Before leaving office a complete loser and multi-time criminal, our last president wanted to pass an education platform that aimed to teach American wonderfulness and just kind of passed over all the shitty things that have happened in this country. This has not been a place that’s been very welcoming to non-white people, and many here still refuse to address and atone for that.

Black metal force Pan-Amerikan Native Front, a band led by sole creator Kurator of War, has shined a light on issues that impacted Native Americans in the formative years of this country, something that we seem to sweep under the rug to avoid feeling bad about that pesky stolen land and bloodshed that continues to haunt us to this day. Their latest album “Little Turtle’s War” follows Little Turtle, a Sagamore chief of the Miami people and the events that unfolded during the Northwest Indian Wars (which ranged about a decade from 1785 to 1795), including some decisive victories over U.S. forces as they aimed to wrest even more land away from the Native Americans. The music itself is raw, noise-infested, and disarmingly melodic as Kurator of War unleashes his mission on his second record under this banner (the first was 2016’s “Tecumseh’s War”).

“Assembly of the Western Confederacy” starts with water flowing and the guitars etching a path before the track is torn open, and cries echo in the carnage. The playing is thorny and noisy before waters rush back for a bit before the song erupts again. Black waves pound viciously as furious hell is agitated, and then we’re on to “Power of the Calumet Dance” that pummels and creates a thunderous stomp. Melodic jolts and relentless power unite as the pace picks up, breathing fire and burying bodies as the march continues. The drums make paste of your bones, the riffs encircle and rally, and everything burns off as footsteps crunch the snow. “Battle of the Wabash” unleashes great riffs and drums punishing before shots are fired, and the melodies envelope. The playing is so aggressive it feels like you’re being consumed while the vocals shred, and the riffs leaves a trail of ashes. “The Whispering Oak” is a quick interlude piece with insects chirping and reflective guitars creating a deep haze.

“Michikiniqua’s Triumph” starts with spirited riffs and blackened howls as the track keeps unloading power, refusing to give an inch. Punches are thrown as the playing rages, the guitars churn dangerously, chants rise and take over, and the track carries the spirit to the end. “The Great White Beaver Lurks” brings guitars that grind metal in its gears and raw growls sprawling while the fury continues to carve a bloody path. The vocals later sound like they’re choking Kurator of War as he blasts out his message, the music collects mud, and the playing drives your face into the dirt. “A Witness” fires up as guitars sting, more shots are fired, and the strains of war blend into closer “nakaaniaki meehkweelimakinciki,” a 9:28-long epic that feels like a melodic surge that heads into an impenetrable haze. A collection of chaotic passages unloads and smothers what’s in front of it before acoustics make the vibe feel rustic and on the verge of collapse. There’s an extended reflective section that chills your blood, and just as you’re easing in, the playing scorches all over again, the drums clobber extensively, and the destruction burns out into the night.

Pan-Amerikan Native Front not only bring a mesmerizing and fire-breathing does of raw melodic black metal, but “Little Turtle’s War” also might send you on a research mission like it did for me to learn more about this piece of American history that further deteriorated Native Americans’ trust in this land. If this was taught in my schooling, it was brief, though this record and Kurator of War’s mission helped open my eyes wider to this period, which was vital to the nation’s history but also detrimental to the people from whom this place was taken. This is that ugly, horrific history some people want to shield you from to maintain some dream of American greatness, events this band refuses to leave buried.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://stygianblackhand.bandcamp.com/album/little-turtles-war

For more on the label, go here: http://www.stygianblackhand.com/

The world feels like it’s been on fire for the past several years, with the flames getting angrier and more aggressive in the past 12 months as we all just try to survive. It’s the perfect storm for aggressive music, because it’s impossible not to feel on edge at all times, and watching people add fuel to the problems we already have and world leaders fail at their job only amplifies the rage.

