#devourment — Public Fediverse posts

What’s your favorite slam album and why? Do you value catchiness in your big bruutz? Clear production? Melodic presence? My favorite slam alternates with my mood between Devourment’s Obscene Majesty and Analepsy’s Quiescence; the former for the excellent execution of such a narrow sound, and the latter for the colors and beauty imbued into the otherwise bone-shattering grooves. Though given a bad rap for its easy-to-emulate smoothbrain caveman stereotypes, slam has shown much evolution in recent years as bands continue to push and redefine the limits of extremity. Hailing from Chile, new outfit Sermon to the Lambs have arrived with their self-titled debut, coming with the usual aggrandizing promises of maximum aural violence and assurances of a downright traumatizing listen for anyone who has ears to hear; will this sermon find the hearts of true believers or leave the congregation cold and unmoved?

Well, at least they know their way around a riff. Periodic snapshots show Sermon to the Lambs at their proselytizing best, with the occasional moment raising itself to headbangable proportions (“Crowned King of the Worms”, “God Spat and the Man was Done”) with a high octane assault. Slam styles range from the chunkier chromatic walks of Maggot Colony or Condemned, to moodier setpieces near the end of “Clergy’s Malevolence” for tonal shift and a sense of climax to round out the release. Melodies are almost completely excised in favor of a full steam ahead barrage, which rarely tinkers with tempo changes or distinguishing features, placing Sermon to the Lambs as students of the class of professors Disgorge and Gorgasm with regard to their commitment to bludgeoning the listener to death.

Sermon to the Lambs by SERMON TO THE LAMBS

Unfortunately, those highlights are few and far between and only serve to exacerbate how unbelievably bland this album is. Vocalist Richard Aguayo falls prey to the maddening trend of not knowing how to let his vocals support the music, choosing instead to slather almost the entire album with belches and brees which possess little sense of diction or phrasing. His gutturals are excellent, but the frustrating insistence on double-tracking them with his more shrill screams is not, and the mix has him pushed so far forward that he frequently drowns out whatever interesting musicality might be hiding underneath. Songs stop and go on a dime, and frequently I’d be surprised to see I was several tracks deeper into a listen than I thought I was, thanks to song conclusions and kick-offs blurring together in composition. Any random 30 seconds chosen to play would certainly unleash an attack filled with energy and enthusiasm, but Sermon to the Lambs is utterly devoid of truly head-spinning moments or anything to warrant repeat listens.

What is the biggest culprit for this? The mix is no help, with all the knobs on the board shoved all the way up to 11, leaving instrument and vocals fighting for attention while the bass’s body is buried in the backyard and forgotten. For the most part, the riffs are no help, a hodgepodge of expected staccato presentations and a beige haze of blasts. The drumming is no help; while skillfully delivered, there are certainly no fills to catch the listener’s attention. Other than the aforementioned moments of semi-memorability in the bookending tracks, there’s definitely no run of riffs to raise horns and toss beer at innocent passerby. Sermon to the Lambs lacks any dose of menace or cinema, though the band definitely tries, taking a page from the book of Brodequin and injecting some Gregorian chant into an intro (“Maximum Apostasy”) before that too devolves into paint-drying and bird watching. The closing track makes a valiant effort to get some real atmosphere with its tempo shifts, and Sermon to the Lambs wisely err on the side of brevity with the releases 30 minute runtime. But ultimately, this is an opaque, textureless, flavorless album, so focused on the brutalizing that it never manages to get out of first gear and approach anything with replayability.

I’ve wrestled for a while on why this is. Objectively, there’s nothing executed that’s “poor” in the literal sense. Instruments are played well, throats are wildly abused, and snares blow out the treble in your speakers with savage glee. One might argue that this was the very vision, and if such monotonous brutality is your jam, you’ll probably find lots more to like here. But slam is capable of its own artistic merit and is more than malleable to compositional adventures, and Sermon to the Lambs is lacking heavily in both artistic vision (beyond “kill”) and compositional adventures. If straightforward jackhammer thrashings are your parish, you’ll find plenty of good word here, but this lion lamb will be attending services elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 41 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2025

What’s your favorite slam album and why? Do you value catchiness in your big bruutz? Clear production? Melodic presence? My favorite slam alternates with my mood between Devourment’s Obscene Majesty and Analepsy’s Quiescence; the former for the excellent execution of such a narrow sound, and the latter for the colors and beauty imbued into the otherwise bone-shattering grooves. Though given a bad rap for its easy-to-emulate smoothbrain caveman stereotypes, slam has shown much evolution in recent years as bands continue to push and redefine the limits of extremity. Hailing from Chile, new outfit Sermon to the Lambs have arrived with their self-titled debut, coming with the usual aggrandizing promises of maximum aural violence and assurances of a downright traumatizing listen for anyone who has ears to hear; will this sermon find the hearts of true believers or leave the congregation cold and unmoved?

Well, at least they know their way around a riff. Periodic snapshots show Sermon to the Lambs at their proselytizing best, with the occasional moment raising itself to headbangable proportions (“Crowned King of the Worms”, “God Spat and the Man was Done”) with a high octane assault. Slam styles range from the chunkier chromatic walks of Maggot Colony or Condemned, to moodier setpieces near the end of “Clergy’s Malevolence” for tonal shift and a sense of climax to round out the release. Melodies are almost completely excised in favor of a full steam ahead barrage, which rarely tinkers with tempo changes or distinguishing features, placing Sermon to the Lambs as students of the class of professors Disgorge and Gorgasm with regard to their commitment to bludgeoning the listener to death.

Sermon to the Lambs by SERMON TO THE LAMBS

Unfortunately, those highlights are few and far between and only serve to exacerbate how unbelievably bland this album is. Vocalist Richard Aguayo falls prey to the maddening trend of not knowing how to let his vocals support the music, choosing instead to slather almost the entire album with belches and brees which possess little sense of diction or phrasing. His gutturals are excellent, but the frustrating insistence on double-tracking them with his more shrill screams is not, and the mix has him pushed so far forward that he frequently drowns out whatever interesting musicality might be hiding underneath. Songs stop and go on a dime, and frequently I’d be surprised to see I was several tracks deeper into a listen than I thought I was, thanks to song conclusions and kick-offs blurring together in composition. Any random 30 seconds chosen to play would certainly unleash an attack filled with energy and enthusiasm, but Sermon to the Lambs is utterly devoid of truly head-spinning moments or anything to warrant repeat listens.

What is the biggest culprit for this? The mix is no help, with all the knobs on the board shoved all the way up to 11, leaving instrument and vocals fighting for attention while the bass’s body is buried in the backyard and forgotten. For the most part, the riffs are no help, a hodgepodge of expected staccato presentations and a beige haze of blasts. The drumming is no help; while skillfully delivered, there are certainly no fills to catch the listener’s attention. Other than the aforementioned moments of semi-memorability in the bookending tracks, there’s definitely no run of riffs to raise horns and toss beer at innocent passerby. Sermon to the Lambs lacks any dose of menace or cinema, though the band definitely tries, taking a page from the book of Brodequin and injecting some Gregorian chant into an intro (“Maximum Apostasy”) before that too devolves into paint-drying and bird watching. The closing track makes a valiant effort to get some real atmosphere with its tempo shifts, and Sermon to the Lambs wisely err on the side of brevity with the releases 30 minute runtime. But ultimately, this is an opaque, textureless, flavorless album, so focused on the brutalizing that it never manages to get out of first gear and approach anything with replayability.

I’ve wrestled for a while on why this is. Objectively, there’s nothing executed that’s “poor” in the literal sense. Instruments are played well, throats are wildly abused, and snares blow out the treble in your speakers with savage glee. One might argue that this was the very vision, and if such monotonous brutality is your jam, you’ll probably find lots more to like here. But slam is capable of its own artistic merit and is more than malleable to compositional adventures, and Sermon to the Lambs is lacking heavily in both artistic vision (beyond “kill”) and compositional adventures. If straightforward jackhammer thrashings are your parish, you’ll find plenty of good word here, but this lion lamb will be attending services elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 41 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2025

What’s your favorite slam album and why? Do you value catchiness in your big bruutz? Clear production? Melodic presence? My favorite slam alternates with my mood between Devourment’s Obscene Majesty and Analepsy’s Quiescence; the former for the excellent execution of such a narrow sound, and the latter for the colors and beauty imbued into the otherwise bone-shattering grooves. Though given a bad rap for its easy-to-emulate smoothbrain caveman stereotypes, slam has shown much evolution in recent years as bands continue to push and redefine the limits of extremity. Hailing from Chile, new outfit Sermon to the Lambs have arrived with their self-titled debut, coming with the usual aggrandizing promises of maximum aural violence and assurances of a downright traumatizing listen for anyone who has ears to hear; will this sermon find the hearts of true believers or leave the congregation cold and unmoved?

Well, at least they know their way around a riff. Periodic snapshots show Sermon to the Lambs at their proselytizing best, with the occasional moment raising itself to headbangable proportions (“Crowned King of the Worms”, “God Spat and the Man was Done”) with a high octane assault. Slam styles range from the chunkier chromatic walks of Maggot Colony or Condemned, to moodier setpieces near the end of “Clergy’s Malevolence” for tonal shift and a sense of climax to round out the release. Melodies are almost completely excised in favor of a full steam ahead barrage, which rarely tinkers with tempo changes or distinguishing features, placing Sermon to the Lambs as students of the class of professors Disgorge and Gorgasm with regard to their commitment to bludgeoning the listener to death.

Sermon to the Lambs by SERMON TO THE LAMBS

Unfortunately, those highlights are few and far between and only serve to exacerbate how unbelievably bland this album is. Vocalist Richard Aguayo falls prey to the maddening trend of not knowing how to let his vocals support the music, choosing instead to slather almost the entire album with belches and brees which possess little sense of diction or phrasing. His gutturals are excellent, but the frustrating insistence on double-tracking them with his more shrill screams is not, and the mix has him pushed so far forward that he frequently drowns out whatever interesting musicality might be hiding underneath. Songs stop and go on a dime, and frequently I’d be surprised to see I was several tracks deeper into a listen than I thought I was, thanks to song conclusions and kick-offs blurring together in composition. Any random 30 seconds chosen to play would certainly unleash an attack filled with energy and enthusiasm, but Sermon to the Lambs is utterly devoid of truly head-spinning moments or anything to warrant repeat listens.

What is the biggest culprit for this? The mix is no help, with all the knobs on the board shoved all the way up to 11, leaving instrument and vocals fighting for attention while the bass’s body is buried in the backyard and forgotten. For the most part, the riffs are no help, a hodgepodge of expected staccato presentations and a beige haze of blasts. The drumming is no help; while skillfully delivered, there are certainly no fills to catch the listener’s attention. Other than the aforementioned moments of semi-memorability in the bookending tracks, there’s definitely no run of riffs to raise horns and toss beer at innocent passerby. Sermon to the Lambs lacks any dose of menace or cinema, though the band definitely tries, taking a page from the book of Brodequin and injecting some Gregorian chant into an intro (“Maximum Apostasy”) before that too devolves into paint-drying and bird watching. The closing track makes a valiant effort to get some real atmosphere with its tempo shifts, and Sermon to the Lambs wisely err on the side of brevity with the releases 30 minute runtime. But ultimately, this is an opaque, textureless, flavorless album, so focused on the brutalizing that it never manages to get out of first gear and approach anything with replayability.

I’ve wrestled for a while on why this is. Objectively, there’s nothing executed that’s “poor” in the literal sense. Instruments are played well, throats are wildly abused, and snares blow out the treble in your speakers with savage glee. One might argue that this was the very vision, and if such monotonous brutality is your jam, you’ll probably find lots more to like here. But slam is capable of its own artistic merit and is more than malleable to compositional adventures, and Sermon to the Lambs is lacking heavily in both artistic vision (beyond “kill”) and compositional adventures. If straightforward jackhammer thrashings are your parish, you’ll find plenty of good word here, but this lion lamb will be attending services elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 41 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2025

What’s your favorite slam album and why? Do you value catchiness in your big bruutz? Clear production? Melodic presence? My favorite slam alternates with my mood between Devourment’s Obscene Majesty and Analepsy’s Quiescence; the former for the excellent execution of such a narrow sound, and the latter for the colors and beauty imbued into the otherwise bone-shattering grooves. Though given a bad rap for its easy-to-emulate smoothbrain caveman stereotypes, slam has shown much evolution in recent years as bands continue to push and redefine the limits of extremity. Hailing from Chile, new outfit Sermon to the Lambs have arrived with their self-titled debut, coming with the usual aggrandizing promises of maximum aural violence and assurances of a downright traumatizing listen for anyone who has ears to hear; will this sermon find the hearts of true believers or leave the congregation cold and unmoved?

Well, at least they know their way around a riff. Periodic snapshots show Sermon to the Lambs at their proselytizing best, with the occasional moment raising itself to headbangable proportions (“Crowned King of the Worms”, “God Spat and the Man was Done”) with a high octane assault. Slam styles range from the chunkier chromatic walks of Maggot Colony or Condemned, to moodier setpieces near the end of “Clergy’s Malevolence” for tonal shift and a sense of climax to round out the release. Melodies are almost completely excised in favor of a full steam ahead barrage, which rarely tinkers with tempo changes or distinguishing features, placing Sermon to the Lambs as students of the class of professors Disgorge and Gorgasm with regard to their commitment to bludgeoning the listener to death.

Sermon to the Lambs by SERMON TO THE LAMBS

Unfortunately, those highlights are few and far between and only serve to exacerbate how unbelievably bland this album is. Vocalist Richard Aguayo falls prey to the maddening trend of not knowing how to let his vocals support the music, choosing instead to slather almost the entire album with belches and brees which possess little sense of diction or phrasing. His gutturals are excellent, but the frustrating insistence on double-tracking them with his more shrill screams is not, and the mix has him pushed so far forward that he frequently drowns out whatever interesting musicality might be hiding underneath. Songs stop and go on a dime, and frequently I’d be surprised to see I was several tracks deeper into a listen than I thought I was, thanks to song conclusions and kick-offs blurring together in composition. Any random 30 seconds chosen to play would certainly unleash an attack filled with energy and enthusiasm, but Sermon to the Lambs is utterly devoid of truly head-spinning moments or anything to warrant repeat listens.

What is the biggest culprit for this? The mix is no help, with all the knobs on the board shoved all the way up to 11, leaving instrument and vocals fighting for attention while the bass’s body is buried in the backyard and forgotten. For the most part, the riffs are no help, a hodgepodge of expected staccato presentations and a beige haze of blasts. The drumming is no help; while skillfully delivered, there are certainly no fills to catch the listener’s attention. Other than the aforementioned moments of semi-memorability in the bookending tracks, there’s definitely no run of riffs to raise horns and toss beer at innocent passerby. Sermon to the Lambs lacks any dose of menace or cinema, though the band definitely tries, taking a page from the book of Brodequin and injecting some Gregorian chant into an intro (“Maximum Apostasy”) before that too devolves into paint-drying and bird watching. The closing track makes a valiant effort to get some real atmosphere with its tempo shifts, and Sermon to the Lambs wisely err on the side of brevity with the releases 30 minute runtime. But ultimately, this is an opaque, textureless, flavorless album, so focused on the brutalizing that it never manages to get out of first gear and approach anything with replayability.

I’ve wrestled for a while on why this is. Objectively, there’s nothing executed that’s “poor” in the literal sense. Instruments are played well, throats are wildly abused, and snares blow out the treble in your speakers with savage glee. One might argue that this was the very vision, and if such monotonous brutality is your jam, you’ll probably find lots more to like here. But slam is capable of its own artistic merit and is more than malleable to compositional adventures, and Sermon to the Lambs is lacking heavily in both artistic vision (beyond “kill”) and compositional adventures. If straightforward jackhammer thrashings are your parish, you’ll find plenty of good word here, but this lion lamb will be attending services elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 41 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2025

What’s your favorite slam album and why? Do you value catchiness in your big bruutz? Clear production? Melodic presence? My favorite slam alternates with my mood between Devourment’s Obscene Majesty and Analepsy’s Quiescence; the former for the excellent execution of such a narrow sound, and the latter for the colors and beauty imbued into the otherwise bone-shattering grooves. Though given a bad rap for its easy-to-emulate smoothbrain caveman stereotypes, slam has shown much evolution in recent years as bands continue to push and redefine the limits of extremity. Hailing from Chile, new outfit Sermon to the Lambs have arrived with their self-titled debut, coming with the usual aggrandizing promises of maximum aural violence and assurances of a downright traumatizing listen for anyone who has ears to hear; will this sermon find the hearts of true believers or leave the congregation cold and unmoved?

Well, at least they know their way around a riff. Periodic snapshots show Sermon to the Lambs at their proselytizing best, with the occasional moment raising itself to headbangable proportions (“Crowned King of the Worms”, “God Spat and the Man was Done”) with a high octane assault. Slam styles range from the chunkier chromatic walks of Maggot Colony or Condemned, to moodier setpieces near the end of “Clergy’s Malevolence” for tonal shift and a sense of climax to round out the release. Melodies are almost completely excised in favor of a full steam ahead barrage, which rarely tinkers with tempo changes or distinguishing features, placing Sermon to the Lambs as students of the class of professors Disgorge and Gorgasm with regard to their commitment to bludgeoning the listener to death.

Sermon to the Lambs by SERMON TO THE LAMBS

Unfortunately, those highlights are few and far between and only serve to exacerbate how unbelievably bland this album is. Vocalist Richard Aguayo falls prey to the maddening trend of not knowing how to let his vocals support the music, choosing instead to slather almost the entire album with belches and brees which possess little sense of diction or phrasing. His gutturals are excellent, but the frustrating insistence on double-tracking them with his more shrill screams is not, and the mix has him pushed so far forward that he frequently drowns out whatever interesting musicality might be hiding underneath. Songs stop and go on a dime, and frequently I’d be surprised to see I was several tracks deeper into a listen than I thought I was, thanks to song conclusions and kick-offs blurring together in composition. Any random 30 seconds chosen to play would certainly unleash an attack filled with energy and enthusiasm, but Sermon to the Lambs is utterly devoid of truly head-spinning moments or anything to warrant repeat listens.

What is the biggest culprit for this? The mix is no help, with all the knobs on the board shoved all the way up to 11, leaving instrument and vocals fighting for attention while the bass’s body is buried in the backyard and forgotten. For the most part, the riffs are no help, a hodgepodge of expected staccato presentations and a beige haze of blasts. The drumming is no help; while skillfully delivered, there are certainly no fills to catch the listener’s attention. Other than the aforementioned moments of semi-memorability in the bookending tracks, there’s definitely no run of riffs to raise horns and toss beer at innocent passerby. Sermon to the Lambs lacks any dose of menace or cinema, though the band definitely tries, taking a page from the book of Brodequin and injecting some Gregorian chant into an intro (“Maximum Apostasy”) before that too devolves into paint-drying and bird watching. The closing track makes a valiant effort to get some real atmosphere with its tempo shifts, and Sermon to the Lambs wisely err on the side of brevity with the releases 30 minute runtime. But ultimately, this is an opaque, textureless, flavorless album, so focused on the brutalizing that it never manages to get out of first gear and approach anything with replayability.

I’ve wrestled for a while on why this is. Objectively, there’s nothing executed that’s “poor” in the literal sense. Instruments are played well, throats are wildly abused, and snares blow out the treble in your speakers with savage glee. One might argue that this was the very vision, and if such monotonous brutality is your jam, you’ll probably find lots more to like here. But slam is capable of its own artistic merit and is more than malleable to compositional adventures, and Sermon to the Lambs is lacking heavily in both artistic vision (beyond “kill”) and compositional adventures. If straightforward jackhammer thrashings are your parish, you’ll find plenty of good word here, but this lion lamb will be attending services elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 41 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2025

Architectural Genocide – Malignant Cognition Review

It’s gotta be tough being inspired by genre giants. For bands like Incantation or Autopsy, it can be…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2.5 #2026 #AmericanMetal #Amputate #ArchitecturalGenocide #Autopsy #BrutalDeathMetal #ComatoseRecords #Devourment #Entertainment #Incantation #Jan26 #MalignantCognition #Pathology #review #Reviews #Suffocation #UK #UnitedKingdom #Vulvodynia
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https://www.europesays.com/ie/291243/ Architectural Genocide – Malignant Cognition Review #2.5 #2026 #AmericanMetal #Amputate #ArchitecturalGenocide #Autopsy #BrutalDeathMetal #ComatoseRecords #Devourment #Éire #Entertainment #IE #Incantation #Ireland #Jan26 #MalignantCognition #Music #Pathology #Review #Reviews #Suffocation #Vulvodynia

It’s gotta be tough being inspired by genre giants. For bands like Incantation or Autopsy, it can be hard to drink from their well without sounding like derivative, uninspired knockoffs. In the realm of brutal death, Suffocation unsurprisingly stands at the top of the corpse pile, with a sound that’s inspired offshoot after offshoot and triggered more permutations of listener-savaging than one can count. There was a period when “Suffoclone” was used as a term of mockery, and now time has looped back around to turning such a descriptor into a potential point of praise. Architectural Genocide have landed with their sophomore album Malignant Cognition, which unsurprisingly seeks to worship at the altar of the brutal death kings. Will their tribute allow them to rise to the ranks of priesthood in this church of the charnel, or relegate them to mere parish members of the profane?

Architectural Genocide overcome brutal deaths first major hurdle with an excellent sound and a clearly articulated production. With a slightly above average DR (particularly by genre standards), every instrument1 is clearly articulated, with a real shine to the drums. Nate Conner’s drum performance rides snare violations, and china fills in what sounds like a refreshingly undigital performance, while guitarists Tom Savage and Caleb Baker offer up a hodgepodge of slams and chuggy assaults which alternate between breakdowns and full-blown Suffo-isms at the drop of a hat. Vocalist Daniel Brockway, in particular, manages to share a similar register with Ricky Myers when in his higher range, adding some sense of familiarity to the proceedings. Everything is confidently delivered and competently composed.

