Photo by Jehnifer Mickalacki Sublett

Metal tends to lean toward hyperbole and words that the members involved with bands can’t quite live up to on record. It happens. It’s an extreme music form, things are meant to be over the top, and often band names, song titles, and album names can promise things that can’t always be delivered.

That takes us to new death metal force Extremity and their debut record “Extremely Fucking Dead.” On the surface, it seems like it’s putting a lot out there based on those words alone. But then you put this thing on, and holy shit if you’re not extremely fucking dead when it’s over. This six-track, nearly 27-minute debut record is the product of some super reliable, heavy hitting members of metal’s underground, namely guitarist/vocalist Marissa Martinez-Hoadley (Cretin), guitarist/vocalist Shelby Lermo (Vastum, Ulthar), bassist Erika Osterhout (Femacoffin, Necrosic), and drummer Aesop Dekker (Vhöl, Worm Ouroboros, and formerly of Agalloch). So, really, it should have been obvious from moment one that this thing was going to destroy, and that’s exactly what it does.

“Intro (Mortuus Est Valde)” is a quick piece that basically does what the title says it does: greet you at the horrifying door and pull you face first into the stench. “Crepuscular Crescendo” punishes right away, as the throaty growls and fierce leads do battle for your soul, with the only winner being bloodshed. It’s punchy death, both gritty and ugly, with the howl of, “There’s no escape from this hell!” bringing sobering reality you might not be ready to face. “Bestial Destiny” blisters and sends you into battle with Bolt Thrower-style guitar work that’s nasty and satisfying. The track stomps your guts, while Martinez-Hoadley and Lermo trade wails and screams. The track charges hard into fiery soloing, and the vicious back end of the song brings everything to a bloody end.

“Chalice of Pus” not only sounds delicious, it also delivers animalistic fury that should scare the shit out of you. The band hits a heavy, muddy groove as the vocals choke you to near unconsciousness, and the soloing fans the flames of chaos. The guttural madness spreads like plague from there, burying you in total ugliness. “Fatal Immortality” stomps the ground so hard, it practically measures seismically, and the growls of, “A smoking gun, a bullet in your head!” pay off in deadliness and backhand-across-the-mouth insults. The track is devastating and purely driven to salt your wounds. The closing title cut tears into flesh, as the growls maul any sense you have remaining. Striking soloing and sore throat-inducing vocals mix, as the album title is snarled over and over again, as they beat their point into you. Finally, as the song chugs and chews away at your throat, you receive mercy in the oddest of final sounds: a flatline stretching to the record’s end.

Extremity pays dividends repeatedly on “Extremely Fucking Dead,” a pure death metal assault that doesn’t mess around and goes right for the throat. This band isn’t relying on their members’ well-respected resumes and sound as hungry and vicious as a group trying to earn their first reputation. This is a fat-trimmed, gut-wrenching display that’s bloody, violent, and ripe for repeated listens.

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

To buy the album and for more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com

Rebirth and resurrection are two tenets that comprise common threads in most of our lives, mainly through religion. Whether it’s the literal rising from the dead or just a new outlook or way of seeing one’s life, these two occurrences are so engrained in most of our cultures that it shouldn’t be hard to come up with a story or personal example of either one.

Danish wrecking machine Hexis also have their own take, and that is smeared all over their thunderous second record “Tando Ashanti.” The title itself references the demon Tando Ashanti, who demands sacrifice of 14 people, seven men and seven women, at the same time. That’s grim on its own, but the journey Hexis have built into this record and these 11 songs doesn’t simply bow to the powers of the dark. Shadowy as their intent may be, they have woven in a narrative of resurrection of the weak and dead, a path you can follow to whatever conclusion you find. The band isn’t super black and white about the meaning of all of this, so it’s your job to comb through this nearly 39-minute battlefield for clarity and understanding. This must be done by essentially mining a battlefield with the war still raging on, and there’s no guarantee you’ll land on anything before having your face ripped apart.

“Tando” tears off the lid with guitars charging and hanging in the air, as well as strange whispers and feedback contributing to the horror factor. “Ashanti” explodes with grim guitars, throaty growls, and a tempo that boils and crushes. The riffs slow down and sludge later, with sounds stinging and the thick bass bruising. “Molestus” has melodies contorting and the pace chugging violently, as the track works toward the jugular. Howls of “nightmare!” repeat and thrash, as the cut dissolves into acid. “Ritualis” scrapes skin off the surface while the riffs lather like thick oil. The growls are cement-grade rivers, while the band piledrives into and through the chaos. “Calamitas” has dramatic, urgent riffs that storm, and the intensity of the thing could have you on the verge of a blackout. The vocals wrench, and the tempo that mauls from front to back finally lets you have a breath. “Nocturnus” is one of the longer cuts on here, setting into a hardcore-style offensive before everything chills out a bit. The music has a calculated feel for a stretch before the churning starts again, and the vocals turn bones into fine powder.

