CHRIST DISMEMBERED - Ov Vampiricy review

 

CHRIST DISMEMBERED - Ov Vampiricy

Self Released

So when I think of Australian Black Metal I'm going with my favorites like BESTIAL WARLUST, DESTROYER 666, NAZXUL and of course PORTAL. I could easily name drop a few more favorites but you get the idea. And Australian BM bands do have a unique sound and style. So when I first checked out this second album by Australia's CHRIST DISMEMBERED I was kind of surprised. 

Just for the record CHRIST DISMEMBERED is a five piece BM act who originally started out back in 2012. Their debut full length, which I never heard, came out in 2017. After that it's been silence until now. Hey I understand you've got other obligations other than crushing religions and hailing satan. Plus there was that Wuhan Flu thing which turned your nation into a concentration camp. 

But anyways CHRIST DISMEMBERED come across sound-wise as nothing consistent with Australian BM. Instead this album is completely influenced by late 1990's / early 2000's Scandinavian Black Metal. It's melodic as well as harsh which reminds me of Sweden's DARK FUNERAL or 2000 era MARDUK. Now that's not a bad thing since I've got a ton of CDs and some vinyl behind me on the shelves that represent this style of music when it first came out decades ago. 

So let's give CHRIST DISMEMBERED's sophomore full length it's due. Archworm has a snarling harsh vocal style which is fucking cool. The musicianship by this band is perfect. There's plenty of icy energy riffs, blast beats and some decent soloing. The band does introduce some melodic atmosphere at times which sticks with the script. 

In the end CHRIST DISMEMBERED's second full length would be remembered as a classic BM album if it was originally released a few decades ago. As for now it's something cool to blast for a day or two and then move on. I've got the original stuff on the shelf.

LISTEN TO & BUY IT HERE:

https://christdismembered.bandcamp.com/album/ov-vampiricy

NECROCHAKAL - Golgothian Orgies of Bestial Lust review

 

NECROCHAKAL - Golgothian Orgies of Bestial Lust

Floga Records

First off I like the album cover art. The song titles are funny in a debauchees way. Musically it's blackened thrash and more on that later. But the band photo provided is pretty fuckin bad. And you know what maybe it's bad in a deliberate way. Sure I'll go out on that limb only because I'm crazy sometimes. But in all seriousness you two guys look like a bad Halloween costume picture.

Now with that out of the way here we have the debut full length from NECROCHAKAL. They're actually a three piece Blackened Thrash act from the great nation of Greece who have been around putting their cloven hooves on people's faces since 2012. The early part of their career consisted of various short form releases. If you interested and don't want to search so far then there's a compilation titled The Early Black Sacrifices which came out on CD in 2023 on Tribulacion Productions. 

Now as far as this thing goes the band clearly states that musically they're into Teutonic Thrash and late 80's Brazilian Extreme Metal. So think SODOM, DESTRUCTION, SARCOFAGO and MYSTIFIER all rolled into one savage bestial punch to your fucking face. Plus they're fuckin Greek as well and I do hear a touch of Hellenic BM on a song or two. 

So you have nine tracks that pretty much are all about their ferocious hatred towards well you can figure it out because it's easy by now. With that said NECROCHAKAL are a damm cool sounding band. They're giving an update to a sound which is three decades old. But they're keeping it original while also making it sound somewhat fresh. Seriously why would you ever put in a acoustic piece like "Thanatopsis" trying to be all SABBATH which kinda sucks?  It's because you're Black Fuckin Metal and you follow it up with "Son of Loss Judas Goat". So yeah this full length is a winner.   

http://www.flogarecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://flogarecords.bandcamp.com/album/golgothian-orgies-of-bestial-lust

IMPURITY - The Eternal Sleep review

 

IMPURITY - The Eternal Sleep

Hammerheart Records

In all honesty for the past two decades the majority of Swedish Death Metal acts I've gotten into all had Rogga Johansson involved. So this one here was a shock since he's not involved. Of course it makes you wonder while when it comes to old school Swedish Death Metal the torch was passed to Rogga Johansson. Are we looking at the next generation of OSSDM?

Here we have the debut full length by this Swedish four piece act who started out in 2022. Sound wise it's part ENTOMBED but there's a lot of DISMEMBER worship. And yeah not only was it recorded at Sunlight Studios but it was mastered by Dan Swano. So you get the idea and it's a fierce fucking sounding release to say the least. 

I mean ENTOMBED are gone and DISMEMBER haven't done anything since the mid-2000's. So I welcome this whole heartly. Seriously this is what DISMEMBER fans wanted back in the day as a follow up to The God That Never Was because their self titled album from 2008 kinda blew. 

