Time off is a good thing and can lead to recharging the batteries or just getting the desire back to do the very thing you stepped away from for a stretch. In fact, it’s probably a good thing that everyone should do now and again not just to get a breather but to gain some perspective on how to approach said activity and find ways to be even better at what you do.

Before their 2018 album “Evoked From Abysmal Sleep,” the 12^th over record from Runemagick, we haven’t gotten a full-length from them in 11 years. This from a band that was insanely prolific during their early run, twice releasing two records within the same calendar, and putting out four albums between 2002 and 2003 alone. That’s not necessarily something that’s sustainable, and perhaps that’s why the band took a decade-long hiatus. Well, looks like they’re back to their old tricks and their 13^th effort “Into Desolate Realms” is dropping on High Roller Records, and it’s a goddamn monster. The Swedish death/doom maulers also brought on “The Opening of Dead Gates” EP last month as well, so they’re back on their shit as the band—guitarist/vocalist Nicklas “Terror” Rudolfsson, guitarist Jonas Blom (who used to play drums), bassist Emma Rudolfsson, drummer Daniel Moilanen—hammers on this eight-track monster (some versions have the aforementioned EP tacked on) that keeps them humming and burning with an intensity only Runemagick can generate.

“Remnants of the Old” is a quick intro-style cut that sets fires burning, doom bells ringing, and the mood turning dour, heading into the title track that gets riffs moving toward hell. The growls land and lurch while the music boils, and the power continues to grow. The melodies spiral and sicken, wrapping their arms around your throat and squeezing the life from you. Rudolfsson’s Tom Warrior-style grunts bring a jolt of old-world nostalgia while mystical melodies trickle, drums clobber, and the pain spills into “The Opening of Dead Gates” where the growls crawl like a slug. The doom riffs create a thick blood bath that slowly spreads and sends pestilence in a stream, as ominous tones reverberate, and the leads continue “Sorceress Reburned” that starts morbidly as possible. The track takes its time sinking in its claws as a cosmic wash dashes over the guitars, while the soloing plays trick with the mind. Things stomp along while psychedelic warfare is waged, and strange melodies bring things to a mauling finish.

“Decay to Nothing” has guitars ripping out guts, while the music rumbles along, and monstrous growls make their presence known. Slow mauling and bluesy thrashing team up and bloody lips while Rudolfsson pokes, “You are nothing, and your soul will remain in nothing.” Guitars bleed generously while the ample torture increases and feeds into “In the Sign of the Dragon Star” that extends the massive horrors. The music seems to cut into bone before it kicks up and increases the intensity, creating a hellish doom pit before everything ends abruptly. Then the riffs return as soloing takes control, being charred with precision as an eerie finish leaves goosebumps. “Necromancer of the Red Sun” attacks from the gates and powders rock, as cool growls sink in its grip, and the heavy grip is added to the pressure points. Chanted growls and furious playing then spill over like lava and burn a path right toward you. “After the Sepulchral Lava” ends the record with guitars tunneling into hell with scary keys buzzing in your brain. Things gets bizarre and tricky as acoustics wash in, the main levels increase, and noise swallows the track whole to soak in its corrosive belly juices.

It’s clear that decade-long breather served Runemagick brilliantly, as their second life has been fruitful and wholly destructive toward our hearing. “Into Desolate Realms” is a smasher, a record that fans the flames they’ve sparked since their return and keeps them raging with emotional fuel. This is a band with a refilled tank and an agenda to psychologically maim, which they do with great power nearly 30 years after they drew their first droplets of blood.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.hrrshop.de/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.hrrecords.de

Photo by by Susanne Thorgren

We don’t often spill out a ton of blatant success stories around here because then we’d have to delve into corporate speak and jargon and things people don’t actually say in real life. That’s not about to change, but we are going to shower Swedish death warriors Sarcasm with similar praise because their path hasn’t been easy, yet here they are, firing back new music at us.

