This is the debut album from US solo death metal act Engulf.
Across 36 minutes The Dying Planet Weeps spans a range of influences, from the old-school to the new. The music of Engulf prioritises a non-standard song-based approach that combines sinuous riffs, expressive harsh vocals, and macabre darkness. Continue reading “Engulf – The Dying Planet Weeps (Review)”
This is the latest EP from Beyond Grace, a death metal band from the UK.
I always enjoy catching up with Beyond Grace, and have watched their development closely over the years. From the early promise of 2014’s Monstrous, to the debut roar of 2017’s Seekers, to 2021’s crowning achievement so far Our Kingdom Undone, Beyond Grace’s upward trajectory has been a satisfying and rewarding one. Continue reading “Beyond Grace – Welcome to the New Dark Ages, Part 1 (Review)”
This is the fourth album from The Ritual Aura, a death metal band from Australia.
I enjoyed 2015’s Laniakea and 2016’s colossal Tæther, but I never realised until recently that they also had a 2019 album, (Velothi), that I’ve never heard. Well, Heresiarch offers a great opportunity to see what The Ritual Aura are up to in 2023. With a new lineup since I last caught up with them, (including a member of Tómarúm), and 56 minutes of new material, what does Heresiarch assail us with? Continue reading “The Ritual Aura – Heresiarch (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Vastum, a death metal band from the US.
It’s a rather shocking ten years since I last heard Vastum, (2013’s Patricidal Lust), so getting reacquainted with the band’s music is long overdue. I’m glad I did, as Inward to Gethsemane is a monster. Continue reading “Vastum – Inward to Gethsemane (Review)”
This is the debut album from US extreme metal band Owdwyr.
Receptor is an interesting beast. Blurring the boundaries between technical death metal, grindcore, and progressive metal, Owdwyr’s music is a riot of violence and exploratory brutality. It’s a 44-minute sophisticated wrecking ball. Continue reading “Owdwyr – Receptor (Review)”
This is the debut album from international death metal band Unblessed Divine.
Featuring ex-members of Malevolent Creation, Sinister, and Decapitated, Portal to Darkness contains 45 minutes of expressive and atmospheric death metal. Continue reading “Unblessed Divine – Portal to Darkness (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Blindfolded and Led to the Woods, a death metal band from New Zealand.
Blindfolded and Led to the Woods play a modern form of death metal that combines progressive, technical, and avant-garde elements together into a savagely impactful package. Rejecting Obliteration is 45 minutes of surprisingly rich extremity. Continue reading “Blindfolded and Led to the Woods – Rejecting Obliteration (Review)”
Entheos are a progressive death metal band from the US and this is their third album.
Entheos play a technical and progressive form of modern death metal. Time Will Take Us All offers 40 minutes of complexity and intricate delivery. This is then melded with the melodic strands of modern death metal as well as the Continue reading “Entheos – Time Will Take Us All (Review)”
This is the fifth album from Scottish death metal band Man Must Die.
Man Must Die play technical death metal and The Pain Behind It All is a 41-minute assault of vicious riffs, sharp technical blows, and blunt force extremity. If you’re a fan of bands such as Decapitated, Dyscarnate, Cattle Decapitation, Beneath the Massacre, and Misery Index, then there’s much here to enjoy for you. Although, as we’ll see, there’s more than just death metal here. Continue reading “Man Must Die – The Pain Behind It All (Review)”
This is the debut album from Australian death metallers Hormagaunt.
Although In the Flesh quietly oozed into life at the end of 2022 I couldn’t resist its mouldy charms, so here we are. Get ready for a 31-minute trip into the foulest and nastiest death metal swamps. Continue reading “Hormagaunt – In the Flesh (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 