#possessed — Public Fediverse posts

Human Burial And Dealing With The Undead And Ghosts

https://johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/07/18/human-burial-and-dealing-with-the-undead-and-ghosts/

Human Burial And Dealing With The Undead And Ghosts

https://johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/07/18/human-burial-and-dealing-with-the-undead-and-ghosts/

Human Burial And Dealing With The Undead And Ghosts

https://johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/07/18/human-burial-and-dealing-with-the-undead-and-ghosts/

Human Burial And Dealing With The Undead And Ghosts

https://johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/07/18/human-burial-and-dealing-with-the-undead-and-ghosts/

Human Burial And Dealing With The Undead And Ghosts

https://johnbronze.wordpress.com/2026/07/18/human-burial-and-dealing-with-the-undead-and-ghosts/

Published some new #WhiteroomReviews items:

Photo reports of:
- #Possessed + #Sinsaenum | @baroeg.bsky.social
- #Cavalera + #BLOID | #Victorie

News items regarding:
- #Deadnate announced as support for #Baest
- A new #Hulder single | #SeasonofMistrecords

Published some new #WhiteroomReviews items:

Photo reports of:
- #Possessed + #Sinsaenum | @baroeg.bsky.social
- #Cavalera + #BLOID | #Victorie

News items regarding:
- #Deadnate announced as support for #Baest
- A new #Hulder single | #SeasonofMistrecords

Published some new #WhiteroomReviews items:

Photo reports of:
- #Possessed + #Sinsaenum | @baroeg.bsky.social
- #Cavalera + #BLOID | #Victorie

News items regarding:
- #Deadnate announced as support for #Baest
- A new #Hulder single | #SeasonofMistrecords

Published some new #WhiteroomReviews items:

Photo reports of:
- #Possessed + #Sinsaenum | @baroeg.bsky.social
- #Cavalera + #BLOID | #Victorie

News items regarding:
- #Deadnate announced as support for #Baest
- A new #Hulder single | #SeasonofMistrecords

Eyeshadow?

#commentbelow #dankmemes #memes #funny #horror #eyeshadow #possessed

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Cannibal Galaxy by Osmium Gate

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Cannibal Galaxy by Osmium Gate

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

Grave Infestation – Carnage Gathers Review

By Steel Druhm

With so much classic heavy metal clogging up my review queue lately, I’ve been neglecting the baser caveman side of my reptilian brain. Canada’s Grave Infestation are back to fix that with their sophomore platter, Carnage Gathers. When they last slimed my doorstep in 2022 with the gruesome Autopsy and early Death worship on Persecution of the Living, they left a mucilaginous impression on my thick skull. Their grizzled and nasty take on old school death was exactly the kind of filth I love to wallow in. Not much has changed on Carnage Gathers, which is another putrid scuzzbucket full of grotesque sounds, primitive riffs, and an IQ below that of rudimentary tool users. It revels in the early days of the genre while fetishizing the lo-fi sound of Hellhammer. It’s all about ear abuse and carnal debasement, and I refuse to be threatened by a good time in the rot pit. Prepare to embrace the sump.

This is not a varied and complex work of art. It’s a tug of war between extremities as the band tries to crush your chestal cavity with ghastly doom segments and then shake your brain stem with bursts of speed and punky d-beats. The whiplash is intended to induce nausea, and it often does. Opener “Living Inhumation” has the bona fides to have appeared on Death’s Leprosy or Autopsy’s Severed Survival and fit right in like a bowel leech. It’s scabby, poo-encrusted offal of a high caliber loaded with jangled, discordant riffs and abysmal vocals. The guitar tone is absolute sewage, and everything is dank and reeking. The only downside is the length. At nearly 6 minutes, it overextends its welcome by the end. This is an unfortunately common trend here, with multiple songs of good construction outliving their trust funds of attention. I love many things about “Ritualized Autopsy,” especially the slimy riffs that ooze everywhere and make you feel unclean. I also appreciate its relentless, unstoppable assault. At points, the guitar work even reminds me of Destruction’s immortal debut EP, Sentence of Death, which is a very good thing. But it too plods on too long, losing some of its visceral impact.

Every track has things going on that I love. Grave Infestation have that sound I’m hopelessly drawn to, and the way they layer nerve-flaying fretboard abuse, bone-breaking grooves, stupid chuggs, and atmospheric noodling gets me every time. Lay some vomitous vocals and pounding drums over that shit and Steel comes to your yard for the gutshake. However, the band doesn’t know when enough is enough, and quality cuts with righteous moments like “Black Widow” and “Drenched in Blood” refuse to stop when they should. There are some absolute ball breaking though, like primal closer “Murder Spree” which just fucks up your shit with insane, panic-inducing riffs that won’t leave you alone. It’s like they took the best moments from Possessed’s timeless classic Seven Churches and sutured them roughly to early Autopsy demos. What more could you want? At 39:56 minutes, Carnage Gathers doesn’t feel too long, though certain tracks do. The production is perfectly mucky and raw, and the guitar sound is exactly the kind of abrasive my rusty metal heart wants.

I’m a big fan of the guitar work from Graham Christofferson and “BC.” It’s their horrific string mutilation that makes the material throb, and they have a knack for skin-removing riffs and twisted flourishes. They create the soundtrack to a madman’s nightmare while paying homage to classic early death albums we all know and love. At times, their riffs sound like those on Bathory’s The Return, which makes me unreasonably giddy. Graham Christofferson’s vocals are a match made in Hell – horrid, repulsive, and full of gut-busting throat exertions. He reminds me of Chris Reifert (Autopsy) at times and, at others, Jeff Beccera (Possessed), but he’s always disgusting. The entire band is solid, but the lack of editing is a nagging defect.

I desperately wanted to give Carnage Gathers a higher rating because I dig so much of what Grave Infestation does. They play exactly the kind of death metal I love, and their commitment to appalling excess speaks to my crude ape brain. If they trimmed the blubber off the best cuts, this would rise in the ranking considerably. As it stands, Carnage Gathers is a quality death metal album sure to please the sick and deranged. It could have been MOAR though!

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Invictus Productions
Websites: graveinfestation.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/graveinfestation | instagram.com/graveinfestation
Releases Worldwide: February 28th, 2025

Kenstrosity

Formed from members of Canadian antifascist crust/sludge metal outfit Ahna and known death filthifiers Ceremonial Bloodbath, Grave Infestation helped pull me out of a skull pit intent on suffocating me under a mountain of bullshit and dumped me right back into a different skull pit entirely—this one teeming with rot and cadaveric bouquets. I suppose I should be thankful, as this is the kind of thing that fills my pores with what some might consider the scent of WICTORY. So, without further ado, I dive deeper into the corpse pile that is Grave Infestation’s sophomore record, Carnage Gathers.

