#lik — Public Fediverse posts

We get a lot of bold claims in the promo pit. It’s understandable; writing advertisements for music sounds like a thankless task, and no one is going to submit an album telling us that it’s a smidgen above mediocrity.1 No, everything death has to be the most moldy, blackened, the most evil, stoner the most groovy, and power the most disposable and ignored album we’ve ever heard in our life. Imagine my eyebrows raising, then, to discover a new offering from Swedish mainstays Sarcasm, who simply described themselves as being more than just Swedeath. Few genres in metal have such imposed and strict limitations, from guitar tones to riff stylings, and one second sampling Feral or Lik and their ilk make the expected sound clear from the get-go. Consequently, such a bold claim of genre transcendence stands out in the face of a sea of self-aggrandizement, and all I could think was the most un-sarcastic “Sold.”

In order to be “more” than Swedeath, you still need the foundation to build on, and Sarcasm drapes their meat and lifeblood on the bones of great fossils of olde. Lifeforce Omnibound kicks off with a balls-out assault sounding composed by Vomitory but with a grasp of leads that seek to Dismember listeners far and wide. The path of the album is one that unfurls its more progressive tendencies the deeper you go, starting like a high-grade tribute to their 90s selves but getting more curious as it unfolds. “Altering the Perception” is a key example; starting off like a cut off of At the Gate’s At War With Reality, and featuring vibrant leads and a Gothenburg flavored stomp in its perpetual revolving assault. Suddenly, bursts of color reminiscent of Dark Tranquility emphasize transitional passages, and an overreliance on the stereotypical snare-and-bass drumbeat plaguing much of Swedeath is mercifully absent, instead featuring sudden aggressive riffing styles more reminiscent of New York-style brawl.

The whole of Lifeforce Omnibound is riddled with such flourishes, working hard to buck genre expectations. “The Reward of Adversity” offers listeners a relaxing Wombbath with a full piano and violin break, which slots excellently between the 6/8 violence, while “Plunged Into a Paradox” channels the more progressive melodic tremolos from Analepsy’s Quiescence.2 Speaking of tremolos, much of the album comes with a distinctly blackened edge, especially with Jesper Ojala’s Watain-influenced drumming style, and vocalist Heval Bozarslan features a much higher range and sneering shriek compared to the genre’s usual guttural fare. “Wayward Fragments of Infinite Divisibility” flirts briefly with slam tendencies before collapsing into an absolute BOP of a china-and-high-hat centric dissonant riff modern Pestilence would be proud to sign their name to, only to rush into well executed melo-death shred prowess. Sarcasm have offered up an album which is loyal to its genre roots, but under no circumstances allows itself to sit still and be confined to its labels.

All of these names and influences sound like this album could be an unfocused disaster, but nothing could be further from the truth. Compositional excellence allows Sarcasm to slide between moods like they were headbanging between the raindrops, and few elements detract from the overall experience. True, Lifeforce Omnibound does have more than a few spoken word sections, which halt the momentum as all spoken word sections in albums do. Regretfully, it also sounds like Sarcasm ran out of different ideas near the end, coasting to the finish line with a concluding track which is the most traditional sounding song on the album, albeit a quality one. Still, there’s always room for MOAR Swedeath in life, and for an ending to be merely anticlimactic is hardly the worst sin an album can commit.

To my delighted surprise, Sarcasm did it. Lifeforce Omnibound is nominally Swedeath, and yet the sheer glut of sounds I hear pouring through my headphones shows a band not content to spin their wheels and live on the laurels of vintage sounds of yore. An excellent approach to disparaging elements and a seamless fusion of neighboring ones, Sarcasm have created an album that transcends the sum of its parts to be something truly enjoyable. If you’re one of those who have turned away from Swedeath due to a lack of growth in the sound, hop on this immediately. Yes, really.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hammerheart Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

We get a lot of bold claims in the promo pit. It’s understandable; writing advertisements for music sounds like a thankless task, and no one is going to submit an album telling us that it’s a smidgen above mediocrity.1 No, everything death has to be the most moldy, blackened, the most evil, stoner the most groovy, and power the most disposable and ignored album we’ve ever heard in our life. Imagine my eyebrows raising, then, to discover a new offering from Swedish mainstays Sarcasm, who simply described themselves as being more than just Swedeath. Few genres in metal have such imposed and strict limitations, from guitar tones to riff stylings, and one second sampling Feral or Lik and their ilk make the expected sound clear from the get-go. Consequently, such a bold claim of genre transcendence stands out in the face of a sea of self-aggrandizement, and all I could think was the most un-sarcastic “Sold.”

