#morbidandmiserablerecords — Public Fediverse posts

Much of underground metal is fueled by the devotion of single-minded enthusiasts. For every obscure band that spends years lingering between major releases, there are several solitary creators like Gary Brents or Damián Antón Ojeda whose prolific output forms a substantial part of the genre’s global ecosystem. Die Entweihung is one such project, serving as the creative outlet for Israeli multi-instrumentalist Denis Tereschenko. Over the past 15 years, Tereschenko has released an astonishing 11 full-length albums under the Die Entweihung banner. I’d never encountered his work before, but the project’s latest release, Worldwide Terror, landed in our overflowing promo bin promising a blend of progressive thrash and classic heavy metal. Joined by vocalist Alena 7, Tereschenko aims to deliver a forward-thinking, challenging record fit for a turbulent era. With that much experience behind him, does Die Entweihung’s twelfth full-length live up to its ambitions?

The particular brand of thrash on Worldwide Terror feels ripped straight out of the mid-80s. This is a vintage flavor of the style that largely eschews modern production and tonecraft for an analog-flavored, heavy metal-adjacent payload that recalls early Overkill, tempered with flashes of Voivod. The eponymous opener sets the stage with the expected power-chord gallop, but tempers its aggression with subtle melodic keyboard lines throughout and largely succeeds as a piece of throw-back enjoyment. Tereschenko deploys plenty of energetic, odd-meter riffs, and his active bass work and grounded drumming style provide some much-appreciated instrumental meat even as the song rides a standard structure for just a tad too long. On tracks like this and “Warriors of the Lie,” Die Entweihung reads as competent prog-tinged retro thrash executed with just enough personality to keep things engaging, but the same cannot be said for much of the album’s runtime.

Alena 7’s vocal performance on Worldwide Terror recalls the hard-rocking delivery of Doro Pesch or Lee Aaron, lending Die Entweihung a distinctive, campy personality even when the vocal lines themselves fall short. She switches between throaty mid-growls and charmingly unpolished operatics, but too many songs are undermined by grating melodies. The hooks on “Newborn,” “Really Your Life, and “Eight Billion Headed Whore” are particularly tough to stomach, actively detracting from the listening experience. Thrash may not be known for stellar vocal performances, but the record’s heavier traditional-metal leanings and vintage production place far more emphasis on the vocals, making their inconsistencies difficult to ignore. As a result, the back half becomes a slog, particularly when the shaky vocals are compounded by increasingly uninspired songwriting.

There are plenty of exciting instrumental moments on Worldwide Terror, but the disparate pieces rarely coalesce into satisfying songs. Die Entweihung largely deploys all-too-familiar riffs and songwriting clichés that just fail to register as anything interesting. Tereschenko is a skilled musician who understands the assignment, yet his compositions too often feel plodding and directionless. Every track stretches past the five-minute mark, and there simply isn’t enough substance to justify those runtimes. “The Darkest Morning” and “Newborn” push seven and eight minutes, respectively, and while both feature dynamic shifts and notable turns, their transitions are clumsy enough that every minute of their length is felt. Occasional flourishes, like the strings and saxophone interjections on “Generation of Pawns,” add some welcome texture but can’t rescue songs that fundamentally lack momentum. Moreso, the record features two full-length instrumentals (“Generation of Pawns” and “The Brightest Night”) which offer little structural variation and ultimately feel more like unfinished compositions in search of vocals.

It brings me no joy to pen such a negative review of a small artist, but I struggled immensely to make it through repeat listens of Worldwide Terror. Die Entweihung has delivered an album of overlong songs built around riffs that are simultaneously boilerplate and ineffective, further kneecapped by some genuinely unpleasant vocal lines. It’s clear that Tereschenko is both a veteran of the scene and a talented musician, but this entry in his prolific catalog is best left unattended.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Morbid and Miserable Records
Websites: morbidandmiserable.bandcamp.com| instagram.com/dieentweihung
Releases Worldwide: August 7th, 2026

