Dormant Ordeal – The Grand Scheme of Things (Review)

Dormant Ordeal - The Grand Scheme of ThingsThis is the third album from Polish death metallers Dormant Ordeal.

Now here’s something pretty tasty. I haven’t encountered Dormant Ordeal before, but The Grand Scheme of Things is impressive enough to make me wish I had. Across 39 minutes the band absolutely punish the listener with their idiosyncratic and exemplary take on death metal mastery. Continue reading “Dormant Ordeal – The Grand Scheme of Things (Review)”

Obscura – A Valediction (Review)

Obscura - A ValedictionObscura are a progressive/technical/melodic death metal band from Germany and this is their sixth album.

Following up on 2018’s Diluvium, 2021’s A Valediction contains 52 minutes of new material. The band have opted for a of a change of direction on their latest album, but despite this it’s still a version of the band so many know and love. Continue reading “Obscura – A Valediction (Review)”

Hyperdontia – Hideous Entity (Review)

Hyperdontia - Hideous EntityThis is the second album from Hyperdontia, an international death metal band.

Hyperdontia, (who feature current and ex-members of Burial Invocation, Diabolizer, and Sulphurous), present us with 39 minutes of old-school death metal on Hideous Entity. Continue reading “Hyperdontia – Hideous Entity (Review)”

Monthly Overview – the Best of October 2021

October was an absolutely stacked month for great albums! It was very hard to choose just a handful below. There were so many high quality releases and I know whatever I ended up choosing I’d miss some out that deserved to be highlighted, so I’ve just gone with whatever felt right in the moment – if  had to do this list again, I’m sure there would be some changes. Having said that, all of the below are superlative albums. Continue reading “Monthly Overview – the Best of October 2021”

First Fragment – Gloire Éternelle (Review)

First Fragment - Gloire ÉternelleThis is the second album from Canadian technical death metallers First Fragment.

2016’s Dasein was a notable album, one that I have kept returning to over time, much more than I initially thought I would. The band’s jaw-dropping skill and impressive delivery stuck with me, so I viewed their new release Gloire Éternelle with some excitement before it finally reached me. Continue reading “First Fragment – Gloire Éternelle (Review)”

Sunless – Ylem (Review)

Sunless - YlemThis 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)”

Archspire – Bleed the Future (Review)

Archspire - Bleed the FutureThis is the fourth album from Canadian technical death metallers Archspire.

Greatly anticipated after 2017’s highly regarded Relentless Mutation, Bleed the Future is another ferocious slab of unstoppable tech death mastery. Archspire spend 32 minutes showing the world very precisely why they are considered by many to be top of the technical death metal pile. Continue reading “Archspire – Bleed the Future (Review)”

Sulphurous – The Black Mouth of Sepulchre (Review)

Sulphurous - The Black Mouth of SepulchreThis is the second album from Sulphurous, a death metal band from Denmark.

The Black Mouth of Sepulchre gives us 37 minutes of death metal, the sort that leaves burn marks, congealed blood, and dark shadows wherever it goes. Sulphurous’ style is rooted in old-school death metal, but layered with a cloak of darkness and malignant, menacing mood. The music has a fierce technical component, which increases the number of killing ways it has fourfold. Continue reading “Sulphurous – The Black Mouth of Sepulchre (Review)”

Atræ Bilis – Apexapien (Review)

Atræ Bilis - ApexapienThis is the debut album from Canadian death metal band Atræ Bilis.

Across 32 minutes of brutal darkness, Atræ Bilis explore various expressions of heaviness via roaring death metal. Continue reading “Atræ Bilis – Apexapien (Review)”