Death metal is a known quantity. We all know it when we hear it, and can describe it without much conflict or confusion. Such is the case for Grave Infestation. Carnage Gathers represents death metal at its most rank, channeling equal parts Asphyx and Incantation, with a membrane of slick Autopsy sleaze surrounding its diseased skin. It’s a combination that works wonders for those who search tirelessly for the nastiest of the nasty, and in that respect, Grave Infestation don’t disappoint. Buzzing and boisterous riffs abound, slammed into the earth below by the crushing heft of doom-laden chugs and yanked back upright by a relentless barrage of squealing solos. Cheering on these deadly antics, a vomitous wretch, brutally projected from afar, echoes its sickening cry across Carnage Gathers’ necrotic scenery. Drawing the line just shy of the caverns from whence Tomb Mold’s early work spawned, Carnage Gathers boasts a sound that exudes old school death at its prime.

Of course, that means that I’m drawn to Carnage Gathers almost by instinct, an animal magnetism against which mental fortitude and willpower crumbles at the slightest breeze. Choice cuts “Inuman Remains,” “Black Widow,” and “Drenched in Blood” take full advantage of my weakness here. Bridging the gap between Incantation’s sheer heft with the vicious onslaught of Autopsy’s violent ways, these songs juggle riffs and grooves engaging enough to motivate the necks of even the staunchest death dissident. “Black Widow,” in particular, marks Grave Infestation’s high water mark, boasting a punky d-beat swagger in conjunction with screeching dive bombs that make an instant memory. Songs like these show that Grave Infestation not only understand the kind of songwriting that made death metal an international underground phenomenon but also identify and implement subtle ways to invigorate that well-worn, comfortable style for a modern audience.

However, Carnage Gathers demonstrates understanding and implementation inconsistently. Pulling from many of its doomier segments, Grave Infestation’s writing outside of their ravenous tears and mid-paced stomps leaves a lot on the table. “Ritualized Autopsy,” “The Anthropophagus,” and “Murder Spree,” among a couple others, routinely inject slower passages characterized by generic chugs and repetitive solos, thereby undermining Carnage Gathers’ strongest material with filler. Considering several tracks reach past five minutes with the inclusion of these insubstantial sections of languid doom death, it seems a clear weak point in Grave Infestation’s repertoire. The undeniable fact that their ripping, death-focused outbursts regularly demolish everything in their path each time they rear their ugly heads only further illuminates the flat, featureless nature of their doom-laden dalliances.

As I surface from the Carnage that Gathers to breathe deep of stale, putrid air, I rest easy knowing that despite its flaws, Carnage Gathers isn’t half bad. Its best moments are a ten-ton anvil of repugnant fun, and the doomed detours that fail to resonate in any meaningful way also don’t derail the experience entirely. Instead, these flawed moments serve as an opportunity for growth. Grave Infestation are still young and have a ton of potential. It wouldn’t take much for them to further refine and empower their sound, launching the quality of their output into higher echelons. For the moment, though, Carnage Gathers is a simple, fun platter of filth, and that’s fine with me.

Rating: Mixed

#25 #2025 #30 #Ahna #Asphyx #Autopsy #CanadianMetal #CarnageGathers #CeremonialBloodbath #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Feb25 #GraveInfestation #Hellhammer #Incantation #InvictusProductions #Leprosy #Obituary #PersecutionOfTheLiving #Possessed #Review #Reviews #ScreamBloodyGore #TombMold

Grave Infestation – Carnage Gathers Review

By Steel Druhm

With so much classic heavy metal clogging up my review queue lately, I’ve been neglecting the baser caveman side of my reptilian brain. Canada’s Grave Infestation are back to fix that with their sophomore platter, Carnage Gathers. When they last slimed my doorstep in 2022 with the gruesome Autopsy and early Death worship on Persecution of the Living, they left a mucilaginous impression on my thick skull. Their grizzled and nasty take on old school death was exactly the kind of filth I love to wallow in. Not much has changed on Carnage Gathers, which is another putrid scuzzbucket full of grotesque sounds, primitive riffs, and an IQ below that of rudimentary tool users. It revels in the early days of the genre while fetishizing the lo-fi sound of Hellhammer. It’s all about ear abuse and carnal debasement, and I refuse to be threatened by a good time in the rot pit. Prepare to embrace the sump.

This is not a varied and complex work of art. It’s a tug of war between extremities as the band tries to crush your chestal cavity with ghastly doom segments and then shake your brain stem with bursts of speed and punky d-beats. The whiplash is intended to induce nausea, and it often does. Opener “Living Inhumation” has the bona fides to have appeared on Death’s Leprosy or Autopsy’s Severed Survival and fit right in like a bowel leech. It’s scabby, poo-encrusted offal of a high caliber loaded with jangled, discordant riffs and abysmal vocals. The guitar tone is absolute sewage, and everything is dank and reeking. The only downside is the length. At nearly 6 minutes, it overextends its welcome by the end. This is an unfortunately common trend here, with multiple songs of good construction outliving their trust funds of attention. I love many things about “Ritualized Autopsy,” especially the slimy riffs that ooze everywhere and make you feel unclean. I also appreciate its relentless, unstoppable assault. At points, the guitar work even reminds me of Destruction’s immortal debut EP, Sentence of Death, which is a very good thing. But it too plods on too long, losing some of its visceral impact.

Every track has things going on that I love. Grave Infestation have that sound I’m hopelessly drawn to, and the way they layer nerve-flaying fretboard abuse, bone-breaking grooves, stupid chuggs, and atmospheric noodling gets me every time. Lay some vomitous vocals and pounding drums over that shit and Steel comes to your yard for the gutshake. However, the band doesn’t know when enough is enough, and quality cuts with righteous moments like “Black Widow” and “Drenched in Blood” refuse to stop when they should. There are some absolute ball breaking though, like primal closer “Murder Spree” which just fucks up your shit with insane, panic-inducing riffs that won’t leave you alone. It’s like they took the best moments from Possessed’s timeless classic Seven Churches and sutured them roughly to early Autopsy demos. What more could you want? At 39:56 minutes, Carnage Gathers doesn’t feel too long, though certain tracks do. The production is perfectly mucky and raw, and the guitar sound is exactly the kind of abrasive my rusty metal heart wants.