“Opacus” feels like being caught in the gears of heavy machinery, as your insides are twisted, and your pain points hit their apex. The track is monstrous, decimating before eventually bleeding away. “Cordolium” has guitars collecting in an ashen cloud before coating the ground. The track slowly hulks, while the growls rip holes, and the guitars spit sparks. Everything swells and is pulled into a tornadic terror, with the vocals curdling and the song ripping toward its end and right into “Resurrection.” There, noise drone foams up and spreads, with the harsh cries dragged over top. From there, it’s a slow grind to its end. “Septem” is aggravated and blinding with rage, as the vocals crush the gears, and the guitars swirl. In fact, most of this song is dizzying and disorienting, paving the way for the merciless finish of “Presagium.” Damaged guitars and thorny vocals mix while the pace jackhammers everything in sight, and the final minutes are comprised of strange coldness and a dense noise cloud that chokes away all.

Hexis’ mission is a dark and foreboding one, never more obvious than on “Tando Ashanti.” This band’s penchant for mixing hardcore, black metal, and doom is potent, and over two records now, they’ve charred those standing in front of them. This record is as deadly as they come, and you could leave this thinking you bear the black mark of the next one up on the demon’s chopping block.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.halooffliesrecords.com/releases/

Or here: http://www.doomrock.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.halooffliesrecords.com/

And here: http://www.no-pasaran.org/welcome/

There is a special place for bands that don’t simply give you album experiences but also add something transcendent to their work. It’s not just a matter of being overwhelmed by their music, and the decibolic madness contained within. It’s also a gateway to something else that isn’t attainable by any other means, no matter how far your imagination may stretch.

Colorado-based black metal wanderers Nightbringer never just release a collection of songs. Their strange, esoteric ways are woven into the fabric of their music, and playing one of their records sometimes makes it seem like you’re on the doorstep to a convulsion. Their new opus “Terra Damnata” is another bizarre trip down a wormhole toward a plane of existence and understanding you didn’t know was possible. Each of their five records provide a sort of atmospheric, out-of-control adventure you can’t control or even possibly predict. It has been that way since their 2008 debut “Death and the Black Work” and continued to bleed into their last album “Ego Dominus Tuus” in 2014. On this record, the band—vocalist/guitarist Naas Alcameth, guitarist VJS, bassist Norgaath, drummer Menthor, guitarist/vocalist Ophis, vocalist ar Ra’d al Iblis—get more symphonic and layered, always bludgeoning you but keeping your head so full of mysticism, you cannot help but be entranced.

“As Wolves Amongst Ruins” starts us in the midst of absolute chaos as guitars contort and rain down, and maniacal howls remind you of the rare atmosphere in which you’re encased. Strange bouts of speaking and bizarre melodies continue the push, while eerie keys take over and help the track wash away. “Misrule” unleashes tornadic riffs, mad blasts, and crazed shrieks, leading into a dizzying pace and a cloud of fury that hangs in the air. Later, the growls spin your heart and mind as the song settles into its resting place. “Midnight’s Crown” once again puts the room at a spin, with humid ambiance and speedy playing jostling your nerve endings. Strange warbling and heavy synth waves increase the drama, while the music spirals toward the ground, and a huge symphonic finish adds strange texture. “Of the Key and Crossed Bones” is delirious and savage right off the bat, as the tempo drubs unforgivingly, and the drums punish relentlessly. Monstrous vocals mix with enrapturing melodies, causing the pace to sicken and enthrall equally before mystical final moments drag everything back into the fog.

“Let Silence Be His Sacred Name” has keys dripping like cold rain before total eruption sends shrapnel flying. The track binds up your guts with its horrific twisting and turning before the band settles into a nasty thrash groove. The storming only continues from there, as violent outbursts charge hard before atmospheric pressure subsides, and keys blur out the picture. “Inheritor of a Dying World” sets the music to a boil, as wails of, “Inherit the world of dust!” jars the mind. The music goes cold for a stretch before the band starts landing heavy punches again, sprawling and ripping, as calls of, “There is no solace,” only adding to the uneasiness before everything subsides. “The Lamp of Inverse Light” has more off-kilter tones and a really bizarre set of surroundings, almost like you’ve entered an even higher level of Nightbringer. Ghostly speaking mixes in with the spiritual chaos, setting the stage for closer “Serpent Sun.” Wrenching guitars and crushing vocals make their way toward you before terrible shrieks and vicious bursts up the ante of terror. The drums burst and the riffs twist into a tight ball, while horrific growls send the final messages before the track ends abruptly.