Now I'm not saying IMPURITY are a OSSDM act to bore us old school fans. Hell no they've taken the baton and are introducing their own intensity to a genre that needs a fuckin future from generic BS. This is new and exciting stuff. It kicks fucking ass! Fuck that new wave BS because this is the next wave which is fresh sounding and angry as fuck. 

https://www.hammerheart.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/album/the-eternal-sleep

SEIDHR - Dracanthropy review

 

SEIDHR - Dracanthropy

Witches Brew 

I've said it before buy it bares repeating that my favorite Thrash since the 1990's has been Blackened Thrash. And with that said I've gotta admit that the sub genre carcass has been picked clean. I mean the marrow from the bones has been sucked out. There's nothing left to take which will sound cool and new. So for me I just look / listen for something sick sounding, old school and not totally generic. 

I believe I've found that with this three piece act from Ann Arbor, Michigan / Kansas City, Missouri. Yeah that's a long drive to practice. Anyways before I listened to this I checked out their track list and saw they do an ABSU cover. OK I'm interested and after giving it a few listens I can say these guys are pretty good. Now sure some jaded piece of shit who's been into Thrash for a decade could listen to this nine song release, pick it a part and and be a dick about it. Fine and go back to listening to your crap. 

Influence wise yeah SEIDHR like early SLAYER and SODOM. I'm cool with that. Especially since you've got these sick fucking riffs and insane solos. The drum work is fuckin crazy. All in all this debut album sounds like a hidden treasure from the past. The vocals are of that blackened harsh variety with a few Tom G. Warrior grunts tossed in. 

All in all yeah this debut is damm good for anyone who misses the old ways of Blackened Thrash and really yearns for it to come back in a cool way. I mean there's violin, viola and some synths on here which to me is a cool game changer to the savage attack this band hits you with. Hell yeah this is a great release. 

https://witchesbrew.eu/en

LISTEN HERE:

https://seidhr666.bandcamp.com/album/dracanthropy-2

ATOMIZATOR - Nuclear Booze Patrol review

 

ATOMIZATOR - Nuclear Booze Patrol

Witches Brew

As anyone who reads the reviews on this site (and frankly who doesn't) knows that my opinion on modern day Thrash is low. Look I was around when Thrash started out and it was cool. I liked those bands plus the others that added other genre styles to it aka: Death Thrash and Blackened Thrash. I also supported the Thrash Revival in the late 2000's. But to get me going for you as a band nowadays ya gotta show me something which I'll not be bored with three songs into your release. 

Case in point here we have the debut album by ATOMIZATOR who are a four piece Thrash act from the great nation of Switzerland. Now obviously when you look at Switzerland you think of their banking system, the fuckin alps and of coarse CELTIC FROST. How many people that you know will honestly say "Dude I'm really into the Swiss Thrash scene because it's killer"? Ah yeah whatever. 

So hey here we have a decent contender for some modern day Thrash. But hey look at these guys. They look like a couple of troublesome dudes who came into a place where I've worked at. They drink their shite beers. They probably added on a few shots of cheap booze as well. And of course they got quarters to play pool. An hour or two later I'm throwing these assholes out the door. Yeah I used to be a bouncer at a Punk/Metal club. Surprised?

Be that as it may the opening intro "U-235" on here is not OK in my book. But don't let that sway you because the real opening track "Permanent Injury" is a cool sounding rager with a decent enough riff and vocal attack. ATOMIZATOR soundwise remind me of cool 80's Speed Metal from the US. But sure they're Thrash in your face with some killer extras. 

I really like Philip Lindholm's vocals. He mixes real guy singing with some high pitched 80's Heavy Metal screams. Hell I was while listening to this Lindholm let out one of those screams and my beer bottle started to shake. I thought it was gonna be one of those is it live or is it Memorex moments. OK you people are probably too young for that one. 

Be that as it may Nuclear Booze Patrol is twelve cuts of cool sounding Thrash / Speed Metal. I don't think there's a bad track on here except for the instro opening. Musically this band wants to start a fight with you and to me that's cool. Along with the great lead vocals and Hardcore backing gang vocals I give credit to guitarist Bastien Roth. The guy is a great riff master. 

Add to that ATOMIZATOR has a fuckin amazing rhythm section in bassist Dale Brighouse who makes his thick line playing known throughout this album. Then there's drummer Gabriel Cotting who's a fuckin dynamo behind the kit. Real drumming and no triggers. Yeah to me this album is killer. 

https://witchesbrew.eu/en

LISTEN HERE:

https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/nuclear-booze-patrol

DEAD CHASM - Spectral Tyranny EP review

 

DEAD CHASM - Spectral Tyranny EP

Transcending Obscurity Records

So a week ago I had another birthday and I'm 62 now. I'm cool with that since it's after midnight and I'm blasting Death Metal. I'm pretty sure my peers are not doing the same. What's really funny is how some people I know who are younger don't get into new Extreme Metal. They have their excuses which I don't agree with. Either way I am still excited when I hear a cool new band. 

