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#bodybox — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #bodybox, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Pedestal for Leviathan – Enter: Vampyric Manifestation Review

    By Kenstrosity

    Depending on what you already know about the castle to your left and what it holds, this review will either come late, very late, or right on time (read: actually on time or only slightly late). That’s because Colorado’s goth-soaked symphonic brutal death upstarts Pedestal for Leviathan originally self-released their debut LP, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation, on Halloween. In short order, it was picked up for distro by Gurgling Gore Productions, who released it again digitally on November 14th (with physical cassettes dropping December 12th). Then, Personal Records also picked it up for yet another digi release, along with a compact disc release, set for December 12th. Having none of this information prior to picking up Personal Records’ promo for review, needless to say, I was confused and frustrated. However, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation was simply too cool not to write about, so here we are.

    Pedestal for Leviathan is the answer to the question: how can I get truly superhuman gains in my Transylvanian vampire castle’s basement gym complex? Really, the question should be: how would I not secure superhuman gains when riffs muscular enough to impede movement are, in fact, often as strong as they look. Riff after beastly riff, in conjunction with positively ignorant percussive grooves, wreck spines and rip muscle fibers apart, while gothic organs, ominous bells, and plucky strings heal the damage wrought so efficiently that just as soon as it seemed like I was dead, I am reborn stronger than before. This is the core of Pedestal for Leviathan’s sound, and it’s a formula that bloody works. While the standard version of Enter: Vampyric Manifestation clocks in at a suspiciously tight 24 minutes spread across eight songs, the Personal Records edition boasts three extra bonus tracks, beefing the runtime up to a healthy 34 minutes. And, aside from a slightly tweaked guitar tone that shifts towards the blackened, each of these three additions fits perfectly in the sequence, making this version of Pedestal for Leviathan’s debut the most well-rounded and fleshed out choice.

    That said, these ten tracks (excluding instrumental interlude “Snow Covered Monolith”) are a clinic in dark, but fun brutal death with a dramatic streak and a slammy attitude. Equal parts Tomb Mold, Rotpit, Bodybox, and Dracula, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation launches with two heavy-hitting beatdowns worth sinking my teeth into and drawing life essence from. With the downright sexy grooves churning out of “Summoning Sickness” and staining the whimsical sharpness of “Lycanthropichrist,” Pedestal for Leviathan deftly balance the cavebrained heft and guttural utterances of the br00tal with the rich and velvety textures of something more sophisticated in principle. With that balance comes lethality, as demonstrated by the sheer impact that late-album weaponized riff-machines “Karmic Recollection Mirror” and “Warlock Blacksmith” level upon my flesh and bone.

    By taking something untamed and primal like brutal death metal, and using something softer and silkier to add shape and texture, the Colorado four-banger created an interesting, engaging, and above all, reconciled experience (“Sanctity of Retribution,” “Purgatory Displacement”). While a record in this category would work just fine without the organs, the strings, the choirs, and the bells (most of which are, expectedly, likely sampled sounds rather than real instruments), those extra baubles aren’t just for show. They add substance, character, and gravity to pivotal moments that punctuate riffs, contextualize phrase transitions, and enhance the spaces around metallic elements without crowding them unnecessarily (“Lycanthropichrist,” “Warlock Blacksmith,” “Nightshade Familiar”). The only exception is interlude “Snow Covered Monolith,” which amounts to pure fluff and offers little in the way of the aforementioned benefits.

    Enter: Vampyric Manifestation falls shy of something groundbreaking, but reeks with weapons-grade stench on Pedestal for Leviathan’s behalf. If the group can capitalize on Enter’s bonecrushing successes while steering clear of pitfalls or missteps like “Snow Covered Monolith”—which disrupts as severely as it does in part due to the record’s brevity—or the odd shift in guitar tone in this version’s otherwise worthy bonus tracks,1 then I don’t see how Pedestal for Leviathan couldn’t alter the field in which they frolic. For now, though, be free and revel with great mirth under the shadowed, steepled glory that is Enter: Vampyric Manifestation.

