A lot has changed in metal the past half-decade or so. There are bands that have come up with the idea of changing and morphing what we knew about heavy sounds and putting them back together in unconventional ways. Hell, the past couple years have been rich breeding grounds for these ideas, which has made metal even more exciting.

We haven’t heard from New York tech death legends Sulaco for the past seven years, and in that time, so much has changed. Luckily for Sulaco, they’re pretty adept at doing things their own way, as they have for the past 15 years or so. Sure, the “tech death” label has come to mean something different from how it was applied to this band. So much tech death is centered on musical nerdism and noodling out the asshole in a way that takes the emotion from the music and makes it something of an antiseptic science exhibit. Sulaco never have done that, as their music has been filled with power and emotion, and their thunderous third record “The Prize” proves that over and over. Their first effort since 2011’s “Build and Burn” is a six-track beast that is their first for Translation Loss and is another indecipherable, impossible to classify collection of crushers for which this band—vocalist/guitarist Erik Burke, guitarist Brian Mason, bassist Lon Hackett, and drummer Chris Golding—is known.

“Disguise” gets us started with heavy crunching, grimy basslines, and furious cries from Burke that, for some weird reason reminds me of Mike Patton when he’s shredding his throat. The track gets muddy and aggressive, as things get crazed and wiry, and things end in a daze. “The Bridge” is speedy as hell, as the drums destroy, and Burke’s vocals are totally unhinged. Meaty thrashing emerges and powders bones, with the tempo chugging and driving, and the track coming to a fiery end. “The Road” has jerking riffs as it sprawls open and dizzies your mind. Filth cakes as tricky playing explodes, with gushing howls from Burke and a clobbering, bloodying pace.

“Chosen” emerges with chunky riffs, drums splattering, and a super thrashy explosion that sends shrapnel flying. The track is just heavy as fuck, with the growls bruising, and a destructive pace leaving nothing but chaos behind it. “Rivers and Heart” has thickened growls that push into a cooler pace that makes you think serenity is near. It’s not. Burke wails the title repeatedly, while the band lays waste, giving off a 1990s vibe, an era that predates the band. The song then goes into atmospheric realms before the song bursts, the drums destroy, and the end is abrasive. “So Be It” finishes the record with tricky riffs and a pace that trudges hard, getting dirt stuck in your lungs. Maniacal cries scrape the flesh, while slurry riffs confuse, and if you feel disoriented, you’re not alone. Strangeness then sweeps into the room, twisting and breaking bones before finally giving mercy.

Surely it takes a lot to create the fury Sulaco delivers, which explains why a seven-year absence was necessary for the world to get “The Prize.” These guys have been forming metal in their own vision for a long time now, and there is no way they’ll ever settle for conventional means. This is a massive, punishing band that twists their gears whoever they see fit and don’t answer to anyone but themselves.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://translationlossrecords.bigcartel.com/

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

According to a super-fast, not terribly scientific Google search of the heaviest object on earth, the answer comes in at the revolving service structure of the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Who am I to argue with such instantaneous information? Its 4.86 million pounds is pretty damn beefy, no doubt, as that would really hurt if it fell on your foot.

I’m not going to try to convince you the new split effort teaming up Colorado-based sludge crushers Primitive Man and NYC-based killing machine Unearthly Trance is heavier poundage-wise, but it sure seems like it would squish your innards if it fell on your abdomen. Even before locking horns on this seven-track beast, these two bands already were known as two of the most fearsome and formidable. Primitive Man last waylaid us in 2017 with their second full-length “Caustic,” and they’ve been goddamn road warriors supporting that slab. Unearthly Trance also gave us new music last year with “Stalking the Ghost,” their first since taking a three-year hiatus from 2012-2015. If you’re a fan of these bands, or you only really know one or the other, it’s a tremendous release that packs earth-shifting pounding and metallic chaos, and maybe it’ll get you more into one or both of these units.