In order to be “more” than Swedeath, you still need the foundation to build on, and Sarcasm drapes their meat and lifeblood on the bones of great fossils of olde. Lifeforce Omnibound kicks off with a balls-out assault sounding composed by Vomitory but with a grasp of leads that seek to Dismember listeners far and wide. The path of the album is one that unfurls its more progressive tendencies the deeper you go, starting like a high-grade tribute to their 90s selves but getting more curious as it unfolds. “Altering the Perception” is a key example; starting off like a cut off of At the Gate’s At War With Reality, and featuring vibrant leads and a Gothenburg flavored stomp in its perpetual revolving assault. Suddenly, bursts of color reminiscent of Dark Tranquility emphasize transitional passages, and an overreliance on the stereotypical snare-and-bass drumbeat plaguing much of Swedeath is mercifully absent, instead featuring sudden aggressive riffing styles more reminiscent of New York-style brawl.

The whole of Lifeforce Omnibound is riddled with such flourishes, working hard to buck genre expectations. “The Reward of Adversity” offers listeners a relaxing Wombbath with a full piano and violin break, which slots excellently between the 6/8 violence, while “Plunged Into a Paradox” channels the more progressive melodic tremolos from Analepsy’s Quiescence.2 Speaking of tremolos, much of the album comes with a distinctly blackened edge, especially with Jesper Ojala’s Watain-influenced drumming style, and vocalist Heval Bozarslan features a much higher range and sneering shriek compared to the genre’s usual guttural fare. “Wayward Fragments of Infinite Divisibility” flirts briefly with slam tendencies before collapsing into an absolute BOP of a china-and-high-hat centric dissonant riff modern Pestilence would be proud to sign their name to, only to rush into well executed melo-death shred prowess. Sarcasm have offered up an album which is loyal to its genre roots, but under no circumstances allows itself to sit still and be confined to its labels.

All of these names and influences sound like this album could be an unfocused disaster, but nothing could be further from the truth. Compositional excellence allows Sarcasm to slide between moods like they were headbanging between the raindrops, and few elements detract from the overall experience. True, Lifeforce Omnibound does have more than a few spoken word sections, which halt the momentum as all spoken word sections in albums do. Regretfully, it also sounds like Sarcasm ran out of different ideas near the end, coasting to the finish line with a concluding track which is the most traditional sounding song on the album, albeit a quality one. Still, there’s always room for MOAR Swedeath in life, and for an ending to be merely anticlimactic is hardly the worst sin an album can commit.

To my delighted surprise, Sarcasm did it. Lifeforce Omnibound is nominally Swedeath, and yet the sheer glut of sounds I hear pouring through my headphones shows a band not content to spin their wheels and live on the laurels of vintage sounds of yore. An excellent approach to disparaging elements and a seamless fusion of neighboring ones, Sarcasm have created an album that transcends the sum of its parts to be something truly enjoyable. If you’re one of those who have turned away from Swedeath due to a lack of growth in the sound, hop on this immediately. Yes, really.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hammerheart Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026

‘Couldn’t afford Rs 112 crore’: Why Vignesh Shivan dropped LIC title https://english.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/news/love-insurance-kompany-title-lic-vignesh-shivan-lik-m4vvyric?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #LIK #LoveInsuranceKompany #VigneshShivan #TamilCinema #FilmNews

‘Couldn’t afford Rs 112 crore’: Why Vignesh Shivan dropped LIC title https://english.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/news/love-insurance-kompany-title-lic-vignesh-shivan-lik-m4vvyric?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #LIK #LoveInsuranceKompany #VigneshShivan #TamilCinema #FilmNews

‘Couldn’t afford Rs 112 crore’: Why Vignesh Shivan dropped LIC title https://english.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/news/love-insurance-kompany-title-lic-vignesh-shivan-lik-m4vvyric?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #LIK #LoveInsuranceKompany #VigneshShivan #TamilCinema #FilmNews

Plague Curse – Verminous Contempt Review

By Spicie Forrest

We’ve all been told, once or thrice, not to judge a book by its cover. As a species, we’re pretty good at doing it anyway. In metal circles, band logos and album art often follow certain tropes that let us quickly identify what we’re about to hear and set expectations accordingly. Except when they don’t. When I first saw the cover art for Verminous Contempt, I thought I had it pegged. I mean, rats? Green mystery fluid? Skulls? This was sewage-drenched death metal for sure. I was, of course, wrong. For their debut, Plague Curse instead offers a highly polished platter of blackened death metal. Irregardless of genre, however, the only question that matters here is, does it slap?

