TIME RIFT - In Flight review

 

TIME RIFT - In Flight

Dying Victims Productions

Here we have the second full length from this Portland, Oregon trio. Band wise you've got Justin Kaye on guitars and vocals who started this band in 2014 after an earlier act he was in, DOOMSOWER, disbanded. After listening to this album I wanna check out DOOMSOWER as well. Next up you have Terrica Kleinknecht on drums who joined the band in 2017. and finally on vocals there's Domino Monet who became part of this band in 2023.

Now just to get the facts out of the way. Musically this is not Extreme Metal at all. But it's pretty damm great sounding Hard Fuckin Rock. I never heard the band's debut so they're a new find for me. Sound-wise I'm remembering sounds like this from say early 1980s. Hat's off to Justin Kaye who's got a cool catchy package of riffs on here as well as cool soloing. The drum work is just classic sounding. And of course Domino Monet is just an amazing vocalist who adds plenty of soul and rage. 

In Flight is nine cuts in just over 30 minutes length-wise. So that's a classic 80's album time space to say the least. As far as songs go I pretty much like this album from start to finish. But hey as far as outstanding tracks go I'd say opener "I Am (The Spear)" kicks ass. Add to that "Coyote Queen", "Thunder Calling" and "The Hunter" are all cool as fuck. I hope the college radio stations out in Portland, Oregon are having this band's music on rotation. 

Be that as it may if this was the 1980's then TIME RIFT would be one of the coolest bands around. Well hell I remember the 80's so let's make em one of the great bands of 2025.  

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/in-flight

DRIPPING DECAY – Ripping Remains EP review

 

DRIPPING DECAY – Ripping Remains EP

Satanik Royalty Records

I remember checking out this band's debut full length, Festering Grotesqueries, last December. It was a damm good album albeit a bit too much of a homage to REPULSION, EXHUMED and AUTOPSY. But just to recap, DRIPPING DECAY are a four piece death grind act from Portland, Oregon.

Now supposedly while waiting for their album to be dropped last year the band went back into the studio to record five more originals plus a cover song "Trick or Treat" originally from 1984 by the Detroit, Michigan band HALLOWEEN. I'll give em props for the cover choice of obscurity. 

But as far as the original cuts on here go I think the release title Ripping Remains gives away too much. Compared to their full length these songs sound like leftovers which were not fully developed. And that's despite what the band says in their release notes. 

The fuckin irony is that after liking their debut I hoped their next release would contain some originality. Well here it is somewhat. Now I'm thinking their debut was a fuckin masterpiece. Hell it ranked #23 in my Top Forty Favorite releases of 2023. I should've ranked it higher. 

But hey Ripping Remains is still a decent release. I mean how could you not like old school death grind? Plus they pull that old AUTOPSY style of lifting up the bass in the mix. Sure there's still some REPULSION and EXHUMED touches. Hell throw in TERRORIZOR worship influences as well. At this point does it really matter?

In the end this is not a bad release. But I'm hoping that in a year DRIPPING DECAY will come out with another full length that will be a death grind fuckin kick ass platter. I'm talking something that will blow away every extreme metal fan across the planet. I think they can do it and I'll be here waiting. Nuff Said.

https://www.satanikroyaltyrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://drippingdecay.bandcamp.com/album/ripping-remains

DRIPPING DECAY - Festering Grotesqueries review

 

DRIPPING DECAY - Festering Grotesqueries 

Satanik Royalty Records

As much as I give praise to death metal bands who hold true to the old ways. It's a guarantee I'll do the same for a death grind band who does the same. This band here came to my attention via a fan / reader / promo person of the blog saying "I can't believe you haven't written about this band. They're right up your extreme alley." One listen later and yeah that person was right. 

This is the full length debut by DRIPPING DECAY a four piece act from Portland, Oregon. Musically it's fuckin death grind. The drum work reminds ya of REPULSION. The diabolic guitar riffs are a nod to EXHUMED. And the vocals are somewhat in the vein of AUTOPSY. With fourteen cuts all under four minutes and oozing of filth and B-movie horror revulsion ya gotta say hell yeah. 

