We’ve long detailed the struggles and horrors going on in the United States, but the terror and injustice is not isolated to our homeland. It’s everywhere, and in many cases, the situation is even worse. People are torn away from homes and families and communities, maybe forever, and the heartbreak and stress can destroy lives.

Post-black metal force Dymna Lotva are political pariahs and exiles from their Belarusian homeland, and on their incredible fourth record “Vyraj,” they use that struggle and pile on their sense of rebellion and hope that one day they can find a way back home, be that physical or spiritual. The title is based off the Slovakian legend of a mythical place where birds go in the winter and souls travel when they die, offering a sense of rebirth. The band—vocalist/traditional flute player Katsiaryna “Nokt Aeon” Mankevich, guitarist/bassist/keyboard player Jauhien Charkasau, guitarist/backing vocalist Mikita Stankevich, drummer Wojciech “Bocian” Muchowicz—are joined by some notable guests (Ingvarr of Schreigarm, Déhà of Wolvenest and Silver Knife, among other musicians) to round out this rousing collection that is thunderous and packed with human emotion.  

“Zory” drips in, creating a dream haze, and then things turn fiery, shrieks hammering, angelic calls adding beauty to the chaos. The drama storms as the playing stirs, punishing as keys rain, the tempo attacking to the end. “Veha” starts with speaking chilling and, after a turn, howls smothering, the playing slashing violently, children chanting amid the darkness. Screams flatten as the pace trudges, sounds tingle, and a sudden halt jars balance before thick orchestration flutters and the bass thickens. A panicked burst mangles as screams bellow, the final moments burning into oblivion. “The Boat of Despair” basks in cold keys, deeper singing from guest Aaron Stainthorpe (ex-My Dying Bride), and Mankevich’s voice complements his, the playing chugging as harsh wails belt. Keys blip as both voices unite, emotions thicken, electronics flow gently, and the final furious moments melt. “Viedźmieragina” floats in on whispers before screams destroy, the leads soaring as the pace is simmering, melodies multiplying rapidly. Calm washes before the drums echo, the guitars blaze and blister, and a hammering gust wrenches nerves.

“Niama Darohi” opens with creaking whispers, the drama increasing gradually, the screams peeling flesh, guitars bleeding as the feelings overflow. Operatic calls bellow as the shrieks return and open veins, flesh sustains bruising, and everything fades away. “Bu Samoje” opens with rants and chants, guitars blinding, the vocals spitting shards of broken glass. Group calls rouse as the guitars increase the electricity, the choral calls send darts, and a pile of ash is left behind. “Ustań Za Mianie” has gushing leads, speak singing, and then wails crashing, the excitement continuing to swell. Raspy calls jab as the catchiness increases substantially, powering with full force, resting in a bed of dewy keys. Closer “Return My Coffin Home” starts with creaking and acoustics, the singing sweeping as calm waters flow, rustic playing giving off folk hints. Desperate power combusts, the singing flexes its muscles, and the keys give off a wintry freeze, building up to a crescendo. Guitars circle as the clouds gather, glorious jolts travel through veins, and screams claw, the demand of, “Return my body to my heart,” stabbed into the ground.

“Vyraj” is an arresting, thunderous record from Dymna Lotva that both pays heed to the current global chaos but also offers respect to their own journeys from their homes. It’s impossible to experience this album and not feel something deep in your gut, moving toward your heart, and the band’s passion is practically spreadable. This is a record to fire your insides, reexamine your roots, and decide what the next journey will be.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://spkr.store/collections/dymna-lotva

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/

Imagine if electricity and technology existed thousands of years ago when different forms of music were popping up around the world. Might heavy metal have been brought into existence a lot sooner than it was? That’s not how history evolved, and we’re just over a half century of metal history, yet there are bands that might have thrived ages ago.

One of those is black metal force Hulder, whose penchant for ancient sounds and mythologies has powered this machine and made it one that, while modern, could have been a major force centuries ago with the right tools. Their new record “Verbolgen,” their third full-length, delves back into pre-Christian customs, spirits, and storytelling, wrapping the music in times long passed. Hulder now is joined by Necreon as a permanent member; Keld (Majesties, Obsequiae, Celestiial) contributes hurdy gurdy, electric guitars, and keys; and drums are split between touring drummer Vapula and Vrolok (Aeternus, Gorgoroth). Together they draw from European folklore, history, and melodies to add a different depth to their black metal, which is as vital as ever.