Malignant Cognition by ARCHITECTURAL GENOCIDE

With brutal death being such a broad target to hit, various strains of DNA making their presence known is unsurprising. As already alluded too, Suffocation are the clear cornerstone, with Architectural Genocide even going so far as to kick off the album with a sample that uses the phrase “Bind, torture, kill” (“Precursor to Bloodshed.”) Occasional nods to mid-era Devourment (“Malicious Wager”) and swings to Mob Justice-era Vulvodynia (“Leave It to Cleaver”) litter Malignant Cognition, as one riff after another attempts to channel different foul spirits of savagery into one whole. In the included promo sheet, Architectural Genocide brag about distilling all the vital elements of the genre into one offering, and the sheer glut of names that can occur to anyone with a slight knowledge of the genre is telling that they’ve done their homework.

But while it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, everyone always forgets the back half of the quote: “…that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” In a world where gurgles and snare-shattering blasts are a requisite, the distinction between the goods and the greats is personality. Architectural Genocide have their greatest strength function as their biggest Achilles heel, in that they remind me of so many other bands that I find myself wishing I was listening to them instead. The snare-based drum patterns grow to be so repetitive that even Pathology might suggest toning them down a little bit, while tracks like “Malicious Wager” use a start-stop method of riffing which doesn’t get past Amputate in “intensity”, with the staccato presentation only underscoring how “fine” it is. The most interesting riffing and intense moments are all saved for the back end of the album (“Zed Requiem”, Stuffed Under Floordboards”), where Nate Connor unfurls some genuinely fun fills, and we have our first meaningful bass presence. We even get a slam worthy of slicing spines to carry us to the conclusion, ending on a high note, but also leaving one to ask where this personality has been hiding the entire time. It seems like Architectural Genocide have spent the last few years learning the compositional tricks of all these great bands, but are still struggling to cobble together the pieces into what distinguished those outfits from their hoards of imitators.

This is disappointing, because Architectural Genocide are skilled players with a good grasp of composition. But at the moment, that composition has only allowed them to ring out with the echoes of the greats, rather than sing with their own anthems of death. Nobody knocks bands anymore (usually) for sounding inspired by others, but everyone at least knows that you have to come with flair and personality, not just good emulation of style. I believe the band has the toolset to evolve past their inspirations, and I am rooting for them to do so. In the meantime, if you need a quick fix of head-bobbing gnarliness, there are plenty worse options out there.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Official Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: January 16th, 2025

It’s gotta be tough being inspired by genre giants. For bands like Incantation or Autopsy, it can be hard to drink from their well without sounding like derivative, uninspired knockoffs. In the realm of brutal death, Suffocation unsurprisingly stands at the top of the corpse pile, with a sound that’s inspired offshoot after offshoot and triggered more permutations of listener-savaging than one can count. There was a period when “Suffoclone” was used as a term of mockery, and now time has looped back around to turning such a descriptor into a potential point of praise. Architectural Genocide have landed with their sophomore album Malignant Cognition, which unsurprisingly seeks to worship at the altar of the brutal death kings. Will their tribute allow them to rise to the ranks of priesthood in this church of the charnel, or relegate them to mere parish members of the profane?

Architectural Genocide overcome brutal deaths first major hurdle with an excellent sound and a clearly articulated production. With a slightly above average DR (particularly by genre standards), every instrument1 is clearly articulated, with a real shine to the drums. Nate Conner’s drum performance rides snare violations, and china fills in what sounds like a refreshingly undigital performance, while guitarists Tom Savage and Caleb Baker offer up a hodgepodge of slams and chuggy assaults which alternate between breakdowns and full-blown Suffo-isms at the drop of a hat. Vocalist Daniel Brockway, in particular, manages to share a similar register with Ricky Myers when in his higher range, adding some sense of familiarity to the proceedings. Everything is confidently delivered and competently composed.

Malignant Cognition by ARCHITECTURAL GENOCIDE

With brutal death being such a broad target to hit, various strains of DNA making their presence known is unsurprising. As already alluded too, Suffocation are the clear cornerstone, with Architectural Genocide even going so far as to kick off the album with a sample that uses the phrase “Bind, torture, kill” (“Precursor to Bloodshed.”) Occasional nods to mid-era Devourment (“Malicious Wager”) and swings to Mob Justice-era Vulvodynia (“Leave It to Cleaver”) litter Malignant Cognition, as one riff after another attempts to channel different foul spirits of savagery into one whole. In the included promo sheet, Architectural Genocide brag about distilling all the vital elements of the genre into one offering, and the sheer glut of names that can occur to anyone with a slight knowledge of the genre is telling that they’ve done their homework.

But while it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, everyone always forgets the back half of the quote: “…that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” In a world where gurgles and snare-shattering blasts are a requisite, the distinction between the goods and the greats is personality. Architectural Genocide have their greatest strength function as their biggest Achilles heel, in that they remind me of so many other bands that I find myself wishing I was listening to them instead. The snare-based drum patterns grow to be so repetitive that even Pathology might suggest toning them down a little bit, while tracks like “Malicious Wager” use a start-stop method of riffing which doesn’t get past Amputate in “intensity”, with the staccato presentation only underscoring how “fine” it is. The most interesting riffing and intense moments are all saved for the back end of the album (“Zed Requiem”, Stuffed Under Floordboards”), where Nate Connor unfurls some genuinely fun fills, and we have our first meaningful bass presence. We even get a slam worthy of slicing spines to carry us to the conclusion, ending on a high note, but also leaving one to ask where this personality has been hiding the entire time. It seems like Architectural Genocide have spent the last few years learning the compositional tricks of all these great bands, but are still struggling to cobble together the pieces into what distinguished those outfits from their hoards of imitators.

This is disappointing, because Architectural Genocide are skilled players with a good grasp of composition. But at the moment, that composition has only allowed them to ring out with the echoes of the greats, rather than sing with their own anthems of death. Nobody knocks bands anymore (usually) for sounding inspired by others, but everyone at least knows that you have to come with flair and personality, not just good emulation of style. I believe the band has the toolset to evolve past their inspirations, and I am rooting for them to do so. In the meantime, if you need a quick fix of head-bobbing gnarliness, there are plenty worse options out there.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Official Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: January 16th, 2025

It’s gotta be tough being inspired by genre giants. For bands like Incantation or Autopsy, it can be hard to drink from their well without sounding like derivative, uninspired knockoffs. In the realm of brutal death, Suffocation unsurprisingly stands at the top of the corpse pile, with a sound that’s inspired offshoot after offshoot and triggered more permutations of listener-savaging than one can count. There was a period when “Suffoclone” was used as a term of mockery, and now time has looped back around to turning such a descriptor into a potential point of praise. Architectural Genocide have landed with their sophomore album Malignant Cognition, which unsurprisingly seeks to worship at the altar of the brutal death kings. Will their tribute allow them to rise to the ranks of priesthood in this church of the charnel, or relegate them to mere parish members of the profane?

Architectural Genocide overcome brutal deaths first major hurdle with an excellent sound and a clearly articulated production. With a slightly above average DR (particularly by genre standards), every instrument1 is clearly articulated, with a real shine to the drums. Nate Conner’s drum performance rides snare violations, and china fills in what sounds like a refreshingly undigital performance, while guitarists Tom Savage and Caleb Baker offer up a hodgepodge of slams and chuggy assaults which alternate between breakdowns and full-blown Suffo-isms at the drop of a hat. Vocalist Daniel Brockway, in particular, manages to share a similar register with Ricky Myers when in his higher range, adding some sense of familiarity to the proceedings. Everything is confidently delivered and competently composed.

Malignant Cognition by ARCHITECTURAL GENOCIDE

With brutal death being such a broad target to hit, various strains of DNA making their presence known is unsurprising. As already alluded too, Suffocation are the clear cornerstone, with Architectural Genocide even going so far as to kick off the album with a sample that uses the phrase “Bind, torture, kill” (“Precursor to Bloodshed.”) Occasional nods to mid-era Devourment (“Malicious Wager”) and swings to Mob Justice-era Vulvodynia (“Leave It to Cleaver”) litter Malignant Cognition, as one riff after another attempts to channel different foul spirits of savagery into one whole. In the included promo sheet, Architectural Genocide brag about distilling all the vital elements of the genre into one offering, and the sheer glut of names that can occur to anyone with a slight knowledge of the genre is telling that they’ve done their homework.

But while it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, everyone always forgets the back half of the quote: “…that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” In a world where gurgles and snare-shattering blasts are a requisite, the distinction between the goods and the greats is personality. Architectural Genocide have their greatest strength function as their biggest Achilles heel, in that they remind me of so many other bands that I find myself wishing I was listening to them instead. The snare-based drum patterns grow to be so repetitive that even Pathology might suggest toning them down a little bit, while tracks like “Malicious Wager” use a start-stop method of riffing which doesn’t get past Amputate in “intensity”, with the staccato presentation only underscoring how “fine” it is. The most interesting riffing and intense moments are all saved for the back end of the album (“Zed Requiem”, Stuffed Under Floordboards”), where Nate Connor unfurls some genuinely fun fills, and we have our first meaningful bass presence. We even get a slam worthy of slicing spines to carry us to the conclusion, ending on a high note, but also leaving one to ask where this personality has been hiding the entire time. It seems like Architectural Genocide have spent the last few years learning the compositional tricks of all these great bands, but are still struggling to cobble together the pieces into what distinguished those outfits from their hoards of imitators.

This is disappointing, because Architectural Genocide are skilled players with a good grasp of composition. But at the moment, that composition has only allowed them to ring out with the echoes of the greats, rather than sing with their own anthems of death. Nobody knocks bands anymore (usually) for sounding inspired by others, but everyone at least knows that you have to come with flair and personality, not just good emulation of style. I believe the band has the toolset to evolve past their inspirations, and I am rooting for them to do so. In the meantime, if you need a quick fix of head-bobbing gnarliness, there are plenty worse options out there.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Official Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: January 16th, 2025

It’s gotta be tough being inspired by genre giants. For bands like Incantation or Autopsy, it can be hard to drink from their well without sounding like derivative, uninspired knockoffs. In the realm of brutal death, Suffocation unsurprisingly stands at the top of the corpse pile, with a sound that’s inspired offshoot after offshoot and triggered more permutations of listener-savaging than one can count. There was a period when “Suffoclone” was used as a term of mockery, and now time has looped back around to turning such a descriptor into a potential point of praise. Architectural Genocide have landed with their sophomore album Malignant Cognition, which unsurprisingly seeks to worship at the altar of the brutal death kings. Will their tribute allow them to rise to the ranks of priesthood in this church of the charnel, or relegate them to mere parish members of the profane?

Architectural Genocide overcome brutal deaths first major hurdle with an excellent sound and a clearly articulated production. With a slightly above average DR (particularly by genre standards), every instrument1 is clearly articulated, with a real shine to the drums. Nate Conner’s drum performance rides snare violations, and china fills in what sounds like a refreshingly undigital performance, while guitarists Tom Savage and Caleb Baker offer up a hodgepodge of slams and chuggy assaults which alternate between breakdowns and full-blown Suffo-isms at the drop of a hat. Vocalist Daniel Brockway, in particular, manages to share a similar register with Ricky Myers when in his higher range, adding some sense of familiarity to the proceedings. Everything is confidently delivered and competently composed.

Malignant Cognition by ARCHITECTURAL GENOCIDE

With brutal death being such a broad target to hit, various strains of DNA making their presence known is unsurprising. As already alluded too, Suffocation are the clear cornerstone, with Architectural Genocide even going so far as to kick off the album with a sample that uses the phrase “Bind, torture, kill” (“Precursor to Bloodshed.”) Occasional nods to mid-era Devourment (“Malicious Wager”) and swings to Mob Justice-era Vulvodynia (“Leave It to Cleaver”) litter Malignant Cognition, as one riff after another attempts to channel different foul spirits of savagery into one whole. In the included promo sheet, Architectural Genocide brag about distilling all the vital elements of the genre into one offering, and the sheer glut of names that can occur to anyone with a slight knowledge of the genre is telling that they’ve done their homework.

But while it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, everyone always forgets the back half of the quote: “…that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” In a world where gurgles and snare-shattering blasts are a requisite, the distinction between the goods and the greats is personality. Architectural Genocide have their greatest strength function as their biggest Achilles heel, in that they remind me of so many other bands that I find myself wishing I was listening to them instead. The snare-based drum patterns grow to be so repetitive that even Pathology might suggest toning them down a little bit, while tracks like “Malicious Wager” use a start-stop method of riffing which doesn’t get past Amputate in “intensity”, with the staccato presentation only underscoring how “fine” it is. The most interesting riffing and intense moments are all saved for the back end of the album (“Zed Requiem”, Stuffed Under Floordboards”), where Nate Connor unfurls some genuinely fun fills, and we have our first meaningful bass presence. We even get a slam worthy of slicing spines to carry us to the conclusion, ending on a high note, but also leaving one to ask where this personality has been hiding the entire time. It seems like Architectural Genocide have spent the last few years learning the compositional tricks of all these great bands, but are still struggling to cobble together the pieces into what distinguished those outfits from their hoards of imitators.

This is disappointing, because Architectural Genocide are skilled players with a good grasp of composition. But at the moment, that composition has only allowed them to ring out with the echoes of the greats, rather than sing with their own anthems of death. Nobody knocks bands anymore (usually) for sounding inspired by others, but everyone at least knows that you have to come with flair and personality, not just good emulation of style. I believe the band has the toolset to evolve past their inspirations, and I am rooting for them to do so. In the meantime, if you need a quick fix of head-bobbing gnarliness, there are plenty worse options out there.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Official Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: January 16th, 2025

It’s gotta be tough being inspired by genre giants. For bands like Incantation or Autopsy, it can be hard to drink from their well without sounding like derivative, uninspired knockoffs. In the realm of brutal death, Suffocation unsurprisingly stands at the top of the corpse pile, with a sound that’s inspired offshoot after offshoot and triggered more permutations of listener-savaging than one can count. There was a period when “Suffoclone” was used as a term of mockery, and now time has looped back around to turning such a descriptor into a potential point of praise. Architectural Genocide have landed with their sophomore album Malignant Cognition, which unsurprisingly seeks to worship at the altar of the brutal death kings. Will their tribute allow them to rise to the ranks of priesthood in this church of the charnel, or relegate them to mere parish members of the profane?

Architectural Genocide overcome brutal deaths first major hurdle with an excellent sound and a clearly articulated production. With a slightly above average DR (particularly by genre standards), every instrument1 is clearly articulated, with a real shine to the drums. Nate Conner’s drum performance rides snare violations, and china fills in what sounds like a refreshingly undigital performance, while guitarists Tom Savage and Caleb Baker offer up a hodgepodge of slams and chuggy assaults which alternate between breakdowns and full-blown Suffo-isms at the drop of a hat. Vocalist Daniel Brockway, in particular, manages to share a similar register with Ricky Myers when in his higher range, adding some sense of familiarity to the proceedings. Everything is confidently delivered and competently composed.

Malignant Cognition by ARCHITECTURAL GENOCIDE

With brutal death being such a broad target to hit, various strains of DNA making their presence known is unsurprising. As already alluded too, Suffocation are the clear cornerstone, with Architectural Genocide even going so far as to kick off the album with a sample that uses the phrase “Bind, torture, kill” (“Precursor to Bloodshed.”) Occasional nods to mid-era Devourment (“Malicious Wager”) and swings to Mob Justice-era Vulvodynia (“Leave It to Cleaver”) litter Malignant Cognition, as one riff after another attempts to channel different foul spirits of savagery into one whole. In the included promo sheet, Architectural Genocide brag about distilling all the vital elements of the genre into one offering, and the sheer glut of names that can occur to anyone with a slight knowledge of the genre is telling that they’ve done their homework.

But while it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, everyone always forgets the back half of the quote: “…that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” In a world where gurgles and snare-shattering blasts are a requisite, the distinction between the goods and the greats is personality. Architectural Genocide have their greatest strength function as their biggest Achilles heel, in that they remind me of so many other bands that I find myself wishing I was listening to them instead. The snare-based drum patterns grow to be so repetitive that even Pathology might suggest toning them down a little bit, while tracks like “Malicious Wager” use a start-stop method of riffing which doesn’t get past Amputate in “intensity”, with the staccato presentation only underscoring how “fine” it is. The most interesting riffing and intense moments are all saved for the back end of the album (“Zed Requiem”, Stuffed Under Floordboards”), where Nate Connor unfurls some genuinely fun fills, and we have our first meaningful bass presence. We even get a slam worthy of slicing spines to carry us to the conclusion, ending on a high note, but also leaving one to ask where this personality has been hiding the entire time. It seems like Architectural Genocide have spent the last few years learning the compositional tricks of all these great bands, but are still struggling to cobble together the pieces into what distinguished those outfits from their hoards of imitators.

This is disappointing, because Architectural Genocide are skilled players with a good grasp of composition. But at the moment, that composition has only allowed them to ring out with the echoes of the greats, rather than sing with their own anthems of death. Nobody knocks bands anymore (usually) for sounding inspired by others, but everyone at least knows that you have to come with flair and personality, not just good emulation of style. I believe the band has the toolset to evolve past their inspirations, and I am rooting for them to do so. In the meantime, if you need a quick fix of head-bobbing gnarliness, there are plenty worse options out there.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: Official Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: January 16th, 2025

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2025 #3.0 #AU #Australia #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Entertainment #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #review #reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/260786/

https://www.europesays.com/ie/161240/ Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review #2025 #3.0 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Éire #Entertainment #Hatebreed #IE #Ireland #KublaiKhanTX #Music #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2025 #3.0 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Entertainment #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #review #reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/269528/

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Music #2025 #3.0 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Entertainment #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #review #reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/269528/

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

By Owlswald

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades, here’s a brief introduction: back in 2002, when MySpace was all the rage and everyone had a friend named Tom, five dudes from Montreal dropped their debut LP, Consumed by Your Poison. Heavily influenced by the likes of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, these Canadians continued to hone their crushing sound on 2005’s The Healing Process by injecting metalcore and hardcore elements into their deathly framework. This unique formula culminated with their third LP, The Ills of Modern Man (2007)—the crown jewel of their discography that made Despised Icon deathcore royalty. The rest, they say, is history. Fast forward 18 years and, following a hiatus and three subsequent albums, the group has now readied their seventh LP, Shadow Work. So, dust off that windbreaker and lace up your best pair of New Balance kicks; it’s time to dive into Shadow Work.

In typical Despised Icon fashion, the opening title track instantly rips one’s jaw from its joints with a strong, technical launch. Leading the assault is Éric Jarrin and Ben Landreville’s signature pitch-shifted guitar squeals (a staple since 2019’s Purgatory), which, alongside rapid-fire tremolo scales, synchronize perfectly with Alex Pelletier’s blistering rhythms and Sebastien Piché’s grinding bass to fuel the album’s heavy, frenetic passages. The dual-headed vocal attack from Alex Erian and Steve Marois sounds as strong as ever, alternating raspy screams, slam-style pig squeals and hardcore chants that add a sharp, aggressive edge. Guest spots from Matthew Honeycutt (Kublai Khan TX), Scott Ian Lewis (Carnifex) and Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin) compliment Erian and Marois’ delivery but ultimately land with mixed results. Shadow Work’s powerful first half (“Shadow Work” through “The Apparition”) proves Despised Icon can still execute with the same ferocity as on past efforts. Conversely, Shadow Work’s energy wanes toward the end with formulaic pit anthems (“Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” “Fallen Ones”) settling into a cliché hardcore spirit, though the record’s strongest material warrants repeat listens.

The first half of Shadow Work delivers a powerful blend of technical proficiency and a dash of genre experimentation before the album settles into a more formulaic hardcore groove. “Death Of An Artist” is a straight-up, drum-driven banger that introduces new wrinkles like clean vocals, dissonant high leads and a tasteful thrash and death eeriness that adds fresh flavor to Despised Icon’s well-known formula. Similarly, “The Apparition” is a relentless burner, injecting elements of symphonic death and black metal while maintaining the group’s core sound. Across the album’s succinct 37 minutes, monolithic breakdowns are plentiful—tense builds frequently give way to gut-punching beatdowns replete with fret slides (“Shadow Work”), air raid sirens (“The Apparition”) and stutter-step riffing (“Death of an Artist”), delivering a seismic release and an irresistible urge to pit.

However, Shadow Work hits a predictable wall at its midpoint, slumping into an over-reliance on tropey, Hatebreed-adjacent, inspirational anthems. Characterized by pervasive gang vocals, two-step riffs, and cheesy lyrical themes, tracks like “Fallen Ones,” “Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” and “Reaper” feel less about pushing Despised Icon’s established deathcore boundaries and more about catering to the masses, thereby detracting from Shadow Work’s initial aggression. While Scott Ian Lewis’ gruff, thrashy vocal textures on “In Memoriam” effectively add a new element and the raucous “Omen of Misfortune” or “ContreCoeur” offer relief, Despised Icon’s heavy reliance on clichéd, tough-guy hardcore vocal cadences and themes holds Shadow Work back. For instance, lines like “From the ground up, never gave up, from the gutter to the surface” (“Reaper”) leans too far into its hardcore roots. Even the otherwise stronger early track “Over My Dead Body” is hampered by a cheesy hardcore/nu-metal feel in its bridge, its jarring cadence and Honeycutt’s yelling of “bitch” further exposing Shadow Work’s central weakness.1

Shadow Work is a good record marred by frustrating dualities. The first half unleashes the punishing, technical ferocity and syncopated slams that cement Despised Icon’s legacy as godfathers of deathcore. Yet, Shadow Work’s potential is sacrificed in the latter half, by leaning too hard on formulaic, predictable hardcore anthems. By repeatedly prioritizing comfortable clichés over their trademark sound, Despised Icon ultimately delivers an uneven album that only teases at the complete savagery fans know these legends are still more than capable of delivering.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: despisedicon.com | facebook.com/despisedicon
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

By Owlswald

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades, here’s a brief introduction: back in 2002, when MySpace was all the rage and everyone had a friend named Tom, five dudes from Montreal dropped their debut LP, Consumed by Your Poison. Heavily influenced by the likes of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, these Canadians continued to hone their crushing sound on 2005’s The Healing Process by injecting metalcore and hardcore elements into their deathly framework. This unique formula culminated with their third LP, The Ills of Modern Man (2007)—the crown jewel of their discography that made Despised Icon deathcore royalty. The rest, they say, is history. Fast forward 18 years and, following a hiatus and three subsequent albums, the group has now readied their seventh LP, Shadow Work. So, dust off that windbreaker and lace up your best pair of New Balance kicks; it’s time to dive into Shadow Work.