In the end Festering Grotesqueries is a great homage to death grind of the past. Ya gotta love the cover art as well. But next time try inserting some originality. 

https://www.satanikroyaltyrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://drippingdecay.bandcamp.com/album/festering-grotesqueries

WEREGOAT - The Devil's Lust EP review

 

WEREGOAT - The Devil's Lust EP

Iron Bonehead Productions

I'd get into Facebook jail if I posted the album cover of this release, AGAIN. Be that as it may I first got into this Portland, Oregon blackened death band with their 2017 full length Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication. Yeah that was a great release. I mean come on, your band name is WEREGOAT. Ah yeah I wanna hear it and am probably gonna love it. That release was an opus of blackened death metal filth. And so I've kept up with whatever this band was gonna come out with afterwards. 

Well since 2017 the silence has been loud. So here we have a six song short form release. You've got five originals and a cover of IMPALED NAZARENE's "Goat Perversion". Yeah well that one seems appropriate. But after I heard the second cut on here "Merciless Execution" I knew were this one was headed. 

Musically you've got your trudging riffs which are a mixed bag of thrashy black metal and slow burn doom. Add to the the psycho solos some of which are pure dive bomb and other tremolo picked. Finally there's the cauldron vocals which are total early Finnish BM. So yeah it's love for BEHERIT or IMPALED NAZARENE. In the end it's a decent EP. 

https://ironbonehead.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/weregoat-the-devils-lust

IN SEANCE - Corporeal Desecration review

 

IN SEANCE - Corporeal Desecration

Self Released

This is the second full length release by this USBM two piece act from Portland, Oregon. Now if you are thinking this is going to be more of that Cascadian black metal (a hipster scribe term which I've always laughed at) then no it is not. Yes be thankful all you kvlt types. 

In fact be thankful that this band here actually embraces early 90's Norwegian BM. More specifically it's the whole THORNS / MAYHEM style which I find unique for any act from wherever to copy. As far as this band goes the two piece consists of Wraith on vocals and someone who goes by 104 who performs all instruments. 

As far as the vocals go Wraith has a very high pitched rasp style. He's decent sounding in his roll. But for me personally it's 104 who steals the show on here. His riffs are amazing and very reminiscent of the whole Euronymous / Blackthorn combination from 1992/93. Certain cuts like "Vampiric Bloodlust Slut", "Adorned with Bones" and "The Decapitator" are amazing in their fury and song structure. As far as 104's drum work he's good at that too. In the end it's damm good.

LISTEN TO & PURCHASE HERE:

https://inseance.bandcamp.com/album/corporeal-desecration

BEWITCHER – Cursed Be Thy Kingdom

 

BEWITCHER – Cursed Be Thy Kingdom

Century Media Records

Third album here by Portland, Oregon's BEWITCHER and some obvious changes have taken place since I first got into em years ago. First off they jumped from Shadow Kingdom Records to big time Century Media. Secondly they've got a new drummer in Aris Wales. After that not much has changed for this three piece blackened speed metal act. OK that last part is bullshit. 

This third full length by BEWITCHER is pretty much perfect. If you've been a fan of their two early releases then you know they were good. Musically they're in the same vein as MIDNIGHT. But on Cursed Be Thy Kingdom their sound is straight up classic 80's metal. A lot of their riffs on here have been ripped from NWOBHM. The soloing is mighty in a hark rockin style. And of course Matt Litton's vocals still carry a venomous appeal. 

For the past decade there's been a ton of cool bands like BEWITCHER who've been scratching at the door of recognition for being the new kings of true metal. Those of us in the underground, for lack of a better title, have been screaming it. Now that BEWITCHER are on a big label then maybe they're become a metal household name. By the way nice PENTAGRAM cover at the end.

https://www.cmdistro.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txDxQO6pJIM

FELLED - The Intimate Earth review

 

FELLED - The Intimate Earth 

Transcending Obscurity Records

Here we have the debut album by this blackened folk metal act from Oregon. Now for a few years I've heard folk elements injected into black metal. It's nothing new to the scene. What FELLED, who are a four piece act, are doing is something completely different from what you might have heard in the past.  

