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456 results for “vigour_mortis”
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I finished a LotR rewatch last week and was very excited to then start the Hobbit movies.
After morsels of the Rankin/Bass version on YouTube as an appetizer, I was ready. Imagine my disappointment to find that Crave only has the French versions now :blobfacepalm:
Anyway, one CosmoGo promo code later I am ready to begin. An unexpected journey indeed.
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I finished a LotR rewatch last week and was very excited to then start the Hobbit movies.
After morsels of the Rankin/Bass version on YouTube as an appetizer, I was ready. Imagine my disappointment to find that Crave only has the French versions now :blobfacepalm:
Anyway, one CosmoGo promo code later I am ready to begin. An unexpected journey indeed.
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I finished a LotR rewatch last week and was very excited to then start the Hobbit movies.
After morsels of the Rankin/Bass version on YouTube as an appetizer, I was ready. Imagine my disappointment to find that Crave only has the French versions now :blobfacepalm:
Anyway, one CosmoGo promo code later I am ready to begin. An unexpected journey indeed.
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I finished a LotR rewatch last week and was very excited to then start the Hobbit movies.
After morsels of the Rankin/Bass version on YouTube as an appetizer, I was ready. Imagine my disappointment to find that Crave only has the French versions now :blobfacepalm:
Anyway, one CosmoGo promo code later I am ready to begin. An unexpected journey indeed.
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A silly seasonal purchase 😊🎃
#Halloween #JackOLanterns #pumpkins -
A silly seasonal purchase 😊🎃
#Halloween #JackOLanterns #pumpkins -
A silly seasonal purchase 😊🎃
#Halloween #JackOLanterns #pumpkins -
A silly seasonal purchase 😊🎃
#Halloween #JackOLanterns #pumpkins -
Wow I really enjoyed this for so many reasons. What an ending! #movies #TriangleOfSadness
Triangle of Sadness https://boxd.it/aRK5Dh
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The Terrifier houses/mazes look SO fun! I think I'd have to try both wet and dry experiences. 🩸
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Death of a Unicorn is allegorical, and the unicorn is the money, shelter, etc. any one person might need to live life comfortably.
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Death of a Unicorn is allegorical, and the unicorn is the money, shelter, etc. any one person might need to live life comfortably.
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Death of a Unicorn is allegorical, and the unicorn is the money, shelter, etc. any one person might need to live life comfortably.
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Death of a Unicorn is allegorical, and the unicorn is the money, shelter, etc. any one person might need to live life comfortably.
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Death of a Unicorn is allegorical, and the unicorn is the money, shelter, etc. any one person might need to live life comfortably.
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@MevsMatze The Haunting 1963 (These three!) #horror #TheHaunting
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@MevsMatze The Haunting 1963 (These three!) #horror #TheHaunting
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@MevsMatze The Haunting 1963 (These three!) #horror #TheHaunting
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@MevsMatze The Haunting 1963 (These three!) #horror #TheHaunting
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@MevsMatze The Haunting 1963 (These three!) #horror #TheHaunting
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A reminder that the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards are today!!!
#Shudder #Fangoria #ChainsawAwards2023 -
I forgot that this Cube remake is coming out! Gotta say I loved the first ones.
https://scarevalue.com/cube-review/
PS - Anyone have any thoughts on Screambox?
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Milliner, Haberdasher, Caricature: the thread about Sibbie Hutton, the “Most Fantastic Lady of Her Day”
Today (February 21st 2026) is the bicentennial of the death of John Kay, the Edinburgh barber turned artist, etcher and engraver who has become renowned for his prolific caricatures which gently lampoon the great and the good of society in the late 18th century city. But this isn’t a homage to the man himself, there are many other such pieces and indeed whole books on the subject. Rather, in Threadinburgh style, we look instead at one of his lesser-known but individually notable subjects: Miss Sibilla Hutton, “without exception, the most fantastic lady of her day“.
John Kay, “Drawn & Engraved by Himself 1786”, etched self-portrait. National Portrait Gallery, London, D4970Sibbie Hutton, as she was widely known, was a renowned milliner (maker and seller of women’s hats) and haberdasher in the city, who was famed for appearance, Kay’s 1786 etching depicts her wearing a ridiculously oversized frilly-edged lampshade of a hat and decorated from head to toe in ribbon and lace. Her fine clothing and corpulence indicates her financial success. He also shows her as the equal of the man, a fellow trader and private banker by the name of Robert Johnston.