In typical Despised Icon fashion, the opening title track instantly rips one’s jaw from its joints with a strong, technical launch. Leading the assault is Éric Jarrin and Ben Landreville’s signature pitch-shifted guitar squeals (a staple since 2019’s Purgatory), which, alongside rapid-fire tremolo scales, synchronize perfectly with Alex Pelletier’s blistering rhythms and Sebastien Piché’s grinding bass to fuel the album’s heavy, frenetic passages. The dual-headed vocal attack from Alex Erian and Steve Marois sounds as strong as ever, alternating raspy screams, slam-style pig squeals and hardcore chants that add a sharp, aggressive edge. Guest spots from Matthew Honeycutt (Kublai Khan TX), Scott Ian Lewis (Carnifex) and Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin) compliment Erian and Marois’ delivery but ultimately land with mixed results. Shadow Work’s powerful first half (“Shadow Work” through “The Apparition”) proves Despised Icon can still execute with the same ferocity as on past efforts. Conversely, Shadow Work’s energy wanes toward the end with formulaic pit anthems (“Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” “Fallen Ones”) settling into a cliché hardcore spirit, though the record’s strongest material warrants repeat listens.

The first half of Shadow Work delivers a powerful blend of technical proficiency and a dash of genre experimentation before the album settles into a more formulaic hardcore groove. “Death Of An Artist” is a straight-up, drum-driven banger that introduces new wrinkles like clean vocals, dissonant high leads and a tasteful thrash and death eeriness that adds fresh flavor to Despised Icon’s well-known formula. Similarly, “The Apparition” is a relentless burner, injecting elements of symphonic death and black metal while maintaining the group’s core sound. Across the album’s succinct 37 minutes, monolithic breakdowns are plentiful—tense builds frequently give way to gut-punching beatdowns replete with fret slides (“Shadow Work”), air raid sirens (“The Apparition”) and stutter-step riffing (“Death of an Artist”), delivering a seismic release and an irresistible urge to pit.

However, Shadow Work hits a predictable wall at its midpoint, slumping into an over-reliance on tropey, Hatebreed-adjacent, inspirational anthems. Characterized by pervasive gang vocals, two-step riffs, and cheesy lyrical themes, tracks like “Fallen Ones,” “Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” and “Reaper” feel less about pushing Despised Icon’s established deathcore boundaries and more about catering to the masses, thereby detracting from Shadow Work’s initial aggression. While Scott Ian Lewis’ gruff, thrashy vocal textures on “In Memoriam” effectively add a new element and the raucous “Omen of Misfortune” or “ContreCoeur” offer relief, Despised Icon’s heavy reliance on clichéd, tough-guy hardcore vocal cadences and themes holds Shadow Work back. For instance, lines like “From the ground up, never gave up, from the gutter to the surface” (“Reaper”) leans too far into its hardcore roots. Even the otherwise stronger early track “Over My Dead Body” is hampered by a cheesy hardcore/nu-metal feel in its bridge, its jarring cadence and Honeycutt’s yelling of “bitch” further exposing Shadow Work’s central weakness.1

Shadow Work is a good record marred by frustrating dualities. The first half unleashes the punishing, technical ferocity and syncopated slams that cement Despised Icon’s legacy as godfathers of deathcore. Yet, Shadow Work’s potential is sacrificed in the latter half, by leaning too hard on formulaic, predictable hardcore anthems. By repeatedly prioritizing comfortable clichés over their trademark sound, Despised Icon ultimately delivers an uneven album that only teases at the complete savagery fans know these legends are still more than capable of delivering.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: despisedicon.com | facebook.com/despisedicon
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

By Owlswald

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades, here’s a brief introduction: back in 2002, when MySpace was all the rage and everyone had a friend named Tom, five dudes from Montreal dropped their debut LP, Consumed by Your Poison. Heavily influenced by the likes of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, these Canadians continued to hone their crushing sound on 2005’s The Healing Process by injecting metalcore and hardcore elements into their deathly framework. This unique formula culminated with their third LP, The Ills of Modern Man (2007)—the crown jewel of their discography that made Despised Icon deathcore royalty. The rest, they say, is history. Fast forward 18 years and, following a hiatus and three subsequent albums, the group has now readied their seventh LP, Shadow Work. So, dust off that windbreaker and lace up your best pair of New Balance kicks; it’s time to dive into Shadow Work.

In typical Despised Icon fashion, the opening title track instantly rips one’s jaw from its joints with a strong, technical launch. Leading the assault is Éric Jarrin and Ben Landreville’s signature pitch-shifted guitar squeals (a staple since 2019’s Purgatory), which, alongside rapid-fire tremolo scales, synchronize perfectly with Alex Pelletier’s blistering rhythms and Sebastien Piché’s grinding bass to fuel the album’s heavy, frenetic passages. The dual-headed vocal attack from Alex Erian and Steve Marois sounds as strong as ever, alternating raspy screams, slam-style pig squeals and hardcore chants that add a sharp, aggressive edge. Guest spots from Matthew Honeycutt (Kublai Khan TX), Scott Ian Lewis (Carnifex) and Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin) compliment Erian and Marois’ delivery but ultimately land with mixed results. Shadow Work’s powerful first half (“Shadow Work” through “The Apparition”) proves Despised Icon can still execute with the same ferocity as on past efforts. Conversely, Shadow Work’s energy wanes toward the end with formulaic pit anthems (“Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” “Fallen Ones”) settling into a cliché hardcore spirit, though the record’s strongest material warrants repeat listens.

The first half of Shadow Work delivers a powerful blend of technical proficiency and a dash of genre experimentation before the album settles into a more formulaic hardcore groove. “Death Of An Artist” is a straight-up, drum-driven banger that introduces new wrinkles like clean vocals, dissonant high leads and a tasteful thrash and death eeriness that adds fresh flavor to Despised Icon’s well-known formula. Similarly, “The Apparition” is a relentless burner, injecting elements of symphonic death and black metal while maintaining the group’s core sound. Across the album’s succinct 37 minutes, monolithic breakdowns are plentiful—tense builds frequently give way to gut-punching beatdowns replete with fret slides (“Shadow Work”), air raid sirens (“The Apparition”) and stutter-step riffing (“Death of an Artist”), delivering a seismic release and an irresistible urge to pit.

However, Shadow Work hits a predictable wall at its midpoint, slumping into an over-reliance on tropey, Hatebreed-adjacent, inspirational anthems. Characterized by pervasive gang vocals, two-step riffs, and cheesy lyrical themes, tracks like “Fallen Ones,” “Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” and “Reaper” feel less about pushing Despised Icon’s established deathcore boundaries and more about catering to the masses, thereby detracting from Shadow Work’s initial aggression. While Scott Ian Lewis’ gruff, thrashy vocal textures on “In Memoriam” effectively add a new element and the raucous “Omen of Misfortune” or “ContreCoeur” offer relief, Despised Icon’s heavy reliance on clichéd, tough-guy hardcore vocal cadences and themes holds Shadow Work back. For instance, lines like “From the ground up, never gave up, from the gutter to the surface” (“Reaper”) leans too far into its hardcore roots. Even the otherwise stronger early track “Over My Dead Body” is hampered by a cheesy hardcore/nu-metal feel in its bridge, its jarring cadence and Honeycutt’s yelling of “bitch” further exposing Shadow Work’s central weakness.1

Shadow Work is a good record marred by frustrating dualities. The first half unleashes the punishing, technical ferocity and syncopated slams that cement Despised Icon’s legacy as godfathers of deathcore. Yet, Shadow Work’s potential is sacrificed in the latter half, by leaning too hard on formulaic, predictable hardcore anthems. By repeatedly prioritizing comfortable clichés over their trademark sound, Despised Icon ultimately delivers an uneven album that only teases at the complete savagery fans know these legends are still more than capable of delivering.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: despisedicon.com | facebook.com/despisedicon
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

By Owlswald

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades, here’s a brief introduction: back in 2002, when MySpace was all the rage and everyone had a friend named Tom, five dudes from Montreal dropped their debut LP, Consumed by Your Poison. Heavily influenced by the likes of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, these Canadians continued to hone their crushing sound on 2005’s The Healing Process by injecting metalcore and hardcore elements into their deathly framework. This unique formula culminated with their third LP, The Ills of Modern Man (2007)—the crown jewel of their discography that made Despised Icon deathcore royalty. The rest, they say, is history. Fast forward 18 years and, following a hiatus and three subsequent albums, the group has now readied their seventh LP, Shadow Work. So, dust off that windbreaker and lace up your best pair of New Balance kicks; it’s time to dive into Shadow Work.

In typical Despised Icon fashion, the opening title track instantly rips one’s jaw from its joints with a strong, technical launch. Leading the assault is Éric Jarrin and Ben Landreville’s signature pitch-shifted guitar squeals (a staple since 2019’s Purgatory), which, alongside rapid-fire tremolo scales, synchronize perfectly with Alex Pelletier’s blistering rhythms and Sebastien Piché’s grinding bass to fuel the album’s heavy, frenetic passages. The dual-headed vocal attack from Alex Erian and Steve Marois sounds as strong as ever, alternating raspy screams, slam-style pig squeals and hardcore chants that add a sharp, aggressive edge. Guest spots from Matthew Honeycutt (Kublai Khan TX), Scott Ian Lewis (Carnifex) and Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin) compliment Erian and Marois’ delivery but ultimately land with mixed results. Shadow Work’s powerful first half (“Shadow Work” through “The Apparition”) proves Despised Icon can still execute with the same ferocity as on past efforts. Conversely, Shadow Work’s energy wanes toward the end with formulaic pit anthems (“Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” “Fallen Ones”) settling into a cliché hardcore spirit, though the record’s strongest material warrants repeat listens.

The first half of Shadow Work delivers a powerful blend of technical proficiency and a dash of genre experimentation before the album settles into a more formulaic hardcore groove. “Death Of An Artist” is a straight-up, drum-driven banger that introduces new wrinkles like clean vocals, dissonant high leads and a tasteful thrash and death eeriness that adds fresh flavor to Despised Icon’s well-known formula. Similarly, “The Apparition” is a relentless burner, injecting elements of symphonic death and black metal while maintaining the group’s core sound. Across the album’s succinct 37 minutes, monolithic breakdowns are plentiful—tense builds frequently give way to gut-punching beatdowns replete with fret slides (“Shadow Work”), air raid sirens (“The Apparition”) and stutter-step riffing (“Death of an Artist”), delivering a seismic release and an irresistible urge to pit.

However, Shadow Work hits a predictable wall at its midpoint, slumping into an over-reliance on tropey, Hatebreed-adjacent, inspirational anthems. Characterized by pervasive gang vocals, two-step riffs, and cheesy lyrical themes, tracks like “Fallen Ones,” “Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” and “Reaper” feel less about pushing Despised Icon’s established deathcore boundaries and more about catering to the masses, thereby detracting from Shadow Work’s initial aggression. While Scott Ian Lewis’ gruff, thrashy vocal textures on “In Memoriam” effectively add a new element and the raucous “Omen of Misfortune” or “ContreCoeur” offer relief, Despised Icon’s heavy reliance on clichéd, tough-guy hardcore vocal cadences and themes holds Shadow Work back. For instance, lines like “From the ground up, never gave up, from the gutter to the surface” (“Reaper”) leans too far into its hardcore roots. Even the otherwise stronger early track “Over My Dead Body” is hampered by a cheesy hardcore/nu-metal feel in its bridge, its jarring cadence and Honeycutt’s yelling of “bitch” further exposing Shadow Work’s central weakness.1

Shadow Work is a good record marred by frustrating dualities. The first half unleashes the punishing, technical ferocity and syncopated slams that cement Despised Icon’s legacy as godfathers of deathcore. Yet, Shadow Work’s potential is sacrificed in the latter half, by leaning too hard on formulaic, predictable hardcore anthems. By repeatedly prioritizing comfortable clichés over their trademark sound, Despised Icon ultimately delivers an uneven album that only teases at the complete savagery fans know these legends are still more than capable of delivering.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: despisedicon.com | facebook.com/despisedicon
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation

Despised Icon – Shadow Work Review

By Owlswald

Widely regarded as one of the original architects of deathcore, Canada’s Despised Icon hardly needs an introduction. But just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades, here’s a brief introduction: back in 2002, when MySpace was all the rage and everyone had a friend named Tom, five dudes from Montreal dropped their debut LP, Consumed by Your Poison. Heavily influenced by the likes of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, these Canadians continued to hone their crushing sound on 2005’s The Healing Process by injecting metalcore and hardcore elements into their deathly framework. This unique formula culminated with their third LP, The Ills of Modern Man (2007)—the crown jewel of their discography that made Despised Icon deathcore royalty. The rest, they say, is history. Fast forward 18 years and, following a hiatus and three subsequent albums, the group has now readied their seventh LP, Shadow Work. So, dust off that windbreaker and lace up your best pair of New Balance kicks; it’s time to dive into Shadow Work.

In typical Despised Icon fashion, the opening title track instantly rips one’s jaw from its joints with a strong, technical launch. Leading the assault is Éric Jarrin and Ben Landreville’s signature pitch-shifted guitar squeals (a staple since 2019’s Purgatory), which, alongside rapid-fire tremolo scales, synchronize perfectly with Alex Pelletier’s blistering rhythms and Sebastien Piché’s grinding bass to fuel the album’s heavy, frenetic passages. The dual-headed vocal attack from Alex Erian and Steve Marois sounds as strong as ever, alternating raspy screams, slam-style pig squeals and hardcore chants that add a sharp, aggressive edge. Guest spots from Matthew Honeycutt (Kublai Khan TX), Scott Ian Lewis (Carnifex) and Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin) compliment Erian and Marois’ delivery but ultimately land with mixed results. Shadow Work’s powerful first half (“Shadow Work” through “The Apparition”) proves Despised Icon can still execute with the same ferocity as on past efforts. Conversely, Shadow Work’s energy wanes toward the end with formulaic pit anthems (“Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” “Fallen Ones”) settling into a cliché hardcore spirit, though the record’s strongest material warrants repeat listens.

The first half of Shadow Work delivers a powerful blend of technical proficiency and a dash of genre experimentation before the album settles into a more formulaic hardcore groove. “Death Of An Artist” is a straight-up, drum-driven banger that introduces new wrinkles like clean vocals, dissonant high leads and a tasteful thrash and death eeriness that adds fresh flavor to Despised Icon’s well-known formula. Similarly, “The Apparition” is a relentless burner, injecting elements of symphonic death and black metal while maintaining the group’s core sound. Across the album’s succinct 37 minutes, monolithic breakdowns are plentiful—tense builds frequently give way to gut-punching beatdowns replete with fret slides (“Shadow Work”), air raid sirens (“The Apparition”) and stutter-step riffing (“Death of an Artist”), delivering a seismic release and an irresistible urge to pit.

However, Shadow Work hits a predictable wall at its midpoint, slumping into an over-reliance on tropey, Hatebreed-adjacent, inspirational anthems. Characterized by pervasive gang vocals, two-step riffs, and cheesy lyrical themes, tracks like “Fallen Ones,” “Obsessive Compulsive Disaster,” and “Reaper” feel less about pushing Despised Icon’s established deathcore boundaries and more about catering to the masses, thereby detracting from Shadow Work’s initial aggression. While Scott Ian Lewis’ gruff, thrashy vocal textures on “In Memoriam” effectively add a new element and the raucous “Omen of Misfortune” or “ContreCoeur” offer relief, Despised Icon’s heavy reliance on clichéd, tough-guy hardcore vocal cadences and themes holds Shadow Work back. For instance, lines like “From the ground up, never gave up, from the gutter to the surface” (“Reaper”) leans too far into its hardcore roots. Even the otherwise stronger early track “Over My Dead Body” is hampered by a cheesy hardcore/nu-metal feel in its bridge, its jarring cadence and Honeycutt’s yelling of “bitch” further exposing Shadow Work’s central weakness.1

Shadow Work is a good record marred by frustrating dualities. The first half unleashes the punishing, technical ferocity and syncopated slams that cement Despised Icon’s legacy as godfathers of deathcore. Yet, Shadow Work’s potential is sacrificed in the latter half, by leaning too hard on formulaic, predictable hardcore anthems. By repeatedly prioritizing comfortable clichés over their trademark sound, Despised Icon ultimately delivers an uneven album that only teases at the complete savagery fans know these legends are still more than capable of delivering.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: despisedicon.com | facebook.com/despisedicon
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #CanadianMetal #Carnifex #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DespisedIcon #Devourment #DyingFetus #Hatebreed #KublaiKhanTX #NuclearBlast #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #ShadowWork #Suffocation

Kill Everything – Headless Cum Dumpster Review

By Saunders

In terms of subtlety and nuance, brutal death represents an oil vs water scenario. Illustrating the point, Texan purveyors of repugnant, stupidly heavy slam-infected brutal death, Kill Everything, return with the charmingly titled Headless Cum Dumpster, the long-gestating follow-up to their well-received 2018 debut, Scorched Earth. Time passed has brought in changes to the band’s line-up since their thumping debut, with ex-Devourment gurgler Mike Majewski leaving the fold, bassist Mike Leach joining, and former bassist Brett Wilson switching to second guitar, teaming up with another ex-Devourment member in guitarist Brian Wynn. Scorched Earth offered solidly satisfying slams and cement-smashing riffs, featuring a clean, heavy production job and suitably gut-wrenching vocal eruptions to chunky effect. The time away has found the band devolving into a darker, danker, uglier beast, while retaining the overwhelmingly punishing aural onslaught and face-smashing slams they detonated with such impact on their debut. Seven years is an eternity in the underground realms of brutal death. Can the rejinked Kill Everything cash in on their promise on the second go around?

Kill Everything favor brevity, probably to the album’s benefit, lock, loading and firing off a whirlwind eight song beatdown, clocking-in a brisk twenty-six minutes plus change. As indicated earlier, Headless Cum Dumpster strips away the more polished sonic elements from the debut, smearing layers of grime and a rancid mass of unidentified bodily fluids across the album’s dense, gritty construction. The resulting change in production tact creates an endearingly rugged, unvarnished edge to an already feral bout of guttural extremities. “Fermented Drippings” lays out the album’s formula in unsubtly head-caving terms, riding shotgun with rugged mid-paced batterings, chunky grooves, and forceful vocal emissions. The song makes an impactful explosion to begin the album; however, it lacks a genuine hook or lasting impression, a recurring theme across the album.

While never sluggish, Kill Everything prefer to operate in murky, mid-paced terrain, aside from more chaotic, speedier numbers or urgent rhythmic shift (“Maggot Frenzy,” “Infatuated with Homicide”). Although there are standout moments, riffs, and the obnoxiously addictive power of the almighty slam at play, Headless Cum Dumpster tends to blur by in all its unsophisticated, bone-headed glory. The ingredients and performances nail the aesthetics and key points to please brutal death and slam aficionados, complete with incomprehensibly heaving, guttural vox, and classic snare tone. And when this shit is on, there is fun to be had. For instance, “Headless Cum Dumpster” mashes busy drumming and chaotic riffage with satisfyingly explosive slams, while “No Lives Matter” rumbles drunkenly along like a deranged bog monster, off-kilter rhythms and sewer-dwelling grooves erupting in a headbangable frenzy.

In the moment, Headless Cum Dumpster provides momentary enjoyment, courtesy of the band’s tight performances, emphasis on swaggering, meaty grooves, repugnant slams, and chaotically brutal attack. Several songs create a decent impact, yet despite the album’s efficiency and Kill Everything’s dedication to their craft, the writing fails to consistently rise to the occasion. The loss of Majewski is significant. Vocals in brutal death can often function as a secondary rhythmic instrument, playing second fiddle to the instrumental base. They are not often the standout feature, nor should they negatively diminish or overwhelm the dense assault. Johnny Abila’s (Mortifying Deformity, Rotting Plague) uber-deep, guttural burps lend the album a brutal punch; however, the monotonously one-dimensional performance becomes an unwelcome distraction, lacking the character and variety of his predecessor. Coupled with songwriting that is missing the immediacy, dynamics, and infectiousness of the debut, Headless Cum Dumpster falls short as a long-awaited follow-up.

Overall, Headless Cum Dumpster ticks the boxes for a rollicking good time for avid listeners of underground brutal death, with a particularly slammy profile. However, the album’s bruising underground charms, unrelenting attack, and gut-busting slams cannot substantially paper over the songwriting deficiencies, shortage of genuinely engaging moments, and subpar vocals, diminishing an otherwise solid slab of nasty underground brutality.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: July 25th, 2025

#25 #2025 #AmericanMetal #BrutalDeath #ComatoseMusic #DeathMetal #Devourment #HeadlessCumDumpster #KillEverything #MortifyingDeformity #Review #Reviews #RottingPlague #Slam

Symphobia – Hideously Traumatic Review

By Alekhines Gun

Another day, another fresh debut by a slab of young hopefuls. Today’s offering comes by way of Indonesia in the form of trio Symphobia, dropping their first LP Hideously Traumatic after a sole self-titled demo the year before. At a concise two songs and sporting some charmingly ghoulish artwork, that demo was a vile little slab of promising violence, which leaned more into the modern slam trappings of Submerged than the usual brutal death proper Indonesia is known for. No member turnover and a short gap between releases imply a band with a musical vision and an eagerness to slot themselves into the next generation of woe-bringers; do they offer enough to get you back to therapy?

Symphobia have crafted a monument to brutal death of all varieties and walks of life. Trimming down the more overt slam clichés in the production of their demo (particularly the outlandish ping-pong snare) allows for a more matured1 take, walking a tightrope between solid deathly compositions and neanderthalic bludgeoning. Vocalist Jossi Bima does a dead ringer of an Angel Ochoa impression, but a talent for vocal phrasing (and vocal silence) means he actually adds to the percussive oomph of the riffs. (“Scattered”, “Convulsively”) Humam Aliy is a beast on the drums, working a limited set of ingredients into a well-concocted aural meal, with excellently placed sixteenth-note fills and masterfully selected double bass to give the illusion of dynamics and pacing even as the whole of the album never really lets up. The bass2 consistently makes itself felt with shreddage and twangy highlights, adding girth to an absolute smorgasbord of riffs.