Primitive Man (photo by Alvino Salcedo)

“Merging” gets us started, a sort of amalgamation of noise ideas and static, making the ideal hellish storm before eating into Primitive Man’s portion of the record with 10:37 “Naked.” The band takes some chances with these songs, delving far more into horrific ambiance and noise pools, but this track is the most familiar of their two cuts. It takes some for them to set the stage as they purposely drag you through ash and fire, as slow mauling and crazed growls from guitarist/vocalist Ethan Lee McCarthy start to do damage. The track later is coated in abrasive sounds and panic, as smothering pain and bludgeoning power unite and deliver a crushing finish. “Love Under Will”  is corrosive, packed with violent echoes and stunning feedback. Screeches push in and add menace, while the track boils and gives off steam, with weird voices encircling you, eating into your psyche. The noise keeps building and adding pressure, as the final minutes are damaged and deranged, leaving you to question your own fragile and splintering psyche.

Unearthly Trance (photo by Jimmy Hubbard)

Unearthly Trance pulls in and unloads “Mechanism Error,” a song that proves their comeback last year is still bloody and healthy, even if that record kind of slipped under the radar. Riffs drive, as Ryan Lipynsky’s vocals tear a hole in your chest and attempt to pull out what’s inside. The pace they achieve just levels your shaky foundations, as the song corrodes into acid, and the final moments burn away and right into the path of “Triumph.” The band gets fast and fiery, with the vocals sending shockwaves, and everything beneath it seemingly is turned into lava. The track trudges into a sonic noise halo, with thick basslines creeping out of that, and the track dissipating into the clouds. “Reverse the Day” has burly, demonic riffs, and alien effect make the vocals seem that much more unsettling. “Release the demons!” Lipynsky cries, as the mud begins to cake, soloing heats up, and ferocious growls wrap around the madness. Things head toward the mouth of destruction and into closer “418,” and its inferno of guitar work. Sounds swim and build amid the chaos, and a strange, formless spurt of playing feels overwhelming and unbeatable. Wild screams and manic playing give the song an out-of-body-experience feel, while the track ends in eerie cold and with guitars that slice and dice.

Primitive Man and Unearthly Trance is sort of a fantasy booking kind of dream for doom fans, and to have them mashing your senses on the same split should leave people’s hearing a little more compromised. It’s also a strong appetizer serving before whatever these two bands have coming up next, which knowing each, likely will be terrifying as hell. We can’t wait.

For more on Primitive Man, go here: https://www.facebook.com/primitivemandoom/

For more on Unearthly Trance, go here: https://www.facebook.com/UnearthlyTrance/

To buy the album, go here: https://store.relapse.com/

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

One of the best parts of the summer is the immersive, dark, foreboding thunderstorms, where the clouds thicken like a metallic dome, rain saturates the ground, and it feels like death is imminent. There’s something about being at nature’s mercy, and despite being pretty sure you’ll survive, you’re just not quite sure.

That rumbling horror is something that also can be felt in “Punishment in Flesh,” the debut record from death/doom maulers Innumerable Forms. Their amalgamation of early death metal and doom metal, two forms that were morphing alongside each other a little more than two decades ago, is thick and rich, feeling like that heavy summer storm that’s about to open its mouth and deliver destruction. The band initially was helmed entirely by Justin DeTore, known for his work in Sumerlands, Magic Circle, and Mind Eraser, as well as the hardcore and powerviolence scenes, as he handled everything for the band’s early recordings. Now, DeTore has a powerhouse of a band alongside him including guitarists Chris Ulsh (Mammoth Grinder, Power Trip) and Jensen Ward (Iron Lung), bassist Doug Cho (The Rival Mob), and drummer Connor Donnegan (Genocide Pact) to fully realize this vision and bring to it and even deadlier, bloodier stranglehold.

