This is the fourth album from US death metallers Cognitive.
I’ve enjoyed following Cognitive’s career, from 2016’s Deformity, through 2018’s Matricide, to their newest album Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction, which brings 41 minutes of roaring modern technical death metal to our weary ears. Does it wake us from our lethargy and fire us up with the spirit of death metal’s aggressive energy? Continue reading “Cognitive – Malevolent Thoughts of a Hastened Extinction (Review)”
Noctambulist are a blackened death metal band from the US, and this is their second album.
Featuring the drummer of Cordyceps, Noctambulist play a blistering form of extreme metal. Formed around a core of brutal death metal, the band then expand on this with elements of black, dissonant, technical, and post-metal, making for songs Continue reading “Noctambulist – The Barren Form (Review)”
Nephren-Ka are a French death metal band and this is their third album.
The return of Nephren-Ka sees them bring us a new lineup, (including a new singer), and a few more blackened influences. Other than that, we’re once again in for a brutal ride of Dune-flavoured death metal. I loved 2013’s The Fall of Omnius and 2017’s La Grande Guerre de L’Epice, and now From Agony to Transcendence looks set to inflate my already high impressions of this superlative band. Continue reading “Nephren-Ka – From Agony to Transcendence (Review)”
This is the third album from US death metal band Alustrium.
Here we have 65 minutes of progressive technical death metal. Reading that statement you may be expecting a certain version of that style, but it’s likely that Alustrium will surprise; A Monument to Silence is much more melodic and emotionally resonant than many technical bands achieve or even aspire to. Continue reading “Alustrium – A Monument to Silence (Review)”
This is the latest EP from UK death metallers Unfathomable Ruination.
After the tight ball of fury that was 2019’s Enraged and Unbound, it’s good to hear from Unfathomable Ruination once more. This new EP contains 20 minutes of material – three new songs, and a rerecorded version of an old one. Continue reading “Unfathomable Ruination – Decennium Ruinae (Review)”
This is the second album from Alluvial, a modern death metal band from the US.
Sarcoma contains 38 minutes of progressive death metal. Alluvial fuse their modern approach to the style with technical, progressive, and atmospheric flourishes, yet do so in a restrained song-based way. This results in songs that are atypical expressions of Continue reading “Alluvial – Sarcoma (Review)”
In Asymmetry are an international death metal band and this is their debut album.
Featuring current and ex-members of bands such as The Ritual Aura, Deeds of Flesh, Arsis, Eschaton, Pillory, Inanimate Existence, and The Kennedy Veil, Ashes of Dead Worlds contains a lot of experience packed tightly into its 34 minutes. Continue reading “In Asymmetry – Ashes of Dead Worlds (Review)”
Hideous Divinity are an Italian death metal band and this is their latest EP.
This new 16-minute EP contains two new sci-fi concept-themed tracks, and a cover of a Coheed and Cambria song. Continue reading “Hideous Divinity – LV-426 (Review)”
This is the debut album from US death metallers Obsolete.
Obsolete play a technical mix of death metal with thrash elements. This is then peppered progressive, dissonant, and avant-garde influences to produce a 37-minute album that exceeds expectations. Imagine a combination of Death and Atheist, only with more Continue reading “Obsolete – Animate//Isolate (Review)”
Intonate are a Canadian death metal band and this is their second album.
With five tracks and a duration of 40 minutes, Intonate don’t mess around on Severed Within. No stupid intros or interludes, no wasted space, just well-thought-out, creative death metal. Let’s dive in. Continue reading “Intonate – Severed Within (Review)”