The heart of Verminous Contempt beats death, but its blackened influences are plenty vital. Bolt Thrown riffs, courtesy of Joe Caswell (Burden of Ymir), and Neil Schneider’s fully automatic drums offer a tank tread massage on “In the Shadow of Hate” and “Procession of Dead,” while “Amidst the Devastation” and “Hate Fuck Of Fornication and Malice” get their meat hooks in you like Cattle Decapitation in an asylum. Guitar licks in the skeletal, dissonant veins of Morbid Angel or Pestilence add a hunted sense of unrest (“Nocturnal Cruelty,” “Callous Abomination”). This would make for a decent record on its own, but well-placed blackened tremolos coalesce and melt away throughout the album like specters in a fog. “Umbrage Earned” and “Of Fornication and Malice” open with hellish, blackened salvos of Archspired urgency, but what’s particularly noteworthy about the former—and true to varying degrees across all of Verminous Contempt—is the way the band twists and warps death metal instrumentation to fit over black metal structures. While much of this record sounds like death metal, “Umbrage Earned” reminds me more of Watain from a compositional standpoint. Verminous Contempt isn’t just black metal and death metal played next to each other; Plague Curse creates a true blend of the two.

The instrumentals on Verminous Contempt are nothing to sneeze at, and neither is Nick Rossi’s vocal performance. His lows evoke Suffocation or Septicflesh, while highs are closer to Cattle Decapitation or Mental Cruelty. Rossi even gets brutally low on “In the Shadow of Hate” and “Callous Abomination.” He’s got an impressive toolkit. And whether low, high, or somewhere in between, he’s phlegmy and wet, not unlike Lik. It brings an unrefined, unhinged edge to an album whose production is otherwise pretty clean. The added grit does wonders for Plague Curse’s sound, creating much-needed texture across Verminous Contempt. Rossi’s standout performance is occasionally a detriment, however, as a few instrumental sections struggle to hold their own in his absence (“Procession of Dead,” “Reigning in Ruin”).

Verminous Contempt is an energetic and dynamic album. Riffs abound, both searing like Spectral Wound (“Most Vile”) and crushing like Immolation (“Callous Abomination”). Whether slinging neoclassical hooks (“Most Vile”), creating blackened tension (“In the Shadow of Hate”), or expertly shifting tempo (“Reigning in Ruin”), Caswell can count on Schneider and bassist George Van Doorn to provide a solid foundation upon which to drive each track. Transitions are well-timed and flow seamlessly, making the album an enjoyable and smooth listen end to end. Even tastefully and sparingly added dissonance incorporates well into the broader picture (“Reigning in Ruin,” “Nocturnal Cruelty”). But with such obvious songwriting prowess and tight construction, it’s a little frustrating to trudge through several minutes that should have been left on the cutting room floor, including the last third of “Reigning in Ruin” and the entire outro “Oderint Dum Metuant.”

I picked up Verminous Contempt expecting Foetal Juice, but was instead treated to an impressive mix of some of metal’s meanest sounds. Like being blindsided with a brick, Plague Curse comes out swinging and, with the exception of a couple of competent slowdowns, never lets up. Between noteworthy vocals and frenetic yet controlled instrumentation, Verminous Contempt is an enjoyable and easily consumed album. On their debut, Plague Curse establish themselves as a vicious but accessible contender in blackened death circles. With a more enthusiastic scalpel and a little more attention paid to instrumental passages, Plague Curse could easily be a future cornerstone of the genre.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Adirondack Black Mass
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AdirondackBlackMass #Archspire #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BoltThrower #BurdenOfYmir #CattleDecapitation #DeathMetal #FoetalJuice #Immolation #InternationalMetal #LIK #MentalCruelty #MorbidAngel #Oct25 #Pestilence #PlagueCurse #Review #Reviews #SepticFlesh #SpectralWound #Suffocation #VerminousContempt #Watain

Plague Curse – Verminous Contempt Review

By Spicie Forrest

We’ve all been told, once or thrice, not to judge a book by its cover. As a species, we’re pretty good at doing it anyway. In metal circles, band logos and album art often follow certain tropes that let us quickly identify what we’re about to hear and set expectations accordingly. Except when they don’t. When I first saw the cover art for Verminous Contempt, I thought I had it pegged. I mean, rats? Green mystery fluid? Skulls? This was sewage-drenched death metal for sure. I was, of course, wrong. For their debut, Plague Curse instead offers a highly polished platter of blackened death metal. Irregardless of genre, however, the only question that matters here is, does it slap?