Bastard Cröss – Crossripper Review

By Tyme

As a massive fan of anything that creeps, crawls, horrifies, or shocks, I enjoy no season more than Halloween. And since October 31st falls on a release day to steel-toed-boot this year, and with me closing in on my first 365-day stint as a staffer at AMG no less, I was especially eager to recover something particularly apropos from the promo pit. Enter Philly’s fresh and ferocious foursome, Bastard Cröss, and their Morbid and Miserable Records debut album, Crossripper. Formed in 2021, with a couple of EPs and splits tucked under their bulleted belts, Bastard Cröss come correct from the crypts of Philadelphia to regale us all with crude, blackened-thrash tales ‘inspired by horror movies’ and ‘notably dark and violent documented events from religious history.’ Sounds like a recipe for tons o’ fetid fun as this most horrible of holidays draws nigh. Does Bastard Cröss have what it takes to toll Samhain’s bell, though, or are they just one more razor-blade-filled treat meant to trick us?

Bastard Cröss play Neanderthalic, throwb(l)ack thrash, and it’s clear they poured every ounce of their blood, sweat, and beers into Crossripper as it sounds like a long-lost 1985 album that would’ve had tape traders salivating back in the day. Forged in fires from an age when Slayer were still Showing No Mercy and Bathory had yet to quaff a drop of Blood Fire or Death, and with a pinch or two of punk attitude ala early Motörhead and Anti-Cimex thrown in as well, Crossripper is robustious and raw. Album opener “Parasitic” sets the table by delivering all the Bastard Cröss goods. Infernal Bastard’s pulse-quickening drum intro gives way to Beheader of Priests’ heaving bass and the satisfyingly speedy, dual guitar mayhem of Blasphemous Axe and Heathen Chevalier, who also share vocal duties. Their approach runs the gamut from Quorthonic croaks and Tom Araya-like wails to everyman gutturals that would complement any would-be death outfit to a tee. Adrift in the sea of metal’s retro movement—more modern comparisons to Nocturnal or Deathhammer are apt—Bastard Cröss stand out by injecting perfect amounts of mayhem and melody into Crossripper’s well-written, tightly executed songs.

Bastard Cröss are nothing if not all-out balls-to-the-wall, horns-held-high fun. Memorable moments abound throughout Crossripper’s easily digestible thirty-seven-minute runtime. Whether plodding forth in Morbid Tales-like fashion before death galloping along (“Crossripper”) or wammy diving your ears into liquified submission (“Lycan Knights”), by the time the beer-can popping sound byte accentuates the punk-in-cheek attitude swarming the start of “Satanic Pandemonium,” you should be thrash-stomping your drunk ass all over the living room and smashing empty PBR cans against your forehead. Bastard Cröss even manage to squeeze in an admirable homage to 80s hair-metal cock rock in the form of “Demons at Midnight,” a song possessed by sleazy riffage and another one of Crossripper’s many catchy-as-hell choruses. I even looked forward to the beautifully executed, acoustically driven outro to the excellent album closer “Behead the Priest,” which features some angelic, cherry-on-top vocal emanations from Marisa Monaco.

Everything about Crossripper oozes speed-laced, devil-metal nostalgia. From the primitive, yet perfectly rendered, Sandy Rezalmi cover art to the cheeky, we-mean-business band aesthetic and appropriately raw, period-style production, Bastard Cröss nail so many things on Crossripper, I’m left with little to complain about. In fact, I can’t look back on any part of my time with Crossripper and say I didn’t enjoy it. I suppose my lone critique would be that if Bastard Cröss continue swimming in the pool of retro-80s speed-blackened thrash metal, it might be a bridge too far for them to cross and achieve any level of innovative greatness. Not that this is a death sentence by any means. Should Bastard Cröss continue to put out this level of quality horror-loving retro metal, they’re poised to enjoy a pretty solid career.

