#afterbirth — Public Fediverse posts

There’s a lot of weird shit floating around the metalsphere, and that includes Voidthrone’s newest addition, Dreaming Rat. The Seattle quartet has been kicking around for a decade, and in that time have released three prior platters of escalating lunacy. Without question, Dreaming Rat is Voidthrone’s most unhinged concoction to date, and a quick look at their Bandcamp credits gives prospective listeners a window into the alchemical ingredients they cook with, including Otamatone, conch shell, jaw harp, vibraslap, digeridoo, spoons, and a fretless bass. Throw in vocalist Zhenya Frolov’s deranged vocal stylings, and you’ve got yourself a bona fide manic expression of dissonant blackened death metal. With so many disparate components in Dreaming Rat’s stew, does Voidthrone soothe the savage beast or unleash a waking nightmare?

Listening to Dreaming Rat is a bit like experiencing an auditory fever dream, where disconnected fragments congeal into lurid, atonal anarchy. Voidthrone didn’t arrive at this sound overnight, though. Debut Spiritual War Tactics whipped and frothed with the restrained vitality of Krallice, and follow-up Kur added jazz-informed touches in the vein of Imperial Triumphant. Physical Degradation evolved Voidthrone’s sound, integrating more unconventional instrumentation and pushing the band’s songwriting past its comfort zone. On Dreaming Rat, Voidthrone takes the blueprint laid out on Physical Degradation and indiscriminately expands the range for strange. The result sees Frolov stretching his vocal performance into frenzied tirades, covering the gamut from Replicant’s vomitous barks to Sigh’s oddball deliveries. The instrumentation also gets exponentially wackier, as it conjures the rabid wrath of Pyrrhon along with the chaotic instincts of Afterbirth, resulting in an unpredictable romp to the end of the world.

At Dreaming Rat’s core, Voidthrone details the life and death of a solar system through bleak eras, segmenting the album into present, past, and future. The arcs are presented in that order, with each one comprised of three songs. The present describes the apex of a civilization, harnessing the promises forged upon the hopes and chaos of the past. Meanwhile, Voidthrone paints a grim outlook for the future, specifically calling out ‘an extinguished, lonely death of the physical, spiritual, and cognitive.’1 The lyrics throughout Dreaming Rat read like the demented ravings of a madman’s manifesto,2 and while I don’t think I could have divined the album’s overarching concept from them alone, reading them amplifies the bedlam Voidthrone has crafted on Dreaming Rat.

Writing music this lawless may seem haphazard, but over repeated listens, I’ve begun to glimpse the method to Dreaming Rat’s madness. Without question, everyone in Voidthrone earns their stripes. Ronald Foodsack’s guitars drench Dreaming Rat with warbling dissonance, perpetually in flux so that there’s never a riff or refrain to inhibit the music’s incessant lurch. Whether moving at frantic paces (“III-I. Surfing the Abyss”) or decelerating to a plodding crawl (“II-II. Morbid Seagull”), Ron’s six-stringed blitz never stalls. Additionally, Gavin Brooks contributes acoustic guitar and solos while manning the glorious fretless bass.3 Technical death metal has hogged the fretless bass for too long, and I’m glad Voidthrone has the stones to add it to disso metal’s tool chest. Tracks like “I-I. Bergen” and “II-I. Homeless Animal” showcase the character the instrument offers, bolstering the ever-shifting nature of Dreaming Rat. Drummer Josh Keifer grounds the band ably, locked into a supporting role that allows the other instruments to take center stage while he keeps things on the rails. Frolov’s feral vocals and the host of unconventional instruments further enrich Voidthrone’s distinctive identity, establishing what sounds like it could be the death throes of the universe.

What Voidthrone accomplishes with Dreaming Rat is fascinating and unique, and merits everyone’s attention. Sure, some songs could be trimmed to make such a scathing album a bit shorter and more palatable, and the three arcs could use some musical cues to distinguish songs thematically from one another, but Dreaming Rat is a crowning achievement for the band. Voidthrone’s psychedelic psychosis makes bold promises on paper and completely delivers in fact, and when I’m in the mood to get really weird with it, this will be the album I reach for.

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 8th, 2026

Hot on the heels of my first encounter with Alice Simard’s work (Luminesce), another notch in her roster dropped into my unsuspecting lap. Canadian brutal slam/goregrind trio Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (henceforth referred to simply as OE) spawned seven years ago from a mire of gore, and Fugue Gnawed from the Scabbed God Cerebrum marks their second full expulsion. Mere seconds after slamming that play button, viscous fluids so voluminous as to mismatch the mass of the entities that expel them flood the entirety of my being, overflowing gushingly into the surrounding environs with destructive force. The general public gazes upon this outlandishly fecund release with equal parts disgust and fascination. Despite the grotesque nature of it all, though, I can’t in good conscience call the experience unpleasurable. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Brutal in the same inhuman way as known slammers Epicardiectomy and Organectomy, absurd as a lot of material coming out of the Indonesian and Chinese scenes are, and irreverently creative enough to recall the novel songwriting of Wormhole, Artificial Brain, Unhuman, and Unfathomable Ruination, OE’s style is often a delight and moreso a challenge. Alice (who is here credited under guitars, songwriting, and drum programming), Jesse Agiomamitis (vocals, lyrics1), and the mysterious The Popu (drum programming, guitars, lyrics, songwriting, synth, vocals) shine as a collaborative team, delivering a deceptively wide variety to what is typically an extremely limited stylistic palette. All 33 minutes of Fugue fall neatly in the brutal slamgrind niche, but it’s undeniably one of the wildest executions of the style. That unhinged spirit affords the ballistic percussion a sense of immediate danger that belies its impossible technicality, the monstrously toilet-tastic vocals a sense of vibrant dynamics they absolutely should not have, and the multifaceted guitar work a kaleidoscopic personality that colors the entire record in vivid detail.

Fugue Gnawed from the Scabbed God Cerebrum by Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

However, and perhaps even as a consequence of these aforementioned traits, Fugue is a trial in music appreciation. Not for the faint of heart or the frail of ear, Fugue seems to wholly reject the idea of memorability as a virtue. Certainly, in its first half, before “Gutted & Corpsed” shocks me with an almost beautiful shift from relentless assault to thoughtful transitions and subversive intricacies, Fugue is hell-bent on punishing any listener that comes close. Gnashing with serrated teeth crowding a jaw capable of crushing diamond like Nerds candy, “Conquering Divinity” through “Entombed Within the Infinite Panopticon” bullies anyone that approaches with endless slam riffs (but fast), violent scrapes (“The Fallen Lament, Paralytikus Ascends”), fucked-up lead guitar atmospheres (“Severing What Makes Me Human,” “Apotheotic Apotemnophilia”), machine-gun blasts and double-bass abuse (“Entombed Within the Inifinite Panopticon”), and unreal spans of sustained phlegmy gutturals (name a song, any song). The addition of eerie bongs and bells adds to the sinister nature of these initial songs, but only minimally aids their memorability. Yet, they are all counterintuitively enjoyable in the same manner as discovering your first kink.

Thankfully, that first prolonged salvo of abject violence only takes 13 minutes, at which time Fugue shifts. It’s hard to expect creativity and thoughtful detailing to come into play with this kind of extreme fringe music. Undeterred by that reality, OE start integrating more purposeful dissonant flourishes, effervescent leads bordering against—but never quite crossing into—melody, and a downright airy atmosphere that together recall 50% Wormhole, 50% Afterbirth (“Heaven’s Empty Halls”). More Wormhole-isms abound in conjunction with Epicardiectomy madness and Artificial Brain-ed atmosphere as “Hurt Beyond Healing” and “Forged in the Blackest Reaches of Blasphemy” pair high-detail phrasing with terrifying brutalizations. While still escaping the realm of immediacy, memorability, or accessibility, Fugue’s second act shows OE’s greater range as songwriters in such a way as to compel me to revisit with great anticipation, enthusiastic for the deeper details I might uncover.

While far from easy to love, for any number of reasons all associated with the extreme nature of its composition and its over-the-top execution, Fugue Gnawed from the Scabbed God Cerebrum is an album of rare quality in the scene of disgusting, inhuman music. Many will balk at its cartoonish gurgle vox, its total lack of subtlety in the first phase, and the relentlessness of its dense and complex instrumentation. Those who weather that storm will discover something a bit more substantial underneath. I didn’t expect to find that substance myself, but here I am. Join me, if you think you can handle it!

Rating: Good!
DR: 42 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Stillbirth Records
Websites: officialonchocerciasis.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/OnchoOfficial
Releases Worldwide: April 3rd, 2026

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604 Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art,…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2025 #3.0 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #AU #Australia #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Entertainment #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #review #reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/35535/

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604 Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art,…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2025 #3.0 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #AU #Australia #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Entertainment #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #review #reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/35535/

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

By Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604

Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art, but they do to make great art. Denver, Colorado’s Cordyceps—whose debut EP drew acclaim from the late, great Trevor Strnad—have dug deep on their sophomore album Hell Inside and dredged up something nasty. A meditation on struggle, pain, and the time an ex-friend stabbed vocalist Rafael Gonzalez three times in the chest, Hell Inside portrays the tortured psyche by way of a metaphorical cordyceps fungus infecting and ravaging the mind. Cordyceps have done the soul searching needed for something special. But is it something special?

The title Hell Inside isn’t only a declaration of the album’s themes: it’s also an apt description. Paces shift frenziedly on “Filth” and “I Am Hate” while riffs chug and squeal on “Obliterate” and “Flock of Sheep.” Hell Inside’s guitar solos evoke Slayer with DeLorean Nero’s dive-happy antics (“Murder All,” “Flock of Sheep”) while drummer Michael Nolan commits percussion abuse with concussive and groovy octopus-handed drum fills. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Rosset brings a clicky, bludgeoning Cannibal Corpse-like tone and aggression throughout the runtime. Though death metal to the core, Hell Inside emits the occasional whiffs of thrash (“Flock of Sheep,”) doom (“Diseased Mind”), and even a little Panteraesque groove metal qualities (“I Am the Plague”) to stir up the mix. Much of Hell Inside’s appeal is that – bear with me – of deathcore, reveling in ridiculously down-tuned riffs, start-stop rhythms, and brown-note vocals. But Cordyceps isn’t beholden to deathcore’s reliance on breakdowns and instead fuels their pandemonium with a near-relentless fervor at times reminiscent of Ascended Dead’s Evenfall of the Apocalypse. Instrumentally, Hell Inside possesses the callousness of industrial machinery biting through fingers and is sure to nuke any unprepared listeners into fine assdust.1

But where Cordyceps’ vulnerability – their volatility – originates is Gonzalez’s vocals, the easy highlight of Hell Inside. He hardly sounds human, spitting wet, unhinged gurgles that at times sound like Lovecraftian squid-men (“Diseased Mind”), dying animals (“Obliterate”), Afterbirth’s Will Smith (“Regret”), and, at 2:14 in “Obliterate,” the nightmare echoes from the truck stop toilet bowl of Hell. But there’s a technicality behind Gonzalez’s vocals, too: see the obscene low notes of “Diseased Mind” or the twenty-six-second run in “Obliterate” taken in what sounds like one breath. Through it all, Gonzalez seems to muster every negative thought he’s ever had, evoking feelings of inner turmoil, misanthropy, and betrayal in manners both disturbing and cathartic. In short, Gonzalez’s vocals are the lifeblood in Cordyceps’ candidemia-ridden arteries.

The blood runs somewhat cold, however, when crafting standout moments. No song is a stinker, and runtimes never drag, but the formula of chug-chug-trem-GUUUUUURGLE dilutes eventually. While the closer “Regret” is as good as the opener “Filth” in a vacuum, it’s not as engaging forty minutes later. The band also over-employs start-stop breaks to transition between movements, which are effective on early tracks like “Filth” but become predictable with overuse. The few atmospheric bookends on Hell Inside, like the piano-closing “Suffocating,” feel superfluous. Rather than merging one novel idea with another, they just bridge one onslaught of death metal to the next. Generously, they can be seen as breaks for your ears, an unfortunate necessity given the album’s strident, undynamic mix. It’s got its memorable moments – the singular synth tone in “Diseased Mind,” Gonzalez’s declaration that he’s “GONNA BLOW [his] FUCKING BRAINS OUT” in “Murder All” and the aforementioned toilet deluge from “Obliterate” – but Cordyceps found something good on Hell Inside and perhaps did too much of it.

Hell Inside is a buckshot to the brain of visceral death goodness, an unbending divulsion into mankind’s worst tendencies. Though I don’t think it’ll draw in many who aren’t already sold on brutal death metal, its fans are sure to embrace this entry into the subgenre. Monotony issues notwithstanding, Hell Inside is a twistedly fun listen, and hopefully Cordyceps will one day take the rage and talent they brought here and turn it into something even more adventurous and memorable that’ll grow fungi in my brain. After what they did in there already, there’s room enough for a new growth.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Review Format: V0 MP3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Website: uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cordycepslv | Instagram.com/cordycepslv
Release Date: July 25, 2025

#2025 #30 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #Review #Reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

By Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604

Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art, but they do to make great art. Denver, Colorado’s Cordyceps—whose debut EP drew acclaim from the late, great Trevor Strnad—have dug deep on their sophomore album Hell Inside and dredged up something nasty. A meditation on struggle, pain, and the time an ex-friend stabbed vocalist Rafael Gonzalez three times in the chest, Hell Inside portrays the tortured psyche by way of a metaphorical cordyceps fungus infecting and ravaging the mind. Cordyceps have done the soul searching needed for something special. But is it something special?

The title Hell Inside isn’t only a declaration of the album’s themes: it’s also an apt description. Paces shift frenziedly on “Filth” and “I Am Hate” while riffs chug and squeal on “Obliterate” and “Flock of Sheep.” Hell Inside’s guitar solos evoke Slayer with DeLorean Nero’s dive-happy antics (“Murder All,” “Flock of Sheep”) while drummer Michael Nolan commits percussion abuse with concussive and groovy octopus-handed drum fills. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Rosset brings a clicky, bludgeoning Cannibal Corpse-like tone and aggression throughout the runtime. Though death metal to the core, Hell Inside emits the occasional whiffs of thrash (“Flock of Sheep,”) doom (“Diseased Mind”), and even a little Panteraesque groove metal qualities (“I Am the Plague”) to stir up the mix. Much of Hell Inside’s appeal is that – bear with me – of deathcore, reveling in ridiculously down-tuned riffs, start-stop rhythms, and brown-note vocals. But Cordyceps isn’t beholden to deathcore’s reliance on breakdowns and instead fuels their pandemonium with a near-relentless fervor at times reminiscent of Ascended Dead’s Evenfall of the Apocalypse. Instrumentally, Hell Inside possesses the callousness of industrial machinery biting through fingers and is sure to nuke any unprepared listeners into fine assdust.1

But where Cordyceps’ vulnerability – their volatility – originates is Gonzalez’s vocals, the easy highlight of Hell Inside. He hardly sounds human, spitting wet, unhinged gurgles that at times sound like Lovecraftian squid-men (“Diseased Mind”), dying animals (“Obliterate”), Afterbirth’s Will Smith (“Regret”), and, at 2:14 in “Obliterate,” the nightmare echoes from the truck stop toilet bowl of Hell. But there’s a technicality behind Gonzalez’s vocals, too: see the obscene low notes of “Diseased Mind” or the twenty-six-second run in “Obliterate” taken in what sounds like one breath. Through it all, Gonzalez seems to muster every negative thought he’s ever had, evoking feelings of inner turmoil, misanthropy, and betrayal in manners both disturbing and cathartic. In short, Gonzalez’s vocals are the lifeblood in Cordyceps’ candidemia-ridden arteries.

The blood runs somewhat cold, however, when crafting standout moments. No song is a stinker, and runtimes never drag, but the formula of chug-chug-trem-GUUUUUURGLE dilutes eventually. While the closer “Regret” is as good as the opener “Filth” in a vacuum, it’s not as engaging forty minutes later. The band also over-employs start-stop breaks to transition between movements, which are effective on early tracks like “Filth” but become predictable with overuse. The few atmospheric bookends on Hell Inside, like the piano-closing “Suffocating,” feel superfluous. Rather than merging one novel idea with another, they just bridge one onslaught of death metal to the next. Generously, they can be seen as breaks for your ears, an unfortunate necessity given the album’s strident, undynamic mix. It’s got its memorable moments – the singular synth tone in “Diseased Mind,” Gonzalez’s declaration that he’s “GONNA BLOW [his] FUCKING BRAINS OUT” in “Murder All” and the aforementioned toilet deluge from “Obliterate” – but Cordyceps found something good on Hell Inside and perhaps did too much of it.

Hell Inside is a buckshot to the brain of visceral death goodness, an unbending divulsion into mankind’s worst tendencies. Though I don’t think it’ll draw in many who aren’t already sold on brutal death metal, its fans are sure to embrace this entry into the subgenre. Monotony issues notwithstanding, Hell Inside is a twistedly fun listen, and hopefully Cordyceps will one day take the rage and talent they brought here and turn it into something even more adventurous and memorable that’ll grow fungi in my brain. After what they did in there already, there’s room enough for a new growth.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Review Format: V0 MP3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Website: uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cordycepslv | Instagram.com/cordycepslv
Release Date: July 25, 2025

#2025 #30 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #Review #Reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

By Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604

Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art, but they do to make great art. Denver, Colorado’s Cordyceps—whose debut EP drew acclaim from the late, great Trevor Strnad—have dug deep on their sophomore album Hell Inside and dredged up something nasty. A meditation on struggle, pain, and the time an ex-friend stabbed vocalist Rafael Gonzalez three times in the chest, Hell Inside portrays the tortured psyche by way of a metaphorical cordyceps fungus infecting and ravaging the mind. Cordyceps have done the soul searching needed for something special. But is it something special?

