This is the second album from Australian death metallers Altars.
Ascetic Reflection contains 40 minutes of warped death metal. As a rough outline of the band’s sound, take a base of Morbid Angel and then add in elements of bands like Gorguts, Artificial Brain, and Ulcerate. Then know that that these lazy comparisons do nothing to prepare you for the journey that Ascetic reflection offers. Continue reading “Altars – Ascetic Reflection (Review)”
This is the debut album from Astral Tomb, a death metal band from the US.
I’ve enjoyed watching Astral Tomb develop their ghastly death metal sound, from 2020’s split with Cryptic Shift, Replicant, and Inoculation, to 2021’s EP Degradation of Human Consciousness, (which I honestly thought I had reviewed, but apparently not). Soulgazer is the band’s first album, and I have been looking forward to it. Continue reading “Astral Tomb – Soulgazer (Review)”
This is the second album from Sunless, a death metal band from the US.
2017’s Urraca was a very notable and enjoyable release for me, even making it into that year’s end of year list. Progressive, technical, dissonant, avant-garde, psychedelic, and many other high-brow-esque appellations, Urraca was a multidimensional gateway to forward-thinking heaviness from a band who clearly knew their art well. Continue reading “Sunless – Ylem (Review)”
This is the debut album from US death metal band Wharflurch.
Across six tracks and 35 minutes, Wharflurch deliver a doom-infested slab of malformed, rancid death metal.
Wharflurch’s death metal contains an experimental edge that’s been dulled by humid rot, but is no less striking and potent for it. Continue reading “Wharflurch – Psychedelic Realms ov Hell (Review)”
This is the debut album from Qrixkuor, a death metal band from the UK, (who also feature from New Zealand a member of Temple Nightside/Vassafor).
Although you can rightly call Poison Palinopsia death metal, Qrixkuor’s music is definitely not your average incarnation of that venerable style. For starters, Poison Palinopsia contains only two tracks, but each is 24 minutes in length. Apart from this, it’s the type of death metal that Qrixkuor play that’s bound to turn some heads. Or turn them inside out, at least. Continue reading “Qrixkuor – Poison Palinopsia (Review)”
This is the second album from US death metallers Seputus.
Here we have 48 minutes of psychedelic extreme metal. Combining elements of black metal, death metal, and grindcore into meaty, substantial tracks, this album is not your standard extreme metal album. Continue reading “Seputus – Phantom Indigo (Review)”
This is the third album from Finnish death metallers Ghastly.
Ghastly specialise in death metal that has a sort of creeping, otherworldly malevolence to it. It’s atmospheric and sinister in ways that are unusual. You can hear the debt that has been paid to band’s such as Death and Autopsy, etc., but you can equally Continue reading “Ghastly – Mercurial Passages (Review)”
This is the second album from US death metal band Blood Incantation.
2016’s Starspawn was a very notable album, making it onto my end of year list for that year too. As such, there’s been plenty of excitement and expectation for Hidden History of the Human Race. Despite only having four tracks, this new release has not disappointed at all. Continue reading “Blood Incantation – Hidden History of the Human Race (Review)”
ISA is a one man death metal project from the US and this is his debut album.
Chimera contains 41 minutes of music that draws from a twisted death metal base, but builds progressive, technical, and psychedelic elements into it. This basic description really doesn’t do this album justice, however. Continue reading “ISA – Chimera (Review)”
Estuarine is a one-man death metal project from the US. This is his third album.
Sic Erat Scriptum is the ambitious follow up to 2015’s equally ambitious Lucid/Entheogen. Continue reading “Estuarine – Sic Erat Scriptum (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 