Had death metal not evolved over the years, it’s hard to imagine where the form might be right now. Granted, bands were contorting the form pretty much from the start, so it’s nice to see the evolution has continued to cross the earth and universe. One of the bands that helped move the horror are Lago, who return after eight years.

“Vigil” is the band’s third record and first since 2018’s “Sea of Duress,” and it continues to push them into the more progressive waters they’ve always embraced. The band—guitarist/vocalist Cole Jacobsen, bassist/vocalist Garrett Thomas, guitarist Gus Barr, drummer Brian Miller—decimates with technical prowess and stretchy connective tissue, punishing over seven tracks and 42 minutes. The band challenges on this record, slamming their hammers into the ground but also waylaying your psyche.

“Behold, Ruin” opens with guitars coiling and striking, the playing spreading psychological gore, and fluid leads flooding your senses. Growls batter heavily, guitars swelling and drubbing, the punishment twisting muscle. “Fodder” drills into your skull, vocals lurching, the vibrant pace making blood shoot through your veins, a growl/scream amalgamation loosening teeth. Leads squeeze before the soloing takes off, the pace shift smothers, and a beastly force takes you under. “Procession Into Slaughter” mauls, the growls welling, the guitars scorching flesh. The pace decimates, vicious power rushing to the surface like lava, the intensity tearing into bendy, dusty intensity.

“Initiation Rite” chugs, the growls gurgling, the leads heating up and melting rock. Snarling howls pull you into the darkness, the solo gusts with tornadic force, and a progressive feel takes over, sinking into a syrupy fury. “In a House of Ill Repute” lands with heavy humidity, tingling leads glistening, spilling over into spacious, flexible vibrations. Slick guitars turn into spiraling soloing, cascading with blood as wild howls strike. The pace storms again, a savage outburst destroying, leaving deep, thick scars. “Kingdom Without Pulse” trudges and crunches, the growls sneering, brawling into dust clouds. Dizzying madness makes the room spin, atmospheric surges turn darkly smothering, disappearing into ash. Closer “The Land Was a Desert” seers, tearing through flesh and bone, deep growls rumbling beneath the surface. Guitars race as clubbing force batters, the wails engorge and devour sanity, and the final moments spit shards of glass.

Lago’s brutality is as devastating and blinding as ever on “Vigil,” a dense and mesmerizing record that obliterates you from the beginning to the end. Their tools remain sharp, creating violent tension and death metal that strangles nerves. This is beefy but also brainy, an album that can be overwhelming but also crushing in all the right ways, leaving you exhausted mentally and physically.

For more on the band, go here: https://lagometal.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://everlastingspew.com/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=LAGOVIGIL&submit_search=

For more on the label, go here: https://everlastingspew.com/

Heavy metal always has been a little dramatic, and in the earliest years, when the sound was forming, it could be a pretty bombastic art form. And that’s also what both made it stand out and become a focus of ridicule, yet it has survived half a century, so who won that one? Metal survives, thrives, and has embraced its roots.

Canadian force Spell easily could break out of the underground and play larger rooms. Think Ghost on their first or second record and Tribulation, only more consistent. Their new record “Wretched Heart” is their fifth and their biggest sounding, one that should help them expand their audience if it can reach enough ears. The band—vocalist/bassist/synth player/guitarist Cam Mesmer, guitarist/vocalist Jeff Black, guitarist/synth player Gabriel Tenebrae, drummer Al Lester —reached back into the late 1970s and 1980s for inspiration and smears that with gothic overtones, tackling issues such as capitalism, individualism, love, nature, and pure human emotion, packing all of themselves into all 10 tracks and 41 riveting minutes.

