MORGUE - Herald the Dawn review

MORGUE - Herald the Dawn

Godz ov War Productions

This is the sixth full length by France's MORGUE. I first got into this two piece Death Metal act back in 2022 with their fourth album, Lowest Depths of Misery. Since then they've been consistent with releasing a new album every two years. That's pretty good considering the fact that the band first started out in 1997 and had a sporadic timeline on releases. 

Be that as it may when it comes to Extreme Metal I consider MORGUE to be France's best export since their nation's 1990's era of Black Metal. And they've just gotten better with each album. This latest one just takes what MORGUE has done before and pushes it to a better level. The band is still Max Lobier on vocals, guitars and drums with Jerome Blandino on bass. On here they've got a couple of guests on vocals and a guitarist supplying some lead work. 

Musically I've always called MORGUE's sound a cavern of hate. You've got your brutal beat-downs plus atmospheric touches. It's like Blackened Death Grind with creep filled horror movie touches. Add to that the band kicks in melody which ends up falling into a fuckin diabolical pit of disgusting Blackened hate. 

Max Lobier's vocals are a combination of having a burnt Satanic throat and smoking three packs of cigarettes a day. The guy is an amazing drummer to say the least. Plus the way he kicks in with the riffs makes him more of a composer than a simple musician. 

Many years ago I said Black Metal musicians were the present day composers as in classical music. So you listen to a band like MORGUE (yes they're Death Metal but with some blackened touches) and think it's more than quality Extreme Metal. It's more of a grand experience going on while listening to this release. For me MORGUE are just getting better over time which makes this latest release a winner. 

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/herald-the-dawn

COSCRADH - Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld review

 

COSCRADH - Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld

20 Buck Spin

COSCRADH are an Irish four piece Blackened Death Metal act who I've been into ever since I checked out their self titled demo from 2016. That release came out on Invictus Productions out of Ireland. The band followed that up with a couple of EPs. But in 2022 the band finally released their full length debut Nahanagan Stadial which also came out on Invictus Productions. 

So here we are a few years later on a different label but the band's sound is far more ferocious. COSCRADH are standouts when it comes to modern day Blackened Death Metal. First off the vocals are chaotic as in they run the gambit of being every type of hate filled vocal style in Extreme Metal. 

That's works perfectly well since the song structures are violent guitar passages with amazing drum fills and power blasts. To me it's like Hell's version of blitzkrieg with a possessed guy on vocals and a horned demon ripping out guitar solos. This is what you want to hear after a hard night's work especially if you've been subjected to crappy music at your place of business. 

All in all what COSCRADH did on their first full length was just a taste on how insanely corrupt they could be. I've said many times that the modern day sound of Blackened Death Metal is generic. COSCRADH are far from that which may be why they're on this record label as opposed to another one who puts out generic sounding shit these past years. 

Anyways this might be one of my favorite listening experiences of the year. I mean the name coscradh is  translated into “triumph in slaughter”. So hell fuckin yeah!

https://www.20buckspin.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://coscradh.bandcamp.com/album/carving-the-causeway-to-the-otherworld

NECROMORBID - Ceremonial Demonslaught review

 

NECROMORBID - Ceremonial Demonslaught

Godz ov War Productions

So to all of you who read this blog (and frankly who doesn't). You know of late I've been pissing on modern day Blackened Death Metal because it's become generic. Certain labels just put out a new band's release which just sounds like an album I bought a year before. Now without trashing the whole sub-genre it's made me look for bands who forgo the generic sound and maybe push the intensity to another better level. 

So far this year I've found one Blackened Death Metal act who has risen to my expectations. This new one by NECROMORBID joins the ranks as well. Now forget the opening intro cut because it sucks. The second cut "Perverted Abhorrence Domain" really introduces what this band is all about. I mean let's check the fuckin boxes. 

You've got cavern style bestial vocals which grow on a hot take on later cuts. Amazing dive bomb guitar solos abound throughout. The drum work is a diabolical punishing style which I just love. The song structure riffs are in the backdrop and are like the belly of the beast. 