The title Hell Inside isn’t only a declaration of the album’s themes: it’s also an apt description. Paces shift frenziedly on “Filth” and “I Am Hate” while riffs chug and squeal on “Obliterate” and “Flock of Sheep.” Hell Inside’s guitar solos evoke Slayer with DeLorean Nero’s dive-happy antics (“Murder All,” “Flock of Sheep”) while drummer Michael Nolan commits percussion abuse with concussive and groovy octopus-handed drum fills. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Rosset brings a clicky, bludgeoning Cannibal Corpse-like tone and aggression throughout the runtime. Though death metal to the core, Hell Inside emits the occasional whiffs of thrash (“Flock of Sheep,”) doom (“Diseased Mind”), and even a little Panteraesque groove metal qualities (“I Am the Plague”) to stir up the mix. Much of Hell Inside’s appeal is that – bear with me – of deathcore, reveling in ridiculously down-tuned riffs, start-stop rhythms, and brown-note vocals. But Cordyceps isn’t beholden to deathcore’s reliance on breakdowns and instead fuels their pandemonium with a near-relentless fervor at times reminiscent of Ascended Dead’s Evenfall of the Apocalypse. Instrumentally, Hell Inside possesses the callousness of industrial machinery biting through fingers and is sure to nuke any unprepared listeners into fine assdust.1

But where Cordyceps’ vulnerability – their volatility – originates is Gonzalez’s vocals, the easy highlight of Hell Inside. He hardly sounds human, spitting wet, unhinged gurgles that at times sound like Lovecraftian squid-men (“Diseased Mind”), dying animals (“Obliterate”), Afterbirth’s Will Smith (“Regret”), and, at 2:14 in “Obliterate,” the nightmare echoes from the truck stop toilet bowl of Hell. But there’s a technicality behind Gonzalez’s vocals, too: see the obscene low notes of “Diseased Mind” or the twenty-six-second run in “Obliterate” taken in what sounds like one breath. Through it all, Gonzalez seems to muster every negative thought he’s ever had, evoking feelings of inner turmoil, misanthropy, and betrayal in manners both disturbing and cathartic. In short, Gonzalez’s vocals are the lifeblood in Cordyceps’ candidemia-ridden arteries.

The blood runs somewhat cold, however, when crafting standout moments. No song is a stinker, and runtimes never drag, but the formula of chug-chug-trem-GUUUUUURGLE dilutes eventually. While the closer “Regret” is as good as the opener “Filth” in a vacuum, it’s not as engaging forty minutes later. The band also over-employs start-stop breaks to transition between movements, which are effective on early tracks like “Filth” but become predictable with overuse. The few atmospheric bookends on Hell Inside, like the piano-closing “Suffocating,” feel superfluous. Rather than merging one novel idea with another, they just bridge one onslaught of death metal to the next. Generously, they can be seen as breaks for your ears, an unfortunate necessity given the album’s strident, undynamic mix. It’s got its memorable moments – the singular synth tone in “Diseased Mind,” Gonzalez’s declaration that he’s “GONNA BLOW [his] FUCKING BRAINS OUT” in “Murder All” and the aforementioned toilet deluge from “Obliterate” – but Cordyceps found something good on Hell Inside and perhaps did too much of it.

Hell Inside is a buckshot to the brain of visceral death goodness, an unbending divulsion into mankind’s worst tendencies. Though I don’t think it’ll draw in many who aren’t already sold on brutal death metal, its fans are sure to embrace this entry into the subgenre. Monotony issues notwithstanding, Hell Inside is a twistedly fun listen, and hopefully Cordyceps will one day take the rage and talent they brought here and turn it into something even more adventurous and memorable that’ll grow fungi in my brain. After what they did in there already, there’s room enough for a new growth.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Review Format: V0 MP3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Website: uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cordycepslv | Instagram.com/cordycepslv
Release Date: July 25, 2025

#2025 #30 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #Review #Reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

By Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604

Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art, but they do to make great art. Denver, Colorado’s Cordyceps—whose debut EP drew acclaim from the late, great Trevor Strnad—have dug deep on their sophomore album Hell Inside and dredged up something nasty. A meditation on struggle, pain, and the time an ex-friend stabbed vocalist Rafael Gonzalez three times in the chest, Hell Inside portrays the tortured psyche by way of a metaphorical cordyceps fungus infecting and ravaging the mind. Cordyceps have done the soul searching needed for something special. But is it something special?

The title Hell Inside isn’t only a declaration of the album’s themes: it’s also an apt description. Paces shift frenziedly on “Filth” and “I Am Hate” while riffs chug and squeal on “Obliterate” and “Flock of Sheep.” Hell Inside’s guitar solos evoke Slayer with DeLorean Nero’s dive-happy antics (“Murder All,” “Flock of Sheep”) while drummer Michael Nolan commits percussion abuse with concussive and groovy octopus-handed drum fills. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Rosset brings a clicky, bludgeoning Cannibal Corpse-like tone and aggression throughout the runtime. Though death metal to the core, Hell Inside emits the occasional whiffs of thrash (“Flock of Sheep,”) doom (“Diseased Mind”), and even a little Panteraesque groove metal qualities (“I Am the Plague”) to stir up the mix. Much of Hell Inside’s appeal is that – bear with me – of deathcore, reveling in ridiculously down-tuned riffs, start-stop rhythms, and brown-note vocals. But Cordyceps isn’t beholden to deathcore’s reliance on breakdowns and instead fuels their pandemonium with a near-relentless fervor at times reminiscent of Ascended Dead’s Evenfall of the Apocalypse. Instrumentally, Hell Inside possesses the callousness of industrial machinery biting through fingers and is sure to nuke any unprepared listeners into fine assdust.1

But where Cordyceps’ vulnerability – their volatility – originates is Gonzalez’s vocals, the easy highlight of Hell Inside. He hardly sounds human, spitting wet, unhinged gurgles that at times sound like Lovecraftian squid-men (“Diseased Mind”), dying animals (“Obliterate”), Afterbirth’s Will Smith (“Regret”), and, at 2:14 in “Obliterate,” the nightmare echoes from the truck stop toilet bowl of Hell. But there’s a technicality behind Gonzalez’s vocals, too: see the obscene low notes of “Diseased Mind” or the twenty-six-second run in “Obliterate” taken in what sounds like one breath. Through it all, Gonzalez seems to muster every negative thought he’s ever had, evoking feelings of inner turmoil, misanthropy, and betrayal in manners both disturbing and cathartic. In short, Gonzalez’s vocals are the lifeblood in Cordyceps’ candidemia-ridden arteries.

The blood runs somewhat cold, however, when crafting standout moments. No song is a stinker, and runtimes never drag, but the formula of chug-chug-trem-GUUUUUURGLE dilutes eventually. While the closer “Regret” is as good as the opener “Filth” in a vacuum, it’s not as engaging forty minutes later. The band also over-employs start-stop breaks to transition between movements, which are effective on early tracks like “Filth” but become predictable with overuse. The few atmospheric bookends on Hell Inside, like the piano-closing “Suffocating,” feel superfluous. Rather than merging one novel idea with another, they just bridge one onslaught of death metal to the next. Generously, they can be seen as breaks for your ears, an unfortunate necessity given the album’s strident, undynamic mix. It’s got its memorable moments – the singular synth tone in “Diseased Mind,” Gonzalez’s declaration that he’s “GONNA BLOW [his] FUCKING BRAINS OUT” in “Murder All” and the aforementioned toilet deluge from “Obliterate” – but Cordyceps found something good on Hell Inside and perhaps did too much of it.

Hell Inside is a buckshot to the brain of visceral death goodness, an unbending divulsion into mankind’s worst tendencies. Though I don’t think it’ll draw in many who aren’t already sold on brutal death metal, its fans are sure to embrace this entry into the subgenre. Monotony issues notwithstanding, Hell Inside is a twistedly fun listen, and hopefully Cordyceps will one day take the rage and talent they brought here and turn it into something even more adventurous and memorable that’ll grow fungi in my brain. After what they did in there already, there’s room enough for a new growth.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Review Format: V0 MP3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Website: uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cordycepslv | Instagram.com/cordycepslv
Release Date: July 25, 2025

#2025 #30 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #Review #Reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords

For #ThursDeath:

#Gigan: Erratic Pusitivity and Horror

https://song.link/kbs4qxb65b8md

#DissonantProgressiveTechnicalDeathMetal

FFO #Afterbirth #BloodIncantation #Conglaciation

One List to Debase Them All: AngryMetal Guy.com’s Aggregated Top 20 of 2023

By El Cuervo

This aggregation exercise represents my favorite article of the year. I enjoy identifying and highlighting those chosen few records worthy of additional recognition. But most of all I enjoy the sense of power derived from early access to other writers’ list data without the obligations flowing from being an editor. To my satisfaction, this list represents a diverse mix compared with certain previous years. Much ground is covered, from myriad metal sub-genres (death, black, doom, prog) to myriad tones (energetic, strange, historical, sadboi). I enjoy the variety, even if I don’t the specific choices. That said, we’re not helping our own argument against accusations that we despise all power and folk metal – with just one album from both sub-genres in the top 20 and an abundance selected by just a couple of people below this.

The most critical observation is that, compared with 2022, there are ~20% fewer unique records and voting points attributable to the top 10 albums is ~10% higher. This indicates greater alignment this year, with fewer albums chosen and stronger communal favorites. No doubt this is attributable to our loss of individuality and gradual morphing into one awful hivemind.

In a last ditch effort to save my own reputation at the cost of my colleagues, I want to emphasize that I personally had a distinct deviation from this aggregated list. As orchestrator of this article with early access to the data, I did attempt to identify why it was that some of these albums apparently had an impact on everyone else. The only conclusion I can draw following these attempts is that my faceless colleagues seek the average. They should try harder to be deliberately contrary next year; I expect that they’ll maliciously comply by picking the same 20 albums 20 times just to spite me.

–El Cuervo

#20. Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – “While Crypta is still fetid, OSDM adherents, Shades of Sorrow also amps both the black and thrash influences, resulting in a compelling sophomore effort that packs a significant, unforgettable punch” (Felagund).

#19. Onheil // In Black Ashes – “In Black Ashes is melodic black/death/speed/thrash at its finest. Onheil’s mastery of melody and songwriting elevates In Black Ashes into the stratosphere. Every track is a winner, and Onheil strikes an impossible balance between enthralling riffs and emotional heft” (Maddog).

#18. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – “There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point” (Kenstrosity).

#17. Somnuri // Desiderirum – “The addition of (Soundgarden-esque) throwback radio alt-rock into their roiling pot of hardcore and progressive sludge makes Desiderium these Brooklynites’ strongest outing to date. It’s rare that an album this aggressive and energetic goes down this smooth” (Cherd).

#16. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – “Warcrab boasts fighting spirit, sharp claws, and a crustacean shell that’s fitted for turret combat. They’re obviously game for a scrap, but–as Cherd pointed out in his review–the band doesn’t have much competition in their death-sludge niche” (Ferox).

#15. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – “With heavy doses of classic Candlemass and moments that recall the grim haunts of Fvneral Fvkk, Weight of Remembrance does so many things exceptionally well. There’s nothing I would change or trim on Weight of Remembrance, and if anything, I wish it was a little longer. Doom perfection” (Steel Druhm).

#14. Panopticon // The Rime of Memory – “Panopticon—particularly on more recent records—seems to have a unique ability to tug on my heartstrings and to blend the most ferocious of black metal with the most serene and evocative Appalachian folk. The Rime of Memory more than matched my lofty hopes” (Thus Spoke).

#13. Godthrymm // Distortions – “With meaty riffs, soaring leads, a fantastic rhythm section, and keyboardist Catherine Glencross’ angelic voice, this classic-doom-meets-classic-Pallbearer configuration landed my top spot as soon as I finished listening to it for the first time” (Grymm).

#12. Saturnus // The Storm Within – “The opening tracks comprise the best one-two punch of the year, while the back half of the album feels like an unraveling and stripping down. The Storm Within is a magnificently monolithic and aptly dreary return to form from Saturnus” (Dear Hollow).

#11. Night Crowned // Tales – “The intense blasting and no-holds-barred shrieking always hold a melodic thread that makes it more than a wall of noise, whether it be from extra vocal layers, subtly interweaved symphonics, or a goddamn hurdy-gurdy that works way better than it should” (GardensTale).

#10. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – [#1, #2, #8, #8, #9, #HM, #HM, #HM, #HM] – Miracle of Death earns the dubious honor of winning more list mentions than the six records ahead of it, but only reaches this tenth spot due to generally low rankings. Undeterred, Steel Druhm highlights the band’s unusual combination of sounds, describing a “strange witch’s brew of genres and styles that is unique and enchanting… It’s doom, it’s goth rock, it’s 70s acid rock all wrapped into one enigmatic, ethereal burrito.” Despite the allusion to hot food, Twelve instead reckons that the album “takes me to a cold place. It’s emotional, but it feels like numbness; it’s quiet, but leaves a huge impression… any time I’ve felt low throughout the year, Vanishing Kids has been there.” This sense of something beyond easy description is mirrored by Carcharodon, who argues that the band “have that very rare something, that je ne sais quoi…. to create something truly unique requires genuine craft and these guys have it in spades.” Check out metal’s innovators.

#9. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – [#1, #4, #6, #7, #8, #ish, #HM, #HM] – Serving arguably the heaviest slot on this list1, Convocation and No Dawn for the Caliginous Night offered a mighty force of doom in 2023. Dear Hollow illustrates the heavier qualities of the release (“No Dawn for the Caliginous Night channels mammoth death-doom and despondent funeral doom to accomplish a weight both viciously devastating and patiently atmospheric”) while Kenstrosity instead prefers the counter-weight of both sides of the sound (“[their] deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of [their] tectonic death doom strives to end my life”). Bands like this remind us of our humanity and our finite nature; few records could be pitched as “a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels” but Convocation does this as Cherd‘s AotY. Step back, breathe deeply, and simply listen. No Dawn for the Caliginous Night exists in these moments.

#8. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – [#1, #1, #2, #3] – Inspiring a deep love among its few accolytes, Afterbirth reached this list through just a few list-topping selections. In But Not Of offers brutal death metal that isn’t just smart compared with its own – often blunt – sub-genre, but that is smart compared with anything. “For a band that traffics in slammy, knuckle-dragging brutal death, In But Not Of carries with it an undeniable progressive, cerebral quality, which feels like a logical outgrowth from their previous effort” (Felagund). Indeed, Doom et Al finds its progressive qualities its most compelling, describing that “while the first half of brutal, spacy, wacky death metal is great, the second half, with its explorations into post-metal and prog is where real greatness happens”. Nuanced, layered music invites exploration, and even our resident death metal enthusiasts concur: “Afterbirth crams an abundance of riches into a brutal death metal album that twists and transmutes… I continue to find surprises almost every time I revisit In But Not Of” (Ferox). This album exemplifies the power of invention and intrigue.

#7. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #9] – Boasting AMG.com’s prog o’ the year award, Of Golden Verse by Sermon is the sole album here also picked by yours truly. I found that “Sermon’s undulating song-writing style results in music that ebbs from steely, tense atmospheres and flows to passionate, cathartic explosions. Dramatic, sure. But exciting.” Saunders, awarding his album o’ the year, favors the record’s singularity, given that “Sermon boasts a unique sound they can call their own, where dark, eerie and deadly serious vibes and almost melodramatic flair flows through towering, intelligent, and emotive prog metal epics.” But even more than its dynamic songs and novelty, GardensTale underlines the most beguiling quality of Of Golden Verse: “What attracts me the most is the sense of threat. Sermon looms a great dark ominous wall that swallows the background and casts everything in shade. For an album to hold its breath even while beating you down is exquisite.” Few records are so powerful.

#6. Xoth // Exogalactic – [#1, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #ish] – The first of three techy, deathy albums in a row, Exogalactic by Xoth consolidates the band as a bona fide site favorite. “Xoth’s brand of technical blackened death-thrash is a sci-fi spectacle. Exogalactic’s futuristic riffs, twisting melodies, and narrative arcs make it feel like reptilian aliens are indeed enslaving humans as gladiators… Every time I listen to Exogalactic, I can’t help but grin” (Maddog). More than simple smiles, Dr. Wvrm never hides his arousal around riffs. Of Exogalactic, he describes it as “prostrate before that holiest of holy, The Riff. So of course, the end product [is] impeccable, incredible, impossibly fucking good.” AMG Himself delights in “the consistently best thrashy melodic death metal this world has heard since the early-90s” and continues that “Xoth has started to cement themselves as one of my favorite bands.” This entire website has flown from His opinions so take heed; buy Xoth now.

#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – [#2, #4, #5, #5, #5, #9, #ish, #HM] – It takes a special kind of slam to breach the AMG aggregated list but Wormhole is a special sort of band. Having banged his drum about Almost Human almost all year, Kenstrosity surprisingly failed to AotY this album. But in doing so he was highly complimentary, noting that “Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive.” Emphasizing the record’s heavier qualities, the ever-eloquent Saunders describes the release as a “visceral, ridiculously heavy, sci-fi-themed tech-slam assault.” And while we rightly review albums in their entirety rather than song-by-song, Dolphin Whisperer “repeatedly binged those first two singles as if they were a whole album to themselves.” It’s hard to deny songs so heavy but so gripping.2

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #5, #7, #ish] – Visions of Infinihility offered some of 2023’s meatiest death metal. Angry Metal Guy was emphatic in His summary, penning that “the term tour de force was coined to describe albums like Visions of Infinihility. Sometimes an album simply rules and your record o’ the year choice is uncomplicated. Carnosus’ sophomore album is such an album.” As if this statement was insufficient, I’ll rely on Cherd to describe the thing: “a tech-death barn burner… tight, vicious, and catchy, this record also features [one of the] best harsh vocal performance of the year.”3 Some people – including me – are nonplussed by tech death, but Ferox has us poor bastards covered too: “every one of the nine tracks on Visions of Infinihility stands up to heavy listening… It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing four thousand dollar headphones or a bullet belt. Visions of Infinihility should appeal to wonks, diehards, and metalheads all across the spectrum.” You heard the man.