The heart of Verminous Contempt beats death, but its blackened influences are plenty vital. Bolt Thrown riffs, courtesy of Joe Caswell (Burden of Ymir), and Neil Schneider’s fully automatic drums offer a tank tread massage on “In the Shadow of Hate” and “Procession of Dead,” while “Amidst the Devastation” and “Hate Fuck Of Fornication and Malice” get their meat hooks in you like Cattle Decapitation in an asylum. Guitar licks in the skeletal, dissonant veins of Morbid Angel or Pestilence add a hunted sense of unrest (“Nocturnal Cruelty,” “Callous Abomination”). This would make for a decent record on its own, but well-placed blackened tremolos coalesce and melt away throughout the album like specters in a fog. “Umbrage Earned” and “Of Fornication and Malice” open with hellish, blackened salvos of Archspired urgency, but what’s particularly noteworthy about the former—and true to varying degrees across all of Verminous Contempt—is the way the band twists and warps death metal instrumentation to fit over black metal structures. While much of this record sounds like death metal, “Umbrage Earned” reminds me more of Watain from a compositional standpoint. Verminous Contempt isn’t just black metal and death metal played next to each other; Plague Curse creates a true blend of the two.

The instrumentals on Verminous Contempt are nothing to sneeze at, and neither is Nick Rossi’s vocal performance. His lows evoke Suffocation or Septicflesh, while highs are closer to Cattle Decapitation or Mental Cruelty. Rossi even gets brutally low on “In the Shadow of Hate” and “Callous Abomination.” He’s got an impressive toolkit. And whether low, high, or somewhere in between, he’s phlegmy and wet, not unlike Lik. It brings an unrefined, unhinged edge to an album whose production is otherwise pretty clean. The added grit does wonders for Plague Curse’s sound, creating much-needed texture across Verminous Contempt. Rossi’s standout performance is occasionally a detriment, however, as a few instrumental sections struggle to hold their own in his absence (“Procession of Dead,” “Reigning in Ruin”).

Verminous Contempt is an energetic and dynamic album. Riffs abound, both searing like Spectral Wound (“Most Vile”) and crushing like Immolation (“Callous Abomination”). Whether slinging neoclassical hooks (“Most Vile”), creating blackened tension (“In the Shadow of Hate”), or expertly shifting tempo (“Reigning in Ruin”), Caswell can count on Schneider and bassist George Van Doorn to provide a solid foundation upon which to drive each track. Transitions are well-timed and flow seamlessly, making the album an enjoyable and smooth listen end to end. Even tastefully and sparingly added dissonance incorporates well into the broader picture (“Reigning in Ruin,” “Nocturnal Cruelty”). But with such obvious songwriting prowess and tight construction, it’s a little frustrating to trudge through several minutes that should have been left on the cutting room floor, including the last third of “Reigning in Ruin” and the entire outro “Oderint Dum Metuant.”

I picked up Verminous Contempt expecting Foetal Juice, but was instead treated to an impressive mix of some of metal’s meanest sounds. Like being blindsided with a brick, Plague Curse comes out swinging and, with the exception of a couple of competent slowdowns, never lets up. Between noteworthy vocals and frenetic yet controlled instrumentation, Verminous Contempt is an enjoyable and easily consumed album. On their debut, Plague Curse establish themselves as a vicious but accessible contender in blackened death circles. With a more enthusiastic scalpel and a little more attention paid to instrumental passages, Plague Curse could easily be a future cornerstone of the genre.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Adirondack Black Mass
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AdirondackBlackMass #Archspire #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BoltThrower #BurdenOfYmir #CattleDecapitation #DeathMetal #FoetalJuice #Immolation #InternationalMetal #LIK #MentalCruelty #MorbidAngel #Oct25 #Pestilence #PlagueCurse #Review #Reviews #SepticFlesh #SpectralWound #Suffocation #VerminousContempt #Watain

Lik – Necro Review

By El Cuervo

Lik have become a low-key favorite among the old school death metal nerds of Angry Metal Guy. Mass Funeral Evocation is one of stronger debuts from the last decade, while Carnage doubled down on its strengths. While I personally found Misanthrophic Breed less compelling, it had fans among other writers. And besides two albums of great (and one album of average) death metal, Lik have also gifted me one of the coolest experiences of my life: the immortal Mikael Stanne fist-bumping me as I donned one of their shirts at 70000 Tons of Metal. It was therefore with high expectations that I embarked on this review.

At its core, Necro remains an old school death metal album. The spectres of Entombed and Dismember loom heavily over Lik; such is the lot of all Swedish metalheads indulging in a spot of the necrophiliac arts. But recent years have also found the troupe eagerly devouring the corpse of In Flames, if buried in their 90s heyday. “War Praise” opens with a machine-gunning lead you might expect from an early 90s death metal record, but this swiftly gives way to a shredding lick that caps the song’s introduction and acts as an instrumental quasi-chorus. The shredding guitar tone skips over the harshness of At the Gates and bee-lines straight for the relative clarity of their more melodic comparators. It’s just a brief taster of a melodic sound that will recur later on the album. Make no mistake; this is still death metal of the blood-spattered variety. But the melodic punch belies a group casting their deathly gaze away from their Stockholm roots towards Gothenburg on the other side of the country.