In the end who would've thought that Italy's NECROMORBID, with their third full length since starting out in 2015, would be monsters of Blackened Death Metal in 2026. Let this be a lesson which will put a sadistic smile on your face.   

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ceremonial-demonslaught

COSCRADH - Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld review

 

COSCRADH - Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld

20 Buck Spin

Hey Saint Patrick's Day is just a few weeks away and here's some cool Extreme Metal to play for the festivities. COSCRADH is a four piece Blackened Death Metal act from Dublin, Ireland. Trust me ya can't get more Irish than that. Also their band name COSCRADH means in old Irish "massacre" Which musically that's what you're gonna get when listening to this release. 

COSCRADH started out back in 2015. Since then they've released a few short form releases, a compilation titled Cra Aosta which has their early material on it and two full lengths. This is their second one and as far as their brand of Blackened Death Metal goes it's a slight break from the usual pattern performed by acts over the past two decades. 

First off COSCRADH sound fresh and unholy. There's a lot of head banging groove on their tracks. Yeah that's a shocker. The lead vocals are wild be they at times sounding like a drunken priest also high on acid and standing in a pit of fire. The backing vocals come across as a grunt DM version to a backing prayer. 

The guitar soloing is minimal with a few cool dive bomb solos and a few cool shreds. It's all good but the riff package and song structures with wild ass drum work make this album so fuckin cool. I mean listen to this for few days and then ask yourself "am I possessed now?" 

Last year I had given up on the whole Blackened Death Metal generic genre. And boom this new album comes out to feel there's some cool ones out there who'll create great stuff. Hell yeah this one rules! 

https://www.20buckspin.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://coscradh.bandcamp.com/album/carving-the-causeway-to-the-otherworld

AND HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dZ7sDrRFa0

SHINE - Wrathcult review

 

SHINE - Wrathcult

Dark Descent Records

So here we have the debut full length by SHINE from Poland. The story behind this act is that it's a new band by former HAZAEL bassist / vocalist Tomasz Dobrzeniecki. Just for the record HAZAEL was a early 1990's Polish Death Metal band who put out two full lengths and then that was it. 

Personally, as someone who has been into Polish DM for a while, I thought HAZAEL 90's out put was average compared to their contemporaries. Now I'm basing that on an album and a demo I heard back in the day. Sure some people will say it's fuckin great. And I'll be "sure but was it better than VADER?" Ah yeah so sit down and shut the fuck up.

Which brings us to this new one by SHINE. First off Tomasz Dobrzeniecki is now just playing guitar. Vocals are done by Marek Krajcer who is fucking amazing to say the least. The rhythm section of bassist Wojciech Gąsiorowski and drummer Paweł Duda are full blown dynamic. Finally there's guitarist Mateusz Waśkiewicz who I'm suspecting does all of the lead work.

With all of that said this is the most generic sounding Polish Extreme Metal release ever. Seriously it's as if an AI program took five or six Polish Death Metal and Blackened Metal acts, combined em and produced this release. Anyone into Polish Extreme Metal knows that there's a certain feeling, a hate filled climate of aggression and a original touch to their music. 

This release is a generic insult.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wrathcult

WSTRET - Enlightened Misanthropy EP review

 

WSTRET - Enlightened Misanthropy EP

Godz ov War Productions

Here we have the second EP from Poland's WSTRET. Their debut two song EP, Subhuman Eschatology, came out last year on this label as well. The band is a two piece Blackened Death Metal act. The two architects of this release are Voiceless Tongue who handles the guitar and bass duties. Odivm takes care of the drum work and vocals. Here's a photo of em. They look like nice lads. Why don't you invite em over for Sunday quiche.

Then again you might want to check out this release before making a dinner guest list. Especially since WSTRET in Polish means disgust. Anyways musically this is straight up Blackened Death that has that dark crushing claustrophobic sound with bestial vocals. It's what we fans of come accustomed to for the past twenty plus years. I will give this duo props for not trying to reinvent the recipe. 

