Pentagram - The Malefice

Being that I’m so into Death Metal, it’s a wonder why I haven’t heard of this Pentagram before.  Perhaps it’s because they’re from a country that isn’t really known for contributing to the genre.  Unfortunate as The Malefice is some excellent early 90’s Death Metal that deserves to be an honored release from that era.  The remaster job is excellent too, as the impact and clarity here surpass even most American and Swedish releases from the time.  Nothing particularly different on offer, just great, mid-paced Death Metal.  It’s the intense attitude and quality songwriting that really shine.

 

 

arachnoidphobia 

Brutallic Duo

Fuck writing.  Here's two Brutal Death Metal albums that'll blow your ass out!

Antropofagus

Atheretic

set phasers to

stunning!

Ouroboros - Glorification of a Myth

After a very long hiatus, I'm back with an overlooked Tech Death gem (which is what most of you have come to expect by now).  This one came recommended to me from the good folks over at youtube.  I wouldn't give this album a chance for so long because it already had two strikes against it: the word "ouroboros" is in their name (which has become a huge cliche in recent years), and it has a very annoying, Deathcore-ish album cover.  Once I finally looked past the flaws of the facade I was treated to some pretty awesome progressive and melodic Death Metal.  Ouroboros remind me a lot of later-era Death mixed with the modern styles of Decrepit Birth.  Glorification of a Myth isn't very "out there" or new, but it definitely delivers.

whorification

Deeds of Flesh - Portals to Canaan

Say what?  Why is Deeds of Flesh (often considered the most boring Brutal Death band) on this blog?  Well, it's because DoF have changed a lot in the past ten years.  They've created one of the top Death Metal albums of the year.  Like Unleashed did a year ago and Hate Eternal did the year before, Deeds of Flesh have shed the shackles of mediocrity and have started to write worth while music.  Portals to Canaan very much has the "Unique Leader" sound; cleanly produced Suffocation-style Death, fast and technical.  But they still manage to leave just enough human feel to make it listenable.  Deeds haven't redefined the genre, but they have laid down a beyond-solid effort for Death freaks by Death freaks.

Illuminati - The Core

These guys really had me fooled.  I was absolutely convinced that this was an Atheist side project, and to those of us that have been waiting persistently for the follow-up to Jupiter, The Core is the next best thing.  Of course, the Atheist comparisons make more sense when you read that Kelly Shaefer and Tony Choy guest on the album.  In fact, the guest spots on here are a literal "who's who?" of Prog Death with: Patrick Mameli (Pestilence), Luc Lemay (Gorguts), and Tymon Kruidenier (Cynic) all making noticeable appearances.  What prevents me from totally soiling myself with excitement are the "conceptual" spoken word tracks between each song (which leave only 22 mins of actual musical material).  Even if I understood Romanian I would still think they were just worthless fillers.  Even so The Core is still a tremendously promising effort.  Next time though, can you give us a full album please?

the choy of shredding

Svart Crown - Profane

It's been over two years since I last posted something from Svart Crown so it's high time for a new release from this French cult.  There's been some moderate changes since their impressive "Witnessing the Fall".  They've increased their Death Metal tendencies and are showcasing a stronger Immolation influence.  There also seems to be a modern Hardcore influence creeping in, especially with the vocals.  What you end up with is a diverse, well-played album of Blackened Death Metal dotted with pleasant suprises.

belly hair   

Dormant Ordeal - It Rains, It Pours

This is the new Death Metal band that you need to be paying attention to.  Stylistically, Dormant Ordeal are about half way between the mechanical precision of Decapitated and the experimental dissonance of Diskord.  For years Decapitated have been softening up and sounding more and more like Fear Factory, so It Rains, It Pours harkens back to Decap's younger years (except better).  You get all the jagged complexity and baffling timing but with warmth and tone that hasn't been present in Death Metal production for over ten years.