Etching by John Kay, 1786, entitled “Mr Robert Johnston and Miss Sibilla Hutton”, no. 158. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.She was born (probably) in the late 1740s in Dalkeith, the daughter of Sibella Tunnock and the Reverend William Hutton, who led a dissenting congregation (i.e. one that had rejected and had left the fold of the Kirk, the Church of Scotland) of the Associate Presbytery, of which he was also the Moderator, in that town. John Kay also hailed from Dalkeith and was of a similar age, so was perhaps well acquainted with her before she became more prominent in Edinburgh. Her mother appears to have died during or shortly after childbirth in 1752, her baby girl Grisel dying herself a few days later.
1852 OS Town Plan of Back Street in Dalkeith showing location of the Independent Chapel and the U. P. Church, the latter being originally by the Associate PresbyteryIn Old Edinburgh Beaux & Belles by David Morison, the Reverend is said to have been “a very worthy dissenting clergyman” and one who was famed for the length of his sermons. An anecdote tells that on one occasion, when preaching to the Synod, after an hour one of his fellow ministers endeavoured to give a gentle hint as to the time by glancing obviously at his watch. “when, on the expiry of the first hour, by way of giving him a gentle hint, Mr. Sheriff held out his watch, in such a way as he could not fail to observe it. “The preacher paused for a moment, but immediately went on with renewed vigour, till another hour had expired.” The other minister again pulled out his watch and checked the time, but to no avail; he carried on as he intended and did not finish preaching until three hours in the pulpit had been reached. Hutton asked his fellow later as to why he had been monitoring the time quite so obviously, the reply being “the first hour I heard you with pleasure, and, as I hope everyone else did, with profit, the second, I listened with impatience; and the third with contempt!“
After the loss of her mother the young Sibbie was raised by her father and like him was independently minded and strong-willed. From a young age she had “been remarkable for her love of ornament“, much to his annoyance. In the 1770s she moved from Dalkeith to Edinburgh and set up in business with her sister Margarett as a milliner at the Royal Exchange. This complex of buildings, now the City Chambers, was then a centre of commerce and in a time before the New Town began to feature many shops and businesses, provided some of the most modern and prestigious shop units in the city.
Coloured engraving after Thomas Hosmer Shepherd showing the Royal Exchange on the High Street in 1829, A Palladian building by John Adam forming a central palazzo. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.It is therefore a mark of the Hutton sisters’ success in business and their station in the complex social hierarchy of the Georgian city that they carried on their trade here. The old Reverend was “scandalised” by his daughter’s tastes in fashion. “Sibbie! Sibbie!” he cried, “do you really expect to get to heaven with such a bonnet on your head?” The reply came: “And why not, father? I’m sure I’ll make a better appearance there than you will do with that vile, old-fashioned black wig, which you have worn these last twenty years!”
On the marriage of her sister to James Kidd in 1782, Sibbie carried on the business by herself. This she did with “great purpose, and daily added to the heaviness of her purse, as well as to the rotundity of her person…” Regarding her appearance it was said “[her] silks, too, and the profusion of lace with which she was overlaid, were always of the most costly description, and must have been procured at immense expense“. Clearly business was good and Sibbie was good at business. She advertised prominently in the Caledonian Mercury newspaper in the 1770s and 1780s, often in the headline slots, giving an insight into the sorts of items she was dealing in.
Caledonian Mercury – Saturday 12 July 1783, advert “TO THE LADIES” from S. Hutton.Again these are an indication of her prestige, but they also make it very clear that she was quite hard nosed and would suffer no fools or chancers:
Caledonian Mercury – Saturday 29 June 1776, advertisement for S. Hutton, MillinerS. Hutton wishes to carry on business for ready money; and it is expected the accounts due will be speedily paid, as by that method she is enabled to carry on business on the most advantageous terms.
Other averts record that she was running a sort of lottery, the prizes being wares such as cottons, muslins, tweeds, satins, laces, silks and linens: obviously she was innovative in commerce.
