VOMITORY - In Death Throes review

 

VOMITORY - In Death Throes

Metal Blade Records

They're back...! Yes it's VOMITORY's tenth full length and if you could just see the sick sadistic grin I'm sporting while blasting this new full length release. Now for those of you who read this blog (and frankly who doesn't) then you know I love my Old School Swedish Death Metal to the hilt. Also if the so called Big Four of Old School Swede DM are DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED, GRAVE and UNLEASHED. Then VOMITORY is number five hands down. 

Now aside from rehashing the past, well fuck it. Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize from 2007 is still my favorite release by em. Raped in Their Own Blood from 1996 is number two. There was that period of loss after 2011's Opus Mortis VIII came out. VOMITORY were gone until their comeback in 2023 with All Heads Are Gonna Roll. That album showed that the band were still worthy of kicking your fucking ass. In Death Throes not only has you assholes on the ground but this band is stepping on your face.

Yes VOMITORY (aka: bassist / vocalist Erik Rundqvist, drummer Tobias Gustafsson, guitar riff maniac Urban Gustafsson and new lead guitarist Christian Fredriksson) have released an ultimate follow up as well as proving once again they refuse to change to wimp melodic times or asshole progressive, hipster bullshit. You've got ten cuts of ferocious, uncompromising Old School Death Metal. Yes VOMITORY is far more brutal sounding then their predecessors. 

Hey every track on here is killer but my favorites are "For Gore and Country", “Wrath Unbound" (the head banging slam pit starts here). The same can be said about "Two and a Half Men" and damm I do miss slam dancing, The real shit not that push and shove crap or that moronic dance assholeness. Yeah VOMITORY is back and just as bad ass as before. I'll be blasting this one for the rest of 2026 and beyond. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://vomitory.bandcamp.com/album/in-death-throes

MONSTROSITY - Screams from Beneath the Surface review

 

MONSTROSITY - Screams from Beneath the Surface

Metal Blade Records

So if you're into Death Metal then you know that MONSTROSITY was the band George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher was in before he joined CANNIBAL CORPSE. Now in my not so humble opinion I'll say that the band's full length debut, Imperial Doom, which came out in 1992 on Nuclear Blast Records and it's follow up, Millennium, which came out in 1996 on some obscure label got more sales after George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher left to join CANNIBAL CORPSE. 

There are people out there who think MONSTROSITY's debut is better than George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's debut CANNIBAL CORPSE album, Vile, from 1996. I tend to have a different opinion on that idea. Be that as it may as far as post "Corpsegrinder" era MONSTROSITY releases go there's five in total. Of that I own only 2003's Rise to Power and my copy is a reissue. I thought album was OK and vocalist Jason Avery did a decent job. 

Fast forward to now and of course MONSTROSITY has gone through more changes. Of course original drummer Lee Harrison is keeping this band alive. Original bassist Mark van Erp returned in 2022. On guitar you've the great Matt Barnes who joined in 2010. Finally there's new vocalist Ed Webb who joined the fold in 2021. So even with all of that I still had my preconceived opinion on what this album was gonna sound like. 

Now if you listen to the opening track, "Banished to the Skies" then yeah you'll think this album is gonna suck. I mean that's what I thought. But then when the second cut "The Colossal Rage" kicks in things really change. Be that two people in this band use to play in MALEVOLENT CREATION I was not shocked to where the sound structure developed into. 

Musically this reminds me a lot of the Bret Hoffman (RIP) era of MALEVOLENT CREATION. At least as a strong influence of course because they still wanna be Florida 1990. To me the combination works well. And as I partially mentioned before Matt Barnes is not just good. I mean the riffage is damm good on these songs. But as far as soloing goes he is a fucking amazing guitarist. 

Finally I have to say Ed Webb is a great vocalist. He comes across almost as if he was from Poland doing Brutal Fuckin Death Metal. But hey he can scream like a motherfucker. Which is why in the end this album is damm good. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73wELS7JayY

MIDNIGHT - Steel, Rust And Disgust Compilation review

 

MIDNIGHT - Steel, Rust And Disgust Compilation

Metal Blade Records

So I'm a MIDNIGHT fan ever since a great friend of mine turned me onto their Complete and Total Fucking Midnight release back in the 2000's. And from then on I pick up everything by em. I'm not saying every release of their's is a favorite of mine. But hey ya gotta buy em to find out. Anyways this one here is something completely different. It's a compilation of songs by old Cleveland bands/artists that MIDNIGHT decided to cover. 

