Despite all the problems that are rearing their ugly head here in the states, the Metal scene continues on with tons of great releases and some good summer tours as I’m lucky enough to see a few of them here in the mid-Atlantic area. Hopefully gas prices go back down so I can adventure out to more shows.
Here are my reviews of recently released albums that I think you should know about. Forget about these in-depth reviews, I’m bringing you quick reviews on multiple releases to help you guide your way through the METAL world today!
BASICALLY, THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, LIKE IT OR NOT…
Ratings: [0(sucks) to 5(awesome)]
{Format: Band – album title = rating |label |style of metal. review}
WEREWOLVES – From the Cave to the Grave = 4/5 |Prosthetic |TECHNICAL BLACKENED DEATH GRIND
FUCK YES! Album #3 in 3 years! These veterans are firing on all cylinders with this band! Non-stop, all-out chaos bludgeoning upon your ear drums! Their first 2 albums were amazing, and this album is right up there. 35 minutes of ferocious speed that’s hateful, ugly and raw! WEREWOLVES never disappoint! From the Cave to the Grave does have a few slower moments but it’s really a tiny speed bump in the assault that this album is! When it comes to this sub-genre, they’re on the top of the mountain looking down on all the feeble contenders! A must own album! Will be in my top albums of the year! 9 tracks, 4 are killer and 4 are good!
ffo: DEFLESHED, IMPIETY, ANGELCORPSE, REBAELLIUN, PERDITION TEMPLE, KRISIUN
DARKANE – Inhuman Spirits = 3/5 |Massacre |MELODIC DEATH/THRASH
Wow! DARKANE is back… forgot about this band, had to dig out their albums and get a refresher course because it’s been years since I’ve listened to them. I loved their album Insanity as it was a more technical approach to the Gothenburg sound, then Expanding Senses was their commercial hit as they headed more towards what SOILWORK and IN FLAMES was doing at the time but still have a heavier edge to their sound. Layers of Lies and the albums after that were too laid back/commercially streamlined and not aggressive compared to their earlier material. 9 years later we get a new album with Inhuman Spirits, and this is what I want from the band, this sounds like DARKANE! Not as good as Insanity or Expanding Senses but in the right direction as this should’ve been the sound of the past few albums! Some bands don’t find the audience they deserve. DARKANE should’ve probably be bigger than they are but hopefully this album gains fans new and old! 10 tracks, 1 outro, 3 are killer and 4 are good.
ffo: SOILWORK, CARNAL FORGE, DIMENSION ZERO, SCARVE, THE ARCANE ORDER, SCAR SYMMETRY
EXOCRINE – The Hybrid Suns = 3.25/5 |Unique Leader |PROGRESSIVE/TECHNICAL DEATH METAL
When I first heard their debut album Unreal Existence, I was immediately a fan of their over-the-top technical DM and their sophomore album Ascension was even more incredible. With their third album gears shifted as they started to incorporate a heavy CYNIC feel and that continued with Maelstrom, now both of those albums were OK but I loved the more brutal feel of the first 2 albums. The Hybrid Suns, their 5th album, is a strong reach back to their earlier albums being more technically brutal but still containing the progressive edge of the last two albums. The Hybrid Suns kind of feels like taking all their previous albums and putting into a blender, which is not a bad thing. Now this album did “grow on me”, took a few listens to fully appreciate it. Also, major bonus, this album doesn’t let up, straight relentless, the melodic parts barely give you a breather before the technical steamroller plows back into you. The Hybrid Suns definitely blows away the last two albums. Tech DM fans this is a must! 9 tracks, 3 are killer and 4 are good.
ffo: OBSCURA, AUGURY, CYNIC, ARCHSPIRE, SOREPTION, GOROD
MASSACRE – Mythos = 2.5/5 |Nuclear Blast |DEATH METAL
Probably to a lot of people’s surprise I’m not a big fan of MASSACRE. I’ve always thought of them being mid-tier even with From Beyond and Inhuman Condition. MASSACRE has never delivered anything for me to bug out about. I know they’re one of the originators, but I feel a lot of other bands did it better than them. Their return with the album Resurgence last year was good, a solid album but nothing to go crazy over. A year later we get an EP with new material and it’s along the lines of the last album, good solid stuff but nothing special really. If you like the band, you’ll love this. 4 tracks, 1 is killer and 2 are OK.