Danish death metal destroyers Deiquisitor certainly have been paying attention, especially to those who could be helping us who instead are sickening us, and they roll that into their hammering new EP “Humanoid.” At six tracks and about 28 and a half minutes, it’s a serving that feels rightly proportioned and dealt, with chaos spilling out of every corner. The band—vocalist/guitarist TFJ, bassist DA, drummer HBC—has been crushing souls since 2013, releasing their self-titled debut record in 2016, with two other albums and some smaller releases under their banner. This one, the first for Dark Descent, could be an introduction for a lot of listeners, and inside they’ll find hammering, relentless death metal that never leaves you doubting their fury and desire to bring guilty parties to their knees.

“World in Flames” stomps open with gruff growls and a chugging pace that aims to eat you alive. Things get ugly and punchy as the band turns down an even darker path as the brutality increases, mixing up your brains and sending you to the frontlines of a death march that ends in chaos. “Autonomous Warfare” blasts the brains in your skull, thrashing hard amid gurgly vocals and a slashing pace. The guitars splatter as the growls chew through muscle, surging before a mashing end. “Below the Frozen Tundra” delivers ugly growls and total misery as the leads blaze, and the pace helps lay a beating. The furnace opens, and relentless heat attacks as riffs cut in and create devastation. “Empyrean Lifeform” rips out and goes on the offensive with hard growls ripping through you and the tempo galloping. Vile growls double the intensity as zany leads erupt, and everything burns into a pile of ash. “Dictate the Believers” is savagery right away with the guitars slaying and an all-out assault blasting toward you. There are some sludgy moments as demonic growls set the tone, the tempo speeds with fury, and the track drags you face first to the end. “Blinded by Wisdom” ends the record with the drums decimating, a trudging tempo, and the growls snarling. The temperature continues to rise as gnarly growls smash, the cymbals are crushed, and high-pressure bursts dissolve into noise.

“Humanoid” is a deadly next step for Deiquisitor, who have a far better chance catching on with more people now that Dark Descent is behind them, and anyone who takes the shot is bound to be deliriously satisfied. That is if you like death metal that feels like it has a vendetta against you and has no concern about being clean and neat. This band always has had a bloodthirst, but it sounds a little more serious now, and everyone in their way should take cover immediately.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/humanoid

For more on the label, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/

Who could argue humankind is not at its shit worst? Viruses spreading with people refusing to admit they’re real. People in this country buying bullshit from a proven liar and former game show host and storming the Capitol building. The continual failure to treat people as they deserve and try to make things equal and equitable for all. It’s a mess, and it’s not clearing up.

LA-based trio Swampbeast not only is well aware of the chaos swallowing humanity whole, they’ve smashed that into their vicious death grind on their debut album “Seven Evils Spawned of Seven Heads,” which definitely feels like the world crashing into hell. The band—drummer/vocalist Marecov Mena, guitarist/vocalist Griffin Werk, guitarist Mike Royal—sees the world heading into imminent collapse, and the music on these 11 tracks and 36 minutes is designed to soundtrack that upheaval in as violent and miserable a manner as possible. So, basically, if you’re taking on this record, be prepared for a heavy taste of Armageddon that you may have had a hand in bringing to fruition.

“Orcs Anvil” bludgeons right away as vicious howls rain down, the pace stampedes, and snarling fury meets speed as morbid melodies rip to the end. “The Blind God” scrambles brains right away as growls wrench and the playing splatters before everything just goes off. A cosmic warp strikes as raspy howls pound, and crazed mashing draws blood. “Convulsing in the Shit and Piss of Man” not only is my early contender for song title of the year, but its insane pace immediately goes for your throat. Noise bristles as speeds rushes, growls splinter, and vicious thrashing gets gnarly before grinding out. “1000 Years of Pestilence” brings a slower pace that’s still heavy before menace attacks and the shrieks scrape away while the band hits hard. Beastly growls scrape, a thick muddiness makes breathing difficult, and flesh is carved to the ends. “Trudging Through Oblivion” is a quick burst that’s over before you know what hit you. It brings lightning fury and a hammering assault that’s outright slaughter for almost two minutes.

