OZZY OSBOURNE - So Long Old Friend ( Dec 3rd, 1948 - Jul 22nd, 2025)

 

While at work tonight a bartender told me that OZZY had passed away. I'll just say that the Ozzy era of BLACK SABBATH was a big part of my musical life growing up. I'm thankful to have seen the original SABBATH on their Never Say Die tour. I'm also thankful to have seen solo OZZY on the tours of his first and second albums. I was in the Army when Bark of the Moon came out. I would've liked to have seen that tour but no. After that the moment was lost. Anyways the irony is that he got to do one last performance two weeks ago. I didn't watch it. I like to keep my memories good like when Ozzy was in his prime albeit a coked up prime. Either way Ozzy left behind a legacy of music which will always be enjoyed by me until it's my time ride out. Nuff Said.

SHED THE SKIN - The Carnage Cast Shadows review

 

SHED THE SKIN - The Carnage Cast Shadows

Hells Headbangers Records

SHED THE SKIN are a Cleveland, Ohio Death Metal supergroup who I first learned about in 2018 with their second full length, We of Scorn. I liked em for their music but more for who was in the band. First and foremost is guitarist / vocalist Ash Thomas. At that time I wasn't familiar with him but then I learned more. 

I really learned about this guy from watching a Youtube show where he was discussing his love of Finnish Death Metal and showing off his collection of releases. Not only was it educational but inspirational. Ash Thomas was pulling out releases that I only owned half of. And I admit it was because of that show I updated my Finnish Death Metal collection. 

With that said I also checked out all of the bands Ash Thomas was in. And hell yeah they're all cool like ESTUARY, CORRUPTED MORTALS, THE VLADIMERS and SURGIKILL. But who else is in SHED THE SKIN well there's Kyle Severn drummer for INCANTATION. There's also Matt Sorg guitarist of RINGWORM. And also another RINGWORM alumni with bassist Ed Stephens who's also in the Thrash band VINDICATOR. 

So yeah here we have a US super group playing old school DM and if you think this is an American version of BLOODBATH I'll smack your face with the back of my hand. SHED THE SKIN come off sounding original as hell. They are fucking brutal, dynamic in the riff department and the guitar soloing is actually unique. Ash Thomas gives a vocal performance like a pissed off grizzly bear rudely awakened from his slumber. 

Ya want great fuckin Death Metal in 2025 well then here it is. Eleven tracks that will rock your head, slam pit your body and will destroy your worthless soul. I like this album a lot and I thought their last one, Thaumogenesis, from 2022 was the shit. All hail Ohio Extreme Metal and all hail SHED THE SKIN. Nuff Said!

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://shed-the-skin.bandcamp.com/album/the-carnage-cast-shadow

VINDICATOR - Whispers of Death review

 

VINDICATOR - Whispers of Death

Self Released

There's a lot to unpack here so let me start by saying I first learned about this Ohio Thrash band back in 2018. I was checking out / writing about another Ohio band release by SHED THE SKIN. One of that band's members, bassist Ed Stephens, plays in VINDICATOR as well as RINGWORM. 

So I followed the stream to the river and discovered VINDICATOR has some pretty good albums. I have their The Antique Witcheries full length from 2010 which came out on Heavy Artillery Records. And their United We Fall full length from 2012 which came out on Slaney Records. Overall VINDICATOR has five full lengths that includes this one plus a bunch of short form releases and compilations. I mean the band has been around since 2005. 

Now on this new release what we have is a Thrash band that's totally involved in what Thrash Metal is all about. I'm talking great fuckin riffs, sick fuckin vocals and a dynamic rhythm section. It's 2025 and we fans are always faced with false Thrash bullshit which is trash. Just listen to the cool as fuck soloing as well as timing within these cuts. 

Hell yeah VINDICATOR are the best Thrash Metal act that I've heard this year. Not that I concentrate on Thrash Metal releases, unless their Blackened Thrash. But hey give this band a listen and you'll be a convert. I'm just surprised they're not on a cool label ya know like Hells Headbangers. 

LISTEN HERE:

https://vindicator.bandcamp.com/album/whispers-of-death

PULPIT VOMIT - Hospital Lens review

 

PULPIT VOMIT - Hospital Lens

Rottweiler Records

Can I just say that so far this year it's been total shit for Grindcore music. I mean I've been hit with stuff like Atmospheric Grindcore, Post Grindcore and Brutal Death Grind. The latter I can handle but as far as the first two go. What the fuck are you talking about or even playing. Now as far as this release by PULPIT VOMIT goes. Well they're not gonna win any accolades but at least they're a fuckin Grindcore band. 

PULPIT VOMIT hails from California, USA where Grindcore originated from. Now I don't want to hear any bullshit from one of you English twats about where Grindcore started. The REPULSION demo, Slaughter of the Innocent, from 1986 is where Grindcore officially starts. Nuff Said!