“Drie Raven (Intro)” dawns with fire crackling, acoustic guitars and flutes floating, sounds buzzing and moving into “The Crowning” that instantly gushes with power. Vicious howls pummel as the guitars heat up, shocking with chaos, the metallic melodies taking on an old world feel. Shrieks rain down, sounding deeper and burlier, everything shrouded in smoke. “Thy Binding Oath” has guitars opening, folk strains flowing, sounds hanging in the air before destroying. Group calls rise as the tempo gushes, the howls maul away at muscle, and everything ends in a burly puzzle. The title track fires up and is scathing in a hurry, flexing muscle but also melting into mournful movements that add a different shade of blackness. Growls erupt as the storm fully engulfs, the playing scathes, and blood drips from mouths. “…And We Shall Sing” has spiraling guitars and drums that stomp holes, the leads swirling into a humid thickness. The pace brawls as the vocals carve, and then the riffs glow mysteriously before brute force takes over, burning into oblivion.

“In Blood and In Earth” opens with winds whipping, acoustic flourishes chilling, and then charred power, howls crushing as the tempo crests, savagery sprawling over hot coals. Once the smoke settles, everything basks in darkness, guitars send pointed messages, and the waters boil over, gliding through sunlight, letting the thunder drop once more. “Den Nacht Zijn Lied” is sung entirely in Flemish, and it, too, aims to take off heads, animalistic bursts gathering in a corner coiled to strike, throaty growls spitting cinders. The playing swims through rough currents, feeling grim and sweaty, and the tempo sweeps, taking everything in its path with it. “View From Nemeton” spills in from a vortex, jolting and stampeding, synth coating the edges with neon mist, clean calls driving into the night. The leads cascade as the brutality multiplies, wrenching with beastly force, the growls choking out the lights. Closer “The Glow of Dawn” is an instrumental, and a rousing one at that as flutes slather, blistering guitars flow, and a there’s sense that nature is having its revenge. A warm, apocalyptic glow gives off weird vibes as the playing smolders, the drums kick up the intensity, and the final moments slip into a dream, slowly fading into your brain.

“Verbolgen,” from its cover art to its fascination with a pre-modern world, spills over your mind with a sense that you are elsewhere, and the fires you see are primitive. Hulder’s playing is anything but prehistoric, as they continue to be a ravaging force that has galvanized black metal. This record continues their ascent and mastery of an art so few can as accurately translate as violently as this band.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/hulder

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

Ever since getting my medical marijuana card and, uh, legally starting to use controlled substances mostly to help alleviate my anxiety, but dreams have fundamentally changed. Depending on the strain, my mind goes into different corners that I didn’t examine before subconsciously, and my dreams before this stand as almost an entirely different thing.

On their new record “Cycles in the Infinite Dream,” Chicago-based REZN delve into the realms we visit in our sleep, though not necessarily of the same ilk as mine. Digging into mental layers, warping ideas and realities, uncovering ideas perhaps we haven’t before fuel these songs, which also are best digested in the hours before sleep. The band—vocalist/guitarist Rob McWilliams, bassist Phil Cangelosi, synth/sax player Spencer Ouellette, drummer Patrick Dunn—creates an adventure that is sweeping, metallic, and immersive, filling your brain with imagery that can change with each listen.

“Rites of Passage” glimmers before guitars open and the singing smears, McWilliams calling, “Running away from oblivion, your shadows stands.” The guitars engulf as the pace chugs, the sounds do battle, and the final moments plaster. “Transient” starts with thick bass charring, the singing soaring, and sax clouds spreading, mashing again. “Life ethereal,” McWilliams wails, a burly force overloading, dreamy singing mixing with diving synth, everything floating into the stars. “Cloudfall” has riffs charging, the vocals driving, emotion flooding over the walls, digging into rock as the chorus swells. An atmospheric glide glistens as effusive rippling shakes the ground, keys plinking like ice crystals. “Aerial Birth” arrives by air, breezy playing guiding as the chorus lands, and then we’re back out to the water. Things turn starry and hypnotic, scrawling across the sky, slide guitars adding sepia tones. “Devotion” is an instrumental interlude, guitars echoing as sounds scrape, strings aiming their journey into blue skies.

