#sentient-horror — Public Fediverse posts

Heads for the Dead – Never Ending Night of Terror Review

By Steel Druhm

Death metal “supergroup” Heads for the Dead left enough carnage in their wake over 3 full-length albums to make grave robbers take notice. Led by the well-traveled Jonny Pettersson (Rotpit, Wommbath, ex-Just Before Dawn, ex-Masacre) and featuring Ralf Hauber (Rotpit, Revel in Flesh) on vocals, you know to expect slimy old school death metal of the Swedish variety with an emphasis on scuzz and grime. We lavished praise on 2018s Serpent’s Curse and bade you not to miss 2022s The Great Conjuration. Now here comes the fourth pillar in their death edifice, Never Ending Night of Terror. Will their tried-and-trve old school formula still prove fatal to the soft, fleshy parts? That big-ass machete on the cover certainly suggests the risk of bodily harm is dire. But will it cut?

As lead track “The Vastness of Time” bursts into being, Heads for the Dead shove an entire buffalo cranium up your privacy hole without a hint of social lubrication. As I’m slapped silly by their deathery, I can’t help but be reminded of the glorious debut by Rotpit. It’s the same kind of caveman Swedeath delivered by Neanderthal throwbacks and designed to beat your mortal form into bloody submission. It’s heavy, nasty, and festooned with scabby riffs and rancid vocals. There’s an element of actual melody in here, too, and the band slather a horror movie vibe over the top of the bloody death metal meatloaf. It works without feeling forced, and that’s a win. “Phantasmagoria” is a mid-tempo tank treader that rumbles through walls, hopes, and dreams as you flee for your worthless life. This kinda stuff is why I’m here. “In Disgust We Trust” is a sticky biscuit of brutal Swedeath with that original Entombed stench wafting everywhere. It’s good, unclean fun for a fucked up family.

The one-two combo of “Give Me Life” and “Harvester” will peel the paint off your prized My Pretty Pony® collection with the obnoxiously primitive d-beat onslaught and assortment of riffs, chugs, and blasts. It’s not like Heads for the Dead are reinventing the steel, but they’re churning out military-grade Swedeath that will leave unsightly blemishes on your chesticles. Not every song hits with the same barbed wire wombbat, however. “Death Mask” is decent, but doesn’t stick with me aside from the opening threat that “You are all FUCKING DOOMED!” The title track goes all in on big horror ambiance, but it ends up more style over substance and leaves me wanting. Likewise, album closer “Witchkrieg” is intended as a tribute to famed horror soundtrack act Goblin, and features their kind of dated 70s synth noodling in the context of a death metal song. It’s fun but doesn’t completely gel. At 41 minutes, Never Ending Night of Terror has more ups than downs and doesn’t feel too never-ending, but some points do feel drawn out.

Jonny Pettersson handles guitar, bass, and keys. He’s an ace riff meister and delivers a bruising collection of Swedeath-style leads across the album. I’m a big fan of his beefy, burly mid-tempo power chugs, and he showcases some wild solo work at various points too. Ralf Hauber, the vocalist for Rotpit, does a very similar style of death croakery here. I’m a huge fan of his booming reverb-drenched delivery and how he sounds like a foul voice on the wind. Matt Molite of Sentient Horror rises from the wilds of Long Island to man the kit, and he abuses it and the listener with a thundering performance that will cause PTSD. Naturally, the presence of both Pettersson and Hauber does make this sound quite Rotpit-adjacent, but that’s fine by me. The horror aesthetics give it a somewhat unique identity, and most of the songs deliver basic but fun ear abuse.

Heads for the Dead are a consistently entertaining project from a highly seasoned crew of scuzz merchants. Never Ending Night of Terror has some A-list cuts and some lesser evils too, but overall it’s a solid dose of toxic goo with decent replay value. If you’re going to suffer a long night of terror this October, this isn’t bad company to do it with. When it comes to heads for the dead, you gotta catch ’em all.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pulverised
Websites: facebook.com/headsforthedead | instagram.com/headsforthedead
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025

#2025 #30 #DeathMetal #HeadsForTheDead #InternationalMetal #JustBeforeDawn #PulverisedRecords #RevelInFlesh #Review #Reviews #Rotpit #SentientHorror #Wombbath