Enlightened Misanthropy is a five song release although there's an opening instro intro so it's basically four good cuts. If the label combined their last EP with this one then it would make a decent full length. Yeah this a band to keep an eye on for a future full length. 

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/enlightened-misanthropy

PERDITION TEMPLE - Malign Apotheosis review

 

PERDITION TEMPLE - Malign Apotheosis

Hells Headbangers Records

So PERDITION TEMPLE, from Tampa, Florida, originally started out in 2009. Their debut full length, Edict of the Antichrist Elect, came in 2010. In all honesty I didn't know about this band until 2020 when they released their third full length release, Sacraments of Descension, also on Hells Headbangers Records. The sole reason I checked em out is because their bassist Alex Blume is also in ARES KINGDOM a band whom I'm a huge fan of. 

Be that as it may back in 2021 when I picked up Sacraments of Descension I was like damm this album is great. I mean US style Blackened Death Metal which basically sounds like early USDM but blackened to a touch. Their last album, Merciless Upheaval, from 2022 was great even though half of it was covers. But now on this latest release it's fresh, it's kick ass and probably the best thing they've done since their third album.

Malign Apotheosis contains eight cuts which are the epitomy of US Blackened Death. Which for you newcomers is totally different then what the Euro acts have been doing for decades. US Blackened Death is punishing in sound with savage riffs, diabolical melodies, dive bomb guitar solos, a hate filled rhythm section attack and nihilistic vocals. 

This three piece delivers all of that in spades. So when I listen to this one I wanna scream, I wanna punch someone and I wanna run out into the street with one of my firearms to light up the neighborhood in gunfire. I mean this album fuckin rules in so many ways of hate. It's a perfect full length from start to finish. 

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://perditiontemple.bandcamp.com/album/malign-apotheosis

VEILBURNER - Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy review

 

VEILBURNER - Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy

Transcending Obscurity Records

If you're a fan of this blog (and frankly who isn't) then you know over the past bunch of years I've sung the praises for this two piece Blackened Death Metal act from Pennsylvania. Mainly because they're not cliche in style of what you would expect. I don't like using hiptard terms like "experimental" or "avantgarde". Previously I've said VEILBURNER are a Blackened Death experince that will weird you out. 

Now I thought their last album, 2024's The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom, was like H.P. Lovecraft put to Extreme Metal music for late night listening pleasures and haunts. This new one goes a bit further into the realm of complete hysteria. I mean the opening title cut is so fucking pychotic and angry sounding that you're like what the fuck at first and then it get's jazzy to a point which is weird. 

But from there this album grows to peak insanity. There's absolutely brutal sounding cuts and then it's Blackened filth meets Tech Death. Cross that with BAUHAUS meets FUNERAL MIST in an ecletic theater of hallucinagentic drug extesy. I thought their last album was a masterpiece. But hey "That Which Crypts Howls Grandeur" is so fuckin out there. The final cut "Reeking of Tragedy" just blows up your pitiful mind. 

This is an easy pick for Exreme Metal greatness. VEILBURNER either get better with each new release or they just get creepier. If you wanna fuck with people's minds then play this. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://veilburnerband.bandcamp.com/album/longing-for-triumph-reeking-of-tragedy

KING - K review

 

KING - K

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

So after reading about this band my first thought was to expect some traditional South American Blackened Death Metal. Yes you have that but there's so much more to this act. I'm not gonna say it's mind blowing. But there are so many surprizes on here that it's definitely something you least suspect. Then again if you're a Monty Python fan, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition. 

So for starters a little history for ya. KING is a four piece act who hail from Colombia, South America. The band started out back in 2005. Presently their guitarist / vocalist, Israel Bathroz, is their only original member. Now since starting out the band has released a handful of short form releases and two full lengths. This one here, K, is their third full length. 

Now like I said no one expects the Spanish Inquisition. And with this album no one expects a Blackened Death Metal band from Columbia to start off their album with an intro, "The Gathering" that sounds more like the opening credits background music for a Hollywood super hero flick. The actual album kicks in with "I-I" and that song reminds ya of VADER or BELPHEGOR. The vocal style is there but also the brutal and slightly Tech Death song structures. 

