Bent Sea/To Dust – Ascend/Descend – Split (Review)

Bent SeaThis is a split release between Bent Sea and To Dust, both of which play grindcore and both of which feature a plethora of members/ex-members of bands such as Aborted, Megadeth, Soilwork, Napalm Death, (Bent Sea), and Abigail Williams, Vintage Warlords, Humanity Is Cancer, Grave Plague, Fountain of Piss, Severed Remains, The Black Dahlia Murder and Phobia, (To Dust).

Phew. As you can see, there’s a lot of experience here.

The first half of the split is provided by Bent Sea, who give us almost 10 minutes of state-of-the-art ferocity. Continue reading “Bent Sea/To Dust – Ascend/Descend – Split (Review)”

Black Mass Pervertor – Phanerosis (Review)

Black Mass Black Mass PervertorPervertor are a Finnish black metal band and this is their debut album.

This is filthy, fast and furious black metal with crust and punk influences. It’s the kind of thing you might expect to come from the black metal underground, appealing to fans of the likes of Impaled Nazarene, Watchmaker and Black Witchery. Phanerosis sees the band carrying on the tradition of short, ugly songs that want to rape and kill you just for fun.

Rooted firmly in the oldest of old schools, Black Mass Pervertor Continue reading “Black Mass Pervertor – Phanerosis (Review)”

Cicatrix – Suffocated Faith (Review)

CicatrixCicatrix are a Polish deathgrind band, and this is their second album.

Featuring 10 originals and 2 covers of Dead Infection and Terrorizer songs, Cicatrix wear their influences on their collective sleeves and deliver 29 minutes of utter carnage.

This is a mix of brutal death metal and ugly grindcore. The band know how to play fast, but Continue reading “Cicatrix – Suffocated Faith (Review)”

The Dead Goats – All of Them Witches (Review)

The Dead GoatsThis is the second album from Polish death metallers The Dead Goats.

Yes yes, I’m a sucker for Swedish death metal, we know this. The Dead Goats already impressed me with their last EP, Don’t Go in the Tomb, and now they return with a full 44 minutes of material. Hurrah!

Alright, the band may not be from Sweden, but Continue reading “The Dead Goats – All of Them Witches (Review)”

Apoptosis – Monument of Ignorance (Review)

ApoptosisApoptosis are a grindcore band from Hungary. This is their debut release.

So what do we have here then? 12 songs in 10 minutes? Alrighty. Frantic grindcore assault? Sure. Blistering punk attitude. Yeah. Spiky thrash sharpness. Okay.

Phew. Continue reading “Apoptosis – Monument of Ignorance (Review)”

Carnifliate – Slaughterlust (Review)

CarnifliateCarnifliate are a Slovenian death metal band and this is their début album.

Carnifliate play death metal with a bit of deathgrind and a sizeable chunk of huge grooves.

The songs are brutal and straight to the point, but they’re probably not quite what you Continue reading “Carnifliate – Slaughterlust (Review)”

Ursut – Köp Dig Lycklig (Review)

UrsutThis is the second album by Ursut, a hardcore band from Sweden.

The first thing that strikes me about Ursut is the strong guitar sound. It’s thick, heavy and as black as tar. This is not to mention the winding leads and overal apocalyptic sound that greets you once you press play. Initially I Continue reading “Ursut – Köp Dig Lycklig (Review)”

Straight Hate – Every Scum Is a Straight Arrow (Review)

Straight HateStraight Hate are a Polish grindcore band and this is their début album.

Well, isn’t this a delectably savage little slice of nastiness?

Straight Hate have a nicely gritty sound that sees them rip faces off with ease over these 26 minutes. The music is fast, brutal and designed to go right for the kill. Continue reading “Straight Hate – Every Scum Is a Straight Arrow (Review)”

Poison Headache – Poison Headache (Review)

Poison HeadacheThis is the début album from this US metallic hardcore band, Poison Headache.

Featuring an album cover that immediately grabs the attention, this is a band that fuses hardcore and metal into an ugly ball of condensed violence.

Hearing this description, and knowing that there is an ex-member of As I Lay Dying Continue reading “Poison Headache – Poison Headache (Review)”

Raging Speedhorn – Lost Ritual (Review)

Raging SpeedhornRaging Speedhorn are a sludge metal band from the UK. This is their fifth album.

After their ultimately very enjoyable, but quite different, fourth album Before the Sea Was Built, the band called it a day. After a self-resurrection, the mighty Raging Speedhorn have now returned with their latest release.

Questions abound – what will it sound like? What kind of style have they embraced? Well, the only thing to be done is to press play and find out… Continue reading “Raging Speedhorn – Lost Ritual (Review)”