#uniqueleaderrecords — Public Fediverse posts

Based on naming traditions and a tendency to dub groups after horrific activities, such as Cattle Decapitation or Immolation, Australian Deathcore band A Night In Texas must believe there is nothing more terrifying than spending an evening in the Lone Star State. Perhaps the horror of the unknown hits hard for a group eight thousand miles away from their namesake, but A Night In Texas is no stranger to the ubiquitous elements of modern deathcore that defy the confines of any nation or state. With The Darkest Side of Humanity, the band’s latest comes at the start of their second decade, preceded by four records that exemplified solid, if a little uninspired, deathcore and a nominally influential debut. Is their latest the one to turn heads from Texas to Brisbane, or will it cowtow to deathcore trends known the world over?

Featuring a new vocalist after the departure of their longest-running lead, Sam Cameron quickly shows that he is no slouch. If The Darkest Side of Humanity has any weakness, it isn’t for lack of Cameron’s breadth and brutality. Properly Gollum-worthy highs pierce ears alongside gut-rumbling lows as he shows as much or more potency than those that came before. Founding member and lead guitarist Cory Judd is clearly the sonic soul of the band, as The Darkest Side of Humanity is as oppressively crushing as previous records. Amongst the cacophony (more on this later), Tommy Williams feels properly black metal at times, weaving tantalizingly sullen melodies just beneath the boiling surface of Judd’s bouncing battering. Freshman drummer Chris Whitbread delivers inhuman drumming that showcases technicality rarely seen in the more beatdown-driven core, lending the band a sound that at times straddles deathcore and tech-death.

The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out from much of modern deathcore thanks to A Night In Texas’ focus on speed and tech-death trappings. Bolstering their instrumental prowess are surprisingly inspired lyrics and a genuine devotion to rhythmic timing, reminding one of Unhallowed Deliverance. Each track features a standout moment and drives to a proper crescendo, but the devotion to an ecstatic ending becomes formulaic by the album’s end. The Darkest Side of Humanity could lose a track, and it would be better for it. When the record pops off, it does so with aplomb, and the back half is particularly vicious and rousing. The mid-record epic “When the Sun Burns Out” is driven by atmospheric plucking and tasteful, yet sparse clean singing. “The Chronicles of Nihilism” is an immediate standout with its bounce-worthy lead riff and adherence to speed.

While tech-death is clearly an inspiration for A Night In Texas, The Darkest Side of Humanity is another victim of the utter flattening of the genre due to the explosion in popularity of Lorna Shore. What was once tech-deathcore now must include hamfisted symphonic elements and triple-tap bursting breakdowns. While those tech influences remain a part of Judd’s DNA, the paint-by-numbers orchestration does nothing to enhance any individual song. Ironically, the back half of the album either abandons or minimizes backing tracks to great effect, becoming far more epic through sheer instrumentation and scale. The repetitive machine-gun riffage runs rampant, and while it is used more tastefully than most, I can’t help but feel A Night In Texas has the chops to do so much more and display as much alongside the derivative chords. For every predictable breakdown or riff, there is a flurry of inspired technicality or hooky earworms.

The Darkest Side of Humanity is inoffensive for deathcore, and even shows moments of true grandiosity. The latter half is great at times; the title track and finale are a high note to go out on, but cutting a track and stripping the album of most of its orchestration would do wonders for it. For a record that is so fast, heavy, and technical, with over-the-top vocals and orchestration, it sounds consistently cacophonous. This record is dense, but there is gold in them hills for those who take the time to sift. If A Night In Texas leans into the tech, focuses on hooks, and avoids chasing trends, their next record could reach the heights I know they are capable of. For now, The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out as a solid tech-deathcore record, head and shoulders above most of its peers, but the competition is not necessarily fierce.