Much like waves add texture to an otherwise flat and bland ocean, Hideously Truamatic offers a sense of the nuanced differences in brutal death strains of DNA to add personality to what threatens to be an overly homogenous listen. Do you like Misery Index? “Convulsively” has you covered. Do you think War of Attrition is the best Dying Fetus album?3 “Heinous” sports a riff worthy of a lost B-side from that era. The fingerprints of Pathology, Suffocation, Internal Bleeding, modern Pyrexia, and Cephalotripsy permeate the album, with the glue from highlight to highlight running through the eternal assault of …And Time Begins era Decrepit Birth. While Symphobia begin in familiar form, each time you think you’ve heard the best the album has to offer, the next song manages to come out swinging with a steel chair to top whatever offensive groove or thunderous breakdown came before it. Dodik Bhre offers up one riff-craft lesson after another, with a surprising emphasis on the occasional trebly runs instead of all-bass-all-bottom-end tropes. Songs like “Scattered” and “Abominable” stretch beyond the typical haze of blast beats and powerchord abuse, touching on the most straightforward moments of Defeated Sanity while lurching into a Disgorge-ian sense of mercilessness.

The only negative on such a balls-out assault of this caliber is a common one: the shadow of ones peers. Symphobia have grasped the ingredients of what makes all these other bands great, and distilled their essence into a blender of an album where the listener is tossed in to get slapped in the face with one meaty chunk after another. However, Hideously Traumatic comes across as a highlight reel of various stylings without forming into a cohesive identity for the band themselves. This is a love letter to the foulest and most pit-inducing of aural violence, and the letter is written in excellent handwriting and high-quality paper. I believe the best is yet to come, however, and if they can master the art of wielding their influences into a distinct final offering rather than being a mega-high grade tribute band, they will be ready to drop a slab of carnage to stand alongside the Brodiquins and Devourments of the world.

Just when I thought I was done with brutal death for a bit, Symphobia came out of nowhere with hammers and chainsaws to take my already abused ears to even more dire straits. Indonesia can be proud of its newest offspring, which continues to solidify the country’s reputation for a flourishing scene. That Hideously Traumatic reminds greatly of genre giants is hardly the worst flaw in the world. For now, seekers of euphoria-inducing savagery should find a high worthy of their time, with some truly traumatic moments indeed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Websites: Official Facebook | Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 11th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Brodiquin #BrutalDeathMetal #Cephalotripsy #ComatoseRecords #DecrepitBirth #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #Disgorge #DyingFetus #HideouslyTraumatic #IndonesianMetal #InternalBleeding #Jul25 #MiseryIndex #Pathology #Pyrexia #Review #Reviews #Submerged #Suffocation #Symphobia

Symphobia – Hideously Traumatic Review

By Alekhines Gun

Another day, another fresh debut by a slab of young hopefuls. Today’s offering comes by way of Indonesia in the form of trio Symphobia, dropping their first LP Hideously Traumatic after a sole self-titled demo the year before. At a concise two songs and sporting some charmingly ghoulish artwork, that demo was a vile little slab of promising violence, which leaned more into the modern slam trappings of Submerged than the usual brutal death proper Indonesia is known for. No member turnover and a short gap between releases imply a band with a musical vision and an eagerness to slot themselves into the next generation of woe-bringers; do they offer enough to get you back to therapy?

Symphobia have crafted a monument to brutal death of all varieties and walks of life. Trimming down the more overt slam clichés in the production of their demo (particularly the outlandish ping-pong snare) allows for a more matured1 take, walking a tightrope between solid deathly compositions and neanderthalic bludgeoning. Vocalist Jossi Bima does a dead ringer of an Angel Ochoa impression, but a talent for vocal phrasing (and vocal silence) means he actually adds to the percussive oomph of the riffs. (“Scattered”, “Convulsively”) Humam Aliy is a beast on the drums, working a limited set of ingredients into a well-concocted aural meal, with excellently placed sixteenth-note fills and masterfully selected double bass to give the illusion of dynamics and pacing even as the whole of the album never really lets up. The bass2 consistently makes itself felt with shreddage and twangy highlights, adding girth to an absolute smorgasbord of riffs.

Much like waves add texture to an otherwise flat and bland ocean, Hideously Truamatic offers a sense of the nuanced differences in brutal death strains of DNA to add personality to what threatens to be an overly homogenous listen. Do you like Misery Index? “Convulsively” has you covered. Do you think War of Attrition is the best Dying Fetus album?3 “Heinous” sports a riff worthy of a lost B-side from that era. The fingerprints of Pathology, Suffocation, Internal Bleeding, modern Pyrexia, and Cephalotripsy permeate the album, with the glue from highlight to highlight running through the eternal assault of …And Time Begins era Decrepit Birth. While Symphobia begin in familiar form, each time you think you’ve heard the best the album has to offer, the next song manages to come out swinging with a steel chair to top whatever offensive groove or thunderous breakdown came before it. Dodik Bhre offers up one riff-craft lesson after another, with a surprising emphasis on the occasional trebly runs instead of all-bass-all-bottom-end tropes. Songs like “Scattered” and “Abominable” stretch beyond the typical haze of blast beats and powerchord abuse, touching on the most straightforward moments of Defeated Sanity while lurching into a Disgorge-ian sense of mercilessness.

The only negative on such a balls-out assault of this caliber is a common one: the shadow of ones peers. Symphobia have grasped the ingredients of what makes all these other bands great, and distilled their essence into a blender of an album where the listener is tossed in to get slapped in the face with one meaty chunk after another. However, Hideously Traumatic comes across as a highlight reel of various stylings without forming into a cohesive identity for the band themselves. This is a love letter to the foulest and most pit-inducing of aural violence, and the letter is written in excellent handwriting and high-quality paper. I believe the best is yet to come, however, and if they can master the art of wielding their influences into a distinct final offering rather than being a mega-high grade tribute band, they will be ready to drop a slab of carnage to stand alongside the Brodiquins and Devourments of the world.

Just when I thought I was done with brutal death for a bit, Symphobia came out of nowhere with hammers and chainsaws to take my already abused ears to even more dire straits. Indonesia can be proud of its newest offspring, which continues to solidify the country’s reputation for a flourishing scene. That Hideously Traumatic reminds greatly of genre giants is hardly the worst flaw in the world. For now, seekers of euphoria-inducing savagery should find a high worthy of their time, with some truly traumatic moments indeed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Websites: Official Facebook | Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 11th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Brodiquin #BrutalDeathMetal #Cephalotripsy #ComatoseRecords #DecrepitBirth #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #Disgorge #DyingFetus #HideouslyTraumatic #IndonesianMetal #InternalBleeding #Jul25 #MiseryIndex #Pathology #Pyrexia #Review #Reviews #Submerged #Suffocation #Symphobia

Symphobia – Hideously Traumatic Review

By Alekhines Gun

Another day, another fresh debut by a slab of young hopefuls. Today’s offering comes by way of Indonesia in the form of trio Symphobia, dropping their first LP Hideously Traumatic after a sole self-titled demo the year before. At a concise two songs and sporting some charmingly ghoulish artwork, that demo was a vile little slab of promising violence, which leaned more into the modern slam trappings of Submerged than the usual brutal death proper Indonesia is known for. No member turnover and a short gap between releases imply a band with a musical vision and an eagerness to slot themselves into the next generation of woe-bringers; do they offer enough to get you back to therapy?

Symphobia have crafted a monument to brutal death of all varieties and walks of life. Trimming down the more overt slam clichés in the production of their demo (particularly the outlandish ping-pong snare) allows for a more matured1 take, walking a tightrope between solid deathly compositions and neanderthalic bludgeoning. Vocalist Jossi Bima does a dead ringer of an Angel Ochoa impression, but a talent for vocal phrasing (and vocal silence) means he actually adds to the percussive oomph of the riffs. (“Scattered”, “Convulsively”) Humam Aliy is a beast on the drums, working a limited set of ingredients into a well-concocted aural meal, with excellently placed sixteenth-note fills and masterfully selected double bass to give the illusion of dynamics and pacing even as the whole of the album never really lets up. The bass2 consistently makes itself felt with shreddage and twangy highlights, adding girth to an absolute smorgasbord of riffs.

Much like waves add texture to an otherwise flat and bland ocean, Hideously Truamatic offers a sense of the nuanced differences in brutal death strains of DNA to add personality to what threatens to be an overly homogenous listen. Do you like Misery Index? “Convulsively” has you covered. Do you think War of Attrition is the best Dying Fetus album?3 “Heinous” sports a riff worthy of a lost B-side from that era. The fingerprints of Pathology, Suffocation, Internal Bleeding, modern Pyrexia, and Cephalotripsy permeate the album, with the glue from highlight to highlight running through the eternal assault of …And Time Begins era Decrepit Birth. While Symphobia begin in familiar form, each time you think you’ve heard the best the album has to offer, the next song manages to come out swinging with a steel chair to top whatever offensive groove or thunderous breakdown came before it. Dodik Bhre offers up one riff-craft lesson after another, with a surprising emphasis on the occasional trebly runs instead of all-bass-all-bottom-end tropes. Songs like “Scattered” and “Abominable” stretch beyond the typical haze of blast beats and powerchord abuse, touching on the most straightforward moments of Defeated Sanity while lurching into a Disgorge-ian sense of mercilessness.

The only negative on such a balls-out assault of this caliber is a common one: the shadow of ones peers. Symphobia have grasped the ingredients of what makes all these other bands great, and distilled their essence into a blender of an album where the listener is tossed in to get slapped in the face with one meaty chunk after another. However, Hideously Traumatic comes across as a highlight reel of various stylings without forming into a cohesive identity for the band themselves. This is a love letter to the foulest and most pit-inducing of aural violence, and the letter is written in excellent handwriting and high-quality paper. I believe the best is yet to come, however, and if they can master the art of wielding their influences into a distinct final offering rather than being a mega-high grade tribute band, they will be ready to drop a slab of carnage to stand alongside the Brodiquins and Devourments of the world.

Just when I thought I was done with brutal death for a bit, Symphobia came out of nowhere with hammers and chainsaws to take my already abused ears to even more dire straits. Indonesia can be proud of its newest offspring, which continues to solidify the country’s reputation for a flourishing scene. That Hideously Traumatic reminds greatly of genre giants is hardly the worst flaw in the world. For now, seekers of euphoria-inducing savagery should find a high worthy of their time, with some truly traumatic moments indeed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Websites: Official Facebook | Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 11th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Brodiquin #BrutalDeathMetal #Cephalotripsy #ComatoseRecords #DecrepitBirth #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #Disgorge #DyingFetus #HideouslyTraumatic #IndonesianMetal #InternalBleeding #Jul25 #MiseryIndex #Pathology #Pyrexia #Review #Reviews #Submerged #Suffocation #Symphobia

Symphobia – Hideously Traumatic Review

By Alekhines Gun

Another day, another fresh debut by a slab of young hopefuls. Today’s offering comes by way of Indonesia in the form of trio Symphobia, dropping their first LP Hideously Traumatic after a sole self-titled demo the year before. At a concise two songs and sporting some charmingly ghoulish artwork, that demo was a vile little slab of promising violence, which leaned more into the modern slam trappings of Submerged than the usual brutal death proper Indonesia is known for. No member turnover and a short gap between releases imply a band with a musical vision and an eagerness to slot themselves into the next generation of woe-bringers; do they offer enough to get you back to therapy?

Symphobia have crafted a monument to brutal death of all varieties and walks of life. Trimming down the more overt slam clichés in the production of their demo (particularly the outlandish ping-pong snare) allows for a more matured1 take, walking a tightrope between solid deathly compositions and neanderthalic bludgeoning. Vocalist Jossi Bima does a dead ringer of an Angel Ochoa impression, but a talent for vocal phrasing (and vocal silence) means he actually adds to the percussive oomph of the riffs. (“Scattered”, “Convulsively”) Humam Aliy is a beast on the drums, working a limited set of ingredients into a well-concocted aural meal, with excellently placed sixteenth-note fills and masterfully selected double bass to give the illusion of dynamics and pacing even as the whole of the album never really lets up. The bass2 consistently makes itself felt with shreddage and twangy highlights, adding girth to an absolute smorgasbord of riffs.

Much like waves add texture to an otherwise flat and bland ocean, Hideously Truamatic offers a sense of the nuanced differences in brutal death strains of DNA to add personality to what threatens to be an overly homogenous listen. Do you like Misery Index? “Convulsively” has you covered. Do you think War of Attrition is the best Dying Fetus album?3 “Heinous” sports a riff worthy of a lost B-side from that era. The fingerprints of Pathology, Suffocation, Internal Bleeding, modern Pyrexia, and Cephalotripsy permeate the album, with the glue from highlight to highlight running through the eternal assault of …And Time Begins era Decrepit Birth. While Symphobia begin in familiar form, each time you think you’ve heard the best the album has to offer, the next song manages to come out swinging with a steel chair to top whatever offensive groove or thunderous breakdown came before it. Dodik Bhre offers up one riff-craft lesson after another, with a surprising emphasis on the occasional trebly runs instead of all-bass-all-bottom-end tropes. Songs like “Scattered” and “Abominable” stretch beyond the typical haze of blast beats and powerchord abuse, touching on the most straightforward moments of Defeated Sanity while lurching into a Disgorge-ian sense of mercilessness.

The only negative on such a balls-out assault of this caliber is a common one: the shadow of ones peers. Symphobia have grasped the ingredients of what makes all these other bands great, and distilled their essence into a blender of an album where the listener is tossed in to get slapped in the face with one meaty chunk after another. However, Hideously Traumatic comes across as a highlight reel of various stylings without forming into a cohesive identity for the band themselves. This is a love letter to the foulest and most pit-inducing of aural violence, and the letter is written in excellent handwriting and high-quality paper. I believe the best is yet to come, however, and if they can master the art of wielding their influences into a distinct final offering rather than being a mega-high grade tribute band, they will be ready to drop a slab of carnage to stand alongside the Brodiquins and Devourments of the world.

Just when I thought I was done with brutal death for a bit, Symphobia came out of nowhere with hammers and chainsaws to take my already abused ears to even more dire straits. Indonesia can be proud of its newest offspring, which continues to solidify the country’s reputation for a flourishing scene. That Hideously Traumatic reminds greatly of genre giants is hardly the worst flaw in the world. For now, seekers of euphoria-inducing savagery should find a high worthy of their time, with some truly traumatic moments indeed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Websites: Official Facebook | Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 11th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Brodiquin #BrutalDeathMetal #Cephalotripsy #ComatoseRecords #DecrepitBirth #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #Disgorge #DyingFetus #HideouslyTraumatic #IndonesianMetal #InternalBleeding #Jul25 #MiseryIndex #Pathology #Pyrexia #Review #Reviews #Submerged #Suffocation #Symphobia

Symphobia – Hideously Traumatic Review

By Alekhines Gun

Another day, another fresh debut by a slab of young hopefuls. Today’s offering comes by way of Indonesia in the form of trio Symphobia, dropping their first LP Hideously Traumatic after a sole self-titled demo the year before. At a concise two songs and sporting some charmingly ghoulish artwork, that demo was a vile little slab of promising violence, which leaned more into the modern slam trappings of Submerged than the usual brutal death proper Indonesia is known for. No member turnover and a short gap between releases imply a band with a musical vision and an eagerness to slot themselves into the next generation of woe-bringers; do they offer enough to get you back to therapy?

Symphobia have crafted a monument to brutal death of all varieties and walks of life. Trimming down the more overt slam clichés in the production of their demo (particularly the outlandish ping-pong snare) allows for a more matured1 take, walking a tightrope between solid deathly compositions and neanderthalic bludgeoning. Vocalist Jossi Bima does a dead ringer of an Angel Ochoa impression, but a talent for vocal phrasing (and vocal silence) means he actually adds to the percussive oomph of the riffs. (“Scattered”, “Convulsively”) Humam Aliy is a beast on the drums, working a limited set of ingredients into a well-concocted aural meal, with excellently placed sixteenth-note fills and masterfully selected double bass to give the illusion of dynamics and pacing even as the whole of the album never really lets up. The bass2 consistently makes itself felt with shreddage and twangy highlights, adding girth to an absolute smorgasbord of riffs.

Much like waves add texture to an otherwise flat and bland ocean, Hideously Truamatic offers a sense of the nuanced differences in brutal death strains of DNA to add personality to what threatens to be an overly homogenous listen. Do you like Misery Index? “Convulsively” has you covered. Do you think War of Attrition is the best Dying Fetus album?3 “Heinous” sports a riff worthy of a lost B-side from that era. The fingerprints of Pathology, Suffocation, Internal Bleeding, modern Pyrexia, and Cephalotripsy permeate the album, with the glue from highlight to highlight running through the eternal assault of …And Time Begins era Decrepit Birth. While Symphobia begin in familiar form, each time you think you’ve heard the best the album has to offer, the next song manages to come out swinging with a steel chair to top whatever offensive groove or thunderous breakdown came before it. Dodik Bhre offers up one riff-craft lesson after another, with a surprising emphasis on the occasional trebly runs instead of all-bass-all-bottom-end tropes. Songs like “Scattered” and “Abominable” stretch beyond the typical haze of blast beats and powerchord abuse, touching on the most straightforward moments of Defeated Sanity while lurching into a Disgorge-ian sense of mercilessness.

The only negative on such a balls-out assault of this caliber is a common one: the shadow of ones peers. Symphobia have grasped the ingredients of what makes all these other bands great, and distilled their essence into a blender of an album where the listener is tossed in to get slapped in the face with one meaty chunk after another. However, Hideously Traumatic comes across as a highlight reel of various stylings without forming into a cohesive identity for the band themselves. This is a love letter to the foulest and most pit-inducing of aural violence, and the letter is written in excellent handwriting and high-quality paper. I believe the best is yet to come, however, and if they can master the art of wielding their influences into a distinct final offering rather than being a mega-high grade tribute band, they will be ready to drop a slab of carnage to stand alongside the Brodiquins and Devourments of the world.

Just when I thought I was done with brutal death for a bit, Symphobia came out of nowhere with hammers and chainsaws to take my already abused ears to even more dire straits. Indonesia can be proud of its newest offspring, which continues to solidify the country’s reputation for a flourishing scene. That Hideously Traumatic reminds greatly of genre giants is hardly the worst flaw in the world. For now, seekers of euphoria-inducing savagery should find a high worthy of their time, with some truly traumatic moments indeed.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Websites: Official Facebook | Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 11th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Brodiquin #BrutalDeathMetal #Cephalotripsy #ComatoseRecords #DecrepitBirth #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #Disgorge #DyingFetus #HideouslyTraumatic #IndonesianMetal #InternalBleeding #Jul25 #MiseryIndex #Pathology #Pyrexia #Review #Reviews #Submerged #Suffocation #Symphobia

Relics of Humanity – Absolute Dismal Domain Review

By Saunders

Time to hit the reset button, shake off the writing funk, and forge on into a bold and hopefully killer year of metal. As easy as it may be to get caught up on the missed albums of a solid 2024 campaign or fall into the comfort of favorites and old classics, 2025 has already kicked off with a truckload of new releases to explore. Taking a random dip into the promo sump, I picked up the third LP from unheralded brutal death metal act Relics of Humanity. Hailing from Belarus and forming in 2007, these folks are hardly newcomers to the scene, although guitarist/chief composer Sergey Liakh appears to be the sole remaining member from their earliest demo days. Nevertheless, some experienced bandmates are in tow to fulfill his uncompromising vision. Despite various singles, a compilation, and EP release, the last full-length from the Willowtip-affiliated band dropped in 2014, so Absolute Dismal Domain marks a comeback of sorts, at least in LP terms. Coming off a particularly brutal, uncompromising year of deathly platters, can Relics of Humanity leave a bruising impression to warrant your attention?

Bruising is certainly one word that springs to mind when blasting this rugged, no-frills chunk of brutal death. Absolute Dismal Domain punches hard and takes no prisoners, favoring thick, viscous grooves and dirty, down-tuned pummels to bury the listener into the submission with brute force, rather than an abundance of speed or technical finesse. The gritty production and drum tones lend the album an old school underground vibe, as Relics of Humanity channel the nasty sewer-dwelling carnage of Devourment, coupled with the extra chunky riffs and grooves of underrated stalwarts Dawn of Demise. Pared down to a lean and appropriately efficient thirty-two-minute runtime ensures Relics of Humanity maximize impact, with majority of cuts falling in the palatable three-to-four-minute timeframe.

Despite boasting the right ingredients for a brutal slice of knuckle-dragging fun, the first few spins were underwhelming. The songwriting failed to stick beyond a surface level, and songs seemed to bleed unimaginatively into one another. However, under further inspection, there is a deceptively addictive mix of dank, unsettling atmospheres, subtle dynamics, and pure headbangable enjoyment to be pulled from the album’s filthy pores. Chunky, pile-driving heaviness and inventive drum work propels songs that rely heavily on doom-spattered chugs and mid-paced pummels, occasionally roughed up with thumping, in-your-face blasts and slammy, murderous grooves (“Taking the Shape of Infinity,” “Absolute Dismal Domain”). These serve to liven the pace, though the focus is more on crushing intensity rather than lightning-fast blasting. “Smoldering of Seraphim” is a fine showcase of Relics of Humanity’s strength of balancing slower tempos and uber-heavy riffs and grooves, with skull-cracking blast segments.