ffo: DEATH, NECROPHAGIA, BENEDICTION, MORGOTH, PAGANIZER
NECHOCHWEN – Kanawha Black = 3.75/5 |Bindrune |FOLK/BLACK METAL
NECHOCHWEN are something really different. Hailing from West Virginia with very strong Native American/Appalachia history themes the band crossed genres from folk BM to atmospheric to progressive traditional metal to melodic/doom DM. Like all NECHOCHWEN albums they hit you with half acoustic and half BM tracks. Kanawha Black with its strong progressive song writing is definitely a ‘grows on you’ type album, each listen I hear something more I like about it. Their last album Heart of Akamon was good, but NECHOCHWEN has comes full circle with this new album. Only bad thing is that’s its only 7 tracks and a little over 40 minutes long, I need more, especially since it’s been 7 years since the last album! I wanted to give this a higher ranking, but I needed more!?! All in all, Kanawha Black is a listening experience, you really need to sit back and let the album take over to full grasp and enjoy what’s going on here. It’s also like you can take this album out into nature/deep in the woods cranking it loud and become one with mother nature! 7 tracks, 2 acoustics, 3 are killer and 2 are good.
ffo: AGALLOCH, MANEGARM, SAOR, DRUDKH, WOODS OF YPRES, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, SOILWORK
VOMIT FORTH – Seething Malevolence = 3.5/5 |Century Media |DEATH METAL
In a tsunami wave of OSDM revival bands in the past decade that have to displaying their version of HM2 worship finally comes a band that goes against the grain and brings forth another version of old school worship! VOMIT FORTH is a straight nostalgia trip for me because it mixes that mid to late 90s Groove/Slam DM with a pinch of hardcore! When I got into metal (in general) and into DM I was a sucker for grooves! Along with the bands listed in the ffo section below, VOMIT FORTH brings the same attitude but with a bit of brutal downtempo DM. VOMIT FORTH continues that classic feel of NYDM/Long Island DM vein who pioneered the SLAM genre while incorporating a bit of modern touch for a 2022 release! Not only has VOMIT FORTH dropped an amazing debut album they continue to uphold the legacy that slam DM is! Any newer band that wants to play slam should take heed to this band! I love Seething Malevolence, but a few things irritate me, the songs are way too short (which leaves you wanting more) and the production is way too bass heavy! A must for slam/groove DM fans! 11 tracks, 2 intros, 4 are killer and 4 are good.
ffo: SKINLESS, DYSENTERY, SCATTERED REMNANTS, INTERNAL BLEEDING, ETERNAL SUFFERING
ZERO HOUR – Agenda 21 = 1.75/5 |Frontiers |PROGRESSIVE METAL
Back in 2008, ZERO HOUR broke up due to nerve injuries received by Troy Tipton (bassist). Now, rebirthed again with a new bass player and drummer, we finally get a new album 14 years after the last. I really liked ZERO HOURs over the top technicality approach to prog metal and was excited for this. The albums Metamorphosis and Dark Deceivers were my favorite. The technicality is still there but overall, a more laid back on this album. I wanted a bit more aggression and the song writing seem a little bland for that long of a delay. Some of the songs blend together, maybe having stronger hooks would’ve have helped break them apart. I have the feeling that prog metal heads will have to take this as a whole instead of track by track to appreciate the album. It could possibly be a ‘grows on you’ type album too. It’s probably right there with my least favorite album A Fragile Mind. I’ll still jam to a few tracks on here every now and then. 6 tracks, 1 is killer and 4 are OK.