Rating: Good
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

Based on naming traditions and a tendency to dub groups after horrific activities, such as Cattle Decapitation or Immolation, Australian Deathcore band A Night In Texas must believe there is nothing more terrifying than spending an evening in the Lone Star State. Perhaps the horror of the unknown hits hard for a group eight thousand miles away from their namesake, but A Night In Texas is no stranger to the ubiquitous elements of modern deathcore that defy the confines of any nation or state. With The Darkest Side of Humanity, the band’s latest comes at the start of their second decade, preceded by four records that exemplified solid, if a little uninspired, deathcore and a nominally influential debut. Is their latest the one to turn heads from Texas to Brisbane, or will it cowtow to deathcore trends known the world over?

Featuring a new vocalist after the departure of their longest-running lead, Sam Cameron quickly shows that he is no slouch. If The Darkest Side of Humanity has any weakness, it isn’t for lack of Cameron’s breadth and brutality. Properly Gollum-worthy highs pierce ears alongside gut-rumbling lows as he shows as much or more potency than those that came before. Founding member and lead guitarist Cory Judd is clearly the sonic soul of the band, as The Darkest Side of Humanity is as oppressively crushing as previous records. Amongst the cacophony (more on this later), Tommy Williams feels properly black metal at times, weaving tantalizingly sullen melodies just beneath the boiling surface of Judd’s bouncing battering. Freshman drummer Chris Whitbread delivers inhuman drumming that showcases technicality rarely seen in the more beatdown-driven core, lending the band a sound that at times straddles deathcore and tech-death.

The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out from much of modern deathcore thanks to A Night In Texas’ focus on speed and tech-death trappings. Bolstering their instrumental prowess are surprisingly inspired lyrics and a genuine devotion to rhythmic timing, reminding one of Unhallowed Deliverance. Each track features a standout moment and drives to a proper crescendo, but the devotion to an ecstatic ending becomes formulaic by the album’s end. The Darkest Side of Humanity could lose a track, and it would be better for it. When the record pops off, it does so with aplomb, and the back half is particularly vicious and rousing. The mid-record epic “When the Sun Burns Out” is driven by atmospheric plucking and tasteful, yet sparse clean singing. “The Chronicles of Nihilism” is an immediate standout with its bounce-worthy lead riff and adherence to speed.

While tech-death is clearly an inspiration for A Night In Texas, The Darkest Side of Humanity is another victim of the utter flattening of the genre due to the explosion in popularity of Lorna Shore. What was once tech-deathcore now must include hamfisted symphonic elements and triple-tap bursting breakdowns. While those tech influences remain a part of Judd’s DNA, the paint-by-numbers orchestration does nothing to enhance any individual song. Ironically, the back half of the album either abandons or minimizes backing tracks to great effect, becoming far more epic through sheer instrumentation and scale. The repetitive machine-gun riffage runs rampant, and while it is used more tastefully than most, I can’t help but feel A Night In Texas has the chops to do so much more and display as much alongside the derivative chords. For every predictable breakdown or riff, there is a flurry of inspired technicality or hooky earworms.

The Darkest Side of Humanity is inoffensive for deathcore, and even shows moments of true grandiosity. The latter half is great at times; the title track and finale are a high note to go out on, but cutting a track and stripping the album of most of its orchestration would do wonders for it. For a record that is so fast, heavy, and technical, with over-the-top vocals and orchestration, it sounds consistently cacophonous. This record is dense, but there is gold in them hills for those who take the time to sift. If A Night In Texas leans into the tech, focuses on hooks, and avoids chasing trends, their next record could reach the heights I know they are capable of. For now, The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out as a solid tech-deathcore record, head and shoulders above most of its peers, but the competition is not necessarily fierce.

Rating: Good
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

Based on naming traditions and a tendency to dub groups after horrific activities, such as Cattle Decapitation or Immolation, Australian Deathcore band A Night In Texas must believe there is nothing more terrifying than spending an evening in the Lone Star State. Perhaps the horror of the unknown hits hard for a group eight thousand miles away from their namesake, but A Night In Texas is no stranger to the ubiquitous elements of modern deathcore that defy the confines of any nation or state. With The Darkest Side of Humanity, the band’s latest comes at the start of their second decade, preceded by four records that exemplified solid, if a little uninspired, deathcore and a nominally influential debut. Is their latest the one to turn heads from Texas to Brisbane, or will it cowtow to deathcore trends known the world over?