This is the debut full length by this three piece Grind act who started out in 2022. You have Seth Metoyer on vocals and guitars, Kris Olson plays bass and Tim Olson is on drums. Prior to this the band had only been releasing singles. Since this is only a eight song release with a sixteen plus minute time structure. Personally I'd call it an EP but I go by what they label says. 

Musically this sounds like old school Grind with hellish screaming. The drum work is solid with plenty of stop / start action. The riff work is simplistic but decent. "Razor Jaw" is a great opener. I also like "The Filth" a lot. "No Place in Power" is pretty psychotic I like that. Everything else is decent. 

In the end this is a straight up real Grindcore release which I like. Give this band some time and room to really go crazy and I'll be back. 

https://www.rottweilerrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://pulpitvomit.bandcamp.com/track/the-filth-single

AND HERE:

https://pulpitvomit.bandcamp.com/track/razor-jaw-single

IMPERIALIST - Prime review

 

IMPERIALIST - Prime

Transcending Obscurity Records

In all honesty being a new Black Metal band in 2025 is a tough sell to older fans. Now if you've been into the genre for the past twenty years then your opinion is worthless to me. But if you remember the days when we didn't know what to call it (aka: the first wave) and then the whole Norwegian explosion of sounds came. Then I'll listen to ya and by the way that's me. 

With that said I had written about IMPERIALIST's debut full length, Cipher, back in 2018 which also came out on Transcending Obscurity Records. Looking back I didn't think it was amazing. In fact I thought they were so heavily influenced by Sweden's DISSECTION that their home town of Monrovia, California is probably not a sunny place.

I did not write about their second full length, Zenith, which came out in 2021 or their Quantum EP which came out in 2023. But here we are with this four piece band's third full length and I can honestly say there's something cool going on with it. Basically it's Melodic Black Metal in an obvious US version. There's some extreme sounding stuff like the opener "Starstorm" as well as the second cut "Beneath the Sands of Titan" which will have concert crowds starting a slam pit. 

Lyrically IMPERIALIST are a Sci-Fi BM act but in all honesty who cares. Look I'm down with the devil and all the way with pagan aspects and national culture when it comes to Black Metal I like. But hey give me some cool sounds to blast and I'll go with it. So IMPERIALIST do on here push a thrashy, semi cold tremolo picked sound with harsh vocals. Their DISSECTION is still there but IMPERIALIST have definitely grown into their own shoes. 

I mean there's some savage yet melodic guitar soloing. Add to that a barrage of drum work. The band lays in some atmosphere with the instrumental "Heavens Sunder" as well as later on with their seven plus minute closer "A Ghost Abandoned". The bottom line is that on this their third full length IMPERIALIST have come into their own as far as modern day Black Metal goes. Yeah this is a winner.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://imperialistus.bandcamp.com/album/prime

UNALIGNED - A Form Beyond review

 

UNALIGNED - A Form Beyond

Transcending Obscurity Records

Honestly I'm not into the Progressive Tech DM stuff. But as always I give a release one listen to see if I'm willing to write something about it. UNALIGNED's full length debut defied the label's descriptions which made me interested. First off the band is not so Proggy or Tech Death to be off putting to someone who's into the old school Brutal ways. 

UNALIGNED are a five piece DM act from Florida who started out in 2020. But they don't sound like they're from the US at all. Actually they sound like they're from Poland. I'm talking about some Brutal sounding DM with subtle touches of the Tech Death. To me this band is fuckin into the aggressive butcher riff devastation. Add to that the insane dynamic of drum work makes this really cool. 

But that's not all because there's a background guitar work atmospheric touch which says they like some Black Metal. Add to that the beauty of guitar soloing which comes through in surprises. Finally there's the incredible vocals by Mac Smith who varies his singing from deep brutal growling to venomous BM rasps. All of which makes this album a must have. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://unaligned-label.bandcamp.com/album/a-form-beyond

FER DE LANCE - Fires on the Mountainside review

 

FER DE LANCE - Fires on the Mountainside

Cruz del Sur Music

Here we have the second full length from this Chicago, Illinois act. The genre tagline on this is Epic Doom Metal again. Now I use the word "again" because I remember checking out this band's full length debut, The Hyperborean, from 2022. Back then I wasn't into it plus the tagline description is totally wrong. 

This time around the same tagline is applied and it is wrong. Actually it should be "coming to a Pagan Fest tour near you." Yeah sound-wise this is what was once referred to as Battle Metal. In other words it's part Power Metal with an emphasis on the sword and sorcery themes. In the PR material they mention BATHORY's latter Viking era material as being an influence. Yeah I'll say these guys listened to Nordland Vols: 1 and 2. 