“Dark Inertia” gets off to a fiery start, galloping as the powerful vocals amp up the drama, Mesmer calling, “I can’t hear or see, but I can feel your skin on me.” Soloing erupts as the synth clouds, driving hard to a neon finish. “Lilac” has the keys clouding as the pace chugs, another strong chorus gushing power. The leads take off and electrify as a lather builds, Mesmer wailing, “If I look away, you’re gone,” as lush synth bubbles, melting into your mind. “Take My Life” immediately injects gothy sparks and swelling guitars, Mesmer prodding, “Let me hold you as you die.” The pace opens gradually and slays, the catchiness infecting, the chorus smearing menace across your face. “Unquiet Graces” has guitars churning, the bass driving, and the fog thickening its hold. “Every moment I can feel you, I can see you, I can hear your voice,” Mesmer calls, the tempo smothering with heavy shadows, guitars searching the skies, and the synth basking in beams of light. “Oubliette” opens with the mood feeling different, the singing deepening, a darker vibe working its way across your heart. The guitars go off and scuff, pushing morbid vibes, the catchiness becoming more unavoidable, blasting to the end.

“Iron Teeth”  has keys vibrating as the pace picks up, humidity thickening as the synth bounces off dank corners. Screams echo as the riffs flex, lightning rocketing harder, speeding up before burning out. “Exquisite Corpse” has a 1980s feel, pumping with adrenaline, strong guitars blistering as the soloing unloads. The chorus buckles as the synth strikes colder notes, Mesmer vowing, “You’re forever mine,” as the final drops of freezing rain collide. “Savage Scourge” is punchy and airy, the deeper singing returning, warm guitars leaving a soothing glaze. Leads burst as dark energy floods, giving off a nighttime vibe, melodies swimming over the shores. “In Duress” is a brief, cosmic instrumental where keys create their own atmosphere, bleeding through time, setting the stage for the closing title track that punches through the gates. The bass chugs as the guitars explode, spacious melodies icing wounds, the singing soaring as the synth pulses. “Bring me back to life!” Mesmer calls as the track takes on an Iron Maiden vibe, a robot voice calling into the night, a fiery charge blazing long into the distance.

Spell continue to be captivating and dramatic in all the right ways on “Wretched Heart,” a record that sticks with you and keeps calling you back. Pretty much everything resonates over these 10 songs, letting you visit the dark, spooky terrain while also injecting you with energy. This band reeks of charisma and spreads it liberally, delivering cinematic fire with heavy fucking metal that feels made for a larger stage.  

For more on the band, go here: https://spellofficial.bandcamp.com/music

To buy the album, go here: https://www.metalblade.com/spell/

Or here: https://www.bad-omen-records.com/releases/wretched-heart/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.metalblade.com/us/

And here: https://www.bad-omen-records.com/

Russia and the United States are long-term adversaries who now are entrenched in one of their weirdest periods of their struggle. But that’s basically government shit, with one dictator trying to imitate the other, with only the people suffering. But music transcends all of that, bringing both sides together for the good of metal. 

Michigan-based classic metal warriors Savage Master (vocalist Stacey Savage, guitarist/bassist Adam Neal, guitarists Larry Myers and Julien Fried, drummer John W. Littlejohn) join Russian power Mystic Storm (vocalist Svetlana, guitarist Ivan, guitarist/bassist/keyboard player Kostya) on split mini-album “The Power/Wandering Time,” an effort that gives an appetizer of what they both do well. While separated by continent, the bands prove how much they have in common, forging the fires of pure heavy metal that knows no country lines or separating points. It’s a glorious release that doesn’t take much of your time and delivers power that’ll keep your blood moving.

Savage Master starts with “One Step Closer to Love” that has a smoking pace and synth glides, and a blazing, catchy tempo erupts. The singing soars, the soloing catching onto that heat and bubbling over, Savage repeatedly wailing the title as everything ruptures. “The Last Kiss” brings more riffs along with monstrous dialog, jetting forward with Savage howling, “Is this nightmare really true?” The guitars sink through sheets of ice as the drumming plasters even further, a total ’80s aura engulfing and carrying you out. “The Power” digs in and follows a channeled pace, a fantasy feel seeping out of every crevice, Savage’s singing stretching into the darkness. Fluid soloing takes hold, the chorus flexing and powering, a strange space transmission taking over and dragging their sword-and-steel mythos into the stars.