#3. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – [#1, #2, #2, #6, #8, #8, #8, #10, #HM] – Sporting 2023’s shitty band name o’ the year, Sodomisery pulled no punches with their new record called Mazzaroth. Dr A.N. Grier describes how “with Mazzaroth came a new approach, emphasizing the black, death, and melodeath with massive orchestration atmospheres.” Its size warranted comment from other writers too; Twelve highlights “the vocal performance, the orchestrations, the songwriting—everything on Mazzaroth is top-tier, larger-than-life, incredible black metal.” More than anything, great music orbits around great song-writing and nowhere is that more apparent than with Sodomisery. Winning his favorite record of the year, newbie Iceberg commends this aspect. “The 36 minutes of Mazzaroth are as lean and mean as you can get… In the age of endless bloat, Sodomisery sharpen their knives and kill all their babies Spartan-style, leaving only razor-sharp riffing and inescapable songwriting in their wake.” You heard it here first; these Swedes killed their babies in pursuit of The Riff.

#2. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – [#1, #3, #3, #4, #4, #5, #5, #7, #10] – Residing in the top half of 7 lists, Air Not Meant for Us represented the best of 2023’s death and doom metal. Grymm compares these Connecticutens to sadboi legends, articulating that “Fires in the Distance took what makes Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum and added their own unique embellishments to create a truly captivating album.” Thus Spoke highlights its “distinctive form of ethereal, key-accented melodeath/doom”, but favors most how it’s “elegantly composed, stirring, and effortlessly graceful.” She wasn’t the only person to bond with this record. Doom et Al agreed that there are clear influences but still bestowed his top prize: “It isn’t particularly original, but I don’t care. Art is about the connection it forges with the person engaging with it, and I feel every note of Air Not Meant for Us in my marrow. There’s a longing and a beauty here that I connected with immediately.” Who am I – and who are you – to deny his emotions?

#1. Wayfarer // American Gothic – [#1, #1, #2, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #6, #7, #7, #7] – With 12 main list picks, 7 top 5s and 2 AotYs, there was little doubt that Wayfarer would take the aggregated top spot for 2023. Carcharodon posits that while its predecessor may have been “close to fulfilling the promise of their Wild West black metal, American Gothic is the album where everything that Wayfarer has struggled to bring together for years finally clicked into place.” Why is this? Awarding his AotY, Sentynel attributes it to “utterly seamless” genre blending. “This is the best of bleak country painted with the instrumentation of black metal. Electric guitars pick up melody lines from banjos with a twang. Distorted slide guitars get that pedal steel feeling. There’s even a honky-tonk piano.” Lesser bands have gimmicks; Wayfarer’s central synthesis is essential. “Black metal should not go well with the Old West. Wayfarer crafted not only their best album to date, but also an absorbing, engrossing classic that begs to be absorbed in full with your complete, utmost attention” (Grymm). If you miss this, we’ll see you at dawn. With pistols.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AngryMetalGuySTop10Ish_ #Ascension #BlogPosts #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #Godthrymm #Lists #Listurnalia #NightCrowned #Onheil #Panopticon #Saturnus #Sermon #Sodomisery #Somnuri #Tribunal #VanishingKids #Warcrab #Wayfarer #Wormhole #Xoth

One List to Debase Them All: AngryMetal Guy.com’s Aggregated Top 20 of 2023

By El Cuervo

This aggregation exercise represents my favorite article of the year. I enjoy identifying and highlighting those chosen few records worthy of additional recognition. But most of all I enjoy the sense of power derived from early access to other writers’ list data without the obligations flowing from being an editor. To my satisfaction, this list represents a diverse mix compared with certain previous years. Much ground is covered, from myriad metal sub-genres (death, black, doom, prog) to myriad tones (energetic, strange, historical, sadboi). I enjoy the variety, even if I don’t the specific choices. That said, we’re not helping our own argument against accusations that we despise all power and folk metal – with just one album from both sub-genres in the top 20 and an abundance selected by just a couple of people below this.

The most critical observation is that, compared with 2022, there are ~20% fewer unique records and voting points attributable to the top 10 albums is ~10% higher. This indicates greater alignment this year, with fewer albums chosen and stronger communal favorites. No doubt this is attributable to our loss of individuality and gradual morphing into one awful hivemind.

In a last ditch effort to save my own reputation at the cost of my colleagues, I want to emphasize that I personally had a distinct deviation from this aggregated list. As orchestrator of this article with early access to the data, I did attempt to identify why it was that some of these albums apparently had an impact on everyone else. The only conclusion I can draw following these attempts is that my faceless colleagues seek the average. They should try harder to be deliberately contrary next year; I expect that they’ll maliciously comply by picking the same 20 albums 20 times just to spite me.

–El Cuervo

#20. Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – “While Crypta is still fetid, OSDM adherents, Shades of Sorrow also amps both the black and thrash influences, resulting in a compelling sophomore effort that packs a significant, unforgettable punch” (Felagund).

#19. Onheil // In Black Ashes – “In Black Ashes is melodic black/death/speed/thrash at its finest. Onheil’s mastery of melody and songwriting elevates In Black Ashes into the stratosphere. Every track is a winner, and Onheil strikes an impossible balance between enthralling riffs and emotional heft” (Maddog).

#18. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – “There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point” (Kenstrosity).

#17. Somnuri // Desiderirum – “The addition of (Soundgarden-esque) throwback radio alt-rock into their roiling pot of hardcore and progressive sludge makes Desiderium these Brooklynites’ strongest outing to date. It’s rare that an album this aggressive and energetic goes down this smooth” (Cherd).

#16. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – “Warcrab boasts fighting spirit, sharp claws, and a crustacean shell that’s fitted for turret combat. They’re obviously game for a scrap, but–as Cherd pointed out in his review–the band doesn’t have much competition in their death-sludge niche” (Ferox).

#15. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – “With heavy doses of classic Candlemass and moments that recall the grim haunts of Fvneral Fvkk, Weight of Remembrance does so many things exceptionally well. There’s nothing I would change or trim on Weight of Remembrance, and if anything, I wish it was a little longer. Doom perfection” (Steel Druhm).

#14. Panopticon // The Rime of Memory – “Panopticon—particularly on more recent records—seems to have a unique ability to tug on my heartstrings and to blend the most ferocious of black metal with the most serene and evocative Appalachian folk. The Rime of Memory more than matched my lofty hopes” (Thus Spoke).

#13. Godthrymm // Distortions – “With meaty riffs, soaring leads, a fantastic rhythm section, and keyboardist Catherine Glencross’ angelic voice, this classic-doom-meets-classic-Pallbearer configuration landed my top spot as soon as I finished listening to it for the first time” (Grymm).

#12. Saturnus // The Storm Within – “The opening tracks comprise the best one-two punch of the year, while the back half of the album feels like an unraveling and stripping down. The Storm Within is a magnificently monolithic and aptly dreary return to form from Saturnus” (Dear Hollow).

#11. Night Crowned // Tales – “The intense blasting and no-holds-barred shrieking always hold a melodic thread that makes it more than a wall of noise, whether it be from extra vocal layers, subtly interweaved symphonics, or a goddamn hurdy-gurdy that works way better than it should” (GardensTale).

#10. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – [#1, #2, #8, #8, #9, #HM, #HM, #HM, #HM] – Miracle of Death earns the dubious honor of winning more list mentions than the six records ahead of it, but only reaches this tenth spot due to generally low rankings. Undeterred, Steel Druhm highlights the band’s unusual combination of sounds, describing a “strange witch’s brew of genres and styles that is unique and enchanting… It’s doom, it’s goth rock, it’s 70s acid rock all wrapped into one enigmatic, ethereal burrito.” Despite the allusion to hot food, Twelve instead reckons that the album “takes me to a cold place. It’s emotional, but it feels like numbness; it’s quiet, but leaves a huge impression… any time I’ve felt low throughout the year, Vanishing Kids has been there.” This sense of something beyond easy description is mirrored by Carcharodon, who argues that the band “have that very rare something, that je ne sais quoi…. to create something truly unique requires genuine craft and these guys have it in spades.” Check out metal’s innovators.

#9. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – [#1, #4, #6, #7, #8, #ish, #HM, #HM] – Serving arguably the heaviest slot on this list1, Convocation and No Dawn for the Caliginous Night offered a mighty force of doom in 2023. Dear Hollow illustrates the heavier qualities of the release (“No Dawn for the Caliginous Night channels mammoth death-doom and despondent funeral doom to accomplish a weight both viciously devastating and patiently atmospheric”) while Kenstrosity instead prefers the counter-weight of both sides of the sound (“[their] deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of [their] tectonic death doom strives to end my life”). Bands like this remind us of our humanity and our finite nature; few records could be pitched as “a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels” but Convocation does this as Cherd‘s AotY. Step back, breathe deeply, and simply listen. No Dawn for the Caliginous Night exists in these moments.

#8. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – [#1, #1, #2, #3] – Inspiring a deep love among its few accolytes, Afterbirth reached this list through just a few list-topping selections. In But Not Of offers brutal death metal that isn’t just smart compared with its own – often blunt – sub-genre, but that is smart compared with anything. “For a band that traffics in slammy, knuckle-dragging brutal death, In But Not Of carries with it an undeniable progressive, cerebral quality, which feels like a logical outgrowth from their previous effort” (Felagund). Indeed, Doom et Al finds its progressive qualities its most compelling, describing that “while the first half of brutal, spacy, wacky death metal is great, the second half, with its explorations into post-metal and prog is where real greatness happens”. Nuanced, layered music invites exploration, and even our resident death metal enthusiasts concur: “Afterbirth crams an abundance of riches into a brutal death metal album that twists and transmutes… I continue to find surprises almost every time I revisit In But Not Of” (Ferox). This album exemplifies the power of invention and intrigue.

#7. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #9] – Boasting AMG.com’s prog o’ the year award, Of Golden Verse by Sermon is the sole album here also picked by yours truly. I found that “Sermon’s undulating song-writing style results in music that ebbs from steely, tense atmospheres and flows to passionate, cathartic explosions. Dramatic, sure. But exciting.” Saunders, awarding his album o’ the year, favors the record’s singularity, given that “Sermon boasts a unique sound they can call their own, where dark, eerie and deadly serious vibes and almost melodramatic flair flows through towering, intelligent, and emotive prog metal epics.” But even more than its dynamic songs and novelty, GardensTale underlines the most beguiling quality of Of Golden Verse: “What attracts me the most is the sense of threat. Sermon looms a great dark ominous wall that swallows the background and casts everything in shade. For an album to hold its breath even while beating you down is exquisite.” Few records are so powerful.

#6. Xoth // Exogalactic – [#1, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #ish] – The first of three techy, deathy albums in a row, Exogalactic by Xoth consolidates the band as a bona fide site favorite. “Xoth’s brand of technical blackened death-thrash is a sci-fi spectacle. Exogalactic’s futuristic riffs, twisting melodies, and narrative arcs make it feel like reptilian aliens are indeed enslaving humans as gladiators… Every time I listen to Exogalactic, I can’t help but grin” (Maddog). More than simple smiles, Dr. Wvrm never hides his arousal around riffs. Of Exogalactic, he describes it as “prostrate before that holiest of holy, The Riff. So of course, the end product [is] impeccable, incredible, impossibly fucking good.” AMG Himself delights in “the consistently best thrashy melodic death metal this world has heard since the early-90s” and continues that “Xoth has started to cement themselves as one of my favorite bands.” This entire website has flown from His opinions so take heed; buy Xoth now.

#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – [#2, #4, #5, #5, #5, #9, #ish, #HM] – It takes a special kind of slam to breach the AMG aggregated list but Wormhole is a special sort of band. Having banged his drum about Almost Human almost all year, Kenstrosity surprisingly failed to AotY this album. But in doing so he was highly complimentary, noting that “Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive.” Emphasizing the record’s heavier qualities, the ever-eloquent Saunders describes the release as a “visceral, ridiculously heavy, sci-fi-themed tech-slam assault.” And while we rightly review albums in their entirety rather than song-by-song, Dolphin Whisperer “repeatedly binged those first two singles as if they were a whole album to themselves.” It’s hard to deny songs so heavy but so gripping.2

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #5, #7, #ish] – Visions of Infinihility offered some of 2023’s meatiest death metal. Angry Metal Guy was emphatic in His summary, penning that “the term tour de force was coined to describe albums like Visions of Infinihility. Sometimes an album simply rules and your record o’ the year choice is uncomplicated. Carnosus’ sophomore album is such an album.” As if this statement was insufficient, I’ll rely on Cherd to describe the thing: “a tech-death barn burner… tight, vicious, and catchy, this record also features [one of the] best harsh vocal performance of the year.”3 Some people – including me – are nonplussed by tech death, but Ferox has us poor bastards covered too: “every one of the nine tracks on Visions of Infinihility stands up to heavy listening… It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing four thousand dollar headphones or a bullet belt. Visions of Infinihility should appeal to wonks, diehards, and metalheads all across the spectrum.” You heard the man.

#3. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – [#1, #2, #2, #6, #8, #8, #8, #10, #HM] – Sporting 2023’s shitty band name o’ the year, Sodomisery pulled no punches with their new record called Mazzaroth. Dr A.N. Grier describes how “with Mazzaroth came a new approach, emphasizing the black, death, and melodeath with massive orchestration atmospheres.” Its size warranted comment from other writers too; Twelve highlights “the vocal performance, the orchestrations, the songwriting—everything on Mazzaroth is top-tier, larger-than-life, incredible black metal.” More than anything, great music orbits around great song-writing and nowhere is that more apparent than with Sodomisery. Winning his favorite record of the year, newbie Iceberg commends this aspect. “The 36 minutes of Mazzaroth are as lean and mean as you can get… In the age of endless bloat, Sodomisery sharpen their knives and kill all their babies Spartan-style, leaving only razor-sharp riffing and inescapable songwriting in their wake.” You heard it here first; these Swedes killed their babies in pursuit of The Riff.

#2. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – [#1, #3, #3, #4, #4, #5, #5, #7, #10] – Residing in the top half of 7 lists, Air Not Meant for Us represented the best of 2023’s death and doom metal. Grymm compares these Connecticutens to sadboi legends, articulating that “Fires in the Distance took what makes Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum and added their own unique embellishments to create a truly captivating album.” Thus Spoke highlights its “distinctive form of ethereal, key-accented melodeath/doom”, but favors most how it’s “elegantly composed, stirring, and effortlessly graceful.” She wasn’t the only person to bond with this record. Doom et Al agreed that there are clear influences but still bestowed his top prize: “It isn’t particularly original, but I don’t care. Art is about the connection it forges with the person engaging with it, and I feel every note of Air Not Meant for Us in my marrow. There’s a longing and a beauty here that I connected with immediately.” Who am I – and who are you – to deny his emotions?

#1. Wayfarer // American Gothic – [#1, #1, #2, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #6, #7, #7, #7] – With 12 main list picks, 7 top 5s and 2 AotYs, there was little doubt that Wayfarer would take the aggregated top spot for 2023. Carcharodon posits that while its predecessor may have been “close to fulfilling the promise of their Wild West black metal, American Gothic is the album where everything that Wayfarer has struggled to bring together for years finally clicked into place.” Why is this? Awarding his AotY, Sentynel attributes it to “utterly seamless” genre blending. “This is the best of bleak country painted with the instrumentation of black metal. Electric guitars pick up melody lines from banjos with a twang. Distorted slide guitars get that pedal steel feeling. There’s even a honky-tonk piano.” Lesser bands have gimmicks; Wayfarer’s central synthesis is essential. “Black metal should not go well with the Old West. Wayfarer crafted not only their best album to date, but also an absorbing, engrossing classic that begs to be absorbed in full with your complete, utmost attention” (Grymm). If you miss this, we’ll see you at dawn. With pistols.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AngryMetalGuySTop10Ish_ #Ascension #BlogPosts #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #Godthrymm #Lists #Listurnalia #NightCrowned #Onheil #Panopticon #Saturnus #Sermon #Sodomisery #Somnuri #Tribunal #VanishingKids #Warcrab #Wayfarer #Wormhole #Xoth

Saunders and Felagund’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Saunders

They weren’t shitting, time really does fly. Another year is done and dusted and it’s time to assemble our respective takes on the music that mattered in 2023. How a year in heavy music stacks up is of course subjective and often genre and taste-dependent. Overall, I found 2023 to be a solid year for metal, without standing out as one of the humongously awesome years in recent memory. Nevertheless, most death metal fans would be satisfied with the smorgasbord of quality releases that flooded the airwaves. It was particularly cool to hear so many classy veteran acts still going strong, with a slew of solid to borderline great albums from the esteemed likes of Dying Fetus, Vomitory, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, and Autopsy. Outside of death realms, Enslaved also released their most noteworthy album in a number of years. A couple of list-wrecking behemoths popped up late, Phobocosm and Convocation, with not enough time afforded to fully absorb and appreciate. Xoth, Sulphur Aeon, and Warcrab rolled out quality albums late in the year without quite breaking into list territory. The latter two in particular were steps down from their immediate predecessors. While on the nostalgia front, the old-school melodeath charms of Omnicidal and Majesties warmed the heart.