I’m a big fan of the guitar work from Graham Christofferson and “BC.” It’s their horrific string mutilation that makes the material throb, and they have a knack for skin-removing riffs and twisted flourishes. They create the soundtrack to a madman’s nightmare while paying homage to classic early death albums we all know and love. At times, their riffs sound like those on Bathory’s The Return, which makes me unreasonably giddy. Graham Christofferson’s vocals are a match made in Hell – horrid, repulsive, and full of gut-busting throat exertions. He reminds me of Chris Reifert (Autopsy) at times and, at others, Jeff Beccera (Possessed), but he’s always disgusting. The entire band is solid, but the lack of editing is a nagging defect.

I desperately wanted to give Carnage Gathers a higher rating because I dig so much of what Grave Infestation does. They play exactly the kind of death metal I love, and their commitment to appalling excess speaks to my crude ape brain. If they trimmed the blubber off the best cuts, this would rise in the ranking considerably. As it stands, Carnage Gathers is a quality death metal album sure to please the sick and deranged. It could have been MOAR though!

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Invictus Productions
Websites: graveinfestation.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/graveinfestation | instagram.com/graveinfestation
Releases Worldwide: February 28th, 2025

Kenstrosity

Formed from members of Canadian antifascist crust/sludge metal outfit Ahna and known death filthifiers Ceremonial Bloodbath, Grave Infestation helped pull me out of a skull pit intent on suffocating me under a mountain of bullshit and dumped me right back into a different skull pit entirely—this one teeming with rot and cadaveric bouquets. I suppose I should be thankful, as this is the kind of thing that fills my pores with what some might consider the scent of WICTORY. So, without further ado, I dive deeper into the corpse pile that is Grave Infestation’s sophomore record, Carnage Gathers.

Death metal is a known quantity. We all know it when we hear it, and can describe it without much conflict or confusion. Such is the case for Grave Infestation. Carnage Gathers represents death metal at its most rank, channeling equal parts Asphyx and Incantation, with a membrane of slick Autopsy sleaze surrounding its diseased skin. It’s a combination that works wonders for those who search tirelessly for the nastiest of the nasty, and in that respect, Grave Infestation don’t disappoint. Buzzing and boisterous riffs abound, slammed into the earth below by the crushing heft of doom-laden chugs and yanked back upright by a relentless barrage of squealing solos. Cheering on these deadly antics, a vomitous wretch, brutally projected from afar, echoes its sickening cry across Carnage Gathers’ necrotic scenery. Drawing the line just shy of the caverns from whence Tomb Mold’s early work spawned, Carnage Gathers boasts a sound that exudes old school death at its prime.

Of course, that means that I’m drawn to Carnage Gathers almost by instinct, an animal magnetism against which mental fortitude and willpower crumbles at the slightest breeze. Choice cuts “Inuman Remains,” “Black Widow,” and “Drenched in Blood” take full advantage of my weakness here. Bridging the gap between Incantation’s sheer heft with the vicious onslaught of Autopsy’s violent ways, these songs juggle riffs and grooves engaging enough to motivate the necks of even the staunchest death dissident. “Black Widow,” in particular, marks Grave Infestation’s high water mark, boasting a punky d-beat swagger in conjunction with screeching dive bombs that make an instant memory. Songs like these show that Grave Infestation not only understand the kind of songwriting that made death metal an international underground phenomenon but also identify and implement subtle ways to invigorate that well-worn, comfortable style for a modern audience.

However, Carnage Gathers demonstrates understanding and implementation inconsistently. Pulling from many of its doomier segments, Grave Infestation’s writing outside of their ravenous tears and mid-paced stomps leaves a lot on the table. “Ritualized Autopsy,” “The Anthropophagus,” and “Murder Spree,” among a couple others, routinely inject slower passages characterized by generic chugs and repetitive solos, thereby undermining Carnage Gathers’ strongest material with filler. Considering several tracks reach past five minutes with the inclusion of these insubstantial sections of languid doom death, it seems a clear weak point in Grave Infestation’s repertoire. The undeniable fact that their ripping, death-focused outbursts regularly demolish everything in their path each time they rear their ugly heads only further illuminates the flat, featureless nature of their doom-laden dalliances.

As I surface from the Carnage that Gathers to breathe deep of stale, putrid air, I rest easy knowing that despite its flaws, Carnage Gathers isn’t half bad. Its best moments are a ten-ton anvil of repugnant fun, and the doomed detours that fail to resonate in any meaningful way also don’t derail the experience entirely. Instead, these flawed moments serve as an opportunity for growth. Grave Infestation are still young and have a ton of potential. It wouldn’t take much for them to further refine and empower their sound, launching the quality of their output into higher echelons. For the moment, though, Carnage Gathers is a simple, fun platter of filth, and that’s fine with me.

Rating: Mixed

#25 #2025 #30 #Ahna #Asphyx #Autopsy #CanadianMetal #CarnageGathers #CeremonialBloodbath #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Feb25 #GraveInfestation #Hellhammer #Incantation #InvictusProductions #Leprosy #Obituary #PersecutionOfTheLiving #Possessed #Review #Reviews #ScreamBloodyGore #TombMold

Grave Infestation – Carnage Gathers Review

By Steel Druhm

With so much classic heavy metal clogging up my review queue lately, I’ve been neglecting the baser caveman side of my reptilian brain. Canada’s Grave Infestation are back to fix that with their sophomore platter, Carnage Gathers. When they last slimed my doorstep in 2022 with the gruesome Autopsy and early Death worship on Persecution of the Living, they left a mucilaginous impression on my thick skull. Their grizzled and nasty take on old school death was exactly the kind of filth I love to wallow in. Not much has changed on Carnage Gathers, which is another putrid scuzzbucket full of grotesque sounds, primitive riffs, and an IQ below that of rudimentary tool users. It revels in the early days of the genre while fetishizing the lo-fi sound of Hellhammer. It’s all about ear abuse and carnal debasement, and I refuse to be threatened by a good time in the rot pit. Prepare to embrace the sump.

This is not a varied and complex work of art. It’s a tug of war between extremities as the band tries to crush your chestal cavity with ghastly doom segments and then shake your brain stem with bursts of speed and punky d-beats. The whiplash is intended to induce nausea, and it often does. Opener “Living Inhumation” has the bona fides to have appeared on Death’s Leprosy or Autopsy’s Severed Survival and fit right in like a bowel leech. It’s scabby, poo-encrusted offal of a high caliber loaded with jangled, discordant riffs and abysmal vocals. The guitar tone is absolute sewage, and everything is dank and reeking. The only downside is the length. At nearly 6 minutes, it overextends its welcome by the end. This is an unfortunately common trend here, with multiple songs of good construction outliving their trust funds of attention. I love many things about “Ritualized Autopsy,” especially the slimy riffs that ooze everywhere and make you feel unclean. I also appreciate its relentless, unstoppable assault. At points, the guitar work even reminds me of Destruction’s immortal debut EP, Sentence of Death, which is a very good thing. But it too plods on too long, losing some of its visceral impact.

