#osmoseproductions — Public Fediverse posts

I’ve been on a bit of a thrash bender in June, and Ruyned will conclude this month’s kick for ol’ Grin. The Romanian trio sends me deep into the heart of July with turbocharged, high-octane riffing and a moderate case of whiplash. Profanum Sacrificium, Ruyned’s sophomore LP, plays thrash the way the olde school intended—at furious speeds with the subtlety of an uppercut to the jawbone. My elevator pitch for Ruyned is, ‘Midnight but faster,’ yet the crew also channels Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica and a stripped-down Hellripper. With blistering paces in all the right places, does Profanum Sacrificium satisfy listeners’ need for speed?

Profanum Sacrificium is a tale of two halves, covering a pair of narrative arcs that relate accounts of violence and death. The front-end scorches with instantaneous shots of adrenaline and describes the heinous depravity of the Vampire of Düsseldorf. “Speedchain” and “Sex’n Speed” reek of OG Metallica, where “Hit the Lights” seems a major inspiration for both “Speedchain”‘s thunderous opening as well as the primary hook in “Sex’n Speed.” “Sex Commander 666” sprints into Motörhead territory, opening with a solo that Fast Eddie Clark would approve of before slinking into a funky swagger that reminds me of “Love Me Like a Reptile.” Where Ruyned plays a touch too close to influence on the first two, “Sex Commander 666” exudes a freshness that hints at touchstones without plaguing me with questions of where I’ve heard a riff before. Meanwhile, “Orgasm Through Death” slows proceedings down appreciably, with Bogdan Mateescu’s tortured, blackened rasps guiding listeners through a plodding march that amplifies the drama.

The second half of Profanum Sacrificium shifts to a separate narrative, describing centuries-long witch hunts from post-medieval Europe steeped in folklore and flames. Musically, this pulls Ruyned away from the straightforward ragers that define Profanum Sacrificium’s first half and into darker, more novel waters. The most immediate difference is that more time gets dedicated to instrumentation on the back half, with two instrumentals and less vocal focus towards the ends of tracks “Malleus Maleficarum” and “Witches Gallöw.” Originality flares here as well, where the instrumentation is reminiscent of bands like Bütcher and Toxic Holocaust, but the songs don’t blur with comparisons. “Profanum Sacrificium,” “Malleus Maleficarum,” and “Witches Gallöw” could pass for decade-old Kreator B-sides sung by Tapping the Vein-era Tom Angelripper, boasting snappy melodic riffing supported by Mihai Marinescu’s machine-gun blast drums and Tiberiu Olescher’s mid-range bass attack.

In all, Ruyned zips through half an hour of breakneck thrash with enough energy and grit that it’s unerringly easy to enjoy despite some bumps along the way. Even before I discovered Profanum Sacrificium’s two narrative arcs, the musical split between them stood out. While each half succeeds on its own, together they present a whole too disjointed to flourish without an interceding mixer. Ruyned’s instrumentals also undercut Profanum Sacrificium’s potential, where the three of them total four-and-a-half minutes of fluff. The remainder of Profanum Sacrificium barely contains enough meat to qualify for LP status, leaving the album longing for another well-developed song or two rather than three throwaway tracks.1 Still, the rest of the album supplies plenty of good thrashing, and with a little more consideration to songwriting cohesion, Ruyned possesses the pizzazz to set barns ablaze their next time out.

After several listens through Profanum Sacrificium, I’m convinced Ruyned can write first-class thrash. Rapidfire riffs and blackened edges give Ruyned a sense of familiarity, and if they can take care to push further away from genre greats and commit to more unified songwriting, they’ll menace listeners with an all-killer fusillade next time. Until then, Profanum Sacrificium serves as a fun diversion when time doesn’t allow for a longer dive, but it ultimately doesn’t threaten what other acts have done in the space this year.

Rating: Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 26th, 2026

https://www.europesays.com/be-nl/69219/ Bewitched – Diabolical Death Mass #albumreview #Amusement #BE #België #Belgium #bewitched #BlackMetal #BlackThrash #DiabolicalDeathMass #Entertainment #Music #Muziek #OsmoseProductions #recensie #ThrashMetal #ZwareMetalen

Sanctvs – De l’Abîme au Plérôme Review

You might, as I did, roll your eyes humorously at the recurrence of the “‘v’ as ‘u’” trope…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2.5 #2026 #BlackMetal #BlutAusNord #CA #Canada #CanadianMetal #Del'AbîmeauPlérôme #Entertainment #Gevurah #Jan26 #MelodicBlackMetal #OsmoseProductions #review #reviews #Sanctvs #Woe
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/497512/

Aus Gründen...

Album Of The Day:

IMMORTAL - 'Battles In The North' (1995) by @immortalofficial & @osmoseproductions

#linsedunemanninen
#blackmetal
#osmoseproductions
#immortal
#compactdisckid
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUNzUDbjFrF/?igsh=dXVqazh5eXVlNGxx

https://www.europesays.com/nl/106339/ Mütiilation – Pandemonium of Egregores #albumrecensie #Amusement #BlackMetal #Dutch #Entertainment #Frankrijk #LesLégionsNoires #meyhnach #Music #mütiilation #Muziek #Nederland #Nederlanden #Nederlands #Netherlands #NL #OsmoseProductions #PandemoniumOfEgregores #review #ZwareMetalen

Gjendød – Svekkelse Review

By Grin Reaper

In a genre defined by trem-picking, unbridled shrieks, and lo-fi, treble-heavy production, Gjendød challenges a paradigm long synonymous with black metal—no bass, no problem. Though unabashedly black metal, Gjendød offers an alternative to typical second-wave stylings while still being recognizably influenced by them. Svekkelse is Gjendød’s sixth LP since founding duo K and KK joined forces in 2015. After releasing I Utakt med Verden in 2022, the Trondheim, Norway twosome enlisted drummer TK1 and Gjendød signed with Osmose Productions. These developments gave listeners 2024’s Livskramper and now Svekkelse. Both albums buck some of the musical stereotypes rife within the genre, yet it takes more than subverting expectations to write an estimable record. Is Gjendød up to the task?