have your wake and eat it too

Aeternus - ...And The Seventh His Soul Detesteth

It's always interesting to hear what old bands come up with these days.  Often they just release the same album over and over (Asphyx, Incantation), or they actually stretch their creative muscle and come up with something really worth listening to.  Aeternus have never been strangers to virtuosity, but they've never displayed it so well before now (and without being overbearing).  And The Seventh His Soul Detesteth reminds me of a rawer, darker version of Unleashed's Odalheim or a more accessible version Diskord's Dystopics.  Aeternus have always seemed unsure of their direction, but I do hope that they settle on the path that they've taken here.

cold dead hand

Arkhum - Earthling

I haven't even fully listened to this yet, but it's been two weeks since my last post and my conscience wouldn't let my avoid posting any longer.  What you have here is modern, technical Death Metal in the Santa Cruz style, except that it's coming out central Oregon.  There's a strong Black Metal influence too, reminding me of Fallujah.  Worth looking into, for sure.

the allochthonous (back)door

Katalepsy - Autopsychosis

A lot of you may already have this, but for those who are "behind" in the blog scene I deliver this most impressive work.  In the six years since their debut Katalepsy have progressed from bonehead Guttural Slam to the highest-brow Technical Death.  Gone are the annoying cricket vocals and steel-drum snares.  Replaced by sweeps, pinch harmonics, and endless intricate brutality.  Now with their old playground no longer in sight, Katalepsy are fast approaching Death Metal mastery.

 

that's some serious underbite

Konkeror - The Abysmal Horizons

Greetings, poglodytes.  I'm now transmitting from the "Rose City" Portland, Oregon (soon to be renamed "Bro's City").  That means that I'm now living in a place with an actual scene.  I might even start doing concert reviews, who knows?  

So anyway, there's this new record that I got on my computer and it's pretty good.  Konkeror play moderately melodic Death Metal and do so very well.  Their style is vaguely reminiscent of The Chasm and Necrophobic, yet more brutal and modern.  You might like it.

kissed by a bro on the grey

Acrania - An Uncertain Collision

For about two years now, I've been waiting for a band that combines my favorite sub-genre (Death Metal) with my favorite woodwind (Saxophone).  That band has finally arrived.  Acrania are actually a diverse Metal/Jazz hybrid with influnces reaching far back into Mexico's ethnic history as well as modern Metal that most of us grew up with.  This isn't just a regular Death Metal band with some sax solos (although that would be pretty sweet).  An Uncertain Collision is primarily driven by Jazz and latino rhythm styles that create a very loose feel, almost danceable.  The multi-layered drumming is also incredible, so good that it slightly overshadows the rest of the band.  But that's ok, as I'm sure we've all heard enough metronomic blast-beats to last us the rest of our lives.  Not just some nerdy white guy talking about "exotic" far away cultures that he's only read about, Acrania are the real deal, showcasing their own musical heritage.

it's in the trees, it's coming!

Atheos - The Human Burden

I've lost count of how many so-called "great" Prog/Tech Death albums I've posted, but The Human Burden ranks up there with the best of them.  Because Atheos aren't a big name band on a big name label, this album seems to have been shelved and overshadowed by the highly anticipated returns of Cryptopsy, Hour of Penance, and The Faceless.  All those albums were good in their own right, but this one stands apart in overall songwriting quality.  Kinda reminds me of Millenium/In Dark Purity era Monstrosity.  Well worth your attention.

    

open the yeates to hell 

Relics of Humanity - Guided By The Soulless Call

I know you're looking at this cover and thinking "shit, is this Slam?".  Well, sort of.  Relics of Humanity straddle that line between "Slam" and brutal/guttural death metal.  Whatever you might think it this qualifies as, I just think it's good.  Relics of Humanity sound very "New York" in style with the copious, palm-muted technicality of Suffocation mixed with the muddy, sasquatch bottom-heaviness of Mortician.  The vocals remind me quite a bit of Will from Mortician, but better.  These growls are so ball-shakingly deep, they even put the ridiculous G-tuned guitars to shame (and without any annoying "cricket" quality).  The guitars then provide the appropriate aftershock with frequent dive-bomb drops.  The drumming manages to just barely cut through the seismic activity with a tolerable amount of ring and sharpness.  This might not count as legit Slam to aficionados like Brett and JGD, but I think they (and many of you) will still get hella stupid to it tonight.  Recommended for Wormed and Circle of Dead Children fans.