The next cut opens with an Eastern European Folk guitar style solo. I mean something out of Bulgaria but then kicks into some straight up Blackened Death from an Eastern European nightmare. I mean I could go on about how each cut on here displays something which you would not expect from a Blackened Death Metal act from Columbia. Even "Nine Angels Blazes", which is totally brutal, but also adds melody. There's a time they go full Death Doom on one cut plus later on the band covers a DEAD CONGREGATION song "Only Ashes Remain". I lost it by then in a good way. 

All in all KING's third full length is obviously a listener's pleasure for extreme insanity. Yes it's a great listen especially if you like uncomfortable sounding extreme music pitted against your own pre-conceived beliefs on what comes from where and why it ain't like that. Oops, you were wrong!  

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

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

HATE - Bellum Regiis review

 

HATE - Bellum Regiis

Metal Blade Records

Just for record, again, I got into Poland's HATE with their Morphosis full length back in 2008. That was the band's sixth album. Since then I've picked up every new release and liked em. Now I've always said that when it comes to Polish Death Metal greatness VADER rules. I considered HATE to be the children of VADER. Then in 2019 HATE released their eleventh full length Auric Gates of Veles. That was when I said the children have surpassed their parents. 

So from then to now I've considered HATE to be the kings of Polish Death Metal. I sent my apologies to Piotr years ago. So here we are with HATE's thirteenth full length. And as a fan I have to say this one comes off more subtle, atmospheric and blackened then their previous outing Rugia from 2021. But after a bunch of listens I found myself more captivated. Normally HATE puts forth a sound that's punishing. This is different and I like it.

Now I'm probably a holdout as far as what genre this band is in. I've always considered HATE as pure Polish brutal & technical Death Metal. And sure over the past bunch of years the whole blackened elements have made their way into the band's playing. But on Bellum Regiis it's a decent marriage with the band still holding strong to the brutal DM and mastering the blackened elements easily. They actually do it, Blackened Death Metal, better than their more famous countrymen. 

The first time I listened to this my thoughts were more on the WTF side of things. But after that and a few more listens I came away thinking that HATE have written a great Blackened Death Metal album as only they could do. Their brutality in riffs and soloing is all over the place. Add to that when they break down to the atmospheric sequences it's more of an eerie touch. In those moments you're still left fearful of when the torture will continue. I like that and am glad with this one.

https://www.metalblade.com/us/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hate.bandcamp.com/album/bellum-regiis

BEHEMOTH - The Shit Ov God review

 

BEHEMOTH - The Shit Ov God 

Nuclear Blast

The last thing I really liked from BEHEMOTH was their live performance 2xCD and Blu-ray release, In Absentia Dei, from 2021. It was during the Covid bullshit so the band recorded / performed a live set in 2020 at a church in Pisarzowice, Poland. Musically the band did a great set and of course the video is an impressive performance albeit staged. But regardless they did it for the fans. 

With that said yeah I'm a BEHEMOTH fan from a while back. I got into em when they were in their Blackened Death Metal phase in the mid-2000's. And just like many of you I continued to buy their new releases while simultaneously going back to pick up their early stuff. 

So after giving this thirteenth full length by them a listen I went back to their early stuff for a reference. Now yeah I started with their early endeavors into Blackened Death because their Black Metal stuff is a Polish version of DARKTHRONE. Don't lie because it is and yet it's great. But I realized that I don't care for their early Blackened Death releases that much anymore. 

Honestly BEHEMOTH's best era is from their 2004 full length Demigod to 2007's The Apostasy to 2009's Evangelion and ending with 2014's The Satanist. That's in my not so humble opinion and you can kiss my ass if you disagree. Everything from then to now, except for that live album, has not been so good to say the least. Which brings us to this latest release. 

BEHEMOTH's The Shit Ov God is this Polish Extreme Metal band's shift away from that lackluster full length 2022's Opvs Contra Natvram. Musically yeah this is the band's traditional take on brutal sounding Polish Blackened Death. But the pioneering spirit of the past is not here in their overall presentation. Also some of the anger and brutality seems still toned down. 