The elements of Gjendød’s sound have been around since the band’s inception, with melodic leads and prominent bass strewn throughout their discography. But things didn’t crystallize until Livskramper, where Gjendød upped their commitment to melody, and the production took a step forward. Svekkelse continues the work Livskramper began. Bassist and vocalist KK’s gargles flirt with early Satyricon, which compounds with the bass-laden mix recalling The Shadowthrone. Musically, Gorgoroth’s Antichrist provides another point of comparison, although KK’s vocals won’t be mistaken for Hat’s croaks. Either way, those illustrious parallels give a suggestion of what to expect, though don’t go into Svekkelse anticipating a reproduction of either. What Gjendød has assembled is a vision all their own.

With dynamic guitar leads, sultry bass grooves, and proficient stickwork, Gjendød has no room for slouches. Every time I spin Svekkelse, it’s all about that bass. It’s so present in the mix that it’s impossible not to be entranced. Though bass is present throughout the album, opener “Likens bortgang” sets strong expectations. And when the pace slows in “En staur i hjertet,” the bass ambles out the gates to carry the melody with trem-picked chords underpinning blackened rasps. It would all be for naught if the bass-playing wasn’t accomplished enough to merit the spotlight. In this regard, KK does not disappoint, as bass lines slink with groovy, understated elegance. Gjendød’s talent isn’t limited to four-string heft,2 though, as guitarist K does a swell job through Svekkelse’s forty-two minutes. The tremolos are well-executed but standard black metal fare, and he spices things up with calculated whammy abuse (“Likens bortgang”), inducing surf-rock flavors when employed. K also tucks some nifty solos into Svekkelse, my personal favorite being in “Maktens sødme,” and occasionally inhabits skronky Voivodian territory (“Maktens sødme,” “En elv av kjøtt”). Rounding out the trio, drummer TK braces the band ably and unobtrusively, and while there’s no show-stopping kit work, the music never flags or sags for lack of a rhythmic cornerstone.

Churning out an album in a year is no mean feat, but more time between releases could have helped address the nagging issues holding Svekkelse back. Final track “Den falske råte” is a nasty, seven-minute ode to Norwegian black metal fury. It captures that sound well, but doesn’t connect with the preceding songs enough. Dropping it and pushing “En staur i hjertet” to the end would have made the album tighter, more consistent, and still allowed for a sprawling conclusion with sufficient gravity. Also, while there aren’t any bad songs on Svekkelse, the quality dips in the back half. Specifically, mid-paced sections muck with the overall flow, and the songs aren’t quite as memorable, making for a front-loaded listen. Despite these reservations, Gjendød delivers a success. While a high DR score isn’t a guarantee, the mix and master on Svekkelse are superb, deftly blending raw guitar and vocals with smooth, buttery bass. In total, there’s a lot to like.

Gjendød’s latest imparts a groovy twist on black metal in a one-sitting dose, which is better than a fair number of albums I’ve listened to this year. While Svekkelse won’t list for me, I expect I’ll return to it when I hear other promising black metal albums deficient in vitamin bass. Gjendød has defined a trademark sound, and with a little more attention to honing their songcraft, their next album could be something special. As it stands, Gjendød are on the cusp of something better, but after several listens, I’m not entirely convinced. Regardless, I’m invested in the evolution of their sound and excited to hear where they take things next.

Rating: Good!
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kpbs mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Website: Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 26th, 2025

#2025 #30 #BlackMetal #Gjendød #Gorgoroth #MelodicBlackMetal #NorwegianMetal #Osmose #OsmoseProductions #Review #Reviews #Satyricon #Sep25 #Svekkelse #Voivod

Urn – Demon Steel Review

By Mark Z.

As a U.S. government employee, I’ve spent way too much time lately thinking about RIFs and not enough time thinking about riffs. Fortunately, Finland’s Urn is here to change that. Helmed by vocalist, bassist, and former guitarist Jarno Hämäläinen (a.k.a. “Sulphur”), this black/thrash troupe raised hell throughout the 2000s via albums like 666 Megatons and Dawn of the Devastation, both of which blasted with reckless abandon and hit with all the subtlety of a hand grenade. After years of silence following 2008’s Soul Destroyers, the group returned with a revamped lineup and more melodic sound on 2017’s The Burning, resulting in a rousing collection of blackened thrash anthems that was bogged down a bit by songwriting that often felt too cut-and-paste. With 2019’s Iron Will of Power, another revamped lineup helped Sulphur better combine the group’s newfound melodic tendencies and more raucous sensibilities, making for a career-high that sounded like the forgotten little brother of Deströyer 666. On their sixth album, Demon Steel, Urn returns after six years to continue down that same path, mixing the black/thrash of yore with melodies even a folk metal fan could enjoy. But have they taken things too far?