There's two originals on here, opener "Cleveland Metal" and the title cut. As far as those songs go I like the title cut better. "Cleveland Metal" just sounds cheesy. Now as far as the covers go if ya know the original than you can compare and judge. If ya don't then it's a thumbs up or down decision.

So as far as the songs by bands / artists I don't know, "Iron Beast" by KRATOS and "I'm Insane" by SYNASTRYCHE actually come across as MIDNIGHT songs. I wanna say the band RUBBER CITY REBELS is familiar but I never owned anything by em. "Child Eaters" is MIDNIGHT doing Scum Punk and it's cool as fuck. I never heard of FALSE HOPE but MIDNIGHT does a song by em titled "Carrions Keep" which is a decent Metal cut and something different for the band style wise. 

On to the ones I know, MIDNIGHT covers two songs by THE ELECTRIC EELS. In all honesty they do justice to these songs because the originals, as far as the recordings go, are bottom of the barrel early Punk Rock. Next you have covers of ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS' "Final Solution" and THE DEAD BOYS' "3rd Generation". The connection here is that when ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS broke up some band members went on to form THE DEAD BOYS and PERE UBU. PERE UBU would do their own version of "Final Solution". By the way I've seen both ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS and THE DEAD BOYS. As far as the cover versions go MIDNIGHT does a fair version of both bands but not winners. 

Finally there's SCREAMIN JAY HAWKINS' "Frenzy" and "Rock n' Roll Fever" by DAVID ALLAN COE. OK these are not well known hits by both artists and that's probably a good thing. Both cuts are done well. In the end listening to this from start to finish if you're ignorant of the covers then you'd think it's a decent MIDNIGHT album. Obviously I'm not ignorant.    

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://midnight-ohio.bandcamp.com/album/steel-rust-and-disgust

MESSA - The Spin review

 

MESSA - The Spin

Metal Blade Records

Back in 2024 I got into this cool band from Italy called PONTE DEL DIAVOLO. Their full length debut, Fire Blades from the Tomb, came out on Season of Mist Records. They've got a second album coming out in February which I'm looking forward to. Basically I described em as a Doom / Black Metal version of SOUIXIE & THE BANSHEES. So here we are a year later and this fourth release by Italy's MESSA came recommended to me because supposedly they're a similar sounding band and I would like em. 

Well they're no PONTE DEL DIAVOLO by a long stretch. In fact I will say a lot of things to boot. But let's get the basics down. Years ago MESSA started out as a Sludge Metal act with a sultry yet airy vocalist named Sara Bianchin. That was in 2016 with their debut full length, Belfry. All in all it was basically a continuation of late 2000's US hipster Sludge Metal with some female vocals. They were a decade late and a hundred Euros short. 

Fast forward to 2025 and MESSA are still about as original as spaghetti in Italy. On this album they're straight up influenced by SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES to a point. Now their vocalist, Sara Bianchin, is no Siouxie Sioux but she's a good singer. I do like her vocals on this release. As far as the song structures / melodies go they're mostly part jangly post punk and hard rock. Their lead guitarist, Alberto Piccolo, comes from a Stoner Rock background. His guitar work is the standout part throughout this album. In other words he can be and yeah is over indulgent like a 80's Heavy Metal guitar hero. His lead work overwhelms on every cut. 

There's plenty of Goth pop style going on with songs like "At Races" and "Immolation". The final cut on here, "Thicker Blood" reminds me of France's AMESOEURS. This band's last full length came out on Svart Records. Then they jumped to Metal Blade obviously because of better distribution and notice. But there's something I learned a few weeks ago that really didn't shock me but since I'm not part of their scene it was interesting to hear about. According from insiders, the whole new Goth and Industrial music scene has been invaded by hipsters / woke people. Yeah that's funny, they've ruined another underground scene. 