Case in point here we have a three song EP by DEAD CHASM who hail from Italy and are into the whole old school Death Metal & Doom package. Now any jaded and bored piece of shit would slag on this release. But not me because this band takes an old style and makes it exciting again. 

DEAD CHASM started out in 2020. Their band members are Lorenza De Rossi on guitar & vocals, Luigi Corinto on bass and Davide Bacchetta on drums. All three of these musicians have been part of Italy's Extreme Metal scene for a while in prior bands. Their first release was a four song EP from 2022 on F.D.A. Records. They followed it up in 2023 with their full length debut Sublimis Ignotum Omni also on F.D.A. Records. 

Frankly I'm glad they're now on Transcending Obscurity Records for many reasons. But to look upon the music going on here. DEAD CHASM remind of early GRAVE and maybe a few other early Death Doom sounding bands. Remember in the beginning of this review I said yeah I'm old and with that there's a sound in Extreme Metal which never gets old. 

DEAD CHASM are the next act that will execute Death Metal & Doom sounds upon the unworthy audiences of lame stream Metal. I mean you've got these raw powerful / heavy riffs. The vocals are just a maul of hatred. The rhythm section is dependable. There's no really cool soloing which is a disappointment. But as far as the diabolical sound this band comes away with I'm like hell yeah. 

In the end this is a great EP which should be recognized.  

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://deadchasm-label.bandcamp.com/album/spectral-tyranny

MORTAL DECAY - Sickening Erotic Fanaticism Reissue

 

MORTAL DECAY - Sickening Erotic Fanaticism Reissue

Hells Headbangers Records

Well here we have another unholy grail from the past finally getting a decent reissue treatment and it's put out on vinyl. This is MORTAL DECAY's debut full length which originally came out in 1997 on Pulverizer Records on CD. Ah yeah his is definitely something which needed a damm good reissue for a long ass time. It would be nice if there was a CD reissue as well. 

For those of you who don't know, MORTAL DECAY were (well they're still around) a brutal / evil sounding Death Metal act from New Jersey in the 1990s. Their original claim to fame is really the first three demos the band put out from 1992 to 1995. I doubt it's still available now but years ago the band put out A Gathering of Human Artifacts which was all three demos on CD. That's a must have and also needs a reissue. 

But MORTAL DECAY's debut full length was different from their demos because the band brought in a new singer in Kelly Izquierdo. What's funny is their original vocalist John Paoline rejoined the band later on. And the band's last full length The Blueprint for Blood Spatter came out in 2013 on Comatose Music. By this time dear fuckin reader you're obviously realizing that I am a fan. 

So let me explain, back in the day MORTAL DECAY where contemporaries of the other New York City / New Jersey Death Metal scene bands. While a few of them were already signed to major labels. MORTAL DECAY relied on word of mouth advertising and tape trading. I mean these guys played shows with the well known bands but never got their due respect. 

But musically MORTAL DECAY were brutal and technical but down right fuckin evil sounding. I mean the stuff you hear today as far as Brutal Tech Death really pails in comparison. In fact even to their DM scene contemporaries at that time, late 1990's, I think these guys were far more interesting and evil sounding. Yeah this is a must have. 

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://mortaldecay.bandcamp.com/album/sickening-erotic-fanaticism

KING ZOG - Second Dawn review

 

KING ZOG - Second Dawn

Hammerheart Records

Now before any cancel culture libtard wants to attack this band or me writing about em let's put out some truth. The band take their name from an actual Albanian king from a century ago. With that out of the way here we have KING ZOG's second full length since starting out in 2014. Second Dawn actually came out on the Austrailian label Rue Morgue Records in the summer of 2024. But the great people at Hammerheart Records decided to give it another chance in 2025. 

KING ZOG are a four piece Stoner Doom act. Now from what I've heard over the years by other Australian Doom acts these guys follow the same formula. Yes it's slow, heavy as fuck and with plenty of SABBATH-ian grooves. The soloing is OK but not in the Iomni class. And the vocals are that pass the bong I think I'm Ozzy mode.

Look I don't smoke pot because if I did then this album would probably be a winner. Then again that just shows a lot of insincerity towards good music. Hell the last Stoner Doom band I liked came from Poland. Be that as it may Stoner Doom has become as generic as Thrash in my not so humble opinion. I mean there's not much you can do with it other than sticking to the genre script.