FUKK NO! Rather, Demon Steel is one of those rare late-career albums that shows an extreme band maturing into something more complex, interesting, and catchy, all while still remaining vicious enough to satisfy those poser-crushers in our midst. The basic sound here largely remains the same: frantic and rushing guitars combined with fast and pummeling drums, tossed together with snarled vocals and a sense of epic fury. The soaring melodies that often appeared in the choruses of Iron Will remain; yet here, the addition of a second guitarist has allowed Urn to craft compositions that are more intricate than ever. Early highlight “Are You Friends With Your Demons” proves that it needs neither a question mark nor a decent title to succeed, commanding attention with the layered guitars of its chorus and the supreme melody that appears after that refrain’s second and third iteration.

And fortunately, plenty of the other nine tracks are just as strong. “Heir of Tyrants,” “Burning Blood’s Curse,” and “Ruthless Paranoia” offer perhaps the best example of Urn’s heightened maturity, as each song combines fierce riffing worthy of Aura Noir with sugary lead guitars that could have appeared on a Children of Bodom album. Turning the throttle further into overdrive, “Iron Star” and “Turbulence of Misanthropy” charge forward on bouts of galloping, heavy-as-fuck riffs that sound like Iron Maiden dipped in molten steel, with the latter even offering some melodic black metal moments that recall Dissection. Even the album’s introduction, “Retribution of the Dead,” is a winner, creating an effective buildup with immense chords, pounding drums, and snarls of “Rise!”

Overall, there’s little to complain about here. In addition to delivering plenty of swirling solos, returning guitarist “Axeleratörr” works alongside new axeman “Pestilent Slaughter” to absolutely stuff these 44 minutes with great ideas, resulting in a record that probably contains more unique leads and riffs than the band’s first two albums combined. Sulphur once again sounds venomous and commanding, though perhaps a bit more croaky and aged than before. That doesn’t stop him from pushing himself, however, by embellishing songs like “Wings of Inferno” and “Heir of Tyrants” with powerful clean wails that make things feel extra mighty. The only real downside is that, with every track trying to be a big epic fist-raiser, things get a tad tiresome eventually. The closer, “Predator of Spiritforms,” feels a bit overshadowed by its predecessors, and while the mid-paced stomp of “Wings of Inferno” offers a bit of late-album variety, I’d still love to have just one straight-ahead rager in the second half. Fortunately, the production is great, with a clear, balanced, and powerful sound that emphasizes the crystalline leads while giving the riffs plenty of bite.

It’s been exciting to watch Urn grow from a pretty basic black/thrash band to one of the few older groups left in the style still producing worthwhile music. While I’ll always love the hammering and explosive sound of their early stuff, Demon Steel shows the band crafting songs that are more exciting, memorable, and well-written than anything they’ve done before. The result is a truly fantastic release that’s sure to please everyone from diehard Desaster fans to casual blogreaders just looking for some good fukkin music to distract themselves from all the bullshit out there today. Push play, crank that volume, and BANG YOUR FUKKIN HEADS!

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Osmose Productions | Bandcamp
Websites: facebook.com/urnofficial | instagram.com/urnmetal
Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AuraNoir #BlackMetal #ChildrenOfBodom #DemonSteel #Desaster #Destroyer666 #Dissection #FinnishMetal #IronMaiden #Mar25 #OsmoseProductions #Review #Reviews #ThrashMetal #Urn

Pyre – Where Obscurity Sways Review

By Dear Hollow

Swedeath is one of those games I have zero skin in, but its close overlap with hardcore-influenced death metal and death ‘n roll makes that relationship complicated. Like I could not be bothered by Left Hand Path, but Wolverine Blues is a stalwart among my music collection; Bloodbath is regrettably not an act I return to regularly,1 but I consider Black Breath one of those rare successful intersections of grind, death metal, and death ‘n roll. My point is, I don’t know where the line is drawn between these styles but I know I like some of it and then can’t be fussed about the rest of it. With Pyre, the jury’s still out.

Where Obscurity Sways is the Saint Petersburg quartet Pyre’s third full-length, and it wavers between full-on Entombed worship and something resembling Fuming Mouth. Professing a frigidity more closely resembling black metal coursing throughout, Pyre offers chunky riffs, feral vocals, tense tremolo and chuggy shreds, and a bouncy sense of ubiquitous buzzsaw and passages of doomier tempos, alongside a wailing lead guitar whose rip-roaring solos are owed to multiple members’ contributions to the traditional heavy metal sister act Blazing Rust. Pyre throws the kitchen sink at us, blurring the lines between hardcore- and Swedeath-influenced death metal, boasting that black metal chill and no-holds-barred attitude – only for Where Obscurity Sways to go in one ear and out the other.

That’s not to say you won’t swing your fists and break your neck across Where Obscurity Sways. Big groovy meatheaded fun is front and center with Pyre, a monosyllabic approach that’s as effective as its moniker, despite its various experimentalisms. In the sweet spot that finds itself between chunky riffs, wailing leads, and punishing weight at the mercy of the shifting tempos (“Murderous Transcendence,” “Writhing Souls”), the album pumps adrenaline, utilizing sticky chugging riffs as both capitalization of crescendo and simmering burn. When black metal rears its despondent head (“Murderous Transcendence,” “Prognostic of the Apocalypse”), the sound is transported to a cold second-wave atmosphere that it aims for. Composition is precise and effective, as a smart use of shifting tempos and proper utility of punk beats lead to satisfying conclusions of both intensity and doom (“Where Obscurity Sways,” “Pestilential Fumes”). Barked and howled vocals, provided by bassist Dym Nox, land squarely in crusty territory throughout, although the isolated occurrence of death metal gutturals (“From the Stygian Depths”) is a welcome change of pace for Pyre.