    Rating: Great
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Self-Release / GurglingGore / Personal Records
    Websites: pedestalforleviathan.bandcamp.com | ampwall.com/a/pedestalforleviathan
    Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025 (Self-Release) / November 14th, 2025 (Gurgling Gore) / December 12th, 2025 (Personal Records)

    #2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #Bodybox #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Dec25 #EnterVampyricManifestation #PedestalForLeviathan #Review #Reviews #Rotpit #SelfReleaseGurglingGorePersonalRecords #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #TombMold

  2. Pedestal for Leviathan – Enter: Vampyric Manifestation Review

    By Kenstrosity

    Depending on what you already know about the castle to your left and what it holds, this review will either come late, very late, or right on time (read: actually on time or only slightly late). That’s because Colorado’s goth-soaked symphonic brutal death upstarts Pedestal for Leviathan originally self-released their debut LP, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation, on Halloween. In short order, it was picked up for distro by Gurgling Gore Productions, who released it again digitally on November 14th (with physical cassettes dropping December 12th). Then, Personal Records also picked it up for yet another digi release, along with a compact disc release, set for December 12th. Having none of this information prior to picking up Personal Records’ promo for review, needless to say, I was confused and frustrated. However, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation was simply too cool not to write about, so here we are.

    Pedestal for Leviathan is the answer to the question: how can I get truly superhuman gains in my Transylvanian vampire castle’s basement gym complex? Really, the question should be: how would I not secure superhuman gains when riffs muscular enough to impede movement are, in fact, often as strong as they look. Riff after beastly riff, in conjunction with positively ignorant percussive grooves, wreck spines and rip muscle fibers apart, while gothic organs, ominous bells, and plucky strings heal the damage wrought so efficiently that just as soon as it seemed like I was dead, I am reborn stronger than before. This is the core of Pedestal for Leviathan’s sound, and it’s a formula that bloody works. While the standard version of Enter: Vampyric Manifestation clocks in at a suspiciously tight 24 minutes spread across eight songs, the Personal Records edition boasts three extra bonus tracks, beefing the runtime up to a healthy 34 minutes. And, aside from a slightly tweaked guitar tone that shifts towards the blackened, each of these three additions fits perfectly in the sequence, making this version of Pedestal for Leviathan’s debut the most well-rounded and fleshed out choice.

    That said, these ten tracks (excluding instrumental interlude “Snow Covered Monolith”) are a clinic in dark, but fun brutal death with a dramatic streak and a slammy attitude. Equal parts Tomb Mold, Rotpit, Bodybox, and Dracula, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation launches with two heavy-hitting beatdowns worth sinking my teeth into and drawing life essence from. With the downright sexy grooves churning out of “Summoning Sickness” and staining the whimsical sharpness of “Lycanthropichrist,” Pedestal for Leviathan deftly balance the cavebrained heft and guttural utterances of the br00tal with the rich and velvety textures of something more sophisticated in principle. With that balance comes lethality, as demonstrated by the sheer impact that late-album weaponized riff-machines “Karmic Recollection Mirror” and “Warlock Blacksmith” level upon my flesh and bone.

    By taking something untamed and primal like brutal death metal, and using something softer and silkier to add shape and texture, the Colorado four-banger created an interesting, engaging, and above all, reconciled experience (“Sanctity of Retribution,” “Purgatory Displacement”). While a record in this category would work just fine without the organs, the strings, the choirs, and the bells (most of which are, expectedly, likely sampled sounds rather than real instruments), those extra baubles aren’t just for show. They add substance, character, and gravity to pivotal moments that punctuate riffs, contextualize phrase transitions, and enhance the spaces around metallic elements without crowding them unnecessarily (“Lycanthropichrist,” “Warlock Blacksmith,” “Nightshade Familiar”). The only exception is interlude “Snow Covered Monolith,” which amounts to pure fluff and offers little in the way of the aforementioned benefits.

    Enter: Vampyric Manifestation falls shy of something groundbreaking, but reeks with weapons-grade stench on Pedestal for Leviathan’s behalf. If the group can capitalize on Enter’s bonecrushing successes while steering clear of pitfalls or missteps like “Snow Covered Monolith”—which disrupts as severely as it does in part due to the record’s brevity—or the odd shift in guitar tone in this version’s otherwise worthy bonus tracks,1 then I don’t see how Pedestal for Leviathan couldn’t alter the field in which they frolic. For now, though, be free and revel with great mirth under the shadowed, steepled glory that is Enter: Vampyric Manifestation.