Of the eight cuts on here there's a few which are very cool but as far as an album I wasn't overwhelmed listening to this and I went for it four times. I went through a six pack of IPAs and was hoping by the fourth beer I'd get into it via inebriation but no. But hey that's just me. I'm sure if you're a stoned out person (I'm gonna be nice on that description) then KING ZOG will be on your turntable soon because stoners don't buy CDs.    

https://www.hammerheart.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/album/second-dawn

VACUOUS - In His Blood review

 

VACUOUS - In His Blood

Relapse Records

VACUOUS are a fairly new band out of England. They're a five piece Death Metal act who started out in 2020. The band's first release was a three song demo then they followed it up with a five song EP. Next they put out a live album (what balls!) titled Live in Leeds in 2021. Their first full length came out in 2022 on Me Saco Un Ojo Records. Between then and now they also put out a split EP. 

So here is their second full length and after listening to this one close to nine times in the past couple of days I've gotta say something is cool with VACUOUS. First off they know how to read the scene. In other words yeah they love the Death Metal of old. But clearly they don't want to be just another OSDM revival band. On here yeah there's Death Metal both from the old ways as well as that cavernous sound from 2007 and onward. There's Death Thrash and plenty of Black Metal influence running through some of their compositions. Hell I'll even say there's Death Doom and post 80's Hardcore (metal core which to me is shit) in a few cuts.   

The eight cuts on In His Blood are basically dark as far as the record's atmosphere goes. I mean even when they're trying to rip your guts out. The band experiments with subtle dissonance here and there. Overall the musicianship is good and vocalist Jo Chen is damm good. He can do the the gambit of extreme metal singing as it gutturals, BM shrieks and HC screams. 

Overall In His Blood is a great release. But to me it falls into that category (which is not a new genre) I created years ago as late night extreme stuff. Yes this is a perfect album to play when you get off of work at night. It has that balance of wanting to rage and relax. To me that's something needed. 

https://www.relapse.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://vacuousdeath.bandcamp.com/album/in-his-blood

AD HOMINEM - Totalitarian Black Metal review

 

AD HOMINEM - Totalitarian Black Metal

Osmose Productions

There's a reason why there's no Bandcamp link for you to check out and instead I give you a Youtube link. It's because AD HOMINEM are hated and cancelled from certain platforms. Now personally I'm a fan of AD HOMINEM. I got into em with their Climax of Hatred full length from 2005. I've always considered em one of the best bands the French Black Metal scene had to offer over the decades. 

So before I get into this latest full length. I wanna make a point to acknowledge a few things. Black Metal is pretty much about hate. And sometimes that hatred is directed toward religion. Now there are people who think it's fine if Black Metal acts have songs attacking one major religion aka: Christianity. But these same people also believe if a band attacks the two other major Abrahamic religions then they're horrible and need to be cancelled. To me that's the stance of a hypocrite and you shouldn't be listening to Black Metal at all. 

Now Totalitarian Black Metal (great title by the way) is AD HOMINEM's seventh full length since starting out back in the late 1990's. Kaiser Wodhanaz performs all instruments and vocals. Musically for the past two decades AD HOMINEM's sound is basically a French version of Panzer Division era MARDUK. You've got this ferocious sound from the start of this release. The guitar work is vicious, the drum work is in almost constant blast beat mode.

Of course Kaiser has that hate filled bestial scream to his vocals which makes the songs sound even more aggressive. There's nine cuts overall in a little over thirty one minutes. I like most of the songs but there are stand outs like the title track which will rip your fuckin head off. "Choke the Woke" is a Black n Roll cut which will piss off the hiptards. "The Nuclear Solution" is a fuckin blast fest. I mean this is fuckin slam pit action Black Metal. "Saturday Night Gulag" is also a ripper. 

In the end you've got to be intelligent enough to get the joke. Kaiser Wodhanaz is just a master troll who knows what buttons to push to piss off the weak losers out there. Of course he does it via great sounding furious Black Metal. This is another great album by AD HOMINEM. I'd say the cover art is better than the last two CDs. I want it as a large poster. Kaiser Wodhanaz has a formula to his BM sound that works.  

https://www.osmoseproductions.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaCNSKYsW_0

SKAPHOS - Cult of Uzura review

 

SKAPHOS - Cult of Uzura

Transcending Obscurity Records

Here's the third full length, first on a label as well, from this French Blackened Death foursome. Now my memory is not perfect but when it comes to this style of music from France two band names come to mind. One is TEMPLE OF BAAL and the other is RITUALIZATION. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the guys in this band were fans of the ones I name dropped. 