“Intruders” opens the record in weird mechanical whirring and overall strangeness before cutting into “Punishment in Flesh” and its lurching doom. DeTore’s growls crawl painfully through the muck while the band hits a fury, delivering ripping solos amid all the tar that’s building up beneath them. “Petrified” is faster and just as ugly, as it punches holes in the walls and fills them with meaty muscle. The growls scrape, while the music wrenches, and slurry soloing rushes to the track’s charred end. “Purity’s Demand” stampedes, as anguish is poured by the buckets, the track enters into cavernous hell that chills, and soloing lights up the place and threatens to burn it down. Noise then rushes to the surface to quake the ground and set the stage for “Reality,” which drops the doom hammer right away. The first part is steeped in Sabbath worship, but then the tempo jams the gas pedal, jerking your neck in the process. We settle back to slow and sweltering again later, as DeTore’s growls gurgle out.

“Re-Contaminated” has noise stinging ears, while DeTore’s growls rumble, and the pace of the song starts clubbing you hard. The riffs are thick and penetrating, and later DeTore’s approach bludgeons you amid slurry guitar work designed to disorient. The punishment continues in full until it finally fades into the background. “Stress Starvation” has gnarly riffs, as it rips open and unleashes its violence. The track is nasty and fiery, coming to a furious end that will hammer your body. “Joyless” is mauling and pretty indicative of its title, with doomy formations settling overhead and threatening devastation. The growls grind in the dirt, while noise rings out, the guitars charge, and a scorching menace of a final burst turns out the lights. “Firmament” is an instrumental cut built with calculating riffs, trudging madness, and melodies slowly dissolving into time, leading to finale “Meaning” that revels in classic doom waters. DeTore’s forceful “oof!” pushes open the gates, and the band follows with an assault that swims back and forth from aggressive to humid, with the riffs getting sickening, chaos building, and a giant cloud of ash threatening suffocation.

Innumerable Form’s debut offering “Punishment in Flesh” lives up to its name, as it’s a mix of classic death metal and doom that lets loose its fair share of unforgiving destruction. It’s a record that should please all of those whose hair is now graying a bit (or a lot) about the days when the roots were sown, but it won’t abandon anyone who has come into these filthy sections lately. This is a pummeling record, one that’ll ensure you end the summer with heavy blackened eyes.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://profoundlorerecords.merchtable.com/

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

Photo by Sarina Mannaert

The branching out of metal’s sub-genres has been a very healthy thing for this style of music. People have taken traditional sounds and stretched them as far as they can go, yet when it seems the barriers could burst, they find another way around it. That has made for some fascinating music, and it’s made what could have been a stale scene remain vibrant.

That’s also helped bands that want to keep it simple and traditional. There’s still great merit in playing things that way they’ve always been done, as it keeps that path to the roots alive and well. That leads us to Antwerp-based death unit Carnation who are beating the shit out of us on their debut full-length “Chapel of Abhorrence.” If you insist on dining at the table of death metal’s masters, the ones who forged the path for this style of music, you’ll be right at home with this 11-track,  47-minute record that doesn’t feel nearly that long. The band—vocalist Simon Duson, guitarists Bert Vervoort and Jonathan Verstrepen, bassist Yarne Heylen, and drummer Vincent Verstrepen—digs into chaos, destruction, and all the shit we’ve come to expect from death’s ever-flowing stream of infestation, and they do it well.

The record kicks off with “The Whisperer” as feedback and, of course, whispers unwind, and the song begins to unfurl. Gurgly growls and speedy playing make up the bulk of this, while eerie organs spill in later, as Duson howls, “I am the whisperer of doom!” as things come to a bludgeoning end. “Hellfire” has a vicious start, as death drills into your chest, with Duson screaming, “Your soul is broken!” Scorching soloing then goes off, jamming a blunt edge into your chest. The title track has gnarly riffs and penetrating, aggressive playing, while gruff growls and burnt guitars bring the song to a volatile end. “The Unconquerable Sun” builds up and bursts into a cloud of shreds and mind-bending playing. The tempo stomps and crunches, as the growls envelop your senses, and fiery riffs stomp you out. “Disciples of Bloodlust” is thrashing and mean, with violent intent woven into the song, and visions of bodily contortion making bones ache. The song gets into high-power gear from there, while Duson’s words sound like he’s choking on blood.