MESSA's The Spin is a decent wannabe Doom / Post Punk revival album. It's actually more Hard Rock than Metal. I believe if you're into Goth then yeah you'll like this release. Although I have to laugh at the thought of woke hiptards getting into Goth and Industrial music. I mean there's so much of that early music which is so politically incorrect. Even the late 80's / early 90's politically correct Punk crowd got offended. Losers!

 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://messa.bandcamp.com/album/the-spin

CIRITH UNGOL - Live at the Roxy 2XCD review

 

CIRITH UNGOL - Live at the Roxy 2XCD

Metal Blade Records

Alright lets get this obvious point out of the way or my close friends will call me various hate filled names. I never liked CIRITH UNGOL because of the vocals. I mean the music on those early 80's albums was great but Tim Baker's vocals were tough to get through. With that said when the band got back together, actually half original and the other half new, I took a better look at CIRITH UNGOL. 

No one can deny that this band's most resent releases are pretty damm good. I'm talking about 2020's Forever Black and Dark Parade from 2023. Now you would believe massive tours would coincide with that but not really. As far as concert appearances go the band just did Metal fest shows. At least from what I saw. 

With that said then here you have a great opportunity to check out CIRITH UNGOL live and new. This is a double dink's worth of the band's material which covers the past to the present. This band, half of which is original members, delivers the goods. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://cirithungol.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-roxy

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

ENSIFERUM - Winter Storm review

 

ENSIFERUM - Winter Storm

Metal Blade Records

In all honesty it's been quite a while since I checked out an album by this Finnish Folk Metal act. Actually I liked em back in the late 2000's when the whole Viking Metal / Pagan Fest type of stuff was going on. I've still got two full lengths from em, Victory Songs from 2007 and From Afar which came out in 2009. I did hear the band's 2012 full length Unsung Heroes and wasn't thrilled with it. Then again by 2012 I was not so enthralled with the whole pagan metal genre trend. 

So here I am over a decade later back with ENSIFERUM with their ninth album and I think fourth on Metal Blade Records. And here's a shocker I actually like this one. Now just for the record ENSIFERUM were never a Viking Metal band or even a real Folk Metal act. Basically their sound was always melodic death metal and power metal with a load of songs dealing in medieval Finnish battle metal. It's all about fantasy as opposed to history lyrically. These guys were always swinging their would be swords for a Wacken stage spot as opposed to underground coolness. 

With that said Winter Storm pretty much fits the whole epic sound structure. The production on here just amps up everything this band is known for. You've got these galloping rhythms, massive power riffs, harsh and clean vocals plus whispered vocals as well as gang vocals, guest female vocals by Madeleine Liljestam, subtle keyboards and a mighty rhythm section. I know welcome to the mainstage at Wacken. 

Yeah this is a cool sounding album. ENSIFERUM in the past were never a perfect band for me. But they've always came out with a few cool as fuck songs on the albums I liked. On this one inbetween the un-neccissary instrumentals there's cool cuts like "The Howl", "Fatherland", "Winter Storm Vigilantes", "Scars in My Heart" with Madeleine Liljestam and the really epic eight and a half minute "From Order to Chaos". So hell yeah I'm a ENSIFERUM fan again. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://ensiferum.bandcamp.com/album/winter-storm

THE CROWN - Crown Of Thorns review

 

THE CROWN - Crown Of Thorns 

Metal Blade Records

I got into THE CROWN with their second album Deathrace King from 2000. I liked that album so much that I hit the record store a week later and got their debut full length Hell Is Here which came out in 1998. Back then the band was thrown into the whole Swedish Melo-Deth scene. But musically they were a great death thrash band. I still love those two releases. Unfortunately everything that came out afterward was questionable to me. 

I've had or heard every release THE CROWN has released in the past twenty four years. In all honesty I just don't care for em and I especially hate 2002's Crowned in Terror. You bring in Tomas Lindberg from AT THE GATES to completely fuck up your sound and style. Since then and even with the return of original vocalist Johan Lindstrand they've become melo-deth boredom. 

