ILON LAPSET - Mykka pimeys review

ILON LAPSET - Mykka pimeys

Visceral Circuitry Records

For me personally my appreciation for Sludge Metal died in the late summer of 2021. That was the night when I was at a show and a quarter of the way through the headlining act's set I walked out. Now the headliner was a big name band of the Sludge Metal scene who I had seen three times over their long career. Now that night the first two bands were great and both well known as well as me being a fan of. But the headliner was just the same old thing again. Actually I think I've seen em four times before that show.

If you've been in the Extreme Metal scene for four or five decades you will find yourself jaded even though you just don't want to be. So for the past couple of years while I ignore the generic stuff from this genre I'm always looking for an outlier. I do find one per year and here we have another cool one. 

This is the second full length by Finland's ILON LAPSET. They are a four piece act who started out back in 2020. So what's cool about this band is that their sound / style reminds me when Sludge first started. The sound had it's roots in the underground Punk / Hardcore scene in the late 80's. Some bands would come out playing it SABBATH-IAN low and slow with a maniac on vocals. 

That's what ILON LAPSET are doing on this six song release. You've got crushing music with tortured vocals and it's an old school reminder for me. I saw bands like this back in the day at local shows who never went further than releasing a demo tape. The HC kids were left fucked up because they couldn't slam dance to the music. I'd be in the back standing there with a beer going "this is insane and I like it". 

ILON LAPSET bring about this claustrophobic intense sound which fuckin rules. There's an atmosphere of pain and dread throughout this release. There are a few US bands from the late 1990's who they remind me of but I am not name dropping here. This is just great Sludge Metal that's not generic as legendary acts are doing. If you're a fan of Sludge Metal than this is the release you need to get. 

LISTEN TO & ORDER HERE:

https://ilonlapset.bandcamp.com/album/mykk-pimeys

 

RITUAL MASS - Cascading Misery review

 

RITUAL MASS - Cascading Misery

20 Buck Spin

Imagine tossing PORTAL, INCANTATION and HOODED MENACE into a blender. Out of it you would get an act that's horrific oppressively subterranean sounding Death Doom. And that act would have a release out on Dark Descent Records. I'm not kidding because I know I have at least two dozen or more releases by bands on Dark Descent Records who have that sound. 

I won't stop there because I have plenty of releases by other labels who have bands sounding like this. The whole sound structure permeated around the late 2000's. And here we are today well over a decade later with new bands still repeating something they heard a few years ago and maybe adding a few points of nuance. 

Case in point, this is the debut full length from RITUAL MASS who are a four piece act from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that started out in 2016. Prior to this the band released a self titled demo in 2017, an EP "Abhorred in the Eyes of God" in 2019 and a single in 2021. If you're interested you can find all of that material on a compilation they have titled It Ever Turns which is available on CD and cassette. 

Now Iike I said earlier I've heard all of this type of Death Doom before. So on this six song release all of the cuts encapsulate the description I said earlier. While the first part of the album is fairly cut and paste. The second part is where the band decides to inject some self worth into the mix. The culmination is a fourteen plus minute final opus of everything they've done over the past five cuts but more brutal sounding. 

Yeah sounds like a great way to end a performance. But with so much of this style of Death Doom out there it's hard to justify it by saying "well it's good for 2025". As if we've forgotten the good stuff from last year a couple of which sound like this. In the end this debut by RITUAL MASS is decent.

https://www.20buckspin.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/cascading-misery

SHOCK NARCOTIC - My Flesh Is Afraid But I Am Not review

 

SHOCK NARCOTIC - My Flesh Is Afraid But I Am Not

Housecore Records

SHOCK NARCOTIC are a four piece US Grind act featuring musicians from acts like DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, PIG DESTROYER, BATTLECROSS and CHILD BITE. They started out in 2019 with a fourteen song debut EP titled I Have Seen the Future and It Doesn't Work. Back then I heard about the band but never decided check out their music.

Now after listening to this their debut full length I have a few things to say. First off musically this is a very generic style of modern Grind being put forth. Also you hear bits of Groove Metal, Death Thrash, bad 90's Hardcore and wannabe Old School HB1 DM crunch all entered into the mix. I didn't find anything exciting about the thirteen cuts on here. At best it's average.

Vocalist Shawn Knight does have a loud vicious maul when it comes to his singing style. Unfortunately he comes across as more of a 90's era Hardcore vocalist then his Grind vocalist peers from Poland or Finland. As far as the musicianship goes it's average. 

https://housecorerecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://shocknarcotic.bandcamp.com/album/my-flesh-is-afraid-but-i-am-not

ENTRAILS - Grip of Ancient Evil review

 

ENTRAILS - Grip of Ancient Evil

Hammerheart Records

I've been looking forward to this new one by Sweden's ENTRAILS. I'm not going to go into my whole fan history with this band. Just for the record I've been into em since their debut full length album came out back in 2010. That was "Tales from the Morgue" and they were part of that whole old school Swedish death metal revival scene.