Highlights? Well, the aforementioned brigade representing old school, classic death metal, and longevity stood out, while being able to contribute to ranking pieces for two long-time favorites in Dying Fetus and Suffocation were treasured writing experiences. By contrast, 2023 also threw up some tremendous releases from less-established death metal acts and young gun outfits, including a handful of show-stopping debut albums (Bloodgutter, Fabricant, Begravement, Rotpit). It also never ceases to amaze the growth and strength of AMG.com year to year. Approaching a decade of service to the blog, I tend to get sentimental and nostalgic at this time of year, and still being a part of the AMG crew, albeit from the far away corners of Australia, is an endlessly awesome privilege, especially when surrounded by the talented folk that write alongside me.

Cheers to everyone who frequents these pages and helps contribute to the best online metal community going ’round, and special thanks to Steel, Angry Metal Guy, Madam X, Doc Grier, the tech wizardry of Sentynel, and all the other higher-ups and editors for their tireless behind the scenes work and smooth, authoritative running of this mighty blog. All the best for a safe, happy, and healthy 2024.

#ish: Godthrymm // Distortions – In the odd occasion I sought out a doom fix in 2023, invariably Godthrymm’s epic second LP Distortions delivered the goods. I only recall giving their debut a cursory listen. However, Distortions gripped me from the outset and drifted in and out of rotation since its release when the mood struck for some melancholic, muscular, and gorgeously crafted doom that packed serious heft on both a sonic and emotional level. The My Dying Bride pedigree always held the band in good stead, yet it is how Godthrymm embraces their classic roots while spinning modern elements and fresh ideas into their brooding template that raises the bar. Yeah perhaps a few minutes could have been trimmed from the final package, with some minor bloat, but the strikingly powerful guitar work, earworm melodies, and towering, multi-faceted vocal performance crushes any minor gripes on length.

#10. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – Every now and again the good olde Doc Grier and I’s tastes overlap. With the shared appreciation and dabbling in the progressive/post-metal waters of The Ocean, the quirky underground charms of Son of Sam, and rejuvenated veterans Green Carnation’s triumphant comeback album from 2020 most recently come to mind. Sodomisery, and their second album Mazzaroth, was exactly the palette-cleansing blackened storm I needed in 2023. The unheralded Swedish act expertly weaves icy melodic black, galloping melodeath, bleak atmospheres and tastefully presented orchestration into epic, catchy, fist-pumping tunes. Subtle shifts and striking dynamics highlight an album bursting with vicious, throat-grabbing hooks, ripping aggression and at least in nostalgia and melancholic tone, the quieter, clean passages remind me of early Opeth. You get the feeling the best is yet to come, however, Sodomisery has firmly grabbed my attention and banged out a helluva album.

#9. Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – For whatever reason, Outer Heaven’s 2018 debut Realms of Eternity didn’t do a whole lot for me. It certainly resided in my wheelhouse but failed to gain traction at the time. Perhaps I need to revisit, as their long in the works, conceptual sophomore album, Infinite Psychic Depths, took me by storm from the get-go. Infinite Psychic Depths hooked me in and has kept me coming back for more. I particularly enjoy how the band straddles influences and eras across the death spectrum, all while cultivating a distinctive sound their own. There’s an ugly old-school vibe, residing next to the band’s modern inclinations and exploratory, experimental angle. Meanwhile, technical firepower under the hood and sick, guttural brutality offer plenty to keep the brutal death and tech fiends happy. However, Infinite Psychic Depths is neatly grounded by the bevy of excellent riffs, brain-melting solos, and nasty, viscous grooves. There are aspects of the production I don’t love, while the length is a little overdone, but these nitpicks fail to bring down one of death metal’s powerhouse releases of 2023.

#8. Bloodgutter // Death Mountain – There were a number of impressive death metal debuts in 2023, however, it was the ultra-chunky debut from Danish heavy hitters Bloodgutter that warranted much attention and stayed in heavy rotation from its middle-of-the-year release. There were more brutal, heavier, technical, and ultimately better death platters to indulge in throughout 2023, but few stirred up the adrenaline, brought the fun factor, and kept the head banging as frequently as Death Mountain. Boasting one of the year’s best and heaviest guitar tones, Death Mountain is a blast of no-frills old-school brawn with a hefty modern crunch. The songs are uncomplicated but well-constructed, tightly played, and possess a thick, catchy streak that has kept me clambering back for more on a regular basis. Featuring a member of underrated Danish bruisers Dawn of Demise, Bloodgutter brings a similarly rib-shattering intensity and keen sense of violent, swaggering groove and riffcraft to the table. Such an exciting and consistent debut bodes well for a bright future.

#7. Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – It is no secret to anyone who has frequented these pages over the years that Horrendous are a big fucking deal to me. The old-school progressive death heavyweights have done little wrong over the past decade or so, smashing out a string of triumphant platters with nostalgic nods to the past, and a boot firmly planted in forward-thinking and innovative territories. Following their longest recording break thus far, Horrendous finally returned with their fifth LP, Ontological Mysterium. Despite unreasonable expectations and the album taking a few extra listens to fully unveil its greatness, make no mistake, Horrendous once again proved themselves masters of the modern prog-death craft. Listeners not fully on board with the band’s increased proggy bent, will likely take issue, but Horrendous have long been on the progressive path and the balance is still deftly handled, with the deathlier aspects remaining prominent, carrying the torch of later era Death. Throw in the best production in the business and you have yet another spectacular addition to an increasingly essential discography.

#6. Mutoid Man // Mutants – Mutoid Man is an absolute personal favorite of mine and their music never fails to excite, energize and provide bucketloads of endlessly wacky fun. After a lengthy wait, third LP Mutants finally arrived and largely met high expectations. Back in 2017 War Moans made a huge impact on me, while also helping navigate tough times, so it’s an album I hold in especially high regard. Mutants may not exceed or quite match the front-to-back awesomeness of its predecessor, but it’s a top-notch album in its own right. Continuing to blur lines between rock, metal, punk, math, hardcore, and everything in between, Mutants offered a more measured, melodic batch of slick, uber fun tunes, without watering down their zany characteristics. Despite being a less wild ride than its predecessor, Mutants still manages to surprise and delight, even throwing down a couple of nastier, discordant ditties recalling the spastic turns of their early days. The replay factor has remained strong, and when seeking something sharp, fun, and laden with infectious riffs and juicy hooks, Mutoid Man delivered again and again, being the ultimate pick-me-up album of 2023.

#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – Along with Afterbirth, Baltimore’s Wormhole paved the way for what slam can be in 2023. Following a different but equally appealing trajectory, Wormhole took all that was great about their previous releases and enhanced all aspects of their visceral, ridiculously heavy, sci-fi-themed tech-slam assault. As much as I enjoyed its predecessor, 2020’s The Weakest Among Us, the songwriting consistency, quality, and replayability elevates Almost Human to more elite, essential realms. The production and musicianship are top-shelf, but beyond the sonic attributes and technical showmanship reside a batch of killer songs that remain unrelentingly brutal, slammy, yet oddly accessible, memorable, and intelligently crafted for the style. Throw in the almost EP territory album length, and you’re left with one of the most compact, deadly efficient, and catchy slam albums in recent memory. Wormhole makes every song count and cycling through favorites is an ever-shifting task, though such addictive, devastating gems like “Elysiism,” “Spine Shattering High-Velocity Impact,” and monstrous “Delta Labs” are fine advertisements to an unforgettable brutal tech-slam experience.

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – Considering its early year release, Visions of Infinihility has impressively stayed in and around regular rotation, the depth of its quality creeping in through its persistent presence, razor-sharp hooks, and technical supremacy. French vets Gorod also released a cool tech-death platter, however, it was this unheralded Swedish act that stole the show. Carnosus ensures their tight, techy attacks don’t forget to have fun. The songs are melodic, thrashy, chock full of interesting twists and tasty hooks, yet still boasts a brutal edge and tons of groove. Although the five-piece line-up impresses with their supreme technical skills across the board, the real wildcard is vocalist Jonatan Karasiak. His diverse and charismatic vocals add a further layer of intrigue and versatility, effortlessly shifting tones from high-pitched blackened rasps and screams to deeper, more guttural fare, occasionally bringing to mind the sadly departed Trevor Strnad. It all makes for a delightfully acrobatic, crunchy, and explosive album experience.

#3. Somnuri // Desiderium – The surprise packet of the year. Initially, I missed Cherd‘s enthusiastic review of this New York band’s second LP, Desiderium. However, once I eventually clued in, Somnuri proceeded to blow me away with their potent hybrid and hook-laden blend of hardcore, sludge, and ’90s-inspired alt/grunge rock. Ever since I have been hopelessly hooked in what has become one of the year’s most addictive albums. Somnuri never skimps on the vicious hardcore bite meets sludgy heft, and the way they juggle these aspects with the earworm clean vocal hooks and ’90s influence is a thing of songwriting beauty. Desiderium is an album of wall-to-wall bangers and nary a sign of weakness. Hard to pick a firm favorite, but the stretch from “Pale Eyes” through to “Desiderium” is tremendous, without discounting the quality of the other tunes. The main beef I can level at the album is regarding production, with the in-your-face sound packing punch but the crushed mastering fails to do justice to the wonderful dynamism of the top-shelf songwriting. It’s hardly a deal breaker on a marvelous collection of biting, catchy tunes.

#2. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – The third full-length endeavor from the once long-dormant New York brutal death/slam crew Afterbirth has been the talk of the town since its October release, and rightfully so. Though the hype train can get carried away in over-the-top praise and hyperbole wankery, in this case, I am well and truly on board. Four Dimensional Flesh was a terrific album, so expectations were high. Afterbirth crafted an album that pushed the envelope of brutal death and slam, a subgenre generally not renowned for innovation or such wildly brave experimentation. I get listeners not on board with the album’s brooding atmospherics and spacey, post-metalisms. In particular, the album’s trippy back half takes some time to fully appreciate after the dense, jugular-grabbing first half of brutally proficient and proggy slam-death. However, the pay-off of the atmospheric, springy, and gorgeous melodic bent and contrasting gurgled vox somehow works and elevates an already great album into some weirdly off-kilter cosmic slam meets post-death hybrid that shouldn’t work but does.

#1. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – Weirdly enough when seeking my prog fix in 2023, it was mostly looking backward to previous releases, with minimal 2023 prog albums gaining much traction. Way back in March, UK’s mysterious dark progressive metal band Sermon returned with a momentous sophomore album, raising the bar high for prog metal in 2023. Perhaps the 4.5 rating was a tad overzealous, only time will tell. But as my highest rating review of 2023, the album hit me hard and stayed in solid rotation throughout the year. Despite never being a foregone conclusion, it seems fitting to bestow top honors on Of Golden Verse. Sermon plays prog metal like none other. Sure, influences and similarities to like-minded acts exist, however, Sermon boasts a unique sound they can call their own, dark, eerie and deadly serious vibes and almost melodramatic flair flows through towering, intelligent, and emotive prog metal epics. The constantly heightened tension and ritualistic edge permeating the album creates a mysterious, tense, and beguiling atmosphere, consolidated by consistently gripping songwriting and skyscraping hooks on such memorable gems as “Golden,” “Light the Witch” “Wake the Silent” and stunning closer, “Departure.”

Honorable Mentions:

• Suffocation // Hymns from the Apocrypha – A surprising and unexpectedly strong return from the rejuvenated New York brutal death masters. Featuring a new vocalist and refreshed, yet familiar sound, Hymns of the Apocrypha perhaps marked a fresh era of renewed inspiration.
• Shores of Null // The Loss of Beauty -The always impressive Italian doomsters bring the sadboi feels, hooky melodies, and deathly heft through another taut, catchy collection of quality doom-death tunes.
• Gridlink // Coronet Jupiter – A welcome return from the mighty Gridlink. Although not quite the momentous, all-conquering achievement of Longhena, and nearly overshadowed by exciting newcomers Walking Corpse, Gridlink’s comeback was a noteworthy and impressive burst of intense, elastic grind.
• Dying Fetus // Make Them Beg for Death – A back-to-basics, curb-stomping return from the legendary Dying Fetus. May not challenge their best albums but it’s a fun, slammy blast of signature awesomeness nonetheless.
• Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – When the dust settles, I’ll no doubt regret not ranking this ghostly, dreamy, and utterly spellbinding doom platter higher on the list proper. My main excuse is I feel there is much still to unlock and appreciate. but the urge to return has only gotten stronger with each listen.
• Kruelty // Untopia – Rabid Swedish-inspired old-school death meets hardcore, with a fresh Japanese twist and doomy, grindy edge. Killer stuff.
• Walking Corpse // Our Hands, Your Throat – Unheralded grinders Walking Corpse unleashed an utterly devastating, black as coal, barn-burning grind platter, wielding a precision, borderline chaotic attack. They skillfully whipped nifty dynamic shifts and discordant bursts of hardcore and noise into a fresh, deceptively catchy batch of songs.

Disappointments o’ the Year

• Middling to okay efforts from long-time favorites Soen and The Ocean stood out the most considering their stellar track records. I wasn’t overly taken by the new Haken either. Royal Thunder was solid, yet it was their first album not to really grip me. A revisit is on the cards.

Non-Heavy Picks

• Queens of the Stone Age, Gunship, Dorthia Cottrell, Killer Mike

Return to Form

• Baroness // Stone – I had begun to lose interest in the sludgy, exploratory rock stylings of Baroness when they turned tone-deaf and started wrecking albums with horrid production. After more or less skipping their last release, I cautiously checked out Stone and left pleasantly surprised. Finally, the band ditched the ear bleeding production traits for something more organic and palatable. Additionally, John Baizley and crew wrote a rather punchy, experimental batch of tunes that mostly hit the mark and reinvigorated my interest in the band. Hallelujah!

Song ‘o the Year

A lot of cool songs kicked arse, so narrowing it down to one is really a futile task in 2023. Therefore, I selected the following belter from a shortlist and ran with it. With a thick, sludgy, hardcore edge and earworm chorus, Somnuri’s “What a Way to Go” was frequently close to hand when I needed a pick-me-up tune.

Felagund

What a difference a year makes! Since last, I sat down to compile my completely objective, highly-regarded Top Ten(ish) list in the dying days of 2022, much has changed in the world o’ Felagund. I left a job, started my own business, and tried in vain to get my six-year-old to show even a fleeting interest in The Hobbit. In the immortal words of The Dude, 2023 was full of “strikes and gutters, ups and downs.” But isn’t that always the case? None of us emerge completely unscathed, but I hope you and yours were able to weather any storms this dastardly year threw your way and emerge with your sanity intact. Not dignity, though. You spend far too much time on this site to have any of that left.

Now, as I embark on my third end-of-year list as a spit-at and put-upon AMG staffer, I can look back at twelve months chock full of musical riches, particularly in the death metal department. It was certainly a solid year for my pet genre, and I think my list (and honorable mentions) reflect that. But some things never change. Just like last year, I didn’t find nearly enough time to listen to all the music I wanted to, nor was I able to take a deep dive into some of the albums reviewed on this very site (although, if we’re being honest, most of them are probably just overrated 2.5s). And just like last year, my output continues to be a source of shame, ridicule, and scorn. I’m going to blame my lack of productivity on being a new business owner, but I know that no amount of excuses, pleas, or cries will ever earn Steel’s forgiveness.

Now before we get to my many metal musings, I’d be remiss if I didn’t first acknowledge and thank my returning listmate Saunders, who once again inadvertently introduced me to yet another prog album that ended up in my top five. Many thanks must also go to the mighty Steely Dan and the rarely-seen but universally-beloved Madam X. Steelcut Oats has put up with a lot from your friendly neighborhood Noldor this past year, what with my incessant tardiness and my penchant for “altering” his well-respected moniker in my reviews. On a more serious note, kudos are also required for his steadfast leadership and ongoing support as he keeps the derelict denizens (read: staffers) in line and out of trouble. The beatings have continued, morale has not improved, and I’m convinced we deserve far, far worse. And yet, I find myself uplifted and inspired by a growing crew of long-suffering editors and fellow authors who, despite their questionable taste, make AMG the special, endearingly deranged place that it is. And let us not forget the man, the myth, the bearded legend himself, Angry Metal Guy, the namesake of this digital institution, a learned doctor as determined by an accredited institution, and the final arbiter of all things trve.

Now, without further ado, entirely too much aplomb, and lacking all pomp, I present my top ten(ish) albums of 2023. May you listen, may you learn, and may you realize just how wrong you are.

#ish. Mutoid Man // Mutants – From the first few moments of album opener “Call of the Void,” I knew right away that this was an album I’d be spinning again and again. And while it didn’t quite crack my official top ten, it’s hard to deny Mutants’ infectious groove, the earworm hooks, the Voivod-esque sci-fi oddities, and the effective interplay between clean and extreme. Mutoid Man can seamlessly blend an array of disparate genres, from progressive metal and punk to hard rock and a dose of dissonant noise, and that makes their latest album a worthy #ish for any discerning weirdo.

#10. Anareta // Fear Not – I was unfamiliar with New Orleans-based Anareta until I read Dolphin Whisperer’s glowing review. My interest was further piqued when I saw AMG‘s equally gushing prose, declaring Fear Not April’s Record o’ the Month. I’m glad I took a chance on this album, because Anareta is definitely something special, delivering both crushing extremity and lush beauty, caustic rage and bitter anguish. This interplay is made all the more effective by the melodious stringed instruments that thrive against the shrieked, furious vox. Perhaps in less adept hands, this mix would grate on the listener, but Anareta’s self-styled brand of “Chamber Metal” uplifts the traditional bass, guitar, and drums by adding in virtuosic orchestration, doomy chants, and blackened vocals to deliver a unified sound that grabbed my attention and refused to let go.