As if to assuage any trepidation of existing fans concerned about “melody” or “hooks” (forgetting, of course, that Lik have always favored hooks, even if heavy ones), the vast majority of the ten tracks here prioritize the fusion of bludgeoning rhythms and scything melodies that is unique to Swedish death metal. Though Necro may have a melodic knack, the savage bite of its guitars always comes first. “Worms Inside” features a particularly fast and brutal opening, leading with a riff that bulges like a vein on the verge of explosion. And “Shred into Pieces” almost has the speed and relentlessness of grindcore. The energetic vocalist barks through ridiculous lyrics that are as violent as they are depraved, while the drums sound more powerful than ever as they’re presented more prominently in the mix than previously. Lik manifest a never-ending pursuit of exciting, energetic music, and their morgue-defiling enthusiasm is infectious.

Besides the judicious injection of melody through cleaner guitar tones and/or harmonizing guitars, Necro further demonstrates a song-writing hand that’s beginning to develop from pure, old school death metal. “Morgue Rat” opens with a purring bass and techy leads, but later orients around the rhythmic, expressive vocals, its lyrics dripping with blood and semen. While they begin in guttural territory, the back half progresses to a blacker, witchy shriek. Likewise, an unexpected mid-song interlude lends an air of intrigue and re-energizes the song for its finale. “In Ruins” is the most expansive track here; it deliberately shuffles a slower, doomy introduction, frenzied solos, pulsating rhythms, and harmonized shouts into a song that feels more than the sum of these parts. This and “Rotten Inferno” feel more thoughtful and varied as they frequently switch gears and escape the trappings of a verse/chorus structure.

Necro is a fundamentally sound album. It does what all good old school death metal albums do by focusing on razor-sharp leads, lo-fi production,n and energetic song-writing. It’s impossible to be a fan of death metal and not enjoy Lik. So why no better than a 3.5? I still feel that the sharpest edges in the Lik discography are in the past; Necro just isn’t as joyous or memorable as Mass Funeral Evocation or Carnage. Although it strives to expand the core sounds it uses, it isn’t so good as to escape the trappings of a sound that’s already been heard many times over. I didn’t necessarily expect more, but I had hoped the newfound development might push the band a little further.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps MP3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: likofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/lik
Releases Worldwide: April 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Apr25 #AtTheGates #DeathMetal #Dismember #Entombed #InFlames #LIK #Necro #Review #Reviews #SwedishMetal

Wombbath – Beyond the Abyss Review

By Alekhines Gun

Swedish death is metal for crackheads; a tired, well trodden sound, with fanatics and devout followers always finding room for “just one more” illustration of the genre. It’s almost impossible to find a review of any modern album that doesn’t inevitably cite Dismember and Entombed as touchstones and reference points, crafting the illusion that there’s nothing left to offer from such established and boundary-setting aural paintings. Fortunately, a few bands carry the Swedeath torch with pride, and chief amongst them is Wombbath. Certified OG’s of the 90s heyday, they’ve had a major renaissance after reuniting back in 2013, set apart by genre experimentation and straight excellence of songcraft. Our beloved Holdeneye has sung their praises on several occasions, but with his attention focused elsewhere, I’ve leapt at the chance to get that mani-pedi that only the Swedes know how to provide. I hope you brought shampoo…

As is Swedeath tradition, the first thing to expect is the generally expected. The guitar tones still buzz with a familiarity like a warm blanket, HM-2 tones carrying out riffy assaults that seem pulled straight from the 90s while feeling refreshingly modern and immediate. Tracks like “Beyond the Abyss” and “Symphony of Dread” flow from Vomitory-infused bounce to the most melodic of At the Gates pomp, with theatricality and violence walking hand in hand. Wombbath exceed at stylistic song craft, slicing and dicing their way from chorus to solo to city leveling chug in equal measure where the aural excess never dominates the excellence of composition. A great track order allows Beyond the Abyss to carry the listener on an aural journey, from the pit ripper of an opening to the doom-laced plodding closer with ebbs and flows of speed, weight, and engagement without ever allowing fatigue or boredom to set in.

While familiarity is part and parcel with the subgenre, Wombbath continue to paint with the most vibrant of colors. Many songs come with violin flourishes and interludes, provided by guitarist Thomas von Wachenfeldt. While not quite going the way of Ne Obliviscaris, such flourishes permeate the album, letting the doomy flow of “Consumed by Fire” or the atmospheric laden “Deep Hunger” shine with sparkle and personality. Beyond the Abyss isn’t content to merely cause heads to bang off torsos or trigger air guitar-related arthritis, though both symptoms are to be found in ample measure. Bells, synths, choirs, a smattering of clean vocals, all frosting and sprinkles on a very deathly cupcake manage to set this release apart with its own character and flavor beyond being “merely” more Swedish death, and all without a dose of gimmickries or inauthentic utilization to be found.