“The Vessel” opens with riffs crunching, the singing gusting, and spirited pace trudging through mud, acoustics coloring behind the distortion. The playing trucks all over, the chorus crashes ashore, making a heavy impact, the weight growing, feeling insurmountable.  “Escher” starts with a mid-tempo flow, pedal steel weeping, smoother singing melting into a slick. The playing buzzes harder, spacious exhales cooling flesh, guitars moaning into the distance. “Primal Thread” has the bass stomping in, a calculated push slowly increasing your heart rate, the singing numbing as heavy punches reach rib cages. Ghostly leads send chills as the guitars hang like a storm, the bass gives off thick smoke plumes, and the keys create a thick haze that gets into your psyche. Closer “Terra Preta” feels mystical when it dawns, a slight psychedelic film draped across your eyes, the words aiming before the hammers drop. The pace picks up, adding reflective ends and whirry numbness, McWilliams urging, “For once in your life, cross over the line.” The darkness thickens as distorted blasts loosen teeth, the keys carrying off into space.

“Cycles in the Infinite Dream” accomplishes its mission well, conjuring visions of places only in your mind where one can find solace and regeneration. REZN’s music is more for contemplation than indulging in barbary and bloodshed, and their energy is such that it easily captures you and lures you through the journey. This is probably best suited for listening later at night, especially when numbed over, as the dreams swim in your mind and make their way into your consciousness.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://found.ee/REZN-CITID

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

The primal brutality of death metal and its violent appeal is something you either have or you don’t. Sure, people can acquire that taste, and if they do, they likely were open to its destructive power all along. But it remains an at-arm’s-length proposition, especially when it digs deep into the blood and guts.

Death metal beasts Dishumane are on but their first release, a four-track EP called “Centurion’s Demise,” and it is the product of its creators’ commitment to conjuring tried-and-true chaos that blackens hearts. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist James Shanks, bassist Chuck Sherwood, and drummer Charlie Koryn (the latter two both have played with Incantation), the project rocketed forward with this first glimpse of what this unit can do. It’s mangling and brutal, a 15-minute dose of terror that is relentless and feral.

“Conquering the Forlorn” starts burly and beefy, growls mauling as death sprawls and guitars speed relentlessly. A ferocious gust brings a thick serving of doom, the playing stomps guts, and the brutality is kicked up a notch, erupting and spilling nothing but vitriol. The title track tramples with outright violence, battering and rampaging, the viciousness adding insults to its blows. Demolition is achieved as the words are spat, and then things change instantly as a smoldering charge dusts ribcages, and the guitars swoop in for the kill. “Soul Spun Malice” is a grinding force, guitars slicing from every direction, the attack amplifying its intensity, melodies overwhelming. The leads stagger and feel weird and hypnotic, growls squeeze marrow from bone, and the guitars boil over, melting away flesh. “Loom of Souls” is a closing instrumental that has guitars smearing, strange transmissions reaching off planet for an alien receiver.

“Centurion’s Demise” is but the first strike from Dishumane, and their brand of death metal sounds like they are confident in exactly what they want to accomplish. This is pulverizing stuff that gets into your guts and moves shit around for the fun of it, your pain levels be damned. Very excited to hear what these guys can do with a full-length.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/dishumane_band/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bloodharvest.se/?s=dishumane&post_type=product

For more on the label, go here: https://www.bloodharvest.se/

Keeping everything pent up inside is an awful idea. You’re going to blow. It’s only a matter of time, and when it does occur, you have to hope you have enough sense to contain yourself to a healthy outburst. Whatever the fuck that is. If you have a creative valve to release, that’s probably best for you and everyone around you.