ffo: SPIRAL ARCHITECT, FATES WARNING, TWISTED INTO FORM, CONTROL DENIED, FUTURES END
PERDITION TEMPLE – Merciless Upheaval = 3.25/5 |Hells Headbangers |BLACKENED DEATH METAL
HELL YES! I love PERDITION TEMPLE, the second coming of ANGELCORPSE! Gene Palubicki, the main man from ANGELCORPSE has continued the sound and everything they’ve done has been killer! I’m not sure why this is being called a full length, it’s 4 new songs and 4 covers; this is an EP with bonus tracks! Just like previous albums this is full throttled, intense technical proficiency of what the genre should be! Just like ANGELCORPSE this is the standard for blackened DM! Basically, if you loved ANGELCORPSE then you need to be listening to PERDITION TEMPLE! Also, you get some kick ass covers of INFERNAL MAJESTY, SHUB NIGGURATH, MORBID ANGEL and PESTILENCE! This is a must for all DM heads! 8 tracks, 4 Covers, 2 are killer and 2 are good!
ffo: ANGELCORPSE, MORBID ANGEL, REBAELLIUN, DIABOLIC, KRISIUN
ARTIFICIAL BRAIN – Artificial Brain = 2/5 |Profound Lore |PROGRESSIVE/DISSONANT DEATH METAL
When GORGUTS w/Steeve Hurdle introduced this new “sound” to the metal masses with the Obscura album back in ’98 I was disappointed but very intrigued at the same time, eventually that album grew on me, and I liked (and still do) about half the album. Never would I have guessed this would become the next trend in metal. I’m not the biggest fan of this “dissonant” genre but one of the very few bands I do like is ARTIFICIAL BRAIN. Their debut album Labyrinth Constellation was amazing, then the sophomore album Infrared Horizon was very good too, now their third, Artificial Brain as a little shift in sound as there is more melody and doomy parts. Compared to two previous albums Artificial Brain sounds more reasonable as a small step backwards towards simplicity so not to lose the listener in their previous normal chaos. Basically, they’ve added more melodic parts and straight doom then the over-the-top technicality of pushing the progressiveness of the songs. It’s a strong album, definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan but I got it in last place when it comes to ranking their albums. 10 tracks, 3 are killer and 4 are OK.
ffo: GORGUTS, ULCERATE, DEMILICH, AFTERBIRTH, AD NAUSEAM, GIGAN
SVART CROWN – Les Terres Brulees = 2/5 |Les Acteurs de L’Ombre|BLACK/DISSONANT DEATH METAL
So apparently SVART CROWN has broken up and this is the last material we get from them. This new EP is a bit different as it sounds like GOJIRA playing dissonant DM. Me, personally, their debut album Ages of Decay and Profane are my favorite albums from them, then with Abreaction I noticed a shift towards the dissonant style DM. That album and the last one Wolves among the Ashes were OK at best. Les Terres Brulees they have expanded their sound and it’s not bad but still not my cup ‘o tea. This is a must for fans of dissonant DM. Also, an insanely good cover of CONVERGE. 5 tracks, 1 cover, 1 is killer and 2 are OK.
ffo: ULCERATE, GOJIRA, ARTIFICIAL BRAIN, GORGUTS, AD NAUSEAM
SHED THE SKIN – Thaumogenesis = 3/5 |Hells Headbangers |DEATH METAL
Basically, a Cleveland, Ohio supergroup featuring members of INCANTATION, RINGWORM, SOULLESS, BEYOND FEAR, ESTUARY, etc…, they’ve been pumping out top notch DM since 2014 and already have four albums out with this new one Thaumogenesis! I love everything this band is doing, they deliver just enough of everything, from blasting, to grooves, to melodies, to doom/slow parts, to well written song to equal DM done right! SHED THE SKIN has that raw, OSDM sound but a bit of what you’d hear from the mid-west DM bands too. They are not recreating the wheel here but just delivering a solid working man’s DM! A band that doesn’t fall into whatever the trend or cliches and still be top notch! Their debut album was OK but the last two were fucking fantastic! Thaumogensis may not be better than the last two but is still damn solid! If you call yourself a DM head, then this is a must in your listening rotation! 10 tracks, 3 are killer and 5 are good.