Now with that all said FER DE LANCE's second album is pretty damm good if you acknowledge what it really is. I'm still laughing a bit since this band is from Chicago. Which every weekend has shootings, murders, robberies and their mayor is a scumbag. And this band is writing songs about swords and sorcery which have no satire to their city's problems. So hey fuck reality and lets delve into fantasy.

But with that said FER DE LANCE is a band made up of Metal veterans who know how to create epic sounding anthems which should make em a headline act at WACKEN 2026. I mean listen to this early in the day and walk out later unto a world of assholes. You're a battle hardened winner. I must admit that I'm not a fan of this type of music as I once was. But damm I can recognize talent and on this release FER DE LANCE explodes with it. 

OK first off let's start with the song writing which is incredible. It reminds me of a concept album with acoustic elements weaved in to explosive epic numbers. The vocals soar with guitars cascading in with epic melodies. At times there's some great monumental soloing. The vocals are varied in style which gives things more variety. The rhythm section is over the top. 

I believe the bottom line is that FER DE LANCE's sophomore album is America's best export to the European Metal continent who created this epic sounding music. In all honesty I think it's better than what they have produced. And yeah FER DE LANCE should be a headliner at Wacken 2026.  Nuff Said!

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

LISTERN HERE:

https://ferdelancemetal.bandcamp.com/album/fires-on-the-mountainside-2

SKRACKEN - Echoes from the Void review

 

SKRACKEN - Echoes from the Void

Dying Victims Productions

I don't know if I've said it yet but in all honesty 2025 is the year of female fronted Metal. Seriously there are so many cool releases this year with women singing on em. And here's another one which took a second look. Honestly the first time I checked out this Swedish band's debut full length I thought it was OK with a bunch of notes written about it. 

Fast forward a few weeks I returned to it and now can say it's a damm good release which needs your attention. First off the genre tagline here is Hard Rock / Heavy Metal. OK sure I'll go with that but these Swedes know some Post Punk circa late 80's. The song writing on here conveys a dark expanse. SKRACKEN just remind me of some 1990's bands who I liked but never scratched the surface of above the underground music scene. 

When you hear Sofie Lee Johansson's vocals it's like a part blues, another is angst ridden Post Punk fuckin Rock and then it's straight up Hard fuckin Rock vocals. Now of course every song on here is her interpretation through the riffs / song structures by guitarists Sebastian Lindberg and Martin Nordin. Tracks like "By His Word" and "House of Greed" are totally rocking dynamic. But then you'll get the soulful melodic number "Witch" which opens up the environment.

Add to that "Her Presence" comes across as a cool rocking 80's Metal number but Sofie Lee Johansson's vocals just take it to the hilt. Plus the song writing is just damm good. "Sweet Silence" is also a damm cool rocker. I mean all in all this album's nine tracks (actually it's eight since the first cut in an instro opener) are damm good. Echoes from the Void is a solid album. I look forward to hearing more from em in the future.

 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE: 

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-from-the-void

LOATHFINDER - Broken Branches and Torn Roots review

 

LOATHFINDER - Broken Branches and Torn Roots

Godz ov War Productions

I remember this band from their 2017 EP The Great Tired Ones which also came out on Godz ov War Productions. Basically this Polish Blackened Death Doom four piece act created a cool sound all of their own. I mean when you think about combining the Extreme three Metal genres together you're gonna get either mediocre stuff or something truly unique. 

Obviously LOATHFINDER fell to that latter position which is why I thought is was such a cool release. But hey it was just a four song release. So show me what you can command on a full length? And here it is also it's pretty fuckin amazing. I mean what these Polish extremists were doing eight years ago was cool. But with this their debut full length I believe they've carved their own niche into Extreme Metal history. 

Let's start with the nine plus minute opener "Grey Pilgrimage" which is like walking down stairs to the real crazy ward of an insane asylum but with better music. The opening riffs capture everything and then the insanity commences. With that said let's define the highlights. The band uses Roman numerals as names but it's easy to find out who they really are. But I'll give em their hidden due. 

LOATHFINDER's vocalist comes across like a priest drunk on wine and high on Meth. Aside from his typical Blackened Death Metal vocals he also adds these creepy spoken word homilies as well as an unsettling violent rip your face off screech. The bottom line is that he's all over the place on the mic and it fits to the music. 

The songwriting on here is absolute mind blowing in a cool way. But hey I like the crazy and unique insanity. Now to some normal Metal head this would be unsettling to say the least. Then again remeber this band is from Poland which is the most Extreme Metal nation in the world. That's just a fucking fact people. 

With all of that said LOATHFINDER's full length debut is a much to seek out release. I say that especially if you're beyond the genre norms and want to hear something musically that will invoke nightmares, keep the nosy neighbors away and just bring friendship to your own insanity. I think it's a great fuckin album. "Peel It Off Me" and "Flies Know First" are two amazing favorite cuts on a seven song album with no bad moments. Yeah that means it's perfect. 

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/broken-branches-and-torn-roots