Caledonian Mercury – Saturday 09 December 1786, advertisement from S. Hutton, Haberdasher and Milliner at the Exchange with details of a lottery she is runningIn another 1785 caricature “A Whim – or a Visit to the Mud Bridge” (an early iteration of what would become the Mound), Kay lampoons some of the city’s reformist men who backed that project. but features a number of women, the central and most prominent of whom is though to be Sibbie. The sign on the left reads “B’s Bridge” and most likely refers to Geordie Boyd, who reputedly conceived the whole scheme, which explains why the man on the rear of the carriage is saying “Whip harder Geordie” (thanks to Graeme Cruickshank for reminding me of this). There’s a less likely probability that it refers to a Mr. Brown, the treasurer of the project, who had been bankrupted and fled with money that were meant to have financed a grand inaugural procession. Kay is probably therefore depicting the idea that instead the gentlemen who had promoted the scheme could pull the carriages themselves, the originator egging them on from the back.
John Kay etching, 1785, no. 173, “A Whim – or a visit to the Mud Bridge“. The woman looking straight at the artist in the middle of the carriage is though to be Sibbie Hutton. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.Sibbie set the fashion trend for women of a certain social rank in Edinburgh, importing for them the latest and best items from London. On the occasions that John Kay found it necessary to lampoon women (more often his targets were the pompously self-important men about town) he depicted them beneath Hutton’s enormous hats and adorned in her laces and ribbons.
Etching by John Kay, 1785, no. 308. “Mr Pierie and Mr Maxwell”, prominent bachelors in the city either admiring, or being admired by, some fashionably dressed women. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.The ridiculousness of the hats seems to reach a peak in 1787 with one worn by Penelope Hamilton (née Macdonald), Lady Belhaven and Stenton who is shown meeting with Sir Robert Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, 1st Baronet.
Etching by John Kay, 1787, no. 303. “Sir Robert Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, 1st Bt; Penelope Hamilton (née Macdonald), Lady Belhaven and Stenton”, National Galleries of Scotland collectionClearly those who had dressed themselves in this style were a useful visual shorthand and they are repeated in his work ever-more extravagant headgear, evolving with the fashions of the time. Notice the women below sport smaller hats but with much more elaborate feather plumes than those a decade before, and one wears a more modern cut of jacket.
“Retaliation; or the cudgeller caught“, etching by John Kay, 1801. A Porter, Captain Hew Crawford, his sister and her companion in a comedic, chaotic interaction. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.These women are rarely named and are usually included in the caricatures to help set a scene; Kay’s targets being the named gentlemen. There is however a good chance some are indeed Sibbie Hutton, such as the lady on the far right of this image. But Sibbie differs from most of the other women he depicts not just in that she is named, but she is not drawn from the gentry and is not included as a wife or daughter of one of the men featured, she is included on her own merits.
John Kay etching, 1785, “Major Andrew Fraser, the Honourable Andrew Erskine and Sir John Whitefoord, Bart.” The right group is made up of two women in elaborate dress with ornate feathered hats, the more rotund of whom on the right bears a very close resemblance to Sibbie Hutton.Papers in the Dean of Guilt Court of Edinburgh (the equivalent then of the modern Planning Committee) show that in the 1780s, she was involved in a dispute with a neighbouring shopkeeper. In 1782 a complaint was made by John Grieve, merchant, that she had made unauthorised alterations to her shop, removing an internal staircase and replacing it with an external one, amongst others. Grieve made the same complaint in 1787. In both instances the case was found against Sibbie and she was ordered to put back the internal stairway. Clearly that never happened the first time and it is not clear if she did it when ordered the second time. It was around this time that, tiring of the city, perhaps tiring of the legal disputes, and also of the monotony of family visits to Dalkeith, she decided to remove herself to London and re-establish her trade there. Her sister, now Mrs Kidd, took over the Edinburgh business. After this, little more is known of Sibbie’s life except that she later returned to Edinburgh and died in Dalkeith, the town of her birth, on February 19th, 1808. Her star had perhaps dwindled by this time as her passing was little remarked upon beyond very brief death notices. Her sister died the following year.