But hey I gave this new album a chance, three listens, and it's generic and boring. Now sure if you're into the whole generic melo-death stuff then you'll love this album. There's a couple cool tracks on here but for me that's not good enough. They've taken back their original name with the album title but not the early death thrash style. To me it's just boring.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://thecrownofficial.bandcamp.com/album/crown-of-thorns

TYR - Battle Ballads review

 

TYR - Battle Ballads

Metal Blade Records

OK bias alert, I'm a huge fan of TYR. I first got into em in 2006 with their Ragnarok full length. From that point onward I was buying older releases while keeping up with their new ones. I saw em twice over a decade ago when the whole Pagan Metal thing was a trend as far as tours go. I stood around at one show and talked with Heri Joensen for close to an hour. We had an amazing conversation which I promised was not an interview. 

Fast forward a few years and it was in the second decade of the 2000s where TYR shed the cliche Viking Metal tag and went full blown amazing. Some people wanna call it Power Metal while others say Progressive Folk. All I know is when I listened to 2019's Hel full length the cliche stuff was far over. Heri Joensen was always pushing the band to this standard and it works. 

So here we have Battle Ballads the band's 9th full length. To me as a fan this is the epitome of standing in Valhala. Yes it's Power Metal out the wazoo with a battle ready hammer wielding warrior ready to fight for the cause. The guitar work on here is exceptional as well as the vocals. The song structures on a couple of tunes are folksy as hell and headbanging. 

I have to say TYR's live album, A Night at the Nordic House, from 2022 has been one of my fave releases from them as in I only listen to that one for a while. But this new one is a magnum opus. But Battle Ballads goes beyond what they've done before as being a magnificent piece of work incorporating the folk, the Viking influenced ballads and the aggressive nature. They've reached their mountain top.   

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://tyrband.bandcamp.com/album/battle-ballads

HELLBUTCHER - Self Titled review

 

HELLBUTCHER - Self Titled

Metal Blade Records

Well with a name like HELLBUTCHER with song titles like "Hordes of the Horned God", "Possessed by the Devil's Flames" and "Satan's Power" then it has to be good right? Well it better because this is NIFELHEIM 2.0 to be totally honest. Now before I go into this one there's a little history to put forth. NIFELHEIM were / are a Swedish black metal act who were OK when it came to their handful of releases in the late 90's. I always thought their debut self titled full length from 1995 was their best work.  

But here we have HELLBUTCHER which consists of vocalist Hellbutcher (of NIFELHEIM). There's drummer Devastator formerly of NIFELHEIM. Guitarist Necrophiliac has not been involved with NIFELHEIM nor has their other guitarist Iron Beast. I think he plays in UNLEASHED. Their bassist Eld is also in AETERNUS. I wouldn't call this a super group because metal musicians from Scandinavian nations play in multiple bands any ways.

Be that as it may this is a damm good sounding debut of blackened thrash. I mean first and foremost the guitar lead work is fuckin amazing. You pair that up with some ferocious drum work plus very exciting riffs and yeah it's good. The vocals are harsh like sung by someone with a burnt throat. Strangely enough the band injects some melody though out their eight cuts. Hell there's even some galloping MAIDEN influence. 

In the end ah hell yeah this is a good sounding about performed by a bunch of extreme music vets having a good ole time. But the obvious point in my not so humble opinion is that HELLBUTCHER's sound is very mainstream accessible. I will not be surprised seeing mainstream metal types, who never owned a NIFELHEIM release, praising this out the wazoo. 

 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://hellbutcherband.bandcamp.com/album/hellbutcher

MIDNIGHT - Hellish Expectations review

 

MIDNIGHT - Hellish Expectations

Metal Blade Records

This latest release by MIDNIGHT opens with the song "Expect Total Hell". As always (and that's a key phrase to remember) the band starts off with a cut suitable for starting a performance off. But at this point in my appreciation for the band I do expect something decent but total hell? I don't think so. 

You see I go back to 2006 when my close friend turned me onto MIDNIGHT with their Complete and Total Fucking Midnight compilation. Now back then that release was like hell fuckin yeah this is what metal needs. I say that because except for the underground the band's being pushed by the mainstream literally sucked, those bands blew. So to me yeah MIDNIGHT were amazing. 

Of course it wouldn't be until 2011 when the band (actually Athenar) put out their first official full length Satanic Royalty. I still consider that to be their best album. At least it's my favorite still to this day along with the early compilation of course. Now everything after that has been good or decent. 2022's Let There Be Witchery falls into the decent category for me. 