The first half of this album is heavy on melody and atmosphere as if they're trying to appease a more mainstream metal audience. The second half of this release is better since it contains more of their old style of heaviness. Add to that it doesn't contain any cheesy concert crowd repeating chorus bits. Musicianship is better as well. 

The bottom line for this latest by BEHEMOTH is that it's good if you're an old time fan. I mean for a band that's been around this long. And has a core set of releases in their history which fans consider perfect. It's gonna be a tough chore to create perfection on a continuous schedule. Now of course if you're part of the lames-tream mainstream then you'll love this. 

https://www.nuclearblast.com/de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://behemoth.bandcamp.com/album/the-shit-ov-god

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

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

ADVERSARIAL - Solitude with the Eternal review

 

ADVERSARIAL - Solitude with the Eternal

Dark Descent Records

Here we have the third full length by this Canadian three piece Blackened Death act. I first got into this band with their second full length Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism. That originally came out in 2015 and on Dark Descent Records. In all honesty I got that release in 2017 and immediately became a fan. I'm pretty sure it was a year later when I got their debut full length, All Idols Fall Before the Hammer, which came out in 2010. 

Now what makes ADVERSARIAL so cool is that they're part of the whole modern take on the Blackened Death genre sound. There's brutality and melody woven together with destructive drumming. Add to that the guitar work crosses into hypnotic territory and still kicks into some violent rage. The vocals are bestial as it gets. Add to that you've got great production which just leaves the listener in a captive gaze. 

And that's also what I thought about em years ago. So here we are now almost a decade between releases. This style of modern Blackened Death still packs a hell of a punch. But it's not so kick ass as it once was. Nowadays it's just damm good.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/solitude-with-the-eternal

MITOCHONDRION - Vitriseptome review

 

MITOCHONDRION - Vitriseptome

Profound Lore Records

A few years back when I learned about this Canadian blackened death four piece it was via their second full length Parasignosis from 2011. In all honesty I thought the band's sound channeled the early days of PORTAL, VASAELETH, and HOODED MENACE. There's probably a few more obscure bands included in their influence but I should let it go. So here we are thirteen years later with their third full length release. 

There's some cool things and not so good things to say about Vitriseptome. Let's start with the cool stuff. If you blast this release on your back deck speakers after midnight your neighbors will call the cops on ya. You're left standing there at the front door smiling to the officer and explaining that you were in the bathroom and didn't know the outside speakers were on. It was my second complaint this year so I got a pass. 

But hey MITOCHONDRION continue where they left off in 2011. You've got the sickening bestial cavernous vocals. Their song structures are one part riff roaring death metal and the other a type of sick metallic opera of diabolic proportions. I love how it all blends into chaos. Yes this is an album where you let the musical destructive forces over take your senses. Yeah this is late night music, fierce and obscene, only to be heard by a shared few who are of the extreme music kind.

The not so good things are that MITOCHONDRION did all of that in 2011 with their second album. This one here is a good album but it doesn't push the boundaries of the band's they're influenced by. I mean the influential acts named above kinda blow these days. So these Canadians have the torch handed to em in order to keep the flow of this blackened death style going or progressing. In the end it's a cool album.   

https://profoundlorerecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://mitochondrion.bandcamp.com/album/vitriseptome

PERSECUTORY - The Glorious Persecution EP review

 

PERSECUTORY - The Glorious Persecution EP

Godz ov War Productions

This Turkish blackened death metal act have been a favorite of mine for a few years now. I can't speak about their debut EP but their last two full lengths: Towards the Ultimate Extinction from 2017 and Summoning the Lawless Legions from 2022 are in my not so humble opinion are amazing. I thought that 2022 full length was a flawless masterpiece. So now they give us fans a three song EP which really makes you like em three times as much more.