Minneapolis-based death manglers Nothingness luckily can emote through their art, and their third record “Godslaughter” helps them quell what’s gathering and release it in their spattering music. The band refers to its music as “digressive,” and that’s certainly fair as their lashes splash all over, easily catching you with their blades even if you manage to duck the first few swings. If you’ve been alive for the last decade, especially in this country, you will understand the bloodletting and the infernal heat coming from this beast—vocalist Barclay Olson, guitarist/synth player/vocalist Alex Lewandowski, bassist Jon Grandel, drummer Jason Hirt (guitarist John Hancock and effects master Xen Hartzell have joined since the recording). It’s a mind fucker, and it’s probably good for you to experience that.

“Incinerated Immediately” fucking trucks right out of the gates, growls mauling as the playing gets faster, battering and blinding in just over a minute and a half. “Convulsing Putrefaction” is tricky and brutal, the growls tunneling into the dirt, sinewy, rubbery playing making your brain smoke. Guitars slither as the fists fly faster, screams dig under nails, and everything ends abruptly. “Skull Evulsion” is a smothering force, maniacal screams ringing in the night, the terror building in form. The drums destroy, the pace adding devastation, everything ending in a pile of rubble. “Trenchant Glunch” drubs, growls retch, and a monstrous force tries to pull you under, the guitars adding lightning to your veins. The tempo gets meatier as tortured howls shake your psyche, creating a tornadic force that drags you through a million blows greeting your head. “Vanquishing Providence” is doomy and muddy before exploding, the drums crushing as the band trudges into pooled blood. The pace comes unglued, howls scar, and the guitars create a thick steam that feels feral.

“Divine Irresponsibility” is the longest track here, running 6:59 and immediately rocketing the temperatures to dangerous highs. Death ruptures as the growls dig under flesh, doom bells echo in the distance, the guitars gut. The intensity spills over as your nerve endings tingle, a slow-driving tempo twists the screws, and everything ends in a buzz. “Incredible Violence” opens with a Kurt Vonnegut quote from Slaughterhouse Five as the playing swings hammers, chugging and slashing, ramming through walls of rock. The riffs encircle and confound, throaty growls threaten, and the blood smears in mouths, leaving a metallic taste. “Umbral Spear” is cold, synth gathering like a cloud, start/stop mashing shaking your brain in your skull. Growls slash as the band goes harder, techy soloing giving this horror some added prowess, the energy sprawling before cresting. Closer “Novus Hegemonikon” buzzes as the growls scathe, burly melodies locking your head in a vice, mashing as the atmosphere turns chilling. Spooky guitar work haunts as psychedelic strains infect, and final shots arrive slowly, mightily, putting out your lights.

Nothingness send their vitriol into the world and beyond with “Godslaughter,” another solid building block in their death metal foundation. They also manage to add interesting twists and color dashes in their otherwise skull-dusting music, a testament to their creativity and madness. This is a really enthralling album that hopefully doesn’t fly under the radar based on the glut of great death metal releases we’ve already had this year. For sure, this is one of them.   

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

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

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

I have a pretty major claustrophobia gene, never looking when I’m locked into something tight and dark, wondering how many breaths I may have left. It’s unreasonable to have that phobia, because how often are you really going to find yourself locked into that situation? Yet, the fear lurks and sometimes rises in unexpected ways.

For instance, tackling “Monument aux morts,” the second album from French maulers Viande, can make listeners feel like they’re trapped underground, the weight of the dirt getting heavier, the stress on the lungs taking a greater impact. The band—vocalist J, guitarist/synth player B, bassist O, drummer I—employs a form of blackened death that shrouds sight and feels like it is trying to push every gasp of breath from your body. It’s harrowing and heavy, dark and foreboding, a collection of songs that prod your fears.

“Linceul immense” opens with noise scrawling, the power bristling as the growls thicken, the energy pounding away with dusty fury. Guitars spindle as the damage spreads, darkness thickening, the chaos pounding its way into “Sacrifice ardent” that pummels with extra strength. Growls pour blood as the playing stabs into metal, snarling, infernal heat pressuring, riffs snaking through a slow burn. Shrieks erupt as the playing builds faster, mangling and wrecking minds. “Germes de mort” pounds with viciousness, striking like a battering ram, growls gurling as if underwater, the tempo hulking with ferocity. Shrieks maim as the guitars challenge psyches, quaking with seismic force, scorching to the end. “Monolithe de chagrin” is caked in filth, savagery swelling as a fiery gust torches flesh, then the vocals get uglier and more oppressive. Battering, binding playing squeezes your chest as the growls swelter, a relentless push powdering bones.