Which brings me back to the "as always" phrase. I told ya to remember it. Here we are with the sixth album by MIDNIGHT. So with blackened speed metal, black & roll or whatever the fuck you wanna call it. Athenar is gonna be limited to what he can do to make it good without changing the formula. 

So on here like I mentioned earlier "Expect Total Hell" is a fuckin great opening track with some cool guitar soloing. In fact there's a lot of cool guitar solos by Athenar. "Gash Scrape" is fairly old hardcore influenced which I think is cool. "Slave of the Blade" is a short and fast blasting tune that will get a slam pit started. "Dungeon Lust" is a damm good straight up rocking cut. It definitely needs to be in their live set. 

As far as the rest of the album goes well "FOAL" (Fuck Off And Live) is a decent closer. With that said I like this album more than Let There Be Witchery. The first half of the album is loaded heavily with the better cuts. Obviously someone like me is gonna be critical to a point even as an long time fan. But obviously people who just got into MIDNIGHT when they signed on to Metal Blade Records will think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://midnight-ohio.bandcamp.com/album/hellish-expectations

CIRITH UNGOL - Dark Parade review

 

CIRITH UNGOL - Dark Parade

Metal Blade Records

For years I've always said I like CIRITH UNGOL but the vocals were hard to handle. I always thought that on their early albums vocalist Tim Baker was out of sync with the music. Still they were good records but for me their comeback album Forever Black from 2020  has become my favorite album by em.

So here we are a few years later and CIRITH UNGOL are back with another installment in their career comeback. Some years ago I compared CIRITH UNGOL to an Americanized version of MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND albeit less satanic, less ghost stories but more sword & sorcery. To me that analogy applies to Dark Parade. 

As always with CIRITH UNGOL they were a band that never quite fit in any specific metal genre style. I've always called em metal despite everything but years ago I saw one of their early albums included in a classic doom metal listing. And on here well yeah it's obviously evident. Dark Parade is musically more in the epic doom realm than their previous works. 

With the exception of opener "Velocity (S.E.P.)" the lions share of this album in a slower doom tempo. But instead on concentrating on distinct heavy riffs it's more about the arrangements in melody as well as the relentless guitar soloing which the band is known for. The riffs are straight up gritty. The drum work is perfect as always and never over done. And of course Baker's vocals are in sync and screechy. 

I also like how the acoustic guitar parts work themselves into the electric sides perfectly like on the epic (and longest track on here) "Sailor on the Seas of Fate" as well on the finale cut "Down Below". The same can be said with "Sacrifice" which features some Flamenco guitar style. 

Not long ago I read something to the effect that this was going to be CIRITH UNGOL's final album. I believe guitarist Jimmy Barraza left the band after this was recorded. Personally I hope it's not the case. I mean sure these guys are slightly older than me (aka: mid-60's). But hey they can still play well and write music far better and interesting than their peers. So yeah if this is their swan song that it's a great one to go out on.

 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://cirithungol.bandcamp.com/album/dark-parade

PRIMORDIAL - How It Ends review

 

PRIMORDIAL - How It Ends

Metal Blade Records

This Irish black metal act has been around for three decades. I've been a huge fan of them for the last two. For those of you who are also fans maybe you would agree that throughout their career the band has never put out a bad album. They were the vanguard of pagan folk and epic sounding black metal that added a touch of melancholy doom as well as traditional heavy metal style. And as far as their early releases being a search for a hill to stand upon. I've always said that their fifth full length, 2005's The Gathering Wilderness, was when the band patented a formula sound which they would carry on with to this day. 

Now of course PRIMORDIAL would vary in their formula producing albums that were sometimes epic, harsh and powerful. As well as others that were sorrowful odes to the struggle for a cultural pagan pre-Christian Irish identity. Which brings us to this their tenth full length. Now whether it was the band prowess or us fans who set the bar so high. Perfection is the only acceptable outcome when it comes to what PRIMORDIAL produces now and in the future. If there is a future of course and with a title like How It Ends one would wonder. I haven't read any interviews by em so I don't know.

Be that as it may How It Ends seems to have a few things absent from it. First off PRIMORDIAL are now a four piece since guitarist Michael Flynn is not on this recording. Now sure with studio over dubbing you can fake it. But sound-wise it does seem like his musical contribution from the past is clearly missing here. Something else which seems obviously lacking is the vocal performance by A.A. Nemtheanga (aka: Alan Averill). 