Every track has things going on that I love. Grave Infestation have that sound I’m hopelessly drawn to, and the way they layer nerve-flaying fretboard abuse, bone-breaking grooves, stupid chuggs, and atmospheric noodling gets me every time. Lay some vomitous vocals and pounding drums over that shit and Steel comes to your yard for the gutshake. However, the band doesn’t know when enough is enough, and quality cuts with righteous moments like “Black Widow” and “Drenched in Blood” refuse to stop when they should. There are some absolute ball breaking though, like primal closer “Murder Spree” which just fucks up your shit with insane, panic-inducing riffs that won’t leave you alone. It’s like they took the best moments from Possessed’s timeless classic Seven Churches and sutured them roughly to early Autopsy demos. What more could you want? At 39:56 minutes, Carnage Gathers doesn’t feel too long, though certain tracks do. The production is perfectly mucky and raw, and the guitar sound is exactly the kind of abrasive my rusty metal heart wants.

I’m a big fan of the guitar work from Graham Christofferson and “BC.” It’s their horrific string mutilation that makes the material throb, and they have a knack for skin-removing riffs and twisted flourishes. They create the soundtrack to a madman’s nightmare while paying homage to classic early death albums we all know and love. At times, their riffs sound like those on Bathory’s The Return, which makes me unreasonably giddy. Graham Christofferson’s vocals are a match made in Hell – horrid, repulsive, and full of gut-busting throat exertions. He reminds me of Chris Reifert (Autopsy) at times and, at others, Jeff Beccera (Possessed), but he’s always disgusting. The entire band is solid, but the lack of editing is a nagging defect.

I desperately wanted to give Carnage Gathers a higher rating because I dig so much of what Grave Infestation does. They play exactly the kind of death metal I love, and their commitment to appalling excess speaks to my crude ape brain. If they trimmed the blubber off the best cuts, this would rise in the ranking considerably. As it stands, Carnage Gathers is a quality death metal album sure to please the sick and deranged. It could have been MOAR though!

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Invictus Productions
Websites: graveinfestation.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/graveinfestation | instagram.com/graveinfestation
Releases Worldwide: February 28th, 2025

Kenstrosity

Formed from members of Canadian antifascist crust/sludge metal outfit Ahna and known death filthifiers Ceremonial Bloodbath, Grave Infestation helped pull me out of a skull pit intent on suffocating me under a mountain of bullshit and dumped me right back into a different skull pit entirely—this one teeming with rot and cadaveric bouquets. I suppose I should be thankful, as this is the kind of thing that fills my pores with what some might consider the scent of WICTORY. So, without further ado, I dive deeper into the corpse pile that is Grave Infestation’s sophomore record, Carnage Gathers.

Death metal is a known quantity. We all know it when we hear it, and can describe it without much conflict or confusion. Such is the case for Grave Infestation. Carnage Gathers represents death metal at its most rank, channeling equal parts Asphyx and Incantation, with a membrane of slick Autopsy sleaze surrounding its diseased skin. It’s a combination that works wonders for those who search tirelessly for the nastiest of the nasty, and in that respect, Grave Infestation don’t disappoint. Buzzing and boisterous riffs abound, slammed into the earth below by the crushing heft of doom-laden chugs and yanked back upright by a relentless barrage of squealing solos. Cheering on these deadly antics, a vomitous wretch, brutally projected from afar, echoes its sickening cry across Carnage Gathers’ necrotic scenery. Drawing the line just shy of the caverns from whence Tomb Mold’s early work spawned, Carnage Gathers boasts a sound that exudes old school death at its prime.

Of course, that means that I’m drawn to Carnage Gathers almost by instinct, an animal magnetism against which mental fortitude and willpower crumbles at the slightest breeze. Choice cuts “Inuman Remains,” “Black Widow,” and “Drenched in Blood” take full advantage of my weakness here. Bridging the gap between Incantation’s sheer heft with the vicious onslaught of Autopsy’s violent ways, these songs juggle riffs and grooves engaging enough to motivate the necks of even the staunchest death dissident. “Black Widow,” in particular, marks Grave Infestation’s high water mark, boasting a punky d-beat swagger in conjunction with screeching dive bombs that make an instant memory. Songs like these show that Grave Infestation not only understand the kind of songwriting that made death metal an international underground phenomenon but also identify and implement subtle ways to invigorate that well-worn, comfortable style for a modern audience.

However, Carnage Gathers demonstrates understanding and implementation inconsistently. Pulling from many of its doomier segments, Grave Infestation’s writing outside of their ravenous tears and mid-paced stomps leaves a lot on the table. “Ritualized Autopsy,” “The Anthropophagus,” and “Murder Spree,” among a couple others, routinely inject slower passages characterized by generic chugs and repetitive solos, thereby undermining Carnage Gathers’ strongest material with filler. Considering several tracks reach past five minutes with the inclusion of these insubstantial sections of languid doom death, it seems a clear weak point in Grave Infestation’s repertoire. The undeniable fact that their ripping, death-focused outbursts regularly demolish everything in their path each time they rear their ugly heads only further illuminates the flat, featureless nature of their doom-laden dalliances.

As I surface from the Carnage that Gathers to breathe deep of stale, putrid air, I rest easy knowing that despite its flaws, Carnage Gathers isn’t half bad. Its best moments are a ten-ton anvil of repugnant fun, and the doomed detours that fail to resonate in any meaningful way also don’t derail the experience entirely. Instead, these flawed moments serve as an opportunity for growth. Grave Infestation are still young and have a ton of potential. It wouldn’t take much for them to further refine and empower their sound, launching the quality of their output into higher echelons. For the moment, though, Carnage Gathers is a simple, fun platter of filth, and that’s fine with me.

