Considering the pressure in which most of us live and the pressure cooker that is societal strife, it only makes sense to have something in which to get lost when it all seems to be too much. And sometimes that escape hatch is filled with blood, innards, and various other horrors that lets us slip into terrifying madness that can help us smile through the perversity.

For the past 32 years, Exhumed have compiled an impressive resume of gore-soaked death metal and grindcore, some of the most disgusting and foul materials we have on record. We now have “To the Dead,” the band’s ninth album, ready to drop, and it’s another devastating, rowdy affair that grinds your flesh and bones in an unforgiving manner. The band—guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey, bassist/vocalist Ross Sewage, guitarist Sebastian Phillips, drummer Mike Hamilton—worked with an expanded group of Exhumed past and present, bringing back Mike Beams, Leon del Muerte, Matt Widener, and Bud Burke into the writing group to celebrate what everyone has accomplished the past three decades. This is 40 minutes of carnage that is bloody and fun, helping you forget your misery while you drown in guts.

“Putrescine and Cadaverine” completely unloads, setting the tone for the record and delivering blinding violence. The growl/shriek dynamic that Harvey and Sewage use to pit the madness against each other torments and devastates, thrashy hell is unleashed, and the dueling soloing makes your brain ache.  “Drained of Color” mashes and unloads, the growl engorging, the shrieks testing your psyche. “Bled dry of vim and vigor, drained of color, coursing like a viscous river, ghastly pallor,” is howled over the chorus, a deadly push-pull between both voices as relentless power continues to dent skulls, ending with a smoking pile of ash. “Carbonized” launches and goes right for your neck with smeared howls and a thunderous pace as speed absolutely kills. A huge metallic gust blows you back as the soloing blares, blood spatters, and the violent promises made on this beast finally pay off. “Rank and Defiled” brings challenging death that mangle bodies, dual vocals choking the life out of you, the chorus rumbling over twisted flesh as Harvey and Sewage tag team howl, “Rank and defiled, out of your skull with our vitreous bile, rank and defiled, a danse macabre circling round a turnstile.” “Lurid, Shocking, and Vile” trucks, grinds, and mauls, opening up vicious combustion that puts you as maximum risk. Guitars go off as the tempo strangles, crazed howls kill, and the ends comes speedily and shockingly.

“Undertaking the Overkilled” attacks with the growls and shrieks rambling downhill, crumbling the earth as the guitars singe flesh. The playing flexes its muscles, destroying everything on front of it with a mission of chaos and blood that ends in disorientation. “Necrotica” is animalistic, devastating, and simmering in agony, eventually leaving into vintage thrash territory. “Necrotica, abased by your rancid juice, cleansed in your mephitic sluice,” is … gross, but we expect and demand that here, and then the guitars take control and rampage into your skeletal structure, eventually slowing and melting away. “No Headstone Unturned” blasts and launches a sickening pace that shakes you until piss runs down your leg. Menacing dual vocals rupture, fluid soloing makes the sweat on your face glisten, and a deathly surge late lands blows that leave bruises and pooled blood. “Defecated” is a molten, crunching assault that gets things moving in a hurry, the chorus effective and agonizing in its simplicity. Growls lurch as the soloing blinds with intensity, a strange atmospheric surge cocks heads, and everything comes to a vicious end. Closer “Disgusted” stabs its way in, completely decimating its victims, punishing with relentless madness. “Disgusted! Engulfed in the unclean! Disgusted! Inundated by thoughts obscene,” rips over the chorus as a thrashy shift compromises your balance, morbid soloing comes unglued, and the record ends in a relentless, unforgiving assault.

It’s perfect we have a new platter from Exhumed as Halloween nears and we are bathing in visions of blood, slashing, and decapitation. “To the Dead” is destructive, often morbidly humorous, and a vicious death metal attack that sticks to your bones, at least the ones not broken and dripping marrow. If there’s ever a world where Exhumed’s insanity is unwelcome and not consumed hungrily, I’d officially like to opt out of that.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://store.relapse.com/exhumed-to-the-dead

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

Black metal, the most prolific of the dark arts, has given us a lot of content, and as that has accumulated to alarming degrees, its impact has taken a bit of a hit. Because there is just so much to take in, and it’s impossible to hear it all, I fear there is a lot of great content out there few people ever will have the chance to absorb. We need to grab onto that stuff while we can.