    Rating: Great
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Self-Release / GurglingGore / Personal Records
    Websites: pedestalforleviathan.bandcamp.com | ampwall.com/a/pedestalforleviathan
    Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025 (Self-Release) / November 14th, 2025 (Gurgling Gore) / December 12th, 2025 (Personal Records)

    #2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #Bodybox #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Dec25 #EnterVampyricManifestation #PedestalForLeviathan #Review #Reviews #Rotpit #SelfReleaseGurglingGorePersonalRecords #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #TombMold

  3. Pedestal for Leviathan – Enter: Vampyric Manifestation Review

    By Kenstrosity

    Depending on what you already know about the castle to your left and what it holds, this review will either come late, very late, or right on time (read: actually on time or only slightly late). That’s because Colorado’s goth-soaked symphonic brutal death upstarts Pedestal for Leviathan originally self-released their debut LP, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation, on Halloween. In short order, it was picked up for distro by Gurgling Gore Productions, who released it again digitally on November 14th (with physical cassettes dropping December 12th). Then, Personal Records also picked it up for yet another digi release, along with a compact disc release, set for December 12th. Having none of this information prior to picking up Personal Records’ promo for review, needless to say, I was confused and frustrated. However, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation was simply too cool not to write about, so here we are.

    Pedestal for Leviathan is the answer to the question: how can I get truly superhuman gains in my Transylvanian vampire castle’s basement gym complex? Really, the question should be: how would I not secure superhuman gains when riffs muscular enough to impede movement are, in fact, often as strong as they look. Riff after beastly riff, in conjunction with positively ignorant percussive grooves, wreck spines and rip muscle fibers apart, while gothic organs, ominous bells, and plucky strings heal the damage wrought so efficiently that just as soon as it seemed like I was dead, I am reborn stronger than before. This is the core of Pedestal for Leviathan’s sound, and it’s a formula that bloody works. While the standard version of Enter: Vampyric Manifestation clocks in at a suspiciously tight 24 minutes spread across eight songs, the Personal Records edition boasts three extra bonus tracks, beefing the runtime up to a healthy 34 minutes. And, aside from a slightly tweaked guitar tone that shifts towards the blackened, each of these three additions fits perfectly in the sequence, making this version of Pedestal for Leviathan’s debut the most well-rounded and fleshed out choice.

    That said, these ten tracks (excluding instrumental interlude “Snow Covered Monolith”) are a clinic in dark, but fun brutal death with a dramatic streak and a slammy attitude. Equal parts Tomb Mold, Rotpit, Bodybox, and Dracula, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation launches with two heavy-hitting beatdowns worth sinking my teeth into and drawing life essence from. With the downright sexy grooves churning out of “Summoning Sickness” and staining the whimsical sharpness of “Lycanthropichrist,” Pedestal for Leviathan deftly balance the cavebrained heft and guttural utterances of the br00tal with the rich and velvety textures of something more sophisticated in principle. With that balance comes lethality, as demonstrated by the sheer impact that late-album weaponized riff-machines “Karmic Recollection Mirror” and “Warlock Blacksmith” level upon my flesh and bone.

    By taking something untamed and primal like brutal death metal, and using something softer and silkier to add shape and texture, the Colorado four-banger created an interesting, engaging, and above all, reconciled experience (“Sanctity of Retribution,” “Purgatory Displacement”). While a record in this category would work just fine without the organs, the strings, the choirs, and the bells (most of which are, expectedly, likely sampled sounds rather than real instruments), those extra baubles aren’t just for show. They add substance, character, and gravity to pivotal moments that punctuate riffs, contextualize phrase transitions, and enhance the spaces around metallic elements without crowding them unnecessarily (“Lycanthropichrist,” “Warlock Blacksmith,” “Nightshade Familiar”). The only exception is interlude “Snow Covered Monolith,” which amounts to pure fluff and offers little in the way of the aforementioned benefits.

    Enter: Vampyric Manifestation falls shy of something groundbreaking, but reeks with weapons-grade stench on Pedestal for Leviathan’s behalf. If the group can capitalize on Enter’s bonecrushing successes while steering clear of pitfalls or missteps like “Snow Covered Monolith”—which disrupts as severely as it does in part due to the record’s brevity—or the odd shift in guitar tone in this version’s otherwise worthy bonus tracks,1 then I don’t see how Pedestal for Leviathan couldn’t alter the field in which they frolic. For now, though, be free and revel with great mirth under the shadowed, steepled glory that is Enter: Vampyric Manifestation.

