I like a good story as much as the next person, and having a lot of records these days that concentrate on a plot line or a collection of interwoven ideas has kept my busy mind pretty engaged. But there are times I just want to be beaten about the head and torso by something that promises heaviness and violence, which can be just as rewarding.

Turkish/Danish death metal squad Hyperdontia aren’t as interested in telling stories as they are pushing your face to the grind stone. This is death metal through and through, it’s well played and constructed, and it keeps getting more intense as they go. On their third record “Harvest of Malevolence,” the band—vocalist/guitarist Mathias Friborg, guitarist Mustafa Gürcalioğlu, bassist Malik Camlica, drummer Tuna—lays down a beating that leaves its mark. Over eight tracks and 40 minutes, this quartet stretches their prowess and deliver death metal that’s to the point and will bloody your mouth.

“Death’s Embrace” rips and boils from the start, growls destroying as the playing scrambles brain signals. From there, the pace jars and rips, the leads take off, and the heat increases as the final blows land. “Salvation in Death” thrashes as the bass playing bubbles, mashing as the growls clog veins. Things turn even more bruising and vicious as the pace races and snarls, blazing as vicious jabs rob the lings of breath. “Marking the Rite” is crunchy and charging, vicious growls mixing in with an attack that’s direct and draws blood. The leads encircle as the soloing explodes and spreads lava, the madness stirring as violent gasps struggle for oxygen. “Pestering Lamentations” has the bass slithering in, infernal howls meeting up with guitars that destroy and hypnotize. The guitars gain steam as the thrashiness blisters, spiraling out and pooling plasma and guts beneath.

“Pervasive Rot” starts with the guitars fluttering, infernal heat growing more intense, sooty death rolling around in a pile of guts. The bass recoils as the guitars foam at the mouth, the playing bristling and mangling before finally offering some mercy. “Irrevocable Disaster” tangles and brawls, the growls burning as the pressure builds, the drums drilling as the growls incinerate. The fury brawls as the leads spiral, delivering a lashing that’ll keep you down. “Defame Flesh” opens with doomy guitars and wiry, fiery heat, the playing swirling through dizzying hell. The vocals are throatier and meaner, the bass twisting muscles, the pace erupting and even letting some melody into the room. Closer “Servant to a Crippled God” dawns amid coarse growls and active riffs, the playing searching through diseased bellies and mental madness. Guitars lather as the playing gets chunkier, the intensity ramping up and crushing, leading a pathway to damnation.

“Harvest of Malevolence” is a slab of death metal that doesn’t need an ongoing storyline or deep excursions into personal issues in order to be memorable. Hyperdontia already have a pretty strong grip on their brand of death metal, and on this album, they tighten their hold and make sure you feel every bit of the devastation. There’s no such thing as a sure bet, but Hyperdontia putting out a killer buffet of riveting death is about as close as you can get.

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

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

Or here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/product-category/me-saco-un-ojo-releases/

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

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

There are plenty of really good metal records that arrive each year that are worth your time and money. There’s a smaller subset of releases that are worthy of considering as that year’s best, those that rise above the onslaught of music that arrives during a 12-month period. Then there are the albums that sit in rarified air, music so powerful that is rises to a special level very few recordings ever achieve.

“The Stygian Rose,” the third record by Philly-based epic doom creators Crypt Sermon, is one of those that sits above the rest, a collection that has a comet-into-earth impact on first listen. It just ripples even harder each subsequent visit, and if you’re like me, there will be many of those. Over six tracks and 45 minutes, the band—vocalist Brooks Wilson, guitarists Steve Jansson and Frank Chin, bassist Matt Knox, keyboardist Tanner Anderson, drummer Enrique Sagarnaga—creates a story about an unnamed character inspired by Paschal Beverly Randolf, an American spiritualist and sex magician whose views on gender identity were well before his time. Here, the character longs to find his possibly dead/definitely lost female equal, who is believed to be waiting for him beyond in the hollow. It makes for a dramatic, breathtaking album that builds expertly, causing your heart to race with their passionate, classic serving of heavy metal that’ll stone you in your place.