Now overall A.A. Nemtheanga is still pushing a powerful vocal performance. But aside from a handful of cuts on this ten song album he comes across as just delivering what's needed instead of being inspired. Musically there's some great things on here. Songs like "Ploughs to Rust, Swords to Dust", "We Shall Not Serve" and the finale "Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat Is an Orphan" are stand outs. The rest come across sounding overly drawn out as if strolling along to fill space. Plus, and only a fan can spot it, there's some song recycling going on here. 

So with all of that said sure I can find an excuse or two for this album not being up to par. First off it's been five years since their last one, 2018's Exile Amongst the Ruins. Secondly A.A. Nemtheanga is doing quite well with his doom metal side project DREAD SOVEREIGN. And third if this is the band's swan song then why try to end it with perfection when just fore-filling an obligation is so much easier.  

 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://primordialofficial.bandcamp.com/album/how-it-ends

CANNIBAL CORPSE - Chaos Horrific review

 

CANNIBAL CORPSE - Chaos Horrific

Metal Blade Records

CANNIBAL CORPSE, where do I start? OK so I liked everything they did aka: the early albums with Chris Barnes on vocals and then the first couple of releases with George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher singing for em. But for me their Gore Obsessed album from 2002 was when I got bored. But hey I'm a fan so I kept on buying. Now sure they put some albums with a few killer cuts but not enough for me to call em great. 

But then in 2017 they put out Red Before Black and that was a kick ass album. CANNIBAL CORPSE were back but with a slight technical approach plus the riffs crushed and Corpsegrinder's vocals just hit you in the chest as a force to be recconed with. In 2021 they put out Violence Unimagined which in my not so humble opinion was the best thing they've done in a long time. How could they beat that one?

Chaos Horrific does just that. You've got ten cuts that are part an artillery barrage of destruction. Add to that the most killing Erik Rutan style soloing posible. Corpsegrider's vocals are punishing. The riffs on here are on fire. The rhythm section is on par with a mortar battalion sending rounds down range to kill em all. This is face ripping, head banging shit and the apocalypse is coming. 

Who would've thought that in 2023 CANNIBAL CORPSE would put out one of the most ferocious and greatest death metal albums of the year. Hmmm? Ah yeah.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq4ePAHTsrA

VOMITORY - All Heads Are Gonna Roll review

 

VOMITORY - All Heads Are Gonna Roll

Metal Blade Records

OK it's time for a bias alert. Yes I am a VOMITORY fan. Yeah aside from that you might want to call the authorities. Years ago I was at a local show and struck up a conversation with some guy I never met before. We were discussing death metal and he asked me what Swedish DM bands I liked. So I told him I like VOMITORY. They're my favorite Swedish DM band. That's when this guy gave me one of those looks as if he's repulsed and scared at the same time. Then he asked me about the new AT THE GATES' reunion album which was out back then. I told him that I never got into the whole Swedish melo-deth scene because the music wasn't violent enough. After that he decided to leave me alone. 

So getting back to VOMITORY I became a fan of their's way back in the day with their debut album Raped in Their Own Blood from 1996. They followed that with a handful of cool albums. But in 2007 they released Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize which became my favorite Swedish DM album of all time. Now sure some of you readers are going to be like "But what about the Swedish DM big four?" OK I'll explain.

ENTOMBED started out great but then shit the bed. DISMEMBER pretty much did the same thing. Now at least GRAVE and UNLEASHED were still putting out decent albums for a while. But for me the 2000's and Swedish DM was owned by VOMITORY. Now in 2011 the band released their eighth studio full length, Opus Mortis VIII, which I liked a lot and after that silence. So after twelve years we finally got a "comeback" album?

To me this is not a "comeback" release in fact it's more like a pardon us for the long intermission. All Heads Are Gonna Roll is not only a great successor to their last full length. It's the epitome of brutal sounding Swede Death from the late 2000's and here we are in 2023. The band just returned and recorded their type of album and it's fuckin damm good. 