It was just two years ago that we got super excited for Sarcasm’s thunderous second record “Within the Sphere of Ethereal Minds,” which followed their long-delayed debut “Burial Dimensions,” a record that  was recorded back in 1994, never got as formal release, and finally was pushed out into the world on a 2011 compilation before the actual issuing on its own in 2016. Got all that? Anyway, the band keeps pushing ahead and hits back with their third album “Esoteric Tales of the Unserene,” a decidedly grimmer, rougher, darker record than their 2017 release. “Ethereal Minds” was outright joyous compared to this record, where the shadows have thickened, and the band—vocalist Heval Bozarslan, guitarists Anders Eriksson and Peter Laitinen, bassist Jonas Söder, drummer Alvaro Svanerö—puts more black metal elements into their vicious stew, making this a more muscular but also additionally misery inducing record that could leave bruising.

“Vortex of the Vultures” has a glorious opening with riffs getting lathered up and Bozarslan’s growls punishing, with him howling, “Don’t you ever question our intentions.” The chorus is melodic and rushing while riffs roll through and the whole thing burns out. “Parochial Past Resonates” has speedy guitar work showering the ground while melodies rush, and the growls echo out. The vocals then strike at a spat-out clip as a strong chorus strikes, and things sweep before being turned to dust. “Flesh Was Carved Out From Seven Faces of God” starts with acoustics rousing before leads glimmer and crunchy verses do damage. The vocals sound raspy and raw, while strong soloing chars the senses before the band rounds back to the chorus, complete with cleaner singing and morbid melodies. “Flawless Anomalies” has leads spiraling into the ground, gruff growls, and a numbing chorus that destroys. Things get dizzying and humid before the band unloads another assault before a mangling end.

“Revolution of Consciousness” has keys dripping before the guitars open up and head to the races, as animalistic growls erupt and go for the throat. The track is absolutely drubbing as the chorus is simple but effective, and the playing comes to a guttural ending. “Realm of Shadowless Existence” has guitars bursting and stabbing across the land, also pushing into classic terrain for a bit. The growls rage while the playing crushes, with a gruff, scratchy surface revealed, and a killer solo bringing this to a massive finish. “Celestial Nights” changes things up a bit, starting slower and letting the juices settle. Things are doomier and stickier, with keyboards giving a horror film feel, and thick fog obscuring your vision. Acoustics rise while the mood remains murky, with movie score-style synth strings dropping the curtain. “The Great Calm Embraced” just explodes with drums acting like a killing machine and devastation being spread out. Synth swallows some of the smoke while militaristic drums leave welts, and the track disappears into a strange cloud.

Sarcasm certainly haven’t had the easiest road in bringing their brand of death metal to public consciousness, but what they lost in time they’ve made up for in grit and tenacity. “Esoteric Tales of the Unserene” is a pounding, merciless response to an album that brought them back into the conversation, and it might take some time for it to really sink in (I had to spend a few listens myself). This band withstood the misery of some unfortunate years and used that as fuel to keep their music on edge and still able to shred tendons.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.chaos-records.com/shop/

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

Nothing is guaranteed in life, including the continuation of said existence. It’s not always an easy thing to grasp when we realize our times on Earth are limited, and we watch others around us we love suffer and sometimes enter into the beyond. It’s a constant reminder that at any time, our journeys could come to a sudden conclusion.

Finnish funeral doom monsters Profetus were dwelling on such subject matter when it came to their immersive third record “The Sadness of Time Passing.” Just the name itself should instill in you the misery and sadness locked into these five songs and 65 minutes of sobering playing, but actually taking them on is a completely different thing altogether. The band itself—vocalist/guitarist A. Mäkinen, guitarist/vocalist M. Mäkelä, guitarist M. Saarikoski, organist M. Nieminen, V. Kujansuu—suffered personal loss as well since “…to Open the Passages in Dusk” seven years ago, and that is laid on the line in generous portions on this record. There will be obvious comparisons made to Thergothon and Skepticism, but there’s also some Mournful Congregation frostiness in the mix, giving the best of all morbid worlds as you take on this record.

