#atthegates — Public Fediverse posts

Hails from the #Metal capital of #Sweden, the one and only #Gothenburg! 🖤🇸🇪

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Missed a few weeks of New & Noteworthy? Catch up on releases from April 17 through May 22, featuring everything from Foo Fighters, At The Gates, and Sevendust to Dimmu Borgir, The Amity Affliction, Armored Saint, and many more.

Link: https://metalinsider.net/columns/new-noteworthy-columns/new-noteworthy-grand-serpent-releases-5-22-2026-4-17-2026

#NewAndNoteworthy #MetalInsider #NewMusic #Metal #Rock #DimmuBorgir #FooFighters #AtTheGates #Sevendust #TheAmityAffliction #ArmoredSaint

Missed a few weeks of New & Noteworthy? Catch up on releases from April 17 through May 22, featuring everything from Foo Fighters, At The Gates, and Sevendust to Dimmu Borgir, The Amity Affliction, Armored Saint, and many more.

Link: https://metalinsider.net/columns/new-noteworthy-columns/new-noteworthy-grand-serpent-releases-5-22-2026-4-17-2026

#NewAndNoteworthy #MetalInsider #NewMusic #Metal #Rock #DimmuBorgir #FooFighters #AtTheGates #Sevendust #TheAmityAffliction #ArmoredSaint

At The Gates - The Ghost of a Future Dead (24-bit HD audio)

https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/the-ghost-of-a-future-dead-24-bit-hd-audio

#deathMetal #melodicMetal #metal #archEnemy #atTheGates #centuryMedia #gothenburg #gothenburgSound #melodicDeathMetal #dortmund

Something must be in the water over in Poland, because the country churns out quality death metal like few others. The phrase ‘Polish death metal’ always grabs my attention, whether it’s technical like early Decapitated, thrashy à la Vader, or as blackened as Behemoth. Such was the case when I espied Shine’s Wrathcult lying unclaimed in the promo bin. The invention of guitarist Tomasz Dobrzeniecki (ex-Hazael), Shine unleashes a Polished debut of blackened death, eliciting prompt comparisons to compatriots Hate and Behemoth. While both provide apt reference points, there’s an acerbic tunefulness that evokes At the Gates and Old Man’s Child, as well. Given the glamor of these benchmarks, does Wrathcult let a light Shine down on Poland’s latest blackened death metal opus?

If you give me a word to sum up Polish metal, I’ll say ‘conviction,’ which Wrathcult oozes with calculated rabidity. Whether brandishing steady chugs, rapid-fire trems, or slinky, groove-infested crawls, Shine feels focused and frothing with finely-tuned fire. Dobrzeniecki’s description of the music and lyrics pins the overarching inspiration of Wrathcult on pre-Christian beliefs and the arcane powers of primeval mysticism, specifically calling out the intersection of ‘Germanic, Norse, and Slavic mythology.’1 While it’s not a theme I would’ve divined on my own, this context adds helpful color once Shine shows me where to look. In particular, the clean singing (“The Lamb Against the Wolf”) and chanting (“The Horror of the Night”) sprinkled throughout Wrathcult often give proceedings a ritualistic zest, culminating in one of my favorite tracks, “The Necklace with Runes.” The clean drawl at the beginning is underscored by finely crafted, deeper vocal layers, and while I’m generally unmoved by rhythmic spoken word, singer Marek Krajcer’s performance reads as a ceremonial incantation, reinforcing Wrathcult’s primordial basis.2

Wrathcult by Shine

Musically, Shine exhibits a cunning understanding of the crossroads between death metal, black metal, and melody. Besides the cleans, Krajcer projects a deathly growl that’s at once confident, scathing, and commandingly effective throughout Wrathcult. Guitarists Tomasz Dobrzeniecki and Mateusz Waśkiewicz supply equal doses of second-wave fervor and dulcet leads that are as barbed as they are captivating. Mid-album song “Oddajcie co moje” sports not only the hookiest melody of the bunch, but also contains one of the best bass grooves. Though subtle, Wojciech Gąsiorowski’s ambling bass-lines burble and thump with delightful heft, solidifying a resonant dimension on tracks “The Lamb Against the Wolf” and “Wrath of the Hammer.” With the high caliber of musicianship featuring on strings, an anemic drum performance could dull the entire showing. Thankfully, Paweł Duda seizes the opportunity with gusto, lashing his kit with precision strikes. Overall, Shine lays me on the ground with meaty, well-executed performances that belie Wrathcult’s debut status.

While many moments on Wrathcult fly me in the sky, a few aspects creep in and dim the power of Shine’s light. The production bolsters strong performances across the album, allowing proper room for each instrument to gleam—especially the bass. The forty-six-minute runtime keeps Wrathcult digestible, although riff repetition presents an opportunity to trim thirty-to-sixty seconds from several tracks for a tighter experience. And while Shine serves up several great jams on Wrathcult, a few weaker cuts create dips between the peaks of its strongest material. To be clear, there are no bad or inessential songs that I skip,3 but I do find myself waiting out some moments to get to better ones. Still, there’s variety in the songwriting that keeps affairs engaging and blood pumping through Shine’s blackened heart.