Trust me when I see the term "Neo-folk", I walk away. Basically I know it's some hipster scribe bullshit. I'm going to see WARDRUNA later this year and if you called them Neo-Folk then Einar Selvik will come out and punch you in the face. So for facts sake FELLED are not hipster Neo-Folk. For starters they're from Oregon. Yeah I know we're trending on bad ice here. But you will be surprised. 

The basics for FELLED are a very cool sounding atmospheric black metal act which utilizes a violin player as a lead instrumentalist. She, Tiffany Holliday, is your lead guitarist and your rhythm maker plus she adds some vocals. So this is something I like, I like a lot. Two of the members of this band are also in the Doom metal act POET. So there's some melancholy influence there on this five song forty minute release.

In the end I keep going back to some melodies on here which make this one of those late night black metal classics. The bestial vocals, the guitar tremolo picked rhythms and the violin solos. Add to that the mixture of beauty and blackened intensity. Yeah I like it. I like it a lot. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://felledblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/the-intimate-earth-folk-black-metal

BEWITCHER - Under the Witching Cross review

BEWITCHER - Under the Witching Cross

Shadow Kingdom Records




The more I listen to this the more it reminds me of the MURDERDOLLS doing a first wave black metal album. Opener "Savage Lands of Satan" will give you that impression. Now that's not a bad thing. Actually it's kinda cool to hear some blackened speed metal with a touch of rock n roll. I take that back, how bout a lot of rock. This three piece from Portland, Oregon know their VENOM, BATHORY and classic NWOBHM. Whethor it's their use of bluesy leads or the over the top power riffs (check out "Heathen Woman"). They've got their finger on the button. Under the Witching Cross is BEWITCHER's second full length since starting out in 2013. Their songs carry that whole tongue in cheek nod to the satanic side. Say you love Satan and hand me a PBR.

https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/

https://bewitcher.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-witching-cross

https://www.facebook.com/BewitcherOfficial

LORD GORE - The Resickened Orgy review

LORD GORE - The Resickened Orgy

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions




So no shit there I was in bed after fucking this chick. She's up going through my CD stacks looking for some other music to play. She sees one and says; "Oh my god you like IMPETIGO? They're really fucking offensive." So I tell her, "(name withheld) you're half naked in my bedroom wearing a CANNIBAL CORPSE shirt you got tonight (for free by the way) at the show and you wanna judge? Pick a damm CD and get back into bed!"


I mention IMPETIGO because LORD GORE are one of a small sick horde of acts who I refer to as The Children of IMPETIGO. For those of you who are out of the loop. LORD GORE are the sickest thing to ever come out of Portland, Oregon and that was the late 1990's. They did put out a couple of cool full lengths in the early 2000's much to many people's disgust. This release here is a double CD compilation of those first two albums (The Autophagous Orgy from 2002 and Resickened from 2004). Personally I believe this really needed to be put out.


I've always liked LORD GORE's second album better because there's some cool thrashy / hardcore cuts that mix in with their gore-grind approach. Their first album was total IMPETIGO homage which is not a bad thing at all. The first album has more soundbites in-between songs where as the second album is the band coming into their own set of filth. To me it's great music. If you're listening to this release and do not have a sick grin on your face then YOU HAVE A PROBLEM and you're probably lonely. 


http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/the-resickened-orgy

https://www.facebook.com/RESICKENED/

OSSUARIUM - Living Tomb review

OSSUARIUM - Living Tomb

20 Buck Spin




Ten years ago I believed death metal as a genre had reached it's limitations. I came to that conclusion simply because you had a revival of the old ways by new bands who were sick of all the progressive watering down of the music. Here we are a decade later and it's still running the course which to me is a good thing. Now sure you're not going to find anything new, evolutionary or tragically hip. Thankfully that is. But you're gonna find bands into quality who will explore the various facets of death metal's deepest darkest corners.