So, today we visit with UK black metal force Abduction, long the brainchild of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist A|V, that presents us with a devastating fourth record “Black Blood.” By the way, fun fact: Billy Jack Haynes once played a short-lived character Black Blood in WCW that pales in comparison to this beast of a project. I mentioned black metal being flooded with bands and music in a roundabout way, and that’s because it’s often hard to find the true gems, and Abduction certainly is one of those. This record is a miasmal adventure that at times can lure in any earnest fan of the sub-genre but also intrigue those who want to drive straight into a nightmare that is impossible to navigate. That adds even more excitement to what A|V (he has assembled a live version of the band you see pictured, but I could not find a reliable lineup) is trying to accomplish. It’s immersive and exciting, something that scratches an itch that didn’t seem easily reached.

“Kernos Crown” opens the record and slowly catches fire, bubbling up as full force arrives and brings a full black metal explosion. Vicious howls storm as the guitars spiral, a strong surge making its presence felt and shaking you to your core. The vocals murmur as the pace swings back, blazing colors fill the sky, and the final burst of electricity fries your wiring. “Dismantling the Corpse of Demeter” starts with keys echoing and dissonance filling your senses, the growls slithering through thickening storms that grow more ominous. Dizzying darkness pounds away, the howls rupture your guts, and a final burst of speed makes your blood rush before everything succumbs to the fog. “Plutonian Gate” is the longest track on the record, running 11 minutes and starting in a pit of strangeness, clean calls and atmospheric guitars teaming up. The guitars slide as A|V howls, “No journey without fire,” smearing disorienting dreams with raw reality. Calm lets you catch your breath, but then the playing blasts again, strange warbles stagger, and a final ripple of punishment brings this epic to a stunning end.

“Lightless at the Grand Conjunction” enters amid mesmerizing guitars and desperate howls, the gushing atmosphere becoming an even bigger factor as the playing takes a turn for the strange. Slurry and drunken melodies stagger with blurry vision, and then spacious playing explodes, daring fury catches fire, and the final gasps spread among the stars. “A Psylacybic Death” leans in and lets the ambiance develop before burly power caves in chests, and suddenly we’re in full mauling mode. Weird moans poke as the playing gets more involved, rapsy sung howls sting, and a final push sends a rush of blood barreling toward your brain. Closer “In Exaltation of the Supreme Being” unloads with crushing black metal and chanted clean vocals that feel ghostly and strange. It’s not long before the darkness swallows everything, the cloud cover increases and chills the earth, and the guitars scuffle as wild shrieks devastate. A slow calm takes hold as the smoke dissipates, piano drips, and the last gasp of horror disappears into the earth’s crust.

Abduction find a masterful way to play games with your psyche on “Black Blood,” a record that can be disorienting one second, bludgeoning your psyche with power the next. Black metal clearly has been overserved to us as listeners, but sometimes bands like this one figure out ways to make it interesting, mysterious, and even scary. This is a record that is not easy to predict, and even on subsequent listens, the avenues you take seem to angle you in directions you still can’t anticipate.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/abduction616/

To buy the album, go here: https://abduction.lnk.to/BlackBloodPR

For more on the label, go here: https://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/

It’s that time again where I associate gloomy, deadly music with the haunting and spooky times we’re about to have, and if that’s too cliched now, you’ll just have to live with it. I’m stressed out, and these openings don’t just write themselves. It also happens to be really accurate with today’s subject matter, so if darker tidings are your thing, get ready to indulge.

Oh, and if you happen to worship at the altar of the early Peaceville catalog, you’ll probably want to dig right into “Voices from a Fathomless Realm,” the debut full-length from Cavernous Gate. Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Sebastian “S.K.” Körkemeier helms the project, and you likely know him from Helrunar. Here he delves deeply into the doom/death metal combo that frosted so many hearts when it came to prominence three decades ago. It’s rich territory from which to mine, and Körkemeier does an excellent job capturing that same vibe but also adding plenty of his own personal touches. He’s also joined at times by vocalist Jenny Kalbitz, who adds her own shadowy fingerprints to this nine-track, hourlong adventure that is sure to turn your blood to oil. 