“The Permanence Of Death” opens into doomy sludge as horrific punishment is dealt, and growls gurgle into bloodshed. Everything burns hard and bright as the playing mashes skulls, and everything fades into hell. “Thy Flesh Sustained” delivers drums that just destroy, a dashing pace, and eventually it turns into calculated thrashing. Guitars hang in the air and bring heat, while the tempo blisters, and oppressive humidity ends everything in hell. “The First Prime Evil” tears right into your rib cage as the drumming pummels, and the vocals feel deadly and raw. The playing is fast and hypnotic, blasting its way into its final resting spot. “Cerebus” lights up as vile growls bubble up like old blood, and heavy pressure eats away at your psyche. Guitars heat up and burn, pounding away and leaving your bones in a pile of dust. “Chasms Encrusted With Malformity” is a quick interlude track that delivers dripping echo and gross chemical bubbling, leading toward closer “Spell of Decay” that feels like it’s simmering in doom soup. The growls then hammer as the tempo lands body blows, the leads sprawl, and everything cuts through to your heart, leaving you heaving on the floor.

Swampbeast pour a ton of heat and violence in your lap on their volatile debut record “Seven Evils Spawned of Seven Heads,” a record that’ll leave you in unspeakable pain when it’s over. Their combination of death metal and grind rarely relents, pushing you right into the teeth of as table saw before you even have time to beg for mercy. This is 11 doses of pain and power that’ll you’ll still be feeling long after the record ends.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://translationloss.com/collections/pre-orders

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

It can be a strange and potentially upsetting experience when you put on a record and immediately wonder what the fuck is going on with the music. Actually, I guess that can have two possible outcomes and expressions. One, you hear it and never want to absorb what’s attacking your senses ever again. Two, the music could hit you and attack your brain in such a way that you’re absolutely mesmerized.

Taking on “The Cycle Reckoning,” the second record from Suffering Hour, was a mentally toppling experience, and I’m hardly a stranger to the band’s music. But the latter situation is where I was ensconced as this album immediately radiated in my skull and definitely made me cock my head to the side in confusion over the band’s bizarre ambiance they added to their furious blend of death and black metal. They’ve come up with an entirely different assault from 2017 debut “In Passing Ascension” in that the guitar work sounds bent against its will and mercy, as their melodies feel like they originate from another realm. The band—guitarist/vocalist YhA, bassist/vocalist DgS, drummer/vocalist IsN—focus on mental anguish and personal awakenings, putting the screws to you as you explore along with them.

“Strongholds of Awakening” ramps up from the start, ripping through and delivering delirium that combines with skullduggery. Strange melodies mix in with the brutality as the band hammers away, bringing a bizarre assault that ravages hard and chokes you out with its exhaust. “Transcending Antecedent Visions” unloads riffs that feel like they came from alien terrain while things quiver, and the pace mashes bones. Spiraling fury makes the room spin dangerously as growls slither underneath in the grime, and eventually a lone stinging riff sends chills down your spine. The band lulls you into a trance as the riffs burst, melodies encircle, and the playing rounds into what’s next.

That would be “The Abrasive Black Dust Part II” that continues a campaign they started on “In Passing Ascension” by bringing awakening guitars, rushing melodies, and creaky speaking that digs under your fingernails. The growls unload as the murk spreads, and dreary hell is achieved that sends things into mysticism. More mind-altering riffs and a raging storm unite as thing end in a slurry echo. “Obscuration” has a tempered start, though things are quite heavy, and the growls sound like they’re gurgling blood. A sneaky bassline works its way in as the clouds gather above, and just as your head starts soaring, you’re brought back to reality with gutting guitars, speedy chaos, and more unease that spills right into 16:33-long closer “The Foundations of Servitude” that starts making it feel like your body is vibrating. Riffs unfurl and explode as growls menace, and the pace plays tricks with your mind. Hypnotic fury meets with tornadic violence as the playing shows some swagger, and zany melodies amplify the mind fuck. Things ease up a bit as the atmosphere swells, and it feels like you’re in a fever dream. But then the band opens your guts, the vocals crush, and fog reigns as the back end tunnels out.