The only downside to such a uniformly well-composed album is the peculiar lack of lethality in tone. Wombbath trade stock in the required chainsaw guitars, but these chords rev with that of an electric-powered rather than gasoline fueled machine. This causes otherwise excellent moments to pass by with less than their deserved impact, with moments like “Faces of Tragedy” – sporting a stank face inducing chuggathon worthy of modern Cannibal Corpse – suffering the most. Swedeath this aggressive and artistic is a rare treat, and when I find it, I want my speakers to tremble in terror. Instead, the tone sounds more akin to the most recent Frozen Soul, where excellent riffs give way to a more gentle presentation when a dose of bloodthirst is warranted. Fortunately, this complaint is abetted as the album progresses, but it still feels like a lost opportunity to give such fantastic riffs the last push they need to make a modern-day classic.

Wombbath continue their streak of excellence in execution with nary a clinker or dud to be found. Feral might be more violent and Lik more immediate and Grave more atmospheric, but Beyond the Abyss stands ready to remind any and all that, in the words of our Angry Overlord, at the end of the day death metal still rules the roost. Trimming down the album length to a reasonable runtime1 and keeping the tonal palate refreshed and vibrant with instrumental diversity has paid major dividends, cementing the band as modern-day forerunners of a founding father genre. If you’re still counting down the years till the hopeful and hypothetical new Dismember album, or if your affections for the genre have run stale in a world filled with Entombed clones, Wombbath are here to remind the world that the genre is still filled with vibrancy and potential. Hop on in! The womb water’s fine…..

Rating: 3.5/5
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pulverized Records
Websites: pulverised.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-abyss | facebook.com/wombbathofficial
Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AtTheGates #BeyondTheAbyss #CannibalCorpse #DeathMetal #Dismember #Entombed #Feral #FrozenSoul #Grave #LIK #Mar25 #NeObliviscaris #PulverizedRecords #Review #Reviews #SwedishDeathMetal #Vomitory #Wombbath

Dying Grotesque – Celestial

By Alekhines Gun

During one of my first escorted walks as a n00b through these great halls, I attempted (through the coarse burlap sack tied over my head) to convey my excitement for the new Feral release. A particularly seductive, Dolphin–sounding voice dismissed my joy, describing the album as “just more Swedeath.” At the time, I was shocked and appalled. Sure, Swedish death metal is the chicken wing of the metal soundscape, with a narrow definition and specific ingredients, but that’s part of the appeal. How would anyone dare reduce one of the basic deathly food groups in such a way? Well, as if an answer to a prayer nobody made, Ukraine’s Dying Grotesque have arrived with their sophomore album Celestial, and don’t let the Ukrainian tag fool you. This album is as Swedish as they come.

If you’re addicted to the Swedeath sound, Celestial’s production will have you smitten out the gate. From the tank-tread weight of “Nuclear Meadows” doomy intro to the tension-building leads of “Purification,” Dying Grotesque puts the chainsaw in the Swedish Chainsaw tone. Sounding grand and intimidating, the riffs slot right in next to the blood and thunder of Lik and the arena-ready feel of Gatecreeper in heft and power. It will surprise no one to learn Dying Grotesque do their best to Dismember their own Grave, though their start-stop styling flows less Like an Everflowing Stream, preferring to walk Where Ironcrosses Grow.1 At first blush, all is familiar, pleasing to the ear, and goes down easily, just like a well-prepared plate of wings ought to.

To their credit, Dying Grotesque knows that sauces and spices are the difference between great and not-so-great wings. Unfortunately, their sonic culinary skills lead to questionable results. Opener “Mortality”2 features a bizarre, inexplicable “maniacal clown” laugh which doesn’t fit the album as a whole or the song in particular. More frustratingly, the song ends with some light atmospherics and gentle trebley plucking which sounds like a lead into some genuinely interesting material, only for the song to suddenly end. This trick happens elsewhere, with “Nuclear Meadows” and “Point of View” experimenting with dynamics and tension building, only to collapse into expected, standard Swedish riffs. Individually some riffs come with real hair on their chest (seriously, at least listen to “Nuclear Meadows”). Still, the power of the moment never transpires into a memorable song as a whole. “Pneumonia” suffers from a glut of riffs strung together, gleefully shifting from one to another in the hopes of producing anything that doesn’t fade from memory as soon as the song is over. The result of this is an album less than the sum of its parts, despite the competence of individual snippets.