“That Night… (Intro)” has clean calls and chants, drums opening, keys chiming, and overall eeriness that works into your bones and meets up with “Old Graves Stir” that instantly throws gothy punches. Pastoral calls pave the way for growls entering and shaking cobwebs, the grime thickening even as cleaner singing enters the fray and melds with icy melodies. The fog increases as the playing trudges, the intensity picks up, and then it’s back into the shadows as elegant guitars fade out. “Through the Morass” lets guitars heat up as darker singing enters, the power stomping through mud puddles, the humidity rising. It feels like cold rain is washing over you as the music flexes its muscles, mystical drama arrives, and the playing unloads, leads soaring as the murk settles over all things. “Conjuration” starts as organs send chills, the ambiance setting up slowly and trickling over rock and ice. Growls gut as acoustics mix in and add mystery to the pummeling, speak-singing hangs in the air, and then ugliness reigns again. A synth wall stands firm, mucky riffs collect, and the final words disappear into the night.

“A World in Shade” begins with epic synth and growls going for your guts, haziness emerging and trying to claim your soul. The pace chugs as the guitar stretch their wings and soar, and then a menacing spirit attempts to take you. Choral sections wash over, strings ache, and doom horns sound their last. “Watcher of the Vast” is a quick interlude built with drums echoing, strange beings lurking, and spacey keys bringing cosmic coldness, heading into “The Artefact” the emerges amid fiery guitars. The pace is more aggressive and menacing, synth horns beckon, and then the fires set aggravate to scorch faces, growls bubbling through the cracks. The intensity finally begins to settle as Körkemeier whispers, “Now I wander between worlds,” as the dream comes to an end. “The Turning Veil” dawns with thick keys and flutes, the wondrous melody growing more present. Guitars burn as gothy doom lurks, clean calls spread, and the emotions cloud the skies, delivering soulful bloodletting. From there, the power slowly loosens its grips, Körkemeier and Kalbitz both call out, and the final embers sink into the dirt. “Skeleton Path (Outro)” ends the record with synth glow and wordless calls, reaching deep inside your body to claim a piece of your heart.

With thick moon beams pounding down, the chill in the air making your body shiver, Cavernous Gate bring an ideal musical complement to that experience as “Voices from a Fathomless Realm” lurks in your mind. Any sucker for ’90s death and doom is served generously here as this hour is a heavy, penetrating experience that drains you of your light. But it also helps you understand and align with darkness that may have made you feel shaky before but now seems more like welcome terrain.   

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

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/cavernous-gate-voices

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

Art is subjective, and its impact on us is unique to the individual and the way our brains absorb it. That’s why people have favorite songs and bands and albums and labels because what those entities do happen to work better on our psyches than some others. It always feels weird to me as a writer who is to remain objective to have favorites, but I’m human and I love music that makes me feel something.

One of the most important bands to me the last decade is SubRosa, whose content swept over me emotionally, musically, and philosophically and became a constant go-to when I needed something, anything to feel a pulse. A trip with four closer friends to see them in NYC several years ago stands out as one of the best weekends of my life. The band’s dissolution in 2019 was gutting, and though they promised other projects, the emptiness was deep and real. However, three years later we get “Folium Lumina,” the debut record from The Otolith that formed from SubRosa’s ashes. Four fifths of that band—violinist/lead vocalist Sarah Pendleton, violinist/vocalist Kim Cordray, drummer/percussionist Andy Patterson, and guitarist/vocalist Levi Hanna (he was in SubRosa from 2014-2017)—form the core of the Otolith along with bassist/vocalist Matt Brotherton, and they continue to operate in that atmospheric doom headspace that gets a little dirtier and sometimes more psychedelic on an excellent six-track debut that takes on a new life with every listen. If you’re skeptical, don’t be. It’s not a SubRosa record, nor should it be since it’s a whole new being. But there’s enough of that factor to reconnect the canals to your heart and so much more that goes beyond any hopes and expectations that you know you’re dealing with a new animal entirely. An exciting one that sends you on a different path to your dreams.

“Sing No Coda” opens the record elegantly and urgently, birds cawing as the strings rise, the branches slowly budding. Pendleton’s vocals are compelling and sweltering, the power gusts as every element comes to life, breathing a familiar but new energy. Everything swoons and then jars, the cello eases into the room and then things get thicker as the storming comes down harder now, your adrenaline working to keep you safe and alive. Burly power connects, the doomy waters rise, and wordless calls echo off into the distance. “Andromeda’s Wing” feels instantly psychedelic but then the charges bend and break, sludge collects in veins, and vicious howls drive daggers into the earth. Later on, the singing returns and aches, and everything melds together and sparks a Celtic spirit, prodding and fluttering. Higher vocals bring a new dynamic, and then things land even harder, the wild shrieks penetrate your mind, and the final surges jet off into the sun. “Ekpyrotic” brings taunting guitars and impossibly dark clouds as the strings connect in a tornadic gust, and throaty howls deliver seismic strikes. The playing unloads as the doomy spirits haunt in unison, thrusting through your organs, bringing dramatic swelling that pushes your heart. A fog collects and loosens, the playing begins to hulk again, and everything merges into one whole, dissolving into time.