Star of London, 4th March 1808, “At Edinburgh on the 19th ultimo, Miss Sibella Hutton, Daughter of the late Rev. William Hutton, minister of the gospel, Dalkeith“Thank you to Threadinburgh supporter Olwyn Alexander for drawing Sibbie’s interesting life and somewhat uniquely prominent position in John Kay’s works to me. He produced a huge volume of work, which he printed and sold widely. You can find much more of his work online at:
- Edinburgh City Libraries – Capital Collections – Online Exhbition of John Kay’s Work
- John Kay’s works in the National Galleries of Scotland collection
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#Lochend #Logan #Restalrig #StMargaret -
By Grin Reaper
Defigurement’s debut album Endbryo is classified as experimental deathgrind, and though that’s accurate, it doesn’t fully capture what’s on tap. Endbryo is an album in constant flux, never content to lock into one vibe for too long. While experimental, Defigurement still adheres to grindcore’s brutal core tenets: short songs and unfettered aggression. Their sound isn’t limited to just these things, though, as Defigurement adopts crackerjack technicality that contrasts with the blunt drubbing associated with much of the subgenre. Varied paces and some unconventional instrumentation further heighten Endbryo’s unorthodox approach. Dissonant bleats, melodic leads, blast beats, and key-heavy interludes create an engaging atmosphere. Yet it takes more than a wide-ranging assortment of sounds and ideas to fashion an album.
With so many ingredients to unite, you may wonder what Defigurement actually sounds like. Gridlink’s Coronet Juniper, Full of Hell’s Coagulated Bliss, and Beaten to Death’s Sunrise over Rigor Mortis provide apt reference points. These albums imbue deceptively melodic hooks into grindcore’s caustic backdrop, a convention perpetuated on Endbryo. Gridlink’s own Takafumi Matsubara even appears on “Wounded Landscape,” imparting gorgeously malicious riffs. In addition to grindcore influences, Defigurement pays homage to System of a Down via the “Suite Pee”-tinged intro of “Shogun of Sorrow” and the Slayer “Rain in Blood” gallop heard in “Wounded Landscape.” Rather than aping these acts, though, Defigurement forges a stank all their own. Chaos is the name of the game, but not all of it is funneled through uniform, full-tilt abuse. Endbryo’s half-hour pumps blood and rhythm through sixteen tracks, featuring constant shifts in tempos and moods that make the music feel alive and unpredictable. The album is jam-packed with so many morsels that even after dozens of listens, I’m still discovering new details.
Conceiving such a diverse and layered soundscape requires heaps of vitality and musicianship, and Defigurement steps up to answer the challenge. From Mike Heller’s (Changeling, Azure Emote, ex-Fear Factory) atom-blasting drums to Kevin Fetus’s snaking leads and D.M.T.’s gritty bass, Endbryo brims with relentless vigor. Heller’s drum performance in particular elevates Defigurement’s character. Juggling blast beats, disco hi-hat frills (“Open Veins, Visceral Tapestry”), and jazzy phrasing (“We Are the Worst”) shouldn’t be this seamless, yet Heller’s nimble work provides the engine for the album’s mélange of styles. Rounding out the rhythm section, D.M.T.’s meaty bass grumbles and grooves in support, and a couple of intros even throw the spotlight on his throaty purr (“Wounded Landscape,” “Godtopsy”). Guitars attack from every direction, utilizing trem-picked blitzes (“Burnt by the Truth”), plaintive wails (“We Are the Worst”), and glossy shredding (“Godtopsy”). Matthias Joyce’s vocals are capable and versatile, sitting far enough back in the mix that they mesh smoothly with the music rather than overpowering it. Besides Matsubara, several other guests pop in, including Brian Hopp (Cephalic Carnage) and Leon Del Muerte (Impaled, ex-Nails). Endbryo boasts a potpourri of talent, and this bouquet reeks of grind beef.
Endbryo sounds great, even though some moments don’t effortlessly converge. Subgenres like grindcore don’t need much auditory contrast to be effective, but Endbryo boasts a DR7 anyway, benefiting the complex structure of its tracks. The finely-tuned mix allows listeners to appreciate the nuances of the performances within, notably the drumming; a lesser production could have obfuscated Heller’s unhinged sticksmanship. My only complaint is that with such a dense album, Defigurement doesn’t quite achieve the cohesion needed to stitch all of Endbryo’s fragments together. Piano-only interlude “Eternal Dusk” is a beautiful instrumental featured about halfway through. It allows you to take a breath before re-entering the maelstrom, but foreshadowing the melody earlier or including piano elsewhere would have strengthened its inclusion. Similarly, “Left in a Cold Rain” contains slowly swirling synths played under a distorted voice-over. Once again, this skillfully navigates the album’s pacing, but without more tethers to other tracks, it feels isolated from its surroundings. Despite these small shortcomings, Endbryo scores a resounding success.