Featuring a new vocalist after the departure of their longest-running lead, Sam Cameron quickly shows that he is no slouch. If The Darkest Side of Humanity has any weakness, it isn’t for lack of Cameron’s breadth and brutality. Properly Gollum-worthy highs pierce ears alongside gut-rumbling lows as he shows as much or more potency than those that came before. Founding member and lead guitarist Cory Judd is clearly the sonic soul of the band, as The Darkest Side of Humanity is as oppressively crushing as previous records. Amongst the cacophony (more on this later), Tommy Williams feels properly black metal at times, weaving tantalizingly sullen melodies just beneath the boiling surface of Judd’s bouncing battering. Freshman drummer Chris Whitbread delivers inhuman drumming that showcases technicality rarely seen in the more beatdown-driven core, lending the band a sound that at times straddles deathcore and tech-death.

The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out from much of modern deathcore thanks to A Night In Texas’ focus on speed and tech-death trappings. Bolstering their instrumental prowess are surprisingly inspired lyrics and a genuine devotion to rhythmic timing, reminding one of Unhallowed Deliverance. Each track features a standout moment and drives to a proper crescendo, but the devotion to an ecstatic ending becomes formulaic by the album’s end. The Darkest Side of Humanity could lose a track, and it would be better for it. When the record pops off, it does so with aplomb, and the back half is particularly vicious and rousing. The mid-record epic “When the Sun Burns Out” is driven by atmospheric plucking and tasteful, yet sparse clean singing. “The Chronicles of Nihilism” is an immediate standout with its bounce-worthy lead riff and adherence to speed.

While tech-death is clearly an inspiration for A Night In Texas, The Darkest Side of Humanity is another victim of the utter flattening of the genre due to the explosion in popularity of Lorna Shore. What was once tech-deathcore now must include hamfisted symphonic elements and triple-tap bursting breakdowns. While those tech influences remain a part of Judd’s DNA, the paint-by-numbers orchestration does nothing to enhance any individual song. Ironically, the back half of the album either abandons or minimizes backing tracks to great effect, becoming far more epic through sheer instrumentation and scale. The repetitive machine-gun riffage runs rampant, and while it is used more tastefully than most, I can’t help but feel A Night In Texas has the chops to do so much more and display as much alongside the derivative chords. For every predictable breakdown or riff, there is a flurry of inspired technicality or hooky earworms.

The Darkest Side of Humanity is inoffensive for deathcore, and even shows moments of true grandiosity. The latter half is great at times; the title track and finale are a high note to go out on, but cutting a track and stripping the album of most of its orchestration would do wonders for it. For a record that is so fast, heavy, and technical, with over-the-top vocals and orchestration, it sounds consistently cacophonous. This record is dense, but there is gold in them hills for those who take the time to sift. If A Night In Texas leans into the tech, focuses on hooks, and avoids chasing trends, their next record could reach the heights I know they are capable of. For now, The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out as a solid tech-deathcore record, head and shoulders above most of its peers, but the competition is not necessarily fierce.

Rating: Good
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

Based on naming traditions and a tendency to dub groups after horrific activities, such as Cattle Decapitation or Immolation, Australian Deathcore band A Night In Texas must believe there is nothing more terrifying than spending an evening in the Lone Star State. Perhaps the horror of the unknown hits hard for a group eight thousand miles away from their namesake, but A Night In Texas is no stranger to the ubiquitous elements of modern deathcore that defy the confines of any nation or state. With The Darkest Side of Humanity, the band’s latest comes at the start of their second decade, preceded by four records that exemplified solid, if a little uninspired, deathcore and a nominally influential debut. Is their latest the one to turn heads from Texas to Brisbane, or will it cowtow to deathcore trends known the world over?