#9. Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – Horrendous is a band unafraid of growth, as evidenced by their consistent evolution across five high-quality releases. Ontological Mysterium builds on this trend, both as a towering slab o’ death and further proof that Horrendous continues to evolve as musicians and songwriters. Leaning further into their progressive tendencies only strengthens their arsenal, and while I didn’t find Ontological Mysterium as immediately engaging as some of their previous releases, repeated spins proved increasingly rewarding. Horrendous is a band that has proven that they can stay true to my beloved OSDM while still boasting technical freneticism and hefty groove, and for that, they’ve earned their spot on this list.

#8. Xoth // Exogalatic – Sci-fi-tinged thrash? Check. Lovecraftian horrors delivered via a blackened death onslaught? Check. All wrapped up in a catchy, crunchy, crushing record over 39 minutes? Count. Me. In. On Exogalatic, Xoth builds upon very familiar themes, and I couldn’t be happier that they’re still hard at work, honing their sound in the Stygian depths of space, where no one can hear you shred. Exogalatic boasts both razor-sharp technicality and thrashy speed without ever sacrificing melody, memorability or heaviness. And there are songs about trading blows with reptilian alien pugilists and quenching a newly-forged space-blade in the blood of dead gods? Take my money and welcome to my list, lads.

#7. Wayfarer // American Gothic – If Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian ever had a soundtrack, Wayfarer would be the party responsible, and rightly so. So well-honed is their moody, emotive, brutally cynical (for good reason) Wild West-inspired take on black metal that I can almost hear their compositions accompanying McCarthy’s narrative. Any band with the ability to place the listener into such a specific time and location is worth your time and money. Wayfarer accomplishes this over and over again on American Gothic, and the result is a beautiful, furious, and sad rumination on industry, exploitation, death, and the power of myth. if American Gothic isn’t on your end-of-year list, it’s just because you haven’t listened to it yet.

#6. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – Did Grier talk about Sodomisery endlessly? Yes, he did. And because our tastes are so divergent (and because he makes fun of me for the stuff I like) I nearly avoided this one. But so convincing was his review that I decided to give it a chance, and wouldn’t you know it? Here sits Mazzaroth, nearly breaking into my top Five. Much has been made of the band’s name, and while it lacks subtlety, have you seen some of the other garbage we’ve covered? Besides, instead of clutching pearls, you should be busy enjoying the majestic tones of Sodomisery’s melodic blackened death metal, replete with emotive orchestration, earworm hooks, effective vocal variations, and a songwriting approach that deftly balances heaviness with accessibility. With nary a filler tune in sight, the lesson is simple: don’t let Grier scare you, as long as you list an album he likes.

#5. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – And just like that, we’ve entered the Top Five. As I said in the introduction, 2023 was a year of death metal riches, and for me, that assertion is perhaps best embodied by Carnosus’ and their sophomore effort. I was unaware of this band until this year, but ’tis far better to be late than to be…never. Carnosus delivers a heaping slab of evocative technical death metal without ever forgetting that good songs need good riffs. And boy is this album overflowing with riff after succulent riff. I must also mention Vocalist Jonatan Karasiak, who delivers every high-pitched shriek, DM growl, and percussive grunt, lending even more variety to an already diverse platter while still maintaining album cohesion. This is a bold, mature, expansive tech death album from a band that has no right to be this good this early in their careers. As such, this album was an easy lister.

#4. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – Last year, Saunders’ endorsement of Disillusion’s Ayam ultimately led me to award it my vaunted number two spot. And now, I find myself in a similar situation: Saunders awarded Of Golden Verse a lofty, nearly unattainable 4.5, and now here I sit, placing yet another one of his chosen progressive metal acts into my Top Five. While I could take issue with my listmate’s worrying control over my decision-making, I’m instead going to celebrate this twist of fate, as it brought me this gem of an album. And what an album it is! Sermon establishes a consistent, ominous atmosphere without ever losing momentum. Instead, Sermon relies on wave after wave of musical variation; the lush and emotive can give way to the more intense and extreme; progressive, churning melodicism can grow and cascade into an all-enveloping chorus. Of Gold Verse is a beautiful, complex album that only gets better with repeated listens and deserves a spot on any respectable Top Ten.

#3. Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – What a way to kick off my Top Three! Ever since 2021’s Echoes of the Soul, I’ve been a vocal supporter of these Brazilian death metalers. And after two years, Fernanda and co. have once again delivered the goods. It’s clear they’ve grown as a band, crafting an even stronger album that feels more mature, bolder, and heavier than their previous effort, chock full of grimace-inducing riffs, impressive vocal acrobatics, and a drum sound that pins you to the wall and dares you to peel yourself off. While Crypta is still fetid, OSDM adherents, Shades of Sorrow also amps both the black and thrash influences, resulting in a compelling sophomore effort that packs a significant, unforgettable punch. In a year where quality death metal releases were not in short supply, I think it says a lot that Crypta was able to set themselves apart not only from the blistering success of their first album but from the rest of 2023’s excellent releases.

#2. Cattle Decapitation // Terrasite – Last year I caught grief for daring to include Ghost in my Top Ten. This year, I’m sure some maladjusted malcontents will take issue with me including Terrasite so high on my list. “Their old stuff is better!” or “There are too many awkward cleans!” I can hear you loudly posting in the comment section. But the unfortunate truth is that Cattle Decapitation remains a force to be reckoned and 2023 marked yet another great addition to an already undeniable discography. I’m still enamored with CD’s ability to craft memorable, pummeling death metal that often veers into grind, brutal death, or melodeath territory. I also cannot get enough of Travis Ryan’s vocal range, from blackened snarls to percussive, deathened growls to plaintive cleans. But as I mentioned in my Terrasite review, my favorite aspect of the album isn’t just the rage they level at the human race, but the accompanying resignation. This adds an emotive layer while also paving the way for oddly beautiful, destructive tracks like “Scourge of the Offspring.” I’m proud to call Terrasite my number two, and I scoff at those elitists unwilling to enjoy a good album, even after it’s been shoved down their ungrateful gullets.

#1. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – The album that snagged the top spot on my year-end list did so surprisingly fast, after only a few spins. I knew right away that In But Not Of was something special, and that belief has only been reaffirmed after multiple listens and even deeper dives. Death metal certainly had a bumper year, and in my humble (and correct) opinion, Afterbirth is the ideal example of a band that helped bolster the genre and propel it to loftier heights in 2023. And why wouldn’t it be? For a band that traffics in slammy, knuckle-dragging brutal death, In But Not Of carries with it an undeniable progressive, cerebral quality, which will come as no surprise to fans and feels like a logical outgrowth from their previous effort Four Dimensional Flesh. But as Ferox pointed out in his review, perhaps the most impressive, engaging, and effective aspect of In But Not Of is the clear distinction on display; while the first half of the record comports itself as a tried-and-true, brutal death metal scourge that’ll leave you happily battered and bruised, the second half explores more progressive fair, featuring unexpected atmosphere, slower sections, and even some non-metal influences. Indeed, In But Not Of is the kind of album that grabs your attention immediately, but like a legend, it grows in the retelling, and it requires repeat spins to uncover all the tasty little morsels tucked between animalistic grunts and frenetic, chunky riffs. You’re listening to elevated slam here, and don’t you forget it; I know I won’t.

Honorable Mentions:

• Cannibal Corpse // Chaos Horrific – I an unrepentant fan of the good ‘ol Corpse, and while their newest album isn’t some massive departure from their releases over the past few years, they’re good at what they do and I love listening to them do it.
• Carnation // Cursed Mortality – While I still don’t quite understand the name, I understand the music, and I suppose that’s more important. Carnation has delivered another high-quality slab of buzzy, OSDM that’s more than worthy of a spin or six.
• Ahab // The Coral Tombs – You’ll notice my list doesn’t include much in the way of doom, and that’s by design. However, Ahab’s The Coral Tombs is the exception that proves the rule. Is it too long? Yes. But even so, this album is big, emotive, and much like the sea, I found it impossible to ignore its cunning allure.
• Tardigrade Inferno // Burn the Circus – Burn the Circus feels like the rock opera Stephen Sondheim may have written if he’d spent too much time at the carnival following the success of Sweeney Todd. Brash, over-the-top, and offensively catchy, I can’t get over just how much I enjoyed Tardigrade Inferno’s latest this year.
• Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – A death metal concept record can be a tough sell, mostly because it’s hard to follow a story when you can’t understand a word the vocalist is grumbling at you. Be that as it may, Infinite Psychic Depths still presents an old-school, prog-tinged, off-kilter journey that’s well worth taking.
• Disguised Malignance // Entering the Gateways – all hail Holdeneye, whose slavish devotion to this new band piqued my curiosity and earned them a strong honorable mention as a result. Their brand of OSDM with slight prog influences is right up my alley, and while there were other releases this year that held my attention longer, Disguised Malignance was somehow able to make a big splash on their debut alone, and I can’t wait to see what these young whippersnappers do next.

Song o’ the Year

Afterbirth – ”Devils with Dead Eyes” What are you waiting for? Listen to this track and tell me it doesn’t evoke some of the most chaotic, overwhelming moments of 2023. Sure, Sodomisery’s Delusion is the far more catchy option, but when I think of a song that represents all that 2023 was (and wasn’t), I can’t help but return to “Devils with Dead Eyes.” It doesn’t hurt that it features a truly killer riff, Iron Maiden-esque chuggery, and even a touch of grunge. Make of all that what you will, just as long as you’re about to press play.

#2023 #Afterbirth #Ahab #Anareta #BlogPost #Bloodgutter #CannibalCorpse #Carnation #Carnosus #CattleDecapitation #Crypta #DisguisedMalignance #DyingFetus #Godthrymm #Gridlink #Horrendous #Kruelty #Lists #Listurnalia #MutoidMan #OuterHeaven #SaundersAndFelagundSTopTenIshOf2023 #Sermon #ShoresOfNull #Sodomisery #Somnuri #Suffocation #TardigradeInferno #VanishingKids #WalkingCorpse #Wayfarer #Wormhole #Xoth

Saunders and Felagund’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Saunders

They weren’t shitting, time really does fly. Another year is done and dusted and it’s time to assemble our respective takes on the music that mattered in 2023. How a year in heavy music stacks up is of course subjective and often genre and taste-dependent. Overall, I found 2023 to be a solid year for metal, without standing out as one of the humongously awesome years in recent memory. Nevertheless, most death metal fans would be satisfied with the smorgasbord of quality releases that flooded the airwaves. It was particularly cool to hear so many classy veteran acts still going strong, with a slew of solid to borderline great albums from the esteemed likes of Dying Fetus, Vomitory, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, and Autopsy. Outside of death realms, Enslaved also released their most noteworthy album in a number of years. A couple of list-wrecking behemoths popped up late, Phobocosm and Convocation, with not enough time afforded to fully absorb and appreciate. Xoth, Sulphur Aeon, and Warcrab rolled out quality albums late in the year without quite breaking into list territory. The latter two in particular were steps down from their immediate predecessors. While on the nostalgia front, the old-school melodeath charms of Omnicidal and Majesties warmed the heart.

Highlights? Well, the aforementioned brigade representing old school, classic death metal, and longevity stood out, while being able to contribute to ranking pieces for two long-time favorites in Dying Fetus and Suffocation were treasured writing experiences. By contrast, 2023 also threw up some tremendous releases from less-established death metal acts and young gun outfits, including a handful of show-stopping debut albums (Bloodgutter, Fabricant, Begravement, Rotpit). It also never ceases to amaze the growth and strength of AMG.com year to year. Approaching a decade of service to the blog, I tend to get sentimental and nostalgic at this time of year, and still being a part of the AMG crew, albeit from the far away corners of Australia, is an endlessly awesome privilege, especially when surrounded by the talented folk that write alongside me.

Cheers to everyone who frequents these pages and helps contribute to the best online metal community going ’round, and special thanks to Steel, Angry Metal Guy, Madam X, Doc Grier, the tech wizardry of Sentynel, and all the other higher-ups and editors for their tireless behind the scenes work and smooth, authoritative running of this mighty blog. All the best for a safe, happy, and healthy 2024.

#ish: Godthrymm // Distortions – In the odd occasion I sought out a doom fix in 2023, invariably Godthrymm’s epic second LP Distortions delivered the goods. I only recall giving their debut a cursory listen. However, Distortions gripped me from the outset and drifted in and out of rotation since its release when the mood struck for some melancholic, muscular, and gorgeously crafted doom that packed serious heft on both a sonic and emotional level. The My Dying Bride pedigree always held the band in good stead, yet it is how Godthrymm embraces their classic roots while spinning modern elements and fresh ideas into their brooding template that raises the bar. Yeah perhaps a few minutes could have been trimmed from the final package, with some minor bloat, but the strikingly powerful guitar work, earworm melodies, and towering, multi-faceted vocal performance crushes any minor gripes on length.

#10. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – Every now and again the good olde Doc Grier and I’s tastes overlap. With the shared appreciation and dabbling in the progressive/post-metal waters of The Ocean, the quirky underground charms of Son of Sam, and rejuvenated veterans Green Carnation’s triumphant comeback album from 2020 most recently come to mind. Sodomisery, and their second album Mazzaroth, was exactly the palette-cleansing blackened storm I needed in 2023. The unheralded Swedish act expertly weaves icy melodic black, galloping melodeath, bleak atmospheres and tastefully presented orchestration into epic, catchy, fist-pumping tunes. Subtle shifts and striking dynamics highlight an album bursting with vicious, throat-grabbing hooks, ripping aggression and at least in nostalgia and melancholic tone, the quieter, clean passages remind me of early Opeth. You get the feeling the best is yet to come, however, Sodomisery has firmly grabbed my attention and banged out a helluva album.

#9. Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – For whatever reason, Outer Heaven’s 2018 debut Realms of Eternity didn’t do a whole lot for me. It certainly resided in my wheelhouse but failed to gain traction at the time. Perhaps I need to revisit, as their long in the works, conceptual sophomore album, Infinite Psychic Depths, took me by storm from the get-go. Infinite Psychic Depths hooked me in and has kept me coming back for more. I particularly enjoy how the band straddles influences and eras across the death spectrum, all while cultivating a distinctive sound their own. There’s an ugly old-school vibe, residing next to the band’s modern inclinations and exploratory, experimental angle. Meanwhile, technical firepower under the hood and sick, guttural brutality offer plenty to keep the brutal death and tech fiends happy. However, Infinite Psychic Depths is neatly grounded by the bevy of excellent riffs, brain-melting solos, and nasty, viscous grooves. There are aspects of the production I don’t love, while the length is a little overdone, but these nitpicks fail to bring down one of death metal’s powerhouse releases of 2023.

#8. Bloodgutter // Death Mountain – There were a number of impressive death metal debuts in 2023, however, it was the ultra-chunky debut from Danish heavy hitters Bloodgutter that warranted much attention and stayed in heavy rotation from its middle-of-the-year release. There were more brutal, heavier, technical, and ultimately better death platters to indulge in throughout 2023, but few stirred up the adrenaline, brought the fun factor, and kept the head banging as frequently as Death Mountain. Boasting one of the year’s best and heaviest guitar tones, Death Mountain is a blast of no-frills old-school brawn with a hefty modern crunch. The songs are uncomplicated but well-constructed, tightly played, and possess a thick, catchy streak that has kept me clambering back for more on a regular basis. Featuring a member of underrated Danish bruisers Dawn of Demise, Bloodgutter brings a similarly rib-shattering intensity and keen sense of violent, swaggering groove and riffcraft to the table. Such an exciting and consistent debut bodes well for a bright future.

#7. Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – It is no secret to anyone who has frequented these pages over the years that Horrendous are a big fucking deal to me. The old-school progressive death heavyweights have done little wrong over the past decade or so, smashing out a string of triumphant platters with nostalgic nods to the past, and a boot firmly planted in forward-thinking and innovative territories. Following their longest recording break thus far, Horrendous finally returned with their fifth LP, Ontological Mysterium. Despite unreasonable expectations and the album taking a few extra listens to fully unveil its greatness, make no mistake, Horrendous once again proved themselves masters of the modern prog-death craft. Listeners not fully on board with the band’s increased proggy bent, will likely take issue, but Horrendous have long been on the progressive path and the balance is still deftly handled, with the deathlier aspects remaining prominent, carrying the torch of later era Death. Throw in the best production in the business and you have yet another spectacular addition to an increasingly essential discography.

#6. Mutoid Man // Mutants – Mutoid Man is an absolute personal favorite of mine and their music never fails to excite, energize and provide bucketloads of endlessly wacky fun. After a lengthy wait, third LP Mutants finally arrived and largely met high expectations. Back in 2017 War Moans made a huge impact on me, while also helping navigate tough times, so it’s an album I hold in especially high regard. Mutants may not exceed or quite match the front-to-back awesomeness of its predecessor, but it’s a top-notch album in its own right. Continuing to blur lines between rock, metal, punk, math, hardcore, and everything in between, Mutants offered a more measured, melodic batch of slick, uber fun tunes, without watering down their zany characteristics. Despite being a less wild ride than its predecessor, Mutants still manages to surprise and delight, even throwing down a couple of nastier, discordant ditties recalling the spastic turns of their early days. The replay factor has remained strong, and when seeking something sharp, fun, and laden with infectious riffs and juicy hooks, Mutoid Man delivered again and again, being the ultimate pick-me-up album of 2023.