“Hatred Unleashed” is punchy and harsh, as Duson declares, “I curse you all with endless torment!” Revenge is in the air, as the track ups the ante on torn muscles and violence. “Plaguebreeder” has drums blistering your flesh, as the band chugs, and the song gets heavy as hell. There’s even a bit of a hardcore taste to what’s going on here, making it even more ferocious. “Magnum Chaos” has riffs twisting and growls pummeling, with the band applying ample pressure as the room begins to spin. The guitar work swelters later, with alien-like vocals spilling into the atmosphere before things come to a torching finish. “Sermon of the Dead” is hypnotic and wiry, with the speed picking up quickly and a pulverizing assault delivering the ritualistic hell. “Fathomless Depths” swims in death-doom swampiness, as Duson’s growls are belched out, and the terror bubbles to the surface. “It’s time to say your prayers,” Duson screams, as the song goes out on a funereal note. “Power Trip” brings the record to its end, as it stampedes ahead, the adrenaline surges, and violent transmissions deliver the final blows. The band keeps adding to the torment before things come to a sudden end.

Carnation’s path toward death is legit and ugly, and if you’re in worship to the masters, then you’ll like the shit out of  “Chapel to Abhorrence.” It’s great that death has morphed beyond it’s original form, and we support the hell out of that. But bands that keep the original spirit alive matter, and Carnation are one of the ones that makes this vile nature feel real again.

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

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

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

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

War sucks, but that hasn’t really stopped the metal world from grasping onto it and wringing it for every drop of inspiration. That makes a lot of sense. Metal is a destructive, fiery place, and recounting battles or imagining oneself in the midst of hell makes for pretty good content that never seems to run out of energy. As long as it remains escapism for most of us, right?

On the tails of bands such as Bolt Thrower, Hail of Bullets, Ares Kingdom, Asphyx, and others come Maligner, a Swedish entity releasing their first full-length effort “Attraction to Annihilation,” which is quite aptly titled. This eight-track, nearly 31-minute display is heavy, thrashing, and absolutely on fire. In just their third year of existence, Maligner already possess a deadly will and an ability to make ideal use of their, and your, time, as they waste nothing in their execution of the ideas. The band—bassist/vocalist Maligno, guitarist Aztiak, and drummer Ertheb Somus-Ra—throw you right into the heart of the battle, where you have no room to run or hide and must fight for your life or die. Metaphorically, at least.

The album kicks off with “Oath-bound,” a punchy helping of death that comes right for your throat with speed, menacing wails, and stomping, old-school savagery that should have even the most decrepit listener excited. The track ends in a blaze, running fittingly into “Lust for Fire” that trudges its way through the mud. Maligno howls about the stench of human flesh, while the guitar work reeks of early ’90s pain and damage, giving a wave of nostalgia as it flattens you. “Disposable” starts with crackling fires and the sound of a riot coming this way before soulful leads open and swallow you whole. “We are nothing but disposable!” Maligno cries, echoing similar sentiments as Metallica did 30-some years ago, with the track ending in fluid, razor-sharp guitar attack. “Salvation” thrashes heavily, with vicious growls, a pummeling pace, and a war-torn finish that brutalizes everything inside of you.

“Reign of Fear” has military-style drumming that rattles your head, and then the cork is ripped out, letting the assault spill all over. Maligno howls about “absolute domination” and the inevitable corruption of power, leading to a burst of calm, as rain and pianos wash everything away. “Beyond Repair” has thick bass, thrashy goodness, and then a neck-jerk shove into speed, as Maligno declares, “Whatever the cost, do what it takes!” Molten soloing takes it from there and leaves it in a pile of ash. “Mental Breakdown” sounds just like what its title promises, as it’s fast, punishing, and totally off the rails. Blinding soloing torches any chance of calm, as the track comes to a destructive end. Closer “Into Oblivion” has leads spiraling and the room spinning, as Maligno shouts, “Face the void!” as if you’re about to be dissolved into nothingness. It’s a similar story to what precedes it, as fast playing, strong soloing, and a crushing end deliver the final shots.