Suffering Hour’s volatile, seemingly cosmic death and black metal is in full force and deeply in apocalyptic hell on “The Cycle Reckoning,” the record that’s likely to be the introduction for this band to a lot of people. It’s bizarre and bludgeoning, an experience that’s not likely to be mirrored at all by any other band this year, which is just as well because no one can master this trio’s terrain. This thing will fuck you up, so don’t say you weren’t warned.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://profoundlorerecords.merchtable.com/?

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

Absolutely soul-darkening black metal is great, but have you ever added a rousing round of spell-casting darkness to the vilest form of heavy metal in existence? Honestly, a savage bludgeoning always is a good time, and I’ll never throw that out of the proverbial heavy metal bed. But it’s also nice when a band gives you a little more so that your psyche can be fully damaged.

Nordic black metal beasts Misotheist don’t have a gigantic resume, but what they’ve offered so far has been a refreshing jolt of devastation that gets into your cell structure and changes a bunch of shit around. Their second record is arriving, and “For the Glory of Your Redeemer” is a three-track, half-hour exercise in the blackest of arts, but with their own creativity added for good measure. It’s put together in similar manner of their 2018 self-titled debut, but it’s a step above, a richly punishing record that’s awesome from beginning to end. The band—we don’t have a full lineup, and they have next to no online presence—delivers black metal that’ll stick to your ribs, but it also impacts your psyche in that you’ll find yourself far more damaged at the end than do were going into the thing.

“Rope and Hammer” trickles in before the fuel meets the match, and we have an absolute eruption. Vicious growls and crushing playing combine and deliver brute force before melodic hell is unleashed that gets into your bloodstream. The band unloads as everything burns as the growls punish, the disorienting playing mixes the brains in your skull, and everything bleeds to an end. “Benefactor of Wounds” crushes as riffs spiral, and vicious vocals rip out your guts. The playing feels like it’s blasting you into dust as a melodic, but destructive chorus strikes, and the beastly power smashes. Fires are stoked again, heating your face, bringing everything to a cataclysmic end. “Acts of the Flesh” is the 16:09-long closer that begins with weird noises and the plodding bass before things explode into spellbinding madness. The playing hammers as the growls engorge, the terror continually unloads, psychologically sending you into ruin, and then things spill into an eerie pocket before guitars liquify. Things get moodier as the growls punish, a mystical feeling comes over everything, and dreary winds and weighty darkness pull you permanently into its vortex.

“For the Glory of Your Redeemer” is very similar to Misotheist’s debut at least in structure, but things definitely have taken a darker turn here. This is a record that doesn’t require a huge commitment from you, and it rewards you with an assault that rarely takes a turn into serenity and keeps pushing your buttons as aggressively as can be. This is dark and hideous and holds within it strange mysteries that’ll take you countless listens to reveal.

For more on the band, go here: https://terraturpossessions.bandcamp.com/album/misotheist

To buy the album, go here: https://van-records.com/Terratur-Possessions_3

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

Black metal wasn’t necessarily created in order to give you something to listen to while you’re outside, but it sure as shit works well that way for the most part. As the genre has expanded its reaches, the amount of atmosphere and nature-worshipping elements has swelled, and luckily there are plenty of good bands from which to choose if that’s your thing.

One band that’s been following that path under many people’s radars is Aylwin, veterans of the sound for nearly a decade, though their California origins don’t really make them a part of the Pacific Northwest contingent who have spearheaded this movement. They have a number of smaller releases under their belt, but they’ve finally birthed their debut full-length offering “The Arch Holder,” a single-track, half-hour expression of sounds that bow at the altar of nature, a force humankind has done a hell of a job trying to burn to a crisp. But the majesty and reverence the band—vocalist Issaiah Vaca, guitarists Brian Hernandez and Daniel Salinas, bassist Brandon Hernandez, drummer Eddie Estrada—pays to their muse rumbles through your central nervous system and pays off an emotional high, bringing new elements to this style of black metal and making sure their prints are forever etched.