This is what OSSUARIUM does on this their debut full length. The Portland, Oregon four piece act take full advantage of past influences in the realm of death / doom. Then they allow them to fester and rot until a point in time where the band uses up the remains to the desired effect in their creative sickness. Along the way the band also plays around with some blackened doom as a thickening agent that allows this beast to float around. The vocals are obviously cavernous, soloing mildly interesting but the best thing about Living Tomb is that the songs are just damm good. 


Of course any prick could pick this one apart with name drops, nation drops and be full of themselves for it. To me that's pointless especially in 2019 when death metal fans want quality over quirkiness. Supposedly OSSUARIUM's demo, Calcified Trophies of Violence, from 2017 was so impressive it got em signed fairly quickly. Listening to this one sounds like a band that's been around for a while. Then again when you use good ingredients of course it's gonna be great. Nuff Said.


https://www.20buckspin.com/

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/living-tomb

https://www.facebook.com/ossuariumdeath

TAR PIT - Tomb Of Doom review

TAR PIT - Tomb Of Doom

Sludgelord Records




Thankfully I don't get hangovers from drinking anymore or this would've been misery early in the morning on my initial listen. Not that I don't drink anymore because that would be bullshit. I just drink good quality craft IPA beers now. I've been doing it for ten years now thanks to a good friend who got me to switch from quantity to quality. Hey I can afford it. But on this particular morning I was not in the mood even though I had a deadline which was "Shit! I'm a month behind in reviewing stuff."


Fast forward to a week later and I'm drinking. But the music, which sounds like my cool 70's hard rock output ground down to liquid and added to a molasses drip into my veins, is still loud as fuck. Here we have the debut album by TAR PIT, a sludgey, doom band hailing from Portland, Oregon. I've seen a band photo and they don't look like hipsters, well there is one big fat beardo guy in a WINDHAND shirt? But lets move on because I'm kidding around.

My first thought was what, where's the photo of the La Brea Tar Pit model kit with the mastodon stuck in the tarpits? Like this one below which I had as a kid?

If you're gonna raid your dad's record collection for influences you might as well ask him what else was up in the 70's. Be that as it may this here is airy hypnotic doom minus the female vocals which normally accompany it as the trend goes. Yeah after a few years you get tired of that female white privilege thing. But hey TAR PIT, points for a cool name to start with. Second part, huge points for not being an atypical sludgey doom act from the Northwest. I'm thinking someone in this band heard some Leslie West. 


In the end I'm loving every second of this release. The sustained breaks which do not repeat past grooves but introduce new ones. The vocals aired out as if they're cries from the past. The total abandonment of stoner cliche grooves and incorporation of a touch and go fuck yourself we'll do it our way attitude towards the song structuring. Even when they're doing an obvious Geezer Butler SABBATH-ian bass groove on "Bruja", they rip it a new asshole. Seriously, and yes I can be, this band as well as release are what you want to hear a lot in 2019. 


https://thesludgelord.bandcamp.com/album/tomb-of-doom

https://www.facebook.com/tarpitdoom/

THROMBUS – Mental Turmoil Reissue review

THROMBUS – Mental Turmoil Reissue

La Caverna Records




I'm thinking many people out there in the land of metal fandom will not immediately recognize this band. On the other hand if you're a collector of everything death metal or a US doom fan then you might know about this. THROMBUS were a four piece US death metal act who hailed from Oregon back in the early 1990s. The doom connection comes from one of the band members here, Isamu Sato, who played on three (and in my opinion best) of YOB's early albums. Now there's second US doom connection here as well in that another guy, Mike Brown, played with the band ALDEBARAN who I happen to be a fan of as well.


Now while THROMBUS only lasted a handful of years in the early 90s. This their sole release has garnered a somewhat legendary status by some people who've made it out to be a collectible item. Mental Turmoil was originally released by the band as a cassette. (see below)

The band put out around a 100 copies and afterwards, in the latter 90s, it was passed on in second or third hand copies via tape trading. During the 2000s or when the internet explosion came about it became available on obscure metal download sites. Don't lie, you know exactly what I'm talking about. A few years back I was reading something that mentioned the band as legendary and I had thought this had been reissued on CD by the way the author was writing about it. Obviously I was mistaken because here it is now.