The 14:34-long title track opens up the record by bleeding slowly as the organs spill all over everything, feeling elegant and sorrowful as it stretches its way. Growls begin to bubble as a gothy melody acts almost as a carrier for the words, which gets inside you and cripples your heart. The feeling is haunting and massive as misery keeps falling and spellbinding, while clean singing adds a new texture. Growls swallow the pain whole as the track goes back to its verse structure, as the pace keeps shifting, and the track pounds until the playing gives way. “Nostalgia” opens with keys swelling and speaking echoing over the playing. The track muscles its way by taking its time, as the growls creak, and echoes splatter the sound. The song crushes in a second assault as the guitars catch fire, and the ground is awash in keyboard lights. The track bleeds painfully while acoustics flush, and the music disappears behind the wall of misery.

“Momentary Burial” attacks with deep shots, letting the music hang in the air as gurgly growls crawl over the verses. Those vocals get guttural and cavernous as the song moves, while the cymbals are bashed in calculated manner, as the riffs smear more salt in your wounds. Organs lurch while the growls cry out, the playing is immersed in sadness, and the track comes to a smothering end. “Northern Crown” quivers as the keys crash through the walls, while the speaking echoes, as the music reverberates in the clouds. The track is eerie and cold, with guest Ana Carolina Ojeda’s voice entering and adding a different strain of color before the bottom drops out to its doom. The drums clash as Ojeda’s voice returns, while the walls topple everywhere before calm trickles in. That mixes into one final blast of fury before the track fades into oblivion. “Tiarnia” closes the record, and at  generous 16:35, it’s the longest track here. Rain falls generously as thunder strikes, as the song emerges from the storm. Dialog mixes with a murky, foggy ambiance, with the band pounding slowly but surely, meeting up with thick keys. Melody manages to poke through the cloud cover, twisting and turning in the mire before there’s another eruption. Growls scrape while the leads bleed and melt, catapulting into mystical soaring as the track disappears in keys.

Our very existences are delicate things, as Profetus do a masterful job conveying their respect for that fragility on “The Sadness of Time Passing.” This isn’t just another Finnish funeral doom band that you should follow simply because of where they trace their roots. This is a band that makes you feel every twist and turn, every sharp point to your heart on this gushing, gloomy beast.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://avantgardemusic.bigcartel.com/

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

Photo by Miki Matsushima

We haven’t dug into the pro wrestling references in a few days, so here goes: Chris Jericho is a dude who is known for changing his character every time he returns from an extended period away. Even at nearly 50, he’s still reshaping himself, which keeps him engaged with his work and gives the fans something to new to get into with every one of his runs.

If there’s a metal Jericho, it’s Japanese trio Boris, who have yet to make a single record that sounds like any of their other ones. They’ve also been insanely prolific over their time together, which is closing in on 30 years, and it’s often difficult to put a number on the amount of records are on their resume. I’ve seen their new album “LφVE & EVφL” called their 24th, but no matter what number it is, it’s another record that keeps you guessing, and it’s one that bears many spots and stripes. First, we haven’t heard Boris this deep back into drone in many years, and while it digs into the atmosphere of albums such as “Amplifier Worship” or “Akuma No Uta,” it doesn’t feel like retread at all. The music is fresh and brimming with lava, making it a really exciting listen. But the band—Takeshi (vocals, bass, guitars), Wata (vocals, guitar, echo), Atsuo (drums, vocals, electronics)—also delves heavily into dreamier territory, showing shades of vulnerability that balance out the quaking chaos elsewhere.