ffo: INCANTATION, ASPHYX, MORTA SKULD, MORPHEUS DESCENDS, CIANIDE, NUNSLAUGHTER
ENTRAILS – An Eteranl Time of Decay = 2.5/5 |Hammerheart |OLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL
When the HM2 OSDM craze broke out about 20 years ago, bands that just put out a demo or EP back in the early 90s reformed and started making new albums, one of the bands I really liked is ENTRAILS. It had all the feel of the early Swedish DM but delivered some more modern song writing. Absolutely loved their 1st three albums, the next two were OK and I really like their last one Rise of the Reaper. An Eternal Time of Decay is really good but it’s more 2nd half packed. The start of the album is very average, but the last half is above and beyond! When it comes to the HM2 OSDM sound ENTRAILS is at the top of the list with solid quality albums. Basically, it’s nothing new from the band, but it’s a clean sounding production that offers a few bangers, so die-hard fans will love it while newcomers may want to check out other albums from the band. 11 tracks, 4 are killer and 4 are good.
ffo: ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, GRAVE, EVOCATION, SORCERY
PAGANIZER – Beyond the Macabre = 3/5 |Transcending Obscurity |OLD SCHOOL DEATH METAL
I find it amazing that, yet alone, a band can be delivering albums after albums for years then out of nowhere they started delivering gems, but then add in MR. Rogga Johansson, the main man, who is in (dead serious) 20+ bands and can still create this top-level greatness on a constant is just mind blowing! Last year Rogga released around 20 albums with all his bands and this year dude is somewhat near the same pace that is f’n mind blown shit! In 2017, PAGANIZER gave us Land of Weeping Souls and ever since then they’ve been firing out top tier level material when it comes to OSDM! Their last 2 albums and few EPs all have been straight fire. Their last album The Tower of the Morbid was the best thing they’ve ever done. Beyond the Macabre, may not top the last 2 albums but is just a solid display of what Swedish OSDM is and can be! Another band that is at the top of that Swedish HM2 OSDM mountain! A must for those fans! 10 tracks, 3 are killer and 4 are good.
ffo: VOMITORY, DESULTORY, BLOODBATH, ENTOMBED, GRAVE, HYPOCRISY
RIBSPREADER – Crypt World = 3.25/5 |Xtreem Music |DEATH METAL
Mr. Rogga Johansson is back at it again! Another new album from one of his 20+ active bands! I discovered RIBSPREADER because of being a big DAN SWANO fan and he played guitars/drums on the first 2 albums. RIBSPREADER has always, to me, been a hit or miss when it comes to their albums. The first 2 were good, then a hit, a miss, a hit, a miss, etc… with Suicide Gate – A Bridge to Death being the last killer album I liked. Crypt World is damn good and not only better than the last 2 albums but definitely one of the better albums in the whole discography! This is definitely signature Rogga Johansson OSDM with a bit of dark doomy vibes but overall chilling ugly raw but clean production sounding DM! If you listen to all his bands, you can say a bit of constant similar feel to these songs but in RIBSPREADER there is more of a punchier groove to this album. Yet again, you can say, another band that is at the top of that Swedish HM2 OSDM mountain but with more grooves! Crypt World is a damn good album from start to finish! When it comes to OSDM, Rogga Johansson knows what needs to be done! 9 tracks, 4 are killer and 4 are good!
