Unmerciful are a US death metal band and this is their fourth album.
It’s not too often a new Unmerciful album rolls around, but when it does, (2016’s Ravenous Impulse, 2020’s Wrath Encompassed), it’s always a tasty treat of death metal. Devouring Darkness is a 38-minute monster – ten tracks of unrelenting brutality, (which includes an Origin cover). Continue reading “Unmerciful – Devouring Darkness (Review)”
This is the fifth album from German death metallers Cytotoxin.
2020’s Nuklearth was a very good album, so it’s great to have Cytotoxin back once more. Containing 48 minutes of new material, Biographyte offers a radioactive feast of death metal for us to savour and enjoy. It’s the band’s longest album, but fear not, Cytotoxin know what they’re doing. Continue reading “Cytotoxin – Biographyte (Review)”
Wormed are a Spanish death metal band and this is their fourth album.
A new Wormed album – their first in eight years – is a cause for celebration. Join me then for a 4-minute journey into cosmic madness and chaos, as Wormed unleash multidimensional Hell on the monstrously formidable Omegon. Continue reading “Wormed – Omegon (Review)”
This is the fifth album from US death metallers Cognitive.
I always enjoy a new slab of Cognitive, (check out 2016’s Deformity, 2018’s Matricide, and 2021’s Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction), so Abhorrence is well-received. Across 36 minutes Cognitive deliver the goods. Continue reading “Cognitive – Abhorrence (Review)”
I’ve been listening to both Marduk and Origin for a long, long, long time, but have never seen either of them. Imagine my surprise and excitement then when I saw this show appear on my radar. Scrumptious stuff indeed. Continue reading “Marduk/Origin/Doodswens – Club Academy, Manchester – 16/04/24 (Live Review)”
This is the second album from US death metallers Vitriol.
After enjoying Vitriol’s vicious assault live a few years ago I was left with the favourable impression of Hate Eternal/Nile-esque death metal fury, so I’m glad to be finally hearing one of their albums; it’s time to find out if these musical comparisons are appropriate or not. Continue reading “Vitriol – Suffer & Become (Review)”
This is the debut album from US death metal band Neurectomy.
Overwrought contains 32 minutes of technical death metal and Neurectomy boasts the drummer of Origin in their ranks. Strap in safely, because Neurectomy are about to take you on a ferocious ride. Continue reading “Neurectomy – Overwrought (Review)”
Garoted are a death metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.
A crushing display of death metal prowess, Bewitchment of the Dark Ages is a blisteringly aggressive 36-minute slab of dark extremity. Garoted can certainly play, and they wield their instruments like weapons as they pursue they ferocious goals. Continue reading “Garoted – Bewitchment of the Dark Ages (Review)”
This is the second album from Italian death metallers Maze of Sothoth.
Featuring a member of Beheaded, Maze of Sothoth deliver a scathing brand of death metal on Extirpated Light. Following on from 2017’s Soul Demise, this new material is a 36-minute journey into dark realms of brutality and horror. Yep, this is the stuff right here. Continue reading “Maze of Sothoth – Extirpated Light (Review)”
So here we are again. It’s December, and year end lists are flying around like shrapnel. Due to the inherent subjectivity of music it’s always interesting to see what people have made of the preceding year.
For me, I made a concerted effort to drag myself away from the depths of black metal’s always-enticing abyss to spend some more time with other genres and styles that I also love. I said something similar last year, but I feel this year I was more successful in achieving that end. Of course, I still love black metal, still listen to it constantly, and you’ll still find some great examples of the blackened arts in the list below.
2022 was a strong year for death metal for me, and I enjoyed more death metal bands in a deeper way than I have done for some time. In every year there are standout releases, but I felt this year the standard was raised throughout. Possibly I was simply more receptive to it. Either way, you’ll find more death metal-related acts, and in higher spots, in this selection than you’ll have seen in my lists for a while.
As with last year, grindcore was largely absent from my year, disappointingly, as was hardcore. Additionally, the sort of lengthy, ugly, abyssal doom that I love so much has been largely lacking too. It’s all probably out there somewhere, but I didn’t catch it.
The top two spots this year are both claimed by albums/bands/styles that I simply could not have predicted would be at the pinnacle of my list by the year’s end, (one of the bands I hadn’t even heard of in January). I hope you enjoy these excellent records even half as much as I do.
Lastly I just want to say a big thank you to any and all that might read this site. It’s only a small endeavour, and I do it purely for the love of all things METAL and to support bands that I enjoy in whatever minor way I can, but if this is you, a heartfelt thank you for enduring my scribblings.
On to it! Continue reading “Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2022”
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