“Hubris” eases into the picture as if from a vision, slowly melting as the vocals float in air, bringing energy that feels foreign but not unwelcome. The mood continues on that path until the ground ruptures, the blood flows, and the breathtaking display in front of your eyes and worming into your ears transforms you. Storming howls decimate, the playing waylays, and the earth beneath you ripples, fading into the edges of a dream. “Bone Dust” dawns with sounds rumbling, the hint of something profound on the horizon, and that promise later is kept. The band takes time to build the ambiance, feeling crackles and jolts going through your body, heartfelt vocals working on your emotions and making you breathe deeply. The playing continues to darken and seems to be setting the stage for something, that being the Charlie Chaplin anti-fascist speech from the 1940 movie “The Great Dictator,” a scene that this world needs now more than ever. Or at least since the time it initially was delivered. The music builds with the delivery, starting softer and more vulnerable and then roaing into a firestorm, Chaplin’s words spitting from his mouth, with his final call to, “Unite!” echoing off into the world to be absorbed. “Dispirit” closes the album with a quiver, the guitars chiming, the strings icing wounds, the singing making your heart pulsate. Momentum swells and crests, the howls decimate mountains, and the fires rage and give off thick smoke that waters your eyes. Keys drip, cold weather gasps its first, and static spits, ending this first adventure with noise fuzz and birds returning to repeat their messages.

SubRosa’s existence and spirit was wholly unique and incredibly special, and it’s unfair to expect the Otolith to be able to duplicate that. But they do, yet they also create their own DNA with “Folium Lumina” as they strike out on their own journey that’s connected to their past but also driving joyously and ominously into a new future. This record is an incredible start, a document that feels different with every listen as it develops its own identity. The Otolith scratch an impossible itch we didn’t think was reachable, yet here they are, uniting with us again in a fresh and exciting way.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.bluesfuneral.com/#https://www.bluesfuneral.com/search?q=josiah+we+lay+on+cold+stone

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

I don’t think it’s a stretch or even very controversial to suggest the bulk of the heavy metal world is vastly white, and while that has changed some over the past decade, we still have a long way to go before the genre can be seen as truly diverse. Different voices, experiences, and backgrounds should be encouraged and would give metal a broader appeal and be more indicative of the world.

Asian-American death metal band Ripped to Shreds is having a hand in expressing more of their life experiences and has done so over their catalog, the latest of which is the blistering and earth-shaking “劇變 (Jubian),” the project’s third full-length effort. Long helmed by Andrew Lee (vocals and guitars, though he previously recorded all of the band’s material himself), he has made sure to focus the lyrical content on the cultural context of his life as a Taiwanese American and to help amplify and celebrate artists and people like him. He and the rest of the band (bumping this to a full group)—guitarist Michael Chavez, bassist Ryan, drummer Brian Do—concentrate on historical events, the experience of being a minority in America, religious commentary, and being, as Lee says, blatantly Chinese. It’s a refreshing and much-needed perspective for heavy music, and the record is an absolute beast.  

“Violent Compulsion for Conquest” furiously opens the record as the track recounts the 1931 Mudken Incident where the Japanese army staged an explosion to justify invading Manchuria. The track splatters and hammers, the speed becomes a dangerous and present factor, and some hypnotic riffs work their way into your psyche and disarm you with force. “Split Apart by Five Chariots” has mauling drums and animalistic growls as the track sprawls its tentacles, reaching for your throat and trying to choke the life out of you. Howls echo and rip down your spine as the playing punches and gallops, and the guitars bring quaking madness that shakes you to your core. “獨孤九劍 日月神教第三節 (In Solitude – Sun Moon Holy Cult Pt 3)” is the third installment of a saga that started on the 2019 EP “魔經 – Demon Scriptures” and runs a healthy 10:33, ripping and bringing unforgiving speed. The pace destroys as the playing sizzles and burns, the guitars flood the senses, and everything boils in heaviness as the vocals land steady blows. Growls swell as the intensity continues, the band thrashes heavily, picking you apart, and then warm leads suddenly rush, ending everything on a somber note. “Harmonious Impiety” is a firebreather, delivering a savage attack and a tirade against people subservient to religion, the disgust palpable. Guitar launch as the pace throbs and crushes, blasting and rushing out forcefully.

