RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://necropanther.bandcamp.com/ Yet another melodic death metal release on my plate, the Coloradan quartet featuring Paul Anop (guitars, vocals), Joe Johnson (guitars), Marcus Corich (bass), Haakon Sjoegren (drums), is actually quite a genre hopper on their 4th (after the eponymous²⁰¹⁶, “Eyes Of Blue Light”²⁰¹⁸ and “The Doomed City”²⁰¹⁹ with a couple…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://gerseydeoful.bandcamp.com/album/gersey-deoful Here is a grim and ugly treat for all you lovers of raw, unfiltered black metal from the American underground, namely the self-titled offering by the skilled horde from New Jersey known as Gersey Deoful. This short and concise 6-track EP is only seventeen minutes long but do not…
Photo by J. Nepper On a bright and sunny Thursday morning in mid-April, this scribe was granted an exclusive peak at the upcoming full-length assault by Norwegian black metal stalwart Taake, or rather an intimate listen, as it were. Being as enamored as I am with the disquieting outputs that the intriguing musical entity has…
A few months ago, I had the great pleasure of receiving and reviewing an utterly exciting and seductive debut offering entitled In Death I Shall Arise by the experimental black metal outfit Tilintetgjort, which turned into one of those revelatory and deeply meaningful listening experiences that are addictive and ceaselessly rewarding. Their brand of filthy,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://nocturnalbreedofficial.bandcamp.com/album/carry-the-beast I have had a soft spot for these ugly and noisy thrash metal bastards from Norway ever since I saw them lay waste to the John Dee venue in Oslo in March 2005, and Nocturnal Breed rarely disappoint when it comes to unleashing malevolent and sinister tunes that deliver a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://nethermostcaverns.bandcamp.com/album/shadows-of-seclusion-demo This fierce two-track demo by the brand-new US black metal outfit named Nethermost Caverns is one that contains heaps of promise and potential, and I was immediately attracted to its melancholy aura and melodic qualities the very first time I immersed myself in it. While ‘Shrouded in Funereal Grey’ is…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/vast-reaches-unclaimed Finally, an album I can honestly give a top score in a good while, “Vast Reaches Unclaimed” from the Minnesotan melodic death metal trio Majesties is very aptly named and a debut at that. In fact, I should call this old school melodic death metal as, if In Flames’…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://sarcoptes.bandcamp.com/ The “Plague Hyms”²⁰²⁰ EP, released after “Thanatos”²⁰¹³ EP and “Songs And Dances Of Death”²⁰¹⁶ full length, was a fantastic 2 track release I gave an enthusiastic review (5.5/6) even as Garrett Garvey (drums, vocals) and Sean Zimmerman (bass, guitars, keyboards) the duo comprising the Californian progressive blackthrashing death metal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://utflod.bandcamp.com/album/split-ep-utflod-shaving-the-werewolf Fierce, frantic, and utterly intense, this four-track split EP by the two Norwegian outfits named Utflod and Shaving the Werewolf is as hard-hitting as they come. The ferocious musical attack of both bands is almost overwhelming but certainly not without a sick charm, and I find the material quite interesting…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.insomnium.net/ The”Argent Moon”²⁰²¹ EP was such a fantastic release that, as I remarked in my review (5.5/6) I could hardly wait for the full length and it turned out I had been so right about my predictions. The 9th full length from the Finnish purveyors of progressive melodic death metal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bodyfarm/107945989258106 The last Asphyx full length “Necroceros” was an album that proved that classic death metal (with plenty of melody) does not have to sound antiquated but can excite like those well-known by Death or Obituary, especially since Asphyx was born in/into the same time. Their fellow countrymen Dutch purveyors…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/truefrozendawn I have just finished a series on the Spanish metal scene and it seems right around the time one of the finest Spanish bands, the progressive blackened melodic death metal trio Frozen Dawn, consisting of Daniel “Dani” “Grinder” Álvarez (vocals, guitars), Antonio Mansilla Tolosa (bass) and Arjan Van Der…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://this-means-war.bandcamp.com/ I love Gymnocal Industries; the label is as unpredictable as they come when it comes to styles and genres but what you can be certain of is that they deliver quality. A case in point is This Means War whose hyper-aggressive and energetic take on death metal is a real…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://lnk.to/alttarimmeonluistatehty The Finnish black metal horde known as Azaghal is undoubtedly a known and familiar name to many of you underground freaks out there, and the band are veterans of the scene and have been at it for many years now. Their latest album is a scorching and razor-sharp opus that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/anthemofdecay MMXX by the vile black metallers known as Beyond Helvete was an impressive and hauntingly dark affair that flushed my day right down the toilet when it was released back in 2020 – in the best way possible. It was therefore quite interesting to receive a promotional copy of their…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://antipope.bandcamp.com/music Once agan I find myself reviewing a fantastic album from a long standing band I have never heard of before. One of my excuses could be that Antipope started as a black metal band and, to be honest, black metal is a cherry pick genre for me. Another one…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/brought-forth-in-iniquity As much as I count death/doom as one of my favorite genres, I am not a big fan of huge symphonic minimalistic funeral doom/death, bands such as Sceptiscism or Evoken only recently catching my attention precisely because they expanded and thus got more interesting. This is why I find…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://witheredancient.bandcamp.com/album/ii I stumbled on this evocative and atmospheric black metal opus by the utterly obscure Bulgarian outfit named Withered Ancient while browsing Bandcamp at work the other day, and there was something about it that drew me in and kept me engaged throughout. The stark monochrome album cover and the idea…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://synusbm.bandcamp.com/album/wilk Yes, this is just what the good doctor ordered – a raw, efficient, and utterly memorable new output by the skilled US black metal act known as SYN. These ugly fucks deliver a potent and powerful slab of harsh and grim music that harbors both aggression and finesse not to…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/bestial-damnation Godz ov War Productions rarely fail to impress or amaze me when it comes to unearthing and releasing some of the most menacing and aggressive gems that the metal underground has to offer, and the Polish outfit named Hexenaltar fits rather neatly into the label’s quality roster. Rooted in 80s…
