Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but life on this rock has not resembled anything approaching pleasurable in quite some time, and despite numerous chances to change our fortunes, half of us have decided to roll in the pig shit that is uninformed opinions. It’s one of those times when living underground finally seems like the most logical option for my sanity.

UK crushers Mastiff sound like they’ve heard about enough themselves, though not necessarily about the same subject matter, and they splash that misery and misanthropy all over their third record “Leave Me the Ashes of the Earth.” Combining sludge, doom, hardcore, death metal, and whatever other clobbering sounds they deemed fit to smash into their formidable sound, they deliver nine tracks in about a half hour that are weighty and unforgiving. The band—vocalist Jim Hodge, guitarists James Andrew Lee and Phil Johnson, bassist Dan Dolby, drummer Michael Shepherd—recorded this bastard in only five days, jamming every vitriolic fiber into this pummeling album that can leave you either feeling worse about this shit or determined to rise above it and smash the assholes keeping us down.

“The Hiss” slowly dawns, reveling in filth, lumbering as shrieks rain down, and things bend into gloomy hypnosis. That feeling spreads and bubbles as the storms get heavier, and the playing drubs with sorrow, suddenly disintegrating into “Fail” that bursts from the gates. Converge-style guitar feedback powers as beastly howls rain down, and a hardcore-style assault splatters your guts all over the walls. “Repulse” hammers away immediately with crazed vocals and an assault that’s meaty as fuck. “Feel like a god, no one to answer to,” Hodge pummels as the band massively thrashes you before things slow down and suffocate, folding the earth in half and squeezing out its guts. “Midnight Creeper” is a panicked assault that clobbers with vicious double-kick drums and screams that tears muscles apart. Absolute demolition rolls out, teeth are ground to dust, and the track burns off for good.

“Beige Sabbath” is a fast one that has riffs mashing, heaviness throwing its weight around, and Hodge accusing, “Same old shit, nothing’s changed,” as the track smashes your senses. “Futile” opens with noise ringing and the bass snarling as muffled growls land blows, and the intensity explodes around you. Things come unglued as elements turn even more vicious with the cry of, “Live with the misery!” burying you in the ash. “Endless” brings doomy riffs and a pace that seethes, clobbering with death metal thickness. The whole thing feels like it aims for your neck, sending sinister intent as Hodge laments, “Endless suffering, endless pain!” “Scalped and Salted” simmers in abrasive sludge as mangling hell and hardcore punishment combine and bruise your emotions. The playing utterly steamrolls as the band bludgeons, and everything rests in static. “Lung Rust” is the nearly seven-minute closer that lands heavy shots as it slowly corrodes, shrieks killing and the music bathing in the horrific lather. The track is ugly and thick, peeling back flesh and exposing only the morbid sections of your mentality. Static creates a tidal wave that grows to monstrous proportions, and it drags you under, never to be seen again.

We’ve all come to see the darkest, vilest, most disgusting elements of humanity as of late, not that it wasn’t always lingering right under the surface. Mastiff bathe in that horrific blood and guts on “Leave Me the Ashes of the Earth,” one of the most devastating pieces in their already volcanic catalog. This is the perfect music for getting out your own frustrations, dealing with your anxieties, and putting up your own boundaries to keep the scum of the earth out of your business.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://eoneheavy.com/collections/mastiff

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

It’s been a downright cosmic and strange era for metal’s classic bands as so many of them have offered up really strong material lately including Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, At the Gates, and Helloween. Not sure what the reasoning is for that (maybe they’re just all really great bands?), but it’s been a huge benefit for the fans and for the artists’ respective legacies.

One of the bands that first reminded us that the pioneers could still fucking go was Carcass, who did that with bloody precision eight years ago with “Surgical Steel,” their first in 17 years at that point. Plus, they delivered that smoke on the road (when I saw them, Bill Steer was violently ill, and I had no idea), so anyone who had counted them out had to feel like a jackass. They’ve delivered yet again on “Torn Arteries,” their seventh overall full-length and a tremendous piece of work that has 10 tracks blasted over 49 minutes. The band—the aforementioned guitarist Steer is joined by vocalist/bassist Jeff Walker, guitarist Tom Draper, and drummer Daniel Wilding—sounds spry, channeled, and like they’re having a fuck of a good time knocking these songs out, and every ounce of this thing is juicy and exciting.  