Featuring a new vocalist after the departure of their longest-running lead, Sam Cameron quickly shows that he is no slouch. If The Darkest Side of Humanity has any weakness, it isn’t for lack of Cameron’s breadth and brutality. Properly Gollum-worthy highs pierce ears alongside gut-rumbling lows as he shows as much or more potency than those that came before. Founding member and lead guitarist Cory Judd is clearly the sonic soul of the band, as The Darkest Side of Humanity is as oppressively crushing as previous records. Amongst the cacophony (more on this later), Tommy Williams feels properly black metal at times, weaving tantalizingly sullen melodies just beneath the boiling surface of Judd’s bouncing battering. Freshman drummer Chris Whitbread delivers inhuman drumming that showcases technicality rarely seen in the more beatdown-driven core, lending the band a sound that at times straddles deathcore and tech-death.

The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out from much of modern deathcore thanks to A Night In Texas’ focus on speed and tech-death trappings. Bolstering their instrumental prowess are surprisingly inspired lyrics and a genuine devotion to rhythmic timing, reminding one of Unhallowed Deliverance. Each track features a standout moment and drives to a proper crescendo, but the devotion to an ecstatic ending becomes formulaic by the album’s end. The Darkest Side of Humanity could lose a track, and it would be better for it. When the record pops off, it does so with aplomb, and the back half is particularly vicious and rousing. The mid-record epic “When the Sun Burns Out” is driven by atmospheric plucking and tasteful, yet sparse clean singing. “The Chronicles of Nihilism” is an immediate standout with its bounce-worthy lead riff and adherence to speed.

While tech-death is clearly an inspiration for A Night In Texas, The Darkest Side of Humanity is another victim of the utter flattening of the genre due to the explosion in popularity of Lorna Shore. What was once tech-deathcore now must include hamfisted symphonic elements and triple-tap bursting breakdowns. While those tech influences remain a part of Judd’s DNA, the paint-by-numbers orchestration does nothing to enhance any individual song. Ironically, the back half of the album either abandons or minimizes backing tracks to great effect, becoming far more epic through sheer instrumentation and scale. The repetitive machine-gun riffage runs rampant, and while it is used more tastefully than most, I can’t help but feel A Night In Texas has the chops to do so much more and display as much alongside the derivative chords. For every predictable breakdown or riff, there is a flurry of inspired technicality or hooky earworms.

The Darkest Side of Humanity is inoffensive for deathcore, and even shows moments of true grandiosity. The latter half is great at times; the title track and finale are a high note to go out on, but cutting a track and stripping the album of most of its orchestration would do wonders for it. For a record that is so fast, heavy, and technical, with over-the-top vocals and orchestration, it sounds consistently cacophonous. This record is dense, but there is gold in them hills for those who take the time to sift. If A Night In Texas leans into the tech, focuses on hooks, and avoids chasing trends, their next record could reach the heights I know they are capable of. For now, The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out as a solid tech-deathcore record, head and shoulders above most of its peers, but the competition is not necessarily fierce.

Rating: Good
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

Based on naming traditions and a tendency to dub groups after horrific activities, such as Cattle Decapitation or Immolation, Australian Deathcore band A Night In Texas must believe there is nothing more terrifying than spending an evening in the Lone Star State. Perhaps the horror of the unknown hits hard for a group eight thousand miles away from their namesake, but A Night In Texas is no stranger to the ubiquitous elements of modern deathcore that defy the confines of any nation or state. With The Darkest Side of Humanity, the band’s latest comes at the start of their second decade, preceded by four records that exemplified solid, if a little uninspired, deathcore and a nominally influential debut. Is their latest the one to turn heads from Texas to Brisbane, or will it cowtow to deathcore trends known the world over?

Featuring a new vocalist after the departure of their longest-running lead, Sam Cameron quickly shows that he is no slouch. If The Darkest Side of Humanity has any weakness, it isn’t for lack of Cameron’s breadth and brutality. Properly Gollum-worthy highs pierce ears alongside gut-rumbling lows as he shows as much or more potency than those that came before. Founding member and lead guitarist Cory Judd is clearly the sonic soul of the band, as The Darkest Side of Humanity is as oppressively crushing as previous records. Amongst the cacophony (more on this later), Tommy Williams feels properly black metal at times, weaving tantalizingly sullen melodies just beneath the boiling surface of Judd’s bouncing battering. Freshman drummer Chris Whitbread delivers inhuman drumming that showcases technicality rarely seen in the more beatdown-driven core, lending the band a sound that at times straddles deathcore and tech-death.