Shine’s Wrathcult should garner its fair share of devotees, living up to the high expectations of Polish blackened death. It’s taken many spins to unlock Wrathcult’s otherworldly secrets, and I’m of a mind that there are even more treasures to unearth. Anyone looking for melodious fury and a band with possibilities on the horizon should be paying attention. When I snatched Shine’s debut, I asked myself, ‘What will I find? Will love be there?’ While I can’t guarantee the same results for you, my answer is a resounding, ‘Yeah.’

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dark Descent Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: January 30th, 2026

Barbarous – Initium Mors Review

By Angry Metal Guy

By: Nameless_n00b_603

Death metal boasts a lush buffet of subgenres. From mind-flaying technicality to chilling dissonance to wanton mirth, there’s something for everyone. Unmoved by how much the genre has evolved, some folks just want the straightforward, grass-fed variety that defined American death metal in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. And what bloodsport that was—Cannibal Corpse hammer-smashed listeners to paste, Deicide seared anti-religious sentiment into their collective hide, and Morbid Angel infected them with tainted melody. Barbarous slides comfortably into the fray, wielding debut Initium Mors, but does it pack enough punch to survive the melee?1

Inspiration plays an immediate role in Barbarous’s sound. Though they hail from Oakland, California, it’s the Tampa Bay scene that casts the longest shadow. Cannibal Corpse’s influence is undeniable, providing the blueprint for punishing grooves and six-string savagery (“The Tomb Spawn,” “Conscious Decomposition”). Vocalist Travis LaBerge retches and roars somewhere between Deicide’s Glen Benton and Hate Eternal’s Eric Rutan,2 while the music also harkens to early Deicide at times (compare “By Lead or Steel” with “Serpents of the Light”). There are additional influences, too, including Necrot and Skeletal Remains, two bands heavily influenced by Death and Morbid Angel, proving all roads lead to Tampa.3 This isn’t to say that Barbarous doesn’t flex their own brand of muscular death metal. The title track does a fabulous job of baking Slaughter of the Soul-esque melody into the chorus while staying true to the Floridian Sound Machine’s jackhammering boogie.4 I see flashes of a distinct identity in Initium Mors, but more refinement would serve Barbarous to forge their own path out from the shadows of giants.

Throughout Initium Mors, Barbarous pounds and pummels with neck-snapping fury and brawny chugs. Any track would effortlessly slot into a respectable workout playlist, with “By Lead or Steel” and “Tools of the Trade” being my choice cuts. Opener “Injection of the Exhumed” storms out the gates with a phlegm-rattling gut punch buoyed by aggressive riffing and blast beats, followed by a Slayer-laced wail. And that’s just the first twenty seconds. Hostile grooves and pulverizing paces drive the momentum across Initium Mors’s fleeting runtime, never surrendering a moment to catch your breath. Barbarous’s unflinching imperative is to carve listeners to the root, evidenced by the album’s razor-sharp guitar-playing (“Tools of the Trade,” “Conscious Decomposition”) courtesy of Zach Weed and Thomas Belfiore. Solos set fire to tracks when they kick in, whether it’s via soulful swagger (“By Lead or Steel”) or finger-blistering fury (“Coup de Grace”). Either way, they’re unfailingly fun. Travis Zupo’s dynamic drumming bludgeons with teeth-rattling thunder (“Conscious Decomposition”) while LaBerge stays the course with calculated, vomitous barks. The only underseasoned component is Zach Jakes’s bass guitar, which is a commentary on audibility rather than skill. Listening for bass in Initium Mors reminds me of Tantalus—the more I crank the volume to hear what that sweet bottom end is doing, the murkier the wall of sound becomes.5 Considering the meaty through-line that bass provides in many a death metal casserole, elevating its heft would push Barbarous’s recipe to gloriously heinous heights.

Production and mastering are a mixed bag, presenting opportunities and highlights. The album is LOUD, and while that’s generally how I like to listen to death metal, a more spacious mix would have improved the overarching balance. For an album brimming with balls-out belligerence, such an oppressive production creates an exhausting listen despite the twenty-nine-minute runtime. Still, there’s plenty to praise. Guitars and drums are front and center, so it’s easy to appreciate their intricacies and chops. LaBerge’s vocals are also conspicuously comprehensible,6 which is refreshing for extreme gutturals. While I initially noted his gurgles as monotonous, over repeated listens, I’ve come to appreciate LaBerge’s nimble work as he juggles spewing growls and coherence.

Initium Mors is a triumphant debut and should appease death metal aficionados without qualification. Barbarous is loud, ugly, and here to melt your face in just under half an hour. There’s a lot to like on Initium Mors, even if it’s not breaking any molds. If Barbarous can give the mix a bit more room and firmly establish an identity that transcends their influences, their next release could be an absolute banger. For now, Initium Mors is a solid addition to the annals of meat ‘n’ taters death metal, leaving Barbarous to unapologetically smash skulls and shatter eardrums while delivering a veritable smörgåsbord of protein and spuds.7 Bon appétit!

Rating: Good!
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Creator-Destructor Records
Website: barbarousband.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025

#2025 #30 #AmericanDeathMetal #AtTheGates #Aug25 #Barbarous #CannibalCorpse #Death #Deicide #FloridaDeathMetal #HateEternal #InitiumMors #MorbidAngel #Necrot #Review #Reviews #SkeletalRemains #SlaughterOfTheSoul