Five albums in, and Nightbringer continue to be one of the most inventive, spiritually mysterious bands in all black metal, and you need no further proof than “Terra Damnata.” Their dark works only grow stranger and more violent as time goes on, and their mission gets even tougher to figure out completely. That’s part of the wonder in taking on this band, since they know no boundaries physically nor mentally and leave no hints as to where their mission will take them next.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

Or here: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.season-of-mist.com/

Photo by Jack Latimer

It’s fitting that an old, crusty sound could reach back into the annals of time and feast upon something that has afflicted humankind for ages. Just like the best death metal tends to prey upon our fears and the disgust inherent in murder, violence, and decay, so too can it address other horrors that eat away at us for completely different reasons and that can be just as ugly.

UK-based death troupe Craven Idol sound as tried and true of old school death metal bands come these days. Their ferocious, unhinged approach feels genuine, and while some could guess this band is paying homage to, say, Bathory, Venom, or Bolt Thrower, they instead are continuing to cut the same bloody path and extend it into the future. But beside the sound of “The Shackles of Mammon,” their second album, is the aforementioned unearthing of subject matter as old as civilization, namely people’s tendencies toward vices, their destructive nature, and the justification of said ways. Much of that pokes at humankind’s reliance on religions in a way to make good for what they do wrong to themselves, others, and society as a whole, a plague that remains feasting at our collective veins. The band—guitarist/vocalist Immolator of Sadistik Wrath, guitarist Obscenitor, bassist Suspiral, and drummer Heretic Blades—brings a savagery and primitive fire to these songs that can tear you apart and leave your rotting corpse vulnerable to anything that wishes to gnaw from your bones.

“Pyromancer” eats the heads off this thing, with guitars ripping and wild howls smeared over everything. The chorus is a simple, pulverizing piece that’s actually pretty fun, and the final moments are taken out in a quick blast. “A Ripping Strike” is eerie at the start before it lives up to its title, as guitars churn, and the pace kills. Heavy shrieks crush before the effective chorus hits, and then weird speaking that chills your bones lands. The soloing is fiery and fluid, with the band taking on a Maiden-esque fit of glory before the song rushes out. “Black Flame Divination” is deadly and gut-ripping, with the vocals sounding unhinged. But once again, a very direct chorus shows the strength of brevity. The track is fast and ferocious right up until it ends. “The Trudge” is one of the longest cuts here, running 7:45 and taking its time developing a thrashy pace. Parts of the song are more tempered but still remarkably heavy, as the piece chugs and melts into sticky doom. Guitars scorch and vocals slash before its blazing finish.

“Dashed to Death” has boiling guitar work as the music begins to stomp, with the vocals a mix of gurgling growls and massive shrieks. The playing agitates, with Immolator of Sadistik Wrath wailing, “Kill for your god!” before the tempo picks up again and pulls scabs off your wounds. “Mammon Est” is speedy and nasty, with searing guitar leads doing damage to your soul and your ears. The howls are filthy and the playing is reckless, before everything blasts out. “Hunger” hits the gas pedal again, as Immolator of Sadistik Wrath unleashes throaty growls to add more blood to the raging pace. Later, some strange, slurry soloing pushes in, adding an extra dose of weirdness to a final half that’s pretty damn odd. Closer “Tottering Cities of Mon” is the longest piece at 8:37, with a deliberate pace taking time to accumulate bodies, mashing you into slow-driving hell. Later, some classic metal guitar work brings an even deeper vintage edge, while an unsettling dialog grabs your attention, and the playing disappears into a pocket of strangeness.

Craven Idol have both a stranglehold on the ills of what keeps society such a miserable place as well as what makes classic death metal so great. “The Shackles of Mammon” is a fire-breathing, satisfying piece that feels organically violent and always unsettling. If you can’t find all the death metal nourishment you need out of Craven Idol, you’re likely doing it wrong.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Craven-Idol-158945044134965/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store

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

I am a really bad storyteller verbally, in that I veer off on tangents upon tangents upon loosely associated anecdotes to details that have almost nothing to do with the original point until I get back onto whatever it was I was talking about in the first place. Lots of bands seem to do that as well, not knowing when to edit themselves or realize when the point has been made.