Mystic Storm’s side starts with “Тень Грядущего” (“The Shadow of Things to Come”) that is murky at first before the torches rage, charging up as Svetlana takes total command with her towering voice. Shrieks also burst as the power continues to bubble, the vocals soaring as the playing pierces, the leads glimmering brightly before the drums end everything in rubble. “Блуждающее время” (“Wandering Time”) is hazy and humid, the guitars leaning in and trucking, the singing scorching as their attitude swaggers over racing leads. The pace pulls back a bit as things turn more mystical, taking on a late-80s Maiden vibe, the final gusts bringing fury and electricity. Closer “В Бездны” (“Into the Abyss”) has a strong start, the keys zapping, energy welling to the surface. Svetlana’s singing takes hold with an iron grip, power pushing as the guitars chug, and the soloing melts. The guitars feel like a laser, glowing as lava flows, flattening and barreling to the end.

Combining Savage Master and Mystic Storm makes a ton of sense here, the goddamn Moscow Music Peace Festival vibe of splits proving tensions between countries often only involves politicians and not the people themselves. Or whatever. Each bring their own mark they put on classic heavy metal, and collections like this prove that vintage sounds remain as relevant as ever as long as the musicians making it create from the heart and guts. This is music that is perfect for the warmer months arriving here, when volume and beverages are at their seasonal apex.

For more on Savage Master, go here: https://savagemasterofficial.bandcamp.com/

And for Mystic Storm, go here: https://mysticstorm.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-power-wandering-time

For more on the label, go here: https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/

It’s getting warmer, and life is returning, slowly dotting the hillsides with brights greens and dull yellows, the air filled with different smells. It’s a time to pull your head out of frigid Blashyrkh and back into the wooded areas, where you can wander as long as you want as long as bees aren’t a problem.

Black metal adventurers Eveale are split across oceans, but that didn’t prevent them from joining forces and creating a spectacular epic “Enter the Woodland Realm,” their debut record. The band—Monarch of the Hillside (vocals, bongo, Tibetan singing bowl, field recordings) and North East Wizard Tyrant (guitars, bass, acoustic guitars, backing vocals) are the core, and Basher at Things provided drums)—creates woodsy, atmospheric, surging black metal that’s rousing and cinematic, with some unexpected twists and turns thrown in to keep things unpredictable. On their Bandcamp, they invite you along for a quest, and honestly, that’s what this music sounds like. That’s also why it rules.

“The Beckoning” greets with birds chirping, guitars chiming, and a rustic environment, flowing out into the distance. “Lament of the Dryads” fires up, guitars welling, howls ripping as the pace tears and spirals. The black metal goes feral, the vocals creaking, guitars spurting and smearing everything in soot. “The Enemy” is energetic, melodies rampaging, shrieks and howls mixing to rub glass into wounds. Leads boil and then calm, allowing a breath before the force gets tornadic again. “I can feel it in my bones,” Monarch wails, the pace whiplashing and shaking you to your core. “Carniflora” tingles at first before trudging, vicious howls punish as the riffs scar, flowing forcefully as power strikes. A daring tempo excites as the rhythm section brawls, guitars spiraling off into the stars. “The Ritual” starts clean, orc-like vocal warbling peeling, a fantasy feel washing over you like you’ve entered a dream realm. Guitars open as the pace gains heat quickly, howls lash, and fire licks limbs, everything drawing back as bells chime, and the storm subsides.

“Pursuit Beneath the Moonlight” attacks, vicious cries hurtling, the pace gaining speed quickly as the screams turn demonic. The punishment increases as the tempo gets muddier and stickier, bending into a calculated fury that does its damage and leaves. “Our Flame” has overly melodic leads and delves close to power metal terrain, the catchiness sweeping, North East Wizard Tyrant’s dramatic high vocals powering the vision. Adrenaline bursts as a multitude of colors dash the sky, speeding up and jolting, leaving pillars of fire as illumination. “The Final Quest” has hazy singing and a chugging tempo, the humidity thickening just as the electricity dazzles. Cloudy melodies lower the temperatures as the singing ices, then the guitars burst with life, the burly fury taking you to the ground. The title track closes, energy spitting as howls mar and the playing floods the senses, shrieks digging under your nails. The leads soar as things turn active, wild tempos racing with emotion, engulfing with an impressive run of power that meets a cooling acoustic rush.