“Away From You” starts the record, and it’s a gazey, melting ballad that starts to trickle slowly before heading into dreamland. Breathy, softer singing emerges, spilling over the chorus, with the title repeated to work its way into your brain. Clouds then burst, letting the energy shower the ground, as the calls of, “I’ll never return,” wash out in a trance. “Coma” is the first heavy dose of drone, pulling you back into their formative days yet through a modern wormhole. Spacey rumbling ramps up, with the noise feeling thick enough to block out the sun, and then a storm begins brewing in your mind. The track works its way into the murk before slowly disintegrating. “EVOL” is the longest cut here, running 16:29 and letting light emerge and unleash a drone fog. The drumming kicks in, giving the song a tribal feel before the first heavy punches are landed, and then a sense of calm sinks in along with softer singing. Leads then catch fire and burst as the soloing flexes its muscles, as the intensity keeps pouring. Strange leads and melodies and rawer singing combine, while the noise is amplified, and strange noises end up spiraling into the unknown.

“Uzume” has drone cutting through bone, crushing and pulsating, creating stress in your muscles. The playing chews up ground as fuzz and volume combine, and the music streams into your central nervous system. Subtle riffs inject power and energy, leaving things off abruptly, with you wondering what hit you. “Love” has burly riffs stomping away with metallic wave of chrome washing up and leaving splinters along the shore. Stoner-style guitar work arrives, as the vocals swim in chaos, and suddenly everything feels utterly fucked up. Psychedelic smashing and slurry singing then walk into a wall of static guitars that bring about the song’s destruction. “In the Pain(t)” is a shorter cut that quivers and is reflective, floating along and merging with outdoorsy noises, leading to finale “Shadow of Skull” that unfurls its drone monster tentacles. Weird growls mix with singing, paving the way for primal noises, with the music slowly boiling in its juices. The emotion builds as things crash down around everything, howls and screams explode, and it feels like the center of demonic possession. That caused the pillars of the Earth to break into rocks and dust, hammering the ground below and bringing everything to a fiery end.

Boris’ chameleon act has lasted nearly three decades now, and that’s not about to stop, with “LφVE & EVφL” as the only evidence you need to prove that fact. While this record surely will make long-time drone heads who pined for their earlier days as happy as they’ve been in a while, it also has current flourishes and other nuances they’ve picked up along the way. The mighty Boris punish the land all over again, an all-reformed beast that’s still one of the mightiest and mercilessly loud bands alive.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://thirdmanstore.com

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

Photo by Carter Murdoch

It’s easy to feel awful all the time because things are pretty much that way. All the time. How can anyone maintain a sense of positivity constantly unless that person is just completely disassociated from reality altogether? Now that I think about that, that’s actually not a terrible idea.

With that in mind, unfurling “Disgorged From Psychotic Depths,” the debut from Pacific Northwest-based death-doom crushers Mortiferum, is dropping like a ton of bricks, right into our miserable laps. Following two demo recordings, the band delivers a six-track, nearly 37-minute record that shoves your face into the dirt and soot, barely allowing you a chance to get fresh breath. Their playing is warped and violent, and there is a heaviness both from a volume standpoint and from its psychological impact, that it’s sometimes overwhelming to handle. The band—guitarist/vocalist Max Bowman, guitarist Chase Slaker, bassist Tony Wolf, and drummer/vocalist Alex Mody—really doesn’t seem very concerned with your comfort anyway, as they’re hellbent on bringing poisonous elements from the depth of their guts.

“Archaic Vision of Despair” starts with morbid slow churning before the track begins dealing blows, and the riffs pile the fuck up. The growls rush to the center as the guitars sludge through, with the drums following behind as they crash through the echo. Riffs slither along the wall like a ghoul, while the leads light up and slice through the doomy underbelly, on their way to a slurry finish. “Inhuman Effigy” blisters from the start, as vicious growls penetrate, the leads tangle you in their web, and the drums pulverize. Violent fury is at every turn, while the growls crawl in their own filth, and the track comes to a fire-breathing end. “Putrid Ascension” is gloomy and mired in death, while the growls painfully stretch their wings, and thick riffs pound holes in walls. The track’s agenda is clear as it continues to go for the throat, while the growls boil in blood, and some atmosphere arrives to give a bit of a breather. Funeral winds then begin to blow as mournful guitars saturate the ground, and the spirit is driven away.

