It’s the time of the year when new releases aren’t as plentiful as other months, and revisiting music we missed along the way is a good way to play catch up. Look, we can’t get to everything (we can’t even get to most!), so things are bound to fly under the radar. Luckily, today’s release was brought to our attention by the band itself, and we’re glad they knocked.

Rochester, NY, death pounders Order of the Dead released their second full-length “Captives” back in June, and it’s a follow-up to 2018’s “The Jackals Hold Us Captive” as well as two other EPs in that time frame. What you find here is straight-forward death metal with some thrash tendencies as well as a channeled attack that rarely releases its grip on your neck. The band—vocalist Zach Barney, guitarists Earl Treese Jr and Jody Roberts, bassist John Malone, drummer Joe Lionti Jr—hails from a town with a nice death metal breeding ground that includes Undeath, Contrarian, and Blood Desecration, so they are adding a noteworthy and solid addition to that city’s blood output.

“Into Nothing” fades in before going for the throat, leads racing as howls smear, melodies basking in the glow of twin-guitar assaults. The tempo grows grim and harrowing, ravaging as guitars char, and the morbid adventure comes to an end. “A Black Curse Comes” charges in, vicious playing rippling, Barney wailing, “We’re reaping what we’ve sown!” The chorus is doused in black metal-style melodies while raw speed and even some thrashiness flexes muscles and blasts into oblivion. “Ritual Magick” smolders and smashes, the growls crushing as a relentless pace overpowers and tangles your brain wiring. The guitars race as the howls char, mashing bodies and bones, the words spat out in a poisonous clip. “Tetsu No Ame” is based on the 82-day World War II Battle of Okinawa, and the tension and hell is well represented. Guitars jab as the cries of, “Exterminate! Annihilate!” send chills down spines. Melodies gush even as “neverending hell on earth” spews forth, leads snaking, a strange warmth filling your guts before fading.

“Reaggravate” is the longest track at 8:09. and it boils while the bass plods, tearing open as the vocals scorch everything within their scope. The leads dart through fire, the power chugs, and electrifying soloing spills over and coats the marring shrieks. The pace mashes as guitars drive deeper into madness, trudging and demanding total submission. “Pit of Snakes” has speedy riffs and a jarring pace, the vocals scraping over congealing wounds, the playing bubbling to the surface. The leads get colorful and more adventurous, speeding up before a furious finish. “Illusions” blasts apart, techy riffs building, howls turning everything to dust just as the guitars become more illuminated. The strength guts as vitriol is poured on an already aggravated situation, start/stop mashing bruises, and the acid pours down the drain. Closer “A Grand Design” cites the Tower of Babel and the ensuing chaos, and they color that in with swimming guitars and shrieks tearing at limbs. Strong soloing blows down walls as the playing blazes even harder, powering the final moments that turn to ash.

Hey, we don’;t always get to every record that deserves attention during a calendar year, so it’s nice to give Order of the Dead’s “Captives” some glow as the year winds down. This is promising stuff, death metal that feels pretty modern but isn’t overly polished and still remembers to drop the fucking hammer. This band is on the right path, and with more records like this, they’re bound to be popping up in more feeds and on more shows as they continue to build their resume.

For more on the band, go here: https://orderofthedead322.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://orderofthedead322.bandcamp.com/album/captives