Maligner may only be on their first offering, but “Attraction to Annihilation” holds promise that this band could be one of death metal’s true powerhouses in the years to come. They’re never going to dry the well when it comes to subject matter, and as long as they remain this deadly, Maligner should keep getting sharper and stronger.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.bloodharvest.se/

Or here: https://helterskelterproductions.bandcamp.com/

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

And here: http://www.helterskelterproductions.se/

Holy hell, July. You were a good month. We had a ton of great music, and one of the leading contenders for album of the year came from this month. We also had Migration Fest in Pittsburgh, a place where I left a part of me. I know that sounds weird. Last time I said something like that, I was called a ton of names that are supposed to insult our fucking awesome gay friends and people who fight to ensure that social parameters are equal for all. If you’re one of those, bring your shit, coward. Those words are badges of honor for me.

OK, so all that aside, we have a mix from July. I don’t want these to be mammoths, so I left a few things off, but everything here has been in constant rotation around here. And look, Spotify is a cool tool and all, but if you like any of this, toss the bands some money and buy the real product, because the artists get nothing from these listens. There are few things that feel as good as holding someone’s hard-earned art in your hands. It means something to them, and hopefully holding a record or CD (you can’t hold a Bandcamp download, but that feels fine, too) is not replaceable at all. Thanks for listening and reading. Your support means the world to me. Keep supporting the great folks who keep us writing.

There has been a strange, dark pall over this entire week, and it’s hard to say why. Perhaps it’s just my own psyche crashing back down to earth. But I also think it has something to do with the ambiance, the humid storming, the strange-looking skies, and that feeling that something’s a little off. Whatever it is, it’s making me feel the need to sink into doom.

Sinking down into that thick, dingy darkness along with me and the rest of us come Minnesota-based maulers Void Rot and their ferocious, clubbing debut EP “Consumed By Oblivion,” a three-track, 15-minute display of true morbidity that swallows you whole and refuses to let in the sunlight. Released jointly by Sentient Ruin and Everlasting Spew, this effort unleashes its horrifying ways, wraps its tentacles around you, and takes you down a path to hell that reminds of early 1990s Peaceville doom, with their claws firmly sunk into today’s death-like terrain. The band—guitarist/vocalist John Hancock, guitarist Kent Skralow, bassist Craig Clemons, and drummer Will Bell—also manage to captivate and send you into a foggy dreamland amid their destruction, leaving you to wander about aimlessly in your mind while under certain attack.

The record emerges with “Ancient Seed” that is foreboding and ruinous, as a thick cloud of power hangs in the air. The growls emerge and bubble, while the riffs encircle and create a tornado effect, with the band then going into deep sludging. The track then ignites suddenly, dropping heavy rains that saturate what’s below, and then things come to a clubbing, punishing end. The title track bleeds slowly to start, while the growls engorge, and the band lets loose with its assault. Muddy thrashing leads the way and sends dirt and rock flying, as things get into a sweltering tunnels, where the air is nearly too thick to breathe. As the pace gets heavier, the growls continue down the road to madness, and then a penetrating haze settles over everything as the cut bleeds away. Closer “Celestial Plague” has stinging guitars that opens up wounds, while humid rumbling pushes into the scene, and a slow-stomping pace crushes the earth. The guitars chug and later swim in filth, leading to the track being torn open from within, as the band unloads a hellish stampede that only ends once the lights go out for good.