ffo: PAGANIZER, ECHELON, GRAVE, BLOODBATH, DEMIURG
MUTILATRED – Determined to Rot = 3.75/5 |Redefining Darkness |DEATH METAL
I saw these dudes live a few months back and they f’n kicked ass! So, I had to go back and check out their discography. I’m not a big fan of their debut album, Dissecting Your Future, but their EP Ingested Filth is damn good. Determined to Rot, their sophomore album, is where the band has figured out their sound and are just crushing it! Definitely a mix of OSDM meets that late 90s DM (which you could say is also OSDM now) with some punchy grooves in there and maybe a bit of downtempo BDM, a real meat and potatoes type approach. This is just some heavy hard-hitting riffs that will make you kill everyone in the pit! There’s a lot of bands doing the OSDM/heavy groove thing right now that are signed to major metal labels that don’t even stack up to this band! Now, nothing here that’s recreating the wheel but if you want some utterly grooving “primitive caveman” DM, then this is a must! A must-see live type of band! 12 tracks, 5 are killer and 5 are good.
ffo: SKINLESS, TON, UNDERGANG, MORTA SKULD, WACO JESUS, SANGUISUGABOGG
BETWEEN THE KILLINGS – The Killing Quartet Vol.1-Reflection of Murder = 3.5/5 |Comatose |BRUTAL DEATH METAL
A new band featuring current and former members of MORTAL DECAY, GORGASM, LIVIDITY, COLOSSUS, and more, bringing a fresh take on what I’d expect to hear from mid-west BDM. BETWEEN THE KILLINGS take you inside the warped mind of a killer with the unsettling, unnerving experience of The Killing Quartet Vol. 1 – Reflection of Murder. As the first offering that will be a series of four EPs, each one expanding on the tale of a serial killer, each one accompanied by a graphic comic bringing the twisted tale to life, with all artworks created by Karl Dahmer. This debut EP delivers an utterly ruthless brutality with chilling melodies to add a haunting atmosphere. With Joe Gordon on guitar, you can hear some strong MORTAL DECAY vibes at moments but since this recording, him and 2 other members have been replaced so I’m not sure how the second EP will stack up to this. This is a strong debut EP and I’m definitely looking forward to the future releases! A must for BDM fans! 6 tracks, 1 intro, 3 are killer and 2 are good.
ffo: LIVIDITY, DEADEN, NECROTIC DISGORGEMENT, MORTAL DECAY, REGURGITATION
SEPULCHRAL CURSE – Deathbed Sessions = 1.5/5 |Personal |BLACKENED DEATH METAL
Two years after their good debut album Only Ashes Remain, we finally get new material in this EP Deathbed Sessions. From the very start there’s more of a BM vibe to these songs. This EP sinks deeper into the more haunting and doom-death-ish feel to the songs while experimenting or broadening their sound a bit. That raw/Finnish OSDM base is still there but with two new members it sounds like the band is expanding what they want that base to become. Deathbed Sessions rates right along with their first 2 EPs as they’re OK but nothing really special. It sounds like SEPULCHRAL CURSE is shifting to a doom/DM band and I’m really not a fan of that genre. If you are, then check it out. 4 tracks, an awesome DEMIGOD cover, 1 is killer and 2 are so-so.
ffo: EARTH ROT, LANTERN, INCANTATION, LVCIFYRE
GJENDOD – I Utakt Med Verden = 0.5/5 |Hellthrasher |BLACK METAL
A few years back I went searching for some new BM to listen to and I stumbled across this band, and I liked it. Their debut album Nedstigning was a good solid Norwegian style BM, then the sophomore album Krigsdoger was kind of a letdown. Their third album, Angrep was fucking killer and made my top albums for BM that year! Their fourth album, I Utakt Med Verden, is here and it’s a total shift in sound. What the fuck happened here?!? That nasty, vicious, blast fest of Norwegian BM is long gone as this is a simplistic approach to BM while incorporating more classical elements and trying their hand at atmospheric BM. Not sure about their reasoning but this album is more towards doomy/folk-ish/atmospheric BM and it’s not what I want to hear from them. I’m really disappointed with this direction and just like the last two albums from BLUT AUS NORD another band that when from top album of the year list to next release being the biggest disappointed of the year list. If atmospheric BM is your thing, then definitely check this out. 8 tracks, 3 are so-so.
ffo: KOLDBRANN, BLUT AUS NORD, TCHORNOBOG, NEGURA BUNGET