Pyre’s monotonal vocals and inconsistent uses of tempos keeps it from achieving its true potential. The Russians run quite similarly into the same issues as Arizona’s deathgrind/death-doom band Thorn, in which the atmosphere and weight is communicated well enough, but nothing more breaks through the surface. Where Obscurity Sways is entirely inconsistent, Pyre’s tracks blur together in monotonous doom sprawls, but then utilize different tricks for each half of the album: the first half weaponizes wailing leads and ominous melodies, while the second dwells entirely in darkened tremolo. Each has its highlights (“Where Obscurity Sways,” “Pestilential Fumes”) and their droning sloggers (“Domains of the Nameless Rites,” “Chanting Ancient Incantations”). While the two instrumental pieces are decent enough to establish a semblance of atmosphere, their motifs are not utilized across the rest of the tracks for it to stick. In true crusty fashion, Pyre saturates its sound into a crusty, HM-2, Swedeath goo, so it’s easy to let the album at large settle into the background.

Apart from “Murderous Transcendence” and “Writhing Souls,” the whole of Where Obscurity Sways hangs out in relatively decent yet ultimately forgettable territory. Somehow Pyre makes the album seem too long even at a very reasonable thirty-six minutes, but when several songs blur together into a featureless expanse, it’s difficult to track. Some tracks are smartly composed, others painfully dull. Despite its attempt to blend Swedeath, hardcore, doom, and black metal, it keeps tripping itself up with inconsistent tempos and motifs. Utilizing more death vocals, sticky chugs, and black metal, Pyre will have a winning formula. As it stands, Where Obscurity Sways stays obscure.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Websites: pyredeathmetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/pyredeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: January 31st, 2025

#20 #2025 #BlackBreath #BlackMetal #BlazingRust #Bloodbath #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #Entombed #FumingMouth #Hardcore #Jan25 #OsmoseProductions #Pyre #Review #Reviews #RussianMetal #Thorn #WhereObscuritySways

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium – Pérfida Contracção do Aço Review

By GardensTale

I’ve been doing this opinion-spewing thing long enough that I’m starting to forget some of my reviews, where even reading the prose I wrote myself is like reading someone else’s. However, this fate will not befall Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. Over 6 years since I wrote up Hóstia, two things still stand out in my mind like burning neon signs: the ludicrously, hilariously offensive cover art, and the unhinged vocals screaming the album title over infectious blackened heavy/thrash. Finally, the Portuguese have risen from their slumber once more, and one look at the album art suggests they haven’t given up on their quest to sweep the ‘offensive cover art’ awards.

Pérfida Contracção do Aço largely continues where Hóstia left off. A wild wail kicks off the blistering “Beata Fornicanda,” where the first wave black metal holds the most sway. Filii Nigrantium Infernalium’s mission statement is written in raging blastbeats and trilling melodic leads; fucking shit up in very short order. Yet it’s quickly clear that some screws have been tightened and rattling bolts fastened compared to Hóstia. The hoarse howling vocals remain every bit as insane, but the musicianship is more precise and more diverse, leaning less on sheer speed and madness to carry the music over any speedbumps. The pacing doesn’t get much higher than “Beata,” though barn-burner “Cristo.Rei.Animal.” certainly tries. But the other uptempo compositions like “Negros Hábitos” and ” Holocausto Molto Vivace Ma Non Troppo” thrive on the strength of the catchy thrash riffs. The title track even employs a diverse, almost progressive composition full of tempo changes both fast and slow, but never getting boring or tedious.

And that’s not the only curveball on Pérfida. “Comes Carne” announces itself with ominous horns and strings like an orchestra from Hell before it begins flipping between Black Sabbath doom and Hellripper destruction. Belathauzer’s vocals don’t lose any of their weird, twisted allure when the bpm plummets, taking on a more haunting quality like an insane priest. But this is taken to the next level with “Vaticanale,” the 10-minute penultimate epic. Repeating stanzas of simple mid-paced riffs gradually incorporate choirs, clarions, and chants until it is spun into a resplendent storm of blasphemy that would make Behemoth blush. Frankly, I would not have expected the same band that made the ramshackle Hóstia to be capable of a buildup so subtle yet effective, and it shows Filii Nigrantium Infernalium is not done growing as artists.

With growth come growing pains though, though the pangs are gentle. I love the buildup of “Vaticanale,” but it does take a long time to start properly building, and cutting down on waiting time at the start would have conserved more momentum. Furthermore, whilst I enjoy the more experimental material in the back half, its simpler tracks are a step down from their catchier and more engaging cousins from the front. A bit of a shuffle in the tracklist to improve the flow and consistency would be a welcome improvement. But these all seem barely worth mentioning, especially when all the small yet significant steps made include a really rather delicious production that balances rawness with fidelity and gives a lot of room to the sweet punky bass.