The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out from much of modern deathcore thanks to A Night In Texas’ focus on speed and tech-death trappings. Bolstering their instrumental prowess are surprisingly inspired lyrics and a genuine devotion to rhythmic timing, reminding one of Unhallowed Deliverance. Each track features a standout moment and drives to a proper crescendo, but the devotion to an ecstatic ending becomes formulaic by the album’s end. The Darkest Side of Humanity could lose a track, and it would be better for it. When the record pops off, it does so with aplomb, and the back half is particularly vicious and rousing. The mid-record epic “When the Sun Burns Out” is driven by atmospheric plucking and tasteful, yet sparse clean singing. “The Chronicles of Nihilism” is an immediate standout with its bounce-worthy lead riff and adherence to speed.

While tech-death is clearly an inspiration for A Night In Texas, The Darkest Side of Humanity is another victim of the utter flattening of the genre due to the explosion in popularity of Lorna Shore. What was once tech-deathcore now must include hamfisted symphonic elements and triple-tap bursting breakdowns. While those tech influences remain a part of Judd’s DNA, the paint-by-numbers orchestration does nothing to enhance any individual song. Ironically, the back half of the album either abandons or minimizes backing tracks to great effect, becoming far more epic through sheer instrumentation and scale. The repetitive machine-gun riffage runs rampant, and while it is used more tastefully than most, I can’t help but feel A Night In Texas has the chops to do so much more and display as much alongside the derivative chords. For every predictable breakdown or riff, there is a flurry of inspired technicality or hooky earworms.

The Darkest Side of Humanity is inoffensive for deathcore, and even shows moments of true grandiosity. The latter half is great at times; the title track and finale are a high note to go out on, but cutting a track and stripping the album of most of its orchestration would do wonders for it. For a record that is so fast, heavy, and technical, with over-the-top vocals and orchestration, it sounds consistently cacophonous. This record is dense, but there is gold in them hills for those who take the time to sift. If A Night In Texas leans into the tech, focuses on hooks, and avoids chasing trends, their next record could reach the heights I know they are capable of. For now, The Darkest Side of Humanity stands out as a solid tech-deathcore record, head and shoulders above most of its peers, but the competition is not necessarily fierce.

Rating: Good
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

Extortionist – Stare into the Seething Wounds Review

By Dear Hollow

Although my love for metal has its origins in the -core movement, it’s largely passed me by in the years since. New artists come and go, and the next thing I know, my favorite metalcore songs were all released in 2015 or earlier. Extortionist is also one of those bands I neglected, but when I first heard them, I immediately clocked it was not The Contortionist. With no prog in sight, Extortionist is known for their blend of deathcore, metalcore, and nu-metal, which has me running for the Tums right away. Oh, and they’re also known for supplementing their open snare tone by assaulting a metal beer keg with a baseball bat – beer to wash the antacid down, I guess. Anyway, here’s Extortionist’s fourth full-length.

If you clued in that Stare into the Seething Wounds looks like a Korn album cover, complete with warped symbols of childhood fed through the Tim Burton-on-weed machine, you’re dead-on. More than other “nu” acts like ten56. or Motionless in White, Idaho’s Extortionist sounds like these “on the kob” legends or Alice in Chains in its more subdued moments – complete with wonky guitar effects and vocalist Ben Hoagland’s best impression of Jonathan Davis. However, its less restrained identity enacts a brand of brutality seen in Bodysnatcher or The Last Ten Seconds of Life, weaponizing belligerent roars that recall Upon a Burning Body’s Danny Leal atop crushing breakdowns and thick riffs. Layering nu-metal’s wonky effects and lazy vocals with deathcore’s fat-bottomed tone abuse one song after another with the band’s signature drum production, the two faces of Extortionist are initially appealing, but by the end of Stare into the Seething Wounds, you’ll want to slap them both.