This is but the first salvo from Void Rot, but if it’s any indication of what’s ahead for them, “Consumed By Oblivion” is something you’ll want to jump on now before people come around to it. Typically, we don’t feature a ton of EPs in the Pick of the Week slot, but this one just stood out from everything else this week when it cast its dark shadow. Void Rot is a band you’ll want to keep in the back of you head for when their full-length arrives, but until then, these three songs can take turns bruising your mentality.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://sentientruin.com/releases/void-rot-consumed-by-oblivion

Or here: https://everlastingspewrecords.bandcamp.com/album/consumed-by-oblivion

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

And here: https://everlastingspew.com/

I’m never going to Australia, and there’s not a thing you can do to change my mind. Nothing against that fine continent, but I’ve already seen the snakes and spiders that call that land home, and I would like to keep as much distance possible between me and them.

That’s kind of a shame, because Australia has a shit ton of great bands (just saw one over the weekend in funeral doom walkers Mournful Congregation), and so much of what comes from there is creepy and terrifying. There’s another in the form of Ill Omen, the project long helmed by IV, also of such notable bands as Temple Nightside, Funerary Torch, Nazxul, and plenty of others, who pours wicked and devastating black metal into this particular band. Over the course of the past 12 years, Ill Omen have offered up three full-length efforts (their last was 2016’s “Æ.Thy.Rift”) as well as a slew of other releases, including their hellacious new EP “The Grande Usurper.” This four-track, nearly 24-minute effort comes our way via the always-reliable Iron Bonehead and contains some of the band’s strangest, darkest material and a chance for them to push their chasm even further into damnation. It’s a quick listen as a result, but it’s one that pushes and devastates along the way.

“The Ruinous Drear” starts with dizzying chimes before a massive storm cloud arrives overhead, and coarse, hellish vocals make their way to the Earth, sickening and frightening. Terrifying moans sprawl, while the speed arrives, as chaos and eeriness are swallowed by cavernous power. “A Sentenced Suffering” has buzz saw guitars chewing flesh, as the pace blisters, and guitar squall stings your ears. The tempo stomps guts, pained growls work their way into your psyche, and the guitars go off in a blazing terror. The track slows a bit but keeps the pressure mounting, while guitars burn relentlessly, and the end bludgeons.

“An Eld Living Darkness” gets off to a smashing start, as a doomy undertow pulls you beneath the waves, and the track hits a slurry pace. Strangeness spreads its wings, while warped guitars ignite a psychedelic haze, and weird tones chill your flesh. From there, the track comes to a scary, rumbling finish. “A Thousand Yawning Graves” is burly and monstrous, and the vocals are scary as hell. Doom mixes with black metal’s blood, as the guitars speed up dangerously, and warped growls are launched. Detached wails haunt your dreams, as the guitars melts your face, chaos and noise rumble, and the track comes to a ground-crumbling final resting place.

As terrifying as, say, an inland taipan might be, perhaps the strange emanations from Ill Omen are even more toxic. This mini release is smoldering and vicious but also captivating and daring. These are four tracks that take you deep into the heart of black metal’s most horrifying caverns and leave you, with nearly no oxygen, to find your way out.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.ironbonehead.de/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.ironbonehead.de/

It’s been a long week, and luckily the metal release schedule has been kind and on the light side. We never did get to put up our Best of June playlist for you, so why don’t we do that now that … July is over? Look for the best of July coming up next week. Also, back tomorrow and Friday with more reviews, including an interesting pick of the week.

Second, over the weekend at Migration Fest, a ridiculous amount of people came up to me to compliment the site, and I can’t explain how nice that is and how much that means to me. Thank you so much. I did this site as a way to solve that “what metal albums should I be listening to?” question people would always ask me. I never intended it to be some high-traffic site with 40 posts a day, which is why this place is the way it is. Yet, I’m always amazed how many people have found us and stayed with us. The amount of friends I’ve made, amazing music I’ve gotten to hear, and bands I’ve been able to see up close has been profound, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to do this site after this past weekend. Here’s to way more to come.