GRAVEIR - The Festering Triad review

 

GRAVEIR - The Festering Triad

Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings

A few years back I had written a review in which I described the band as great modern day Black Metal. I sent it off to the label rep. He responded with the question "What's modern day Black Metal?" So I sent an email back explaining to him that modern day Black Metal in my opinion is not old school sounding and it's not hipster shit which is non metal but uses certain BM elements to fake it.

Modern Black Metal keeps the essential genre elements while also incorporating a variety of other extreme or prog Metal influences. The end result is a sound that not only is interesting but compelling to hear as if your life depended on it. His reply to that was "I like that!" Speaking of which here's a release by a band that falls into everything I've just said. 

GRAVEIR is a five piece Black Metal act hailing from Brisbane, Australia. In all honesty 99.9% of Black Metal from Australia is gonna be a winner with me as far as my history goes. This band started out in 2014 and this release here is their third full length so far. I've blasted this one for a week straight and found it to be a unique piece of work. Just thinking of it musically you're gonna hear violent attacks, morose atmosphere, prog like melodies and down right pain. 

Vocalist Gloom sings as if he's being lowered into a boiling cauldron of oil at certain times. Other instances he's screaming as if wanting to kill you and dance on your corpse. The guitar work by Snjor (aka: Dane Perry) and VVoid (aka: Chris Jackson) is over the top exciting, I mean whether it's the intense riffs, the few diabolic solos, the headbanging riffage or the almost symphonic song structures. These two guys combine to make an awesome sound.

If there's one thing I don't care for on this release is a few times where the drum work has that beating on a box snare sound. Overall the drum work on here is killer as fuck because XI (aka: Kris Wolf) is punishing as well as filling in at precise moments which are key to certain cuts. Sorry to bassist Pandora (aka: Alahna Bassett) but you're not heard in the overall mix. 

Be that as it may this release is the epitome of Black Metal in 2026. It is why I mocked hipster scribes in the past who thought their ilk would define the genre's future. Ah no because it was always going to be people into Metal who would be Black Metal's future. So hey pick up this release and enjoy the hate. It's one of the best hates this year.

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.co.uk/

LISTEN HERE:

https://graveircult.bandcamp.com/album/the-festering-triad-2

DEPRAVITY - Bestial Possession review

 

DEPRAVITY - Bestial Possession

Transcending Obscurity Records

Well it's been five years since we've heard from Australia's most Brutal Death Metal act. While listening to this their third full length I see they've taken on a torture side to their musical performance. What I'm saying is at most times they're brutal imterpretors of pain and sufferring. But then they'll allow some elegant guitar come forth. Although most of the time it's dive bomb solos which are cool.

I like how when one song ends and it's as the beating torture is over. But then boom it's starts all over again. When I was in the military years ago we called that the Soviet / Commie torture technque. Be that as it may DEPRAVITY's third full length is a pit of Brutal Death Metal deprevity that goes unmatched in their nation.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://depravitydeath.bandcamp.com/album/bestial-possession

FLY - Or Die! review

 

FLY - Or Die!

Dying Victims Productions

In all honesty every couple a years I'll see and hear some new Hard Rock / Metal act that's supposed to be the biggest thing since sliced bread. In 2025 it's FLY a four piece act who hail from Melbourne, Australia. 

Now in all honesty hell yeah on this the band's full length debut FLY fuckin rocks. The opener cut is an instro but the next official song "Highway Fiend" has a MOTORHEAD vibe which fuckin kills. The following song, "The Sinner" is a full on ripper. It's like MOTORHEAD with Richie Blackmore on guitar. Seriously listen to those riffs because it's Machine Head all the way. And the leads are damm good as well.

As this album continues yeah the MOTORHEAD influence reigns on a bunch of cuts but I also hear VENOM and some RADIO BIRDMAN on "Loser" and "Fly or Die". So yeah this is in spirit a homage to hard fuckin rock from the late 70's whether it was Australian Punk Fuckin Rock or UK MOTORHEAD rock and rule. Great fuckin album. 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/or-die

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

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

DESTRUKTOR - Indomitable review

 

DESTRUKTOR - Indomitable

Hells Headbangers Records

For some strange reason Australia is a nation that can boast some pretty fuckin extreme metal acts let alone two well known hard rock bands and two cool punk bands. I don't need to name drop em all. If you're into cool music then you should know who I'm talking about. But anyways years ago I heard DESTRUKTOR and I was floored on how cool they sounded. So of course I placed them in with the extreme metal greatness of Australia. 