“Cercueil de vase” enters amid a thick fog, the playing disorienting and causing your blood pressure to drop, strange leads mystifying and testing wills. Deliberate strikes open flesh as the drums echo and stomp, piercing your ribs as the sounds fade. “Une cage d’os” trudges and quivers, the ugliness clobbering, warping darkness as the wails torch. Strangeness spreads as a Portal-style attack smothers brain pathways, the vocals wrestling you to the ground and making you eat dirt. “L’esprit cachot” has the vocals tearing through shadows, the guitars chugging, the riffs bending your thoughts against your will. Growls crawl through muck, the playing spattering torment and then spiraling into mud, the smoke thickening and making breathing impossible. “Austérité maximum” is a brief interlude that has noise melting, demonic screams terrifying, and everything spilling into a seemingly endless tunnel toward closer “L’homme Brasier.” Drums batter as the guitars push your face to a hot grill, the playing smearing your thoughts. Guitars stain as your mind shatters, and humidity increases dangerously and compromises your respiratory system.

Viande’s heaviness must be experienced as explaining it in writing doesn’t quite do the trick. “Monument aux morts” challenges you mentally and physically, each track pushing you to your limits and making your brain wonder what it did to deserve such anguish. That’s actually a good thing as this band and record make you see nightmarish visions you didn’t know were possible, and that’s fun for everyone.  

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://us.tometal.com/

Or here (Europe): https://eu.tometal.com/

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

So, spoiler alert, we’re all going to die at some point. We can’t avoid that reality, and while we may be able to extend our lives through science and medical advancements, we are not immortal forces. Yet if someone or something could intervene on your behalf and let you draw breath and remain alive longer, what would be your price?

Nordic death power Horrifier examine that very scenario on their second record “Revelations of Gore.” This is a concept piece that focuses on a person at the end of life who is offered a chance to keep existing with the nominal fee of human sacrifices in return. But that whole agreement turns obsessive for the character as the stack of bodies builds to gruesome levels. The band—vocalist/guitarist Adrian Risøy, guitarist Sander Halvorsen, bassist Erik Krokan, drummer/vocalist Andreas Langås—comes at you with a storm of insanity and intensity, feeling like something doused in decades-old blood and rotting flesh as they pull you into the race to remain on this plane of existence, no matter what.

“Voices” is a swirling, strange intro track, snaking into “Compelled to Slaughter” that sweeps in with a doomy pall. The playing erupts as howls scar, sooty guitars clog the gears, and then fires blaze, the bass stomping harder. The playing tangles as the vocals choke, the and the leads electrify before frying eternally. “Human Butchery” is snarling, ransacking as scathing guitars boil blood, doomy lathering foaming with charcoal, everything combusting before speed ignites. Animalistic fury strangles as things spill over rapidly, the guitars darken, and strange smoke billows to the sky. “The Ingestion” is heated, slowly battering, charring as the dust collects, nastiness multiplying as throaty wails explode. Guitars hang in the air before a sudden burst, the soloing flooding wildly, melodies bending and leaving the room spinning.  “Rejoice, Children of the Flesh” has guitars scraping as the pace explodes, the temperature spiking, Risøy howling, “Relentless torture forever!” The pace pummels as the wails blister again, a calculated beating pelting.

“Body Hoarder” is relentless, exploding with violence, the pace drubbing as grisly growls retch. The pace speeds up as energy storms harder, the leads take off, and a fiery finish explodes with ash. “Morbid Lust” slaughters, the vocals spat like poison, dusting hard as the guitars unite and take over the flight. The bass trudges as the tempo becomes even more aggressive, the guitars blaze even harder, burning off into oblivion. “The Final Oblation” ignites with finger-tapped guitars, the bass coiling, spilling over and savaging with power and beastly growls. The pace engulfs, the riffs flex muscles, the vocals mangle, and everything crumbles into dust and fades. “Blood for Ascension” brings back the doom storms, jetting with power, howls smashing before calm slips into the room. Leads whir as dark winds gust, the wails sicken, and humidity smothers, fading into chaos.