Fast forward to 2022 and the band, fresh with new members, released An Eternal Time of Decay also on this label. And I liked it a lot since it wasn't just a band recreating the past as a homage which I don't mind too much. Instead ENTRAILS were defining themselves as a Swedish Death Metal band and fuckin veterans. 

So this new one starts out with the title song being a violin instrumental. The violinist is none other than Thomas von Wachenfeldt who is also the guitarist of another great Swedish Death Metal band WOMBBATH. It's a beautiful sounding opening. And then the old school chaos begins. As the saying goes, may the Boss HM-2 be with you. Then look out because a slam pit is starting. 

With that said the line-up has changed again. There's new bassist Benjamin Hjort Andersson and new vocalist Julian Bellenox. Now as far as bass duties go Benjamin Hjort Andersson fits in well. But as far as vocalist Julian Bellenox goes it's different since he is / was in the Swedish Thrash band MORPHETIK.

Musically this is more Death Thrash oriented with great soloing by Markus Svensson. But even with that I am not a fan of Julian Bellenox as a vocalist. I'm also not impressed with the drum work on here as well. Whatafuck happened to this band? Even when they throw in some decent DM atmosphere aspects to their sound it doesn't register with me.

In the end there's a couple of cool tracks on this the band's eighth full length. They're Death Thrash to the hilt on here and in my attitude which is pissed off I don't care to mention em. I'm totally bored with this album and really wondering about what they're up to. Are ENTRAILS trying to appeal to a new audience or are they just tired. I just don't care for this. I'm sure some younger newbie DM kids will enjoy this but not me. 

https://www.hammerheart.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/album/grip-of-ancient-evil

PALANTYR - The Ascent & the Hunger EP review

 

PALANTYR - The Ascent & the Hunger EP

Dying Victims Productions

Every so often you get a year in Extreme Metal where there's a certain type of sound really making a stand as opposed to trendy bullshit. In my not so humble opinion 2025 is the year of female fronted bands ruling the roost. and here is just another cool one. 

PALANTYR is a five piece Traditional Metal act hailing from France. Technically this is their debut release but there's some baggage to it. This is a six song release. The first three tracks come from a release they did earlier this year and put out on Jawbreaker Records. the next three cuts are new. That's why it's called The Ascent and The Hunger. 

Now before I get into the vocal part let's start with the overall music sound. Much of this musically is in the MAIDEN-esque realm of sound. Some tracks like "Shan E Sorkh" and "Ravenous" stray away from the whole galloping riffs and dive bombing melodic soloing. But hey I'd rather listen to new bands doing it then modern day IRON MAIDEN. 

As far as vocalist Athenais Kordian goes, she has a powerful voice that's not over the top or gimmicky. She comes across as a gutsy Metal woman with a cool vocal range. On the song "Nosferatu" she let's her vocal talent shine throughout. On "Graveyard" she really stands out.

In the end I think this band needs a full length. Yeah I like what I'm hearing on this release. But they need to prove themselves further which I'll be the first SOB to say hell yeah! For now yeah this is a must have release.  

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-ascent-the-hunger

NAEVUS - Back Home review

 

NAEVUS - Back Home

Dying Victims Productions

Doom Metal from Germany yeah you don't hear that often if at all. Which is why this release peaked my interest immediately. Just for the record NAEVUS originally started out back in early 1990's. They came out with their debut full length, Sun Meditation, in 1998. That one came out on Rise Above Records and shocker I never heard it. Fuck Me Running!

So as far as the PR info goes the band broke up but then reformed in 2012. In 2016 they released their second full length Heavy Burden. And here we are now with their third full length. Once again reading the PR info on this four piece act. They're influenced by early US Doom aka: TROUBLE, PENTAGRAM, SAINT VITUS & THE OBSESSED.

So after a lackluster one and a half minute intro I'm hearing something decent. NAEVUS's title cut is pure TROUBLE / THE SKULL worship but in a good way. Uwe Groebel (vocalist / guitarist) has those cool clean vocal chops that remind ya of Eric Wagner (RIP). As the album progresses you hear song structures that rip from memories you had of the past. 

Trust me on this one, NAEVUS are not a copycat band. On the contrary they have been handed a gift of influences and proceed to follow that because the original is gone. That TROUBLE with another singer sucks. And that new SKULL / Eric Wagner tribute act is OK. They had a good album last year. But what you have here is cool as fuck. 

I mean blast "The Dead Don't Sleep", "Under a Different Sky" or "Angels Never Come" and tell me that the fingers of TROUBLE era Doom don't touch you on the forehead. Yeah this album is a winner in my not so humble opinion. I'm sure Eric Wagner, where ever he is, approves of NAEVUS. I know I do. As far as the cover artwork goes I'm not a fan.

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/back-home

FIRMAMENT - For Centuries Alive review

 

FIRMAMENT - For Centuries Alive

Dying Victims Productions

Power Metal from Germany I'm shocked? I'm also joking around. When I saw this band's photo I was like please be influenced by the SCORPIONS. And no they're not. In fact they open this nine song full length with an instrumental. People who read this blog, and frankly who doesn't, know I hate opening instrumentals. 