Now that was based on getting their debut full length Nailed from 2009 and their last one Opprobrium from 2015. Both of which are greatness when it comes to Blackened Death Thrash. So here we are nine fuckin years later and I'm at a crossroads. Indomitable is a good release still holding true to the band's past style. I mean diabolical riffs, powerful drum work and cavernous vocals. But after nine years ya could've improved. Instead this is average sounding Blackened Death Thrash. 

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://destruktor.bandcamp.com/album/indomitable

PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS - Devil’s Hammer review

 

PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS - Devil’s Hammer

Northern Silence Productions

Just for the record as far as Australian black metal goes I have three favorite bands from that nation. They are DESTROYER 666, NAZXUL and PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS. I became a fan of PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS simply because Balam (aka: Luke Mills) was in NAZXUL. Mills started this band in 2003 and has been the mainman ever since, just keeping his blackened dream alive. 

I got into PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS back in 2009 with their In Memoriam Ill Omen full length. And from that release I've been a fan ever since. I've got all of their releases now. What I always liked about PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS is that they were more complex musically then what NAZXUL had done. Instead of being overwhelmed with blackened intensity. It's more of an invitation to cool sounding compositions which have you sitting back and going hell yeah.

Devil’s Hammer is the band's seventh full length and it just might be their best ever. The inclusion of guitarists Krvna & Mourn (both of whom joined the band in 2022) have definitely added to the total riff package be it cold cruel or melodic. Add to that from start to finish drummer John McLaughlin does an amazing job throughout. 

This album fills out with a fierce threatening gallop of tremolo picked riffs. The vocals come across like belligerent rants from a drunken priest. There's tons of discharge from melodic harmonies to full on assaults or atmospheric touches. The bottom line is that this release is a cool listening pleasure. My favorite black metal album of the year so far. 

https://store.northern-silence.de/en

LISTEN HERE:

https://pestilentialshadows-northernsilence.bandcamp.com/album/devils-hammer 

RESIN TOMB - Cerebral Purgatory review

 

RESIN TOMB - Cerebral Purgatory

Transcending Obscurity Records

While listening to this debut full length by Australia's RESIN TOMB I kept thinking of painful circumstances. The three that came to mind were being drawn and quartered, hung by the wrists while some sadistic fuck takes a blow torch to your feet or being hit by a plumber's truck. 

Now in all honesty I really don't know too much about the first two examples. But I do have a friend who is a plumber (by the way it's good to have friends who do work in low places). One day I was looking into the back of his van and he had a whole mess of junk in there including a kitchen sink. So I can imagine being hit by him in his van at fifty miles per hour. Yeah that's gonna hurt.

Which brings us back to RESIN TOMB who are a five piece band who incorporate that dissonant style of death metal (aka: a lot of quiet atmospheric parts) ferocious sludgey sounds and a bit of grind. In other words everything and the fuckin kitchen sink colliding with ya into one full blown unstoppable force. And that's just the musical portion. 

The vocals on here are a combination of full blown hate and angst plus torture out the wazoo. You need that to compete with the bludgeoning force of the music. I can just imagine when this guy was recording the vocals in the studio. The producer would tase him saying "more angst, more pain, Zap Zap!" And of course it works out damm well because the vocals combine death metal growls with the screams of human bondage. 

You take all of that into account and add song structures that have more twists, suspense and gruesome encounters than a Giallo film. By the way I've heard this band twice before on two Transcending Obscurity Records compilations and here finally is a full length. Be that as it may I don't see Cerebral Purgatory (great album title by the way) resonating well with your run of the mill extreme metal fan. I mean hell it took me three spins to really get it. Then again that could be it's greatness. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://resintombaus.bandcamp.com/album/cerebral-purgatory

AARDVARK - Tough Love review

 

AARDVARK - Tough Love

Dying Victims Productions

Honestly I can't believe I'm writing about a band named AARDVARK (says the guy who owns the complete discography of ANAL VOMIT). Alright just for starters this band hails from Australia. There are no aardvarks in that country. Aardvarks live in Africa. They eat ants and are a remnant of prehistoric mammals. Which is a great segway into talking about this band. 