The bodies pile up quite high on “Revelations of Gore,” a hammering second spell from Horrifier that leaves death metal choking from black-coated lungs. This is a massive beast that’s out for blood, but it’s also a blast to experience, especially if your roots go back to death/doom’s origins. This concept piece leaves you battered and bruised, giving you an excursion that peels off flesh and douses wounds with salt.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/product/pre-order-horrifier-revelations-of-gore-cd/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/

Outside my house at the moment, the world is shrouded in smoke from Canadian wildfires, so much so that the horizon is invisible, and even the amusement park a few blocks from my house seems to have disappeared entirely. It looks like the world settling from Armageddon, the aftermath of a battle that had few, if any, survivors.

The first demo from one-man war machine Horns of Abomination, leaves a similar impact after its three tracks have ravaged you. The amalgamation of death and black metal that very much sparks visions of all-out war is impossible to survive without taking on mental wounds. The tan-and-red cover art isn’t as ominous as the music inside, so it might throw you off a little bit going into your first experience. But it’s harrowing, fucked up, sometimes barely forming a solid entity and acting instead as a phantom ready to devour.

“Horns of Abomination” opens and could be a mission statement song, piercing right off the bat and pouring endless blackness over all it encounters. Sooty chaos destroys as the warped screams swim in interference, sounding inhuman, and then the playing grinds psyches. The power spreads its grip as noise fries your senses, everything ending in blood. “Necrogoat” is perversely aggressive, sinister riffs carving pathways, barbaric vocals sounding authoritative and detached. Filth crumbles under pressure and creates a toxic soot, the final sparks threatening refiring. Closer “Black Blood Offering” lets guitars spill in, the drums batter, and the growls melt any sense of sanity, beastly tensions rising. Demonic heat spikes to torturous levels, the words barely are decipherable, as if the message is for the damned, and the playing retches, leaving blood slicks behind.

Horns of Abomination have almost no trail of information about the sole creator of this madness, so we only can draw conclusions with the music, which is the way it should be anyway. This feels like wars waged in your mind, a mental damnation that should not be survivable. We have but three shots fired from this project here, and if these are any indication of what the future holds, expect it to be volatile.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://sentientruin.com/releases/horns-of-abomination-horns-of-abomination

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

A decade ago feels like a completely different existence. For example, the U.S. was not locked in the clutches of authoritarianism, and a larger-than-comfortable swath of people were not under the spell of the least competent cult leader ever. We were years before a crippling pandemic. We just lost Neurosis. It was a world not ready for what was to come.

It also was the last time we heard from Chilean thrash/death hybrid Ripper, as they had unleashed “Experiment of Existence.” A full 10 years later, we finally have the band’s third record “Towards Rebirth,” a fitting title and a proper reintroduction to a band that always kept their brand of thrash thornier and bloodier. On these 10 tracks and 42 minutes, the band—vocalist/guitarist Patricio Spalinger, guitarist Nicolas Young, bassist Tomas Barriga, drummer Javier Buzeta—sounds like as well-oiled machine, poised to strike early and often, adding more vitriol to the South American brand of this style of metal which always was heavier, meaner, and brasher than other continents.

“The Secular Awakening” is a strange, whirring intro that bathes in synth and fantasy elements, leading the way toward “World of Darkness” that snarls and hammers with speed. Heated howls lash as the pace bruises, a simple, but effective chorus gets blood flowing, and the bass chews wires. The playing lays waste as the soloing erupts, punishing and leaving space for one final chorus to jet past. The title track mashes, the leads snaking, the pace trucking, leads bending around corners. The tempo storms harder as guitars twist brain tentacles, a burst of savage vocals punching out. “Final Hologram” takes off and shreds, the vocals spat like poison, guitars blinding as the screams ravage. The intensity crests as the bass charges, sparking a fury, a thrashy attack and throaty calls driving. “Into The Coldness of Land of Dead” opens with the drums decimating, a relentless attack angling toward you as guitars boil, and speed becomes a greater factor. The chorus jolts as everything hits a little harder, and then everything comes unglued, the playing decimating, savage power warping as bone spurs spray.