The Glorious Persecution is pretty much a showcase of extreme greatness from PERSECUTORY. You've got three long tracks which length wise is their song craft trademark. Within that territory the band displays a lot of blackened fury, the death metal destruction and breaks of sinister atmosphere. The arrangements are just fuckin perfect. The guitar work is exciting to say the least. 

But of course it's vocalist Pervert Profanator (aka: Çagatay Yetik) who sounds like a very angry man on fire. So with his vocals combined with blackened death chamber music from hell ah yeah you're just in fuckin awe of what this band is producing. My favorite cut on here is "Ecstatic Demonlords" because it's the pure embodiment of what this band does musically. The other two cuts are great as well. Overall this one leaves blisters on your ears and that's a good thing. 

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-glorious-persecution

VEILBURNER - The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom review

 

VEILBURNER - The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom

Transcending Obscurity Records

Here we are in early October a month which ends on a day where we're supposed to be scared. I'm talking about Halloween which we celebrate here in the states. It's a month where, at least me, we break out the horror movies and music which is supposed to be representative spirit to the season. But ya know as far as Metal music goes I don't find much of it scary as opposed to maybe decades ago. But once in a great while there will be a band I come across who I wouldn't consider scary but definitely unnerving. 

VEILBURNER is a blackened death metal act who I learned about a few years back when I checked out their fourth full length, A Sire to the Ghouls of Lunacy, from 2018. Now just to be honest what this two piece act from Pennsylvania does with the sub genre of blackened death metal goes far beyond your concepts. These two guys, Mephisto Deleterio (on all instruments) and Chrisom Infernium on vocals, take you on a nightmare journey which you won't like. 

I've followed this band since that 2018 album, all of which have been on Transcending Obscurity Records, and here we are with their seventh full length. Over the cause of time VEILBURNER just keeps pushing the darkness of their sound further to the point where saying they're unnerving just doesn't cut it anymore. Musically on here they're down right frightening. 

I'll start first with the psycho song structures by Mephisto Deleterio. The guy creates these deranged riff patterns that twist and break formation into newer more obscene directions. Once again it's a diabolical style which tears at your core being. Whether he's into a frantic wall of electric static sound or coming up with an atmospheric touch from another dimension. His performance on here is a forgone conclusion to extreme cosmic horror. 

Then of course there's the vocals by Chrisom Infernium who for the most part comes across as a drunken priest suffering from rabbies. I'd say that for the most part when he's yelling at you the listener. But then comes times when he's spilling bile filled diatribes which come across as if he's screaming in your face or your ear. For the most part Chrisom Infernium sounds as if he is possessed by the Devil. So for this type of music on here he's absolutely perfect.

Speaking of perfection I said that about a few previous albums by VEILBURNER. I mean listening to this latest album is like reading Lovecraft. Some people who have read his works stop as if there's a wall to their comprehension to reality. Others go beyond, see it and come back maybe changed as in nuts. But you have people like me who see with great imagination the horror and are not cool with it but except it. 

Welcome to VEILBURNER's new album, play it late at night. Play it with the lights down low. You'll be a convert after one listen. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://veilburnerband.bandcamp.com/album/the-duality-of-decapitation-and-wisdom

UPON THE ALTAR - Descendants of Evil review

 

UPON THE ALTAR - Descendants of Evil

Godz ov War Productions

OK so they're a blackened death metal three piece from Poland. This their second full length is called Descendants of Evil. And there's a black and white drawing of a hydra on the cover. So of course you want this one. If you saw this in a record store you would grab it. Of course you would. So can I just stop there? Well I guess not. 

So everything important which I previously mentioned is true. As far as this album goes it starts off as a face ripper with some decent intensity. Opener "Baneful Benediction" and the follow-up "Horror Vacui" just show that this band is fairly well versed in bestial blackened filth. But afterwards the sound structure of this release takes a down turn into the fuckin abyss. It's like the demons arise from the pit, reek havoc and then drag victims into the pit for torture. 

I give kudos to the guitarist who has to have been in some Grindcore / Death Grind band previously. I mean hey the band's from Poland one of the greatest Grindcore nations in the world. But anyways the playing style has a huge hint of grind especially on the solos. And has a nasty cold and cruel tone when it sinks to more icy but slithering blackened tones. 