“The Arch Holder” is that 30:28-long single track, and it starts with waves crashing and guitars washing in before everything erupts, and the growls begin to wrench. The atmosphere spreads as melody rushes down, and the screams rush and blast into you as the heat and the pace begin to pick up. The playing continues to clobber until things turn serene for a spell as a moody haze floats overhead, with the song flowing a little slower but with no lack of passion. Whenever the thing turns back again, the emotions jar, the cries ring out, and the playing rumbles so hard it feels like it’s going to cave your chest. The shrieks jolt as the song runs into icy water, pushing through until the temperature rises again, and the final blast of power makes you shield your eyes. The playing then trickles cold, dissolves into waves, and the strangeness slowly melts.

Aylwin’s first full-length is one you have to take in one dose, as they don’t allow you to dip into tracks and select beginning and ending points. You’ll be better for it because “The Arch Holder” is a compelling, fascinating journey from front to back and that shows different angles of the band’s musical personalities. It’s a tremendous introduction into many of our lives, and their world-wrenching black metal can leave your body absolutely shaking.   

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

To buy the album, go here: https://pacificthrenodies.bandcamp.com/album/the-arch-holder

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

Humanity is under siege by a virus out of control, potentially a fitting fate for us all considering the way we’ve treated the planet and the way so many people have downplayed an illness that has killed way too many people. That might be out comeuppance, and anyone watching from worlds and planes away might nod their head in approval as the knives are turned on us.

German artist Alexander von Meilenwald, sole creator and force behind The Ruins of Beverast, tackles that concept, though not exactly specifically, on the project’s great new record “The Thule Grimoires,” the sixth album under this banner and first since 2017’s “Exuvia.” It’s always been hard to pinpoint the Beverast sound, though much of it swam violently in black metal and doom waters, but things have expanded even further here. On this seven-track, 69-minute beast, von Meilenwald imagines inhuman forces teaming up with nature to take on humanity run amok, those answering to no one for their transgressions until this battle that could be the final of our kind. So, it’s not exactly documenting a ravaging virus per se, but the idea is similar, so if you’re already feeling uncomfortable, the music might hammer home those points even further. We’re not the heroes here. We’re under attack, and the forces fighting against us are aiming to cleanse the world of a force that has become too destructive.

“Ropes Into Eden” begins strangely as the guitars echo and the drums mash. Harsh growls from von Meilenwald blister as weird basslines wrap around the track like a snake, noise pockets envelope, and a strange sci-fi bend ruptures with a robotic sounding voice seemingly issuing a warning about bringing fire, which spills into goth fog. Things get murkier as von Meilenwald delivers warbled signing before growls wrench and pull the track into a blazing end. “The Tundra Shines” opens as noises aching before the song pumps majestically as chants enrapture, and the growls crush. Strange singing slips in, feeling detached and weird, while the playing continues to pound away and warp your mind. Leads cut through as the playing gets more immersive, the growls scrape, and the track buzzes to its conclusion. “Kromlec’h Knell” begins in a murky haze as the growls spread and the noise prods. Chant-like calls work into a moody guitar glaze with clean singing and glimmering leads teaming up to mesmerize. The playing creeps through mystery as things heat up, creaky singing dissolves into chanting, and the final moments take on a cult-like trance.

“Mammothpolis” enters with weird whispering and heavy murk as a warbling voice keeps clawing away. Morbid winds and disarming guitars tread and punch open as clean singing haunts, and the track melts into dreamy darkness. “Anchoress in Furs” has a female voice calling over top, drawing you onto the shore and into the rocks before the growls scrape away, and gothy heaviness increases its presence. Heavy grime begins to reign as the growls punish, the moodiness increases, and a strange mist makes vision tough as things come to a chilling, surreal end. “Polar Hiss Hysteria” leans in with the bass trudging, riffs taking aim, and muddy wailing leaving your flesh raw and chapped. Weird singing plays games with your psyche, which should be no surprise, and then savagery and atmospherics meet and tear a hole in time and space. Wild shrieks rain down, the music liquifies, and the track bleeds out into strange sounds. “Deserts to Bind and Defeat” is the 14:07 closer that has an unsettling start that makes it feel like restless spirits are in the room, as von Meilenwald calls, “Isolate me from my kind.” Then the track tears open its guts, getting fierce and heavy, punishing until the sounds are swallowed into a space pocket, as drilling guitars cut through. Murky energy begins to spread as the shrieks chew away, and then creaky narration then takes over, with the character feeling like a doomsday preacher. The track has a bizarre, wrenching close that leaves you gasping, wondering if your psyche is damaged for good.