“The Source Exterminator” fires up, animalistic vocals striking, the leads smoking as melodies flex. The soloing melts before calm arrives, and out of that the energy powers anew, monstrous howls pelting and opening wounds. “Messages From the Other Side” scrambles, the intensity scathing, guitars storming harder, attacking as the vocals land. The pace turns everything to dust, blinding with chaos, the pace shifting to a vicious end. “The Secret Dawn” has the bass chugging and squeezing, guitars forming dark clouds, melodies slithering through the dirt. The playing detonates as leads flood, the guitars take off, and the bass buries into your chest, bringing a crazed finish to this instrumental.  “The End of Universe” unleashes, raw wails destroying, the guitars hitting a frenzy, wails combining with raspy shouts. The pace races as the screams peel paint, the soloing combusts and shakes bones, jolting bruised flesh before fleeing. Closer “Procession to the Eternal Rest” has guitars racing, scratchy howls battering, the pace coming to life and quaking. There’s a slight Maiden feel melodically, and then the winds become more violent, slamming into you as animalistic cries leave you gasping for breath.

It may have taken a decade to get “Towards Rebirth,”  but that wait was more than worth it as Ripper have returned with … a ripper. For those who like their thrash metal and little more feral, this record should land particularly hard, delving, as they do, toward the brink of death. This is one hell of a beast, a real scorcher arriving in the dead heat of summer.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/?s=ripper&post_type=product

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

Life has its way or carving away at you, leaving you a husk of your former self if you’re not careful. For some of us, misery always seems around the bend, haunting, waiting, lurking only too lustfully to peel back anything that makes existence worthwhile. How many times must one get up off the ground, dust off, and expect to proceed forward with hope?

Brazilian duo Litosth—multi-instrumentalist Maicon Ristow and bassist Wendel Siota—have abandoned silver linings and gone all in on skullduggery and misery with “Dreaming,” their fourth record. The title is misleading, as you will find exploring these eight tracks and 46 minutes is not going to whisk you away on a wondrous excursion, even when their music leans more melodic and pulsing. Instead, this is an unraveling, a mental breakdown after one too many gashes that leaves nothing but darkness and pain behind.

“Defy” gets off to an eerie start, guitars opening as the synth swirls, howls storming from the outer edges. Majestic fury releases its spirit, synth gliding along jagged edges, melodic grimness exiting. “Ruin” starts with keys dripping, and then guitars storming, viciousness crumbling your mental state. Icy leads take off, bells chime to usher in the end, and a beastly gush brings the monster back to life. “Eclipse” enters darkness before the playing rips, monstrous howls arresting, a path into wonder making the fury that much heavier. Keys rain as shrieks rip, a even-tempered pace cooling before keys plink like glass.  “Abyss” rises as organs swell, the pace ravages, and synth swirls in your mind. The drums stampede as dramatic strikes send electricity, and smothering blows end the misery,

“Monolith” starts as a cold, clean ghoul, driving through searing howls, storming with great energy that jabs. The playing is catchy and thorny, beastly and spacious, a massive finish pinning you to the earth. “Iconoclast” unfurls in battery, the soundwaves ripple, and the vocals ravage, smoking and choking out lungs. The force pounds away, spacey keys work through the stars, the leads spiral as the vocals emit heat. “Nadir” basks in a synth cloud before blood pours from the cloud, a vicious attack stabbing toward you, melodies sweeping as the growls sicken. The pressure scrapes flesh as dramatic gusts pummel, the howls carve at muscle, and the final strains inebriate. Closer “Gólgota” has leads lightning the way, growls snarling, and colors zapping, synth lathering and creeping toward a blistering force. The guitars tangle as the playing makes blood race through veins, the howls lashing as everything washes away.

“Dreaming” is a sinister yet adventurous record, a darker turn from Litosth than we’ve previously heard. The lack of hope and the callouses that experience builds make it impossible for light to get through in any way, and that’s what this album sounds like it’s conveying. This is music that won’t make you feel better when it’s done. If anything, it’ll leave your insides a little blacker.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/litosthofficial

To buy the album, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/product-category/our-releases/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/