Rating: Mixed

#25 #2025 #30 #Ahna #Asphyx #Autopsy #CanadianMetal #CarnageGathers #CeremonialBloodbath #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Feb25 #GraveInfestation #Hellhammer #Incantation #InvictusProductions #Leprosy #Obituary #PersecutionOfTheLiving #Possessed #Review #Reviews #ScreamBloodyGore #TombMold

Grave Infestation – Carnage Gathers Review

By Steel Druhm

With so much classic heavy metal clogging up my review queue lately, I’ve been neglecting the baser caveman side of my reptilian brain. Canada’s Grave Infestation are back to fix that with their sophomore platter, Carnage Gathers. When they last slimed my doorstep in 2022 with the gruesome Autopsy and early Death worship on Persecution of the Living, they left a mucilaginous impression on my thick skull. Their grizzled and nasty take on old school death was exactly the kind of filth I love to wallow in. Not much has changed on Carnage Gathers, which is another putrid scuzzbucket full of grotesque sounds, primitive riffs, and an IQ below that of rudimentary tool users. It revels in the early days of the genre while fetishizing the lo-fi sound of Hellhammer. It’s all about ear abuse and carnal debasement, and I refuse to be threatened by a good time in the rot pit. Prepare to embrace the sump.

This is not a varied and complex work of art. It’s a tug of war between extremities as the band tries to crush your chestal cavity with ghastly doom segments and then shake your brain stem with bursts of speed and punky d-beats. The whiplash is intended to induce nausea, and it often does. Opener “Living Inhumation” has the bona fides to have appeared on Death’s Leprosy or Autopsy’s Severed Survival and fit right in like a bowel leech. It’s scabby, poo-encrusted offal of a high caliber loaded with jangled, discordant riffs and abysmal vocals. The guitar tone is absolute sewage, and everything is dank and reeking. The only downside is the length. At nearly 6 minutes, it overextends its welcome by the end. This is an unfortunately common trend here, with multiple songs of good construction outliving their trust funds of attention. I love many things about “Ritualized Autopsy,” especially the slimy riffs that ooze everywhere and make you feel unclean. I also appreciate its relentless, unstoppable assault. At points, the guitar work even reminds me of Destruction’s immortal debut EP, Sentence of Death, which is a very good thing. But it too plods on too long, losing some of its visceral impact.

Every track has things going on that I love. Grave Infestation have that sound I’m hopelessly drawn to, and the way they layer nerve-flaying fretboard abuse, bone-breaking grooves, stupid chuggs, and atmospheric noodling gets me every time. Lay some vomitous vocals and pounding drums over that shit and Steel comes to your yard for the gutshake. However, the band doesn’t know when enough is enough, and quality cuts with righteous moments like “Black Widow” and “Drenched in Blood” refuse to stop when they should. There are some absolute ball breaking though, like primal closer “Murder Spree” which just fucks up your shit with insane, panic-inducing riffs that won’t leave you alone. It’s like they took the best moments from Possessed’s timeless classic Seven Churches and sutured them roughly to early Autopsy demos. What more could you want? At 39:56 minutes, Carnage Gathers doesn’t feel too long, though certain tracks do. The production is perfectly mucky and raw, and the guitar sound is exactly the kind of abrasive my rusty metal heart wants.

I’m a big fan of the guitar work from Graham Christofferson and “BC.” It’s their horrific string mutilation that makes the material throb, and they have a knack for skin-removing riffs and twisted flourishes. They create the soundtrack to a madman’s nightmare while paying homage to classic early death albums we all know and love. At times, their riffs sound like those on Bathory’s The Return, which makes me unreasonably giddy. Graham Christofferson’s vocals are a match made in Hell – horrid, repulsive, and full of gut-busting throat exertions. He reminds me of Chris Reifert (Autopsy) at times and, at others, Jeff Beccera (Possessed), but he’s always disgusting. The entire band is solid, but the lack of editing is a nagging defect.

I desperately wanted to give Carnage Gathers a higher rating because I dig so much of what Grave Infestation does. They play exactly the kind of death metal I love, and their commitment to appalling excess speaks to my crude ape brain. If they trimmed the blubber off the best cuts, this would rise in the ranking considerably. As it stands, Carnage Gathers is a quality death metal album sure to please the sick and deranged. It could have been MOAR though!

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Invictus Productions
Websites: graveinfestation.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/graveinfestation | instagram.com/graveinfestation
Releases Worldwide: February 28th, 2025

Kenstrosity

Formed from members of Canadian antifascist crust/sludge metal outfit Ahna and known death filthifiers Ceremonial Bloodbath, Grave Infestation helped pull me out of a skull pit intent on suffocating me under a mountain of bullshit and dumped me right back into a different skull pit entirely—this one teeming with rot and cadaveric bouquets. I suppose I should be thankful, as this is the kind of thing that fills my pores with what some might consider the scent of WICTORY. So, without further ado, I dive deeper into the corpse pile that is Grave Infestation’s sophomore record, Carnage Gathers.

Death metal is a known quantity. We all know it when we hear it, and can describe it without much conflict or confusion. Such is the case for Grave Infestation. Carnage Gathers represents death metal at its most rank, channeling equal parts Asphyx and Incantation, with a membrane of slick Autopsy sleaze surrounding its diseased skin. It’s a combination that works wonders for those who search tirelessly for the nastiest of the nasty, and in that respect, Grave Infestation don’t disappoint. Buzzing and boisterous riffs abound, slammed into the earth below by the crushing heft of doom-laden chugs and yanked back upright by a relentless barrage of squealing solos. Cheering on these deadly antics, a vomitous wretch, brutally projected from afar, echoes its sickening cry across Carnage Gathers’ necrotic scenery. Drawing the line just shy of the caverns from whence Tomb Mold’s early work spawned, Carnage Gathers boasts a sound that exudes old school death at its prime.

Of course, that means that I’m drawn to Carnage Gathers almost by instinct, an animal magnetism against which mental fortitude and willpower crumbles at the slightest breeze. Choice cuts “Inuman Remains,” “Black Widow,” and “Drenched in Blood” take full advantage of my weakness here. Bridging the gap between Incantation’s sheer heft with the vicious onslaught of Autopsy’s violent ways, these songs juggle riffs and grooves engaging enough to motivate the necks of even the staunchest death dissident. “Black Widow,” in particular, marks Grave Infestation’s high water mark, boasting a punky d-beat swagger in conjunction with screeching dive bombs that make an instant memory. Songs like these show that Grave Infestation not only understand the kind of songwriting that made death metal an international underground phenomenon but also identify and implement subtle ways to invigorate that well-worn, comfortable style for a modern audience.