Filii Nigrantium Infernalium plays by its own rules. Once again the cover art is a study in ugliness, the album name has become even more complicated than the band name, and the vocals will put half the prospective listeners off on the first spin. But there is a ton of musical talent underneath this veneer of insanity, and though the improvements are incremental, Pérfida Contracção do Aço successfully refines and adjusts an already energetic and addictive formula. At this rate, it’s gonna turn real lethal, real damn soon.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Osmose Productions
Websites: filiinigrantiuminfernalium.bandcamp.com/album/p-rfida-contrac-o-do-a-o | facebook.com/FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium
Releases Worldwide: November 29th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Behemoth #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #FiliiNigrantiumInfernalium #HeavyMetal #Hellripper #Nov24 #OsmoseProductions #PérfidaContracçãoDoAço #PortugueseMetal #Review #Reviews #ThrashMetal

Mercyless – Those Who Reign Below Review

By Steel Druhm

The tale of France’s Mercyless has been told before on these pages so I don’t want to recount the saga of their rise, fall from grace, and eventual redemption. I will however endlessly blather on about how great their early releases are. 1992s Abject Offerings was a top-notch example of furious thrashing death metal with chops to spare. However, it was 93s Coloured Funeral that cemented their legacy, taking their brutish bashing and smartly seasoning it with the progressive energy of mid-period Death. It’s technical and intelligent, full of twists and turns, but the war hammer is ever-present. It’s a deeply underappreciated classic that deserves far more attention. Since reforming in 2011, Mercyless have released 3 albums of good to very good old school death, no longer pushing boundaries and content to rehash the glories of the early 90s. 2020’s The Mother of All Plagues was an entirely solid if not exceptional blast of familiar deathery, harkening back to the stuff I harassed dormmates with in my drunken college years. 2024 sees them return with 8th full-length Those Who Reign Below, and Mercyless remain locked in their late-career comfort zone, delivering 90s-centric thrashing death in the vein of old Pestilence and Morbid Angel. Can these olde dawgs still bring the war to your front door?

At this point in their resurgence, Mercyless are a known quantity. You get meat n’ taters death with heaping helpings of thrashing fury and enough technical know-how to make things interesting. There’s nothing new to what Mercyless are doing here, but they know how to clobber and cudgel nonetheless. Opener “Extreme Unction” is the nastiest filth on offer and it hits like a concrete truck flying down a steep hill. The riff phrasing bears the stench of vintage Morbid Angel and original vocalist/guitarist Max Otero has a death croak rather similar to that of David Vincent. The speed and savagery are spot on and the guitar work is very good. This is Merycless at their best and they can still kill it. While the quality of songcraft doesn’t remain at this elevated level, you still get crop-dusted by burly thrashers like “I Am Hell” where bits of Vader slam into Behemoth and Angel Corpse. Both “Thy Resplendent Inferno” and “Prelude to Eternal Darkness” check all the 90s death thrash boxes, being invigorating if not gobsmacking nuggets of fugly noise.

There are a few cuts that underperform too. “Phantoms of Cain” is generic in structure and leaves me unfulfilled despite reminding me of a basket of death deplorables I loved back in the day. The inclusion of a 2-minute instrumental and a dull outro pads out the runtime without enhancing the listening experience, and closer “Sanctus Deus Mortis” weaves early days Death influences throughout, but it doesn’t have much of a payoff. At a trim 42-plus minute with most songs in the 3-4 minute window, Those Who Reign Below moves at a brisk pace and rarely drags. It just doesn’t soar often enough.

Max Otero and Gautier Merklen are very skilled six-string assassins and the riffage is consistently solid throughout. The solos are varied and slick and the duo borrows from all the best legendary acts as they burn and loot the countryside. I especially like it when they venture into Azagthothian slitherscapes, which is common here. I’ve been a fan of Otero’s vocals since the beginning and they’re still good and grisly today. Johann Voirin (Mortuary) tags in to man the kit and does a great job skinning the skins and scraping the brain wax from your ears with a thunderous performance. I often found myself more focused on what he was doing than everything else, which is unusual for me.

Mercyless will never recapture the elusive magic heard on Coloured Funeral but I’m more than happy to see them churning out albums of the caliber. Those Who Reign Below won’t top many best-of lists this year but it’s a competent, effective death metal biscuit with enough frills and chills in the meat gravy to hold its place in the rotation for a while. Well worth a brutal spin.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Osmose Productions | Bandcamp1
Websites: mercyless.bandcamp.com2 | facebook.com/mercylesscult | instagram.com/mercylessofficial
Releases Worldwide: October 25th, 2024

Dolphyless

Mercyless is far from a household name, as are many from the short-lived French death/thrash scene.3 But the olde and wise like legendary AMG alum Al Kikuras heard their fabled Coloured Funeral back in the days of wound magnetic tape and FM radio as a major discovery tool. Yes, it’s true the 90s weren’t kind to acts of all varieties, with Mercyless too succumbing to the pressures of groove and hiatus. Yet with their revitalization in the modern age, the French underground stalwart has managed to both impress and remain solid in their golden years. In a back-to-basics move, Those Who Reign Below serves as both an ode to the lords of the underworld and an outing of classic death metal from a time when genre lines were but a suggestion.

Sharing fresh blood with Mortuary—another aged French act revitalized in this modern era—this current version of Mercyless continues to tackle death metal with a thrash-rooted flair alongside ears who grew up with Mercyless’ contemporaries. More so than their original run (really their first two albums), Mercyless has picked up some of the low-end grooves you’d hear in late 90s Morbid Angel (“Crown of Blasphemy,” “Sanctus Deus Mortis”) along with a jagged melodicism that fed into increased aggression of early Hate Eternal works (“Phantoms of Cain”). But as a band born of a certain time, it’s hard to escape that early Celtic Frost influenced death/thrash that powered primal Florida bruisers Master or Obituary, with heavy skanks and ragged vocals leading the charge (“I Am Hell,” “Prelude to Eternal Darkness”). And still, that same gritty sense of harmony that composed Mercyless’ career highlights presents itself through founder Max Otero’s chunky guitar charms (“Thy Resplendent Inferno,” “Chaos Requiem”).