You've got the rage fueled brutal vocals. There's a symphony of sick riffage with groove and punishment. I just wish I could be in a slam pit during "The Deepest Tomb" with it's driving rhythms and dive bomb solos plus almost grind ending. I could say the same for the title and opening cut. There's still that BOLT THROWER influence from their latter albums. We're talking deadly grooves with punishing drum work throughout.   

VOMITORY did not come back for a fuckin rehearsal. They came back to kick some fuckin ass. This new one is a full on death metal beast. Of course a decade later production value helps out in the sound dept. But it's all about the songs, ten of em, which are perfect. They're back and still my favorite. Hails!

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://vomitory.bandcamp.com/album/all-heads-are-gonna-roll

SIEGE OF POWER - This Is Tomorrow review

 

SIEGE OF POWER - This Is Tomorrow

Metal Blade Records

And it's super group time in which we see who's all in the band and think OK I like all of these guys. Also I like the music from their original bands. So what's this gonna be? Will it be rehash of what the musicians already do in their own bands? Or will it be something different?

So this is the second album by SIEGE OF POWER. The band consists of Chris Reifert of AUTOPSY on vocals, Paul Baayens from  ASPHYX (also ex-HAIL OF BULLETS) on guitar, bassist Theo van Eekelen who also played in HAIL OF BULLETS and is now in GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT, finally there's drummer Bob Bagchus who is also a former member of ASPHYX and now plays with GRAND SUPREME BLOOD COURT which is basically a ASPHYX side band.

So I never heard their debut album, yeah fuck me. Now what we have here is eleven cuts which come down to death thrash and more. So yeah as Chris Reifert screams "FUCK" on the album's second cut "Sinister Christians". Yeah that's where we're at on this release. You've got three Dutch death metal vets blasting hard as hell and Chris Reifert doing his best on vocals. Oh yeah I'm an ASPHYX fan as well as an AUTOPSY fan. There's my bias alert.

But more to the point this album reminds of what DISFEAR did years ago but with a better touch. SIEGE OF POWER run the gambit of kicking out styles which cover late 80's hardcore ("The Devil's Grasp"), some death doom and classic 80's heavy fuckin metal. Listen to "Scavengers" and "Ghosts of Humanity", tell me I'm wrong. The rest of this album is riff savage thanks to Paul Baayen. Whether it's full on doom and his damm good solos or the speed riffs of hardcore points He masters it. Of course having an amazing rhythm section kills it. 

This album rules!

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://siegeofpowermetal.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-tomorrow

GOATWHORE – Angels Hung From the Arches of Heaven review

 

GOATWHORE – Angels Hung From the Arches of Heaven 

Metal Blade Records

Here we have the eighth full length by this long time blackened death thrash act from New Orleans, Louisiana. Just for the record I got into GOATWHORE with their third album. That was 2006's A Haunting Curse and to be honest it's still my favorite album by em. But I'm honest enough to admit that Carving Out the Eyes of God from 2009 was their breakthrough album. It put em on the top tier where they've stayed ever since. 

But that was then and afterwards what followed were a decent run of releases. Although I did think their last one, Vengeful Ascension, from 2017 was where the formula of their sound had run it's course. To me it was a beer coaster to say the least. So here we are five years later and have things gotten better? Well yeah actually and I think this album is pretty cool.

Aside from the worthless instrumental opener, "Invocation 3", the album kicks in a ferocious bite with "Born of Satan's Flesh". From that point onward I knew this was a comeback to when GOATWHORE were exciting. And of course it lies with the individuals. 

First and foremost is guitarist Sammy Duet. This guy is one of the best guitarists in extreme metal. It's his songwriting, the jagged riffs and the wild soloing style he creates. He's the main reason why I like GOATWHORE. Next up of course is vocalist Ben Falgoust. With a genre sound which is black, death and thrash metal his vocals reign. 

Drummer Zack Simmons has been with GOATWHORE since I got into em and has always been this powerhouse behind the kit. For a three genre style act he has always provided an amazing background performance. On this album he just has gone to a perfection level. New bass player, since 2017, Robert Coleman finds a few ways to stand out.