smelting of the forsaken minions

Xenolith - Obscure Reflections

From one end of the spectrum to the other, this is supremely technical and progressive Death done in a more modern vein.  Pretty similar to Moonloop (that I just posted) and Quo Vadis but maybe a little bit more challenging than both.  The production is too dry and the vocals need some edge, but with a band this little-known I should be glad the whole thing doesn't sound like a nintendo.

long back with a crack

Putrevore - Macabre Kingdom

Jesus, I guess it's been nearly two weeks since my last post.  It's mainly because it's my final week at school and I really have to hit the shit for a few days.  But, there have been a few gold nuggets that I've found recently, and Putrevore's newest is one of them.  This is really regressive and simplistic Death Metal, just what you would expect from Death Metal "hit-master" Rogga Johansson.  Although Macabre Kingdom is a bit more dark and obscure than his more popular projects Revolting and Ribspreader (which is good).  Admittedly, I usually don't like Rogga's projects, but this really hits my proverbial spot.  The excellent atmosphere is a key ingredient to this otherwise "ho-hum" stew.  The murky tones add just enough obscurity to the overtly simple riffs, resulting in an album that's tastefully dark, decrepit, and brutal.  Not at all cheesy or slick like his other endeavors often are.  Recommended for any fan of early 90's Death Metal and even casual Death fans.

copious amounts of battery

Moonloop - Deeply From the Earth

Pretty fuckin' sweet mid-paced, technical, guitar-oriented Death Metal.  Although influences can be traced throughout the Death Metal spectrum, their style is probably most similar to later-Coroner, Cynic, and later-Death.  Yes, there are some clean vocals here, but they're very tolerable and don't overpower the rest of the album.  I know the band name and cover might scream "skip it", fight the urge and give this a chance.  If you're at all into Prog Death, this band is well worth your time.

death to false death

Trollfest - Brumblebassen

I know what you're thinking: "What, a novelty band!?  Has Kawana jumped on the Folky/Pirate Metal bandwagon?"  The short answer is no.  I'm as surprised as you are that I'm posting an album with an "evil bumblebee" on the cover, but I'm genuinely impressed with cohesiveness and musicianship displayed here.  There's just so many notes being played and so many influences coming through at once, but all executed with supreme precision.  Are they using computers to correct their timing?  It's possible, but I'm just paying attention to how fucking entertaining and refreshing this sounds to really care.  Ok, so it's probably not gonna make fans out you "bearded types" that are digging the new Krallice album.  If you wanna hear something that's a bit more atypical than your usual Nekkro or Guttural drivel, then fly away with me to the Nordic fantasy realm.

almost as tasty as bee spit

Desecresy - The Doom Skeptron

Ah, I've been sitting on this record for a couple months now, but for some reason it kept slipping my mind.  Desecresy are among the finest modern purveyors of the old Finnish sound.  Without sounding like any one particular classic band, they've surely exhumed the corpses of their brutish ancestors (who are probably only 40 by now) and have expelled this cavernous collection as their newest offering.  All the traditional ingredients can be found here: visceral groans, relentlessly buzzing guitars, and overall nauseating atmosphere.

the doomed skeptic      

No Mercy - Deathernity

In the endless ocean of mediocre Death Metal, I (so fortunately) stumbled across this monster.  Rhythmically, Deathernity is the most interesting album I've heard all year, along with Diskord's Dystopics.  These dislocated, stuttering grooves seem to be inspired by the expected world of Prog Death, the not-so-Death Metal realm of Mathcore, and all the way to the unheard-of plane of industrial and jungle.  It's true, I do detect an influence of electronic music.  Normally, that sort of thing would be grounds for me to banish a band to the recycle bin forever, but not here.  The "distant" production marries the effects with the instruments superbly.  The use of super-isolated drum sounds and solid-state  guitar amps create a uniquely "cold" atmosphere that's not at all sterile.    No Mercy have succeeded in combining extremely contrasting elements into one diverse, yet cohesive whole. 

bienvenidos a miami