While a falling out of interest with deathly happenings drove Mercyless into hibernation all those years ago, Otero and co. have no lost love, at this stage, for ugly tones that carve monster riffs. With dialed incision whammy dives, tracks that rip from the start (“I Am Hell”), or find a fluttering catch in wild solo land (“Evil Shall…,” “Crown of Blasphemy”), have no problem rolling back eyes and flaring nostrils for a fully-torqued pit frenzy. A fuzzy twang provides weight to each riff embarkment, allowing techier expeditions (“Extreme Unction,” “Phantoms…”) to land with a precision that plays off the force of drummer Johann Voirin’s textbook accelerating kicks and pounding snare drive. On the low-end bassist Yann Tligui doesn’t provide the same depth of performance that popped about in the distant past, but his gravely throb provides a grit necessary to ensure that Mercyless wrecks bodies in a circular, tumbling fashion.

However, Mercyless’ increased theater around anti-Christian themes hinders Those Who Reign Below’s more direct offerings. Though Mercyless has never shied away from elements that spit at Christianity, their renaissance from 2013’s Unholy Black Splendor has increased its upfront presence. And, likewise, Those Who Reign Below finds itself the holder of both a built in liturgical intro (the first section of “Extreme Unction”) and an unannounced—but still present—closing modulated sermon (“Zecheriah 31”) to reinforce its ham-fisted camp. This book-ending also creates an awkward framing around the true closer, “Sanctus Deus Mortis,” which runs preceded by a low-in-tension instrumental (“Absurd Theater”). These blunders, though, don’t tack much time onto the total run of forty-two minutes, so they are forgivable. But those looking for a steady blaze from snout to tail may encounter more of an ending fizzle than desired.

Regardless, Mercyless harbors too high a quality of hammering riff, slobbering shout death metal in its unlikely second-coming—a length of time that now spans as many albums and almost as many years as the first. In many ways, this new path of old sounds represents a more fitting distillation of Mercyless’ evil worshipping ambitions than its detour into weird 90s industrial death land.4 For those easily moistened by the call of a sweat-stewed pit, Those Who Reign Below offers a practiced and visceral window into an aged like fine jerky take on rippin’ death/thrash. So give it a listen and be sure to hit the classics too—Abject Offerings and Coloured Funeral—if you’re new to Mercyless’ ancient callings.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

#2024 #30 #CelticFrost #ColouredFuneral #DeathMetal #DeathThrash #FrenchMetal #HateEternal #Loudblast #Massacra #Master #Mercyless #MorbidAngel #Mortuary #Obituary #Oct24 #OsmoseProductions #Pestilence #Review #Reviews #TheMotherOfAllPlagues #ThoseWhoReignBelow

Bütcher – On Fowl of Tyrant Wing Review

By Steel Druhm

Where is the goat and the chariot? Where is the meat Billy horn that was blowing? The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into the fowl of a Tyrant. 2020 saw the metalverse shaken to its core by the massively infectious sophomore album by Belgian black/trad/thrashers Bütcher. So much rowdy fun was 666 Goats Carry My Chariot that it mattered not a wit that it was entirely composed of well-trod metal tropes. The hyperactive 80s speed with blackened edges was just the right mixture of heavy, catchy, and over-the-top with songs that had teeth. Fast-forward to 2024 and we get the much-anticipated follow-up On Fowl of Tyrant Wing. Can these unheralded goat hoarders rebottle the lightning and magic that made 666 such an out-of-left-field brain smasher? That’s no small ask and no easy feat to manage, even with unlimited goatpower at their disposal!

Things open with a slick intro loaded with NWoBHM flavor with regal guitar lines that reek of Savage Grace. From there you get launched into burning chaos with the crazy speed-thrashing rampage of “Speed Metal Samurai.” Yes, it’s a cheeseball title but the song is this album’s version of “Iron Bitch” off of 666, so you’ll get shaken, slapped up, and brutally prodded. R Hellshrieker is once again an unhinged maniac at the mic, screaming, growling, shrieking, and singing with lunatic gusto and verve. He even adopts very ICS Vortex high-register cleans for dramatic effect. Rabid riffs and crazed harmonies storm with menace beneath his ravings and the hyperkinetic energy cannot be denied or restrained. The commitment to excess splashes over into “Blessed by the Blade” and the 80s live loudly in the resulting mayhem. It’s speed metal all day with a slight blackened touch and it’s madcap, raucous fun. Hellshrieker straddles the line between enthusiastic thrash bark and wailing King Diamond-esque dramatics to good effect and classic metal elements round out the bashing and add a veneer of accessibility and class. An especially wild outburst arrives with “Keep the Steele (Flamin’ Hot)” where all the chains come off and the Mad Bütcher runs amok. It’s a nuclear speed bomb with no guard rails to keep it safe and things get out of control fast. Hellshrieker really goes off the reservation here, screaming, roaring, and adding little King Diamond theatrics in a vocal slurry. His commands to “bow down to the Powerlord” are especially endearing as that was my nickname in high school.