#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – Along with Afterbirth, Baltimore’s Wormhole paved the way for what slam can be in 2023. Following a different but equally appealing trajectory, Wormhole took all that was great about their previous releases and enhanced all aspects of their visceral, ridiculously heavy, sci-fi-themed tech-slam assault. As much as I enjoyed its predecessor, 2020’s The Weakest Among Us, the songwriting consistency, quality, and replayability elevates Almost Human to more elite, essential realms. The production and musicianship are top-shelf, but beyond the sonic attributes and technical showmanship reside a batch of killer songs that remain unrelentingly brutal, slammy, yet oddly accessible, memorable, and intelligently crafted for the style. Throw in the almost EP territory album length, and you’re left with one of the most compact, deadly efficient, and catchy slam albums in recent memory. Wormhole makes every song count and cycling through favorites is an ever-shifting task, though such addictive, devastating gems like “Elysiism,” “Spine Shattering High-Velocity Impact,” and monstrous “Delta Labs” are fine advertisements to an unforgettable brutal tech-slam experience.

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – Considering its early year release, Visions of Infinihility has impressively stayed in and around regular rotation, the depth of its quality creeping in through its persistent presence, razor-sharp hooks, and technical supremacy. French vets Gorod also released a cool tech-death platter, however, it was this unheralded Swedish act that stole the show. Carnosus ensures their tight, techy attacks don’t forget to have fun. The songs are melodic, thrashy, chock full of interesting twists and tasty hooks, yet still boasts a brutal edge and tons of groove. Although the five-piece line-up impresses with their supreme technical skills across the board, the real wildcard is vocalist Jonatan Karasiak. His diverse and charismatic vocals add a further layer of intrigue and versatility, effortlessly shifting tones from high-pitched blackened rasps and screams to deeper, more guttural fare, occasionally bringing to mind the sadly departed Trevor Strnad. It all makes for a delightfully acrobatic, crunchy, and explosive album experience.

#3. Somnuri // Desiderium – The surprise packet of the year. Initially, I missed Cherd‘s enthusiastic review of this New York band’s second LP, Desiderium. However, once I eventually clued in, Somnuri proceeded to blow me away with their potent hybrid and hook-laden blend of hardcore, sludge, and ’90s-inspired alt/grunge rock. Ever since I have been hopelessly hooked in what has become one of the year’s most addictive albums. Somnuri never skimps on the vicious hardcore bite meets sludgy heft, and the way they juggle these aspects with the earworm clean vocal hooks and ’90s influence is a thing of songwriting beauty. Desiderium is an album of wall-to-wall bangers and nary a sign of weakness. Hard to pick a firm favorite, but the stretch from “Pale Eyes” through to “Desiderium” is tremendous, without discounting the quality of the other tunes. The main beef I can level at the album is regarding production, with the in-your-face sound packing punch but the crushed mastering fails to do justice to the wonderful dynamism of the top-shelf songwriting. It’s hardly a deal breaker on a marvelous collection of biting, catchy tunes.

#2. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – The third full-length endeavor from the once long-dormant New York brutal death/slam crew Afterbirth has been the talk of the town since its October release, and rightfully so. Though the hype train can get carried away in over-the-top praise and hyperbole wankery, in this case, I am well and truly on board. Four Dimensional Flesh was a terrific album, so expectations were high. Afterbirth crafted an album that pushed the envelope of brutal death and slam, a subgenre generally not renowned for innovation or such wildly brave experimentation. I get listeners not on board with the album’s brooding atmospherics and spacey, post-metalisms. In particular, the album’s trippy back half takes some time to fully appreciate after the dense, jugular-grabbing first half of brutally proficient and proggy slam-death. However, the pay-off of the atmospheric, springy, and gorgeous melodic bent and contrasting gurgled vox somehow works and elevates an already great album into some weirdly off-kilter cosmic slam meets post-death hybrid that shouldn’t work but does.

#1. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – Weirdly enough when seeking my prog fix in 2023, it was mostly looking backward to previous releases, with minimal 2023 prog albums gaining much traction. Way back in March, UK’s mysterious dark progressive metal band Sermon returned with a momentous sophomore album, raising the bar high for prog metal in 2023. Perhaps the 4.5 rating was a tad overzealous, only time will tell. But as my highest rating review of 2023, the album hit me hard and stayed in solid rotation throughout the year. Despite never being a foregone conclusion, it seems fitting to bestow top honors on Of Golden Verse. Sermon plays prog metal like none other. Sure, influences and similarities to like-minded acts exist, however, Sermon boasts a unique sound they can call their own, dark, eerie and deadly serious vibes and almost melodramatic flair flows through towering, intelligent, and emotive prog metal epics. The constantly heightened tension and ritualistic edge permeating the album creates a mysterious, tense, and beguiling atmosphere, consolidated by consistently gripping songwriting and skyscraping hooks on such memorable gems as “Golden,” “Light the Witch” “Wake the Silent” and stunning closer, “Departure.”

Honorable Mentions:

• Suffocation // Hymns from the Apocrypha – A surprising and unexpectedly strong return from the rejuvenated New York brutal death masters. Featuring a new vocalist and refreshed, yet familiar sound, Hymns of the Apocrypha perhaps marked a fresh era of renewed inspiration.
• Shores of Null // The Loss of Beauty -The always impressive Italian doomsters bring the sadboi feels, hooky melodies, and deathly heft through another taut, catchy collection of quality doom-death tunes.
• Gridlink // Coronet Jupiter – A welcome return from the mighty Gridlink. Although not quite the momentous, all-conquering achievement of Longhena, and nearly overshadowed by exciting newcomers Walking Corpse, Gridlink’s comeback was a noteworthy and impressive burst of intense, elastic grind.
• Dying Fetus // Make Them Beg for Death – A back-to-basics, curb-stomping return from the legendary Dying Fetus. May not challenge their best albums but it’s a fun, slammy blast of signature awesomeness nonetheless.
• Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – When the dust settles, I’ll no doubt regret not ranking this ghostly, dreamy, and utterly spellbinding doom platter higher on the list proper. My main excuse is I feel there is much still to unlock and appreciate. but the urge to return has only gotten stronger with each listen.
• Kruelty // Untopia – Rabid Swedish-inspired old-school death meets hardcore, with a fresh Japanese twist and doomy, grindy edge. Killer stuff.
• Walking Corpse // Our Hands, Your Throat – Unheralded grinders Walking Corpse unleashed an utterly devastating, black as coal, barn-burning grind platter, wielding a precision, borderline chaotic attack. They skillfully whipped nifty dynamic shifts and discordant bursts of hardcore and noise into a fresh, deceptively catchy batch of songs.

Disappointments o’ the Year

• Middling to okay efforts from long-time favorites Soen and The Ocean stood out the most considering their stellar track records. I wasn’t overly taken by the new Haken either. Royal Thunder was solid, yet it was their first album not to really grip me. A revisit is on the cards.

Non-Heavy Picks

• Queens of the Stone Age, Gunship, Dorthia Cottrell, Killer Mike

Return to Form

• Baroness // Stone – I had begun to lose interest in the sludgy, exploratory rock stylings of Baroness when they turned tone-deaf and started wrecking albums with horrid production. After more or less skipping their last release, I cautiously checked out Stone and left pleasantly surprised. Finally, the band ditched the ear bleeding production traits for something more organic and palatable. Additionally, John Baizley and crew wrote a rather punchy, experimental batch of tunes that mostly hit the mark and reinvigorated my interest in the band. Hallelujah!

Song ‘o the Year

A lot of cool songs kicked arse, so narrowing it down to one is really a futile task in 2023. Therefore, I selected the following belter from a shortlist and ran with it. With a thick, sludgy, hardcore edge and earworm chorus, Somnuri’s “What a Way to Go” was frequently close to hand when I needed a pick-me-up tune.

Felagund

What a difference a year makes! Since last, I sat down to compile my completely objective, highly-regarded Top Ten(ish) list in the dying days of 2022, much has changed in the world o’ Felagund. I left a job, started my own business, and tried in vain to get my six-year-old to show even a fleeting interest in The Hobbit. In the immortal words of The Dude, 2023 was full of “strikes and gutters, ups and downs.” But isn’t that always the case? None of us emerge completely unscathed, but I hope you and yours were able to weather any storms this dastardly year threw your way and emerge with your sanity intact. Not dignity, though. You spend far too much time on this site to have any of that left.

Now, as I embark on my third end-of-year list as a spit-at and put-upon AMG staffer, I can look back at twelve months chock full of musical riches, particularly in the death metal department. It was certainly a solid year for my pet genre, and I think my list (and honorable mentions) reflect that. But some things never change. Just like last year, I didn’t find nearly enough time to listen to all the music I wanted to, nor was I able to take a deep dive into some of the albums reviewed on this very site (although, if we’re being honest, most of them are probably just overrated 2.5s). And just like last year, my output continues to be a source of shame, ridicule, and scorn. I’m going to blame my lack of productivity on being a new business owner, but I know that no amount of excuses, pleas, or cries will ever earn Steel’s forgiveness.

Now before we get to my many metal musings, I’d be remiss if I didn’t first acknowledge and thank my returning listmate Saunders, who once again inadvertently introduced me to yet another prog album that ended up in my top five. Many thanks must also go to the mighty Steely Dan and the rarely-seen but universally-beloved Madam X. Steelcut Oats has put up with a lot from your friendly neighborhood Noldor this past year, what with my incessant tardiness and my penchant for “altering” his well-respected moniker in my reviews. On a more serious note, kudos are also required for his steadfast leadership and ongoing support as he keeps the derelict denizens (read: staffers) in line and out of trouble. The beatings have continued, morale has not improved, and I’m convinced we deserve far, far worse. And yet, I find myself uplifted and inspired by a growing crew of long-suffering editors and fellow authors who, despite their questionable taste, make AMG the special, endearingly deranged place that it is. And let us not forget the man, the myth, the bearded legend himself, Angry Metal Guy, the namesake of this digital institution, a learned doctor as determined by an accredited institution, and the final arbiter of all things trve.

Now, without further ado, entirely too much aplomb, and lacking all pomp, I present my top ten(ish) albums of 2023. May you listen, may you learn, and may you realize just how wrong you are.

#ish. Mutoid Man // Mutants – From the first few moments of album opener “Call of the Void,” I knew right away that this was an album I’d be spinning again and again. And while it didn’t quite crack my official top ten, it’s hard to deny Mutants’ infectious groove, the earworm hooks, the Voivod-esque sci-fi oddities, and the effective interplay between clean and extreme. Mutoid Man can seamlessly blend an array of disparate genres, from progressive metal and punk to hard rock and a dose of dissonant noise, and that makes their latest album a worthy #ish for any discerning weirdo.

#10. Anareta // Fear Not – I was unfamiliar with New Orleans-based Anareta until I read Dolphin Whisperer’s glowing review. My interest was further piqued when I saw AMG‘s equally gushing prose, declaring Fear Not April’s Record o’ the Month. I’m glad I took a chance on this album, because Anareta is definitely something special, delivering both crushing extremity and lush beauty, caustic rage and bitter anguish. This interplay is made all the more effective by the melodious stringed instruments that thrive against the shrieked, furious vox. Perhaps in less adept hands, this mix would grate on the listener, but Anareta’s self-styled brand of “Chamber Metal” uplifts the traditional bass, guitar, and drums by adding in virtuosic orchestration, doomy chants, and blackened vocals to deliver a unified sound that grabbed my attention and refused to let go.

#9. Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – Horrendous is a band unafraid of growth, as evidenced by their consistent evolution across five high-quality releases. Ontological Mysterium builds on this trend, both as a towering slab o’ death and further proof that Horrendous continues to evolve as musicians and songwriters. Leaning further into their progressive tendencies only strengthens their arsenal, and while I didn’t find Ontological Mysterium as immediately engaging as some of their previous releases, repeated spins proved increasingly rewarding. Horrendous is a band that has proven that they can stay true to my beloved OSDM while still boasting technical freneticism and hefty groove, and for that, they’ve earned their spot on this list.

#8. Xoth // Exogalatic – Sci-fi-tinged thrash? Check. Lovecraftian horrors delivered via a blackened death onslaught? Check. All wrapped up in a catchy, crunchy, crushing record over 39 minutes? Count. Me. In. On Exogalatic, Xoth builds upon very familiar themes, and I couldn’t be happier that they’re still hard at work, honing their sound in the Stygian depths of space, where no one can hear you shred. Exogalatic boasts both razor-sharp technicality and thrashy speed without ever sacrificing melody, memorability or heaviness. And there are songs about trading blows with reptilian alien pugilists and quenching a newly-forged space-blade in the blood of dead gods? Take my money and welcome to my list, lads.

#7. Wayfarer // American Gothic – If Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian ever had a soundtrack, Wayfarer would be the party responsible, and rightly so. So well-honed is their moody, emotive, brutally cynical (for good reason) Wild West-inspired take on black metal that I can almost hear their compositions accompanying McCarthy’s narrative. Any band with the ability to place the listener into such a specific time and location is worth your time and money. Wayfarer accomplishes this over and over again on American Gothic, and the result is a beautiful, furious, and sad rumination on industry, exploitation, death, and the power of myth. if American Gothic isn’t on your end-of-year list, it’s just because you haven’t listened to it yet.

#6. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – Did Grier talk about Sodomisery endlessly? Yes, he did. And because our tastes are so divergent (and because he makes fun of me for the stuff I like) I nearly avoided this one. But so convincing was his review that I decided to give it a chance, and wouldn’t you know it? Here sits Mazzaroth, nearly breaking into my top Five. Much has been made of the band’s name, and while it lacks subtlety, have you seen some of the other garbage we’ve covered? Besides, instead of clutching pearls, you should be busy enjoying the majestic tones of Sodomisery’s melodic blackened death metal, replete with emotive orchestration, earworm hooks, effective vocal variations, and a songwriting approach that deftly balances heaviness with accessibility. With nary a filler tune in sight, the lesson is simple: don’t let Grier scare you, as long as you list an album he likes.

#5. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – And just like that, we’ve entered the Top Five. As I said in the introduction, 2023 was a year of death metal riches, and for me, that assertion is perhaps best embodied by Carnosus’ and their sophomore effort. I was unaware of this band until this year, but ’tis far better to be late than to be…never. Carnosus delivers a heaping slab of evocative technical death metal without ever forgetting that good songs need good riffs. And boy is this album overflowing with riff after succulent riff. I must also mention Vocalist Jonatan Karasiak, who delivers every high-pitched shriek, DM growl, and percussive grunt, lending even more variety to an already diverse platter while still maintaining album cohesion. This is a bold, mature, expansive tech death album from a band that has no right to be this good this early in their careers. As such, this album was an easy lister.

#4. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – Last year, Saunders’ endorsement of Disillusion’s Ayam ultimately led me to award it my vaunted number two spot. And now, I find myself in a similar situation: Saunders awarded Of Golden Verse a lofty, nearly unattainable 4.5, and now here I sit, placing yet another one of his chosen progressive metal acts into my Top Five. While I could take issue with my listmate’s worrying control over my decision-making, I’m instead going to celebrate this twist of fate, as it brought me this gem of an album. And what an album it is! Sermon establishes a consistent, ominous atmosphere without ever losing momentum. Instead, Sermon relies on wave after wave of musical variation; the lush and emotive can give way to the more intense and extreme; progressive, churning melodicism can grow and cascade into an all-enveloping chorus. Of Gold Verse is a beautiful, complex album that only gets better with repeated listens and deserves a spot on any respectable Top Ten.

#3. Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – What a way to kick off my Top Three! Ever since 2021’s Echoes of the Soul, I’ve been a vocal supporter of these Brazilian death metalers. And after two years, Fernanda and co. have once again delivered the goods. It’s clear they’ve grown as a band, crafting an even stronger album that feels more mature, bolder, and heavier than their previous effort, chock full of grimace-inducing riffs, impressive vocal acrobatics, and a drum sound that pins you to the wall and dares you to peel yourself off. While Crypta is still fetid, OSDM adherents, Shades of Sorrow also amps both the black and thrash influences, resulting in a compelling sophomore effort that packs a significant, unforgettable punch. In a year where quality death metal releases were not in short supply, I think it says a lot that Crypta was able to set themselves apart not only from the blistering success of their first album but from the rest of 2023’s excellent releases.

#2. Cattle Decapitation // Terrasite – Last year I caught grief for daring to include Ghost in my Top Ten. This year, I’m sure some maladjusted malcontents will take issue with me including Terrasite so high on my list. “Their old stuff is better!” or “There are too many awkward cleans!” I can hear you loudly posting in the comment section. But the unfortunate truth is that Cattle Decapitation remains a force to be reckoned and 2023 marked yet another great addition to an already undeniable discography. I’m still enamored with CD’s ability to craft memorable, pummeling death metal that often veers into grind, brutal death, or melodeath territory. I also cannot get enough of Travis Ryan’s vocal range, from blackened snarls to percussive, deathened growls to plaintive cleans. But as I mentioned in my Terrasite review, my favorite aspect of the album isn’t just the rage they level at the human race, but the accompanying resignation. This adds an emotive layer while also paving the way for oddly beautiful, destructive tracks like “Scourge of the Offspring.” I’m proud to call Terrasite my number two, and I scoff at those elitists unwilling to enjoy a good album, even after it’s been shoved down their ungrateful gullets.