The title track gets things going with the drums crushing and the riffs churning, verses hammering away and getting your blood pumping. Portions are thrashy as hell as the leads burn, and the speedy fun comes to a mashing end. “Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1)” again proves their knack for great song titles as the drums stomp and the riffs tangle, rising gloriously over the chorus. The vocals chew tendons while the soloing injects a sense of fun, the vocals spit over the chorus, and the guts are stomped out. “Eleanor Rigor Mortis” begins with guitars soaring and Walker’s vocals sounding particularly abrasive. The chorus chars and rumbles as the playing chunks and simmers, the leads glide, and everything catches fire before the blistering takes hold. “Under the Scalpel Blade” also was on their “Despicable” EP and the Decibel Flexi series before that, and it’s bludgeoning and memorable, a classic cut that’s going to endure as a modern favorite. “The Devil Rides Out” unloads heat and strong guitars, adding muscle and a stamping out the idea of Satanism, which is not typical for metal. But this is Carcass, and Walker wailing, “Get behind me, Satan,” bristles as speed jostles, and the end rips out the guts and tosses them on the scrap pile.

“Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment Limited” is the longest track, running 9:53, an uncharacteristic move for this band. It lands heavy shots, with Walker wailing, “Repulsive!” as sinewy guitar work manages to glisten. The band digs in its claws as the guitars race, and a quick cooldown slips in before things melt hard. The chorus rounds back, the band rubs your face in cinders, and the end erupts in pain. “Kelly’s Meat Emporium,” which is named after a real place, has zany guitars and drums that destroy skeletal structures, as the pace slaughters, and the bass pummels. The band blinds with speed in spots, and then it’s all dumped onto the killing floor. “In God We Trust” has guitars blasting into the atmosphere, the vocals strangling, and the leads going off. There’s a, and I swear I’m not making this up, hand clap section that’s weird but fitting? The band keeps adding punches before the tracks spins off into the night.  “Wake Up and Smell the Carcass / Caveat Emptor” has drums rolling into a death groove, more raspy howls, and the guitars hitting the gas for the song’s second part where the punches tenderize the ribs, and things end abruptly. “The Scythe’s Remorseless Swing” ends the record by coming out of the gates swinging, even feeling moody in spots. The warning of death is in the air aa the band speeds and mauls, with Walker’s howls of, “Rewind the death clock,” reminding that doom is near. The leads crush as the playing opens your belly with Walker wailing, “Tick! Tick! Tick!” as the record times out.

More than three decades in the game hardly have had an impact on Carcass as they keep unleashing the rowdy and infectious death metal they do so well. “Torn Arteries” is a nice step up from “Surgical Steel,” a record it’s somewhat in line with but also stands apart from with its increased freshness. This record is fun, violent, and massive, and it’s another fresh slab from the unstoppable Carcass machine.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/shop/index.html

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

Heavy metal has the power to inject you with more strength and stamina than you even realized you had, which is probably why a lot of people listen to it when lifting weights. I do, because I noticed when I listen to comedy podcasts, I tend to drop weights when I’m laughing because I sometimes can’t handle things. Anyway, that’s where switching to something heavier comes into play.

Pittsburgh’s traditional power metal force Lady Beast is a favorite around here (meaning this site … well, and in the city), and while I was on vacation, they offered up their killer new EP “Omens,” a nice smaller serving of the charging fun we’ve come to expect from the band. This offering contains four new tracks and a great Rainbow cover, which they knock the fuck out of the park, with every second of this thing getting your blood surging. The band—vocalist Deb Levine, guitarists Andy Ramage and Chris Tritschler, bassist Amy Bianco, drummer Adam Ramage—storms through these nearly 20 minutes that conjure the spirits that metal has courted since the very beginning.