Favoring an all-out destructive approach, Relics of Humanity also add some sinister atmospheric elements, creating unsettling, otherworldly vibes. This is particularly evident on the bleak, apocalyptic touches illuminating “Paralyzing the Light II,” and sparse, ritualistic-esque experimental sounds emanating from closer “Dominion.” Rock-solid performances abound from the experienced line-up, upholding a tight, beastly framework. Drummer Vladislav Vorozhtsov’s work behind the kit is especially noteworthy. His punchy, thick double bass grooves are a constant focal point driving the album’s pummeling, groove-oriented approach. However, it’s his snappy snare work and inventive fills that add subtle complexities and flare to proceedings. Flo Butcher is the next man in line to take over vocal duties, in what appears an area of instability for the band. Butcher’s incomprehensible growls and nasty bellows cut an imposing figure, though the somewhat one-dimensional display and vocal forward mix are drawbacks. Speaking of the production and mix, while there is much to like about the unvarnished, extra-heavy sound and sick drum tones, the mix is uneven, drums and vocals tending to overshadow guitars that could use a sharper, meatier presence in the mix.

Overall, Relics of Humanity slam down a solid slab of brutal death to kick off the early days of 2025. The album features endearing moments of underground brutal death and blunt force menace to compensate for the less memorable aspects of their songwriting formula and production qualms. While unlikely to remain in heavy rotation, I have enjoyed my time with Absolute Dismal Domain. Though long-term satisfaction may be questionable, listeners craving a heaving dose of unclean, no-frills brutality might find the fix they require.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Willowtip Records
Websites: RelicsofHumanity.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/relicsofhumanity
Releases Worldwide: January 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #AbsoluteDismalDomain #BelarusianMetal #BrutalDeath #DawnOfDemise #DeathMetal #Devourment #RelicsOfHumanity #Review #Reviews #WillowtipRecords

Relics of Humanity – Absolute Dismal Domain Review

By Saunders

Time to hit the reset button, shake off the writing funk, and forge on into a bold and hopefully killer year of metal. As easy as it may be to get caught up on the missed albums of a solid 2024 campaign or fall into the comfort of favorites and old classics, 2025 has already kicked off with a truckload of new releases to explore. Taking a random dip into the promo sump, I picked up the third LP from unheralded brutal death metal act Relics of Humanity. Hailing from Belarus and forming in 2007, these folks are hardly newcomers to the scene, although guitarist/chief composer Sergey Liakh appears to be the sole remaining member from their earliest demo days. Nevertheless, some experienced bandmates are in tow to fulfill his uncompromising vision. Despite various singles, a compilation, and EP release, the last full-length from the Willowtip-affiliated band dropped in 2014, so Absolute Dismal Domain marks a comeback of sorts, at least in LP terms. Coming off a particularly brutal, uncompromising year of deathly platters, can Relics of Humanity leave a bruising impression to warrant your attention?

Bruising is certainly one word that springs to mind when blasting this rugged, no-frills chunk of brutal death. Absolute Dismal Domain punches hard and takes no prisoners, favoring thick, viscous grooves and dirty, down-tuned pummels to bury the listener into the submission with brute force, rather than an abundance of speed or technical finesse. The gritty production and drum tones lend the album an old school underground vibe, as Relics of Humanity channel the nasty sewer-dwelling carnage of Devourment, coupled with the extra chunky riffs and grooves of underrated stalwarts Dawn of Demise. Pared down to a lean and appropriately efficient thirty-two-minute runtime ensures Relics of Humanity maximize impact, with majority of cuts falling in the palatable three-to-four-minute timeframe.

Despite boasting the right ingredients for a brutal slice of knuckle-dragging fun, the first few spins were underwhelming. The songwriting failed to stick beyond a surface level, and songs seemed to bleed unimaginatively into one another. However, under further inspection, there is a deceptively addictive mix of dank, unsettling atmospheres, subtle dynamics, and pure headbangable enjoyment to be pulled from the album’s filthy pores. Chunky, pile-driving heaviness and inventive drum work propels songs that rely heavily on doom-spattered chugs and mid-paced pummels, occasionally roughed up with thumping, in-your-face blasts and slammy, murderous grooves (“Taking the Shape of Infinity,” “Absolute Dismal Domain”). These serve to liven the pace, though the focus is more on crushing intensity rather than lightning-fast blasting. “Smoldering of Seraphim” is a fine showcase of Relics of Humanity’s strength of balancing slower tempos and uber-heavy riffs and grooves, with skull-cracking blast segments.

Favoring an all-out destructive approach, Relics of Humanity also add some sinister atmospheric elements, creating unsettling, otherworldly vibes. This is particularly evident on the bleak, apocalyptic touches illuminating “Paralyzing the Light II,” and sparse, ritualistic-esque experimental sounds emanating from closer “Dominion.” Rock-solid performances abound from the experienced line-up, upholding a tight, beastly framework. Drummer Vladislav Vorozhtsov’s work behind the kit is especially noteworthy. His punchy, thick double bass grooves are a constant focal point driving the album’s pummeling, groove-oriented approach. However, it’s his snappy snare work and inventive fills that add subtle complexities and flare to proceedings. Flo Butcher is the next man in line to take over vocal duties, in what appears an area of instability for the band. Butcher’s incomprehensible growls and nasty bellows cut an imposing figure, though the somewhat one-dimensional display and vocal forward mix are drawbacks. Speaking of the production and mix, while there is much to like about the unvarnished, extra-heavy sound and sick drum tones, the mix is uneven, drums and vocals tending to overshadow guitars that could use a sharper, meatier presence in the mix.

Overall, Relics of Humanity slam down a solid slab of brutal death to kick off the early days of 2025. The album features endearing moments of underground brutal death and blunt force menace to compensate for the less memorable aspects of their songwriting formula and production qualms. While unlikely to remain in heavy rotation, I have enjoyed my time with Absolute Dismal Domain. Though long-term satisfaction may be questionable, listeners craving a heaving dose of unclean, no-frills brutality might find the fix they require.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Willowtip Records
Websites: RelicsofHumanity.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/relicsofhumanity
Releases Worldwide: January 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #AbsoluteDismalDomain #BelarusianMetal #BrutalDeath #DawnOfDemise #DeathMetal #Devourment #RelicsOfHumanity #Review #Reviews #WillowtipRecords

Relics of Humanity – Absolute Dismal Domain Review

By Saunders

Time to hit the reset button, shake off the writing funk, and forge on into a bold and hopefully killer year of metal. As easy as it may be to get caught up on the missed albums of a solid 2024 campaign or fall into the comfort of favorites and old classics, 2025 has already kicked off with a truckload of new releases to explore. Taking a random dip into the promo sump, I picked up the third LP from unheralded brutal death metal act Relics of Humanity. Hailing from Belarus and forming in 2007, these folks are hardly newcomers to the scene, although guitarist/chief composer Sergey Liakh appears to be the sole remaining member from their earliest demo days. Nevertheless, some experienced bandmates are in tow to fulfill his uncompromising vision. Despite various singles, a compilation, and EP release, the last full-length from the Willowtip-affiliated band dropped in 2014, so Absolute Dismal Domain marks a comeback of sorts, at least in LP terms. Coming off a particularly brutal, uncompromising year of deathly platters, can Relics of Humanity leave a bruising impression to warrant your attention?

Bruising is certainly one word that springs to mind when blasting this rugged, no-frills chunk of brutal death. Absolute Dismal Domain punches hard and takes no prisoners, favoring thick, viscous grooves and dirty, down-tuned pummels to bury the listener into the submission with brute force, rather than an abundance of speed or technical finesse. The gritty production and drum tones lend the album an old school underground vibe, as Relics of Humanity channel the nasty sewer-dwelling carnage of Devourment, coupled with the extra chunky riffs and grooves of underrated stalwarts Dawn of Demise. Pared down to a lean and appropriately efficient thirty-two-minute runtime ensures Relics of Humanity maximize impact, with majority of cuts falling in the palatable three-to-four-minute timeframe.

Despite boasting the right ingredients for a brutal slice of knuckle-dragging fun, the first few spins were underwhelming. The songwriting failed to stick beyond a surface level, and songs seemed to bleed unimaginatively into one another. However, under further inspection, there is a deceptively addictive mix of dank, unsettling atmospheres, subtle dynamics, and pure headbangable enjoyment to be pulled from the album’s filthy pores. Chunky, pile-driving heaviness and inventive drum work propels songs that rely heavily on doom-spattered chugs and mid-paced pummels, occasionally roughed up with thumping, in-your-face blasts and slammy, murderous grooves (“Taking the Shape of Infinity,” “Absolute Dismal Domain”). These serve to liven the pace, though the focus is more on crushing intensity rather than lightning-fast blasting. “Smoldering of Seraphim” is a fine showcase of Relics of Humanity’s strength of balancing slower tempos and uber-heavy riffs and grooves, with skull-cracking blast segments.

Favoring an all-out destructive approach, Relics of Humanity also add some sinister atmospheric elements, creating unsettling, otherworldly vibes. This is particularly evident on the bleak, apocalyptic touches illuminating “Paralyzing the Light II,” and sparse, ritualistic-esque experimental sounds emanating from closer “Dominion.” Rock-solid performances abound from the experienced line-up, upholding a tight, beastly framework. Drummer Vladislav Vorozhtsov’s work behind the kit is especially noteworthy. His punchy, thick double bass grooves are a constant focal point driving the album’s pummeling, groove-oriented approach. However, it’s his snappy snare work and inventive fills that add subtle complexities and flare to proceedings. Flo Butcher is the next man in line to take over vocal duties, in what appears an area of instability for the band. Butcher’s incomprehensible growls and nasty bellows cut an imposing figure, though the somewhat one-dimensional display and vocal forward mix are drawbacks. Speaking of the production and mix, while there is much to like about the unvarnished, extra-heavy sound and sick drum tones, the mix is uneven, drums and vocals tending to overshadow guitars that could use a sharper, meatier presence in the mix.

Overall, Relics of Humanity slam down a solid slab of brutal death to kick off the early days of 2025. The album features endearing moments of underground brutal death and blunt force menace to compensate for the less memorable aspects of their songwriting formula and production qualms. While unlikely to remain in heavy rotation, I have enjoyed my time with Absolute Dismal Domain. Though long-term satisfaction may be questionable, listeners craving a heaving dose of unclean, no-frills brutality might find the fix they require.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Willowtip Records
Websites: RelicsofHumanity.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/relicsofhumanity
Releases Worldwide: January 31st, 2025

#2025 #30 #AbsoluteDismalDomain #BelarusianMetal #BrutalDeath #DawnOfDemise #DeathMetal #Devourment #RelicsOfHumanity #Review #Reviews #WillowtipRecords

Stuck in the Filter: October 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

Never fear, the blog’s penchant for deep lateness punctuality persists! It is likely the new year already by the time you see this post, but we’re taking a step back. Way back, into October. I was deep in the shit then, and therefore couldn’t do anything blog-related. And yet, my minions, those very laborers for whom I provide absolutely no compensation whatsoever, toiled dutifully in the metallic dinge that is our Filter. Unforgiving though those environs undoubtedly are, they scraped and scoured until, at long last, small shards of precious ore glimmered to the surface.

These glimmers are the same which you witness before you. Some are big, some are small. Some are short, some are tall. But all are worthy. Behold!

Kenstrosity’s Belated Bombardments

Cosmic Putrefaction // Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains [October 4th, 2024 – Profound Lore Records]

I was originally slated to take over reviewing duties for Cosmic Putrefaction this year, as Thus Spoke had a prior commitment and needed a buddy to step in. Unfortunately, I was rendered useless by a force of nature for a while, so I had to let go of several items of interest. But I couldn’t let 2024 go by without saying something! Entitled Emeral Fires atop the Farewell Mountains, Cosmic Putrefaction’s fourth represents one of the smoothest, most ethereal interpretations of weird, dissonant death metal. The classic Cosmic Putrefaction riffsets under an auroric sky remain, as evidenced by ripping examples “[Entering the Vortex Temporum] – Pre-mortem Phosphenes” and “Swirling Madness, Supernal Ordeal,” but there lurks within a monstrous technical death metal creature who rabidly chases the atmospheric spirits of olde (“I Should Great the Inexorable Darkness,” “Eudaemonist Withdrawal”). While in lesser hands these distinct aesthetics would undoubtedly clash on a dissonant platform such as this, Cosmic Putrefaction’s particular application of sound and style coalesces in devastating beauty and relentless purpose (“Hallways Engraved in Aether,” “Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains”). Were it not for some instances wherein, for the first time ever, Cosmic Putrefaction threatens to self-plagiarize their own material (“Eudaemonist Withdrawal”), I would likely consider Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains for year-end list status.

Feral // To Usurp the Thrones [October 18th, 2024 – Transcending Obscurity Records]

Another one of my charges that I unfortunately had to put down against my will, Swedish death metal fiends Feral’s fourth salvo To Usurp the Thrones deserves a spotlight here. Where Flesh for Funerals Eternal impressed me as my introduction to the band and, arguably, my introduction to modern buzzsaw Swedeath, To Usurp the Thrones impresses me as a singularly vicious record in the style. Faster, meaner, more varied, and longer than its predecessor, Thrones offers the punk-tinged, thrashy death riffs you know and love, with bluesy touches reminiscent of Entombed’s Wolverine Blues adding a bit of drunken swagger to the affair (“Vile Malediction,” “Phantoms of Iniquity,” “Into the Ashes of History”). Absolute rippers like “To Drain the World of Light,” “Deformed Mentality,” “Decimated,” and “Soaked in Blood” live up to the band’s moniker, rabid and relentless in their assault. In many ways, Thrones evokes the same bloodsoaked sense of fun that Helslave’s From the Sulphur Depths conjured, but it’s angrier, more unhinged (“Spirits Without Rest,” “Stripped of Flesh”). Consequently, Thrones stands out as one of the more fun records of its ilk to come out this year. Don’t miss it!

Sun Worship // Upon the Hills of Divination [October 31st, 2024 – Vendetta Records]

Back in 2020, our dear Roquentin offered some damn fine words of praise for Germany’s Sun Worship and their third blackened blade, Emanations of Desolation. It’s been six years since that record dropped, and Upon the Hills of Divination picks up right where Emanations left off. That is to say, absolutely slimy, post-metal-tinged riffs bolstered by dense layers of warm tremolos and mid-frequency roars. Opener “Within the Machine” offers a concrete encapsulation of what to expect: bits and pieces of Hulder, Gaerea, and Vorga melding together into a compelling concoction of hypnotic black metal. Using the long form to their utmost advantage, Sun Worship craft immersive soundscapes liable to scald the flesh just as quickly as they seduce the senses, leaving me as a brainwashed minion doing a twisted mystic’s bidding unconditionally (“Serpent Nebula,” “Covenant”). Yet, there roils a sense of urgency in these songs, despite many of them occupying a mid-paced cadence, which unveils a bleeding heart willingly wrenched from Sun Worship’s body (“Fractal Entity,” the title track, and “Stormbringer”). This is what sets it apart from its contemporaries, and what makes it worthy of mention. Why it’s gotten so little attention escapes me. It is with the intent of rectifying that condition that I pen this woefully insufficient segment.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Duty Free Rifftrocity

Extorted // Cognitive Dissonance [October 16th, 2024 – Self Release]

You don’t need to read this review to know that the Kiwis of Extorted plays pit-whipping death/thrash. Though not adorned with other obvious symbols, like Vietnam War paraphernalia or crushed beer cans, the Ed Repka-penned brain-ripped head figure screams “no thoughts only riff” all the same. With snares set to pow and crashes set to kshhh, Cognitive Dissonance finds low resistance to accelerating early Death-indebted refrains. Vocalist Joel Clark even plays as a dead ringer for pre-Human Schuldiner or Van Drunen (Asphyx, ex-Pestilence) as the torture in many lines grows (on “Infected” and “Ghastly Creatures” in particular). And in a continued tour of Van Drunen-associated sounds, Extorted’s ability to find a push-and-pull cadence that twists the fury of thrash with the cutting drag of death hits that hard-to-nail early Pestilence pocket with studied flair (“Deception,” “Limits of Reality”). Though a considerable amount of the Extorted identity rests in ideas borrowed and reinterpreted, a modern tonal canvas gives Cognitive Dissonance’s rhythms a punchy and balanced low-end weight that doesn’t always present itself in the world of old. Couple that with hooks that reach far beyond the limits of pure homage (“Transformation of Dreams,” “Violence”), and it’s easy to plow through the thirty minutes of tasteful harmonies, bending solos, and spit-stained lamentations that Extorted offers with their powerful debut.

Bríi // Camaradagem Póstuma [October 11th, 2024 – Self Release]

With Camaradagem Póstuma we enter the hazy, folky world of Caio Lemos’ unique vision of what experimental electronic music can be colored by the underpinnings of atmospheric black metal and jazz fusion. Using terraced melodies like baroque music of old and distant breakbeats like the Bong-Ra of recent yesteryears, Brazil’s Bríi represents one man’s highly specific melding that rarely occurs in this space. The guitar lines that do exist play out as textural, slow-developing passages. On tracks “Aparecidos” and “Baile Fantasma” this looping and hypnotic pattern shuffle resembles ambient Pat Metheny or King Crimson colors, the kind where finding the end of nylon pluck into a weaving, high-frequency synth patch feels not impossible but unnecessary. And on the more metallic side of things, Lemos cranks programmed blasts that carry his tortured, panning, and shrouded wails as a guide for the melodic evolution of each track, much in the same way a warping bass line would in a progressive house track. But maintaining the tempo of classic drum and bass, Camaradagem Póstuma wisps away in its atmosphere, coming back to a driving rhythm either via pummeling double kick or glitching break. Despite the hard, danceable pulse that tracks “Enlutados” and “Entre Mundos” boast, Bríi does not feel built for the kvlt klvbs of this world, leaning on a gated, lo-fi aesthetic that makes for an ideal drift away on closed cans, much like the equally idiosyncratic Wist album from earlier this year. And similarly, Camaradagem Póstuma sits in an outsider world of enjoyment. But if any of this sounds like your jam, prepare to get addicted to Bríi.

Thus Spoke’s Rotten Remnants

Livløs // The Crescent King [October 4th, 2024 – Noctum Productions]

Livløs are one of those bands that deserves far more recognition than they receive. With LP three, The Crescent King, they might finally see it. Their punchy intriguing infusion of Swedish and US melodic death metal—though the band themselves hail from Denmark—has a pleasing melancholia and satisfying bite. Here in particular, there’s more than a passing resemblance to Hath, to Cognizance, and to In Mourning. Stomping grooves (“Maelstrom,” “Usurpers”) slide in between blitzes of tripping gallops, and electrifying fretwork (“Orbit Weaver,” “Scourge of the Stars”). Mournful, compelling melodies woven into this technical tapestry—some highlights being the title track, “Harvest,” and “Endless Majesty”—turn already good melodeath into great melodeath; melodeath that’s majestic and powerful, without ever feeling overblown. With its relentless, groovy dynamism, the crisp, spacious production seals the deal for total immersion. If this is your first time hearing about Livløs, you’re in for a treat.

Sordide // Ainsi finit le jour [October 25th, 2024 – Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions]

And So Ends the Day, whilst another begins where I rediscover Sordide. I know not how I forgot their existence despite the impression that 2021’s Les Idées Blanches made upon me, yet all I could recall was the disturbingly simple, melty art.1 Ainsi Finit le Jour arrives with a hefty dose (53 minutes no less) of punky, dissonant black metal that’s even rawer and more pissed-off than their usual fare. “Des feux plus forts,” “La poesie du caniveau,” and the title track stand out as the most vicious, near-first-wave cuts the trio have ever laid down, with manic, group wails, and chaotic, jangling percussion. But as is so often the case with Sordide, perhaps the truest brutality comes in the slower discordant crawls of “Sous Vivre,” “Tout est a la mort,” and the particularly unsettling “La beauté du desastre,” whose creeping, half-tuneful teasing and turns to eerie spaciousness get right under your skin. It is arguably a little too long for its own good, given its intensity, but its impressiveness does mean that, this time, Sordide won’t be forgotten.

Dear Hollow’s Droll Hashals

Annihilist // Reform [October 18th, 2024 – Self Release]

What Melbourne’s Annihilist does with flamboyant flare and reckless abandon is blur the lines of its core stylistic choices. One moment it’s chugging away like a deathcore band, the next it’s dripping away with a groove metal swagger, ope, now it’s on its way to Hot Topic. All we know is that all its members attack with a chameleonic intensity and otherworldly technicality that’s hard to pin down. An insane level of technicality is the thread that courses throughout the entirety of this debut, recalling Within the Ruins or The Human Abstract in its stuttering rhythms and flailing arpeggios. From catchy leads and punishing rhythms (“The Upsend,” “Guillotine”), bouncy breakdowns, clean choruses, and wild gang vocals (“Blood”), djenty guitar seizures (“Virus,” “Better Off”) to full-on groove (“N.M.E.,” “The Host”), the likes of Lamb of God, early Architects, Born of Osiris, and Children of Bodom are conjured. Lyrics of hardcore punk’s signature anarchy and societal distrust collide with an instrumental palette of melodeath and the more technical kin of metalcore and deathcore, groove metal, and hardcore. As such, the album is complicated, episodic, and unpredictable, with only its wild technicality connecting its fragmented bits – keeping Reform from achieving the greatness that the band is so capable of. As it stands, though, Annihilist offers an insanely fun, everchanging, and unhinged roller coaster of -core proportions – a roller -corester, if you will.

Under Alekhines Gun

Theurgy // Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence [October 17th, 2024 – New Standard Elite]

In a year where slam and brutal death have already had an atypically high-quality output, international outfit Theurgy have come with an RKO out of nowhere to shatter whatever remains of your cerebral cortex. Channeling the flamboyancy of old Analepsy with the snare abuse and neanderthalic glee of Epicardiectomy, Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence wastes no time severing vertebrae and reducing eardrums to paste. Don’t mistake this for a brainless, caveman assault, however. Peppered between the hammiest of hammers are tech flourishes pulled straight from Dingir era Rings of Saturn, adding an unexpected technical edge to the blunt force trauma. The production manages to pair these two disparaging elements with lethal efficiency. Is it the techiest slam album, or the wettest, greasiest tech album? Did I mention there’s a super moldy cover of Devourment‘s “Molesting the Decapitated”? It slots right into the albums flow without feeling like a tacked-on bonus track, highlighting Theurgy’s commitment to the homicidal odes of brutality. Throw in a vocal performance that makes Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity) sound like Anders Fridén (In Flames), and you’re left with one last lethal assault to round out the year. Dive in and give your luminescence something to cry about.