    Rating: Great
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Self-Release / GurglingGore / Personal Records
    Websites: pedestalforleviathan.bandcamp.com | ampwall.com/a/pedestalforleviathan
    Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025 (Self-Release) / November 14th, 2025 (Gurgling Gore) / December 12th, 2025 (Personal Records)

    #2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #Bodybox #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Dec25 #EnterVampyricManifestation #PedestalForLeviathan #Review #Reviews #Rotpit #SelfReleaseGurglingGorePersonalRecords #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #TombMold

  4. Pedestal for Leviathan – Enter: Vampyric Manifestation Review

    By Kenstrosity

    Depending on what you already know about the castle to your left and what it holds, this review will either come late, very late, or right on time (read: actually on time or only slightly late). That’s because Colorado’s goth-soaked symphonic brutal death upstarts Pedestal for Leviathan originally self-released their debut LP, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation, on Halloween. In short order, it was picked up for distro by Gurgling Gore Productions, who released it again digitally on November 14th (with physical cassettes dropping December 12th). Then, Personal Records also picked it up for yet another digi release, along with a compact disc release, set for December 12th. Having none of this information prior to picking up Personal Records’ promo for review, needless to say, I was confused and frustrated. However, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation was simply too cool not to write about, so here we are.

    Pedestal for Leviathan is the answer to the question: how can I get truly superhuman gains in my Transylvanian vampire castle’s basement gym complex? Really, the question should be: how would I not secure superhuman gains when riffs muscular enough to impede movement are, in fact, often as strong as they look. Riff after beastly riff, in conjunction with positively ignorant percussive grooves, wreck spines and rip muscle fibers apart, while gothic organs, ominous bells, and plucky strings heal the damage wrought so efficiently that just as soon as it seemed like I was dead, I am reborn stronger than before. This is the core of Pedestal for Leviathan’s sound, and it’s a formula that bloody works. While the standard version of Enter: Vampyric Manifestation clocks in at a suspiciously tight 24 minutes spread across eight songs, the Personal Records edition boasts three extra bonus tracks, beefing the runtime up to a healthy 34 minutes. And, aside from a slightly tweaked guitar tone that shifts towards the blackened, each of these three additions fits perfectly in the sequence, making this version of Pedestal for Leviathan’s debut the most well-rounded and fleshed out choice.

    That said, these ten tracks (excluding instrumental interlude “Snow Covered Monolith”) are a clinic in dark, but fun brutal death with a dramatic streak and a slammy attitude. Equal parts Tomb Mold, Rotpit, Bodybox, and Dracula, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation launches with two heavy-hitting beatdowns worth sinking my teeth into and drawing life essence from. With the downright sexy grooves churning out of “Summoning Sickness” and staining the whimsical sharpness of “Lycanthropichrist,” Pedestal for Leviathan deftly balance the cavebrained heft and guttural utterances of the br00tal with the rich and velvety textures of something more sophisticated in principle. With that balance comes lethality, as demonstrated by the sheer impact that late-album weaponized riff-machines “Karmic Recollection Mirror” and “Warlock Blacksmith” level upon my flesh and bone.

    By taking something untamed and primal like brutal death metal, and using something softer and silkier to add shape and texture, the Colorado four-banger created an interesting, engaging, and above all, reconciled experience (“Sanctity of Retribution,” “Purgatory Displacement”). While a record in this category would work just fine without the organs, the strings, the choirs, and the bells (most of which are, expectedly, likely sampled sounds rather than real instruments), those extra baubles aren’t just for show. They add substance, character, and gravity to pivotal moments that punctuate riffs, contextualize phrase transitions, and enhance the spaces around metallic elements without crowding them unnecessarily (“Lycanthropichrist,” “Warlock Blacksmith,” “Nightshade Familiar”). The only exception is interlude “Snow Covered Monolith,” which amounts to pure fluff and offers little in the way of the aforementioned benefits.

    Enter: Vampyric Manifestation falls shy of something groundbreaking, but reeks with weapons-grade stench on Pedestal for Leviathan’s behalf. If the group can capitalize on Enter’s bonecrushing successes while steering clear of pitfalls or missteps like “Snow Covered Monolith”—which disrupts as severely as it does in part due to the record’s brevity—or the odd shift in guitar tone in this version’s otherwise worthy bonus tracks,1 then I don’t see how Pedestal for Leviathan couldn’t alter the field in which they frolic. For now, though, be free and revel with great mirth under the shadowed, steepled glory that is Enter: Vampyric Manifestation.