Performances in Celestial are well-executed if a little bog standard. Guitarist/Vocalist Vadym Tsambaliuk has a solid growl, despite a range of precisely one note across the entire album. Solos are sparse, and engaging when presented, though none are world-changing. Drummer Andriy Butok seems to suffer the most from the constriction and rigidity of song styles. During the more frenzied riffs, he relies heavily on the snare ‘n’ bass staple but gets to show off his skill set during slower moments where the sustained chords give him room to breathe and get creative in the pocket. More of his technical chops on display during the faster, intense moments would go far in pushing the sound Dying Grotesque has to offer.

In the end, it seems I had one final n00b lesson to learn: there really is such a thing as “just more Swedeath.” Dying Grotesque is a capable band, and Celestial is an okay album. It has the sound, the style, and the approach. It just needs the songwriting. I can’t knock Celestial for a lack of raw originality, but in a world with new Feral reminding us of the potent power the style can offer, the lack of lethal riffs simply won’t cut it. If you haven’t had your fill of chicken wings yet, give this a listen for some tasty empty calories, but Dying Grotesque will need to switch up their sauces in the future to make a meal truly satisfying.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Archivist Records
Websites: dyinggrotesque.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#25 #2024 #ArchivistRecords #Celestial #DeathMetal #Dismember #DyingGrotesque #Feral #Gatecreeper #Grave #LIK #Nov24 #Review #Reviews #SwedishDeathMetal #UkrainianDeathMetal

Dying Grotesque – Celestial

By Alekhines Gun

During one of my first escorted walks as a n00b through these great halls, I attempted (through the coarse burlap sack tied over my head) to convey my excitement for the new Feral release. A particularly seductive, Dolphin–sounding voice dismissed my joy, describing the album as “just more Swedeath.” At the time, I was shocked and appalled. Sure, Swedish death metal is the chicken wing of the metal soundscape, with a narrow definition and specific ingredients, but that’s part of the appeal. How would anyone dare reduce one of the basic deathly food groups in such a way? Well, as if an answer to a prayer nobody made, Ukraine’s Dying Grotesque have arrived with their sophomore album Celestial, and don’t let the Ukrainian tag fool you. This album is as Swedish as they come.

If you’re addicted to the Swedeath sound, Celestial’s production will have you smitten out the gate. From the tank-tread weight of “Nuclear Meadows” doomy intro to the tension-building leads of “Purification,” Dying Grotesque puts the chainsaw in the Swedish Chainsaw tone. Sounding grand and intimidating, the riffs slot right in next to the blood and thunder of Lik and the arena-ready feel of Gatecreeper in heft and power. It will surprise no one to learn Dying Grotesque do their best to Dismember their own Grave, though their start-stop styling flows less Like an Everflowing Stream, preferring to walk Where Ironcrosses Grow.1 At first blush, all is familiar, pleasing to the ear, and goes down easily, just like a well-prepared plate of wings ought to.

To their credit, Dying Grotesque knows that sauces and spices are the difference between great and not-so-great wings. Unfortunately, their sonic culinary skills lead to questionable results. Opener “Mortality”2 features a bizarre, inexplicable “maniacal clown” laugh which doesn’t fit the album as a whole or the song in particular. More frustratingly, the song ends with some light atmospherics and gentle trebley plucking which sounds like a lead into some genuinely interesting material, only for the song to suddenly end. This trick happens elsewhere, with “Nuclear Meadows” and “Point of View” experimenting with dynamics and tension building, only to collapse into expected, standard Swedish riffs. Individually some riffs come with real hair on their chest (seriously, at least listen to “Nuclear Meadows”). Still, the power of the moment never transpires into a memorable song as a whole. “Pneumonia” suffers from a glut of riffs strung together, gleefully shifting from one to another in the hopes of producing anything that doesn’t fade from memory as soon as the song is over. The result of this is an album less than the sum of its parts, despite the competence of individual snippets.

Performances in Celestial are well-executed if a little bog standard. Guitarist/Vocalist Vadym Tsambaliuk has a solid growl, despite a range of precisely one note across the entire album. Solos are sparse, and engaging when presented, though none are world-changing. Drummer Andriy Butok seems to suffer the most from the constriction and rigidity of song styles. During the more frenzied riffs, he relies heavily on the snare ‘n’ bass staple but gets to show off his skill set during slower moments where the sustained chords give him room to breathe and get creative in the pocket. More of his technical chops on display during the faster, intense moments would go far in pushing the sound Dying Grotesque has to offer.