“Glimmers in the Underworld” emerges from beyond, tearing open with sprawling doom and Wilson’s dramatic singing at an apex, calling, “I’ll die with my eyes open just to get a good look at hell.” Guitars erupt and flood over, energy jolting as the vocals get grimier, melting into the cold. The chorus swims through the murk, Wilson conjuring demons as he wails, “They’re right behind you through the black, black, black!” “Thunder (Perfect Mind)” feels humid, hazy leads stretching like lightning, the singing digging deeper into the dirt, Wilson singing, “As above, so below, there’s so much more to know.” The chorus fires up again as fiery playing erupts, glorious energy bustling as the keys leave an ice skid behind. “Down in the Hollow” is misty as it charges up, Wilson’s singing feeling both muscular and scathing, dark and ominous melodies working up your spine. The playing charges up as the fluid assault pulls you under, Wilson lashing, “They know my name, she knows my name,” as chugging punches leave deep wounds.

“Heavy Is the Crown of Bone” opens with hazy guitars, and then the pace chugs and thrashes, growing more epic in scope along the way. Glimmering guitars thicken the magical essence, and a simple chorus rouses and sticks to the bone, continually coming back for more, always sweeping with majestic lure. “Scrying Orb” is a standout track, much like “Christ Is Dead” from “The Ruins of Fading Light” or “Heavy Riders” from “Out of the Garden,” that one track that stands out above the rest and makes a case for one of the modern era’s best metal songs. The playing is mystical, pushing through darkened, web-tangled rooms, Wilson calling, “I know I should be more afraid, but I have come back for you.” The chorus is a killer and will stick in your head for days, Wilson singing, “I have heard the cries coming from the other side of the scrying orb.” Guitars fire up as the temperatures rise, coming to a dramatic, gothy end. The 11:10-long closing title track opens with piano dripping, the cosmos opening its jaws, dark guitars mixing with keys that leave an ominous glaze. “The black bloom will be restored,” Wilson insists, the guitars picking up and jarring anew, the melodies mixing with eerie fogginess. The power folds as the playing drives slower, the spirits rise, and everything fades into black.

The mysteries woven into “The Stygian Rose” and the top-notch playing elevate Crypt Sermon to the modern throne of epic doom metal with this, their finest hour. You can take on this album and ignore the messages entirely and still walk away completely fulfilled by a record that is a force of nature from front to back. If you delve into the words and their meanings, and you should, you get an even more full-bodied experience, an album that will stick with you not only the remainer of the year, but likely spanning your lifetime as a listener. This music is that transcendent.

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

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

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

Music should be a commitment for both the artist and the listener, as it forms a relationship that can enrich lives, salve wounds, and connect us to something greater. But we live in an era where people sample from streaming platforms more than ever, and that relationship to a record isn’t made quite as often as it used to be. We can drop in and drop out, no strings attached.

Metal listeners seem to be a different animal altogether, and the amount of bands that commit to epic-length songs and marathon records is plentiful. One of those is Jersey-based sludge/doom crushers Cowardice, who have not graced us with a full-length album in eight years. That ends with “Atavist,” an 11-track, 85-minute bruiser that does demand your time and energy and won’t just let you off easily after a track or two. The album is divided into two parts, “Suzerain” and “Sentinel,” that have slightly different personas but work perfectly to create a greater whole. The band—vocalist Mark Guiliano, guitarists Julian Cardazone and Nick Zwiren, bassist Stephen Edwards, drummer Chris Ward—is at the top of their game here, pouring all of their vitriol and power into this record that flies by and feels about half as long as it really is.

“To the Hilt of Humanity” opens the record and the “Suzerain” portion, dripping blackness before the heaviness arrives in droves, shrieks gutting amid melodic fog. The playing buzzes as the guitars numb, later soaring and taking on atmospheric sheen, lumbering as it adds bruising. Layers add textures, guitars surge and trudge, and ugliness burns into the ground. “Cloisters” emerges in a guitar cloud, pounding and boiling in melody, a beastly fury swimming into airy passages that cool the flesh. The leads quiver as guest vocalist Kate Parker’s singing adds new colors, elevating the already strong emotion into a tidal wave. “Panicle of Lowliness” is a quick instrumental piece that exists in shadows, guitars slinking and searching through the dark, leaving mystery behind. “Unforgeable Key” opens with drums echoing and the growls retching, clawing and slithering through the mud, doom glimmering during moody storms. The playing gets chunkier as the drums hit harder, the blistering pressure mounting, swimming even deeper into the murk, scraping across flesh, leaving blood trails behind. “Eastern Woodland Reverie” completely levels you right away, howls crushing before the playing gets colder, journeying through thickening weather, the strength reopening and getting deadlier. The atmosphere gazes and numbs, hellish howls belting out into the night, the sludge collecting before the temperatures drop again. The playing is elegant and easily obscures vision, flooding as everything is consumed by noise zaps. “Moss Stone” rounds out the first half, guitars hypnotizing, singing floating like a ghost, the brief track slowly disappearing into space.