Speaking of slithering there's the vocals which come across reptilian as hell. It's well fitting since the music constricts the listener. The drum work is adequate overall. But hey the bottom line is that you've got these three guys who are not wearing make-up or wearing costumes and are delivering an album of blackened death evil. Now nothing against the costumed reference. But hey look at these guys.

UPON THE ALTAR's second full length is a worthy standout in a genre full of average. Nuff Said.

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/descendants-of-evil

HACAVITZ - Muerte review

 

HACAVITZ - Muerte

Moribund Records

Just for the record HACAVITZ, a blackened death metal act from Mexico, are a band I learned about years ago from this label. Yeah I've got more Moribund Records releases then you've got (choose something stupid because I'm not in the mood). Now with that said the PR report on this release states that this is "the triumphant return of the #1 Hispanic Black / Death Metal band!!!" Well I wouldn't go that far.

HACAVITZ are/were a cool band to blast some Mexican blasphemy across borders. I thought their 2007 full length, Katun, was fuckin amazing. But everything since that one has been decent to say the least. You also have to remember that mainman Antimo Buonnano (vocals, guitars & bass) and Cesar Sanchez on drums have been the true creative duo over all of these years.

So with that said what we have here is the band's sixth full length. Their last one, Nex Nihil, came out in 2017. Now as far as this one goes Muerte does deliver on the band's past style of blackened fury, creepy late night atmosphere and thunderous riffs. Unfortunately the production on here is muted or better yet muddied. 

What made me a fan of HACAVITZ years ago was that their sound was raw with a devastating attack whether it was the the guitar riffs or the vocals. In other words it was alive and screamed in your fuckin face. To me I can hardly like this with it's muddled sound. I mean it's 2024 so you can have a decent sound while still being cool blackened something or other. 

In the end I'm not happy with this return.

https://www.moribundcult.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hacavitz.bandcamp.com/album/muerte

GOATPENIS – End review

 

GOATPENIS – End

Brazilian Ritual Records

I remember when I first got into GOAT PENIS which was their Biochemterrorism CD which came out in 2010. I was so crazy about that album that I sent links on social media to friends promoting it. I'd be like GOAT PENIS it's whats for breakfast. GOAT PENIS it's for lunch. GOAT PENIS it's whats for dinner. And then I'd come home from work after 2 AM and post GOAT PENIS it's a great late night snack.

Sadly those days are over. First off even my extreme metal friends were going "Really?" Yeah and "stop sending me that insane shit." But anyways I ended up getting plenty of things from their back catalog. All of it is compilations which there are a lot. Now with that said in 2021 Sabbaoth (aka: Evandro Siebert) the mainman of this band passed away. This guy was the figure head of not only GOAT PENIS but of keeping the whole Brazilian extreme metal scene alive after the early bands came and went. 

So what we have here is the remains of GOAT PENIS trying to keep the legacy of a great Brazilian band going. You have Necro Abhorrence who joined in 2019 on guitar and is now on vocals since Sabbaoth's passing. On drums you've got MGM.666 who has been with the band since 2016. Finally but once again sadly on this release you have Virrugus Apocalli the band's other guitarist since 2004 who passed away this year.

Obviously I find myself compairing this one to the band's last full length Decapitation Philosophy which came out in late December 2020. In all honesty it's a legacy continued which is not bad. The whole blackened death style continues on. I think Necro Abhorrence on vocals and guitar does a good job keeping the intensity going as well as filth. 

In a way, as a longtime fan, I had apprehensions about this release. I mean why not just move on. But musically this is a solid album that continues on were the band was heading a few years back. Somewhere Sabbaoth is smiling (well we hope) that his legacy is continued with a rip and riff roaring release that speaks Brazilian blackened death metal. Yeah this is a favorite. I think the title speaks volumes. 

https://brazilianritualrec.loja2.com.br/

LISTEN HERE:

https://brazilianritualrecords.bandcamp.com/album/end