    Rating: Great
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Self-Release / GurglingGore / Personal Records
    Websites: pedestalforleviathan.bandcamp.com | ampwall.com/a/pedestalforleviathan
    Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025 (Self-Release) / November 14th, 2025 (Gurgling Gore) / December 12th, 2025 (Personal Records)

    #2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #Bodybox #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Dec25 #EnterVampyricManifestation #PedestalForLeviathan #Review #Reviews #Rotpit #SelfReleaseGurglingGorePersonalRecords #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #TombMold

  5. Pedestal for Leviathan – Enter: Vampyric Manifestation Review

    By Kenstrosity

    Depending on what you already know about the castle to your left and what it holds, this review will either come late, very late, or right on time (read: actually on time or only slightly late). That’s because Colorado’s goth-soaked symphonic brutal death upstarts Pedestal for Leviathan originally self-released their debut LP, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation, on Halloween. In short order, it was picked up for distro by Gurgling Gore Productions, who released it again digitally on November 14th (with physical cassettes dropping December 12th). Then, Personal Records also picked it up for yet another digi release, along with a compact disc release, set for December 12th. Having none of this information prior to picking up Personal Records’ promo for review, needless to say, I was confused and frustrated. However, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation was simply too cool not to write about, so here we are.

    Pedestal for Leviathan is the answer to the question: how can I get truly superhuman gains in my Transylvanian vampire castle’s basement gym complex? Really, the question should be: how would I not secure superhuman gains when riffs muscular enough to impede movement are, in fact, often as strong as they look. Riff after beastly riff, in conjunction with positively ignorant percussive grooves, wreck spines and rip muscle fibers apart, while gothic organs, ominous bells, and plucky strings heal the damage wrought so efficiently that just as soon as it seemed like I was dead, I am reborn stronger than before. This is the core of Pedestal for Leviathan’s sound, and it’s a formula that bloody works. While the standard version of Enter: Vampyric Manifestation clocks in at a suspiciously tight 24 minutes spread across eight songs, the Personal Records edition boasts three extra bonus tracks, beefing the runtime up to a healthy 34 minutes. And, aside from a slightly tweaked guitar tone that shifts towards the blackened, each of these three additions fits perfectly in the sequence, making this version of Pedestal for Leviathan’s debut the most well-rounded and fleshed out choice.

    That said, these ten tracks (excluding instrumental interlude “Snow Covered Monolith”) are a clinic in dark, but fun brutal death with a dramatic streak and a slammy attitude. Equal parts Tomb Mold, Rotpit, Bodybox, and Dracula, Enter: Vampyric Manifestation launches with two heavy-hitting beatdowns worth sinking my teeth into and drawing life essence from. With the downright sexy grooves churning out of “Summoning Sickness” and staining the whimsical sharpness of “Lycanthropichrist,” Pedestal for Leviathan deftly balance the cavebrained heft and guttural utterances of the br00tal with the rich and velvety textures of something more sophisticated in principle. With that balance comes lethality, as demonstrated by the sheer impact that late-album weaponized riff-machines “Karmic Recollection Mirror” and “Warlock Blacksmith” level upon my flesh and bone.

    By taking something untamed and primal like brutal death metal, and using something softer and silkier to add shape and texture, the Colorado four-banger created an interesting, engaging, and above all, reconciled experience (“Sanctity of Retribution,” “Purgatory Displacement”). While a record in this category would work just fine without the organs, the strings, the choirs, and the bells (most of which are, expectedly, likely sampled sounds rather than real instruments), those extra baubles aren’t just for show. They add substance, character, and gravity to pivotal moments that punctuate riffs, contextualize phrase transitions, and enhance the spaces around metallic elements without crowding them unnecessarily (“Lycanthropichrist,” “Warlock Blacksmith,” “Nightshade Familiar”). The only exception is interlude “Snow Covered Monolith,” which amounts to pure fluff and offers little in the way of the aforementioned benefits.

    Enter: Vampyric Manifestation falls shy of something groundbreaking, but reeks with weapons-grade stench on Pedestal for Leviathan’s behalf. If the group can capitalize on Enter’s bonecrushing successes while steering clear of pitfalls or missteps like “Snow Covered Monolith”—which disrupts as severely as it does in part due to the record’s brevity—or the odd shift in guitar tone in this version’s otherwise worthy bonus tracks,1 then I don’t see how Pedestal for Leviathan couldn’t alter the field in which they frolic. For now, though, be free and revel with great mirth under the shadowed, steepled glory that is Enter: Vampyric Manifestation.