Be that as it may and despite the opening cut, this German band is good sounding Power Metal. I mean they've got all the typical tropes. We're talking about MAIDEN-esque rhythms, great clean guitar soloing, a damm good rhythm section. And of course a dynamic vocalist in Marco Herrmann. 

I'm not a huge Power Metal fan but when I listen to this, their second full length since starting out in 2021, I'm like yeah this sounds exciting and it's not generic sounding bullshit. A lot of this release rocks in an old school hard rock way. Hey I'm old so I find these certain styles familiar from when I was young. 

FIRMAMENT do a great job at mixing em up for a Metal music fan, regardless of age, to enjoy. 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/for-centuries-alive

RIBSPREADER - As Gods Devour review

 

RIBSPREADER - As Gods Devour

Xtreem Music

Well it wouldn't be a good year in Extreme Metal without a release by a Rogga Johansson affiliated band. The guy is the most hardest working Swedish Death Metal musician of all time. You know him from bands like PAGANIZER and REVOLTING plus a ton of other bands and side projects. Of course RIBSPREADER is a long time Death Metal act he's been in since the early 2000's. 

What we have here is RIBSPREADER's 11th album. I'm surprised that Rogga came out with this release with RIBSPREADER so fast since they had an album last year. 2024's Reap Humanity, which also came out on this label, was a damm good release in my not so humble opinion. Albeit I'm bias because I like the guy. But I thought the REVOLTING album was better. 

Anyways this time around the big change is Jon Rudin (who's played with Rogga in another project) replaces Jeramie Kling on drums. Rogga is still creating the guitar riffs, playing bass and delivering those beast like vocals. Also Hakan Stuvemark, from WOMBBATH fame is still laying done lightning strike lead guitar work. 

Musically this time around it's still a homage to Swedish OSDM but not so old. When I listen to this release I'm reminded of latter day GRAVE albums. I'm talking about GRAVE circa the late 2000's when they were like hey remember us type of stuff. That's what this album reminds me of. 

Still songs like "The Pig in You", "Rotten Soil Serenade" and "As Corpses Cry" are cool. The rest of this album is pretty much their last album lite. Sadly this is the first time I'm giving a negative review for a Rogga Johansson affiliated band release. Yeah this album is decent only which bums me out because I am a fan. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/as-gods-devour

DEATHGOAT - Dragged into Realms Below review

 

DEATHGOAT - Dragged into Realms Below

Xtreem Music

OSDM is on display here by this Finnish five piece act. I'll just say they love Sweden's DISMEMBER and frankly who doesn't? This is the band's second full length. I was looking forward to this because years ago I heard their debut Regurgitated into Existence from 2021. That came out on the Finnish label Black Soul Productions as a download. 

Granted the early Finnish DM scene copied the Sweden DM style / sound with a few exceptions. I listen to this now in 2025 and think well DISMEMBER don't sound this good anymore. So yeah this rules in so many ways. The opener "Alkulima" is boring but don't let that dissuade you. "Pestilent Retribution", "Congregation of Disease" and "Dying to Be Dead" will kick your fuckin ass!

And that goes forth to the rest of this album. DEATHGOAT nail all of the cool points. You've got the crunchy Boss pedal guitar sound. Great riffs throughout backed by a rhythm section on speed. Out from the sky dive bomb soloing and the vocals are by a brutal sounding Neanderthal. This is a nine song head fuck with the opener being the only low point. Yeah this album fucking rules!

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/dragged-into-realms-below

ORGAN DEALER - Visceral Infection Reissue review

 

ORGAN DEALER - Visceral Infection Reissue

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

When it comes to Extreme Metal I not only believe in second chances and sometimes thirds. I also believe they're extremely necessary. I say that because of the fact that bands can release all of the stuff they want. But if there's no real promotion behind what they do, no good reviews or no scene trend that garners interest. Then some bands get lost in the whole scheme of things.

With all of that said here we have a Grindcore band from New Jersey, the place I was born in and raised up to my teens. That was a long time ago. But ORGAN DEALER is a band who came out at a time, in 2013, which was post all of the hipster bullshit into Grindcore. I mean as a fan of Grind this their debut album, Visceral Infection, from 2015 was a refresher course into real fuckin Grind. 

I know some purists will say "well I hear some Death Metal influence". Well OK fine but don't be an A-Hole about it. I mean you've got the savage vocals by a guy who sounds like he's being tortured by the Spanish Inquisition at some point. At other times it's a complete revolt against everything. The drum work is absolutely amazing. The song structures are chaotic. The guitar work is fucking amazing as well as chaotic. It's not mind blowing Grind but it's damm good.

I mean this came out in 2015 and here's your chance to get it again. I took the deep dive and looked up Best Grindcore albums of 2015. This wasn't even listed and the ones that were? Well I did own one from a famous UK Grindcore band and I sold it because it was boring. So there you go. If you're a Grind-head then this fucking reissue by ORGAN DEALER is mandatory.

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/visceral-infection-lp