“漢奸 (Race Traitor)” delivers glimmering leads and unquestionable power as Lee recounts his experiences living as an Asian American in a land that’s legendary for its xenophobia. Moody guitars lean into a thickening fog, the power shreds faces, and the leads rage into the sky, bringing a classy traditional metal blast that gives off infectious energy. “Reek of Burning Freedom” is an anti-war track that also reminds of the scars that remain of the U.S. bombing campaign of North Korea during the Korean War. Devastating shrieks pay off the very understandable rage, and the trudging pace delivers bodily punishment that you’ll feel for days on end. Brutality increases, the howls feed off splintering power, and the crazed energy burns to the abrupt end. “Peregrination to the Unborn Eternal Mother” brings testy riffs and vicious growls, the intensity blackening eyes. The story of the Maitreya bashes and upends psyches, savage playing floods dangerously, and fluid leads increase the passion and emotion, letting doom bells ring out as the song rests in the clouds. Closer “Scripture Containing the Supreme Internal Energy Arts That Render the Practitioner Invincible Throughout the Martial Realm” takes nearly as long to say as it does to hear as the 50-second brawler is a total and complete assault, a furious attack that drives through your chest and leaves you gasping on the floor.

Ripped to Shreds very much deserve this larger platform since they have aligned with Relapse, and “劇變 (Jubian)” not only is a generous, thunderous serving of death metal, it’s an important exposure of their Taiwanese roots that could use better understanding in their American homeland. There’s a lot to learn from the songs and their lyrical content, and the playing is supreme death played with precision, power, and energy, making it impossibly infectious. These are 35 of some of the best minutes death metal has produced this year and that this band has unleashed in their history. It also could go down as one of the subgenre’s most important creations of 2022.   

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

To buy the album, go here: https://store.relapse.com/ripped-to-shreds-jubian

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

The arrival of autumn and the darker cooler days allows me to whip out this old chestnut: Death metal sounds perfect during this season. Things are decaying from summer, the trees soon will be reduced to their skeletal selves, and the sun will be dragged over the horizon for shorter and shorter periods, activating seasonal depression for tons of people. Death metal, we summon thee.

So, it’s perfect time to take a trip with “Dreams of Dysphoria,” the debut full-length from UK death dealers Vacuous, who spread their darkness over seven deadly tracks that almost demand temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit in order to fully congeal. The band—vocalist Jo Chen, guitarists Michael Brodsky and Ezra Harkin, bassist Damiano S., drummer Max Southall—mix doom and misery into their recipe, making what they do that much more flooded with misery. But they also punish you and drag you over the coals, making you feel every bit of the punishment they had planned.

“Devotion” dawns amid darkness, the doomy tides dripping and dragging, growls hissed as the band chugs and mashes your bones. The playing tears limbs apart as vicious growls multiply, the heat hypnotizes, and the guitars send fog that rest finally in the throes of torture. “Body of Punishment” ignites right away, going for your guts and rolling in misery as the speed and intensity become a bigger factor. The pace slows and simmers, wilting your flesh as the tempo slowly batters back to life, the shrieks crushing over a blistering finish. “Matriarchal Blood” sludges as vicious growls add pressure to your bruised chest, and then the drumming decimates, sending shrapnel and bone flying. The pace is relentless as the band blisters with power, the death march strangles, and the final moments make sure to stick claws in already festering wounds.

“Paranoia Rites” slithers into the picture, unloading and riding a developing storm that promises danger, the growls menacing and building. Humidity gets thicker and then the excess moisture wells and becomes hard to tread, whispers roll in and haunt, and then the track ignites, crushing and scorching into “Stigmata Scourge” that completely unloads. Vocals belch as the tempo increases and seems to be barreling out of control, leaning into slurry riffs and engorged growls that head mercilessly into an endless nightmare. “Lucid (Interlude)” slowly melts and trickles, eerie visions haunt your mind, and the back end drones in paranoia, heading into closer “Dreams of Dysphoria” that boils in doomy cauldrons. The vocals carve and gurgle as if choking on blood, melodic fire jolts in your veins, and the guitars glimmer, making the temperature difficult to handle. That chars your flesh, makes your eyes water, and drains out into disorienting, cleaner streams.