“Clairvoyance Anxiety” begins the “Sentinel” portion, a darker beast that brings glowing leads, monstrous growls, and drubbing playing, a vile sentiment wrapped around every moment. Guitars add haze as the punches land harder, the playing tricking your mind, the howls decimating as the pace keeps pounding away. From there, the guitars catch fire and torch land, the heaviness growing more oppressive and laying waste. “The Diminutive Principle” slowly batters, the leads frying as they fold and burn into muddy waters. There’s a slight Western vibe to the melodies, guitars sliding as forceful howls erupt, lacerating as wounds flow openly. “Aphelion” is a glassy-eyed interlude, guitars making it feel like your legs are betraying you, your mind helplessly wandering into the darkest possible terrain. “Annulment” is dark and foreboding, Parker’s voice returning to haunt, the playing exploding as harsh wails enter the room. The force is massive and hulking, acidic gusts eating away at your flesh, ugly punishment having its way with your psyche. Drums combust as wrenching hell bubbles up to the surface, guitars lapping over bruising growls, drums encircling as echoes consume whole. Mammoth closer “Hail of Mages” runs 17:08 and makes the most of its time, developing slowly, thoroughly numbing, the growls ripping away at your muscles. The playing is stormy and battering, hypnotic guitars making your head spin, the drums coming unglued as every inch of this thing bristles. The pace gets deadlier as heavy blows take their toll, melodic lava spreads, and the final notes ring out into time.

“Atavist” is a record that demands your time and energy, and you will give up a plethora of both when committing to this journey. Luckily, it’s more than worth it as Cowardice serve a stunning display of sludgy doom that might not rewrite the book on this style but adds a steady and crucial element to this subgenre’s foundation. It aligns with all the personal darkness and torment in your mind and reminds you that you’re not alone, and that even though it’s part of your life, you can take hold of reality and bend it to your will.

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

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

Or here (US): https://riffmerchant.bandcamp.com/album/atavist

Or here (UK): https://www.burningworldrecords.com/collections/burning-world-records/products/cowardice-atavist-2lp-green-with-red-vinyl-pre-order

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

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

Most people have a limit, or at least that’s seemingly so. Most of us won’t take someone’s life if they cut in front of us on the road or take vital supplies that don’t belong to us or steal money from other people because we perceive these actions as being wrong. But people have been pushed beyond those limits, and depending on how far one goes, there could be little chance of turning back.

New Zealand-based death/black metal trio Ulcerate put that philosophy to the test when creating their seventh record “Cutting the Throat of God.” These seven tracks, while not a concept record, do combine to examine the idea of morality and when and why someone crosses the line into darkness. As we’ve come to expect from this band—bassist/vocalist Paul Kelland, guitarist Michael Hoggard, drummer Jamie Saint Merat—they deliver dense, cement-thick punishment over nearly 58 minutes. Pushing beyond reason, past one’s moral compass generally takes a pretty extreme circumstance for that to happen, and once we’re there, how do we pull back, if that’s even possible?

“To Flow Through Ashen Hearts” opens with guitars melting, dripping liquid steel, the roars crushing as the beastly flow gains muscle. Cagey and furious, the strength leaves ash, the atmosphere thickening as the playing gets tougher, wailing into colder waters, churning savagery, and railing to an abrupt finish. “The Dawn Is Hollow” emerges from steam, unloading with ferocity, tearing at flesh, the guitars making frayed nerves tingle. Alien sounds land as beastly heat rises, roars loosening bricks, the playing blasting away at everything, the gargantuan strength landing the final blows. “Further Opening the Wounds” is hazy at the start, and then the assault bursts, the playing stinging, the howls pounding away at you, rampaging and gaining steam. The roars crush bones, bludgeoning as the playing spits nails, trudging over ice and unforgiving terrain, the final moments flattening.