Now in no way are SKAPHOS influenced by those two above named bands. Instead they travel a well paved path that's familiar to anyone into modern Death Metal. At times their sound can be described as brutal but then they add that dissonance style to bring about the creeps. Of course there's plenty of punishing riffs.   

The sound on here is what for a few years now I refer to as late night music. Musically it's not crazy enough for your neighbors to think you're having a party or a Satanic ritual. Instead it's more like leave me alone I'm in a foreboding relaxed after work mood.  

Guitarist Stephan Petitjean handles the lead guttural vocals. He's got a horrific tone to his voice. Both second guitarist Jeremy Tronyo and bassist Theo Langlois contribute backing vocals which are probably the harsher BM shrieks. Drummer Nathan Faure does a satisfactory job with the blast beating and trigger drum bass sound. It's when he's not in that mode that I find his drum work interesting. 

SKAPHOS's third full length might not be that explosive mind fuck or anthems of battle for all of you extreme types. But ya know in that dark alley there's a small crowd who you only notice when the light of a lit cigarette burns bright on the inhale. They like their Blackened Death to be even toned and without a slam pit. They wanna be in awe and not in sweat or blood. If that's you then here ya go and it's thirteen cuts to enjoy. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://skaphos-label.bandcamp.com/album/cult-of-uzura

EREB ALTOR - Halsingemorker review

 

EREB ALTOR - Halsingemorker

Hammerheart Records

I got into Sweden's EREB ALTOR a few years back simply because 3/4's of the band members were in the amazing Doom Metal band ISOLE. Since I am a huge fan of ISOLE I had to check this act out. My introduction was their 2022 full length Vargtimman. Obviously I was late to the party since EREB ALTOR started out in 2003 but their first full length, By Honour, came out in 2008. 

EREB ALTOR's whole thing or design is to be epic sounding Viking Metal that's a continuation from where Quorthon of BATHORY left off after his passing in 2004. At least that's what some people like to say. I did think it on their last album a bit but after hearing this one I'm not part of that block. 

This EREB ALTOR's tenth full length is probably the best sounding modern developed style of Viking Metal. This is epic as in I want to run out on my back deck in the midst of a storm holding my battle axes and yell hails to Odin. For years fans have accepted the corny shit, myself included. But on here EREB ALTOR really nail the whole style in a melodic way. 

The riffs are decent but the added keyboards add to the atmosphere which, along with the amazing lead and background vocals, culminates into some pure classic sounds. I mean there's almost a Folk Metal element in a few cuts. In the end it's a beautiful piece of work. I can't wait for the weather to be nice so I can blast this on the outdoor speakers while I'm working in the yard.   

https://www.hammerheart.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://erebaltorhhr.bandcamp.com/album/h-lsingem-rker

NAKED WHIPPER - Chapel Defilement review

 

NAKED WHIPPER - Chapel Defilement

Iron Bonehead Productions

Well there's a lot to unpack here so let's start by the fact that this is NAKED WHIPPER's second full length of their career. And just for full disclosure I'm liking what I hear from this release. But the last time this German band was heard from was in the mid-1990's. Oh well what does a thirty year break matter when the music is good.

Speaking of which musically NAKED WHIPPER's sound is Blackened Grind and this release is a relentless barrage of that. The first song "Depraved to the Bone" pretty much describes what you're gonna get out of this 13 cut full length. I mean you're getting violent grind / thrash riffs, your typical blasted grind drum work. If there's bass playing then it's lost most of the time. 

I guess the most fun is listening to the bestial vocals by mainman Dominus A.S. who started NAKED WHIPPER back in 1993. On this album he's got Sonic Incinerator on guitar, Sulphur Irae on bass and the amazing drum work is provided by Cryptic Tormentor. Yeah I know the fake names are funny but the drumming on here is killer. 

Obviously I like this because I'm a long time Grind fan. I was into Grindcore before it actually had a genre title. It was a sound which came out of the late 80's Hardcore scene. Then metal musicians picked up on it and perfected the sound aka: REPULSION and NAPALM DEATH. 

As far as Blackened Grindcore goes yeah over the decades there's been a handful of bands that come under that fold. But I think this new full length by Germany's NAKED WHIPPER is the best sounding take as far as real Blackened Grind should sound like. It's an unholy soundtrack of filth, rage and sonic devistation. An amazing release which BM fans as well as Grind fans, who are not posers, will appreciate. 

https://ironbonehead.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://nakedwhipper.bandcamp.com/album/chapel-defilement

CRUSHUMAN - Besides EP review

 

CRUSHUMAN - Besides EP

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

The maniacs from Upper Marlboro, Maryland are back and they're angry as fuck. I first learned about this extreme sounding three piece in 2024 via their self titled full length which came out on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions.