However, Carnage Gathers demonstrates understanding and implementation inconsistently. Pulling from many of its doomier segments, Grave Infestation’s writing outside of their ravenous tears and mid-paced stomps leaves a lot on the table. “Ritualized Autopsy,” “The Anthropophagus,” and “Murder Spree,” among a couple others, routinely inject slower passages characterized by generic chugs and repetitive solos, thereby undermining Carnage Gathers’ strongest material with filler. Considering several tracks reach past five minutes with the inclusion of these insubstantial sections of languid doom death, it seems a clear weak point in Grave Infestation’s repertoire. The undeniable fact that their ripping, death-focused outbursts regularly demolish everything in their path each time they rear their ugly heads only further illuminates the flat, featureless nature of their doom-laden dalliances.

As I surface from the Carnage that Gathers to breathe deep of stale, putrid air, I rest easy knowing that despite its flaws, Carnage Gathers isn’t half bad. Its best moments are a ten-ton anvil of repugnant fun, and the doomed detours that fail to resonate in any meaningful way also don’t derail the experience entirely. Instead, these flawed moments serve as an opportunity for growth. Grave Infestation are still young and have a ton of potential. It wouldn’t take much for them to further refine and empower their sound, launching the quality of their output into higher echelons. For the moment, though, Carnage Gathers is a simple, fun platter of filth, and that’s fine with me.

Rating: Mixed

#25 #2025 #30 #Ahna #Asphyx #Autopsy #CanadianMetal #CarnageGathers #CeremonialBloodbath #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Feb25 #GraveInfestation #Hellhammer #Incantation #InvictusProductions #Leprosy #Obituary #PersecutionOfTheLiving #Possessed #Review #Reviews #ScreamBloodyGore #TombMold

Blood Feast – Infinite Evolution Review

By Mark Z.

For every Metallica or Slayer, there are thousands of good bands that never made it nearly as big. Blood Feast are one of those bands. Formed in the thrash metal heyday of the mid-1980s, these New Jersey natives came out swinging with their 1987 debut, Kill for Pleasure. Showcasing a dirty and unrefined take on thrash, that album earned some underground acclaim with its manic vocals, primitive riffing, and pugnacious attitude. But greater success was not to be. After guitarist Adam Tranquilli departed in 1988, the remaining members released Chopping Block Blues, a stranger and altogether less compelling affair, before calling it quits in 1991. The group would reunite and play some shows over the years, but nothing really lasted until Adam returned and formed the current iteration of the band, ultimately resulting in 2017’s The Future State of Wicked. While I liked that album, I agree with Eldritch Elitist that the crazed vocals got a bit tiring. Yet the times have changed. Having parted ways with the previous vocalist and overcome some pandemic-related delays, Adam and his crew of Garden State miscreants are finally back with the band’s fourth album, Infinite Evolution.

One of things I’ve always liked about Blood Feast is how their unassuming and workingman approach to thrash manages to stay firmly entrenched in the genre without sounding like any one band in particular. That remains the case on Infinite Evolution. As with their last album, this record features all the crunchy riffing and headstrong drumming you’d expect from a group like this, with plenty of twisted tremolos for good measure. “Of Hell” is a scorching assault that shows just how well it all works, with frantic riffs that are sure to get your head nodding and gang shouts that are sure to get your fist pumping.

True to its name, however, this record is a bit of an evolution for Blood Feast. With the vocalist position vacant, Adam himself has stepped up to the mic, performing the vocals whilst keeping guitar in hand. Yet while the previous vocalist had a wild and unhinged style, Adam hollers in a more understated way that reminds me of Jeff Becerra’s performance on the last Possessed album. He’s less intense than his predecessors, but his approach benefits the album by letting the music breathe. This turns out to be particularly important here given the more complex compositions that appear after the first few songs. “Eye of Glass,” for instance, is practically progressive thrash metal, complete with oodles of stringy riffing, a nearly eight-minute runtime, and even some robotic vocals that sound like something from Cynic’s Focus. Similarly, “Outbreak” features plump basslines that play call-and-response with the vocals during the song’s chorus, while “The Preacher” finds success in building up from wonky melodies to more intense ideas.

The biggest downside to Infinite Evolution is that songs of this caliber aren’t spread evenly throughout. This record is sequenced strangely, with the songs getting progressively better as the album goes. First proper track “Ravaging the Loins of Mary” features a couple mean riffs and plenty of ripping solos, but the song never seems to find its footing. The following track, “Never Will I Die,” pounds forward with more conviction but still isn’t as good as later songs. Meanwhile, the closing track, “The Chosen,” might be my favorite song here, with wild ideas that remind me of Atheist and a slick little melodic riff that propels everything forward. Throughout the record, Adam and fellow guitarist CJ Scioscia are the highlight of the show. Plenty of slick and shredding leads are crammed into these tracks, and the riffs offer more than enough variety to keep things engaging throughout these forty-one minutes. The production is modern but not overly polished and gives the bass guitar room to shine.

You have to hand it to a band like Blood Feast. Though they started decades ago and have never made it big, they still keep grinding and, as this album shows, are more than willing to try new things. Even with a few minor issues, Infinite Evolution is a fun and lively listen that I think will please new and old fans alike.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Websites: blood-feast.bandcamp.com | bloodfeastlegions.com | facebook.com/bloodfeastlegions
Releases Worldwide: July 12th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #Atheist #BloodFeast #Cynic #HellsHeadbangerRecords #InfiniteEvolution #Jul24 #Metallica #Possessed #Review #Reviews #Slayer #ThrashMetal

Blood Feast – Infinite Evolution Review

By Mark Z.

For every Metallica or Slayer, there are thousands of good bands that never made it nearly as big. Blood Feast are one of those bands. Formed in the thrash metal heyday of the mid-1980s, these New Jersey natives came out swinging with their 1987 debut, Kill for Pleasure. Showcasing a dirty and unrefined take on thrash, that album earned some underground acclaim with its manic vocals, primitive riffing, and pugnacious attitude. But greater success was not to be. After guitarist Adam Tranquilli departed in 1988, the remaining members released Chopping Block Blues, a stranger and altogether less compelling affair, before calling it quits in 1991. The group would reunite and play some shows over the years, but nothing really lasted until Adam returned and formed the current iteration of the band, ultimately resulting in 2017’s The Future State of Wicked. While I liked that album, I agree with Eldritch Elitist that the crazed vocals got a bit tiring. Yet the times have changed. Having parted ways with the previous vocalist and overcome some pandemic-related delays, Adam and his crew of Garden State miscreants are finally back with the band’s fourth album, Infinite Evolution.