“Dreams of Dysphoria” is a scarring, psychologically haunting record, the perfect full-length introduction for Vacuous and an album that’ll haut you long after it’s over. This is dark and foreboding, death metal that’s promises more scars for your mind than actual bodily harm, which is honestly scarier. The emotions and terrors are heavy and unavoidable, and you can only hope to escape with your mental well-being not completely ground to bits.

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

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

Or here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/vacuous-dreams-of-dysphoria-vinyl/

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

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

I’ve been listening to heavy metal since the middle of the 1980s, which means two things. First, I’m old as fuck. Second, I’ve had one hell of an enriching experience over that time listening to this style develop, watching new approaches pop up, and witnessing cycles repeat. It’s a pretty great wealth of knowledge to have, and it makes hearing bands unearth classic sounds an endless nostalgia trip.

Black thrashers Daeva have been one of those bands that makes my decades of worshipping at the altar of metal pay off, as their full-length debut “Through Sheer Will and Black Magic…” is a trip through multiple eras of the most powerful form of music on earth. Before this, we had an EP from the band—vocalist Edward Gonet, guitarist Steve Jansson, bassist Frank Chin, drummer Enrique Sagarnaga, three quarters of the awesome Crypt Sermon—so this nine-track effort held a lot of anticipatory excitement for me. Now that it’s here, it pays off that initial batch of songs and goes even further, delivering danger, madness, and filthy chaos that is informed by thrash, black metal, and even the mangiest of punk. It contains so much of the heavy metal canon but bent to their will, making something fresh and dangerous that sounds like it’s stalking you at night to drain your blood.

“Intro (Emanations)” enters in strange and eerie noises as the moodiness gets danker, heading into “The Architect and the Monument” that sweeps in and hammers you with speed. Gonet howls, “Curses and pointed repugnancy, delivered slow and monotone,” as the playing chugs and melts, the furious heat increasing and leaning hard on your frayed nerves. The soloing rips as the vocals continue to punish, blasting until an abrupt end. “Arena at Dis” splatters as the vocals rip and wail, the punishing playing dealing bruising blows. “Enter the champion, every knuckle cracks, making a fist around the handle of a mace, only one will remain within the charged cage,” Gonet levels as things come unglued, and the band amplifies the thrashy horror, smothering and jabbing its way out. “Passion Under the Hammer” has guitars jolting, the vocals scraping, and attacks coming from every angle. The temperature rises as the power gets more oppressive, the playing fades momentarily for clean guitars to trickle, and a foggy chill drives this home. “Loosen the Tongue of the Dead” clubs hard, playing fast and ferociously, the vocals ripping at flesh. A chant-like chorus sends chills as mystical winds blow, the blazing picks up again, and that intensity charges until it fades in the darkness.

“Fragmenting in Ritual Splendor” explodes with frustrated grunts and the tempo blasting, taking off and letting your blood rush through your veins. The playing gets reckless and mangling as the guitars tear off the lid, the shrieks destroy, and speed kills to the end. “Polluting the Sanctuary (Revolutions Against Faith)” enters amid riffs racing for an edge, the vocals feeling like they’re trying to crush your digits. The guitars try to tangle and trip you up as the metallic charges increase dangerously, bringing absolute hell as Gonet ends the tirade with, “Embrace death’s cold kiss, Revolutions! Against! Faith!” “Itch of the Bottle” clobbers right off the bat, digging into the earth and triggering lava flow, the vocals scorching and jabbing. The playing is fast and disruptive as the guitar work squeezes throats, the drums gallop viciously, and the riffs smear soot in your mouth, leaving you choking on the bitterness. Closer “Luciferian Return” is the longest track on here, running 7:07 and blinding as it establishes a dangerous environment. “Shattering the seraphs on cold and unyielding surfaces of polished glass, meteoric fumes of the lusting blockade reach far and wide, enormous force has isolated the kingdom, haunting sounds like razors in a furious spin,” Gonet waxes furiously, the fires raining down from the skies as the pace twists and turns, even leaning into hypnotic waters. The drums pummel, the guitars encircle, and the final moments spread fires of eternal damnation.

The madness and torment Daeva lather all over “Through Sheer Will and Black Magic…” does an expert job mixing eras, dining from the thrash’s origins in the ’80s, black metal’s rise to power in the ’90s, and the volatility of today’s brand of existence. It’s impossible to walk away from this record not fully torched, feeling like you’ve been through a vile struggle that tries to claim your psyche. This is a relentless battle, spiritual torment that turns your well-being to pools of blood and piss in which you are forced to tread.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/search?type=product&q=daeva

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