The Ruins of Beverast, a band I once watched in broad daylight outside, continue to get stranger and more expansive, with “The Thule Grimoires,” one of the most inventive and weird records in this project’s history. The spiritual forces at war with humanity on these songs sound like they are being exorcised by von Meilenwald, even as he seems to admit their power and mental savagery. This record is an imaginative serving of darkness, one that keeps the Ruins of Beverast sound evolving and growing more infectious as von Meilenwald’s vision shapes and shifts.  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/The-Ruins-Of-Beverast-116265971848680

To buy the album, go here: https://van-records.com/Preorder_1

For more on the label, go here: https://www.van-records.com/

It feels like it’s been years and years since I was at a live show, when in reality it was only 10 months ago. That still feels like a lifetime based on how many shows I go to per year, and it seems like a part of my life that was so far off, I can’t even remember what that part of reality was like. Luckily for me, the last show I saw before everything shut down was a great one.

Feb. 29, Leap Day no less, it was at Baltimore Soundstage with headliner Cult of Luna, Swedish masters of atmospheric hypnosis who delivered the Apocalyptic performance I expected, not realizing what hell was ahead. Emma Ruth Rundle and Intronaut rounded out the bill, so yeah, couldn’t ask for a better last show. Here we are, less than a year later, and Cult of Luna already have new music for us in the form of “The Raging River” EP, their first for Red Creek Recordings, their own imprint, though Metal Blade (U.S.) and Season of Mist (Europe) will handle distribution. Funny enough, even an EP for Cult of Luna is mightier and more massive than most as these five tracks clock in at about 39 minutes, so it’s not like this is going to feel like an appetizer. The band—vocalist/guitarist Johannes Persson, guitarist/vocalist Fredrik Kihlberg, keyboardist/vocalist Kristian Karlsson, bassist Andreas Johansson, drummer/percussionist Thomas Hedlund, drummer/studio engineer Magnus Lindberg—digs in deep, giving you an immersive, punishing performance that also has one hell of great guest spot.

“Three Bridges” trickles open as the band sets up a weird vibe that feels like strange waves rolling toward you. Then guts are ripped out as Persson’s roars burst, the synth fog gets heavier and thicker, and things chug hard, bruising before the vibe get more atmospheric. The playing keeps flexing its muscles, allowing some shimmery strangeness into the scene before the rage explodes anew. The melody bleeds from there, the band pounds away, and the track ends in a hulking pile. “What I Leave Behind” burns open as a thick bassline slithers through, the vocals bludgeon, and a penetrating synth storm settles overhead. The track heads into murk as the storming gets heavier, cosmic beams head toward the earth, and a final assault rips into your midsection, leaving you convulsing.

“Inside of a Dream” is a sort of bridge track between the first and second half of the EP, and it features Mark Lanegan, easily one of the planet’s greatest singers, taking lead. The playing is reflective and chilling, setting up an elegant gaze for Lanegan to use as a background as he works his way through mystery, stuck in a dream. “I Remember” brings a strong deluge and vocals that register seismically, with the music feeling like waves lapping over you. The music moves like a ghoul, chilling your blood as punchy, dark playing eats away at vulnerable psyches. The momentum builds as the tension begins to boil, the fires are aggravated, and the track bleeds into time. “Wave After Wave” is the 12:22 closer, spilling in and swimming through, with the synth feeling like it’s adding a red haze to the music. The beat pulsates in your chest as Persson’s roars hammer away, and strange guitars make it feel like eternal dusk. The scene is mesmerizing as the keys drip, the emotion builds, and the vocals pile on. Finally, the track begins to slow, the fog gets thicker and impenetrable, and the spirit bleeds out into the ground.