In the end, it seems I had one final n00b lesson to learn: there really is such a thing as “just more Swedeath.” Dying Grotesque is a capable band, and Celestial is an okay album. It has the sound, the style, and the approach. It just needs the songwriting. I can’t knock Celestial for a lack of raw originality, but in a world with new Feral reminding us of the potent power the style can offer, the lack of lethal riffs simply won’t cut it. If you haven’t had your fill of chicken wings yet, give this a listen for some tasty empty calories, but Dying Grotesque will need to switch up their sauces in the future to make a meal truly satisfying.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Archivist Records
Websites: dyinggrotesque.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#25 #2024 #ArchivistRecords #Celestial #DeathMetal #Dismember #DyingGrotesque #Feral #Gatecreeper #Grave #LIK #Nov24 #Review #Reviews #SwedishDeathMetal #UkrainianDeathMetal

Dying Grotesque – Celestial

By Alekhines Gun

During one of my first escorted walks as a n00b through these great halls, I attempted (through the coarse burlap sack tied over my head) to convey my excitement for the new Feral release. A particularly seductive, Dolphin–sounding voice dismissed my joy, describing the album as “just more Swedeath.” At the time, I was shocked and appalled. Sure, Swedish death metal is the chicken wing of the metal soundscape, with a narrow definition and specific ingredients, but that’s part of the appeal. How would anyone dare reduce one of the basic deathly food groups in such a way? Well, as if an answer to a prayer nobody made, Ukraine’s Dying Grotesque have arrived with their sophomore album Celestial, and don’t let the Ukrainian tag fool you. This album is as Swedish as they come.

If you’re addicted to the Swedeath sound, Celestial’s production will have you smitten out the gate. From the tank-tread weight of “Nuclear Meadows” doomy intro to the tension-building leads of “Purification,” Dying Grotesque puts the chainsaw in the Swedish Chainsaw tone. Sounding grand and intimidating, the riffs slot right in next to the blood and thunder of Lik and the arena-ready feel of Gatecreeper in heft and power. It will surprise no one to learn Dying Grotesque do their best to Dismember their own Grave, though their start-stop styling flows less Like an Everflowing Stream, preferring to walk Where Ironcrosses Grow.1 At first blush, all is familiar, pleasing to the ear, and goes down easily, just like a well-prepared plate of wings ought to.

To their credit, Dying Grotesque knows that sauces and spices are the difference between great and not-so-great wings. Unfortunately, their sonic culinary skills lead to questionable results. Opener “Mortality”2 features a bizarre, inexplicable “maniacal clown” laugh which doesn’t fit the album as a whole or the song in particular. More frustratingly, the song ends with some light atmospherics and gentle trebley plucking which sounds like a lead into some genuinely interesting material, only for the song to suddenly end. This trick happens elsewhere, with “Nuclear Meadows” and “Point of View” experimenting with dynamics and tension building, only to collapse into expected, standard Swedish riffs. Individually some riffs come with real hair on their chest (seriously, at least listen to “Nuclear Meadows”). Still, the power of the moment never transpires into a memorable song as a whole. “Pneumonia” suffers from a glut of riffs strung together, gleefully shifting from one to another in the hopes of producing anything that doesn’t fade from memory as soon as the song is over. The result of this is an album less than the sum of its parts, despite the competence of individual snippets.

Performances in Celestial are well-executed if a little bog standard. Guitarist/Vocalist Vadym Tsambaliuk has a solid growl, despite a range of precisely one note across the entire album. Solos are sparse, and engaging when presented, though none are world-changing. Drummer Andriy Butok seems to suffer the most from the constriction and rigidity of song styles. During the more frenzied riffs, he relies heavily on the snare ‘n’ bass staple but gets to show off his skill set during slower moments where the sustained chords give him room to breathe and get creative in the pocket. More of his technical chops on display during the faster, intense moments would go far in pushing the sound Dying Grotesque has to offer.

In the end, it seems I had one final n00b lesson to learn: there really is such a thing as “just more Swedeath.” Dying Grotesque is a capable band, and Celestial is an okay album. It has the sound, the style, and the approach. It just needs the songwriting. I can’t knock Celestial for a lack of raw originality, but in a world with new Feral reminding us of the potent power the style can offer, the lack of lethal riffs simply won’t cut it. If you haven’t had your fill of chicken wings yet, give this a listen for some tasty empty calories, but Dying Grotesque will need to switch up their sauces in the future to make a meal truly satisfying.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Archivist Records
Websites: dyinggrotesque.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#25 #2024 #ArchivistRecords #Celestial #DeathMetal #Dismember #DyingGrotesque #Feral #Gatecreeper #Grave #LIK #Nov24 #Review #Reviews #SwedishDeathMetal #UkrainianDeathMetal