Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition (Review)

Gatecreeper - Dark SuperstitionThis is the third album from US death metallers Gatecreeper.

Gatecreeper are always a reliable source of crushing old-school death metal carnage. Both 2016’s Sonoran Depravation and 2019’sĀ Deserted were solid slabs of heaviness, (I also really enjoyed their 2018 split with Iron Reagan), so checking out the 37-minuteĀ Dark Superstition was mandatory. Continue reading “Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition (Review)”

Ancst – Culture of Brutality (Review)

Ancst - Culture of BrutalityThis is the fourth album from Ancst, a shapeshiftingĀ 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)”

In Vain – Solemn (Review)

In Vain - SolemnThis is the fifth album from Norwegian progressive metal band In Vain.

I really, really liked 2018’s Currents, so to my mind it has been far too long since we’ve heard from In Vain. Featuring 61 minutes of new music,Ā Solemn is a grand affair, mixing together the band’s progressive/melodic death metal ingredients into a feast of tasty extreme metal. Continue reading “In Vain – Solemn (Review)”

Veriteras – The Dark Horizon (Review)

Veriteras - The Dark HorizonThis is the second album from US death metal band Veriteras.

Veriteras play melodic black/death metal inspired by the old-school Scandinavian scene of the 90s. The Dark Horizon is a 31-minute homage to this era, and boy does it get a lot right. Continue reading “Veriteras – The Dark Horizon (Review)”

Spit on Your Grave – Arkanum (Review)

Spit on Your Grave - ArkanumThis is the third album from Mexican death metallers Spit on Your Grave.

Arkanum provides us with 32 minutes of melodic death metal that showcases Spit on Your Grave’s considerable skills. This is my first encounter with the band, but they are clearly more than capable of competing in the death metal big leagues. Continue reading “Spit on Your Grave – Arkanum (Review)”

Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal (Review)

Darkest Hour - Perpetual TerminalDarkest Hour are a US metal band and this is their tenth album.

It’s been a long time since 2017’s Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora, but now Darkest Hour have returned. They’ve brought with them 41 minutes of scorching material in the shape of Perpetual | Terminal, and make no mistake, this has been worth the wait. Continue reading “Darkest Hour – Perpetual | Terminal (Review)”

Eternal Storm – A Giant Bound to Fall (Review)

Eternal Storm - A Giant Bound to FallThis is the second album from Spanish death metal band Eternal Storm.

A Giant Bound to Fall is a much anticipated album in the land of progressive death metal. 2019’s Come the Tide was a very well-regarded album, so five years later, what have the Eternal Storm of 2024 delivered to us? Continue reading “Eternal Storm – A Giant Bound to Fall (Review)”

Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon (Review)

Upon Stone - Dead Mother MoonUpon Stone are a melodic death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Upon Stone play melodic death metal in the classic Scandinavian style. The band list influences such as At the Gates, In Flames, and Dissection, so you should have a decent idea of where Dead Mother Moon is coming from. Across a lean 32 minutes Upon Stone demonstrate that they understand the style well. Continue reading “Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon (Review)”

Yersin – The Scythe Is Remorseless (Review)

Yersin - The Scythe Is RemorselessYersin are from the UK and play crust/metal. This is their second album.

Yersin play a hybrid style that combines grindcore, crust, death metal, black metal, and thrash metal into 25 minutes of sludgy filth and fury. This may be a short album, but it packs a punch. Continue reading “Yersin – The Scythe Is Remorseless (Review)”

Winterhorde – Neptunian (Review)

Winterhorde - NeptunianThis is the fourth album from Israeli melodic/progressive black Metallers Winterhorde.

Following on from 2016’s Maestro, Neptunian contains 54 minutes of new material from Winterhorde. Back with a new lineup, the band have crafted a record that is an impressive proposition. Continue reading “Winterhorde – Neptunian (Review)”