    Rating: Great
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
    Label: Self-Release / GurglingGore / Personal Records
    Websites: pedestalforleviathan.bandcamp.com | ampwall.com/a/pedestalforleviathan
    Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025 (Self-Release) / November 14th, 2025 (Gurgling Gore) / December 12th, 2025 (Personal Records)

    #2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #Bodybox #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Dec25 #EnterVampyricManifestation #PedestalForLeviathan #Review #Reviews #Rotpit #SelfReleaseGurglingGorePersonalRecords #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicMetal #TombMold

  6. Jarhead Fertilizer – Carceral Warfare Review

    By Dolphin Whisperer

    There’s disgusting death metal, there’s brutal death metal, then there’s death metal that walks into a room and makes you wonder if anyone else in that room has a restraining order against it. Autopsy may have pioneered this brand of whiplash, burner phone grooves against parole-violating subject matter, but Jarhead Fertilizer—featuring mostly current or former members of grinders Full of Hell—has taken the campy idea of that putrid stance and added to it a real-world violence. What do you expect when their namesake (and logo style) comes from Dystopia and the track “Jarhead Fertilizer,” a crusty anthem that holds a decidedly anti-military stance. Jarhead’s weapons are different though, imbuing their partner act’s trudging and noisy powerviolence tendencies with heavier-weight, death-addled grooves that set the stage not for cartoon skeletons or zombies but for a rusty-edged ambush in a skeezy back alley. A circle pit would be too comfortable.

    Performance is the heart of heavy metal, and death metal is no different. But sometimes that hard-to-grasp heft that defines the brutality of extreme escapades can take a moment to latch. That level of base aggression and simple appearance blew a little by me the first couple times I heard 2021’s Product of My Environment. But over time, hooked by morbid curiosity to its intensity, the incendiary sample choices,1 feverish dips into stone-fisted breakdowns, and reckless drum expression that thunders as both murderous skanks and reluctantly controlled freeform fills, Jarhead won my heart over. Or, rather, they ripped it out, threw it down, and stomped it until it got the message. Acts in similar hardcore/slam space like Snuffed on Sight or Bodybox possess this same skill of maneuvering through remedial rhythms with an elevated stumble, but Jarhead wears it with a harrowing death-aligned roar.

    The hammering yet natural flow throughout Carceral Warfare owes its shiv-like precision to smartly timed bursts of heaving death metal. Deep and vibrating animalistic snarls tee-up riffs the way you might hear in a prime Autopsy cut but with a different kind of mania—the voices of beings who grew up in the world that an act like that spat at (“Cell Warrior,” “Mark of the Beast,” “Hysteria”). Despite the viciousness and anger that a straining throat can manifest, Jarhead allows their mangled manifests to run through flush filters and other hazy modulations to denounce the humanity that the world around them tries to present (“Blood of the Lamb,” “Parasitic Pathology”). The landscape built by these primal chugs and carnal hisses oppresses.

    A diverse array of media references and sound inclusions offer a unique atmosphere with layers of enjoyment. Opening Carceral Warfare with beats fit for an El-P rager and recalling that grimy, urban malaise in “Torture Cage” infuse an industrial hip-hop edge that’s as threatening as it is unconventional. Continuing to capture the tension of a downcast life, Jarhead pulls samples that highlight the inhumanity of war (“Wrath of Judas”) and call out the many vices (“Carceral Warfare”) of human behavior, even calling upon a tripped-out reading of Revelation 14:9-11 (“Parasitic Pathology”). None of these clips read straight, though, each receiving pitch-shifting, wonky panning, fizzled fades—anything to help these snippets devolve into the grumbling bass and jagged low-end runs that await them.

    No matter how far away Carceral Warfare steps away from the traditional oompa bounce and piercing, feral leads of deathgrind, a thuggish tremolo and riff lurk in the shadows. And no matter how far into a societally disgusted message that Jarhead Fertilizer steps, a catastrophic tom barrage and demonic gurgle conjure a crooked-lipped, missing-tooth visage of nihilism. I haven’t a footing for any lyrics across beatdown—this worldview rests in action not speech. It’s not elevated. It’s diverse enough for its sub-30-minute run. Carceral Warfare’s only question is whether you accept Jarhead Fertilizer in all their scummy glory. And if you don’t? Well, you better learn to sleep with one eye open.