Eveale reveal their fantastical wonders sheathed in black metal force on “Enter the Woodland Realm,” an album that’s bound to align those who just want to get mashed with others who like a good story. There is so much going on here, and all of it fascinating, that it requires multiple visits just to unearth everything. This is a band doing interesting things with a style that has been spread a little thin, and that makes it an exciting process now and well into the future.  

For more on the band, go here: https://eveale.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://hypaethralrecords.com/collections/eveale

Or here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/enter-the-woodland-realm

For more on the label, go here: https://hypaethralrecords.com/

And here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/

Pretty sure I said this before, but it’s not like you’ve read every story on here. Anyway, technical death metal often isn’t totally my thing, because so much of it sounds antiseptic, robotic. Very well-rehearsed and stunningly well-played, it often forgets to add the heart and the blood and the imagination. But not always.

Leeds, England, death metal power Cognizance very obviously have impressive chops, but they also make records that feel like an adventure, keeping your brain moving and your ideas smashing into synapses. Their great fifth record “In Light, No Shape” bombards you with strength and challenges your will to adventure in your brain, even as you take on heavy bruising. That’s especially since the band—vocalist/guitarist Alex Baillie, guitarist Apostolis Karydis, bassist Chris Binns, drummer David Diepold—sustained a loss in ranks with the departure of vocalist Henry “Big Mac” Pryce, yet they turned this around two years after “Phantazein,” and they sound no worse for wear. They destroy here.

“Transient Fixations” starts clean before the cleaver drops, guitars gutting as the growls bury, proggy turns cutting into your psyche, draining brain chemicals. The playing drives as fluid guitars ice wounds, gliding through a wall of blades. “Inflection Chants” is melodic, clobbering hard, the growls churning as the guitars torch, the notes bubbling over. Soloing goes off and electrifies, an airy, yet techy attack jolting, everything disappearing in spacious skies. “A Game of Proliferation” is reflective at first, kinetic jarring shaking bones, snarling growls crawling underneath a blanket of smoke. Howls tangle as the muddiness increases, everything coming to a gritty end. “Chasm” bludgeons, the leads barnstorming, the choppy waters evening, the vocals deepening and getting ugly. The guitars brighten, drubbing with calculating power, an atmospheric gush flattening. “Vertical Illusion” trickles over torn flesh, thrashing as the howls scrape, a beastly attack taking you to the ground. The pace flurries as the leads tangle, the solo swells, and the battle mangles to the end.

“A Reconfiguration” has guitars stretching, smoke rising, and strange playing making your flesh crawl. The playing swelters as the atmosphere increases, the fury multiplying and melting into cosmic dust. “Witness Marks” dawns morbidly, monstrous growls choking, churning in brutality as blood dots the ground. A spacey feel settles in as the riffs spiral, speed becomes a greater factor, and throaty wells battle into a synth cloud. “Subterranean Incantation” has a strange alien feel before it begins bruising, aching growls punishing, feeling infernal. Guitars blow up and gush light, raucous energy charging and melting into the night. “Induced Contortions” wages war, flattening as the guitars sprawl, the vocals battering and leaving brush burns. The leads spiral as the drums spatter, tricky guitars taking unconventional angles and bending steel. Closer “The Zone” lands punches, the abrasive nature multiplying, the playing gutting with ferocity. Leads light up and spread as the tempo spasms, guitars blurring and fading.

Cognizance prove, again, that it is possible to make technically proficient music with character and charisma, and “In Light, No Shape” has all the evidence you’ll ever need. Both sonically violent and creatively impressive, this album can leave you mangled but also strangely reinvented psychologically. Turning around something this good shortly after a major lineup shift couldn’t have been easy, but here we are with this monster on our hands.

For more on the band, go here: https://cognizance.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/store/default.aspx

For more on the label, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/home.aspx

The year 2010 seems like a million fucking years ago. We lost Ronnie James Dio that year. “The Walking Dead” premiered. A pair of devastating earthquakes ravaged Haiti. Viktor Orbán took control of Hungary for a second time, something that he would not lose until like 5 minutes ago. It also was the last time we got a full-length from Lair of the Minotaur.  