“Funereal Hallucinations” has super thick growls, a trudging pace, and a feel of violence and lack of mercy. Shifty riffs show up and strike, while the track takes its time disassembling you and doing psychological damage. Soloing opens up and delivers a pretty cool ambiance, even infusing the room with oxygen, while the roars devastate, and the pace picks up. This leads to your guts being stomped in as the track fades into dirt. “Interlude (Anamnesis)” has acoustic flushes and a classic metal feel, while noise warps and leads right into closer “Faceless Apparition” that unleashes a monstrous doom storm. The leads light the way while slowly delivered menace arrives, as the growls strike, and the track reveals in morbid death. Hulking growls erupt as the guitars splatter all over the place, with speed arriving to break shit apart. The riffs then swagger and land blows, the growls rumble, and the track comes to a bone-destroying ending.

Mortiferum crawl out of the shadows and into the horror of doom-based death metal circles with their blades sharpened and ready to strike. Their debut “Disgorged From Psychotic Depths” is a fine first step, a nicely portioned record that shows what they can do but doesn’t drub you past your breaking point. This is a morbid new entry into extreme metal’s overflowing world, but it’s clear from this record they have what it takes the dominate the field and demand our attention with violence.

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

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

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

There are a lot of bands out there promising you their record is vile, nasty, disgusting, a true walk into death. And many of them tell the truth. Others like to talk the talk, but when it comes down to tackling their records, they’re heavy and all, but you don’t feel like they actually mean it. You wonder if they’d even be able to stare the chaos they boast in the face.

Then there’s Portland-based doom/death scoundrels Sempiternal Dusk who never would steer you wrong and prove that over and over again on their massive new record “Cenotaph of Defectuous Creation.” Five years since the making of their self-titled debut, this band is back to demonstrate that morbidity runs in their veins, and they’re not about to pull back on the horrors just so you can walk away in one piece. On this six-cut, nearly 37-minute beating, the band—vocalist/drummer TC and guitarists JH and VB—continually slam your skull into the ground and slowly rub your face in a combo of your own blood and mud, making you feel the infection in each scrape. This is not an easy listen, as you’re meant to suffer, but that’s what you should want. The band delivers in spades, making every ounce of this thing hurt like hell.

“Caverns of Aural Decay” starts the record as a brief lead-in track built with cavernous noise, simmering keys, and eerie rumbling that makes its way toward 10:20-long beast “Excavated Filth From Dimensional Incarnations,” where the ground crumbling continues. The playing is morbid and furious at first before it settles into its torturous slow-mauling pace that bloodies the entire record. Furious pounding and miserable growls from TC set in as the carnage is laid out before you and spread generously. The beating continues as the leads work their way into the fire, opening a cavern to murk. The growls increase their hold while the drums cave in everything left standing, and the track comes to a muddy finish. “Orgiastic Feast Upon Martyred Flesh” is doomy and ugly when it arrives and begins defacing your psyche. Smudgy playing backs up hissing growls, while the band utterly clobbers you. Guitars smear soot all over your face and into your mouth, while the grime increases as the song goes on. You’re dragged into hell for your punishment while the death growls boil, only to be given brief solace by the acoustics that end the track and let you fade into unconsciousness.

“Beneath the Emblems of Death” is a quick jolt at 1:11, but it’s hardly an interlude. The 71 seconds of complete death annihilation is crushing and violent, pouring buckets of blood. “Refracted Suffering Through the Windows of Hell” sounds like the sentence I just wrote, but it’s a slow mauler, as the cymbals are assaulted, and creepy growls move into your vision. From there, it’s total war as the bass lines thicken and wrap around your throat, the track explodes and sends shards of glass, and things rest in a pile of ash. “Spears of Pestilence” ends the record, and at 10:46, it’s the beefiest thing on here. The music bleeds in from another dimension, slithering in after you, crushing bones and muscle. You practically can feel the growls rumbling in your chest, exacting psychological damage before the pace switches, and we’re into thrashing combine blades. The track lays waste to whatever lies in its way, as the growls swim through the filth, the leads glimmer briefly in the dark, and the music drowns in buckets of its own blood and guts.