GardensTale’s Great Glacier

Ghosts of Glaciers // Eternal [October 25th, 2024 – Translation Loss Records]

Ghosts of Glaciers’s last release, The Greatest Burden, was a masterclass of post-metal flow and has become a mainstay in my instrumental metal collection since my review in 2019. Dropping in tandem with several other high-profile releases, though, I could not give its follow-up the kind of attention it deserves. And make no mistake, it absolutely deserves that attention. The opening duo, “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” measure up fully to The Greatest Burden, though it takes a few spins for that to become clear. Both use repetitive patterns more than before, but closer listens reveal how subtle variations and evolution of each cycle build gradual tension, so the release becomes all the more satisfying. I’m a little more ambivalent on the back half of Eternal, though. “Leviathan” packs a bigger punch than more of the band’s material, it lacks the swirling and sweeping currents that pull me under and demand full and uninterrupted plays every time. Closer “Regeneratio Aeterna” is a pretty but rather demure piece that lasts a bit longer than it should have. But despite these reservations, the great material outstrips the merely good, and Eternal is a worthwhile addition to any instrumental metal collection.

#AbominablePutridity #AinsiFinitLeJour #AmericanMetal #Analepsy #Annihilist #Architects #Asphyx #AtmosphericBlackMetal #AustralianMetal #BlackMetal #BongRa #BornOfOsiris #BrazilianMetal #Bríi #BrutalDeathMetal #CamaradagemPóstuma #ChildrenOfBodom #CognitiveDissonance #Cognizance #CosmicPutrefaction #Death #DeathMetal #DeathThrash #Deathcore #Devourment #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Electronic #EmanationsOfUnconsciousLuminescence #EmeralFiresAtopTheFarewellMountains #Entombed #Epicardiectomy #Eternal #ExperimentalMetal #Extorted #Feral #FrenchMetal #Gaerea #GermanMetal #GhostsOfGlaciers #GrooveMetal #Hardcore #HardcorePunk #Hath #Helslave #Hulder #InFlames #InMourning #InternationalMetal #ItalianMetal #KingCrimson #LambOfGod #LesActeursDeLOmbreProductions #Livløs #MelodicDeathMetal #Metalcore #NewStandardElite #NewZealandMetal #NoctumProductions #OSDM #PatMetheny #Pestilence #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #ProfoundLoreRecords #Reform #RingsOfSaturn #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #Slam #Sordide #SunWorship #SwedishMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheCrescentKing #TheHumanAbstract #Theurgy #ThrashMetal #ToUsurpTheThrones #TranscendingObscurityRecords #TranslationLossRecords #UponTheHillsOfDivination #VendettaRecords #VertebraAtlantis #Vorga #Wist #WithinTheRuins

Stuck in the Filter: October 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

Never fear, the blog’s penchant for deep lateness punctuality persists! It is likely the new year already by the time you see this post, but we’re taking a step back. Way back, into October. I was deep in the shit then, and therefore couldn’t do anything blog-related. And yet, my minions, those very laborers for whom I provide absolutely no compensation whatsoever, toiled dutifully in the metallic dinge that is our Filter. Unforgiving though those environs undoubtedly are, they scraped and scoured until, at long last, small shards of precious ore glimmered to the surface.

These glimmers are the same which you witness before you. Some are big, some are small. Some are short, some are tall. But all are worthy. Behold!

Kenstrosity’s Belated Bombardments

Cosmic Putrefaction // Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains [October 4th, 2024 – Profound Lore Records]

I was originally slated to take over reviewing duties for Cosmic Putrefaction this year, as Thus Spoke had a prior commitment and needed a buddy to step in. Unfortunately, I was rendered useless by a force of nature for a while, so I had to let go of several items of interest. But I couldn’t let 2024 go by without saying something! Entitled Emeral Fires atop the Farewell Mountains, Cosmic Putrefaction’s fourth represents one of the smoothest, most ethereal interpretations of weird, dissonant death metal. The classic Cosmic Putrefaction riffsets under an auroric sky remain, as evidenced by ripping examples “[Entering the Vortex Temporum] – Pre-mortem Phosphenes” and “Swirling Madness, Supernal Ordeal,” but there lurks within a monstrous technical death metal creature who rabidly chases the atmospheric spirits of olde (“I Should Great the Inexorable Darkness,” “Eudaemonist Withdrawal”). While in lesser hands these distinct aesthetics would undoubtedly clash on a dissonant platform such as this, Cosmic Putrefaction’s particular application of sound and style coalesces in devastating beauty and relentless purpose (“Hallways Engraved in Aether,” “Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains”). Were it not for some instances wherein, for the first time ever, Cosmic Putrefaction threatens to self-plagiarize their own material (“Eudaemonist Withdrawal”), I would likely consider Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains for year-end list status.

Feral // To Usurp the Thrones [October 18th, 2024 – Transcending Obscurity Records]

Another one of my charges that I unfortunately had to put down against my will, Swedish death metal fiends Feral’s fourth salvo To Usurp the Thrones deserves a spotlight here. Where Flesh for Funerals Eternal impressed me as my introduction to the band and, arguably, my introduction to modern buzzsaw Swedeath, To Usurp the Thrones impresses me as a singularly vicious record in the style. Faster, meaner, more varied, and longer than its predecessor, Thrones offers the punk-tinged, thrashy death riffs you know and love, with bluesy touches reminiscent of Entombed’s Wolverine Blues adding a bit of drunken swagger to the affair (“Vile Malediction,” “Phantoms of Iniquity,” “Into the Ashes of History”). Absolute rippers like “To Drain the World of Light,” “Deformed Mentality,” “Decimated,” and “Soaked in Blood” live up to the band’s moniker, rabid and relentless in their assault. In many ways, Thrones evokes the same bloodsoaked sense of fun that Helslave’s From the Sulphur Depths conjured, but it’s angrier, more unhinged (“Spirits Without Rest,” “Stripped of Flesh”). Consequently, Thrones stands out as one of the more fun records of its ilk to come out this year. Don’t miss it!

Sun Worship // Upon the Hills of Divination [October 31st, 2024 – Vendetta Records]

Back in 2020, our dear Roquentin offered some damn fine words of praise for Germany’s Sun Worship and their third blackened blade, Emanations of Desolation. It’s been six years since that record dropped, and Upon the Hills of Divination picks up right where Emanations left off. That is to say, absolutely slimy, post-metal-tinged riffs bolstered by dense layers of warm tremolos and mid-frequency roars. Opener “Within the Machine” offers a concrete encapsulation of what to expect: bits and pieces of Hulder, Gaerea, and Vorga melding together into a compelling concoction of hypnotic black metal. Using the long form to their utmost advantage, Sun Worship craft immersive soundscapes liable to scald the flesh just as quickly as they seduce the senses, leaving me as a brainwashed minion doing a twisted mystic’s bidding unconditionally (“Serpent Nebula,” “Covenant”). Yet, there roils a sense of urgency in these songs, despite many of them occupying a mid-paced cadence, which unveils a bleeding heart willingly wrenched from Sun Worship’s body (“Fractal Entity,” the title track, and “Stormbringer”). This is what sets it apart from its contemporaries, and what makes it worthy of mention. Why it’s gotten so little attention escapes me. It is with the intent of rectifying that condition that I pen this woefully insufficient segment.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Duty Free Rifftrocity

Extorted // Cognitive Dissonance [October 16th, 2024 – Self Release]

You don’t need to read this review to know that the Kiwis of Extorted plays pit-whipping death/thrash. Though not adorned with other obvious symbols, like Vietnam War paraphernalia or crushed beer cans, the Ed Repka-penned brain-ripped head figure screams “no thoughts only riff” all the same. With snares set to pow and crashes set to kshhh, Cognitive Dissonance finds low resistance to accelerating early Death-indebted refrains. Vocalist Joel Clark even plays as a dead ringer for pre-Human Schuldiner or Van Drunen (Asphyx, ex-Pestilence) as the torture in many lines grows (on “Infected” and “Ghastly Creatures” in particular). And in a continued tour of Van Drunen-associated sounds, Extorted’s ability to find a push-and-pull cadence that twists the fury of thrash with the cutting drag of death hits that hard-to-nail early Pestilence pocket with studied flair (“Deception,” “Limits of Reality”). Though a considerable amount of the Extorted identity rests in ideas borrowed and reinterpreted, a modern tonal canvas gives Cognitive Dissonance’s rhythms a punchy and balanced low-end weight that doesn’t always present itself in the world of old. Couple that with hooks that reach far beyond the limits of pure homage (“Transformation of Dreams,” “Violence”), and it’s easy to plow through the thirty minutes of tasteful harmonies, bending solos, and spit-stained lamentations that Extorted offers with their powerful debut.

Bríi // Camaradagem Póstuma [October 11th, 2024 – Self Release]

With Camaradagem Póstuma we enter the hazy, folky world of Caio Lemos’ unique vision of what experimental electronic music can be colored by the underpinnings of atmospheric black metal and jazz fusion. Using terraced melodies like baroque music of old and distant breakbeats like the Bong-Ra of recent yesteryears, Brazil’s Bríi represents one man’s highly specific melding that rarely occurs in this space. The guitar lines that do exist play out as textural, slow-developing passages. On tracks “Aparecidos” and “Baile Fantasma” this looping and hypnotic pattern shuffle resembles ambient Pat Metheny or King Crimson colors, the kind where finding the end of nylon pluck into a weaving, high-frequency synth patch feels not impossible but unnecessary. And on the more metallic side of things, Lemos cranks programmed blasts that carry his tortured, panning, and shrouded wails as a guide for the melodic evolution of each track, much in the same way a warping bass line would in a progressive house track. But maintaining the tempo of classic drum and bass, Camaradagem Póstuma wisps away in its atmosphere, coming back to a driving rhythm either via pummeling double kick or glitching break. Despite the hard, danceable pulse that tracks “Enlutados” and “Entre Mundos” boast, Bríi does not feel built for the kvlt klvbs of this world, leaning on a gated, lo-fi aesthetic that makes for an ideal drift away on closed cans, much like the equally idiosyncratic Wist album from earlier this year. And similarly, Camaradagem Póstuma sits in an outsider world of enjoyment. But if any of this sounds like your jam, prepare to get addicted to Bríi.

Thus Spoke’s Rotten Remnants

Livløs // The Crescent King [October 4th, 2024 – Noctum Productions]

Livløs are one of those bands that deserves far more recognition than they receive. With LP three, The Crescent King, they might finally see it. Their punchy intriguing infusion of Swedish and US melodic death metal—though the band themselves hail from Denmark—has a pleasing melancholia and satisfying bite. Here in particular, there’s more than a passing resemblance to Hath, to Cognizance, and to In Mourning. Stomping grooves (“Maelstrom,” “Usurpers”) slide in between blitzes of tripping gallops, and electrifying fretwork (“Orbit Weaver,” “Scourge of the Stars”). Mournful, compelling melodies woven into this technical tapestry—some highlights being the title track, “Harvest,” and “Endless Majesty”—turn already good melodeath into great melodeath; melodeath that’s majestic and powerful, without ever feeling overblown. With its relentless, groovy dynamism, the crisp, spacious production seals the deal for total immersion. If this is your first time hearing about Livløs, you’re in for a treat.

Sordide // Ainsi finit le jour [October 25th, 2024 – Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions]

And So Ends the Day, whilst another begins where I rediscover Sordide. I know not how I forgot their existence despite the impression that 2021’s Les Idées Blanches made upon me, yet all I could recall was the disturbingly simple, melty art.1 Ainsi Finit le Jour arrives with a hefty dose (53 minutes no less) of punky, dissonant black metal that’s even rawer and more pissed-off than their usual fare. “Des feux plus forts,” “La poesie du caniveau,” and the title track stand out as the most vicious, near-first-wave cuts the trio have ever laid down, with manic, group wails, and chaotic, jangling percussion. But as is so often the case with Sordide, perhaps the truest brutality comes in the slower discordant crawls of “Sous Vivre,” “Tout est a la mort,” and the particularly unsettling “La beauté du desastre,” whose creeping, half-tuneful teasing and turns to eerie spaciousness get right under your skin. It is arguably a little too long for its own good, given its intensity, but its impressiveness does mean that, this time, Sordide won’t be forgotten.

Dear Hollow’s Droll Hashals

Annihilist // Reform [October 18th, 2024 – Self Release]

What Melbourne’s Annihilist does with flamboyant flare and reckless abandon is blur the lines of its core stylistic choices. One moment it’s chugging away like a deathcore band, the next it’s dripping away with a groove metal swagger, ope, now it’s on its way to Hot Topic. All we know is that all its members attack with a chameleonic intensity and otherworldly technicality that’s hard to pin down. An insane level of technicality is the thread that courses throughout the entirety of this debut, recalling Within the Ruins or The Human Abstract in its stuttering rhythms and flailing arpeggios. From catchy leads and punishing rhythms (“The Upsend,” “Guillotine”), bouncy breakdowns, clean choruses, and wild gang vocals (“Blood”), djenty guitar seizures (“Virus,” “Better Off”) to full-on groove (“N.M.E.,” “The Host”), the likes of Lamb of God, early Architects, Born of Osiris, and Children of Bodom are conjured. Lyrics of hardcore punk’s signature anarchy and societal distrust collide with an instrumental palette of melodeath and the more technical kin of metalcore and deathcore, groove metal, and hardcore. As such, the album is complicated, episodic, and unpredictable, with only its wild technicality connecting its fragmented bits – keeping Reform from achieving the greatness that the band is so capable of. As it stands, though, Annihilist offers an insanely fun, everchanging, and unhinged roller coaster of -core proportions – a roller -corester, if you will.

Under Alekhines Gun

Theurgy // Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence [October 17th, 2024 – New Standard Elite]

In a year where slam and brutal death have already had an atypically high-quality output, international outfit Theurgy have come with an RKO out of nowhere to shatter whatever remains of your cerebral cortex. Channeling the flamboyancy of old Analepsy with the snare abuse and neanderthalic glee of Epicardiectomy, Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence wastes no time severing vertebrae and reducing eardrums to paste. Don’t mistake this for a brainless, caveman assault, however. Peppered between the hammiest of hammers are tech flourishes pulled straight from Dingir era Rings of Saturn, adding an unexpected technical edge to the blunt force trauma. The production manages to pair these two disparaging elements with lethal efficiency. Is it the techiest slam album, or the wettest, greasiest tech album? Did I mention there’s a super moldy cover of Devourment‘s “Molesting the Decapitated”? It slots right into the albums flow without feeling like a tacked-on bonus track, highlighting Theurgy’s commitment to the homicidal odes of brutality. Throw in a vocal performance that makes Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity) sound like Anders Fridén (In Flames), and you’re left with one last lethal assault to round out the year. Dive in and give your luminescence something to cry about.

GardensTale’s Great Glacier

Ghosts of Glaciers // Eternal [October 25th, 2024 – Translation Loss Records]

Ghosts of Glaciers’s last release, The Greatest Burden, was a masterclass of post-metal flow and has become a mainstay in my instrumental metal collection since my review in 2019. Dropping in tandem with several other high-profile releases, though, I could not give its follow-up the kind of attention it deserves. And make no mistake, it absolutely deserves that attention. The opening duo, “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” measure up fully to The Greatest Burden, though it takes a few spins for that to become clear. Both use repetitive patterns more than before, but closer listens reveal how subtle variations and evolution of each cycle build gradual tension, so the release becomes all the more satisfying. I’m a little more ambivalent on the back half of Eternal, though. “Leviathan” packs a bigger punch than more of the band’s material, it lacks the swirling and sweeping currents that pull me under and demand full and uninterrupted plays every time. Closer “Regeneratio Aeterna” is a pretty but rather demure piece that lasts a bit longer than it should have. But despite these reservations, the great material outstrips the merely good, and Eternal is a worthwhile addition to any instrumental metal collection.

#AbominablePutridity #AinsiFinitLeJour #AmericanMetal #Analepsy #Annihilist #Architects #Asphyx #AtmosphericBlackMetal #AustralianMetal #BlackMetal #BongRa #BornOfOsiris #BrazilianMetal #Bríi #BrutalDeathMetal #CamaradagemPóstuma #ChildrenOfBodom #CognitiveDissonance #Cognizance #CosmicPutrefaction #Death #DeathMetal #DeathThrash #Deathcore #Devourment #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Electronic #EmanationsOfUnconsciousLuminescence #EmeralFiresAtopTheFarewellMountains #Entombed #Epicardiectomy #Eternal #ExperimentalMetal #Extorted #Feral #FrenchMetal #Gaerea #GermanMetal #GhostsOfGlaciers #GrooveMetal #Hardcore #HardcorePunk #Hath #Helslave #Hulder #InFlames #InMourning #InternationalMetal #ItalianMetal #KingCrimson #LambOfGod #LesActeursDeLOmbreProductions #Livløs #MelodicDeathMetal #Metalcore #NewStandardElite #NewZealandMetal #NoctumProductions #OSDM #PatMetheny #Pestilence #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #ProfoundLoreRecords #Reform #RingsOfSaturn #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #Slam #Sordide #SunWorship #SwedishMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheCrescentKing #TheHumanAbstract #Theurgy #ThrashMetal #ToUsurpTheThrones #TranscendingObscurityRecords #TranslationLossRecords #UponTheHillsOfDivination #VendettaRecords #VertebraAtlantis #Vorga #Wist #WithinTheRuins

Stuck in the Filter: October 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

Never fear, the blog’s penchant for deep lateness punctuality persists! It is likely the new year already by the time you see this post, but we’re taking a step back. Way back, into October. I was deep in the shit then, and therefore couldn’t do anything blog-related. And yet, my minions, those very laborers for whom I provide absolutely no compensation whatsoever, toiled dutifully in the metallic dinge that is our Filter. Unforgiving though those environs undoubtedly are, they scraped and scoured until, at long last, small shards of precious ore glimmered to the surface.

These glimmers are the same which you witness before you. Some are big, some are small. Some are short, some are tall. But all are worthy. Behold!

Kenstrosity’s Belated Bombardments

Cosmic Putrefaction // Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains [October 4th, 2024 – Profound Lore Records]

I was originally slated to take over reviewing duties for Cosmic Putrefaction this year, as Thus Spoke had a prior commitment and needed a buddy to step in. Unfortunately, I was rendered useless by a force of nature for a while, so I had to let go of several items of interest. But I couldn’t let 2024 go by without saying something! Entitled Emeral Fires atop the Farewell Mountains, Cosmic Putrefaction’s fourth represents one of the smoothest, most ethereal interpretations of weird, dissonant death metal. The classic Cosmic Putrefaction riffsets under an auroric sky remain, as evidenced by ripping examples “[Entering the Vortex Temporum] – Pre-mortem Phosphenes” and “Swirling Madness, Supernal Ordeal,” but there lurks within a monstrous technical death metal creature who rabidly chases the atmospheric spirits of olde (“I Should Great the Inexorable Darkness,” “Eudaemonist Withdrawal”). While in lesser hands these distinct aesthetics would undoubtedly clash on a dissonant platform such as this, Cosmic Putrefaction’s particular application of sound and style coalesces in devastating beauty and relentless purpose (“Hallways Engraved in Aether,” “Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains”). Were it not for some instances wherein, for the first time ever, Cosmic Putrefaction threatens to self-plagiarize their own material (“Eudaemonist Withdrawal”), I would likely consider Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains for year-end list status.

Feral // To Usurp the Thrones [October 18th, 2024 – Transcending Obscurity Records]

Another one of my charges that I unfortunately had to put down against my will, Swedish death metal fiends Feral’s fourth salvo To Usurp the Thrones deserves a spotlight here. Where Flesh for Funerals Eternal impressed me as my introduction to the band and, arguably, my introduction to modern buzzsaw Swedeath, To Usurp the Thrones impresses me as a singularly vicious record in the style. Faster, meaner, more varied, and longer than its predecessor, Thrones offers the punk-tinged, thrashy death riffs you know and love, with bluesy touches reminiscent of Entombed’s Wolverine Blues adding a bit of drunken swagger to the affair (“Vile Malediction,” “Phantoms of Iniquity,” “Into the Ashes of History”). Absolute rippers like “To Drain the World of Light,” “Deformed Mentality,” “Decimated,” and “Soaked in Blood” live up to the band’s moniker, rabid and relentless in their assault. In many ways, Thrones evokes the same bloodsoaked sense of fun that Helslave’s From the Sulphur Depths conjured, but it’s angrier, more unhinged (“Spirits Without Rest,” “Stripped of Flesh”). Consequently, Thrones stands out as one of the more fun records of its ilk to come out this year. Don’t miss it!

Sun Worship // Upon the Hills of Divination [October 31st, 2024 – Vendetta Records]

Back in 2020, our dear Roquentin offered some damn fine words of praise for Germany’s Sun Worship and their third blackened blade, Emanations of Desolation. It’s been six years since that record dropped, and Upon the Hills of Divination picks up right where Emanations left off. That is to say, absolutely slimy, post-metal-tinged riffs bolstered by dense layers of warm tremolos and mid-frequency roars. Opener “Within the Machine” offers a concrete encapsulation of what to expect: bits and pieces of Hulder, Gaerea, and Vorga melding together into a compelling concoction of hypnotic black metal. Using the long form to their utmost advantage, Sun Worship craft immersive soundscapes liable to scald the flesh just as quickly as they seduce the senses, leaving me as a brainwashed minion doing a twisted mystic’s bidding unconditionally (“Serpent Nebula,” “Covenant”). Yet, there roils a sense of urgency in these songs, despite many of them occupying a mid-paced cadence, which unveils a bleeding heart willingly wrenched from Sun Worship’s body (“Fractal Entity,” the title track, and “Stormbringer”). This is what sets it apart from its contemporaries, and what makes it worthy of mention. Why it’s gotten so little attention escapes me. It is with the intent of rectifying that condition that I pen this woefully insufficient segment.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Duty Free Rifftrocity

Extorted // Cognitive Dissonance [October 16th, 2024 – Self Release]

You don’t need to read this review to know that the Kiwis of Extorted plays pit-whipping death/thrash. Though not adorned with other obvious symbols, like Vietnam War paraphernalia or crushed beer cans, the Ed Repka-penned brain-ripped head figure screams “no thoughts only riff” all the same. With snares set to pow and crashes set to kshhh, Cognitive Dissonance finds low resistance to accelerating early Death-indebted refrains. Vocalist Joel Clark even plays as a dead ringer for pre-Human Schuldiner or Van Drunen (Asphyx, ex-Pestilence) as the torture in many lines grows (on “Infected” and “Ghastly Creatures” in particular). And in a continued tour of Van Drunen-associated sounds, Extorted’s ability to find a push-and-pull cadence that twists the fury of thrash with the cutting drag of death hits that hard-to-nail early Pestilence pocket with studied flair (“Deception,” “Limits of Reality”). Though a considerable amount of the Extorted identity rests in ideas borrowed and reinterpreted, a modern tonal canvas gives Cognitive Dissonance’s rhythms a punchy and balanced low-end weight that doesn’t always present itself in the world of old. Couple that with hooks that reach far beyond the limits of pure homage (“Transformation of Dreams,” “Violence”), and it’s easy to plow through the thirty minutes of tasteful harmonies, bending solos, and spit-stained lamentations that Extorted offers with their powerful debut.