AARDVARK are a four piece act; two guitarists, one of em sings, plus a bass player and drummer. My previous mention of the word "prehistoric" fits in well with this act. Musically this band is a throwback to mid 70's hard fuckin rock. I'm talking 1975 to 1979 aka: just before the NWOBHM era kicked in. There are times when this release comes across like JUDAS PRIEST's Rocka Rolla. And guitarist / vocalist Ed Vaark does an early Halford vocal style well.

All in all Tough Love is an enjoyable album, says a guy who's 60. It's melodic hard rock from a time when bands like PRIEST, THIN LIZZY, UFO and SCORPIONS took listeners into something different in the mid 70's. I can't help but enjoy songs like "Destructor", "Fight Back" and the title cut. Yeah this is a perfect album for people who wanna go way back. 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/tough-love

DESTROYER 666 - Six Songs with the Devil reissue review

 

DESTROYER 666 - Six Songs with the Devil reissue

Season of Mist

I've been a fan of DESTROYER 666 since a friend of mine years ago gave me a copy of their debut full length, Unchain the Wolves, from 1997. Since then I've kept up with buying all of their full lengths as well as a couple of EPs. 

But I've never owned this original first demo, Six Songs with the Devil, which originally came out in 1994. So hey first off this is when the band was originally K.K. Warslut on vocals, guitars and bass with Chris Volcano on drums. 

Musically this is DESTROYER 666 diabolical and raw. The big surprise is that sound-wise it's damm good for a demo. If you've got their 1995 EP, Violence Is the Prince of This World, then you know what to expect. Honestly as much as I like modern day DESTROYER 666 this stuff fuckin rules. A blackened fury from down under.  

https://www.season-of-mist.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMW5PIyqHCY

CEMETERY URN - Suffer The Fallen review

 

CEMETERY URN - Suffer The Fallen

Hells Headbangers Records

I got into Australia's CEMETERY URN a few years back just because they had band members who were in BESTIAL WARLUST, HOBBS ANGEL OF DEATH and ABOMINATOR. I mean that's three aces of Australian extreme metal right there. The first album I heard by CEMETERY URN was their self titled album from 2017. That also came out on Hells Headbangers Records. 

Here we have the fifth full length by this old school death metal act and honestly I think it's their best. Since getting into em years ago I now have all of their releases. So what makes this their best is a masterful attack. First and foremost is that D. Bloodstorm (aka: Damon Burr) is back on vocals. This guy gives forth some of the best blast furnace vocals around in Australian extreme metal. 

Add to that the guitar duo work of Andrew Undertaker (aka: Andrew Gillon) and Dan Maccioni. We're talking about a riff package which is punishing with solos that dive bomb like lightning from the sky. The drum work from Brandon Gawith is savage as all hell. New bass player, Bo Remy, carries the weight.

The eight songs on here are a monstrous bunch of savage to have you sitting on a chair waiting for your execution. The album starts off subtle but ends in a ferocious maniacal way. This is punishing OSDM with a sadistic smile. Yeah it's their best album as well as bestial to the hilt. 

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://cemetery-urn.bandcamp.com/album/suffer-the-fallen

FATHOMAGE - Autumn's Dawn, Winter's Darkness review

 

FATHOMAGE - Autumn's Dawn, Winter's Darkness

Northern Silence Productions

The two times of the day when I like to write about music are late at night after work and mid mornings. Basically I'm winding down or getting wound up. Listening to this release from Australia's FATHOMAGE is a two fold. I could easily end my evening with it or wake my ass up to it. Obviously I've given up my hand to the thoughts I have on it. 

FATHOMAGE is a one man black metal act from Australia. The one man multi-instrumentalist is named Akul. Musically this is a black metal pantheon of beauty and the bestial. BM textures abound while melancholy guitar picking, whether it's acoustic or electric, take the listener on a atmospheric journey. Akul provides painful screams from some very depressive bowels. But then there are other times when he screams out with a terrifying banter. either way his vocals command attention.

Overall musically the introduction segments to these cuts, there's eight in all, really drag you in but a few drag on too much. I mean if I was high on drugs I wouldn't mind but I don't do that stuff anymore. I drink a bit but still not as much to assume I'm on an astral plane. Opener and title cut "Autumn's Dawn, Winter's Darkness" is amazing. Follow that up with "The Majesty and Beauty of a Fallen World" which is truly epic atmospheric BM. I love the keyboards on this one. 

A big surprise for me is liking the acoustic guitar instrumental "In the Twilight of the Night". It's a complete break from the BM norm and I think an album of this majestic BM attitude needs it. Carrying on "Light of the Eternal Dawn" is a beautiful ode to Norwegian BM.