#1. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – The album that snagged the top spot on my year-end list did so surprisingly fast, after only a few spins. I knew right away that In But Not Of was something special, and that belief has only been reaffirmed after multiple listens and even deeper dives. Death metal certainly had a bumper year, and in my humble (and correct) opinion, Afterbirth is the ideal example of a band that helped bolster the genre and propel it to loftier heights in 2023. And why wouldn’t it be? For a band that traffics in slammy, knuckle-dragging brutal death, In But Not Of carries with it an undeniable progressive, cerebral quality, which will come as no surprise to fans and feels like a logical outgrowth from their previous effort Four Dimensional Flesh. But as Ferox pointed out in his review, perhaps the most impressive, engaging, and effective aspect of In But Not Of is the clear distinction on display; while the first half of the record comports itself as a tried-and-true, brutal death metal scourge that’ll leave you happily battered and bruised, the second half explores more progressive fair, featuring unexpected atmosphere, slower sections, and even some non-metal influences. Indeed, In But Not Of is the kind of album that grabs your attention immediately, but like a legend, it grows in the retelling, and it requires repeat spins to uncover all the tasty little morsels tucked between animalistic grunts and frenetic, chunky riffs. You’re listening to elevated slam here, and don’t you forget it; I know I won’t.

Honorable Mentions:

• Cannibal Corpse // Chaos Horrific – I an unrepentant fan of the good ‘ol Corpse, and while their newest album isn’t some massive departure from their releases over the past few years, they’re good at what they do and I love listening to them do it.
• Carnation // Cursed Mortality – While I still don’t quite understand the name, I understand the music, and I suppose that’s more important. Carnation has delivered another high-quality slab of buzzy, OSDM that’s more than worthy of a spin or six.
• Ahab // The Coral Tombs – You’ll notice my list doesn’t include much in the way of doom, and that’s by design. However, Ahab’s The Coral Tombs is the exception that proves the rule. Is it too long? Yes. But even so, this album is big, emotive, and much like the sea, I found it impossible to ignore its cunning allure.
• Tardigrade Inferno // Burn the Circus – Burn the Circus feels like the rock opera Stephen Sondheim may have written if he’d spent too much time at the carnival following the success of Sweeney Todd. Brash, over-the-top, and offensively catchy, I can’t get over just how much I enjoyed Tardigrade Inferno’s latest this year.
• Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – A death metal concept record can be a tough sell, mostly because it’s hard to follow a story when you can’t understand a word the vocalist is grumbling at you. Be that as it may, Infinite Psychic Depths still presents an old-school, prog-tinged, off-kilter journey that’s well worth taking.
• Disguised Malignance // Entering the Gateways – all hail Holdeneye, whose slavish devotion to this new band piqued my curiosity and earned them a strong honorable mention as a result. Their brand of OSDM with slight prog influences is right up my alley, and while there were other releases this year that held my attention longer, Disguised Malignance was somehow able to make a big splash on their debut alone, and I can’t wait to see what these young whippersnappers do next.

Song o’ the Year

Afterbirth – ”Devils with Dead Eyes” What are you waiting for? Listen to this track and tell me it doesn’t evoke some of the most chaotic, overwhelming moments of 2023. Sure, Sodomisery’s Delusion is the far more catchy option, but when I think of a song that represents all that 2023 was (and wasn’t), I can’t help but return to “Devils with Dead Eyes.” It doesn’t hurt that it features a truly killer riff, Iron Maiden-esque chuggery, and even a touch of grunge. Make of all that what you will, just as long as you’re about to press play.

#2023 #Afterbirth #Ahab #Anareta #BlogPost #Bloodgutter #CannibalCorpse #Carnation #Carnosus #CattleDecapitation #Crypta #DisguisedMalignance #DyingFetus #Godthrymm #Gridlink #Horrendous #Kruelty #Lists #Listurnalia #MutoidMan #OuterHeaven #SaundersAndFelagundSTopTenIshOf2023 #Sermon #ShoresOfNull #Sodomisery #Somnuri #Suffocation #TardigradeInferno #VanishingKids #WalkingCorpse #Wayfarer #Wormhole #Xoth

Heavy Moves Heavy 2023 – AMG’s Ultimate Workout Playlist

By Ferox

Before I was press-ganged into the Skull Pit, I, Ferox, began curating an exercise playlist named Heavy Moves Heavy. For nearly a decade, I alone reaped the benefits of this creation–many were the hours spent preening aboard my Squat Yacht, mixing oils so that I could marvel at the glistening gainz unlocked by the List. My indentured servitude is your good fortune, because a new and improved version of the Heavy Moves Heavy playlist is now available to all readers of AMG in good standing.1 The lifters among us have spent countless hours in the Exercise Oubliette testing these songs for tensile strength and ideological purity. Enjoy–but don’t listen if you are being screened for PEDs in the near future. This music will cause your free testosterone levels to skyrocket even as it adds length and sheen to your back pelt.

Only a blind master of epic poetry could capture the feats of strength performed by the lifters of AMG in 2023. We did have a bard wandering around the Hall, but no one has seen him since the last n00b uprising was put down. Suffice it to say that 2023 saw the List spur our Fearsome Five on to ever-more-epic achievements. These are the songs that got us there.

Whose contributions are best? What omissions expose us as dilettantes? Add your comments and song suggestions below. The song suggestions will be subjected to a remorseless testing process we call The Winnowing, and those that survive will be added to the master list. The comments will of course be ignored.

To the list!

Kenstrosity Bursts Through His Own Workout Gear:

“Askoma (Sorethroat)” // Massen (Gentle Brutality) – I am a psychopathic gym goer. If I can’t listen to huge grooves, massively thick guitars and meaty growls, I want to pump iron in silence. Thankfully, Massen refuse to let me work out without a soundtrack brimming with those exact parameters, and thereby allows me to break PRs on the reg.

“Catapulted into Hyperspace” // Nothingness (Supraliminal) – An unbelievably hooky death metal monster, “Catapulted into Hyperspace” has been my iron giant for almost a full year. The incredible momentum with which this song pushes my body should destroy me. Yet, the crazy swagger held in these riffs enlivens my nerves and oxygenates my blood like nothing else.

“Clockwork God” // Tardigrade Inferno (Burn the Circus) – Have you seen the physique of your average circus acrobat? Those fuckers are seriously jacked and shredded, yet lithe and agile. Hence, when the chunky chugs of “Clockwork God” enter my earballs, I can see my future, and it shows me at peak physical condition. All thanks to a vengeful little water bear.

“Destined to be Killed” // Phlebotomized (Clouds of Confusion) – Phlebotomized may be one of the weirder death metal bands to feature on this list, but “Destined to be Killed” is nothing short of a ripper. Great for those high-intensity intervals, the blistering blasts and tempered marches held here make for a great workout banger.

“Elysiism” // Wormhole (Almost Human) – Form is everything. Form is the only path to heavy. Once you get there, you’ll want a companion that understands what heavy means. Slam is that companion, and “Elysiism” contains one of the best set of slamming riffs of the year, hands down. Get it in you and watch your gainz balloon past your wildest expectations!

“Lift the Blindfold” // Crypta (Shades of Sorrow) – Sometimes you really just need something classic and thrashy to get the blood hot and the muscles flexing. Crypta understood the assignment with “Lift the Blindfold,” a clinic in shredding riffs and thrashy energy sure to get you movin’ and groovin’ with gusto.

“Liquified Mind” // Outer Heaven (Infinite Psychic Depths) – The bar is pressing into my traps. I’m deep in this squat and failure is approaching fast. There’s nothing I can do, I’m not going to make it back to start position. “Liquified Mind” starts playing and all of a sudden, I’ve pumped out three more reps as if I’m on autopilot. Such is the power of filthy, grooving, massive death metal.

“Ode to the Meatsaw” // Vomitory (All Heads are Gonna Roll) – Nothing beats an arena banger, an anthemic, fist-pumping slab of chunky death for the gym. That’s where Vomitory’s “Ode to the Meatsaw” shines in full glory, carving up bodies with a meatsaw as I sculpt mine with dumbbells. What more could a gym rat like me ask for?

“Symphony of a Dying Star” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Versatility is a virtue. Variety is key to an adaptable body. So, when I want to swap between high-intensity cardio, intervals, or just pick up a heavy thing and put it back down again, the powerful genre-swapping talents of Mental Cruelty’s “Symphony of a Dying Star” serve me brilliantly.

“Tormenting Fungal Infestation” // Vomitheist (NekroFuneral) – I love a mid-tempo banger to fuel my weightlifting hour, and there’s no better fodder for that than Vomitheist’s “Tormenting Fungal Infestation.” Ideal for any gym session where metered, disciplined breaths are essential to an effective movement, this song will keep you in the pocket all day long.

Ferox vs. The Curlers in the Squat Rack:

“In But Not Of” // Afterbirth (In But Not Of) – The shotgun marriage of post-metal crescendoes and a climactic brutal death freakout makes for the (Workout) Song O’ The Year. The end of this song will leave you well and truly berzerkified and ready to do less than prudent things to yourself.

“Breath of Satan” // Svartkonst (May the Night Fall) – Stop fucking around and focus. “Breath of Satan” is a fleeting blast of blistering intensity that’s guaranteed to help you accomplish ONE THING before the rest of the List does its work.

“Castle of Grief” // Carnosus (Visions of Infinihility) – Carnosus’s tech death onslaught is spry and engaging enough to keep you distracted from the suffering that is only now commencing. The saucy rolled tongue flourish midway through is a reliable font of joy in troubled times.

“Manuscripts of Madness” // Xoth (Exogalactic) – Certain dullards crossed their arms at Xoth’s latest, but do they even lift? This track infuses melodeath into the band’s pan-genre stew, and its sing-along chorus is just the thing to keep you tumescent during the early-mid workout blues.

“Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags” // Hellripper (Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags) – Here’s a black thrash epic to lose yourself in while you can still recognize the concept of “fun.” It’s gonna hurt from here on out, so you might as well make the most of this track.

“Throatsaw” // Autopsy (Ashes, Organs, Blood, and Crypts) – Only “Throatsaw” is real. This List could be “Throatsaw” repeated fifty times and still be equally effective.

“Mother of Ghouls” // Nexorum (Tongue of Thorns) – “Too many riffs,” sniffed a dainty staffer about Nexorum’s debut album. God help that timid soul if he’s ever exposed to this track from the band’s follow-up, which showcases riffs on riffs AND the Guitar Solo O’ The Year (Slayer-Inspired Division).

“Bastard Creature” // Angerot (The Profound Recreant) – A bit o’ bombast to help you puff your chest out for the endgame. “Rejoice in the birth of the bastard creature!” Angerot is talking about you, in whatever new form you take after finishing this workout.

“Pitch Black Resolve/Nickel Grass Mosaic” // Gridlink (Coronet Jupiter) – Here’s a grind double shot to keep you moving after your brain quits on you.2 This slice of tuneful madness sets a relentless marching pace and will not hesitate to holler at you until the thing is done.

“Throne ov the Morning Star” // Plaguewielder (Hot Graves) – Pick up something heavy and walk across the gym with it before softness sets in. You need an iron grip to get through life unscathed by the handshakes of farmers. Grip strength blowouts are the one trve way to finish any workout and this track will help you attain those Meathooks Ov Doom.

Thus Spoke and the Smiting of the Half-Depth Heretics:

“Join me in Armageddon” // Thy Art is Murder (Godlike) – Say whatever you’re going to say about TAiM, this is exactly the kind of anthemic banger you need when you’re chucking heavy stuff about. So what are you waiting for? Come and join me in armageddon the gym.

“Enlighten Through Agony” // Dying Fetus (Make Them Beg for Death) – Fun fact: I’d never listened to Dying Fetus before this year—DON’T COME FOR ME PLEASE OK, I’M WORKING ON IT. The rhythm on this thing, the brutality, the incredibly appropriate title. Time to get enlightened.

“Leper by the Grace of God” // God Disease (Apocalyptic Doom) – Dark, brutal, and dragging. This is the resting-bitch-face workout accompaniment you absolutely cannot do without on a playlist like this. Plus, it has an awesome, haunting solo that I personally find very motivating.

“Serrated Jaws” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – Tell me these aren’t the perfect lyrics for lifting: “Go for the kill//Tighten the grip//Stare into the eyes of fear.” Yeah, I didn’t think so. The real ones get their spot from the music like this.

“Manhunt” // To the Grave (Director’s Cuts) – I would stick the whole album here if I could, but this one gets the most plays. Pure menace and rage. And the way those “TRUST MEEE…“’s are delivered…chills. And gains.

“Taufbefehl” // Nightmarer (Deformity Adrift) – Having a title I can barely pronounce correctly doesn’t stop me from wanting to belt it out every time I hear it alongside those glorious concrete-head-smashing chord-and-beat combos each chorus. Stone-cold banger and perfect for lifting.

“Mortal Shells” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Oh my word, that descending minor melody surge that is the chorus of this song, blastbeats coming in, symphonics soaring, “THIS EEARRTH FORRRSAAKES MEE” makes me feel fucking invincible. And it will make you feel invincible too.

“The Insignificants” // Cattle Decapitation (Terrasite) – It’s angry, it’s nihilistic, its rhythms are on point. And it ends with an utterly bleak and brilliant sung/screamed refrain that is just the right balance between brooding and motivating. Weird but it works.

“Catastrophize” // Humanity’s Last Breath (Ashen) – “Ugh why is there so much deathcore on this playlist, Thus?” “Shut up,” I say, as I put another plate on the pendulum squat for you, “this one’s going to help.” It just beat album neighbor “Death Spiral” to make it here and you’re gonna feel its worth.

“Hammer from the Howling Void” // Sulphur Aeon (Seven Crowns and Seven Seals) – This song is just kind of epic. Its driving urgent melodies, group shouts and wails, and grand scale are like a shield of armor. It’s also possessed of a chorus with that ideal lifting tempo. You are the hammer from the howling void. Embrace it.

Holdeneye Practices Radical Body Acceptance:

“Unholy Hell” // Mystic Prophecy (Hellriot) – Mystic Prophecy has been delivering the beef for over twenty years, and this year’s album was especially beefy. “Unholy Hell” is a plodding groove-fest that makes me feel like I’m taking a 40 oz tomahawk steak to the face and swallowing it whole. Thank you, sir, may I have another?

“War Remains” // Enforced (War Remains) – Few bands can bring forth my deeply repressed primal rage like Enforced. “War Remains” has a snarling groove that just won’t quit, and I’ve been using it as a performance-enhancing sound-substance all year.

“Blood Blind” // Cannibal Corpse (Chaos Horrific) – While “Blood Blind” may not be my favorite CC gym song ever, it’s damn close. Corpsegrinder’s vocal build-up over the the chugging riff that leads up to the song’s “chorus” makes me see more red than any Cannibal Corpse album cover can hope to muster.

“Academia” // Finality (Technocracy) – One of the most ferocious album-openers I heard all year, “Academia” has been helping me dominate gym class ever since its release. Intensely melodic and powerfully groovy, this power/thrash barnburner will give you a doctorate in gainz.

“Best Served Cold” // Frozen Soul (Glacial Domination) – Current research shows that cold exposure can inhibit muscle growth and strength gain, but I’ve found that Frozen Soul has the opposite effect. Not only does “Best Served Cold” contain enough groove to fuel an entire workout, it also reminds you how to best enjoy your protein shake to refuel after.

“Mountain of Power” // All for Metal (Legends) – Do I really need to say anything about this one? It’s a song about a mountainous man of enormous strength with spoken word parts performed by a mountainous man of enormous strength. This is pure Holdeneye-bait.

“Tithe (The Money Song)” // By Fire and Sword (Glory)- When you’re trying to give 110% in the gym, sometimes that last 10% can be hard to come by. “Tithe” mentions building up kingdoms with our sweat and tells us to ‘remember that the pain is brief.’ With that kind of motivation, how can we not blow right past our preconceived limitations?

“Confined” // Disguised Malignance (Entering the Gateways) – I couldn’t let Steel corner the market on grimy old-school death metal, so I offer you “Confined,” one of the grooviest tracks of the year. If you’re like me, you’ll have a tough time keeping your arms confined within your sleeves after listening to this one.

“Power Surge” // Cruel Force (Dawn of the Axe) – No Heavy Moves Heavy playlist would be complete without some old-timey metal sounds, and “Power Surge” delivers its ancient payload with lethal precision. I dare you not to feel a surge in power as the intro gives way to the speedy main riff.

“Sword of Mars” // Warcrab (The Howling Silence) – “Sword of Mars” uses burly Bolt Thrower tremolos with hate-filled sludgy hardcore vocals to transform its listeners into statues of blade-wielding Greek (or Roman) gods. Queue this one up and experience divine results.

Steel Druhm Feeds the Floor to Posers:

“Slimebreeder” // Rotpit (Let There Be Rot) – No-nonsense, stupid heavy OSDM for no-nonsense stupid heavy gym days, Rotpit has the goods and the slime you need for the gainz and the pain. Feed this slime directly into your leg day. Not FDA approved.

“Cerebral Ingestion” // Carnal Tomb (Embalmed in Decay) – Mid-tempo caveman grooves heavy enough to pulp a power rack and with enough forward momentum to power you through any kind of exercise rigor. Just the right levels of ugly, brutal and gross,

“Vortex of Blood” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – D-beating Swedeath goes grandly in the gym and Grand Cadaver drags a big stinking corpse into the room with this one. Entombed and Dismember-isms run like an everflowing stream directly into your veins and make you a better version of your crappy self.

“Cremator” // Dripping Decay (Festering Grotesquieries) – Short, sharp, shocking and so good at getting you all geeked up for that next big lift. This is Slaughter-core all day and that means thrashing, nasty heaviness in your face. You need this 2-minute adrenaline injection.

“Nemesis” // Serpent Corpse (Blood Sabbath) – When you fortify classic OSDM with massive, bone-crunching riffs and a scuzzy sound profile, it brings forth your worst angels. “Nemesis” borrows from Autopsy but goes nuclear with it and the results are tailor-made for gym idiots.