“The Poisoned Path” gets us started by the track punching in and charging up, delivering awesome, steely riffs. “Poison in your eyes, in your veins, in your brain,” Levine howls as the track keeps trudging hard, ending with power busting. “Reaper” rips open with the drums launching and the riffs driving, with the chorus swelling in your chest. “Nowhere to turn, nowhere to go, the reaper knows,” Levine warns, as death closes in, causing the temperatures to rise. The soloing soars, increasing your adrenaline level, and wild cackles drive the song to its end. “Blood for Blood” dawns with riffs churning and a defiant pace with might and muscle, with Levine warning of “payback by violent death.” Revenge bursts from every seam as the guitars bubble, with the leads ripping out into the night. The band then delivers a great cover of Rainbow’s “Kill the King,” with Devine expertly delivering her best take on Ronnie James Dio’s performance, but with her own blades dug in. The rest of the band increases the intensity from the original, with the guitars absolutely catching fire and melting away. “The Fool’s Journey” is the closer, with the band delving deeply into NWOBHM terrain and stomping that ground heavily but tastefully. The vocals drive hard and the bass sludges while the guitars explode and rush toward the stars. The soloing kills while the speed picks up, ending the track in trudging glory.

Lady Beast keep the traditional metal fire burning brightly on “Omens,” a great EP that bridges last year’s “The Vulture’s Amulet” with whatever comes next from them. They’re in full command here on these five tracks, and if you’re already fully in the band’s camp, this will just entrench you even further. This is a really fun blast that’s going to enhance their already stellar live show and make you want to sharper your blades for battle.

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

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

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

The strangest shit happens sometimes, and one of those is taking place right now. I’m getting ready to tell you about the new record from black metal wanderers Mehenet, and there’s an old episode of “Murder She Wrote” on where they’re in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras. I had planned an intro completely different than this, but sometimes the universe pulls bizarre tricks, and here we are.

That area also has been ravaged by yet another hurricane, and people again are having to scramble to just survive, and we hope for the best for them, and please donate if you can. We’re here to discuss Mehenet, a force that, according to their bio, has a personal connection and dedication to Quimbanda, the Afro-Brazilian diasporic belief system based around magic, rituals, and offerings. It separated from Macumba at some point, taking on the darker, more black magic aspects of the religion. It also rejected the Catholic and Kardecist spiritual elements that penetrated Macumba. On their haunting second record “Ng’Ambu,” Mehenet works in sounds, samples, and music from the French Quarter, bringing you not only into the band’s home but also to their belief system to which its members have committed. Featuring members of members of Thou, though we do not know which ones, the band—vocalist/lyricist Algol, guitarists Nehushtan and Cernunnos, bassist Matr’el, drummer Acheron—inject their fiery passion and cataclysmic personality into this album that it takes a toll on you mentally, but in a refreshing way.

“Dona Sete” starts with percussion awakening souls, chanting enrapturing, and the guitars slowly dawning, like the sun poking over the horizon. Then the burst happens, and the world is engulfed in fire and lust, speeding with manic jolts and clobbering fury, returning again to chants that send fire down the spine. The vocals mangle as the playing increases the fire, maniacal energies sicken, and the flames are choked out, though the embers still crackle. “Horse to the Earth” is spirited, featuring noises from the streets, accordions dancing, and then the world is absolutely devoured. Slow mauling increases the bruising while the growls splatter, and suddenly it feels like the walls are moving. The playing punishes and sends dangerous surges, leaving you grasping for any modicum of safety.

“In the Garden of Suicide” catapults with black metal fury and a mangling pace that leads you into a darkened mash, with clean calls tingling your brain. The guitars increase the heat while the drama builds, smashing and jostling everything until it finally bows out. “Whom God Did Despise” opens with bells chiming, the drums hypnotizing, and the body slowly emerging, rumbling beneath the earth. About three minutes in, the earth is cracked, the lava spills furiously, and the pace jerks you back and forth. The vocals darken as the shouts pummels with cries of, “I am the image of my father who rides on black wings, who pecks at the rib of Adam, hear the echo of my screams!” The track increases the intensity, devastating and flattening until the final venomous stings. “The Mystery of Nations” closes the album with black metal rivers racing, rage splattering, and things somehow taking an even darker turn. The playing smashes as savage growls break through with Algol howling, “Step out! Look in my eyes, see the stolen fire of your life, torn out! Get out!” The guitars send the mind sprawling, and the animalistic finish sends ghouls and spirits drilling into the crust.