Musically that album had a lot of variety as in Death Metal, Grindcore and post 90's Hardcore. Looking back I actually liked their aggro-grind and Hardcore stuff. In the end I thought this band has a way of creating apocalyptic sounding metal.

So as far as this nine song EP goes it starts out great but then goes into territory which I don't know what to say. The first two cuts "Select Sacrifice" and "Waiting for a Savior" are cool as in a Hardcore band playing Death Metal. Hell yeah start a slam pit in your basement when your parents are away. "Dead End Suffering" ain't too bad of a cut. 

But when "Apeasement to the Frauds" kicks in then it's really not a cool time. That goes with what follows afterwards. There's way too much not so cool HC style modern riffs which makes me hate to think these guys wear backwards baseball caps and shorts on stage.  Their first album was better but the HC crowd will like this one either way.   

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/besides

KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS - Fast Food for Thought review

KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS - Fast Food for Thought

Self Released

So once in a while I've gotta rock n fuckin roll. And here's a release which is raw and unrelenting in your face. Bias alert because I'm friends with this North Carolina band. But then again most people in the media don't even admit to that so there ya go. Yeah at least I do and yeah I've been anticipating this release for a while. 

This is the third full length by KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS aka: KIFF who started out in the late 2000's. If you listen to their first two full lengths, which you should, then you know this band has progressed from being just a cool Punk Rock N Roll band to a catchy anthem concert act. And on this their third full length it's like one arm is covered in tattoos of the RAMONES, STOOGES and the DEAD BOYS to the other arm being covered with tats of THE GODZ, BLACK OAK ARKANSAS & KISS. 

First and fore-most the production on here is over the top. This is the best sounding KIFF release ever as far as headbanging, knee slapping and oh hell fucking yeah sing along screaming. With eleven tracks to pick through it's hard to find some favorites but I've gotta say "Lady Doom" is a kick ass hit. "Fast Food Fight on a Friday Night" is a punk anthem to anyone who knows what that's all about. Also the added female vocals rule.

Why this band rules is simple. You've got these cool raw vocals, a thunderous bass player ya know like old Punk Fuckin Rock and Metal had. Add to that some really savage guitar riffs plus rock n roll soloing. And finally some drumming that kicks fucking ass. All of which are in one song "I Want Blood" as well as the rest of the album but hey there ya go. 

In my not so humble opinion this is the best KIFF album ever, for now of course. If you're a Metal Head or a Punk Rock n Roller and better yet someone inbetween then here ya go. KIFF's third full length is a release you need to check out. It's a damm amazing release, period end of story. Oh fuck it, if you don't buy this release you're a poser. I was paid five bucks to say that last line. I gave it back because if you still don't get this album then you're a loser. Now I can honestly say Nuff Said.

LISTEN TO & BUY HERE:

https://knowledgeisforfools.bandcamp.com/album/fast-food-for-thought

 

TOWER - Let There Be Dark review

 

TOWER - Let There Be Dark

Cruz del Sur Music

I like when newer bands start out strong with that fury of the past and then recreate it all in their own image. On this TOWER's third full length they've forged something powerful and slightly different then last time I heard em. And just from the beginning here I'm gonna say this fuckin album rules.

I first got into this New York five piece act with their second album Shock to the System. I saw em on that tour and they were amazing. It was great female fronted Metal as far as contemporary acts go these days. They were very rock influenced but had plenty of NWOBHM influence within. So that album was one of my top favorites of 2021. It still is in fact I'd label it a classic album of the 2020's decade.

So with this new one yeah it's forged in a different and better way. Starting with the obvious, Sarabeth Linden's vocals are over the top. I mean she has that operatic high style plus some hard rockin vocals to boot. I thought she was captivating to hear last time around. But on this album I'd say Sarabeth Linden is one of the greatest vocalist in Metal right now.

The second thing which is great about this album is the amazing rocking guitar duo of James Danzo and Zak Penley. The riffs are in that speedy NWOBHM style and the solos just bite yer head off. Along with that the band has new drummer Keith Mikus who joined in 2022. This guy is pretty fuckin dynamic in his playing. Also there's original bassist Philippe Arman who also came back into the fold in 2022. So this is like a super fuckin line-up. 

Now when the opening cut "Under the Chapel" hits then you know, if you're a fan, that this is not exactly the TOWER you knew. Since the album title is Let There Be Dark then yeah TOWER has moved slightly to the darker side. Also this album has more of a metallic edge as well as still being melodic and aggressive sounding. 