“Decrowned” // Vomitory (All Heads Are Gonna Roll) – Vomitory have been cranking out gym-friendly animalistic death forever, and “Decrowned” is a great example of their knuckle-dragging art. That fat chug at 1:55 will loosen your molars and make you feel things. Vomit: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

“The Surgeon” // Overkill (Scorched) – A non-death metal song?? Hell yes, because Overkill is all about fists, broken bottles, and rusty shanks. 100% NJ attitude in one 5-minute dose. If that doesn’t get you in a focused place, no amount of preworkout will help your sorry ass.

“Planetary Obliteration” // Re-Buried (Repulsive Nature) – On the ragged edge of OSDM and slam lies this sick twist of a bastard. Feel the muscles in your arms and legs contort and start to fracture your skeletal system as the primal beatdowns blast your feeble mind. It’s obnoxious, brutish, and sounds like deadlifts gone very wrong.

“Me the Nothing” // Metal Church (Congregation of Annihilation) – An atypically heavy, grinding, vicious cut from the elder statesmen in Metal Church. There is simply no way to blast this and not feel the aggression surging in your blood. The insane vocals at chorus time will make you grind your teeth and hunger for weight.

“Who Told Me” // Prong (State of Emergency) – Prong supplied many songs to the Lift Lists ov Steel over the years, and “Who Told Me” is the latest nugget of New York-style hostility to get up in your face and make you want to brawl Jersey Shore idiots. Poke somebody in the chest after a personal best.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AllForMetal #Angerot #Autopsy #ByFireAndSword #CannibalCorpse #CarnalTomb #Carnosus #CattleDecapitation #CruelForce #Crypta #DisguisedMalignance #DrippingDecay #DyingFetus #Enforced #Finality #FrozenSoul #GodDisease #GrandCadaver #Gridlink #HeavyMovesHeavy #Hellripper #HumanitySLastBreath #Massen #MentalCruelty #MetalChurch #MysticProphecy #Nexorum #Nightmarer #Nothingness #OuterHeaven #Overkill #Phlebotomized #Plaguewielder #Prong #ReBuried #Rotpit #SerpentCorpse #SulphurAeon #Svartkonst #TardigradeInferno #ThyArtIsMurder #ToTheGrave #Vomitheist #Vomitory #Warcrab #Wormhole #Xoth

Heavy Moves Heavy 2023 – AMG’s Ultimate Workout Playlist

By Ferox

Before I was press-ganged into the Skull Pit, I, Ferox, began curating an exercise playlist named Heavy Moves Heavy. For nearly a decade, I alone reaped the benefits of this creation–many were the hours spent preening aboard my Squat Yacht, mixing oils so that I could marvel at the glistening gainz unlocked by the List. My indentured servitude is your good fortune, because a new and improved version of the Heavy Moves Heavy playlist is now available to all readers of AMG in good standing.1 The lifters among us have spent countless hours in the Exercise Oubliette testing these songs for tensile strength and ideological purity. Enjoy–but don’t listen if you are being screened for PEDs in the near future. This music will cause your free testosterone levels to skyrocket even as it adds length and sheen to your back pelt.

Only a blind master of epic poetry could capture the feats of strength performed by the lifters of AMG in 2023. We did have a bard wandering around the Hall, but no one has seen him since the last n00b uprising was put down. Suffice it to say that 2023 saw the List spur our Fearsome Five on to ever-more-epic achievements. These are the songs that got us there.

Whose contributions are best? What omissions expose us as dilettantes? Add your comments and song suggestions below. The song suggestions will be subjected to a remorseless testing process we call The Winnowing, and those that survive will be added to the master list. The comments will of course be ignored.

To the list!

Kenstrosity Bursts Through His Own Workout Gear:

“Askoma (Sorethroat)” // Massen (Gentle Brutality) – I am a psychopathic gym goer. If I can’t listen to huge grooves, massively thick guitars and meaty growls, I want to pump iron in silence. Thankfully, Massen refuse to let me work out without a soundtrack brimming with those exact parameters, and thereby allows me to break PRs on the reg.

“Catapulted into Hyperspace” // Nothingness (Supraliminal) – An unbelievably hooky death metal monster, “Catapulted into Hyperspace” has been my iron giant for almost a full year. The incredible momentum with which this song pushes my body should destroy me. Yet, the crazy swagger held in these riffs enlivens my nerves and oxygenates my blood like nothing else.

“Clockwork God” // Tardigrade Inferno (Burn the Circus) – Have you seen the physique of your average circus acrobat? Those fuckers are seriously jacked and shredded, yet lithe and agile. Hence, when the chunky chugs of “Clockwork God” enter my earballs, I can see my future, and it shows me at peak physical condition. All thanks to a vengeful little water bear.

“Destined to be Killed” // Phlebotomized (Clouds of Confusion) – Phlebotomized may be one of the weirder death metal bands to feature on this list, but “Destined to be Killed” is nothing short of a ripper. Great for those high-intensity intervals, the blistering blasts and tempered marches held here make for a great workout banger.

“Elysiism” // Wormhole (Almost Human) – Form is everything. Form is the only path to heavy. Once you get there, you’ll want a companion that understands what heavy means. Slam is that companion, and “Elysiism” contains one of the best set of slamming riffs of the year, hands down. Get it in you and watch your gainz balloon past your wildest expectations!

“Lift the Blindfold” // Crypta (Shades of Sorrow) – Sometimes you really just need something classic and thrashy to get the blood hot and the muscles flexing. Crypta understood the assignment with “Lift the Blindfold,” a clinic in shredding riffs and thrashy energy sure to get you movin’ and groovin’ with gusto.

“Liquified Mind” // Outer Heaven (Infinite Psychic Depths) – The bar is pressing into my traps. I’m deep in this squat and failure is approaching fast. There’s nothing I can do, I’m not going to make it back to start position. “Liquified Mind” starts playing and all of a sudden, I’ve pumped out three more reps as if I’m on autopilot. Such is the power of filthy, grooving, massive death metal.

“Ode to the Meatsaw” // Vomitory (All Heads are Gonna Roll) – Nothing beats an arena banger, an anthemic, fist-pumping slab of chunky death for the gym. That’s where Vomitory’s “Ode to the Meatsaw” shines in full glory, carving up bodies with a meatsaw as I sculpt mine with dumbbells. What more could a gym rat like me ask for?

“Symphony of a Dying Star” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Versatility is a virtue. Variety is key to an adaptable body. So, when I want to swap between high-intensity cardio, intervals, or just pick up a heavy thing and put it back down again, the powerful genre-swapping talents of Mental Cruelty’s “Symphony of a Dying Star” serve me brilliantly.

“Tormenting Fungal Infestation” // Vomitheist (NekroFuneral) – I love a mid-tempo banger to fuel my weightlifting hour, and there’s no better fodder for that than Vomitheist’s “Tormenting Fungal Infestation.” Ideal for any gym session where metered, disciplined breaths are essential to an effective movement, this song will keep you in the pocket all day long.

Ferox vs. The Curlers in the Squat Rack:

“In But Not Of” // Afterbirth (In But Not Of) – The shotgun marriage of post-metal crescendoes and a climactic brutal death freakout makes for the (Workout) Song O’ The Year. The end of this song will leave you well and truly berzerkified and ready to do less than prudent things to yourself.

“Breath of Satan” // Svartkonst (May the Night Fall) – Stop fucking around and focus. “Breath of Satan” is a fleeting blast of blistering intensity that’s guaranteed to help you accomplish ONE THING before the rest of the List does its work.

“Castle of Grief” // Carnosus (Visions of Infinihility) – Carnosus’s tech death onslaught is spry and engaging enough to keep you distracted from the suffering that is only now commencing. The saucy rolled tongue flourish midway through is a reliable font of joy in troubled times.

“Manuscripts of Madness” // Xoth (Exogalactic) – Certain dullards crossed their arms at Xoth’s latest, but do they even lift? This track infuses melodeath into the band’s pan-genre stew, and its sing-along chorus is just the thing to keep you tumescent during the early-mid workout blues.

“Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags” // Hellripper (Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags) – Here’s a black thrash epic to lose yourself in while you can still recognize the concept of “fun.” It’s gonna hurt from here on out, so you might as well make the most of this track.

“Throatsaw” // Autopsy (Ashes, Organs, Blood, and Crypts) – Only “Throatsaw” is real. This List could be “Throatsaw” repeated fifty times and still be equally effective.

“Mother of Ghouls” // Nexorum (Tongue of Thorns) – “Too many riffs,” sniffed a dainty staffer about Nexorum’s debut album. God help that timid soul if he’s ever exposed to this track from the band’s follow-up, which showcases riffs on riffs AND the Guitar Solo O’ The Year (Slayer-Inspired Division).

“Bastard Creature” // Angerot (The Profound Recreant) – A bit o’ bombast to help you puff your chest out for the endgame. “Rejoice in the birth of the bastard creature!” Angerot is talking about you, in whatever new form you take after finishing this workout.

“Pitch Black Resolve/Nickel Grass Mosaic” // Gridlink (Coronet Jupiter) – Here’s a grind double shot to keep you moving after your brain quits on you.2 This slice of tuneful madness sets a relentless marching pace and will not hesitate to holler at you until the thing is done.

“Throne ov the Morning Star” // Plaguewielder (Hot Graves) – Pick up something heavy and walk across the gym with it before softness sets in. You need an iron grip to get through life unscathed by the handshakes of farmers. Grip strength blowouts are the one trve way to finish any workout and this track will help you attain those Meathooks Ov Doom.

Thus Spoke and the Smiting of the Half-Depth Heretics:

“Join me in Armageddon” // Thy Art is Murder (Godlike) – Say whatever you’re going to say about TAiM, this is exactly the kind of anthemic banger you need when you’re chucking heavy stuff about. So what are you waiting for? Come and join me in armageddon the gym.

“Enlighten Through Agony” // Dying Fetus (Make Them Beg for Death) – Fun fact: I’d never listened to Dying Fetus before this year—DON’T COME FOR ME PLEASE OK, I’M WORKING ON IT. The rhythm on this thing, the brutality, the incredibly appropriate title. Time to get enlightened.

“Leper by the Grace of God” // God Disease (Apocalyptic Doom) – Dark, brutal, and dragging. This is the resting-bitch-face workout accompaniment you absolutely cannot do without on a playlist like this. Plus, it has an awesome, haunting solo that I personally find very motivating.

“Serrated Jaws” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – Tell me these aren’t the perfect lyrics for lifting: “Go for the kill//Tighten the grip//Stare into the eyes of fear.” Yeah, I didn’t think so. The real ones get their spot from the music like this.

“Manhunt” // To the Grave (Director’s Cuts) – I would stick the whole album here if I could, but this one gets the most plays. Pure menace and rage. And the way those “TRUST MEEE…“’s are delivered…chills. And gains.

“Taufbefehl” // Nightmarer (Deformity Adrift) – Having a title I can barely pronounce correctly doesn’t stop me from wanting to belt it out every time I hear it alongside those glorious concrete-head-smashing chord-and-beat combos each chorus. Stone-cold banger and perfect for lifting.

“Mortal Shells” // Mental Cruelty (Zweilicht) – Oh my word, that descending minor melody surge that is the chorus of this song, blastbeats coming in, symphonics soaring, “THIS EEARRTH FORRRSAAKES MEE” makes me feel fucking invincible. And it will make you feel invincible too.

“The Insignificants” // Cattle Decapitation (Terrasite) – It’s angry, it’s nihilistic, its rhythms are on point. And it ends with an utterly bleak and brilliant sung/screamed refrain that is just the right balance between brooding and motivating. Weird but it works.

“Catastrophize” // Humanity’s Last Breath (Ashen) – “Ugh why is there so much deathcore on this playlist, Thus?” “Shut up,” I say, as I put another plate on the pendulum squat for you, “this one’s going to help.” It just beat album neighbor “Death Spiral” to make it here and you’re gonna feel its worth.

“Hammer from the Howling Void” // Sulphur Aeon (Seven Crowns and Seven Seals) – This song is just kind of epic. Its driving urgent melodies, group shouts and wails, and grand scale are like a shield of armor. It’s also possessed of a chorus with that ideal lifting tempo. You are the hammer from the howling void. Embrace it.

Holdeneye Practices Radical Body Acceptance:

“Unholy Hell” // Mystic Prophecy (Hellriot) – Mystic Prophecy has been delivering the beef for over twenty years, and this year’s album was especially beefy. “Unholy Hell” is a plodding groove-fest that makes me feel like I’m taking a 40 oz tomahawk steak to the face and swallowing it whole. Thank you, sir, may I have another?

“War Remains” // Enforced (War Remains) – Few bands can bring forth my deeply repressed primal rage like Enforced. “War Remains” has a snarling groove that just won’t quit, and I’ve been using it as a performance-enhancing sound-substance all year.

“Blood Blind” // Cannibal Corpse (Chaos Horrific) – While “Blood Blind” may not be my favorite CC gym song ever, it’s damn close. Corpsegrinder’s vocal build-up over the the chugging riff that leads up to the song’s “chorus” makes me see more red than any Cannibal Corpse album cover can hope to muster.

“Academia” // Finality (Technocracy) – One of the most ferocious album-openers I heard all year, “Academia” has been helping me dominate gym class ever since its release. Intensely melodic and powerfully groovy, this power/thrash barnburner will give you a doctorate in gainz.

“Best Served Cold” // Frozen Soul (Glacial Domination) – Current research shows that cold exposure can inhibit muscle growth and strength gain, but I’ve found that Frozen Soul has the opposite effect. Not only does “Best Served Cold” contain enough groove to fuel an entire workout, it also reminds you how to best enjoy your protein shake to refuel after.

“Mountain of Power” // All for Metal (Legends) – Do I really need to say anything about this one? It’s a song about a mountainous man of enormous strength with spoken word parts performed by a mountainous man of enormous strength. This is pure Holdeneye-bait.

“Tithe (The Money Song)” // By Fire and Sword (Glory)- When you’re trying to give 110% in the gym, sometimes that last 10% can be hard to come by. “Tithe” mentions building up kingdoms with our sweat and tells us to ‘remember that the pain is brief.’ With that kind of motivation, how can we not blow right past our preconceived limitations?

“Confined” // Disguised Malignance (Entering the Gateways) – I couldn’t let Steel corner the market on grimy old-school death metal, so I offer you “Confined,” one of the grooviest tracks of the year. If you’re like me, you’ll have a tough time keeping your arms confined within your sleeves after listening to this one.

“Power Surge” // Cruel Force (Dawn of the Axe) – No Heavy Moves Heavy playlist would be complete without some old-timey metal sounds, and “Power Surge” delivers its ancient payload with lethal precision. I dare you not to feel a surge in power as the intro gives way to the speedy main riff.

“Sword of Mars” // Warcrab (The Howling Silence) – “Sword of Mars” uses burly Bolt Thrower tremolos with hate-filled sludgy hardcore vocals to transform its listeners into statues of blade-wielding Greek (or Roman) gods. Queue this one up and experience divine results.

Steel Druhm Feeds the Floor to Posers:

“Slimebreeder” // Rotpit (Let There Be Rot) – No-nonsense, stupid heavy OSDM for no-nonsense stupid heavy gym days, Rotpit has the goods and the slime you need for the gainz and the pain. Feed this slime directly into your leg day. Not FDA approved.

“Cerebral Ingestion” // Carnal Tomb (Embalmed in Decay) – Mid-tempo caveman grooves heavy enough to pulp a power rack and with enough forward momentum to power you through any kind of exercise rigor. Just the right levels of ugly, brutal and gross,

“Vortex of Blood” // Grand Cadaver (Deities of Deathlike Sleep) – D-beating Swedeath goes grandly in the gym and Grand Cadaver drags a big stinking corpse into the room with this one. Entombed and Dismember-isms run like an everflowing stream directly into your veins and make you a better version of your crappy self.

“Cremator” // Dripping Decay (Festering Grotesquieries) – Short, sharp, shocking and so good at getting you all geeked up for that next big lift. This is Slaughter-core all day and that means thrashing, nasty heaviness in your face. You need this 2-minute adrenaline injection.

“Nemesis” // Serpent Corpse (Blood Sabbath) – When you fortify classic OSDM with massive, bone-crunching riffs and a scuzzy sound profile, it brings forth your worst angels. “Nemesis” borrows from Autopsy but goes nuclear with it and the results are tailor-made for gym idiots.

“Decrowned” // Vomitory (All Heads Are Gonna Roll) – Vomitory have been cranking out gym-friendly animalistic death forever, and “Decrowned” is a great example of their knuckle-dragging art. That fat chug at 1:55 will loosen your molars and make you feel things. Vomit: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

“The Surgeon” // Overkill (Scorched) – A non-death metal song?? Hell yes, because Overkill is all about fists, broken bottles, and rusty shanks. 100% NJ attitude in one 5-minute dose. If that doesn’t get you in a focused place, no amount of preworkout will help your sorry ass.

“Planetary Obliteration” // Re-Buried (Repulsive Nature) – On the ragged edge of OSDM and slam lies this sick twist of a bastard. Feel the muscles in your arms and legs contort and start to fracture your skeletal system as the primal beatdowns blast your feeble mind. It’s obnoxious, brutish, and sounds like deadlifts gone very wrong.

“Me the Nothing” // Metal Church (Congregation of Annihilation) – An atypically heavy, grinding, vicious cut from the elder statesmen in Metal Church. There is simply no way to blast this and not feel the aggression surging in your blood. The insane vocals at chorus time will make you grind your teeth and hunger for weight.

“Who Told Me” // Prong (State of Emergency) – Prong supplied many songs to the Lift Lists ov Steel over the years, and “Who Told Me” is the latest nugget of New York-style hostility to get up in your face and make you want to brawl Jersey Shore idiots. Poke somebody in the chest after a personal best.

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