Sempiternal Dusk’s five-year pause between full-lengths led to a massive amount of anticipation for “Cenotaph of Defectuous Creation,” and this beast absolutely pays off all of that excitement. It’s truly a journey into sickness and depravity the way so many other bands claim to deliver but only do so superficially. Here, you’re dragged into the chain pit and beaten within an inch of your miserable life.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store/

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

I’ve probably talked way too much about the idea of bands changing and the fact that it’s OK to do so. I’ve likely opened 50 stories saying that, but it’s a theme that keeps coming back with artists as they grow further into the careers and their artistic ambitions get more defined. No, it doesn’t always work, but having that freedom also can result in adventurous works we wouldn’t have otherwise.

French black metal extraterrestrials Blut Aus Nord have been defying convention and expectations for years now. They’ve been one of the leaders in helping their chosen sub-genre grow past knuckle-dragging violence into worlds we’ve not even thought of exploring yet. On their new, 13^th record “Hallucinogen,” their minds expand again into strangeness and mental and physical exploration with seven new tracks that are unlike anything the band has created before. It’ll be clear that it’s Blut Aus Nord, as their guitar phrasing and creative DNA are a definitive part of this. But it’s also evident they have advanced yet again from where they were on past recordings, even 2017’s “Deus Salutis Meae,” to a plane even more bizarre for the band—guitarist/vocalist Vindsval, bassist GhÖst, electronic/keyboard master WD Feld, drummer Thorns—where I’m not even sure they’re a part of us anymore. They’ve become different beings, and that band photo might be more realistic than we know.

“Nomos Nebuleam” kicks off this spiraling record that often feels like new regenerations of itself, but don’t take that to mean repetitive. It just sounds of a similar alien body that keeps sending more warped transmissions. Here, the sounds rush in as cool melodies surface and begin a stormfront, followed by a ghostly haze that swallows the detached vocals and deliver them like a dream message. It’s easy to fall into hypnosis as calm arrives, thawing your cells, and disappearing into the void. “Nebeleste” is a manic, twisted fury right off the bat, as black metal entanglement arrives, and vocals not of this world deliver the message. A reflective haze is filtered through strange fluids while colors explode out of that, with the growls buried under its pressure. From there, the leads churn, ending everything in a total assault. “Sybelius” has riffs spreading as the drumming crumbles, while melodies squeeze through a wormhole. Vocals are bellowed and strike the chest, while we’re off to the stratosphere, with the trip interrupted by a changing guitar line. The back end is filled out by echoed drums and chant-like vocals calling.

“Anthosmos” is a frosty giant as it arrives, but then it trickles warmly as guitars rain down, and the vocals penetrate the surface like icy spikes. Thunderous fury is later undercut by solace and cleaner melodies, which gives off some brightness. They keep blinding as the drums push through, bringing everything to an elegant, glowing conclusion. “Mahagma” has utterly glorious lead guitars pushing through the clouds as the ground quakes, and pastoral chants swim up your spine. Later on, the playing is downright euphoric, making your brain chemicals skip a beat, while more chants haunt, and final crunch gives way to a never-ending trance. “Haallucinählia” punches open before strange barks jar you awake, and the guitars gut and swim through the spilling innards. The track feels ghoulish in spots but also jarringly violent before slipping into a strange fog that is a tunnel for the track’s fiery ending once it re-awakens. “Cosma Procyiris” ends the journey by soaring through ether, trudging into view, and then easing for a stretch. Then, a numbing assault arrives, pushing your body all around, blasting past the stars and into strange passageways never before explored. The pace then chugs again, spewing rock and dust, bringing about a dose of mystical chaos before the track comes to a smearing, abrupt end.

