Leading up to 2026, I hoped I would not still be harping as much on the hellscape that is this planet, yet here we are. Doing it fucking again. Welcome back. As I write this, we have had yet another atrocity committed against a U.S. citizen by fake cops, and I guess we’re just all supposed to navigate this?

LA death trio Voidhämmer didn’t have this event in mind (how could they unless they’re clairvoyants?), but they do see the same smoldering tire fire this planet has become. Their debut demo “Noxious Emissions” digs into that frustration and fury and treats it with hammers raining down over the four tracks. The band—vocalist/guitarist Mike Royal, bassist/vocalist Roger Herrera, drummer Shane Bogdon—unleashes sooty death metal that sprawls over its nearly 15-minute run time, exposing wounds long since exposed to the elements and also proving their arrival is one with which this sub-genre must contend.

“Rotting in Excrement” opens in doom and chaos, bludgeoning as the pace grows beastly. Growls bury as the playing pummels, infernal leads scorch, and the final moments are complete battery. “Cadaveric Bloat” is punk-fueled, the playing laying waste as the drumming turns rock to dust. The growls sicken as the pressure mounts, then the pace changes, smoldering with swagger and feedback. “Phospherized” splatters with leads bending, a sooty attack choking you, lashing with jolting riffs and double-kick thunder that caves in chests. The leads worm as the power destroys, smashing with a ferocity that leaves no questions about their violent intent. “Coffin Leakage” closes by trudging, barreling into everything, the growls burning as the vibe turns thrashy. The playing drives harder, a D-beat assault opening up the earth, the leads charring, and everything left in a pile of its own dust.

Voidhämmer’s debut demo “Noxious Emissions” holds a lot of promise, showing a glimpse of the deadly power they possess. It’s but four tracks, but it’s an indicator they could do serious damage on future releases and get a foothold on a flooded death metal terrain. The fact this was colored by a world falling apart and no one in power doing a fucking thing to stop it adds that much more venom.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/voidhammerdeath/

To buy the album, go here: https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/noxious-emissions

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