This album is just fantastic as in one of the best albums of 2025.

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/

LISTEN HERE:

https://towernyc.bandcamp.com/album/let-there-be-dark

AVULSED - Phoenix Cryptobiosis review

 

AVULSED - Phoenix Cryptobiosis

Xtreem Music

So last year I gave a huge amount of praise to the CHRIST DENIED - Christopsy full length. And here I am again ready to do the same for the eighth full length by AVULSED. Now aside from the music, what both bands have in common is that they are fronted by probably the most important man in Spain's Extreme Metal scene. 

I'm talking about Dave Rotten (aka: David Sanchez Gonzalez). Now I'll get to the music portion in a few but Dave Rotten is respected for starting Repulse Records back in the mid 90's to the early 2000s. And after that he started one of the best underground Extreme Metal labels that's been around for over a decade. I'm talking about Xtreem Music. If you love Extreme Metal and especially Death Metal then max out your Pay Pal account when you check out that website. 

So onto the music, AVULSED are, I think, the longest running Death Metal act from Spain. The band started out in the early 1990's releasing just demos. Their first full length came out in the mid 90's which was Eminence in Putrescence. In all honesty I first got into em in 2006 when I found a promo CD in the dollar used bin at a local record store. That release was Gorespattered Suicide which officially came out the year before. 

After hearing that one I became a fan and the feelers came out to find anything else by AVULSED. I will say some of the releases I've picked up over the years are good (full lengths and a compilation of demo material). But the best by far was 2016's Deathgeneration. That album is a DM masterpiece. 

So here we are a decade later with the band's new one and Dave Rotten has gathered together a new league of extreme metal musicians on guitars, bass and drums to continue the fight. So first impressions, well the opening instrumental "Limbs Regeneration" kinda sucks. Then again I hate opening instrumentals in the first place. After that the brand new AVULSED appears and it's pretty cool. 

To me this album sounds like a culmination of this band's musical history. The main line is always going to be aggressive sounding old school DM. But you're gonna hear some death thrash as well as death doom. There's certainly some melodic touches which I cringe at. But over all it's a damm good album by a legacy leader. 

https://shop.xtreemmusic.com/english.main.index.php

LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/phoenix-cryptobiosis

GRAVE INFESTATION - Carnage Gathers review

 

GRAVE INFESTATION - Carnage Gathers

Dark Descent Records / Invictus Productions

I learned about GRAVE INFESTATION last year with their split EP with NOROTH. That release came out on Carbonized Records. I liked the band so much that I got their debut full length, Persecution of the Living, which came out in 2022. While I'm still keeping that one in the frequent play stack, out now is their second full length. And I have to say this one is even better. 

GRAVE INFESTATION are a Canadian four piece act who's whole reason for existing is to create old school sounding Death Metal. Sound-wise it's four knuckle dragging Neanderthals with instruments recording in their cave. It's first generation sounding Death Metal meaning you're gonna hear some thrash parts. 

For an old fuck like me this is like old fashioned candy. This release is a perfect throwback to 1987/88 when the first era of Death Metal really got going. The riffs are morbid as fuck. The rhythm section is pure diabolical. The guitar soloing is so sick sounding it would make a new school kid puke. And of course the vocals are ghastly. 

Now some lame ass piece of shit would thumb their nose at something like this. Not me because I don't care if there's a song that sounds like it could've been on the Scream Bloody Gore demos. Or that they're Canadians but sound like early USDM. Fuck that shit! GRAVE INFESTATION's second album is hate that's their handshake to the world. It's an amazing album. 

https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/

LISTEN HERE:

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/carnage-gathers

FELGRAVE - Otherlike Darknesses review

 

FELGRAVE - Otherlike Darknesses

Transcending Obscurity Records

Someone here is a fan of that Robert Fripp's solo album where he went really Metal as well as some KING CRIMSON. That person who I'm thinking of is FELGRAVE main man M. L. Jupe who is responsible for vocals, guitars, bass and the keyboards. On drums there's Robin Stone who does an amazing job with that. 

So what we have here is the second full length by M. L. Jupe under the band name FELGRAVE who hails from Norway. The tag line on this is Death/Doom but that's a mild way of putting it. This album has three long tracks which are actually horrific soundscapes which no one on prescribed medication should attempt to check out. I mean I like my beer but I'm almost ready to call a friend about some low dose mushrooms while listening to this one. 

When I listen to this I'm thinking real Prog Metal. I mean this release makes DREAM THEATER sound like a fucking joke. FELGRAVE combines Black Metal (especially with the harsh vocals) Death Metal (a lot of heavy riffs) Doom and Prog Rock. Alright fuck the mushrooms, can ya still get acid these days? I mean the good stuff like we had in the past. We'd drop acid and listen to BLACK SABBATH at 78 speed on the turntable. 