The subtler side of Extortionist is a more atmospheric and deadlier version of Korn’s melodies and Nirvana’s watery effects, focusing on drawling baritone vocals and short-lived random explosions into metalcore chugs. Achieving a sort of sonic haze through these means, the potential resemblance to Deftones in its layers of opaque instrumentals and minor chord progressions is a tempting one that ultimately falls flat. The dynamics are simply not there, as Extortionist will shift from the Davis drawl to a chuggy deathcore breakdown with Hoagland’s vocals providing the only crescendo. If heavier combinations of “Freak on a Leash” and “Come As You Are” sound like a good time to you, these tracks might satisfy (“The Break I Couldn’t Mend,” “Submit to Skin,” “Dopamine,” “Low Roads,” “Do You See It?”) – even if the band at large sorely lacks the charisma or songwriting chops to pull it off. These tracks end up being dull interludes between the slightly more interesting core exposés.

If being bored to tears is not your game, Extortionist’s numbskull brutality might appeal to you. Channeling a nu-metal-influenced, deathcore-forward breed of intensity that recalls early Crystal Lake or Alpha Wolf, the straightforwardness is at least unpretentious. Even then, some timing issues, usually tempo disparities between breakdown callouts and the breakdowns themselves, keep some tracks from achieving the soundtrack to the pit they so desperately strive for (“Cycle of Sin,” “Starve”). Even the more bulletproof metalcore/deathcore tracks (“Aftermath of Broken Glass,” “Detriment,” “Invisible Scars (Part III)”) offer no reason to listen to Extortionist compared to the plethora of -core rip-offs – these tracks are fast and solidly composed, featuring bone-crushing breakdowns but that’s about it: better incarnations exist in early The Plot in You and Loathe. A blessing and a curse, drummer and keg abuser Vince Alvarez’s performance is the clear highlight amid the sea of boredom and monotony, but that signature production and reverb manage to inflate the mix to something that clashes with the breakdowns and riffs, feeling lazy in the busy, overfilled attack.

For a very bloated forty-eight minutes, Extortionist blurs the lines between nu-metal, metalcore, and deathcore – their stark dichotomy of grungy drawling and brutalizing breakdowns ultimately boils down to boring and monotonous. However, if you ever forget that this is deathcore or metalcore, there will be a ten-ton breakdown to remind you. If you ever forget this is nu-metal, Hoagland will growl some off-beat “oh-oh,” “fuck,” or “yeah” faster than you can say “da-boom-da-da-mmm-dum-na-ee-ma.” All this to say, maybe I should have left Extortionist back in 2015 – peel away the cringe and novelty of Stare into the Seething Wounds and what looks so strong, so delicate.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: extortionist.bandcamp.com | extortionist.co | facebook.com/ExtortionistNW
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025

#15 #2025 #AliceInChains #AlphaWolf #AmericanMetal #Bodysnatcher #CrystalLake #Deathcore #Deftones #Extortionist #Grunge #Korn #Loathe #Metalcore #MotionlessInWhite #Nirvana #NuMetal #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #StareIntoTheSeethingWounds #ten56_ #TheContortionist #TheLastTenSecondsOfLife #ThePlotInYou #UniqueLeaderRecords #UponABurningBody

Cordyceps – Hell Inside Review

By Angry Metal Guy

Written By: Nameless-N00b_604

Artists don’t necessarily need to draw deep from their inner lives to make enjoyable art, but they do to make great art. Denver, Colorado’s Cordyceps—whose debut EP drew acclaim from the late, great Trevor Strnad—have dug deep on their sophomore album Hell Inside and dredged up something nasty. A meditation on struggle, pain, and the time an ex-friend stabbed vocalist Rafael Gonzalez three times in the chest, Hell Inside portrays the tortured psyche by way of a metaphorical cordyceps fungus infecting and ravaging the mind. Cordyceps have done the soul searching needed for something special. But is it something special?