For as many times as bands call their regular shows rituals, Mehenet is a band that actually creates music designed to rouse the spirits and deliver magical offerings. The furious sprawl of black metal on “Ng’Ambu” definitely doesn’t feel like just an album as the music can swim and burst in your brain, making you see ghosts move and energies rattle your skeletal structure. This record is one that hasn’t let me go, refuses to let me settle my brain, and only relents once I agree to align spiritually and follow that black path into the night.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Abomination718/

To buy the album (vinyl to come in 2022), go here: https://gileadmedia.net/products/mehenet-ngambu-cd

Or here (cassette): https://stygianblackhand.bandcamp.com/album/ngambu

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

And here: http://www.stygianblackhand.com/

This Sunday is AEW’s All Out PPV from Chicago’s Sears Center, where you get free thatched belts and tools at the door. Actually, it’s called something else now. But yeah, this is essentially the biggest AEW show of the year since it’s tied to All In, the show that started AEW, which ROH has to be thrilled about. I don’t feel like explaining that. As noted before, we’re a metal site posing as a wrestling site, and this is one of the key shows of the entire year. The card looks pretty good, but the only match that’s really a can’t miss is the return of CM Punk to pro wrestling. That’s huge. The rest of the card looks like a fun time, and there’s no question this will be an awesome show. AEW doesn’t do bad PPVs, and you never walk away feeling like an asshole for giving them your money. So, let’s look at this show.

Women’s Casino Battle Royal: 21 women enter, and whoever survives gets a shot at the Women’s title somewhere down the road. The entire field has yet to be announced, but Nyla Rose, The Bunny, Big Swole, Penelope Ford, Red Velvet, Hikaru Shida, Tay Conti, Julia Hart, and Diamante all have been confirmed, and there’s a good chance the wild card will be the debuting Ruby Soho, who was ridiculously misused in WWE, which is not big shock.  

Paul Wight vs QT Marshall: This is basically a showcase match for Wight, the former Big Show in WWE. Should be kept short with Wight knocking Marshall the fuck out and winning easily. This also is Wight’s first AEW match, and Marshall is underappreciated by a lot of fans.

Jon Moxley vs Satoshi Kojima: This was supposed to be Hiroshi Tanahashi in the Kojima spot, but he’s needed in Japan, so Mox instead gets the long-time veteran and bread enthusiast. This still should be a really good match as Kojima can still go, and Mox is at the top of his game. By the way, Mox looks a little bulkier these days, which actually suits him really well for his role. Plus, this should just be fun as hell.

Chris Jericho vs MJF: OK, this will be all the real complaining I do. AEW is refreshing for not doing 700 rematches. Except this feud. Fuck. Come on. Their last match was perfect. MJF gets the tapout. The end. But no. We get match 4. If Jericho loses, he never wrestles in AEW again. That’s not happening. If it does, I take this all back. I don’t want to see MJF lose. Not now. Not for a long time. Not until he’s the world champion and loses to whoever comes next. In the meantime, Jericho can give more of his stupid money to shitty Donald Trump.

CM Punk vs Darby Allen: This is the real main event, and who knows? Maybe it’ll go on last. This is Punk’s first match in seven years, and Allen is a great opponent for him. Allen is cut from the same cloth as Punk, and even in defeat, he’s going to come out of this looking great. This is a big test for Punk. Obviously. But, apparently he looked strong in training and during filming of “Heels,” so no question he shines here. And Chicago will melt to the ground for him.

AEW TNT TITLE MATCH Miro vs Eddie Kingston: OK, maybe complaint two. I wish this match actually was happening at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, NY, later in the month with Kingston winning. But I’m not the booker, and probably for good reason. This should be two dudes just beating the shit out of each other, and there’s no doubt it’s going to be really fun. I predict I yell the most during this match.

AEW WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH Britt Baker vs Kris Statlander: The outcome feels like a foregone conclusion, which is Baker winning. No other finish makes sense. I don’t want to short change them though, because I think this match is going to be really good. Baker is without question one of the most improved wrestlers in all of wrestling in every category. Statlander returned from a serious knee injury and is finally, no pun intended, getting her legs back under her. Statlander’s time will come, but it’s not now. Thunder Rosa up next for Baker?

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH The Young Bucks vs The Lucha Bros.: This is going to be contested in a steel cage, which makes sense because the Elite keep interfering in Young Bucks matches, so the cage should prevent that. Or it won’t. If this was WWE, like a million people would get in the cage. Then Lilly the fucking doll would scare Don Callis. OK, this is AEW, and the Bucks, Penta, and Fenix are going to do some insane shit in this match. I’m really curious to see how they use the cage to their advantage. Also, since it’s pin or submission, leaving the cage isn’t an issue, though I hope they keep it within the cage. Fuck. If this match is bad, then we have no hope as a society. Oh wait. We don’t anyway. No, this is going to rule. This could be match of the night.