“Transfiguration In and Out of Worlds” is eerie and chilling, cold trickling and making your body shake uncontrollably, sooty howls echoing as the guitars sting and become even more aggressive. Cavernous sounds envelope as the power lands knife-edge chops, the drums mangling, numbing and surging, the guitars snaking through blood and into the light. “To See Death Just Once” swelters as the ground shakes, prodding and pounding, a hulking force eating across the land. Guitars smear as the heat wilts, turning into a more calming flow, lending solace before the fires consume again. Drums welt flesh as hell is unleashed, the leads jarring before burning off. “Undying as an Apparition” is melodic but mean, glazing as the roars crunch, weirdness thickening as the savagery comes to life. The playing is fluid but morbid, getting enthralling and immersive as you’re pulled into hell, the battering having its way and leaving you prone to further attacks. The title track closes the affair, emerging as a blunt force that snarls, stoking at the flames and ripping as the melodies curdle. The playing hits even harder, stabbing into the muck, blistering as the inhumane force weighs down violently, spiraling into savage growls, the force swelling as the smothering damage chokes you into submission.

“Cutting the Throat of God” is a title not to be taken lightly, as its force and intent are poisonous and force you to confront whatever line of morality you choose to draw for yourself. Ulcerate’s battering brand of death metal is a concoction truly their own, and they continue to challenge you to withstand their physical attack as you wrestle with the themes interwoven into the chaos. This is a record that forces you to confront your limits, what you’re willing to do step over that line, and the depravity and madness that accompanies this journey straight over the edge into hell.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/

Humankind has done its fair share of damage to this planet, and there are a whole ton of people who don’t even think that’s true. They’re lied to by people with financial interest to continue ravaging the earth, and they don’t give a fuck about the people they duped, and that’s only a portion of the problem. Humans are greedy animals, and there’s very little chance that even can be changed.

That is unless we’re cheering on the extermination of life so that the earth can heal and other species and lifeforms can thrive without us poisoning the waters. Uh, literally. “Alienation Manifesto,” the new record from Thanatotherion, turns the torch on humanity, burning off this plague and paving the way for a different future. The band is the brainchild of Shelby Lermo (Vastum, Ulthar), known here as Ominous Droning, and this project grew out of its previous form as Naughtskeid. He wrote this record while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for throat cancer in the fall of 2022, which ultimately was successful, allowing him to make this beast. The vitriolic nature in this dose of death and black metal is perfectly logical and unspeakably horrific, and having battled a potentially fatal disease only to watch people fall deeper into their own bullshit had to take its toll. Lermo is joined by drummer Jason Bursese (Black Fucking Cancer) on this record that burns the world to the ground only to pave the way for a healthier future without us.

“Red Cathedral” ignites, tricky playing and ravenous howls combining, guitars going off and creating a bloody hell. Smoke chokes as crazed and fiery playing takes hold, speed and scorching madness pushing, ripping to a finish. “The Raven and the Box of Stars” is eerie when is starts, steam pouring off each edge, demonic and crushing playing twisting your brain. Growls and shrieks unite to muddy the waters, a blazing assault taking off and ripping toward you, bludgeoning as synth glazes. A fantastical burst leads to a stab of brutality, devastating with a healthy mix of black and death metal. “Orb” is a strange interlude, a thickening aura built with dripping pianos and echoing noise, slipping out into the path of “Wilczyca.” The track drubs from the start, the vocals creaking as sounds flood, guttural and monstrous growls doing added damage. The leads ignite as horrifying strains get uglier, synth layers adding dramatic gasps, the playing mangling as horrors draw blood, heating up and disappearing into a vortex.

“Nuclear Womb” starts with whispers that quickly turn into shrieks, a gnarly path pounding away, a sudden force mixing with spindly guitars that make the room spin. Synth strikes as the blistering pace gets more intense, raspy howls melting in with tangling guitars that push to a ripping finish. “Lament” is a short instrumental built on a synth rope, zapping and buzzing, making the cosmos lower itself into our terrain, a strange aura and sci-fi-style keyboard fever dream increasing bodily temperatures. Closer “Codex Crepusculum” runs 11:52 and dawns amid doomy, alien waters, blasting as the howls pummel, the playing ravaging as the leads conjure magical smoke. Synth takes over and soars, and then the playing erupts with violence, the melodies soaring into the stars, the chaos then erupting from every seam. Poisonous clouds hover, and then the madness unloads, blistering and bruising flesh, vicious tendrils reaching into a mangling future.

As we watch the human experiment decay and devolve further into foolishness and avarice, it’s hard to feel sympathy, which Thanatotherion make abundantly clear on “Alienation Manifesto.” This is hell on earth, and the fact that Ominous Droning was suffering as his body was ravaged with disease is enough to make one’s disgust for humankind even more understandable. Surviving to remain in a world rife with selfishness and madness results in music this twisted and warped, a journey that will put you to the test physically and mentally.

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/

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

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records/