Blut Aus Nord’s journey never goes where you expect it to, and the music on “Hallucinogen” is a product of species operating above our understanding. Even after 25 years together, where you’d think they’d exhausted their creative energies, they prove that their tank is limitless, and there are plenty more corners of the universe for them to inhabit. The fact this record is so stimulating and spellbinding hints that perhaps this is just the first step toward an insanely dark beyond.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/band/blut-aus-nord

Or here (International): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/32-blut-aus-nord-shop

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

Last weekend, my hometown was inundated by a slew of great and varied doom metal bands with the third annual Descendants of Crom festival. This is the ideal time of the year for the dark and gloomy stuff anyway, and this music always sounds best when the temperatures drop, and the darkness creeps even further into our days. Never mind it’ll be 90 here next week

On that note, Riff Merchant and Fuzzy Cracklins Presents have teamed up for a split pairing two massive European doom bands that perhaps have flown under a bunch of people’s radars to this point, though this seven-track monster should help alleviate some of this (albeit the album is a limited run of 150). On this release, you’ll find three tracks from Nordic trio Magmakammer and four cuts from Italian mashers Sangue that work really well together but don’t really sound much like each other, which gives a huge smoke cloud of variety. The Magmakammer songs come from their psyche-tinged May EP “Bloody Diamond,” and these work really well as spooky, super-charged blasts that might remind some of the eerie Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. Sangue’s contributions come from their April self-titled full-length, and the band plays with sounds that sometimes feel like they’d originate from the American southwest, all the while burying you in devastating power and strong clean singing that makes them mysterious.

Magmakammer (with friend)

“With Devilish Lust” starts with eerie synth and a storm brewing before ominous guitars set in and chew up the terrain. Fuzzy high vocals give off that Uncle Acid vibe, while the cool, alluring chorus has Ulrik Jacobsen wailing, “They’re calling for you now.” Chilling. The solo then bubbles and smokes before fading off into the fog. “Bloody Diamond” has riffs trudging and breaking through rock as punchy melodies and fuzzed-out singing chew at your flesh. The chorus is another rouser, while the soloing has a vintage finish that burns through your senses. The back end is sweltering and fun, coming to a fiery crash of an ending. “Acid Delusions” brings the mood down on purpose and into the shadows with acoustics haunting and shakers numbing, as Jacobsen warns, “Run for your life and save your soul.” The track remains in the dark, picking up echo and going over “time after time, lies after lies” as the track fades into oblivion.

Sangre

“Mharles Canson” kicks off Sangue’s section, and it is a bluesy, rumbling, heavy instrumental that features random clips of … you guess it … A.C. Cowlings. Just kidding. It’s Charles Manson. That groove slices in, ending with Manson’s weird boast of, “I don’t need to kill anyone.” “Monday Song” is murky and jolting with howled singing and scorching leads that leave burn marks behind. The flames keep rising, choking you out, filling your lungs, as a stop-start assault leads to a jerking finish. “In the Cave” is the longest track, running a healthy 11:03 as the bass slides and plods into the system before the menace is unleashed in full. The track melts into desert echo, as calls of, “We come in peace and war,” prod with heavily accented voice, which sounds super cool. The track continues to bend and split through danger, bursting and splattering fluids and later pounding with authority. The soloing catches on and spreads its heat as the song goes out into the sunset. “Hell You” ends the Sangue selection by entering with a cool gait, mixing bluesy and lava-based guitars before the bottom drops and destroys. A killer, energetic chorus adds more power, raspy vocals leave their marks, and the track ends in a pile of cinders and ash.

I’ve said many times that I love a split recording that can expose people to new artists, and truth be told, I didn’t know a lot about either band until Riff Merchant sent this my way. Both Magmakammer and Sangue are powerful entities that have a similar doom core but branch out in different directions, which makes each side of this a wondrous discovery. It’s also cool to have two new dark entities in my sphere of influence as I dig deeper into their past works and look forward to their futures.