AEW WORLD TITLE MATCH Kenny Omega vs Christian: This also is a foregone conclusion. Kenny Omega is not losing the title to Christian. Period. The end. And that’s OK. Tony Kahn did a nice booking trick of having Christian go over Omega for the Impact title on the debut episode of Rampage to heat up this match, but come on, man. It’s not time for Omega to lose, not until he faces Hangman Page. He and Christian will have a really good match, but this belt isn’t changing. And that’s the right call. Plus, the rumor is Bryan Danielson debuts on this show, so does he show up afterward to challenge Omega?

Not everyone wants to be challenged every time they put on a record, and that’s understandable. There’s something comforting about putting on a record and just letting it devastate you or roll right off you, whatever makes you happiest. But there’s still something awesome about a record that feels like it reaches into your skull and squeezes every drop of blood from your brain.

I tend to veer away from technical death metal because so much of it feels robotic and heartless, like they’re just there to show you how well they play their instruments. But not all bands of that ilk are like that, and New Jersey-bred smashers Replicant are among those who are astonishingly proficient as players but also pour a shitload of fire into their creations. “Malignant Reality” is their second record, and it’s a fucking barnburner. The band—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Mike Gonçalves, guitarist, high-frequency transmissions artist Pete Lloyd, drummer James Applegate—squeezes their madness and brilliant skills into 10 tracks and nearly 49 minutes that ravage your mind and spirit. This is vicious and technically sharpened death metal that feels like a living, breathing beast, gnawing its way into your arteries and bones.

“Caverns of Insipid Reflection” gets things going with guitars stabbing and utter destruction laid out before you. The growls mar as gritty death lurks, and the tech-minded mashing plays with your senses, warping and chugging before brief serenity sets in. It’s temporary as punches are thrown and beastly punishment tries to behead, leading you into “Relinquish the Self” that stirs with zany riffs. The growls punish as the playing twists your mind, and the guitars slice holes into your central nervous system. Your psyche is challenged, the playing tangles, and the finish kills wills. “Excess Womb” snakes in as guitars snarl and the vocals crush, pressing on your chest. The playing suddenly gets spacious before things halt, savagely thrashing out on the other side. “Death Curse” crushes and dizzies as it hits the ground as animalistic wails steam, and a strange aura swims into your mind. The brutality then launches death blows, the growls echo, and sludgy playing thickens the blood in your veins, ending with your body abused. “Coerced to Be” is slurry as the bass slinks, and then the track ignites, sending shrapnel. The track splatters hard, bringing ugly chaos and rubbery playing, bathing in raspy cries, and giving off steam as it works into the belly of the machine.

“Rabid Future” has spacey guitars and then it drops its ton of bricks, obliterating the senses. There is some heavy exploration that can make your mind wander, and then the bass sends chills, strange voices warn of psychosis, and the instrumental track fades out. “Chassis of Deceit” just goes off the rails, whipping its limbs about, sending you hurtling toward brutality. The riffs twist as your guts are wrenched, a strange abyss opens and invites you in, and then the song peels off flesh, burning your nerves before sending off into space. “Dressed in Violence” smashes with an insane pace and growling that increases the steam. The track buries you in grisly hell, the pain increases, and the guitars seem to head off into time. “Ektoskull” is bizarre out front as the growls hammer and the playing squeezes your flesh. A brief halt is a gateway into the track getting deadlier, sinewy guitars flex terrifying muscles, and robotic noises scrape metal, having you begging for mercy as closer “The Ubiquity of Time” dawns, floating in before the waters get choppy. Growls and harsh wails mix as a nightmarish pace sets the tone, and a brief fog entrances before the explosions ripple. Things get weird again as noise fusion wrinkles your brain, all the circuits fire, and a dizzying trance pushes the issue, ending in a heavy dose of trancey madness.

Replicant have no qualms about unleashing death metal that’s equally brutal and stunningly technical, but never in a way that feels robotic or programmed. “Malignant Reality” is an album that require your attention, as you can’t just let your mind drift off, because they will jerk you back with violent intent. Everything here is designed to make your body hurt and your mind ache, and they have no restraint when it comes to those psychologically violent goals.

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

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

Or here (Europe): https://transcendingobscurity.8merch.com/

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