All this time later, the world has completed changed, mostly for the worse, but Lair are back in action with “I HAIL I,” their fifth album and fitting successor to 2010’s “Evil Power.” The band—guitarist/vocalist/synth player Steven Rathbone, bassist Sanford Parker, drummer Chris Wozniak—unleashes 10 tracks over 30 minutes that dig back into Greek mythology (with one notable exception) and their cauldron of bubbling black doom that leaves massive abrasions. It’s a much welcome comeback for a band that made its mark in a different era but has plenty of firepower to amass a new legion of followers.

“Emperor of Dis” opens and immediately attacks, wasting no time as doom and hardcore fumes mix, trudging as the shouts punish. The energy increases as screams batter, everything coming to a smothering end. The title track is urgent and bloody, mauling through a gritty pace, the simple, yet barbaric chorus landing blows. Layers of chaos envelope as the drums melt down, and forceful barks gurgle blood. “Enthroned in Violence” opens amid a great, sinister riff that sticks in your brain, and thick thrashing mounts an attack that is barbaric. Guitars scorch as the vocals are more like a scream/yell hybrid, smearing and mashing as the guitars chug. “Fucked Inside Out” is fast and ferocious, a relentless pace spiraling and making the room spin out of control. Ugliness compounds and forces soot into your mouth, decimating and coating with noxious fumes. “Deepest Hell” also is a quick, yet muscular blast, the howls gutting over a rubbery pace, the guitars staggering as if having ingested whiskey, acidic wails peeling rust from metal.

“Saturnus Reign” is enthroned in chrome, blistering as the bass chugs, bathing everything in heat and might that chews at flesh. Wails slither as the grime thickens, the pace drubbing as wails boil, and the final moments bludgeon anew. “Prowler Twin Sister” is sludgy and muscular, barked howls causing the ground beneath you to shift, the easy chorus doing its damage and infecting your mind. The fury continues to burn as it stomps through the mud, sending cinders flying. The most unexpected moment of the record is the cover of Ethel Cain’s “Family Tree” from her album “Preacher’s Daughter” (which is incredible, by the way). They take a track that’s awash in tragedy, bloodshed, and secrets and turn it into a metallic punk anthem, delving just a bit into black metal. It’s interesting.  “Vulture Worship” basks in weird synth and echoed growls, weirdness seeping out of every crevice, an immersive bridge to closer “Tartarus Apocalypse,” the longest track, running 7:23. It’s doomy and slow driving at first, the growls dragging, the guitars increasing the heat in what’s an already sweltering space. The playing even feels glorious in spots, adding some glimmer through the filth, the last part hitting harder and heftier, deliberate fires allowed to burn until they consume every element.

While it’s been a long while since we had a visit from Lair of the Minotaur, “I HAIL I” is an ideal way for them to re-burn their mark on the metal world as well as their campaign to conjure abject heaviness. The album is lean and mean, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t fill you to the brim with ferocity. This jam-packed half hour likely is to result in even more volatile live shows and their reclaiming their spot among doom’s bloodiest.

For more on the band, go here: https://lairoftheminotaur.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://lairoftheminotaur.bandcamp.com/album/i-hail-i-2

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070415107918#

About a decade and a half ago, I left a job I adored in an industry I (at the time) loved at a place I revered. It was overtaken by some humans and a philosophy that are diametrically opposed to me, and one of the best things I ever did was leave. It changed my life for the better even though it hurt me deeply to do what was so obvious.

“Infinite Illuminastion” is the final record from Spirit Adrift, something that actually made all the sense in the world to me. Band creator Nate Garrett spawned this project after he left Take Over and Destroy, got clean, and reimagined his thrust into metal. But the music business, like most, fucks you in the end. Something from your heart is turned into a “product” and commodified. Which defies true, genuine art. So Spirit Adrift, rounded out by guitarist Jason Dahlke, bassist Sonny DeCarlo, drummer Mike Arellano, deliver this final opus, an eight-track, 46-minute display that nicely ties together the band’s early, epic days with what followed, which was shorter, tighter writing. It’s a really fitting conclusion.