It starts out ridiculously radical and harsh with some cool tremolo picked riffs. Then introduces some tranquil melody to cool things off for a minute or two. Next all hell rips loose with tremolo picked melodies. This is a total wall of BM fury which almost had me shifting to the outdoor speakers just to piss off the neighbors. The closing song, "We Wept Under the Moonlight Shadow" which is a fourteen minute plus epic piece. Good stuff all around on this one. 

This is the seventh full length by Akul under the band name FATHOMAGE. The first album, Portraits of an Illustrative Mania, came out in 2018. Here we are years later and Akul gives us a well balanced atmospheric black metal album. 

LISTEN TO and BUY IT HERE:

https://fathomage.bandcamp.com/album/autumns-dawn-winters-darkness

UNFELLED - Pall of Endless Perdition review

 

UNFELLED - Pall of Endless Perdition

Season of Mist

OK some explaining to do with this one. So if you're a supporter of Season of Mist records or even Northern Silence Productions. Then you might know of the Australian black metal band WOODS OF DESOLATION. If not then I'll explain. WOODS OF DESOLATION is a one man BM project that started out in the mid-2000's. The one man multi-instrumentalist behind the project simply goes by the name "D". 

I got into this band back in 2011 with his Torn Beyond Reason full length which came out on Northern Silence Productions. What you had with WOODS OF DESOLATION is harsh atmopheric black metal which was in all honesty generic but still cool sounding. D also has a side project called FOREST MYSTICISM which has no full lengths out but plenty of small form releases. I have their Hearken three song CD from 2018.

So in 2016, D started this side project UNFELLED and released a six song demo Beneath Distant Skies. Which brings us up to date. This time around D is with a band and the music is a side harsher. D handles bass and guitar duties on here. Along for the ride is drummer Vladislav Petrov who most BM fans know from DRUDKH. But on vocals he's got a cool dude in Mitchell Keepin formerly of two great Australian BM bands NAZXUL and PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS. 

Musically this is a more ferocicious take on D's usual post BM atmopheric style. There's still plenty of laid back melodies which are punished by Petrov's drum work and D's savage tremolo pick rhythms. Mitchell vocals just keep the pain going. Out of these seven cuts I hear pretty much (again) a generic following. It's 2023 so we haven't moved far from the original ground. 

Be that as it may this is just an exhilarating album. It's a modern epoch to revel any of your easy on the ears bullshit. I'd play "Wreathed Wings" or "Veil of Perdition" up your kvlt wanna-be face and watch you suffer. Normally I'd say I'm biased but with this release it's a big fuckin NO. This album is amazing!

https://www.season-of-mist.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://unfelled.bandcamp.com/album/pall-of-endless-perdition

DESTROYER 666 - Never Surrender review

 

DESTROYER 666 - Never Surrender

Season of Mist

A good friend of mine turned me onto DESTROYER 666 many years ago with their debut full length Unchain the Wolves. That was back in 1997 and I've been a constant fan of these extreme metal Aussie's ever since. Now while my appreciation for this band has not changed over the decades. Much about DESTROYER 666 has, with one exception and that's mainman/guitarist/vocalist K.K. Warslut. 

K.K. Warslut has guided this act for almost three decades now and that's with a revolving door line-up of band members. He's weather all of that as well as subtle changes in style. DESTROYER 666 is still a blackened thrash act. But a few years ago they got, pardon me, accessible in their sound. Wildfire from 2016 became the band's new template to continue onward with. 

On that album K.K. and his new line-up dropped a bit of the satanic shtick and went with a more catchy thrash attack with melody and memorable gang vocal choruses. Add to that you got better production. Fast forward six years later and K.K. is still following the Wildfire formula with a semi newer line-up. And I think this is damm good.

Joining K.K. on this the band's sixth full length is new drummer Kev Desecrator who joined in 2020. Add on bassist Felipe Plaza Kutzbach who has remained since Wildfire. So musically this is still hard hitting yet rough around the edges thrash. Of course the riffs are solid. The soloing flows to an almost NWOBHM tone. 

On one song there's a death thrash feel "Grave Raiders" which reminds me of early DECEASED. Opener "Never Surrender" is a fist in the air heavy metal anthem for 2022. "Guillotine" is another strong cut with political / social references towards some of the crazy shit going on in Australia since the pandemic. With the chorus lyric "What's Happened to My Country" ah yeah I totally fuckin agree.