I’m not the biggest fan of the phrase ‘mileage may vary,’ but I feel it’s appropriate when it comes to summarizing the Bastard Cröss experience. Crossripper doesn’t do anything you haven’t probably heard before. But what it does do is pretty damn good. In this digital age, when there’s more music at your fingertips than at any other moment in history, it’s assessing what music warrants your time and, in some cases, hard-earned cash that has become the commodity by which reviewers provide the most value. And I can assure you, spending thirty-seven minutes with Bastard Cröss and Crossripper this Halloween is definitely worth yours.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Morbid and Miserable Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

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Warcoe – Upon Tall Thrones Review

By Spicie Forrest

Certain decades and locations have a unique and instantly recognizable sound, like 90s hip hop, Florida death metal, 70s rock, etc. But such subgenres—at least for metal—are no longer regionally or temporally exclusive. There are American bands that play Swedeath and 2010s bands that play 80s thrash. In this postmodern era, iconic sounds of time and place are constantly worshipped, reimagined, and repurposed by new bands for a contemporary global audience. Warcoe is one such band. When I first heard the vintage doomsters, I thought them from the 70s or 80s, but they formed in Pesaro, Italy in 2021. Impressed with their retro style, I laid claim to their third full-length, Upon Tall Thrones, and spent some time reveling in the sounds of yesteryear.

From the first notes of opener “Octagon,” it’s clear Warcoe grew up on Black Sabbath and their progeny. Carlo’s bass is warm and velvety, while Stefano’s devious guitar tone compliments his Ozzy-esque vocals well. More than mere worshippers, Warcoe augments their classic sound with stoner rock and metal. “The Wanderer” and “Brown Witch” summon Monolord with mammothian riffage, while leaner, more energetic tracks like “I’ve Sat upon Tall Thrones (but I’ll Never Learn)” and “Spheres” strike a balance between Windhand, The Sword or Kadaver. Beyond doom and stoner metal, Warcoe also incorporates more classic styles. Stefano’s lead guitar never fails to impress, his hooks and solos recalling your dad’s favorite cuts from CCR or ZZ Top. As a whole, Upon Tall Thrones presents a nostalgic, vintage sound dressed in modern clothes.

While Upon Tall Thrones initially sounded great in the background, its faults appeared when I began paying closer attention. I love the timbre of Stefano’s voice, and it fits Warcoe’s style, but his delivery is fairly monotone. Stefano’s minimal range holds several good moments back from greatness (“I’ve Sat…,” “Dark into Light”). This may be a stylistic choice, but it grows tiresome around the midpoint. The production on Upon Tall Thrones is a much bigger issue. I’m not sure what happened between drummer Francesco sitting down to record and me downloading the files, but the drums skip and stutter quite a bit. It’s mostly confined to the cymbals, and it’s more noticeable on the back half, but I heard at least one instance on every track except drumless acoustic interlude “Gather in the Woods.” That track has its own problems, though, as static popping accompanies every. single. note. It’s maddening, I can’t unhear it, and it ruins an otherwise great acoustic break.

Faults aside, I still hear ambition and potential on Upon Tall Thrones. But for the tail end of “Deepest Grave,” there’s no bloat here. Warcoe is dynamic. Rarely does a riff overstay its welcome or a song miss its best endpoint. Even with two instrumental tracks smack dab in the middle of the album (“Gather in the Woods” and “Flame in Your Hand”), the energy doesn’t falter, and my attention doesn’t wander. Warcoe even manages a little successful experimentation. Blackened tremolos hover above the proceedings on “Dark into Light,” and the 16-bit, Wraith Knighted solo of “Flame in Your Hand” sends me hurtling down memory lane to play Final Fantasy IV. It’s Warcoe’s willingness to explore beyond their influences that makes me think they’re chasing something special here.

I try not to quote promo material, but in the case of Warcoe’s Upon Tall Thrones, “groovy doom from the abyss” and “vintage darkness with sharp and heavy riffs” work pretty well. Unfortunately, what excels in a casual environment falls short under closer scrutiny. My criticisms of Upon Tall Thrones aren’t apocalyptic, but they are consistent and pervasive, bringing the entire album down. This resulted in a lower score than I wanted, but I have hope for the future. Warcoe shows promise. If Stefano can expand his range and the band can both secure cleaner production and hone their unique sound, whatever succeeds Upon Tall Thrones has the potential for excellence.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Ripple Music | Morbid And Miserable Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 26th, 2025

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