The title Hell Inside isn’t only a declaration of the album’s themes: it’s also an apt description. Paces shift frenziedly on “Filth” and “I Am Hate” while riffs chug and squeal on “Obliterate” and “Flock of Sheep.” Hell Inside’s guitar solos evoke Slayer with DeLorean Nero’s dive-happy antics (“Murder All,” “Flock of Sheep”) while drummer Michael Nolan commits percussion abuse with concussive and groovy octopus-handed drum fills. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Rosset brings a clicky, bludgeoning Cannibal Corpse-like tone and aggression throughout the runtime. Though death metal to the core, Hell Inside emits the occasional whiffs of thrash (“Flock of Sheep,”) doom (“Diseased Mind”), and even a little Panteraesque groove metal qualities (“I Am the Plague”) to stir up the mix. Much of Hell Inside’s appeal is that – bear with me – of deathcore, reveling in ridiculously down-tuned riffs, start-stop rhythms, and brown-note vocals. But Cordyceps isn’t beholden to deathcore’s reliance on breakdowns and instead fuels their pandemonium with a near-relentless fervor at times reminiscent of Ascended Dead’s Evenfall of the Apocalypse. Instrumentally, Hell Inside possesses the callousness of industrial machinery biting through fingers and is sure to nuke any unprepared listeners into fine assdust.1

But where Cordyceps’ vulnerability – their volatility – originates is Gonzalez’s vocals, the easy highlight of Hell Inside. He hardly sounds human, spitting wet, unhinged gurgles that at times sound like Lovecraftian squid-men (“Diseased Mind”), dying animals (“Obliterate”), Afterbirth’s Will Smith (“Regret”), and, at 2:14 in “Obliterate,” the nightmare echoes from the truck stop toilet bowl of Hell. But there’s a technicality behind Gonzalez’s vocals, too: see the obscene low notes of “Diseased Mind” or the twenty-six-second run in “Obliterate” taken in what sounds like one breath. Through it all, Gonzalez seems to muster every negative thought he’s ever had, evoking feelings of inner turmoil, misanthropy, and betrayal in manners both disturbing and cathartic. In short, Gonzalez’s vocals are the lifeblood in Cordyceps’ candidemia-ridden arteries.

The blood runs somewhat cold, however, when crafting standout moments. No song is a stinker, and runtimes never drag, but the formula of chug-chug-trem-GUUUUUURGLE dilutes eventually. While the closer “Regret” is as good as the opener “Filth” in a vacuum, it’s not as engaging forty minutes later. The band also over-employs start-stop breaks to transition between movements, which are effective on early tracks like “Filth” but become predictable with overuse. The few atmospheric bookends on Hell Inside, like the piano-closing “Suffocating,” feel superfluous. Rather than merging one novel idea with another, they just bridge one onslaught of death metal to the next. Generously, they can be seen as breaks for your ears, an unfortunate necessity given the album’s strident, undynamic mix. It’s got its memorable moments – the singular synth tone in “Diseased Mind,” Gonzalez’s declaration that he’s “GONNA BLOW [his] FUCKING BRAINS OUT” in “Murder All” and the aforementioned toilet deluge from “Obliterate” – but Cordyceps found something good on Hell Inside and perhaps did too much of it.

Hell Inside is a buckshot to the brain of visceral death goodness, an unbending divulsion into mankind’s worst tendencies. Though I don’t think it’ll draw in many who aren’t already sold on brutal death metal, its fans are sure to embrace this entry into the subgenre. Monotony issues notwithstanding, Hell Inside is a twistedly fun listen, and hopefully Cordyceps will one day take the rage and talent they brought here and turn it into something even more adventurous and memorable that’ll grow fungi in my brain. After what they did in there already, there’s room enough for a new growth.

Rating: Good
DR: 5 | Review Format: V0 MP3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Website: uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cordycepslv | Instagram.com/cordycepslv
Release Date: July 25, 2025

#2025 #30 #Afterbirth #AscendedDead #BrutalDeathMetal #CannibalCorpse #Cordyceps #DeathMetal #Evenfall #HellInside #Jul25 #Pantera #Review #Reviews #TrevorStrnad #UniqueLeaderRecords