Most of the other tracks on here are mid-paced thrashers with plenty of shouted vocals plus gang backing shouts. Two of the tracks on this album do take you back a ways to the band's early more blackened days. Those cuts being "Pitch Black Night" and "Batavia's Graveyard". 

So all in all K.K. Warslut, who's vocals are phenomenal on here, has once again breathed new life into something which was originally a side project decades ago. Of late whenever I'm in the mood for some DESTROYER 666 I've been playing Wildfire plus the 2018 Call of the Wild EP. This album surpasses those two releases. Never Surrender might be a late comer to 2022 but it is one of the best releases of the year. 

https://www.season-of-mist.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQJEDR2G9M4

MOURNFUL CONGREGATION - The Exuviae Of Gods Part I EP review

 

MOURNFUL CONGREGATION - The Exuviae Of Gods (Part I) EP 

20 Buck Spin

This is the first of two EPs that Australia's funeral doom merchants will release this year. It's been a few years since their last one, The Incubus of Karma, from 2018. But as they say, misery takes time. And musically MOURNFUL CONGREGATION specialize in the low, slow and thoroughly epic. 

This EP contains three cuts, the first being the fourteen plus minute sojourn "Mountainous Shadows Cast Through Time". It's typical MOURNFUL CONGREGATION as in major heavy riffs, plenty of guitar driven melody and the cavernous vocals. It opens with some keyboards so to break the monotony. 

The second and title cut, "The Exuviae of Gods", is a beautiful, atmospheric and could be proggy instrumental. The third and final song is "An Epic Dream of Desire" and what I consider the money cut. This a song from one of their early demos and reworked. I don't have any of the band's demos. So musically it's cool to hear their early slow and let's bury the dead funeral doom beginnings. 

All in all this EP is amazing especially since I'm a fan. 

https://www.20buckspin.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://mournfulcongregation.bandcamp.com/album/the-exuviae-of-gods-part-i

DESCENT – Order Of Chaos review

 

DESCENT – Order Of Chaos 

Redefining Darkness Records

Here we have the sophomore album by Australia's DESCENT. A few years back their debut came out on Redefining Darkness Records as well. Some things have changed since 2018 for this death metal act. For starters their debut, Towers of Grandiosity, was rooted in the old school of the genre. That was a decent release but you knew something was bubbling under the surface. 

And so here are the results once the lid was taken off of this Aussie cauldron. Order Of Chaos is an aptly titled release. This five piece act have ditched some of the old ways. They're still full of crunching riffs via old school DM. But there's a touch of hardcore plus blackend death metal. The formula is far from being new but it works.

I guess the best thing about this album is how consistent the band is raging at full force. Except for taking a slight blackened atmospheric break mid way through. DESCENT really don't let up at all with the punishing riffs. The vocals come off as venomous assaults.

Yeah Order Of Chaos is an aptly titled album and DESCENT are in charge. 

https://www.redefiningdarkness.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://descent-au.bandcamp.com/album/order-of-chaos

DEATHFUCKINGCUNT - Decadent Perversity review

 

DEATHFUCKINGCUNT - Decadent Perversity

Transcending Obscurity Records

Well with a name like DEATHFUCKINGCUNT how could I possibly pass on checking it out. What we have here is a death metal band from Australia (of course they are). They probably spent plenty of time digesting CANNIBAL CORPSE and CRYPTOPSY albums. Then figured they could do it better. As in better I mean far more brutal sounding then the above mentioned bands combined.

Add to that (as if that wasn't enough) this Aussie four piece are very tech death savvy and add enough speed to snap your fuckin neck. Then there are the band's song titles which would have your typical second tier "brootal" death metal acts scratching their heads thinking "dude why can't we come up with song titles like that"? Well because you're pot smoking neanderthals. But hey keep practicing those pig squeals. 

Oh yeah about those songs titles well you've got such numbers as "Blunt Force Vasectomy" which would obviously be painful. "Garroted by Frenulum", I had to look up what frenulum was. Oh and my favorite "Suicidal Masturbatory Flagellation" which sounds so fucked up that it could be a real term. Hello CARCASS? 

Now all kidding with a sick sadistic grin aside, yes music this extreme would be overwhelming to any normal person as well as any normal metal fan. My first couple of listens threw me to the medicine cabinet for pain pills. But in a few more plays I get the idea to what's not so obvious to the lay person. First off it must be brutal to play/practice these cuts. Supposedly the band plays live under the moniker "DFC". Yeah I can understand that but hey here's their logo.