One of things I’ve always liked about Blood Feast is how their unassuming and workingman approach to thrash manages to stay firmly entrenched in the genre without sounding like any one band in particular. That remains the case on Infinite Evolution. As with their last album, this record features all the crunchy riffing and headstrong drumming you’d expect from a group like this, with plenty of twisted tremolos for good measure. “Of Hell” is a scorching assault that shows just how well it all works, with frantic riffs that are sure to get your head nodding and gang shouts that are sure to get your fist pumping.

True to its name, however, this record is a bit of an evolution for Blood Feast. With the vocalist position vacant, Adam himself has stepped up to the mic, performing the vocals whilst keeping guitar in hand. Yet while the previous vocalist had a wild and unhinged style, Adam hollers in a more understated way that reminds me of Jeff Becerra’s performance on the last Possessed album. He’s less intense than his predecessors, but his approach benefits the album by letting the music breathe. This turns out to be particularly important here given the more complex compositions that appear after the first few songs. “Eye of Glass,” for instance, is practically progressive thrash metal, complete with oodles of stringy riffing, a nearly eight-minute runtime, and even some robotic vocals that sound like something from Cynic’s Focus. Similarly, “Outbreak” features plump basslines that play call-and-response with the vocals during the song’s chorus, while “The Preacher” finds success in building up from wonky melodies to more intense ideas.

The biggest downside to Infinite Evolution is that songs of this caliber aren’t spread evenly throughout. This record is sequenced strangely, with the songs getting progressively better as the album goes. First proper track “Ravaging the Loins of Mary” features a couple mean riffs and plenty of ripping solos, but the song never seems to find its footing. The following track, “Never Will I Die,” pounds forward with more conviction but still isn’t as good as later songs. Meanwhile, the closing track, “The Chosen,” might be my favorite song here, with wild ideas that remind me of Atheist and a slick little melodic riff that propels everything forward. Throughout the record, Adam and fellow guitarist CJ Scioscia are the highlight of the show. Plenty of slick and shredding leads are crammed into these tracks, and the riffs offer more than enough variety to keep things engaging throughout these forty-one minutes. The production is modern but not overly polished and gives the bass guitar room to shine.

You have to hand it to a band like Blood Feast. Though they started decades ago and have never made it big, they still keep grinding and, as this album shows, are more than willing to try new things. Even with a few minor issues, Infinite Evolution is a fun and lively listen that I think will please new and old fans alike.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Websites: blood-feast.bandcamp.com | bloodfeastlegions.com | facebook.com/bloodfeastlegions
Releases Worldwide: July 12th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #Atheist #BloodFeast #Cynic #HellsHeadbangerRecords #InfiniteEvolution #Jul24 #Metallica #Possessed #Review #Reviews #Slayer #ThrashMetal

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
GRUESOME (EXHUMED, POSSESSED, Etc.) Returns With Gnarly New Single "Frailty"
Death metal!

https://metalinjection.net/new-music/gruesome-exhumed-possessed-etc-returns-with-gnarly-new-single-frailty

#gruesome #mattharvey #danielgonzalez #robinmazen #gusrios #exhumed #possessed #deathmetal #frailty

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
GRUESOME (EXHUMED, POSSESSED, Etc.) Returns With Gnarly New Single "Frailty"
Death metal!

https://metalinjection.net/new-music/gruesome-exhumed-possessed-etc-returns-with-gnarly-new-single-frailty

#gruesome #mattharvey #danielgonzalez #robinmazen #gusrios #exhumed #possessed #deathmetal #frailty

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
These Are The Best 10 Debut Albums From Classic North American Death Metal Bands, According To You
From Morbid Angel to Nile, you picked 'em!

https://metalinjection.net/lists/these-are-the-best-10-debut-albums-from-classic-north-american-death-metal-bands-according-to-you

#Nile #SixFeetUnder #Possessed #CannibalCorpse #Cynic #Deicide #Suffocation #Obituary #Death #MorbidAngel #DebutAlbums #NorthAmericanDeathMetal #PollResults #ClassicBands #VotingResults #MetalMusic #DeathMetal

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
These Are The Best 10 Debut Albums From Classic North American Death Metal Bands, According To You
From Morbid Angel to Nile, you picked 'em!

https://metalinjection.net/lists/these-are-the-best-10-debut-albums-from-classic-north-american-death-metal-bands-according-to-you

#Nile #SixFeetUnder #Possessed #CannibalCorpse #Cynic #Deicide #Suffocation #Obituary #Death #MorbidAngel #DebutAlbums #NorthAmericanDeathMetal #PollResults #ClassicBands #VotingResults #MetalMusic #DeathMetal

Decryptor – Imminent Ruin Review

By Saunders

Part of the enduring thrill of this here reviewing game, is dipping into the toxic gunk of the promo sump to pull out a freshly untapped talent or obscure underground gem that knocks your socks off and gives reason to share the love with anyone who will listen. Of course, shit can go pear-shaped pretty quickly in a densely populated modern metal scene, where carving an impression and standing out from the overcrowded pack offers a stern challenge. Hailing from British Colombia, Decryptor formed as recently as 2020, plying their trade through underground dedication and refining their skills via a few demo releases. Imminent Ruin signals the band’s first foray into full-length territory. With minimal profile or web presence, let us see if these young upstarts have the songwriting goods and talents to stoke deeper interest.

Decryptor fit most snugly into the death metal genre, however, their sound traverses varied territory within the modern metal landscape. Imminent Ruin boasts loads of big, beefy riffage, melodic licks, chunky grooves, and an array of mid to faster-paced rhythms, gruff vocals and nods to the Gothenburg melodeath scene of yesteryear. Aside from the unnecessary introduction piece, Decryptor keep things fairly direct across a tight runtime. The formula is no-frills though does not lack for bursts of vibrant energy and solid musicianship, with a particular emphasis on dueling melodic leads and straightforward, headbangable riffs and grooves, juggling death, melodeath and death-doom influences. Although heavier moments crop up and the whole attack has a certain hefty charm, Imminent Ruin is accessible and largely undemanding on the ears.

Despite the modern metal polish, the groovy, streamlined material avoids the easy route to mainstream metal popularity. You won’t find overdone keys, synths or bright, poppy clean vocal melodies or sugary choruses. Decryptor employ a moody, Scandanavian-tinged approach to proceedings. The darker palette, expressive guitar harmonies and gritty basslines add a heartfelt, emotive edge to otherwise fairly stock standard songwriting approaches. Although Decryptor name the esteemed likes of Slayer, Possessed and Death as influences, the hallmarks of these legendary bands are not really reflected in the music of Imminent Ruin. Musically there are shades of older In Fames and Edge of Sanity, while the doomy, groove-laced passages occasionally recall the underrated Décembre Noir. This sounds juicy on paper; however, the end result is not quite as appealing as those influences may suggest. Though not without its merits and appealing moments, Decryptor struggle to establish a clear identity and songwriting quality is mixed. On the upside, “Downfall” features a dirty, rumbling heft, powering along with solid riffs, enticing leads and steamrolling grooves. “Absence” features more of Decryptor’s twisting guitar melodies, bolstered by an interesting arrangement and genuine hooks, that can otherwise be fleeting or nondescript throughout the album.