All in all GOATWHORE have returned to the exciting category in my opinion. Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven is eleven songs and that opening instro. The majority are hard hitting cuts. It's the return of extreme NOLA.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://goatwhore.bandcamp.com/album/angels-hung-from-the-arches-of-heaven

AMON AMARTH - The Great Heathen Army review

 

AMON AMARTH - The Great Heathen Army

Metal Blade Records

This is album number twelve for everyone's favorite Swedish viking metal band. Yeah I bet Quorthon is spinning in his grave on that one. But hey I became an AMON AMARTH fan years ago. My first album by them was With Oden on Our Side from 2006. For me that's their best album in my not so humble opinion. I finally did get to see em on their 2009 US tour. 

Now over the years I've picked up the releases from their early years as well as every new one. But I have to say from 2008's Twilight of the Thunder God to this release here this band has fell into a repetitive formula mode. Think about AC/DC or MOTORHEAD as far as a recognizable sound. That's AMON AMARTH these days. What's funny is that Twilight of the Thunder God is the album that broke them into the mainstream of metal. I still think that album was a generic over produced piece of wax worthy of mainstream losers. 

So since then every one of their releases has the basics. You've got Johan Hegg's roar like death growl vocals matched up with the classic sound of Swedish melodic death metal. And of course the viking themes which after thirty years the band hasn't run out of Norse mythology song ideas, yet. And in the end you get a bunch of releases with two or three cool songs with the rest being boring crap. 

So with The Great Heathen Army you've got some decent cuts like opener "Get in the Ring" which is classic Swede Melo-Deth with a damm good guitar solo. It's a good pounding tune. "Saxons and Vikings" is actually a crap song musically. But you've got three people from SAXON performing on it. We're talking about Biff Byford doing split vocals with Johan Hegg plus guitar soloing by Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn. 

I also like "Heidrun" with it's folk metal groove style. Hey pass the mead I think I'm Baldur. And that's about it for me. Like I said earlier I'm a fan and always hope for the best. But as for now, again, their best is behind them. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://amonamarth.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-heathen-army

MIDNIGHT - Let There Be Witchery review

 

MIDNIGHT - Let There Be Witchery

Metal Blade Records

Well this beauty came out in March but I've been listening to it on and off for a month now. Let me get this out as a bias alert, I'm a huge fan of MIDNIGHT. I've seen em a bunch of times, have all of their releases (the full lengths that is), one compilation and one EP. I also wear a couple of their shirts proudly. 

Be that as it may this the fifth full length by the band, and second one since joining Metal Blade Records. Now personal bias to the side you or anyone cannot deny that MIDNIGHT are still firing on all cylinders after all these years. Their ealy stuff had a punk feel to it. But nowadays they're pure fuckin metal or speed metal if that's more your interpretation.

Their formula is simple yet powerful. Take some good riffs, a few wild solos, solid drumming and hard hitting bass lines. Add the sleazy and horror lyrics plus Athenar's vicious vocals and there you have it. There's nothing technical about it. Basically it rocks just like traditional metal from back in the day.

I don't have to name drop any of these ten songs. They're all fuckin good which makes Let There Be Witchery a perfect album.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://midnight-ohio.bandcamp.com/

SANHEDRIN - Lights On review

 

SANHEDRIN - Lights On

Metal Blade Records

I've been listening to this on and off since it came out in early March. I pretty much put it on the back burner while I caught up with other stuff on the review list. But I can honestly say this has become a favorite album for me in 2022. If you like Metal that reminds ya of the 1980's, and not hair metal but true metal, then this is a band you'll love. 

SANHEDRIN are a three piece act from New York City. The band is made up of Erica Stoltz on bass/vocals, Jeremy Sosville on guitar/backing vocals and Nathan Honor on drums. The band has been around since 2015 and this is their third full length. 

I kinda hate myself for not knowing about this band earlier since their second album, The Poisoner from 2019, came out on Cruz del Sur records. Yeah how did I ignore that? But anyways Erica was once in two bands that I do know about. Those being AMBER ASYLUM and HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE. Guitarist Jeremy Sosville is supposedly still in BLACK ANVIL.  

Anyways this is total 80's worshiping Metal and it's just damm good. You've got some all out rockers like opener "Correction" which has a PRIEST touch to it. "Change Takes Forever" is also a rocker. Then there's a few melodic rockers like the title cut plus "Lost At Sea". But in all honesty this album is perfect from start to finish.   

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://thesanhedrin.bandcamp.com/