 

But what I'm trying to say is that the musicianship this band displays is technically fearsome. There's some crazy as well as typical tech death style guitar leads. But it's the utter madness of the riffs with the bass player trying to keep pace which is fuckin insane. Then you've got the rapid fire drum work. You listen to the song "Devoured by Eunuchs" and your jaw will drop. 

While researching DEATHFUCKINGCUNT I learned that they originally started out back in 2007. They released a demo in 2008, a split release in 2009 and put out their debut full length in 2013. They also have band members in the black metal act WARDAEMONIC who are also on this label. So in the end you've got some well honed musicians who's dedication to the craft is exceptional as this album show. Their guitarist is a six string surgeon to say the least. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://deathfuckingcunt.bandcamp.com/album/decadent-perversity-brutal-technical-death-metal

REAPER - Viridian Inferno review

 

REAPER - Viridian Inferno

Dying Victims Productions

Well if you're feeling nostalgic and frankly who doesn't wish to go back a few years. Then this German label, purveyors of the old that they are, have another release by a band who believe the past should not be forgotten.

Here we have the debut full length by Australia's REAPER. They're a four piece act who worship the early gods of extreme metal aka: BATHORY, VENOM and HELLHAMMER. Nothing wrong with that and there's ten songs' worth of it. 

Musically you get the idea already. It's old school speed metal with raspy vocals. Good stuff if you're into another band doing it. 

https://www.dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/reaper-viridian-inferno

NOCTURNAL GRAVES - An Outlaw's Stand review

 

NOCTURNAL GRAVES - An Outlaw's Stand

Season Of Mist

So yeah I guess you could say I'm a NOCTURNAL GRAVES fan. I got into them back in 2007 with their Satan's Cross full length. I also have every full length they've done since then. This one's their fourth. They're blackened thrash from Australia cut from the same cloth as countrymen DESTROYER 666. Now that's obviously a gimme since guitarist Ian Gray (aka: Shrapnel) and multi-instrumentalist Jarro Raphael (aka: Nuclear Exterminator) were both in DESTROYER 666. So hey what's not to love right? 

Now if you've followed this band's career, and you probably haven't, then I'll explain. Yeah early on they were a DESTROYER 666 offshoot. We're talking typical Aussie blackened thrash which is cool as fuck. But NOCTURNAL GRAVES has progressed away from the typical and in a good way. I see guitarist Shrapnel as the leader pushing their songs to incorporate more blackened atmosphere plus a touch of tech thrash bludgeoning and death metal. 

As much as I like their early raw stuff, 2013's From the Bloodline of Cain" is a masterpiece. I really think An Outlaw's Stand is now their best album. The vocals are totally filth ridden. The riffs in these song structures are flat out insane. It's as if this release was recorded in a studio on fire. The soloing is part epic and grandeur or down right machete head cutting. There's the blackened death metal punches as well as a snippet of black n roll. In the end a perfect fuckin record. 

https://www.season-of-mist.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkWFojURB4o&t=1038s

VAHRZAW - The Trembling Voices of Conquered Me review

 

VAHRZAW - The Trembling Voices of Conquered Me

Transcending Obscurity Records

Since it's inception as an extreme music genre blackened death metal was usually recognized in two ways. First off you had the harsh yet melodic style and then the dark brutal stuff. So around 10 to 15 years ago bands started to expand from that template in order to incorporate more in order to come off as original. Most of that was bringing in doom or tech death elements. 

But recently there's been some bands who twist the template in experimental ways which will make you say "Whatafuck". That's where we are now with this fourth full length by Australia's VAHRZAW. The band has been around since the mid-90's and who knows what they were doing years ago. This is my first time hearing them. Obviously they've been honing their craft in order to get where they are now. Of course I'm guessing on that last point because after listening to this they would've made their mark already.

So musically take your blackened death template then add a chaotic twist. That twist contains atmospheric breaks, tech death song structures, a mix of harsh and brutal vocals, guitar solos which are either dive bomb, melodic/hypnotic or prog based. From there add death doom, thrash and some sludge metal. That's your recipe for this album. It's book-ended by two acoustic guitar intro pieces, there's another prog element. I'm still at that "Whatafuck" stage.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://vahrzawband.bandcamp.com/album/the-trembling-voices-of-conquered-men-death-black-metal