Musically in a reality sense THROMBUS on Mental Turmoil are not legendary. It's basic 90's era US death metal in a vein similar to many acts at the time. Maybe more similar to Midwest DM then Floridian. I know if I picked it apart then I could name drop. Now as far as quality yes it's good. The band followed the 90's era basics of decent chunky rhythms, dirty guitar tones, some sharp solos and of course gruff vocals pushed to the front. All six cuts are decent but not in any way groundbreaking. 


Now that's not to say this is not worthwhile. It's always cool to see something from the past which was unavailable to fans getting a second shot. Also having it available on CD makes it better for people with thin wallets. I don't begrudge people selling things on Ebay and making a profit from it. I just hate ripoff artists. Nuff Said.



https://lacavernarecs.bandcamp.com/

https://lacavernarecs.bandcamp.com/album/mental-turmoil

WEREGOAT - Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication review

WEREGOAT - Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication

Iron Bonehead Prod




I first got bitten by the WEREGOAT back in 2011 with their Unholy Exaltation of Fullmoon Perversity EP. Back then in my review of it I said: "I'd like to take this release and shove it down the throat of anyone in the metal media who pushes the notion that in order for black metal to survive it must progress. Then watch their chest explode as the Weregoat comes out of the bloody hole like the creature from Alien. From that point on maybe the Weregoat goes North to some mushroom farm and massacre a bunch of cascadian hippies. Although I heard on the news that they all got buried in an avalanche which makes me feel sorry for the snow." You can read the full review here:
http://scumfeastmetal666.blogspot.com/2012/01/weregoat-unholy-exaltation-of-fullmoon.html


So yeah it's safe to say WEREGOAT's debut had an effect on me but hey what was not to like. You've got a three piece act from Portland, Oregon who, along with this endeavor, are members from other area bands churning out doom, death and various blasphemous filth. Obviously they're not out to make nice with their PC peers from their area of operations. Especially when you release an EP, their second from 2013, Slave Bitch of the Black Ram Master. They also have a couple of split releases to their credit: Disciples of War from 2012 with DIOCLETIAN and Jesus Fucking Wept vol​.​1 from 2015 which is basically a comp that they contributed two songs to. I highly recommend you get all of their releases.


As far as this full length goes, again what's not to love? It's bestial blackened death with BLASPHEMY and BEHERIT as major influences on the dark side and just choose any deviant death metal reprobates on the other. I said in the past that WEREGOAT give off an "atmosphere like that of a charnel house." It still lives up today especially with songs like "Molested by Evil", "Under the Whip", "Forked Tongue Lashes Between the Virgin's Thighs" and of course "Screaming Forth Endless Blasphemies and Emitting Foul Seed upon the Pitiful Face of Benevolence". Plus we're looking at the album cover of the year here folks. Nuff Said.


http://www.ironbonehead.de/

https://weregoat.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Weregoat-194437767248125/

ULG - Windark review

ULG - Windark

Self  Released


It's must be atmospheric black metal weekend for me since I'm writing all reviews by bands of this blackened sub-genre. At least this is not coming from across an ocean and a huge landmass. ULG is a one man black metal project from Oregon in the good O'l USA. The one man in question is John Marshall, who isn't involved in a half dozen other bands and this is a debut release. Calling Windark a full length is arguable since it's four cuts, two long and two not so long. 

Obviously ULG has some influences borrowed from other more well known black metal acts from his region of the country. I'm not gonna name em since you know who I'm talking about. The obsession here is the forest, that cold dark woodsy mystical place. Musically the tempo is faster then your typical variety of the sub-genre. The riffs do hang around in repeated fashion in order to create a lethargic effect. Actually reminds me a lot of MARBLEBOG from Hungary, who themselves had a forest motif to their recordings, Forestheart being a great one. 

As far as what I like to call the "XASTHUR Effect" (ie: how long can you listen to it before you want to lay down and take a nap). I lasted to the third song and I've been drinking coffee so go figure. I think it's the clean sounding production that does it. Kinda like a cold wind hitting you in the face and waking you the fuck up. All things considered it's a decent release.

Rating: 2/5

https://ulgmetal.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/UlgOfficial/