I do not think black metal duo Vanum is one of those bands, but they apparently feel differently. Their debut record “Realm of Sacrifice” was one of our top 10 favorite albums of 2015, and its penetrating chaos is just as impactful now. Yet, the guys—K. Morgan (Ash Borer, Predatory Light) and M. Rekevics (Fell Voices, Vorde, Vilkacis)—seemed to think they could use a trim down, making their music into, in their words, “the sharpened point of Vanum.” We get that flesh-tearing motherfucker right in the gut over and over again on their killer new EP “Burning Arrow.” These are three tracks of slimmed down Vanum, though the songs still are fairly lengthy, with the shortest clocking in at 6:46. Aside from just making their assault more direct, they also play more with sounds, adding variety and texture to their atmospheric brand of black metal. The result is a volcanic, always interesting trio of cuts that hopefully set the pace for Vanum moving forward.

“Watched in the Eastern Sky” is the 8:58 opener, a pretty different style of track from what we found on Vanum’s debut. Noise rises and begins to spread its shadow before classic metal-style guitar tears open, giving the song a bit of a retro feel. Howled growls push the violence, while the track leans into atmospherics before getting smoking and deadly. The intensity continues to build, while melodies spill, and strong, murky weirdness flex their collective muscles. From there, another strange cloud of noise returns and swallows the track.

“Immortal Will” is thunderous as hell, with guitars sprawling and a poisonous fog rising. Strong melodies lap and maul the senses, as the assault pushes forward with wild howls of, “Born of fire, willed into being! Draw strength from chaos and rule as a god!” Feral shouts and charging guitars provide a massive dose of trudging black metal that has nothing but ill intent. Closer “Spring of Life” is the longest song at 9:06, with a shovel scraping and the track bursting to full punishment. The playing blisters and devastates, as growls and raw shrieks smother, and sharp guitar strikes tear open the skin. Hoarse cries and feral chaos meet, as the riffs spiral and build before going into a weird, mystical bend. The sound gets chillier from there before the nightmare bleeds out and fades into the void.

“Burning Arrow” is aptly named, as the music on here feels like a sharp projectile right to the heart, melting away your flesh. Vanum’s short run has been damn impressive already, and with this EP, it seems like they’re telling us they’ve only scratched the surface of their madness. This is a really great bridge to whatever mind-crushing thing they dream up next.

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

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

Or here: http://psychicviolence.bigcartel.com/

Not every creation gets its just due when it’s fresh and ready for public consumption. H.P. Lovecraft essentially died destitute because his incredible, charnel stories largely went unnoticed until after he passed away. Now, the man’s writing can be credited for inspiring tons of metal bands.

Luckily for Rob Allen, he just had to wait a few years until his work was scooped up in a wider net. Under his Vaiya banner, he released “Remnant Light” in 2014, a three-track whirlwind of an adventure into atmospheric black metal that can rob you of your breath. Now, the mighty hands at Bindrune Recordings and Nordvis Produktion are giving this amazing document new light by jointly re-releasing it back into the world. The album is comprised of three tracks that each last exactly 13 minutes, and despite so much music in this vein being negative and grinding, Allen chooses to go toward the light and away from the negativity that can beat us into a paste. It’s a nice change of pace for this sub-genre, and another positive entry from the two labels breathing new oxygen into this music.

“Confrontation” starts the record with slowly unfurling music before it erupts into raw energy. Majestic and mournful melodies cascade, while wrenching vocals twist and contort the piece. The music manages to glimmer at times, even when things are at their murkiest, and passionate yells belt over the piece, shaking you to your core. Toward the end, the pace settles, as Allen gets into vulnerability, calling out, “Oh, great spirit, give me the strength!” before the track blasts open again and punishes all the way to its abrupt finish.

“Banishment” has a tempered start before it rips open and stares into the eye of the storm. Swelling melodies and harsh cries meet, dashing the piece with light and dark, while a strong dose of playing gets the blood surging. Total power and emotion mix, forming an unstoppable force, and then serenity arrives, complete with Allen’s gruff singing. The music leans gazey and clean, trickling and draining out into a pocket of numbing noise. Closer “Transformation” bursts with black metal glory, feeling unkempt and animalistic, while the penetrating light pushes through and causes everything to glow. While you shield your eyes, you’ll be overwhelmed with harsh wails and chaos before tranquility emerges, swallowing all the madness and bringing your head above the surface to breathe again.

“Remnant Light” might not be foreign to all listeners, but for those who have yet to be exposed to this first Vaiya full-length, this is bound to be a profound experience. This music is enthralling and uplifting, filling your lungs and pushing you toward greater understanding of yourself. Vaiya’s music may have been bubbling under the surface for a while, but it’s only gained power in a time when more of us could use a bright source of light every now and again.

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

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

Or here: https://www.nordvis.com/new_products

For more on the label, go here: http://bindrunerecordings.com/

And here: https://www.nordvis.com/