The second half of On Fowl of Tyrant Wing is a different beast of an altered color. The last few songs are all much longer and more involved, trying to suture a ton of ideas into cohesive pieces of music with varying degrees of success. “A Sacrifice to Satan’s Spawn” welds NWoBHM bits to Mercyful Fate-esque pieces and slathers it all with guitar-forward excess and a somewhat “restrained” performance by Hellshrieker. It works because it asserts a modicum of moderation. 9-plus minute closer “An Ending in Fyre” exercises not such discipline, dumping Viking black metal, NWoBHM, and classic metal into an industrial cow juicer with unusual flavors flopping out of the thresher. It has good bits and interesting moments but it’s messy, feels a bit forced and duct-taped together, and after 6 minutes it starts to drag. Though the album is only 43-plus minutes, the presence of back-to-back-to-back long songs on the back end makes things feel longer than they are. Worse, the material lacks the same wild novelty and raw hooks that 666 had in abundance. I like it all but I’m only really impressed by certain tracks. That’s a bit of a letdown.

Musically, Bütcher has a lot going for them. KK Ripper and KV Bonecrusher go all in guitar-wise with furiously jagged riffs stacked on melodic NOWoBHM harmonies and grooves. The six-string insanity flows like blood from the n00b recycling unit at AMG HQ, making every track kinetic. There are many slick, memorable moments scattered over the album, and the duo never seems hard up for inspiration. Hellshrieker is a special kind of monster. He’s like 15 people trapped in one body and they all want their time in the spotlight. Screams, death roars, blackened cackles, croons, everything just comes out in seemingly random fashion and it all kinda works. It’s really just an issue of the songs having less bite and staying power this time that undermines the goatworks.

There’s never going to be a dull Bütcher album. Their all-gas, no-brakes approach guarantees that much. I enjoy On Fowl of Tyrant Wing and several songs are good enough to make playlists. I just don’t see blasting this as much as I did 666 Goats, because I was obsessed with that goatwomit nonsense. I can still recommend it though because good times will be had and the milk of Black Phillip will season your beer salad with many exotic blessings. Go get bucked.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Osmose
Websites: osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/butcherspeedmetal | instagram.com/butcherspeedmetal
Releases Worldwide: October 25th, 2024

#2024 #30 #BelgianMetal #BlackMetal #Bütcher #HeavyMetal #IronAngel #MercyfulFate #Oct24 #OnFowlOfTyrantWing #OsmoseProductions #Review #Reviews #ThrashMetal

Stuck in the Filter – November/December’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

It is time for the new year, and yet we spend its initial moments reflecting on works of the past. That’s because the works of the past are clogging up our damn Filter, and we need that to breathe in this hellhole we call a headquarters. We toil in the snow and the slush, freezing as the gunk clings to our definitely OSHA compliant protective suits and face masks. All so that you can maybe like but more likely dunk on the nuggets of treasure we find here.

Regardless of whether you enjoy what we find, we expect payment for our services. You can submit tithes via Venmo, Paypal, Bitcoin, hobo wine, unicorns, and/or goat sacrifices. Anything less will result in summary dismissal from the Hall!

Kenstrosity’s Heaving Husks

Void // Jadjow [December 8th, 2023 – Brucia Records]

Weird shit is my shit. Challenging albums that dare to subvert my expectations of the music held therein will always garner my respect. Enter UK avant-garde black metal outfit Void and their fourth LP Jadjow. A bizarrely short window spanned between this release and their previous record—only two years compared to eight years between albums one and two, ten between albums two and three. Despite the tight turnaround, the quality of the writing here is nothing to dismiss offhand. Opening duo “Fables From a Post-Truth Era” and “Interdaementional” showcase twisted songwriting dynamics, haunting vocals, squealing black metal riffs, woody blasts, and funky transitions. Consequently, they remind me of Ved Buens Ende, DHG, and Khôra. Yet, Void prove that the art of the riff is not lost in a sea of weirdness, throwing in headbangable themes and windmill-worthy whirlwinds left and right (“Only For You,” “Self Isolation,” “Swamp Dog”). Striking this balance between engaging hooks (“Fables From a Post-Truth Era,” “Swamp Dog”), danceable grooves (“Oduduwa’s Chain”), and intelligent songwriting dynamics (“When Lucifer Dies,” “Iniquitous Owl”) is tricky business, and yet Void take on the task with effortless grace and poise. In turn, fifty-six minutes of oddball progressive black metal fly by in a flash. You blink, you miss it. Don’t blink!

Irityll // Schlafes Bruder [November 23rd, 2023 – Self Release]

Do you ever wonder what melodic black metal would sound like if it had the same HM-2 tone as the filthiest Swedeath around? I sure never have. Yet, Vienna, Austria’s Irityll chose that exact combination to craft their debut LP, Schlafes Bruder. Comprising of two musicians with notable experience in the deathcore and brutal death metal worlds (Spire of Lazarus, Monument of Misanthropy), Irityll unexpectedly nail the icy black metal sound which defines Schlafes Bruder, but enhanced by the novel twist of an HM-2 buzzsaw tone. Ominous melodies and vicious blasting abound, as choice cuts like “Leichnam aus Überzeugung,” “Deppade Leit,” and “Sternengeiβel” all demonstrate with aplomb. Written in the same epic style of bands like Immortal or Dark Funeral, Schlafes Bruder succeeds primarily thanks to a tasty combination of minimalist drama and riff-focused intensity. The way it ebbs and flows between soft passages and ripping black metal, blistering speed and militant marches, all feels natural, effortless, and leads to satisfying payoffs across the forty-four-minute runtime (“Schlafes Bruder,” “Reiter des Sturmes,” “Epitaphion”). And yet, it feels like just the beginning for Irityll. With more refinement and tightening of the screws, the duo could take even greater advantage of their novel sound profile with more distinct, individualized songwriting. I’m excited by that prospect, and you should be too.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Unparalleled Uncoverings

