This is the debut album from US black/thrash metallers Daeva.
This is the follow up to 2017’s Pulsing Dark Absorptions, which seems like it was released way back in the depths of time, but in reality was actually only five years ago. Through Sheer Will and Black Magic… delivers 37 minutes of characterful carnage. I’m not the biggest fan of blackened thrash, but when done well as it is here, I pay attention. Continue reading “Daeva – Through Sheer Will and Black Magic… (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal gets sent a lot of new music, (which is great), but there’s no way that everything can get covered unfortunately, (which is not so great). This new column hopes to redress this balance, if only slightly, by taking a look at a handful of releases that a record label has recently sent out that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks.
Have you heard of Dying Victims Productions? They deal mostly with traditional heavy metal, and the label is home to a number of great bands and great albums, (Witchseeker are just one such example). The below three releases all see the light of day on January 28th 2022, so I thought it’s a great to catch up with some of the label’s latest output. Continue reading “Label Roundup: Dying Victims Productions – Tension, Tangent, & Vicious Knights (Reviews)”
This is the second album from Abyssus, a Greek death metal band.
I’ve been an avid follower of Abyssus’ work for many years, (see here, here, here, here, and here), and their output never fails to put a smile on my face. Which is why it’s great to have a new album from the band. Seven tracks, 33 minutes; Abyssus bring their old-school death metal sound to the masses once more, and it’s damn good fun. Continue reading “Abyssus – Death Revival (Review)”
Conjureth are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Here we have 37 minutes of old-school death metal. It’s of the oldest variety, and steeped in death metal tradition and lore. Continue reading “Conjureth – Majestic Dissolve (Review)”
This is the debut EP from Empty Throne. a blackened death metal band from the US.
After giving the promo email the once over, how could I not want to give Glossolalia a spin? Recommended for fans of bands such as At the Gates, God Dethroned, Dark Tranquillity, and Carpathian Forest? Containing current/ex-members of Possessed, Decrepit Birth, Black Crown Initiate, The Kennedy Veil, and Angerot? Listening to this was always going to happen. Continue reading “Empty Throne – Glossolalia (Review)”
Nordjevel are a Norwegian black metal band and this is their latest EP.
This EP contains two new songs exclusive to this release, one new song that will be on the band’s upcoming album, a live track, and a cover of a Possessed song. All told, it’s 23 minutes of material. Continue reading “Nordjevel – Fenriir (Review)”
This split is between four death metal bands – Soulskinner, Obsecration, Abyssus, and Malicious Silence, all of which are from Greece.
Oh, what a sickeningly horrible feast of underground death metal we have for you here! Each band has two tracks, and each band gives a good accounting of themselves. Continue reading “Soulskinner/Obsecration/Abyssus/Malicious Silence – Sign of the Covenant of Death – Split (Review)”
This is the second album from death metal band Undead Prophecies.
This is death metal rooted in the old-school. It’s played with obvious reverence for what came before it, and has clearly injected itself with a potent cocktail of stimulants to hit with as much force as it can. Continue reading “Undead Prophecies – Sempiternal Void (Review)”
Gruesome are a Death Metal band from the US. This is their latest EP.
Gruesome are a supergroup of sorts, made up of members who have a large amount of extreme metal experience and count many different bands as their current and ex-projects, including Exhumed, Possessed and Malevolent Creation.
After the massively enjoyable slab of Death-worship that was Savage Land, Gruesome return with Continue reading “Gruesome – Dimensions of Horror (Review)”
This is the début album by US Death Metal band Gruesome.
This is a supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Exhumed, Possessed, Malevolent Creation and Derketa. Gruesome exist purely to pay homage to Old-School Floridian Death Metal, with specific reference to the early work of Death.
It’s clear from the very start that they have everything in place to achieve this.
The sound is an authentic Morrisound one, only polished up a bit and without actually being recorded there.
The music is straight out of the Old-School Death handbook, complete with galloping drums, sharp riffs and leads/solos aplenty.
Savage Land excels in the songs though; without good songs this album would fall flat as being rather pointless. Thankfully though, listening to all of those Death Metal albums from an early age has done wonders for the band and this is a really enjoyable album that almost seems to reanimate the corpse of Death, if only for a little while.
In fact the spirit of Death is felt strongly throughout these 36 minutes. It seems to be lurking wherever you look, the riffs, the drums, the solos, the vocals, the choruses, everything really; deeply infused into the songs.
In another band this might be seen as a bad thing, but in Gruesome it’s so honest, so pure, so well-realised that Savage Land just comes off as a triumph.
Turn the volume up and give this a listen. If you’ve ever been a fan of early Death then I defy you not to enjoy this.
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