Bríi // Camaradagem Póstuma [October 11th, 2024 – Self Release]

With Camaradagem Póstuma we enter the hazy, folky world of Caio Lemos’ unique vision of what experimental electronic music can be colored by the underpinnings of atmospheric black metal and jazz fusion. Using terraced melodies like baroque music of old and distant breakbeats like the Bong-Ra of recent yesteryears, Brazil’s Bríi represents one man’s highly specific melding that rarely occurs in this space. The guitar lines that do exist play out as textural, slow-developing passages. On tracks “Aparecidos” and “Baile Fantasma” this looping and hypnotic pattern shuffle resembles ambient Pat Metheny or King Crimson colors, the kind where finding the end of nylon pluck into a weaving, high-frequency synth patch feels not impossible but unnecessary. And on the more metallic side of things, Lemos cranks programmed blasts that carry his tortured, panning, and shrouded wails as a guide for the melodic evolution of each track, much in the same way a warping bass line would in a progressive house track. But maintaining the tempo of classic drum and bass, Camaradagem Póstuma wisps away in its atmosphere, coming back to a driving rhythm either via pummeling double kick or glitching break. Despite the hard, danceable pulse that tracks “Enlutados” and “Entre Mundos” boast, Bríi does not feel built for the kvlt klvbs of this world, leaning on a gated, lo-fi aesthetic that makes for an ideal drift away on closed cans, much like the equally idiosyncratic Wist album from earlier this year. And similarly, Camaradagem Póstuma sits in an outsider world of enjoyment. But if any of this sounds like your jam, prepare to get addicted to Bríi.

Thus Spoke’s Rotten Remnants

Livløs // The Crescent King [October 4th, 2024 – Noctum Productions]

Livløs are one of those bands that deserves far more recognition than they receive. With LP three, The Crescent King, they might finally see it. Their punchy intriguing infusion of Swedish and US melodic death metal—though the band themselves hail from Denmark—has a pleasing melancholia and satisfying bite. Here in particular, there’s more than a passing resemblance to Hath, to Cognizance, and to In Mourning. Stomping grooves (“Maelstrom,” “Usurpers”) slide in between blitzes of tripping gallops, and electrifying fretwork (“Orbit Weaver,” “Scourge of the Stars”). Mournful, compelling melodies woven into this technical tapestry—some highlights being the title track, “Harvest,” and “Endless Majesty”—turn already good melodeath into great melodeath; melodeath that’s majestic and powerful, without ever feeling overblown. With its relentless, groovy dynamism, the crisp, spacious production seals the deal for total immersion. If this is your first time hearing about Livløs, you’re in for a treat.

Sordide // Ainsi finit le jour [October 25th, 2024 – Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions]

And So Ends the Day, whilst another begins where I rediscover Sordide. I know not how I forgot their existence despite the impression that 2021’s Les Idées Blanches made upon me, yet all I could recall was the disturbingly simple, melty art.1 Ainsi Finit le Jour arrives with a hefty dose (53 minutes no less) of punky, dissonant black metal that’s even rawer and more pissed-off than their usual fare. “Des feux plus forts,” “La poesie du caniveau,” and the title track stand out as the most vicious, near-first-wave cuts the trio have ever laid down, with manic, group wails, and chaotic, jangling percussion. But as is so often the case with Sordide, perhaps the truest brutality comes in the slower discordant crawls of “Sous Vivre,” “Tout est a la mort,” and the particularly unsettling “La beauté du desastre,” whose creeping, half-tuneful teasing and turns to eerie spaciousness get right under your skin. It is arguably a little too long for its own good, given its intensity, but its impressiveness does mean that, this time, Sordide won’t be forgotten.

Dear Hollow’s Droll Hashals

Annihilist // Reform [October 18th, 2024 – Self Release]

What Melbourne’s Annihilist does with flamboyant flare and reckless abandon is blur the lines of its core stylistic choices. One moment it’s chugging away like a deathcore band, the next it’s dripping away with a groove metal swagger, ope, now it’s on its way to Hot Topic. All we know is that all its members attack with a chameleonic intensity and otherworldly technicality that’s hard to pin down. An insane level of technicality is the thread that courses throughout the entirety of this debut, recalling Within the Ruins or The Human Abstract in its stuttering rhythms and flailing arpeggios. From catchy leads and punishing rhythms (“The Upsend,” “Guillotine”), bouncy breakdowns, clean choruses, and wild gang vocals (“Blood”), djenty guitar seizures (“Virus,” “Better Off”) to full-on groove (“N.M.E.,” “The Host”), the likes of Lamb of God, early Architects, Born of Osiris, and Children of Bodom are conjured. Lyrics of hardcore punk’s signature anarchy and societal distrust collide with an instrumental palette of melodeath and the more technical kin of metalcore and deathcore, groove metal, and hardcore. As such, the album is complicated, episodic, and unpredictable, with only its wild technicality connecting its fragmented bits – keeping Reform from achieving the greatness that the band is so capable of. As it stands, though, Annihilist offers an insanely fun, everchanging, and unhinged roller coaster of -core proportions – a roller -corester, if you will.

Under Alekhines Gun

Theurgy // Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence [October 17th, 2024 – New Standard Elite]

In a year where slam and brutal death have already had an atypically high-quality output, international outfit Theurgy have come with an RKO out of nowhere to shatter whatever remains of your cerebral cortex. Channeling the flamboyancy of old Analepsy with the snare abuse and neanderthalic glee of Epicardiectomy, Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence wastes no time severing vertebrae and reducing eardrums to paste. Don’t mistake this for a brainless, caveman assault, however. Peppered between the hammiest of hammers are tech flourishes pulled straight from Dingir era Rings of Saturn, adding an unexpected technical edge to the blunt force trauma. The production manages to pair these two disparaging elements with lethal efficiency. Is it the techiest slam album, or the wettest, greasiest tech album? Did I mention there’s a super moldy cover of Devourment‘s “Molesting the Decapitated”? It slots right into the albums flow without feeling like a tacked-on bonus track, highlighting Theurgy’s commitment to the homicidal odes of brutality. Throw in a vocal performance that makes Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity) sound like Anders Fridén (In Flames), and you’re left with one last lethal assault to round out the year. Dive in and give your luminescence something to cry about.

GardensTale’s Great Glacier

Ghosts of Glaciers // Eternal [October 25th, 2024 – Translation Loss Records]

Ghosts of Glaciers’s last release, The Greatest Burden, was a masterclass of post-metal flow and has become a mainstay in my instrumental metal collection since my review in 2019. Dropping in tandem with several other high-profile releases, though, I could not give its follow-up the kind of attention it deserves. And make no mistake, it absolutely deserves that attention. The opening duo, “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” measure up fully to The Greatest Burden, though it takes a few spins for that to become clear. Both use repetitive patterns more than before, but closer listens reveal how subtle variations and evolution of each cycle build gradual tension, so the release becomes all the more satisfying. I’m a little more ambivalent on the back half of Eternal, though. “Leviathan” packs a bigger punch than more of the band’s material, it lacks the swirling and sweeping currents that pull me under and demand full and uninterrupted plays every time. Closer “Regeneratio Aeterna” is a pretty but rather demure piece that lasts a bit longer than it should have. But despite these reservations, the great material outstrips the merely good, and Eternal is a worthwhile addition to any instrumental metal collection.

#AbominablePutridity #AinsiFinitLeJour #AmericanMetal #Analepsy #Annihilist #Architects #Asphyx #AtmosphericBlackMetal #AustralianMetal #BlackMetal #BongRa #BornOfOsiris #BrazilianMetal #Bríi #BrutalDeathMetal #CamaradagemPóstuma #ChildrenOfBodom #CognitiveDissonance #Cognizance #CosmicPutrefaction #Death #DeathMetal #DeathThrash #Deathcore #Devourment #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Electronic #EmanationsOfUnconsciousLuminescence #EmeralFiresAtopTheFarewellMountains #Entombed #Epicardiectomy #Eternal #ExperimentalMetal #Extorted #Feral #FrenchMetal #Gaerea #GermanMetal #GhostsOfGlaciers #GrooveMetal #Hardcore #HardcorePunk #Hath #Helslave #Hulder #InFlames #InMourning #InternationalMetal #ItalianMetal #KingCrimson #LambOfGod #LesActeursDeLOmbreProductions #Livløs #MelodicDeathMetal #Metalcore #NewStandardElite #NewZealandMetal #NoctumProductions #OSDM #PatMetheny #Pestilence #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #ProfoundLoreRecords #Reform #RingsOfSaturn #SelfRelease #SelfReleased #Slam #Sordide #SunWorship #SwedishMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheCrescentKing #TheHumanAbstract #Theurgy #ThrashMetal #ToUsurpTheThrones #TranscendingObscurityRecords #TranslationLossRecords #UponTheHillsOfDivination #VendettaRecords #VertebraAtlantis #Vorga #Wist #WithinTheRuins

Defeated Sanity – Chronicles of Lunacy Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

The scattering guitar stabbings and inertia-rupturing kick runs of Defeated Sanity’s earlier exhausting oeuvre fell blurry in early critical discussion.1 And while the brutal death loving scene at large may have found less issue with what Psalms of the Moribund up to Passages into Deformity offered in terms None So Vile-indebted,2 frenzied groove, 2016’s Disposal of the Dead // Dharmata cemented with a two-pronged approach Defeated Sanity’s tonal heaviness and technical prowess. From humble roots as a father-son project between kit commander Lille Gruber and now departed jazz journeyman Wolfgang Teske, these German slam summoners have grown alongside post-Suffocation flagbearers like the shred-snappy Dying Fetus and hammer-wielding Devourment in a manner far more rhythmically studied. Growth as a concept, though, in this genre which pursues with relentless, murderous intent the swinging arms and whipping necks of its consumers, can present in forms contradictory to its primal base of mouth-frothing riff drags.

Yet, the chase towards the limits of extremity has defined both the trajectory of brutal death metal and Defeated Sanity. In turn, 2020’s career high mark The Sanguinary Impetus expanded upon Defeated Sanity’s frenetic, gutter-tuned madness and jazzy, warm, nimble-footed stimulations through the engineering expertise of extreme metal’s greatest ally, Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts),3 allowing the impact of Defeated Sanity’s free brutality to land with frightening precision. Organic and cutting, Gruber’s kit—already a known highlight in the Defeated Sanity brand—finds dynamic tones that separate gravity-rated snare rolls from rimshot murder calls, push synth toms that evoke a Peart/Reinart bouncing homage (Rush, Cynic, respectively, particularly on the outro to “Temporal Disintegration”)4, and spread cymbal accents that kiss the edges of the soundscape to dissipate the madness. Marston’s fuller control over Chronicles manages chaos while still showcasing the depth of play that Defeated Sanity possesses.

In reaction to the preceding overdosed-on-Watchtower expedition, Chronicles stomps with its steel-toes caked in Suffocation-by-jazz-graduates fervor, serving stank, slam, and snare-drills in equal and obnoxious measure (“The Odour of Sanctity,” “Extrinsically Enraged”). None of what Chronicles has festered in the Defeated Sanity think tank plays worlds different than previous work, but its leanness and excess in detail forces repeated, engaging listens. For the unbaptized, speed-adorned, hammering snare runs break open the brutal death flood gates and reinvigorate its half-time crawls with little concern for whether the listener will be able to hang along for the breakneck ride (“Amputationsdrang,” “Accelerating the Rot,” “A Patriarchy Perverse”). Oh, and those crawls, engorged and dripping with a primal passion, land often with all the calamitous force that Defeated Sanity promises.

But for all the rage and ragged riffcraft that Defeated Sanity splays about the festering crooks and scabbed-over crannies of Chronicles, their undeniable attachment to groove as an anchor remains vital to success. The guitar work across any Defeated Sanity album comes second in technicality to Gruber and longtime bassist Jacob Schmidt. But its ability to punctuate rumbling, fret-clanging pulses with a percussive treble accent (“Temporal Disintegration,” “Extrinsically Enraged”), or dance about Gruber’s best Bobby Jarzombek (Spastic Ink, Fates Warning) impressions (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”) and hellish blasts (“Amputationsdrag,” “Accelerating…”), gives Chronicles an amplified weight that it needs. Defeated Sanity’s continued mission to layer rhythm upon rhythm upon rhythm—including vocalist Josh Welshman’s poetically metered, putrid, and unintelligible spews—finds an important tether in this thoughtful technicality.

Brutal death metal at its most basic level expresses the aggression of death metal through lenses of increasing absurdity and Defeated Sanity’s continued refinement of their devious dialogues tethers with ease the listener to their every wile. Whether brief like the grinding intro of “Amputationsdrang” or extended like the techy spasm of the penultimate “Condemned to Vascular Famine,” each run on Chronicles of Lunacy comes loaded with more impressive moments than any listener could hope to remember in entirety. But the beauty in the snarling and crushing atmosphere that Defeated Sanity creates exists in its ability to switch from knuckle-scraping slam to finger-testing climb as if all were one from the beginning. Chronicles of Lunacy, as a honed interpretation of Defeated Sanity already proven métier, finds an easy spot in the upper tier of their storied catalog—and it doubles as a killer neck exercise.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist | Bandcamp
Websites: defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/DefeatedSanity
Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024

Maddog

Three decades in, Defeated Sanity remains just out of reach of convenient descriptors. They’re too proggy to be Cryptopsy, but far too brutal for Death; too slammy for Suffocation, but too riffy for Wormed; neither noodly enough for Origin nor grindy enough for Dying Fetus. A distinctive medley of familiar pieces, Defeated Sanity has always targeted maximum brutality, in both their caveman slam breaks and their superhuman technical flourishes. This has resulted in one of brutal death metal’s most unassailable discographies; even their most recent album The Sanguinary Impetus earned a 4.0 and a handful of list spots in 2020. Its follow-up Chronicles of Lunacy charts charted waters, but it’s a jolt of adrenaline nonetheless.

Defeated Sanity’s signatures swirl together on Chronicles of Lunacy. Despite picking up a new lead guitarist in Vaughn Stoffey (whose main cred appears to be an adjunct professorship in jazz guitar), the band’s guitarwork is as fearsome as ever. Chronicles’ most technical riffs maintain a strong sense of melody, even in their syncopated flailing. Brutal near-OSDM sections offer a respite, interspersed with bouts of slam. Defeated Sanity’s prog proclivities are tasteful but omnipresent, like the jazzy outro of “Temporal Distintegration” and the off-kilter rhythms of the opener “Amputationsdrang.” Indeed, while there are more differences than similarities, Defeated Sanity remains mandatory listening for fans of Human-era Death. Long-time bassist Jacob Schmidt holds it all together, with vivid bass lines that thump without farting.5 And as always, Lille Gruber’s drums marry the rhythmic prowess of Mike Smith (Suffocation) with the snare-heavy circus act of Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy). Every member of Defeated Sanity balances high-brow compositional wizardry with serf-friendly jams.

Even at its most unhinged, Chronicles of Lunacy is impossible to tune out. Defeated Sanity has cracked the code; the secret to musical success is to sound both interesting and thrilling. Parts of Chronicles lean one way or the other, like the mesmerizing drum patterns of “Condemned to Vascular Famine” and the shameless slam of “Accelerating the Rot.” But the album’s triumph is its ability to blur the line among its diverse strengths. Miraculously, one of its most memorable riffs is the opening of “Temporal Disintegration,” whose Wormed melody slays despite its indecipherable rhythm. Similarly, Defeated Sanity’s breakdowns use a strong sense of melody to escape slam’s typical idiocy (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”). A chunk of credit goes to Colin Marston’s production job. Marston’s talent is undisputed, but he outdoes himself with a lush guitar sound that honors both Defeated Sanity’s cutting riffs and their technical spectacles. Despite its twists and turns, Chronicles of Lunacy has lodged in my memory much more than I’d expected.

But if you blink, you might miss it. While Chronicles teeters on the edge of lunacy through much of its runtime, it sometimes steps over the edge. The album’s earlier cuts suffer the most, sometimes leaving me confused about how their chaotic pieces fit together (“The Odour of Sanctity”). More generally, when songs shapeshift so frequently, they can lose their sense of identity. For example, while “Extrinsically Enraged” blends Killing on Adrenaline and Pierced from Within riffs that each drag me in, its hectic mix of ideas makes the track less recognizable. Still, these are outliers in a record that otherwise showcases thoughtful writing. Gruber’s drum shenanigans superglue disparate sections together, as do the expertly executed fade-in melodies (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”). The closer “Heredity Violated” deserves special mention, with a climactic introduction, a skull-shattering main riff, and an ebb and flow that make it my favorite closer of 2024. Overall, Chronicles of Lunacy’s loose seams are just small holes in a tight-knit garment.

With bands like Wormed, Noxis, and Nile churning out stellar releases in 2024, brutal death metal has already given us more than we deserve. Defeated Sanity’s latest is just the cherry on top. Sanity’s Lunacy rewards patience, and its frenzied darting between technicality and brutality is a head-scratcher even after weeks of attention. But I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of 2024’s most endearing death metal releases.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

#2024 #40 #BrutalDeathMetal #ChroniclesOfLunacy #Cryptopsy #Death #DeathMetal #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #DyingFetus #GermanMetal #Nov24 #Origin #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #SpasticInk #Suffocation #TechnicalBrutalDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #Watchtower #Wormed

Defeated Sanity – Chronicles of Lunacy Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

The scattering guitar stabbings and inertia-rupturing kick runs of Defeated Sanity’s earlier exhausting oeuvre fell blurry in early critical discussion.1 And while the brutal death loving scene at large may have found less issue with what Psalms of the Moribund up to Passages into Deformity offered in terms None So Vile-indebted,2 frenzied groove, 2016’s Disposal of the Dead // Dharmata cemented with a two-pronged approach Defeated Sanity’s tonal heaviness and technical prowess. From humble roots as a father-son project between kit commander Lille Gruber and now departed jazz journeyman Wolfgang Teske, these German slam summoners have grown alongside post-Suffocation flagbearers like the shred-snappy Dying Fetus and hammer-wielding Devourment in a manner far more rhythmically studied. Growth as a concept, though, in this genre which pursues with relentless, murderous intent the swinging arms and whipping necks of its consumers, can present in forms contradictory to its primal base of mouth-frothing riff drags.

Yet, the chase towards the limits of extremity has defined both the trajectory of brutal death metal and Defeated Sanity. In turn, 2020’s career high mark The Sanguinary Impetus expanded upon Defeated Sanity’s frenetic, gutter-tuned madness and jazzy, warm, nimble-footed stimulations through the engineering expertise of extreme metal’s greatest ally, Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts),3 allowing the impact of Defeated Sanity’s free brutality to land with frightening precision. Organic and cutting, Gruber’s kit—already a known highlight in the Defeated Sanity brand—finds dynamic tones that separate gravity-rated snare rolls from rimshot murder calls, push synth toms that evoke a Peart/Reinart bouncing homage (Rush, Cynic, respectively, particularly on the outro to “Temporal Disintegration”)4, and spread cymbal accents that kiss the edges of the soundscape to dissipate the madness. Marston’s fuller control over Chronicles manages chaos while still showcasing the depth of play that Defeated Sanity possesses.

In reaction to the preceding overdosed-on-Watchtower expedition, Chronicles stomps with its steel-toes caked in Suffocation-by-jazz-graduates fervor, serving stank, slam, and snare-drills in equal and obnoxious measure (“The Odour of Sanctity,” “Extrinsically Enraged”). None of what Chronicles has festered in the Defeated Sanity think tank plays worlds different than previous work, but its leanness and excess in detail forces repeated, engaging listens. For the unbaptized, speed-adorned, hammering snare runs break open the brutal death flood gates and reinvigorate its half-time crawls with little concern for whether the listener will be able to hang along for the breakneck ride (“Amputationsdrang,” “Accelerating the Rot,” “A Patriarchy Perverse”). Oh, and those crawls, engorged and dripping with a primal passion, land often with all the calamitous force that Defeated Sanity promises.

But for all the rage and ragged riffcraft that Defeated Sanity splays about the festering crooks and scabbed-over crannies of Chronicles, their undeniable attachment to groove as an anchor remains vital to success. The guitar work across any Defeated Sanity album comes second in technicality to Gruber and longtime bassist Jacob Schmidt. But its ability to punctuate rumbling, fret-clanging pulses with a percussive treble accent (“Temporal Disintegration,” “Extrinsically Enraged”), or dance about Gruber’s best Bobby Jarzombek (Spastic Ink, Fates Warning) impressions (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”) and hellish blasts (“Amputationsdrag,” “Accelerating…”), gives Chronicles an amplified weight that it needs. Defeated Sanity’s continued mission to layer rhythm upon rhythm upon rhythm—including vocalist Josh Welshman’s poetically metered, putrid, and unintelligible spews—finds an important tether in this thoughtful technicality.