The catchier swagger of “Blight” marks another example of the band’s more appealing traits. Elsewhere the writing is decidedly patchier, despite smatterings of cool moments and a tidy finish on closer “Xibalba.” Decryptor have clearly put their blood, sweat and tears into creating a confident-sounding debut album. Overall performances are solid, with potential yet to be fully formed and fulfilled. In particular, tasty guitar work litters across the album. Guitar duo Dean Fast (also on vocals) and Justin Tjart possess impressive chops and if they can refine their formula and tighten up their songwriting the future appears promising. Unfortunately, song-by-song quality and defining character is fleeting, leaving behind a collection of tunes with enticing moments that never quite develops into a consistent, gripping listen. The gloomier, doom-flecked component of Decryptor’s sound fits best, allowing the melancholy-tinged leads to shine and chunky grooves to bustle and rumble away. It will be interesting to see if they can tap into and develop this aspect of their sound on future offerings.

Decryptor’s Imminent Ruin is a solidly pieced together debut that exhibits potential, but sadly fails to generate much excitement or the kind of enticing writing to keep the listener firmly engaged and coming back for more. Perhaps with further honing of their craft and distinguishing a more unique identity, Decryptor may have the foundational tools and talents to realize their budding potential next time around. Until then, Imminent Ruin is a mixed bag, a promising though largely unremarkable offering, but with enough flash to make them worth keeping an eye on.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Self-Release
Websites: decryptorvic.bandcamp | facebook.com/DecryptorVictoria
Releases Worldwide: February 29th, 2024

#25 #2024 #CanadianMetal #Death #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #DécembreNoir #Decryptor #EdgeOfSanity #ImminentRuin #InFlames #MelodicDeathMetal #Possessed #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #Slayer

Decryptor – Imminent Ruin Review

By Saunders

Part of the enduring thrill of this here reviewing game, is dipping into the toxic gunk of the promo sump to pull out a freshly untapped talent or obscure underground gem that knocks your socks off and gives reason to share the love with anyone who will listen. Of course, shit can go pear-shaped pretty quickly in a densely populated modern metal scene, where carving an impression and standing out from the overcrowded pack offers a stern challenge. Hailing from British Colombia, Decryptor formed as recently as 2020, plying their trade through underground dedication and refining their skills via a few demo releases. Imminent Ruin signals the band’s first foray into full-length territory. With minimal profile or web presence, let us see if these young upstarts have the songwriting goods and talents to stoke deeper interest.

Decryptor fit most snugly into the death metal genre, however, their sound traverses varied territory within the modern metal landscape. Imminent Ruin boasts loads of big, beefy riffage, melodic licks, chunky grooves, and an array of mid to faster-paced rhythms, gruff vocals and nods to the Gothenburg melodeath scene of yesteryear. Aside from the unnecessary introduction piece, Decryptor keep things fairly direct across a tight runtime. The formula is no-frills though does not lack for bursts of vibrant energy and solid musicianship, with a particular emphasis on dueling melodic leads and straightforward, headbangable riffs and grooves, juggling death, melodeath and death-doom influences. Although heavier moments crop up and the whole attack has a certain hefty charm, Imminent Ruin is accessible and largely undemanding on the ears.

Despite the modern metal polish, the groovy, streamlined material avoids the easy route to mainstream metal popularity. You won’t find overdone keys, synths or bright, poppy clean vocal melodies or sugary choruses. Decryptor employ a moody, Scandanavian-tinged approach to proceedings. The darker palette, expressive guitar harmonies and gritty basslines add a heartfelt, emotive edge to otherwise fairly stock standard songwriting approaches. Although Decryptor name the esteemed likes of Slayer, Possessed and Death as influences, the hallmarks of these legendary bands are not really reflected in the music of Imminent Ruin. Musically there are shades of older In Fames and Edge of Sanity, while the doomy, groove-laced passages occasionally recall the underrated Décembre Noir. This sounds juicy on paper; however, the end result is not quite as appealing as those influences may suggest. Though not without its merits and appealing moments, Decryptor struggle to establish a clear identity and songwriting quality is mixed. On the upside, “Downfall” features a dirty, rumbling heft, powering along with solid riffs, enticing leads and steamrolling grooves. “Absence” features more of Decryptor’s twisting guitar melodies, bolstered by an interesting arrangement and genuine hooks, that can otherwise be fleeting or nondescript throughout the album.

The catchier swagger of “Blight” marks another example of the band’s more appealing traits. Elsewhere the writing is decidedly patchier, despite smatterings of cool moments and a tidy finish on closer “Xibalba.” Decryptor have clearly put their blood, sweat and tears into creating a confident-sounding debut album. Overall performances are solid, with potential yet to be fully formed and fulfilled. In particular, tasty guitar work litters across the album. Guitar duo Dean Fast (also on vocals) and Justin Tjart possess impressive chops and if they can refine their formula and tighten up their songwriting the future appears promising. Unfortunately, song-by-song quality and defining character is fleeting, leaving behind a collection of tunes with enticing moments that never quite develops into a consistent, gripping listen. The gloomier, doom-flecked component of Decryptor’s sound fits best, allowing the melancholy-tinged leads to shine and chunky grooves to bustle and rumble away. It will be interesting to see if they can tap into and develop this aspect of their sound on future offerings.

Decryptor’s Imminent Ruin is a solidly pieced together debut that exhibits potential, but sadly fails to generate much excitement or the kind of enticing writing to keep the listener firmly engaged and coming back for more. Perhaps with further honing of their craft and distinguishing a more unique identity, Decryptor may have the foundational tools and talents to realize their budding potential next time around. Until then, Imminent Ruin is a mixed bag, a promising though largely unremarkable offering, but with enough flash to make them worth keeping an eye on.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Self-Release
Websites: decryptorvic.bandcamp | facebook.com/DecryptorVictoria
Releases Worldwide: February 29th, 2024

#25 #2024 #CanadianMetal #Death #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #DécembreNoir #Decryptor #EdgeOfSanity #ImminentRuin #InFlames #MelodicDeathMetal #Possessed #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #Slayer

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