Defigurement pulls no punches on Endbryo, hewing a slab of great experimental deathgrind. Their ferocity is bruising and their vision unyielding, and it’s rare I encounter music that demands so many repeated spins. This platter is captivating, and each time I think I have Endbryo figured out, the next listen corrects that notion. So many ideas loaded into thirty minutes might seem daunting, but Defigurement expertly balances intrigue and digestibility. Assuming Endbryo is only the beginning, I’ll wait on the edge of my seat to hear how the band’s sound develops.
Rating: Great
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Nefarious Industries
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025#2025 #40 #BeatenToDeath #DeathGrind #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Defigurement #Endbryo #ExperimentalDeathMetal #ExperimentalDeathgrind #FullOfHell #Gridlink #Grind #NefariousIndustries #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #Slayer #SystemOfADown #USMetal
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Stuck in the Filter: November/December 2025’s Angry Misses By Kenstrosity
Brutal cold envelops the building as my minions scrape through ice and filthy slush to find even the smallest shard of metallic glimmer. With extensive budget cuts demanded by my exorbitant bonus schedule—as is my right as CEO of this filtration service—there was no room to purchase adequate gear and equipment for these harsher weathers. However, I did take up crocheting recently so each of my “employees” received a nice soft hat.
Hopefully, that will be enough to tide them over until the inclement weather passes and we return to normal temps. Until then, they have these rare finds to keep them warm, and so do you! REJOICE!
Kenstrosity’s Knightly Nightmare
AngelMaker // This Used to Be Heaven [November 20th, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of AngelMaker’s since their 2015 debut Dissentient. The grossly underrated and underappreciated Vancouver septet are a highly specialized deathcore infantry, with their lineup expanding steadily over their career in concert with their ever-increasing songwriting sophistication. Unlike the brutish and belligerent debut and follow-up AngelMaker, 2022’s Sanctum and new outing This Used to Be Heaven indulge in rich layering, near-neoclassical melodies, and dramatic atmosphere to complement AngelMaker’s trademark sense of swaggering groove. With early entries “Rich in Anguish” and “Haunter” establishing the strength of both sides of their sound, it always surprises me how AngelMaker successfully twist and gnarl their sound into shapes—whether it be hardcore, blackened, or melodic—I wasn’t anticipating (“Silken Hands,” “Relinquished,” “Nothing Left”). A rock-solid back half launched by the epic “The Omen” two-part suite brings these deviations from the expected into unity with the deathcore foundation I know AngelMaker so well for (“Malevolence Reigns,” “Altare Mortis”), and in doing so secure their status as one of the most reliably creative deathcore acts in the scene. Nothing here is going to change the minds of the fiercer deathcore detractors, but if your heart is open even just a crack, there’s a good chance This Used to Be Heaven will force themselves into it, if not entirely rip the whole thing asunder. My advice is simply to let it.
This Used To Be Heaven by AngelMaker
ClarkKent’s Sonic Symphonics
Brainblast // Colossus Suprema [November 11th, 2025 – Vmbrella]
A debut album five years in the making from a band formed in 2015, Colossus Suprema is the brainchild of Bogotá, Colombia’s Edd Jiménez. Jiménez turned his passion for and training in classical composition towards his symphonic progressive act, Brainblast. With Bach as an inspiration, Brainblast’s brand of technical death metal has the grandeur of Fleshgod Apocalypse, the speed of Archspire, and the virtuosity of concert musicians. Jiménez’s classical training shows — the compositions have an orchestral feel, only played at insane energy levels. The speed, the depth, and the breadth of the instrumentation are sure to leave you breathless. Nicholas Le Fou Wells (First Fragment) lays down relentless kitwork with jaw-dropping velocity, while Eetu Hernesmaa provides technical fretwork that’ll similarly leave you awestruck. He delivers sublime riffs on “Relentless Rise” and a surprising melodic lead that steals the show on “Unchain Your Soul.” Perhaps most prominent is the virtuoso play of the bass from Rich Gray (Annihilator) and Dominic Forest Lapointe (First Fragment) that is omnipresent and funky on each and every song. To top it all off is the piano (perhaps from Jiménez), giving the music some gravitas with the technical, concert-style playing. This record is just plain bonkers and tons of fun. Given this is the debut from a young musician, the idea that Brainblast has room to grow is plenty exciting.