Be that as it may this is probably the most exciting non generic genre sounding release I've heard in a long time. This is not mere music. It's an experience in forty-eight and a half minutes. After my first listen I needed a ten minute break before I continued. And it felt like I was deaf for that whole time. 

As I mentioned before Otherlike Darknesses is three long tracks. You've got two eighteen minute numbers book ending a twelve and a half minute cut. Each cut is a mega opus of Extreme Metal mayhem that gives forth to a variety of shifts and tones. It's like going psycho to somber all the way through. Even better is that it's addictive because repeated listens is a must. 

Obviously this release won't appeal to the straight forward genre purists. Which it shouldn't because this is a release for psychos, hey how ya doing? I've heard bands in the past try to get to this level of sophistication in extreme sound structures. But as for now FELGRAVE has reached that summit and it sounds amazing. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://felgrave-label.bandcamp.com/album/otherlike-darknesses

VULVECTOMY - Aberrant Vaginal Gestation review

 

VULVECTOMY - Aberrant Vaginal Gestation

Comatose Music

Well obviously anyone who reads this blog will not be shocked that not only do I know who they are but I own their two previous releases. VULVECTOMY are a four piece Brootal Death Metal band from Italy. Their second and third full lengths, the ones I got, came out on Sevared Records years ago. Now this full length, their fourth, is out on Comatose Music which is a label from my home state. They also specialize in lo-fi, heavy as fuck, filthy brootal sounding metal. 

Obviously VULVECTOMY has found a new home since being silent for the past twelve years. The only difference over time has been a switch on drums with Marco Coghe (from DEVANGELIC) taking charge. No more drum machine shit. The new guy is damm good and adds a better dynamic to the band's sound / style. Guitarist Mario Di Giambattista is also in DEVANGELIC. 

Musically this is their best album overall. Instead of treading along as just another BDM band. VULVECTOMY now come across as a Death Metal band which is slow, trudging and heavy as fuck with a mutated beast from some abandoned mine-shaft on vocals. Speaking of which Diego Fanelli's vocals are way better on here. No full blown pig squealing this time around although he comes very close. Giorgio Cavaliere's bass sound still seems buried in the mix. But Mario Di Giambattista's guitar riffs are fuckin incredible. 

Years ago VULVECTOMY were like a little fish swimming in a huge Brootal Death Metal pond dominated by sick fucking US bands. With this album I'm not gonna say they're the shark eating everything in sight. But I will say this is damm good. The album artwork might be tame as far as what they put out in the past. But their song titles and lyrics are still sick as fuck which would make CARCASS blush and MORTICIAN proud. 

https://www.comatosemusic.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/aberrant-vaginal-gestation

OBSCUREVIOLENCE - Refuting the Flesh EP review

 

OBSCUREVIOLENCE - Refuting the Flesh EP

Transcending Obscurity Records

Back in early January when I was checking out the Transcending Obscurity Records 2025 label sampler this was one of many bands that I really was interested in hearing more from. The song from that compilation was "Pulse of Subconscious Cruelty" which is the last cut on this release. 

OBSCUREVIOLENCE are a three piece Blackened Death act from Russia. Hey I hope they're alright. I mean there's a fuckin war going on over there. As much as I love my violent metal I wanna see the musicians playing instruments and not running around with assault rifles. 

Let me indulge you all in a rare moment of honesty. I am former military. I've seen and participated in warfare. With that said I think if there was a huge Metal Fest over in the battle ground zone with bands from Russia and Ukraine all playing Metal it would bring some peace. Put down the guns, pick up the instruments and rock. I want your metal not your causalities. Nuff Said. 

Now as far as this debut EP goes OBSCUREVIOLENCE are not breaking any new ground as far as modern day Blackened Death Metal goes. But on all of these six tracks there's not only an attention to detail but there's a ferocious sound that demands attention. I like how Sergey B's bass lines are thick sounding in the mix. He also has that Russian bear like vocals. 

Add to that the drum work by Dmitry L falls into that octopus arms insanity of playing. This guy is a fuckin maniac on the kit. It's a sound of total punishment. Finally there's guitarist Sergey T who knows how to produce some savage riffs and sometimes in the dissonant style. His lead work is definitely in the dive bomb realm.

All in all yeah OBSCUREVIOLENCE do Blackened Death Metal right. It's brutal, diabolical and inviting which is what want these days. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://obscureviolence.bandcamp.com/album/refuting-the-flesh