Cult of Luna are one of those rare bands where even their EPs can be considered a full-length based on girth, and we are not complaining one bit about that because “The Raging River” is a beast of an effort here to keep us satiated until the next album. The music is intense, immersive, emotional, and utterly heavy, a testament to the band’s steady output and volcanic musical personality. It was an honor to have them be the last band I saw before the virus exploded, and this EP will keep me dreaming until the next time I can be slain in their presence.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.indiemerch.com/metalbladerecords

Or here: https://red-crk.com/collections/vinyl/products/cult-of-luna-the-raging-river-aside-bside-clear-and-red-new-pressing

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

And here: https://red-crk.com/

There’s a new Asphyx album, and if you’re already a fan of the band, you should be excited. It sounds just like an Asphyx record. There is something to be said for reliability, and for more than three decades now, the Dutch destroyers have been the portrait of consistency, pretty much ensuring listeners they know exactly what they’re getting, and it’s always quality.

“Necroceros” is their 10^th full-length album, their first since 2016’s “Incoming Death,” and they sound as savage and hungry as ever, ripping through 10 tracks in 50 minutes. It’s doomy, it’s deadly, and they very much understand what the Asphyx model is, and it’s always awesome to have a fresh dose of their astonishing power. The band—vocalist Martin van Drunen, guitarist Paul Baayens, bassist Alwin Zuur, drummer Stefan Huskens—unloads from the start, piling on war-torn punishment that thrashes hard and feels vital and dangerous. Not sure when shows will be back, but this stuff is going to sound great live, which is yet another thing to look forward to once this shit ends.

“The Sole Cure Is Death” kicks off the record with punches being thrown, van Drunen’s trademark snarl wrapped all over this thing, and a blistering pace that’ll have you diving for the ice packs. Things slow down momentarily before the intensity is dialed back up, and everything ends maniacally. “Molten Black Earth” burns open as menace stomps the earth, van Drunen’s vocals rip flesh from bone, and hammering riffs stampede. The chorus is simple but effective, and the guitar work sticks to your ribs and then breaks them. “Mount Skull” brings doom chugging hard in the way only Asphyx can do, with raspy growls, trudging fury, and a drubbing pace that eats at your injured muscles. Heaviness and relentless speed suddenly arrive as the soloing goes off and scorches, and the back end burns into a pile of ash. “Knights Templar Stand” charges up as van Drunen’s growls scrape a steady storyline, and catchy riffs add muscle to the proceedings. Power bursts keep things wildly aggressive as the drums penetrate, and heavy blasts bury the song in rubble. “Three Years of Famine” begins pouring liquid doom as the growls pull at your eyes, and infectious riffs line up with the bone-crunching heaviness. The track balances moody playing with gnarly mauling, adding a heavy dose of emotion that digs in deep. Powerful leads pick up, blood runs with force, and the track comes to a huge bursting finish.

“Botox Implosion” rips through you with maniacal cackles and outright demolition that powders bones. Wild howls lead the charge as the band keeps adding fuel to the fire, relentlessly beating you into a strange paste. “In Blazing Oceans” chugs early and then achieves a tempered pace, with the verses going for the throat. The leads are atmospheric while van Drunen’s vocals quake the ground, feeling gruff and catchy before it ends in a pile of rubble. “The Nameless Elite” has brutal riffs and vocals that come for your physical health, as the band tears back into World War II madness that is trusted and true subject matter for them. The track is fluid and violent, creating hellish images in your mind and letting you be front seat for the bloodshed. “Yield or Die” trudges open and picks up a great melody along the way as van Drunen’s monstrous vocals keep firing hammers. If your blood isn’t pumping during this one, you should breathe into a mirror to see if you’re still there, meanwhile the band brings heavy blasts of energy, paying off the bloodshed packed into this song. The title track ends things, a 7:19-long scorcher that starts in eerie shadows, taking on a calculated tempo. The vocals peel flesh as the band mashes hard, steadily pounding away as van Drunen warns, “Resistance is futile!” Guitars stretch their wings, the steam continues to rise, and the track disappears into strange winds.