    Rating: 4.0/5.0
    DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
    Label: Closed Casket Activities | Bandcamp
    Website: jarheadfertilizeroc.bandcamp.com
    Releases Worldwide: December 8th, 2023

    #2023 #40 #AmericanMetal #Autopsy #Bodybox #CarceralWarfare #ClosedCasketActivities #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Dec23 #Dystopia #ElP #FullOfHell #Grind #Grindcore #Hardcore #JarheadFertilizer #Powerviolence #Review #Reviews #SnuffedOnSight

  7. Jarhead Fertilizer – Carceral Warfare Review

    By Dolphin Whisperer

    There’s disgusting death metal, there’s brutal death metal, then there’s death metal that walks into a room and makes you wonder if anyone else in that room has a restraining order against it. Autopsy may have pioneered this brand of whiplash, burner phone grooves against parole-violating subject matter, but Jarhead Fertilizer—featuring mostly current or former members of grinders Full of Hell—has taken the campy idea of that putrid stance and added to it a real-world violence. What do you expect when their namesake (and logo style) comes from Dystopia and the track “Jarhead Fertilizer,” a crusty anthem that holds a decidedly anti-military stance. Jarhead’s weapons are different though, imbuing their partner act’s trudging and noisy powerviolence tendencies with heavier-weight, death-addled grooves that set the stage not for cartoon skeletons or zombies but for a rusty-edged ambush in a skeezy back alley. A circle pit would be too comfortable.

    Performance is the heart of heavy metal, and death metal is no different. But sometimes that hard-to-grasp heft that defines the brutality of extreme escapades can take a moment to latch. That level of base aggression and simple appearance blew a little by me the first couple times I heard 2021’s Product of My Environment. But over time, hooked by morbid curiosity to its intensity, the incendiary sample choices,1 feverish dips into stone-fisted breakdowns, and reckless drum expression that thunders as both murderous skanks and reluctantly controlled freeform fills, Jarhead won my heart over. Or, rather, they ripped it out, threw it down, and stomped it until it got the message. Acts in similar hardcore/slam space like Snuffed on Sight or Bodybox possess this same skill of maneuvering through remedial rhythms with an elevated stumble, but Jarhead wears it with a harrowing death-aligned roar.

    The hammering yet natural flow throughout Carceral Warfare owes its shiv-like precision to smartly timed bursts of heaving death metal. Deep and vibrating animalistic snarls tee-up riffs the way you might hear in a prime Autopsy cut but with a different kind of mania—the voices of beings who grew up in the world that an act like that spat at (“Cell Warrior,” “Mark of the Beast,” “Hysteria”). Despite the viciousness and anger that a straining throat can manifest, Jarhead allows their mangled manifests to run through flush filters and other hazy modulations to denounce the humanity that the world around them tries to present (“Blood of the Lamb,” “Parasitic Pathology”). The landscape built by these primal chugs and carnal hisses oppresses.

    A diverse array of media references and sound inclusions offer a unique atmosphere with layers of enjoyment. Opening Carceral Warfare with beats fit for an El-P rager and recalling that grimy, urban malaise in “Torture Cage” infuse an industrial hip-hop edge that’s as threatening as it is unconventional. Continuing to capture the tension of a downcast life, Jarhead pulls samples that highlight the inhumanity of war (“Wrath of Judas”) and call out the many vices (“Carceral Warfare”) of human behavior, even calling upon a tripped-out reading of Revelation 14:9-11 (“Parasitic Pathology”). None of these clips read straight, though, each receiving pitch-shifting, wonky panning, fizzled fades—anything to help these snippets devolve into the grumbling bass and jagged low-end runs that await them.

    No matter how far away Carceral Warfare steps away from the traditional oompa bounce and piercing, feral leads of deathgrind, a thuggish tremolo and riff lurk in the shadows. And no matter how far into a societally disgusted message that Jarhead Fertilizer steps, a catastrophic tom barrage and demonic gurgle conjure a crooked-lipped, missing-tooth visage of nihilism. I haven’t a footing for any lyrics across beatdown—this worldview rests in action not speech. It’s not elevated. It’s diverse enough for its sub-30-minute run. Carceral Warfare’s only question is whether you accept Jarhead Fertilizer in all their scummy glory. And if you don’t? Well, you better learn to sleep with one eye open.

    Rating: 4.0/5.0
    DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
    Label: Closed Casket Activities | Bandcamp
    Website: jarheadfertilizeroc.bandcamp.com
    Releases Worldwide: December 8th, 2023

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