Brutal death metal at its most basic level expresses the aggression of death metal through lenses of increasing absurdity and Defeated Sanity’s continued refinement of their devious dialogues tethers with ease the listener to their every wile. Whether brief like the grinding intro of “Amputationsdrang” or extended like the techy spasm of the penultimate “Condemned to Vascular Famine,” each run on Chronicles of Lunacy comes loaded with more impressive moments than any listener could hope to remember in entirety. But the beauty in the snarling and crushing atmosphere that Defeated Sanity creates exists in its ability to switch from knuckle-scraping slam to finger-testing climb as if all were one from the beginning. Chronicles of Lunacy, as a honed interpretation of Defeated Sanity already proven métier, finds an easy spot in the upper tier of their storied catalog—and it doubles as a killer neck exercise.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist | Bandcamp
Websites: defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/DefeatedSanity
Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024

Maddog

Three decades in, Defeated Sanity remains just out of reach of convenient descriptors. They’re too proggy to be Cryptopsy, but far too brutal for Death; too slammy for Suffocation, but too riffy for Wormed; neither noodly enough for Origin nor grindy enough for Dying Fetus. A distinctive medley of familiar pieces, Defeated Sanity has always targeted maximum brutality, in both their caveman slam breaks and their superhuman technical flourishes. This has resulted in one of brutal death metal’s most unassailable discographies; even their most recent album The Sanguinary Impetus earned a 4.0 and a handful of list spots in 2020. Its follow-up Chronicles of Lunacy charts charted waters, but it’s a jolt of adrenaline nonetheless.

Defeated Sanity’s signatures swirl together on Chronicles of Lunacy. Despite picking up a new lead guitarist in Vaughn Stoffey (whose main cred appears to be an adjunct professorship in jazz guitar), the band’s guitarwork is as fearsome as ever. Chronicles’ most technical riffs maintain a strong sense of melody, even in their syncopated flailing. Brutal near-OSDM sections offer a respite, interspersed with bouts of slam. Defeated Sanity’s prog proclivities are tasteful but omnipresent, like the jazzy outro of “Temporal Distintegration” and the off-kilter rhythms of the opener “Amputationsdrang.” Indeed, while there are more differences than similarities, Defeated Sanity remains mandatory listening for fans of Human-era Death. Long-time bassist Jacob Schmidt holds it all together, with vivid bass lines that thump without farting.5 And as always, Lille Gruber’s drums marry the rhythmic prowess of Mike Smith (Suffocation) with the snare-heavy circus act of Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy). Every member of Defeated Sanity balances high-brow compositional wizardry with serf-friendly jams.

Even at its most unhinged, Chronicles of Lunacy is impossible to tune out. Defeated Sanity has cracked the code; the secret to musical success is to sound both interesting and thrilling. Parts of Chronicles lean one way or the other, like the mesmerizing drum patterns of “Condemned to Vascular Famine” and the shameless slam of “Accelerating the Rot.” But the album’s triumph is its ability to blur the line among its diverse strengths. Miraculously, one of its most memorable riffs is the opening of “Temporal Disintegration,” whose Wormed melody slays despite its indecipherable rhythm. Similarly, Defeated Sanity’s breakdowns use a strong sense of melody to escape slam’s typical idiocy (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”). A chunk of credit goes to Colin Marston’s production job. Marston’s talent is undisputed, but he outdoes himself with a lush guitar sound that honors both Defeated Sanity’s cutting riffs and their technical spectacles. Despite its twists and turns, Chronicles of Lunacy has lodged in my memory much more than I’d expected.

But if you blink, you might miss it. While Chronicles teeters on the edge of lunacy through much of its runtime, it sometimes steps over the edge. The album’s earlier cuts suffer the most, sometimes leaving me confused about how their chaotic pieces fit together (“The Odour of Sanctity”). More generally, when songs shapeshift so frequently, they can lose their sense of identity. For example, while “Extrinsically Enraged” blends Killing on Adrenaline and Pierced from Within riffs that each drag me in, its hectic mix of ideas makes the track less recognizable. Still, these are outliers in a record that otherwise showcases thoughtful writing. Gruber’s drum shenanigans superglue disparate sections together, as do the expertly executed fade-in melodies (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”). The closer “Heredity Violated” deserves special mention, with a climactic introduction, a skull-shattering main riff, and an ebb and flow that make it my favorite closer of 2024. Overall, Chronicles of Lunacy’s loose seams are just small holes in a tight-knit garment.

With bands like Wormed, Noxis, and Nile churning out stellar releases in 2024, brutal death metal has already given us more than we deserve. Defeated Sanity’s latest is just the cherry on top. Sanity’s Lunacy rewards patience, and its frenzied darting between technicality and brutality is a head-scratcher even after weeks of attention. But I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of 2024’s most endearing death metal releases.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

#2024 #40 #BrutalDeathMetal #ChroniclesOfLunacy #Cryptopsy #Death #DeathMetal #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #DyingFetus #GermanMetal #Nov24 #Origin #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #SpasticInk #Suffocation #TechnicalBrutalDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #Watchtower #Wormed

Defeated Sanity – Chronicles of Lunacy Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

The scattering guitar stabbings and inertia-rupturing kick runs of Defeated Sanity’s earlier exhausting oeuvre fell blurry in early critical discussion.1 And while the brutal death loving scene at large may have found less issue with what Psalms of the Moribund up to Passages into Deformity offered in terms None So Vile-indebted,2 frenzied groove, 2016’s Disposal of the Dead // Dharmata cemented with a two-pronged approach Defeated Sanity’s tonal heaviness and technical prowess. From humble roots as a father-son project between kit commander Lille Gruber and now departed jazz journeyman Wolfgang Teske, these German slam summoners have grown alongside post-Suffocation flagbearers like the shred-snappy Dying Fetus and hammer-wielding Devourment in a manner far more rhythmically studied. Growth as a concept, though, in this genre which pursues with relentless, murderous intent the swinging arms and whipping necks of its consumers, can present in forms contradictory to its primal base of mouth-frothing riff drags.

Yet, the chase towards the limits of extremity has defined both the trajectory of brutal death metal and Defeated Sanity. In turn, 2020’s career high mark The Sanguinary Impetus expanded upon Defeated Sanity’s frenetic, gutter-tuned madness and jazzy, warm, nimble-footed stimulations through the engineering expertise of extreme metal’s greatest ally, Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts),3 allowing the impact of Defeated Sanity’s free brutality to land with frightening precision. Organic and cutting, Gruber’s kit—already a known highlight in the Defeated Sanity brand—finds dynamic tones that separate gravity-rated snare rolls from rimshot murder calls, push synth toms that evoke a Peart/Reinart bouncing homage (Rush, Cynic, respectively, particularly on the outro to “Temporal Disintegration”)4, and spread cymbal accents that kiss the edges of the soundscape to dissipate the madness. Marston’s fuller control over Chronicles manages chaos while still showcasing the depth of play that Defeated Sanity possesses.

In reaction to the preceding overdosed-on-Watchtower expedition, Chronicles stomps with its steel-toes caked in Suffocation-by-jazz-graduates fervor, serving stank, slam, and snare-drills in equal and obnoxious measure (“The Odour of Sanctity,” “Extrinsically Enraged”). None of what Chronicles has festered in the Defeated Sanity think tank plays worlds different than previous work, but its leanness and excess in detail forces repeated, engaging listens. For the unbaptized, speed-adorned, hammering snare runs break open the brutal death flood gates and reinvigorate its half-time crawls with little concern for whether the listener will be able to hang along for the breakneck ride (“Amputationsdrang,” “Accelerating the Rot,” “A Patriarchy Perverse”). Oh, and those crawls, engorged and dripping with a primal passion, land often with all the calamitous force that Defeated Sanity promises.

But for all the rage and ragged riffcraft that Defeated Sanity splays about the festering crooks and scabbed-over crannies of Chronicles, their undeniable attachment to groove as an anchor remains vital to success. The guitar work across any Defeated Sanity album comes second in technicality to Gruber and longtime bassist Jacob Schmidt. But its ability to punctuate rumbling, fret-clanging pulses with a percussive treble accent (“Temporal Disintegration,” “Extrinsically Enraged”), or dance about Gruber’s best Bobby Jarzombek (Spastic Ink, Fates Warning) impressions (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”) and hellish blasts (“Amputationsdrag,” “Accelerating…”), gives Chronicles an amplified weight that it needs. Defeated Sanity’s continued mission to layer rhythm upon rhythm upon rhythm—including vocalist Josh Welshman’s poetically metered, putrid, and unintelligible spews—finds an important tether in this thoughtful technicality.

Brutal death metal at its most basic level expresses the aggression of death metal through lenses of increasing absurdity and Defeated Sanity’s continued refinement of their devious dialogues tethers with ease the listener to their every wile. Whether brief like the grinding intro of “Amputationsdrang” or extended like the techy spasm of the penultimate “Condemned to Vascular Famine,” each run on Chronicles of Lunacy comes loaded with more impressive moments than any listener could hope to remember in entirety. But the beauty in the snarling and crushing atmosphere that Defeated Sanity creates exists in its ability to switch from knuckle-scraping slam to finger-testing climb as if all were one from the beginning. Chronicles of Lunacy, as a honed interpretation of Defeated Sanity already proven métier, finds an easy spot in the upper tier of their storied catalog—and it doubles as a killer neck exercise.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist | Bandcamp
Websites: defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/DefeatedSanity
Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024

Maddog

Three decades in, Defeated Sanity remains just out of reach of convenient descriptors. They’re too proggy to be Cryptopsy, but far too brutal for Death; too slammy for Suffocation, but too riffy for Wormed; neither noodly enough for Origin nor grindy enough for Dying Fetus. A distinctive medley of familiar pieces, Defeated Sanity has always targeted maximum brutality, in both their caveman slam breaks and their superhuman technical flourishes. This has resulted in one of brutal death metal’s most unassailable discographies; even their most recent album The Sanguinary Impetus earned a 4.0 and a handful of list spots in 2020. Its follow-up Chronicles of Lunacy charts charted waters, but it’s a jolt of adrenaline nonetheless.

Defeated Sanity’s signatures swirl together on Chronicles of Lunacy. Despite picking up a new lead guitarist in Vaughn Stoffey (whose main cred appears to be an adjunct professorship in jazz guitar), the band’s guitarwork is as fearsome as ever. Chronicles’ most technical riffs maintain a strong sense of melody, even in their syncopated flailing. Brutal near-OSDM sections offer a respite, interspersed with bouts of slam. Defeated Sanity’s prog proclivities are tasteful but omnipresent, like the jazzy outro of “Temporal Distintegration” and the off-kilter rhythms of the opener “Amputationsdrang.” Indeed, while there are more differences than similarities, Defeated Sanity remains mandatory listening for fans of Human-era Death. Long-time bassist Jacob Schmidt holds it all together, with vivid bass lines that thump without farting.5 And as always, Lille Gruber’s drums marry the rhythmic prowess of Mike Smith (Suffocation) with the snare-heavy circus act of Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy). Every member of Defeated Sanity balances high-brow compositional wizardry with serf-friendly jams.

Even at its most unhinged, Chronicles of Lunacy is impossible to tune out. Defeated Sanity has cracked the code; the secret to musical success is to sound both interesting and thrilling. Parts of Chronicles lean one way or the other, like the mesmerizing drum patterns of “Condemned to Vascular Famine” and the shameless slam of “Accelerating the Rot.” But the album’s triumph is its ability to blur the line among its diverse strengths. Miraculously, one of its most memorable riffs is the opening of “Temporal Disintegration,” whose Wormed melody slays despite its indecipherable rhythm. Similarly, Defeated Sanity’s breakdowns use a strong sense of melody to escape slam’s typical idiocy (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”). A chunk of credit goes to Colin Marston’s production job. Marston’s talent is undisputed, but he outdoes himself with a lush guitar sound that honors both Defeated Sanity’s cutting riffs and their technical spectacles. Despite its twists and turns, Chronicles of Lunacy has lodged in my memory much more than I’d expected.

But if you blink, you might miss it. While Chronicles teeters on the edge of lunacy through much of its runtime, it sometimes steps over the edge. The album’s earlier cuts suffer the most, sometimes leaving me confused about how their chaotic pieces fit together (“The Odour of Sanctity”). More generally, when songs shapeshift so frequently, they can lose their sense of identity. For example, while “Extrinsically Enraged” blends Killing on Adrenaline and Pierced from Within riffs that each drag me in, its hectic mix of ideas makes the track less recognizable. Still, these are outliers in a record that otherwise showcases thoughtful writing. Gruber’s drum shenanigans superglue disparate sections together, as do the expertly executed fade-in melodies (“Condemned to Vascular Famine”). The closer “Heredity Violated” deserves special mention, with a climactic introduction, a skull-shattering main riff, and an ebb and flow that make it my favorite closer of 2024. Overall, Chronicles of Lunacy’s loose seams are just small holes in a tight-knit garment.

With bands like Wormed, Noxis, and Nile churning out stellar releases in 2024, brutal death metal has already given us more than we deserve. Defeated Sanity’s latest is just the cherry on top. Sanity’s Lunacy rewards patience, and its frenzied darting between technicality and brutality is a head-scratcher even after weeks of attention. But I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of 2024’s most endearing death metal releases.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

#2024 #40 #BrutalDeathMetal #ChroniclesOfLunacy #Cryptopsy #Death #DeathMetal #DefeatedSanity #Devourment #DyingFetus #GermanMetal #Nov24 #Origin #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #SpasticInk #Suffocation #TechnicalBrutalDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #Watchtower #Wormed

Carnivore Diprosopus – Rise of the Insurrection Review

By Kenstrosity

Ah, brutal death metal. A singularly punishing corner of the extreme metalverse, brutal death commands your every orifice for consumption and then ruination. Or sometimes the other way around. Brutal death metal isn’t picky. Neither am I. Despite my cuddly, terminally delightful disposition in real life, I love this stuff for its cave-brained approach to extreme music, its penchant for irresistible groove unmatched by other styles, and its promise of outlandish compositional WIOLENCE. These are the things Colombian/Spanish brutal death quintet Carnivore Diprosopus pledge with fourth onslaught Rise of the Insurrection.

Beginning life in 2002, Carnivore Diprosopus wrote about what every early 2000s brutal band wrote about: shocking acts of violence, generalized perversion, and lots of gore. The usual suspects. With their third installment, Condemned by the Alliance, however, Carnivore Diprosopus shifted gears slightly. Still integrating the expected extremities, Condemned by the Alliance and now Rise of the Insurrection feel more conceptual and story-driven, detailing what appears to be tales of fictional great wars involving much invasion, destruction, death, and what I’m sure would be considered outright violations of the Geneva Convention. Using compositional blueprints spearheaded by acts like Brodequin, Devourment, and Pathology, Carnivore Diprosopus’ fourth salvo carries their recounts on the backs of crushing riffs, pummeling rhythms and blasts, and subterranean gurgles—just the way I expect and desire to hear it. Bonus points to the band for an unexpectedly rich, warm, and roomy production that proves once and for all that music like this can easily beat me to a pulp without disrespectful compression or excessive loudness.

Rise of the Insurrection is a quintessential example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The riffs contained in city-leveling monstrosities like “Begin Redemption,” “Dhamaneon,” album highlight “The Onslaught—Cyborg Tank Division,” “Khristov’s Seventh Eagle Legion,” and “Psycho Mincer Assault Corps” sound suspiciously like a million other band’s best—albeit with a bit more focus on infectious groove than single-minded destruction. For me, none of that is a bad thing. A touch of slam in many of Carnivore Diprosopus’ rhythmic patterns and a tasteful reliance on tightly grouped triplets helps reinforce that sense of swagger to great effect as well, making this album extremely dangerous for my neck (“The Battle of Saicasm (Ariel Predator)”). At a shredded thirty-one minutes, Rise of the Insurrection flies by in a flash, making revisits an effortless and thoroughly rewarding affair. With each new spin, I discover little moments throughout that give any given song another point of interest to keep me invested (notably, the fun cymbal clinks that most densely populate the album midsection).

It’s difficult to offer more than nitpicks when critiquing Rise of the Insurrection, but those nitpicks add up quickly. For Carnivore Diprosopus, my biggest nitpick is the complete lack of originality or novelty in their songwriting. This record in particular borrows an array of notes from Unbirth’s Fleshformed Columns of Deceit and Brodequin’s discography at large. That’s great company to keep, but I worry that Carnivore Diprosopus play too close to their influences here, which could deter fans from checking them out as easily as it might initially attract them. An additional side effect of this condition, many of Rise of the Insurrection’s less immediate moments fall victim to the void almost instantly after passing (the second half of “Dhamaneon,” for example), calling the record’s overall memorability into question. In other areas, Carnivore Diprosopus deserve credit for their unusually roomy production. Warm and rich guitar and vocal tones, combined with what feels like acres of space on the soundstage, provide every element plenty of room to play and interact with each other, affording the record an organic sense of dynamics. However, the snare sometimes feels wooden and a little sharp for this style, negatively impacting measures involving intense blast beats the most. Crash and ride cymbals similarly lack body in spots, evoking a somewhat glassy quality that can make rapid-fire strikes and extended washes occasionally unpleasant.

While I found a variety of little opportunities for improvement, Rise of the Insurrection is as rock-solid a record as they come. Endless cavalcades of killer riffs, brutal grooves, and slammy swagger guarantee a great time and ensure that repeat investment garners considerable returns in enjoyment. Carnivore Diprosopus may not be the most innovative name in the game, but brutal death metal doesn’t need innovation to be fun and engaging. Rise of the Insurrection is, if nothing else, proof positive of that fact.

Rating: Good!
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: facebook.com/CarnivoreDiprosopus
Releases Worldwide: August 9th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Aug24 #Brodequin #BrutalDeathMetal #CarnivoreDiprosopus #ColombianMetal #ComatoseMusic #DeathMetal #Devourment #Pathology #Review #Reviews #RiseOfTheInsurrection #Slam #SpanishMetal #Unbirth

Carnivore Diprosopus – Rise of the Insurrection Review

By Kenstrosity

Ah, brutal death metal. A singularly punishing corner of the extreme metalverse, brutal death commands your every orifice for consumption and then ruination. Or sometimes the other way around. Brutal death metal isn’t picky. Neither am I. Despite my cuddly, terminally delightful disposition in real life, I love this stuff for its cave-brained approach to extreme music, its penchant for irresistible groove unmatched by other styles, and its promise of outlandish compositional WIOLENCE. These are the things Colombian/Spanish brutal death quintet Carnivore Diprosopus pledge with fourth onslaught Rise of the Insurrection.

Beginning life in 2002, Carnivore Diprosopus wrote about what every early 2000s brutal band wrote about: shocking acts of violence, generalized perversion, and lots of gore. The usual suspects. With their third installment, Condemned by the Alliance, however, Carnivore Diprosopus shifted gears slightly. Still integrating the expected extremities, Condemned by the Alliance and now Rise of the Insurrection feel more conceptual and story-driven, detailing what appears to be tales of fictional great wars involving much invasion, destruction, death, and what I’m sure would be considered outright violations of the Geneva Convention. Using compositional blueprints spearheaded by acts like Brodequin, Devourment, and Pathology, Carnivore Diprosopus’ fourth salvo carries their recounts on the backs of crushing riffs, pummeling rhythms and blasts, and subterranean gurgles—just the way I expect and desire to hear it. Bonus points to the band for an unexpectedly rich, warm, and roomy production that proves once and for all that music like this can easily beat me to a pulp without disrespectful compression or excessive loudness.

Rise of the Insurrection is a quintessential example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The riffs contained in city-leveling monstrosities like “Begin Redemption,” “Dhamaneon,” album highlight “The Onslaught—Cyborg Tank Division,” “Khristov’s Seventh Eagle Legion,” and “Psycho Mincer Assault Corps” sound suspiciously like a million other band’s best—albeit with a bit more focus on infectious groove than single-minded destruction. For me, none of that is a bad thing. A touch of slam in many of Carnivore Diprosopus’ rhythmic patterns and a tasteful reliance on tightly grouped triplets helps reinforce that sense of swagger to great effect as well, making this album extremely dangerous for my neck (“The Battle of Saicasm (Ariel Predator)”). At a shredded thirty-one minutes, Rise of the Insurrection flies by in a flash, making revisits an effortless and thoroughly rewarding affair. With each new spin, I discover little moments throughout that give any given song another point of interest to keep me invested (notably, the fun cymbal clinks that most densely populate the album midsection).

It’s difficult to offer more than nitpicks when critiquing Rise of the Insurrection, but those nitpicks add up quickly. For Carnivore Diprosopus, my biggest nitpick is the complete lack of originality or novelty in their songwriting. This record in particular borrows an array of notes from Unbirth’s Fleshformed Columns of Deceit and Brodequin’s discography at large. That’s great company to keep, but I worry that Carnivore Diprosopus play too close to their influences here, which could deter fans from checking them out as easily as it might initially attract them. An additional side effect of this condition, many of Rise of the Insurrection’s less immediate moments fall victim to the void almost instantly after passing (the second half of “Dhamaneon,” for example), calling the record’s overall memorability into question. In other areas, Carnivore Diprosopus deserve credit for their unusually roomy production. Warm and rich guitar and vocal tones, combined with what feels like acres of space on the soundstage, provide every element plenty of room to play and interact with each other, affording the record an organic sense of dynamics. However, the snare sometimes feels wooden and a little sharp for this style, negatively impacting measures involving intense blast beats the most. Crash and ride cymbals similarly lack body in spots, evoking a somewhat glassy quality that can make rapid-fire strikes and extended washes occasionally unpleasant.

While I found a variety of little opportunities for improvement, Rise of the Insurrection is as rock-solid a record as they come. Endless cavalcades of killer riffs, brutal grooves, and slammy swagger guarantee a great time and ensure that repeat investment garners considerable returns in enjoyment. Carnivore Diprosopus may not be the most innovative name in the game, but brutal death metal doesn’t need innovation to be fun and engaging. Rise of the Insurrection is, if nothing else, proof positive of that fact.

Rating: Good!
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Comatose Music
Website: facebook.com/CarnivoreDiprosopus
Releases Worldwide: August 9th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Aug24 #Brodequin #BrutalDeathMetal #CarnivoreDiprosopus #ColombianMetal #ComatoseMusic #DeathMetal #Devourment #Pathology #Review #Reviews #RiseOfTheInsurrection #Slam #SpanishMetal #Unbirth