Atomic Witch – Death Etiquette Review

By Tyme

Cleveland, Ohio’s death thrash quintet, Atomic Witch, began as Bulk & Skull in 2012—a nod to the comic relief duo from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers—before changing their moniker in 2016. After releasing a few singles and EPs, Atomic Witch partnered with Redefining Darkness Records and producer Dan “The Man” Swanö for their debut album, Crypt of Sleepless Malice, in 2022, which created a splash in the death thrash pool with its visceral riffs, horror-themed lyrics, and completely unhinged vocals. Three years of lessons learned later, Atomic Witch and new producer Noah Buchanan (Nunslaughter, Solipsist) at Cleveland’s Mercinary Studios have reopened the crypt to unleash sophomore effort, Death Etiquette, upon the phantasmic masses. Do these Midwest marauders have what it takes to infect a crowded scene even further, or should we stake this vampire’s heart now and slam the coffin door shut?

As Death Etiquette comes not only crashing through but completely mangling the gate, it’s clear Atomic Witch hasn’t tweaked their formula. In just over two minutes, album opener “Morgue Rat” packs everything Atomic Witch does well into one brief, bristling bruiser. Frenetically furious riffing melded with drummer Nick Amato’s (Axioma) rolls and fills hit you right between the beady eyes before the track settles into a nice, mid-paced chug-a-lug. Like Stallone turning his trucker hat around in Over the Top, when singer Nick Martinis pulls his neon green ski mask down over his face, shit’s about to get real, and when he delivers the very cheeky Drowning Pool-ish line “Let the bodies hit the morgue,” it’s also clear Atomic Witch don’t take themselves too seriously. New bassist David McJunkins’ low-end rumblings, in conjunction with Amato’s battery, keep the frantic riffs and twisted solos of Jesse Shattuck and Jonah Meister in check. Death Etiquette delivers short and sweet thrash first and foremost, falling somewhere amidst the sonic Bermuda triangle of Slayer, Forbidden, and Xoth. At the same time, there are sprinkles of Sentient Horror-like death (“Of Flesh and Chrome”) and a little bit of black metallicism (“Dream Rot”) boiling in Atomic Witch’s cauldron. Performances reign supreme here, and it’s the vocal pyrotechnics that take center stage.

Eschewing the punkier, more straightforward approach of fellow Midwest acts like Midnight and Wraith, Atomic Witch differentiate through the crazed vocal tandem of Martinis and Shattuck. Betwixt the two, Martinis carries the bulk of the responsibility, and his snarly screams—reminiscent of Havok’s David Sanchez—bring some extra lethality to the material and highlight the catchy choruses (“Morgue Rat,” “Worms and Dirt”). While the completely bonkers, high-pitched, full-throated power falsettos—landing within Rob Halford, King Diamond, and Mark Osegueda territory—and deep, guttural growls of Shattuck serve as an insane accompaniment to Martinis’ raspy delivery (“Death Edging (Come to the Light)”). Both coalesce perfectly on my favorite track, and album closer “Vicious Mistress,” a Venom song title if ever there was one. Carrying over from the debut’s “Love Curse,” the track features a swaggering groove composed of bendy chords and flirty riffs, the high-low vocal trade-offs accentuating the hectic solos and furious instrumentals with a romping effect.

Death Etiquette benefits from Noah Buchanan’s rawer production. As masterful as Swanö is, I found the mix on Crypt of Sleepless Malice too mutedly polished. And while Atomic Witch may have sacrificed some DR in the process, the slightly louder mix works for me with this material. A testament to cohesiveness, the songwriting on Death Etiquette is tighter and more focused too, as Shattuck and Meister continue to refine their ability to craft engaging music. And while even the shorter tracks feel fully resolved, despite their brevity, the twenty-seven-minute runtime did leave me wanting a little more meat on my plate.

Atomic Witch continue to make a name for themselves in the death thrash space, and Death Etiquette is another solid step forward. And while they’re not doing anything too groundbreaking or boundary-pushing, these two first noteworthy releases indicate a band embarking on a decently consistent career. I suppose only time will tell. Atomic Witch seems like a fun band, and I found Death Etiquette a fun listen. I’d certainly opt to catch them, and their ski-masked frontman, live should they make a stop anywhere near my stomping grounds. I’ll be spinning Death Etiquette more as this humid summer trudges on and will be keeping my eyes peeled for what Atomic Witch does next.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Redefining Darkness Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: July 25th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #AtomicWitch #DeathEtiquette #DeathMetal #Forbidden #Jul25 #Midnight #RedefiningDarknessRecords #Review #SentientHorror #Slayer #ThrashMetal #Wraith #Xoth