Closet Witch // Chiaroscuro [November 3rd, 2023 – Zegema Beach Records]

If you’re familiar with Closet Witch already, or the closely related in sound and style Cloud Rat, then you’ll know that the brand of caustically-styled, emotionally-chiseled grind that they represent wastes no moment. Equally weighted by the slowing churns of powerviolence and piercing tones of screamo, Chiaroscuro, a name taken from the classical art technique of shadow-use/darkness contrast that creates wholeness, depth, and tone in a piece, uses each of its identities to drill eighteen minutes of caustic music to your memory. Unfortunately for newcomers or passerbys to the sonic assault that Closet Witch embodies, either the fuzz-rattled and blackened riffage, the clanging and splashing kit abuse, or the shrill and shrieking throat sacrifice build like a wall of bleeding noise. But in practice, Chiaroscuro contains an uncanny ebb and flow, finding footing in rhythmic refocusing (“My Words Are Sacred,” “Well-Fed Machine”), noise-assisted tip-offs (“You, Me, and the Venus in Decay,” “To the Cauldron”), and pedal-down thrusts (“Haunting,” “Arlington Cemetary”) to dog ear its shifts and landmarks. In this case, a horror-synth “Intro” and de-escalating, crinkled found-sound “Outro” are necessary to respectively set the stage and close the curtains. You don’t want to go into this cold, but Chiaroscuro burns so hot that you need a cooldown.

Exulansis // Overtures of Uprising [November 17th, 2023 – Bindrune Recordings]

You ever sit there and wonder when you’re finally gonna find a melodic black metal album that’s actually cool? No? How about one that at least incorporates vibrant violin melodies, guitar identities outside of tremolo progressions, and actual growling bass presence? Well, if so, look no further than Exulansis, a folk-inspired four-piece who finds just as much home in the creeping doom of the string work that you’d hear in an old SubRosa jam as they do in the forested black metal of Wolves in the Throne Room. But in this case, Overtures of Uprising’s four tracks will require only thirty-two minutes (it’s not enough!!) of your hard-to-earn time, a healthy balance of two standard-length numbers against two longer explorations. Whereas their previous album, 2019’s Sequestered Symphony attempted to meld a lot more gothic folk into their sound, Exulansis went and trimmed that into a whole separate album (Hymns of Collapse) this go, which has left absolutely nothing to stand in the way of the bell-hammering drive of “Of Nature & Hatred” or the eerie and screeching “A Movement in Silence”.1 And when they do slow it down for the fanciful, classical violin melodies that signal the triumphant title track or the lurching doom of “Dawning,” Exulansis finds a way to capture the beat of an anxious heart. Unified by a melodic dread, Overtures of Uprising pushes this act closer to record that’ll grab me by the hand and never let go. Fortunately, I know these strong voices have more to say.

Saunders’ Slippery Subjects

Deathcode Society // Unlightenment [November 24th, 2023 – Osmose Productions]

My end-of-year filter was badly clogged amidst the rush to finalize Listurnalia and absorb the mammoth number of releases that either flooded through late or had been backlogged. Nevertheless, in the end-of-year wash-up, I stumbled across the sophomore platter from French symphonic black metal act Deathcode Society, and their powerful, bombastic LP, Unlightenment. Traditionally, I am incredibly picky with my modern black metal, and much of the overly symphonic variety tends to fall flat or overdo the cheese. Comprised of seasoned players, Deathcode Society balances the elements deftly to craft an intriguing platter, with modern sheen and orchestral flair roughened up by second-wave influences and whiffs of later-era Emperor. The sympho-black formula can sometimes veer too drastically into melodramatic territory, adding too much fluff to soften the black metal bite. Thankfully, Deathcode Society generally nail things just right. Within the style, Deathcode Society exhibit a versatile and confident approach, as their epic, carefully layered sound ebbs and flows through diverse pastures. A technical edge permeates material that blisters and tears with speed and aggression, contrasting these pleasingly vicious assaults with mostly tasteful symphonic layers, a varied vocal palette, and long, twisty arrangements. Highlights include the potent, blasty one-two opening punch of “Scolopendra” and “Shards” dominate with sheer scope, ferocity and memorability, while the stellar “Mazed Interior” and “Scales” offer in-your-face aggression and more ambitious, head-spinning turns with maximum impact.

#2023 #AvantGarde #AvantGardeBlackMetal #BindruneRecordings #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BruciaRecords #Chiaroscuro #ClosetWitch #CloudRat #DarkFuneral #DeathMetal #DeathcodeSociety #Dec23 #DHG #Emperor #Exulansis #Grind #Immortal #Irityll #Jadjow #Khôra #MelodicBlackMetal #MonumentOfMisanthropy #Nov23 #OrchestralBlackMetal #OsmoseProductions #OverturesOfUprising #ProgressiveBlackMetal #SchlafesBruder #SelfRelease #SpireOfLazarus #StuckInTheFilter #Subrosa #SymphonicBlackMetal #SymphonicMetal #Unlightenment #VedBuensEnde #Vøid #WolvesInTheThroneRoom #ZegemaBeachRecords