The title track opens, acoustics brushing before everything comes to life, Garrett calling, “Open my eyes so I may see.” The chorus brings calm before psyche warmth energizes your system, the leads lather, and moody, humid winds soothe before everything blasts back to life. “Window Within” is punchy and stirring, the heat rising, the singing bursting with energy as the soloing catches fire. The pace gets muddier, leads churning as its electric chorus glimmers and powers. “You Will Never Hold the Key” sparks with acoustics, the tempo picking up and driving, Garrett calling, “Your great reward will never be,” over the chorus. The playing heats as twin guitars glow, the track taking on an epic feel, the melting leads bringing illumination. The singing stretches as the dramatic synth reminds of “Seventh Son” fantasies, trickling slowly before pumping again, burning into oblivion. “Born in a Bad Way” is a total change of pace, going heavier and filthier, burly doom flexing sinew as the guitars smoke. The pace toughens further, menacing riffs churning as the final moments bleed out.

“Buried in the Shadow of the Cross” has a spacey start, guitars menacing, rich singing snarling as the riffs encircle. The aura gets tense, guitars fire and give off exhaust, and bluesy licks explode with attitude as Garrett’s laughs echo. “White Death” stomps, the vocals powering, riffs slipping and sneering, the guitars melting into Sabbath territory. The soloing melts as the playing pummels, shifting cosmically and growing frigid as doom marches away. “I Am Sustained” brawls, the slower, mid-paced beating unfurling, the playing eventually ramping up and glimmering. The guitars burst as the colors rush, injecting spirit into veins, everything coming to a burly end. Closer “Where Once There Was an Ocean” feels fantastical as it starts, leads dawning and storming, the vocals muscling through a psychedelic finish. The pace stomps harder as the leads slide into a washed-out haze, the imagery conjuring something just like the album’s cover art. The pace toughens and mashes, releasing thrashy fire, punching out into eternal blackness.

“Infinite Illumination” is a triumphant final chapter for this band, one that spent its six-album run gradually morphing into their ultimate version. It’s sad to lose a band as powerful and consistent as Spirit Adrift, whose music always was strong and honest, and their last record is a testament to that strength. We’re lucky to have the music Garrett and his co-conspirators have made over the years, and hopefully what lies ahead in the future is positive and fulfilling, something the music business rarely offers.   

For more on the band, go here: https://spiritadrift.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/spirit-adrift

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

Saying farewell to a metal institution isn’t something easy to do whether it’s the members of the band or a person writing about their final output. There is no question heavy metal changed fundamentally and positively when At the Gates arrived 36 years ago and released their debut “The Red in the Sky Is Ours” two years later. They’re pioneers, trailblazers, standard bearers, you name it.

The passing of legendary vocalist Tomas Lindberg last September after a battle with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer, devastated the metal world that adored the fiery maned frontman whose charisma was infectious. But his story and that of his bandmates—guitarist Anders Björler (who returned in 2022 after a five-year absence) and Martin Larsson, bassist Jonas Björler, and drummer Adrian Erlandsson—wasn’t totally over. They had one more album up their sleeve with “The Ghost of a Future Dead,” containing Lindberg’s final recordings. And for a man who was suffering from an illness that impacted his very instrument, his voice sounds alive, forceful, and with all the character and fire we’re come to expect from him. The band also sounds channeled and passionate on these 12 tracks, some of which add some murkier twists and turns, and I can’t imagine a better way for this band to go out. Nor can I think of a more fitting way to pay tribute to Lindberg and his unmistakable voice.

“The Fever Mask” dawns in a strange haze before tearing open, Lingberg’s trademark howl only slightly weathered but as stirring as can be. Fluid leads stretch as colorful blistering bruises, the simple, but effective chorus ruling. “The Dissonant Void” has tingling leads and a melodic rush, the vocals attacking as the emotion lashes. The guitars turn sorrowful while torching, the chorus echoing in your ears. “Det Oerhörda” basks in static before the guitars cut, the pace trudging as melodies twist muscle. Murk settles into the fires, interesting bends turning heads, the raspy wails carrying the torch. “A Ritual of Waste” opens with drums tackling, smoking leads doing damage as the crazed howls torch. The chorus snarls as the pace rips hard, mashing as guitars claw, and the final moments scar. “In Dark Distortion” blazes with colors, wails caning flesh before atmosphere gusts into the room. The chorus mashes as the soloing ramps up the intensity, the guitars exploding and spiraling into orchestral synth. “Of Interstellar Death” begins with a drum attack, savagery scarring, Lindberg’s screams peeling flesh from bone. Dual leads glimmer as everything blasts explosively, the last gasps jolting away.