COLOSSUS SUPREMA by BRAINBLAST
Gods of Gaia // Escape the Wonderland [November 28th, 2025 – Self Released]
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the next SepticFlesh release, Germany’s Gods of Gaia have got you covered. Founded in 2023 by Kevin Sierra Eifert, Gods of Gaia is made up of an anonymous collective from around the world, contributing to a dark, heavy, and aggressive form of symphonic metal. Their sophomore album, Escape the Wonderland, features a collection of death metal songs with plenty of orchestral arrangements that add a dramatic flair. Along with crushing riffs and thunderous blast beats, you’ll hear choral chants (“Escape the Wonderland,” “Burn for Me”), bits of piano (“What It Takes”), and plenty of cinematic symphonics. SepticFlesh is the obvious influence, but the grandiosity of Fleshgod Apocalypse flares up on cuts like the dramatic “Rise Up.” The front half is largely aggressive, with “What It Takes” taking the energy to thrash levels. The back half dials down the energy, even creeping to near doom on “Krieg in Mir,” but never pulls back on the heaviness. Cool as the symphonic elements are, the riffs, blast beats, and brutal vocal delivery are just as impressive. Make no mistake, this is melodic death metal above all else, with symphonic seasonings that elevate it a notch. Just the opposite of what the record title suggests, this is one wonderland you won’t want to escape.
Escape the Wonderland by Gods of Gaia
Grin Reaper’s Frozen Feast
Hounds of Bayanay // КЭМ [November 15, 2025 – Self Released]
Two-and-a-half years after dropping debut Legends of the North, Hounds of Bayanay returns with КЭМ to sate your eternal lust for folk metal.1 Blending heavy metal with folk instrumentation, specifically kyrympa2 and khomus,3 as well as throat singing, Hounds of Bayanay might sound like a Tengger Cavalry or The Hu knockoff, but you’ll do yourself a disservice by writing them off. Boldly enunciated, clarion cleans belt out in confident proclamations while grittier refrains and overtones resonate beneath, proffering assorted and engaging vocal stylings. Rather than dwelling overlong in strings and tribal chanting, the deft fusion of folk instruments with traditional metal defines Hounds’ sound and feels cohesively integrated on КЭМ, providing an intimate yet heavy backdrop to a hook-laden and alluringly replayable thirty-nine minutes. In addition to the eclectic folk influence, there’s a satisfying variety of songwriting from track to track, with “Ardaq,” “Cɯsqa:n,” and “Dɔʃɔrum” exemplifying the enticing synthesis of styles. More than anything else, Hounds of Bayanay embodies heart and fun, warming my chilly days with a well-executed platter of Eastern-influenced folk metal. Don’t skip this one, or the decision could hound you.
Blood Red Throne // Siltskin [December 05, 2025 – Soulseller Records]
I’m shoving up against the deadline to wedge this one in, but Blood Red Throne’s latest deserves a mention, and bulldozing is just the sort of thing you should do while listening to BRT’s brand of bludgeoning, pit-stomping romp. Back in December, the venerable Norwegian death metal act dropped twelfth album Siltskin, maintaining their prolific and consistent release schedule. In addition to their dependable output, BRT stays the course with pummeling, brutish pomp. In his coverage of Nonagon and Imperial Congregation, Doc Grier drums up comparisons to Old Man’s Child, Panzerchrist, and Hypocrisy, and while I’m not inclined to disagree on those points, I’ll add that Siltskin also harkens to Kill-era Cannibal Corpse in its slick coalition of mid-paced slammers, warp-speed blitzes, and fat ‘n’ frolicking bass. Add to that the sly, sticky melody from the likes of Sentenced’s North from Here (“Vestigial Remnants”), and you’ve got a recipe for a righteous forty-five-minute smash-a-thon. Blood Red Throne’s last few records have been among their best, which is an incredible feat for a band this far into their career. While Siltskin doesn’t surpass BRT’s high-water mark, it keeps up, and if you’re hungry for an aural beatdown, then Blood Red Throne would like to throw their crown into the ring for consideration.
Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu // Immortality [December 17, 2025 – Bang the Head Records]
I am woefully late to the charms of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu, a Japanese death metal outfit prominently featuring slap ‘n’ pop bass. Had it not been for our trusty Flippered Friend, I might have continued this grievous injustice of ignorance, but thankfully, this is not the timeline to which I’m doomed. Immortality is Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s seventh album, and those who enjoy the band’s previous work should remain satisfied. For new acolytes, Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu grasps the rabid intensity of Vader and Krisiun and imbues it with a funky edge. Meaty bass rumbles and sprightly slapped accents, provided by bassist/vocalist Haruhisa Takahata, merge with Kouki Akita’s kit obliteration to establish a thunderous, unrelenting rhythm section. Atop the lower end’s heft, Keiichi Enjouji shreds and squeals with thrashy vigor and a keen understanding of melody. First proper track “Anima Immortalis” even includes gang intonations that work so well, I wish they were more prevalent across the album. The sum total of Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu’s atmosphere is one of plucky exuberance that strikes with the force of a roundhouse kick to the dome. Had I discovered it sooner, Immortality would have qualified for a 2025 year-end honorable mention, as I haven’t been able to stop spinning it or the band’s prior releases.4 Though I’m still in the honeymoon phase, I expect this platter to live on in my listening, and recommend you not miss this GTK killer like I almost did.
Thus Spoke’s Random Revelations
The Algorithm // Recursive Infinity [November 21st, 2025 – Self Released]
I’ve been a fan of The Algorithm since the early days, back when their electronica-djent was almost twee in its experimental joy, spliced with light-hearted samples. Over the years, Rémi Gallego has tuned his flair for mesmeric, playful compositions to develop a richer, more streamlined sound. Recursive Infinity continues the recent upward trend Data Renaissance began. With riffs and rhythms the slickest since Brute Force, and melodies the brightest and most colourful since equally-prettily adorned Polymorphic Code, it’s a cyberpunk tour-de-force. The wildness is trained, chunky heaviness grounding magnetic melodies (“Race Condition,” “Mutex,” “By Design”), dense chugging transitioning seamlessly into techno (“Advanced Iteration Technique,” “Hollowing,” “Graceful Degradation), and adding bite to bubbly, candy-coloured soundscapes (“Rainbow Table,”). The skittering of breakbeats tempers synthwave (“Endless Iteration), and bright pulses wrap cascading electro-core (“Race Condition,” “Mutex”) and orchestral melodrama (“Recursive Infinity”). It’s often strongly reminiscent of some point in The Algorithm’s history, but everything is upgraded from charming to entrancing. This provides a new way to interpret Recursive Infinity: not just a reference to an endless loop in general, but to Boucle Infinie (Infinite Loop)—Remi’s other musical project—and by extension, The Algorithm themselves. Yet he is still experimenting, including vocoder vocals (“Endless Iteration,” “By Design”) for a surprisingly successful dark-Daft Punk vibe in slower, moodier moments. With nostalgic throwbacks transformed so beautifully, and the continued evolution, there’s simply no way I can ignore The Algorithm now. And neither should you.
Recursive Infinity by The Algorithm
Owlswald’s Holiday Scraps
Sun of the Suns // Entanglement [December 12th, 2025 – Scarlet Records]
Bands and labels take heed—We reserve December for two things: Listurnalia and celebrating another trip around the sun. It is not for releasing new music. Yet this blunder persists, ensuring we inevitably miss gems like Sun of the Suns’ sophomore effort, Entanglement.5 The record dropped just as the world was tuning out for the year, and it deserves much better. Building on the foundation of their 2021 debut, TIIT, the Italian trio has significantly beefed up their progressive death formula. Mixing tech-death articulation with deathcore brutality, Entanglement ensures fans of Fallujah will feel right at home with its effervescent clean melodies and crystalline textures. Francesca Paoli (Fleshgod Apocalypse) returns to provide another masterclass behind the kit with rapid-fire double-bass, blasts, and tom fills, while guitarists Marco Righetti and Ludovico Cioffi deliver cosmic shredding and radiant solos that are both technical and deliberate. While the early tracks lean into Fallujahian songcraft and Tesseract-style arpeggios, the album shines brightest late when the group largely sheds its stylistic orbit. “Please, Blackout My Eyes” pivots toward a majestic Aeternam vibe with ethereal tech-death incisiveness, while “One With the Sun” and “The Void Where Sound Ends Its Path” hit like a sledgehammer with Xenobiotic’s deathcore grooves. Though Luca Dave Scarlatti’s vocals lack differentiation, the sheer quality of the compositions carries the weight, proving Sun of the Suns are much more than mere clones.
Entanglement by Sun Of The Suns
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