester – 14/04/24 (Live Review)”

Slug Gore – They Slime! They Ooze! They Kill! (Review)

Slug Gore - They Slime! They Ooze! They Kill!This is the debut album from Slug Gore, an Italian grindcore band.

Fusing together death metal and grindcore into a gross deathgrind brew that stinks to high heaven, Slug Gore deliver 18 minutes of disgusting fight music on their debut album. Prepare yourself, as it’s about to get messy. Continue reading “Slug Gore – They Slime! They Ooze! They Kill! (Review)”

Heresiarch – Edifice (Review)

Heresiarch - EdificeThis is the second album from New Zealand black/death metallers Heresiarch.

Prior to Edifice my first and only encounter with Heresiarch was on their 2019 split release – Scorn Coalescence – with Serpents Athirst, Genocide Shrines, and Trepanation, so this new album seemed like a good opportunity to find out what Heresiarch are capable of with a full album. Continue reading “Heresiarch – Edifice (Review)”