“Tomb of Heaven” swims in strange synth before knifing through guts, the leads blazing with energy and brighter shades. The chorus burns as the tempo thrashes, strong soloing crashes down, and everything dissolves into dirt. “Parasitical Hive” is a driving force, howls decimating, thick and burly playing making you pay the price. Leads gush, and then everything turns calmer before your senses flood again, going cold before melting into the ground. “The Unfathomable” explodes, screams barreling forward, the playing mashing as the leads go off in a frenzy. Fluid and ferocious riffing batters, heaviness flexing, a streak of darkness slipping into the bloodstream. “The Phantom Gospel” starts with guitars prodding before a devious spirit enters the room, the wails torching as the energy wrestles you to the ground. The pace melts as the leads light up the sky, Lindberg’s calls spitting cinders that get lodged in your teeth. “Förgängligheten” is an instrumental piece that dawns with bright acoustics before electricity rivets, warm sun streaks warming your face. Closer “Black Hole Emission” is our final dose of new ATG, which is something you shouldn’t let slip by you. Lindberg’s howls scorch, the pace rumbling, the playing setting nerve endings on fire. Energy surges along with fresh floods of melody, vicious thrashing works over your ribcage, Lindberg’s final howls reverberating as everything slowly fades.

At the Gates’ final chapter sounds like a celebration of the hellish path they trailblazed, “The Ghost of a Future Dead” standing as a fine testament to their legacy and Tomas Lingberg. You always want records such as these to be good and not feel rushed based on circumstances, but none of those worries ever come close to surfacing. This is a firebreather, a last blast into the night that will be visible across the night sky for eons.  

For more on the band, go here: https://atthegates.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://centurymedia.store/pages/at-the-gates-the-ghost-of-a-future-dead

Or here (Europe): https://www.cmdistro.de/

For more on the label. Go here: https://www.centurymedia.com/

When you see the name Pig’s Blood, you probably have an idea of the direction in which their music goes. I assume you’re not expecting something that goes well with a white wine or a night out, and if you did think that way, maybe music isn’t for you. I expected terror and firestorming chaos, and if that isn’t exactly what I got.

That carries over to their ferocious third album “Destroying the Spirit,” a slab of death metal so heavy and blinding it might be a little too war-ravaged for some listeners. Over 10 tracks and 33 minutes, the band—vocalist Chris Ellis, guitarists Mike Gamm and Paul Mirenda, bassist Bubba Nitz, drummer Brian Serzynski—immediately removes any sense of safety or calm you might feel and replaces that with madness that boils dangerously in your belly. It feels like fire ants crawling through your veins, devouring you mentally and physically as you writhe along to every savage beating you sustain.

“Standing in Depravity” grinds, the howls murdering, ugliness rising and flooding, the ferocity going off the charts. The pace crushes as blinding madness takes over, the heat exploding and fading. The title track engulfs, the leads soar, and the howls batter, swimming through your head and mangling limbs. The pace liquifies as deep growls scar, electrifying and snarling with ill intent. “Tartarean Infection” is hellish, riffs entangling, the vocals curding as the guitars encircle. The hammers drop and soot flies, burying with force, the growls bringing everything to a gruesome end. “Power to Stop It” is tempered at first, the vocals choking as the lead dizzy, the humidity thickening dangerously. The guitars hang overhead as the pace fully unloads, flattening and chewing into the ground. “Rabid Dogs” attacks, naturally, as a delirious pace melts, thrashing and devastating, furious growls sinking teeth into muscle. The leads smoke and feedback rings in your ears, bludgeoning as demonic shrieks rub glass in your face.