Not to be overly simplistic, but it’s an Asphyx record, and they always bring quality doom-laced death. For more than three decades now, the band has unleashed hell over and over again, with “Necroceros” another destructive example of how deadly these veterans remain. This record is an absolute crusher, another jolt of Asphyx greatness they have shown for years and years now.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://asphyx.lnk.to/NecrocerosPR

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

Finnish metal has a rich, illustrious life, as there are so many different sounds the land is known for, and all of it is top notch. From abysmal funeral doom to flashy death and black metal (RIP Alexi Laiho) to gut-crushing death metal that feels like it could corrode, uh, metal, there’s a ton of content. There are expectations, right or wrong, when a band comes from these parts, but that’s what success breeds.

For Revulsion, their entrance into most people’s consciousness comes with their self-titled debut record, their first complete album after spending a decade and a half together. Yeah, one certainly could gleam Finnish fingerprints on their music, but the band also works outside those boundaries and makes death metal that is more akin to their personalities than from where they hail. The band—vocalist Aleksi Huhta, guitarists Jari Toppinen and Jarkko Viitasalo, bassist Tuomas Alatalo, and drummer Atte Karppinen—lays out 10 tracks in 37 minutes, giving you a very meaty serving of what they do best and also keeping things economical so that the music goes down that much better. It’s a really rosing debut record that should have any death metal fan salivating over the possibilities.

“Last Echoes of Life” rumbles into being with a wave of death and deeper growls lurching forward. Crunchy mashing goes into filth and bleeding morbidity, splattering and knifing toward a violent end. “Pyre” delivers riff and rampages through the mud, with growls marring and animalistic power bursting from the seams. The music gets nastier and chunkier, bringing everything to a merciless finish. “Walls” smothers as the band lays waste to your psyche, with the growls crushing, and the chorus creaking into your bloodstream. Again, the dirt gathers and clogs your lungs, bringing mauling tendencies to threaten your safety. “Mustaa Hiiltä” is tempered at first as a thick bassline carves a path, with the pace burning ahead of it. The steady pace also works to scorch flesh as the guitars continue to add to the pressure, and your flesh is left stinging. “Lihaan Sidottu Kirja” launches immediately into a death stomp, pulling things apart as they bring destruction. Heat rises as things get heavy and dangerous, as the track comes to a splattering end.

“Wastelands” has riffs looping in before brutal fury sends rock and lava into the air, and a massive assault comes barreling down. Gut-wrenching playing and equally gross growls chew guts while the track ends abruptly. “Unravel” blends guitars into the burgeoning chaos while the growls sludge, and the track gets thornier. The playing gets numbing and humid as the warmth build and hammers in the final nails. “Silence” brings anything but as the playing is savage as the growls unfurl, and the drumming seeks to blast holes into your skull. The playing tears through your guts as the playing is thrashy, menacing, and raw. “Pawns” explodes from the gates, making your body convulse as vicious growls lather up the intensity. The heat is lowered for just a brief respite before everything is fired up again, bringing this quick one to a punishing end. “Viimeinen Rituaali” is your closer, bringing thick riffs, sickening growls, and even a dive toward doomy waters. The melody stretches its wings as the band clobbers you, destroying limbs as the track ends in a scream-filled sound pit.

Revulsion’s debut took about 15 years to get into our hands, but the wait was more than worth it for this slab of death metal that has heavy Finnish traits but isn’t subservient to the past. Everything here feels fresh and vital, even if they aren’t necessarily reinventing the wheel, and this thing legit has zero fat attached to it. This is a grisly, menacing debut album, an excellent first stab at a full-length that leaves you sore in the best possible way.

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

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

Or here (International): https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.de/shop-en_1

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