“Satanic Hammer of Justice” has leads swirling, the vocals attacking, and the tension rapidly increasing, chugging with fury. The temperature elevates as gnarly mashing draws blood, ending in pain. “Aftermath” detonates from the start, riffs wrestling, a storming, jolting attack knocking screws loose. The howls torch as the guitars catch speed, everything falling after an adrenaline spike. “Commitment to Death” tears open with the guitars trampling, the pace divebombing, and a thrashy tempo lashing before taking a brief breather. Guitars begin to bubble before boiling over, the blasts hit even harder, and the growls sicken before the volume subsides. “Ravenous Hellslaught” chokes you out with intensity, the band opening the blast furnace as the guitars thunder in, clawing at you with violent intent. A hellish fury swallows you whole, bloody handprints left from where you tried to crawl away. “Strikeforce of Isolate Will” closes the record, guitars launching as a wrecking pace levels, the grime thickens, and the playing slays. Wild cries attack as playing continues to rain down blows, the guitars chug, and the final moments flatten.

“Destroying the Spirit” is a savage monster here to do maximum damage, which should be no surprise to anyone who had encountered Pig’s Blood prior to this album. It just flattens you, squeezing out all your juice and guts in front of you, paying no mind to the concept of mercy. You’re going to get flattened, and live it’s likely to be an even more bruising experience, so prepare yourself or else.  

For more on the band, go here: https://pigsblood.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/

There’s a lot of doom metal. A LOT. Well, there’s probably more black metal right now, and a lot of that sounds remarkably the same. Luckily for doom, even though there are a slew of artists making these sounds, there basically are sub-genres within the sub-genre to keep it interesting, so people keep figuring out how to keep it on fire.

Pittsburgh-based doom crushers Stalemate of Wills are doing their mightiest to keep the sludgy doom alive, going more the Crowbar route dashed with some hardcore. Their debut album “Existence Denied” sends a jolt of electricity toward doom that dabbles as much in classic sounds as it does the mud, and the band—vocalist/guitarist Derek Kovcas, bassist
Jake Morris, drummer Bob McSherry—hammers with confidence and power that’s infectious. Over eight tracks and 28 well-spent minutes, it’s easy to hear how much of their hearts are in this, and that translates into the music, that stays a blistering course but takes a few bends when it’s needed.

“Visibility” opens and trudges heavily, barked vocals grabbing your attention by force, grisly mangling taking you under the waves. The riffs turn bluesy and sweltering, the chorus hammers, and psyche effects fade away. “Maximum Amounts of Woe” has throaty wails, a battering pace, and guitars that aim to mash digits in trunk doors. Beastly roars pump as the leads swelter, smoke rising and choking you out. The title track enters amid howls carving and then a sudden turn toward calm, cleaner playing icing before the temperatures rise again. Hardcore-style shouts drill you in the chest, the pace picks up, and Kovacs howls, “Extinguish the fire inside,” before everything melts away. “Two Worlds” has strong riffs that create a haze, stomping through mud, blistering as the humidity increases. Acidic wails scorch flesh, guitars spill before growing colder, and the final moments bring eternal numbing.

“Let It Be Known” opens with the drums driving, howls snarling, and the guitars swarming, pushing into a chugging pace. Riffs snake as the tempo gets more muscular, the heated attack continuing to make everything more uncomfortable on purpose. “High Above” is a nice change of pace, Kovacs unleashing raspier singing that honestly doesn’t get enough time to shine on this record. He has pipes and should use them more! Psyche colors flush as tougher wails return, adding thorns into the song, the guitars giving off fumes, everything spiraling into a strange vortex. “Unusual Character Profile” has guitars sweltering, the vocals lashing, the punishment welling up and laying waste. Leads smear, the growls do ample damage, and the melodies slither into the dark. Closer “Light the Way” has steely guitars, a solid assault, and additional hardcore jolts, the rhythm section showing its power. Guitars mount a final push, the vocals bring down the hammers, and the final moments succumb to echo.

Stalemate of Wills make a strong, measured debut on “Existence Denied,” a record that makes its point with force without overstaying its welcome. Lots of bands of this ilk feel the need to ramble on for minutes on end, which sometimes works, but this band delivers the goods and leaves the fat in the trash cans. This is a promising record that provides the band room for growth and also stands as an impactful first entry into doom’s crowded population.

For more on the band, go here: https://stalemateofwills.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://stalemateofwills.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/fftcrecords/