For more on Magakammer, go here: https://www.facebook.com/magmakammer

For more on Sangue, go here: https://www.facebook.com/sangue03/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.riffmerchant.com/product/magmakammer-vs-sangue-split

It’s strange to say this since it’s still warm outside (at least where I am) and the leaves haven’t yet started their two-week decay in mid-November once summer actually ends, but we’re in the last gasp of major metal releases for 2019, and where the fuck has this year gone? But time is ticking away, and those last records we’ve been anticipating with pins and needles finally are sliding into our inbox.

One of those is “Deserted,” the heavily anticipated new platter of death from Gatecreeper, a band whose stock has skyrocketed in the past couple years (hey there, Decibel magazine cover boys). That’s with good reason, as their second album pays off huge on the promise shown on their debut record “Sonoran Deprivation,” and if a disgusting stew of Florida death and Swedish grit is what you desire, get ready to dine until your buttons burst. This Arizona-based crew obviously put their own imprint on the thing, and they also slather enough melody and fun that this album might even be a crossover release for those who have wanted to test more extreme waters but haven’t found the right vessel. This just may be it as the band—vocalist Chase H. Mason, guitarists Nate Garrett and Jack Maniacky, bassist Sean Mears, drummer Metal Matt (his given name)—delivers the goods that should keep their audience excited but make way for new folks who want to be decimated.

The title cut kicks off the record by pounding away, setting the stage for the carnage ahead as things burn, and Mason’s grisly growls kick their way through the gates. The pace is super strong, punchy, and guttural at times, as melody buzzes, and the soloing dominates to the finish. “Puncture Wounds” has nasty guitars and powerful riffs, which this record has in massive amounts. Growls scrape the ground as the leads intertwine, leading to a fire-breathing ending. “From the Ashes” is mashing with a steady pace as gravelly growls set in, and the guitars burn brightly over the top. Things rise from piles of flesh later as punches are thrown and landed, and the last moments are devastating. “Everlasting” is sinewy and muscular as it starts with deep growls and drums laying waste. Wild shrieks detonate as double-kick drums make the ground shake, adding to the thick humidity before it fades into the mist.

“Barbaric Pleasures” has the guitars making deep cuts in flesh before punishing growls join up with killer guitar work that fucks with your head. The track is a little shorter but no less effective, as it makes the most of its time and does ample damage. “Sweltering Madness” is thrashy with a doomy underbelly, as the roars makes your guts boil. The pace plays with you a bit but always goes back to breaking your bones, as the final minutes create deep muscle bruising and continually make you question your sanity. “Boiled Over” has a calculated pace to begin, as snarled growls push in, with Mason wailing, “The sky is boiling over!” I can imagine it must feel that way in the Arizona desert sometimes. Things get more heated from there as the guitars become buzz saws, sinking in their teeth as the growls join them for a few final blasts to the face. “In Chains” delivers meaty riffs that dine on speed and continue to add vicious grit the entire way. The band creates a spiraling aura of hell, as the guitar work begins to melt faces, spilling over the sides and congealing with a slight doom soup. “Absence of Light” ends the album by taking its time to set up, but once it does, the bottom drops out, and nothing but muck comes to the surface. Fluid leads again reach out while Mason’s growls deface, and a barrage of start-stop mauling and searing leads leave charred tracks on the ground on which is just raced.

There’s really good reason why “Deserted” is one of this year’s most anticipated record in any sub-genre of metal, and Gatecreeper certain answered the bell on this massive second offering. This is strong stuff the entire way through, a consistently giving listen that’ll leave you looking like you tangled with miles of barbed wire, at least mentally. In a world where we have an embarrassing riches of really good death metal, we all just got a lot wealthier with Gatecreeper’s second serving of grime.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://store.relapse.com/b/gatecreeper

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

Photo by by Orion Landau

It’s almost time to watch slasher films again. OK, let me clarify that. It’s always time to watch slasher films, but it’s also almost time to watch them fashionably again since the Halloween and decay are lurking. My one tree in the backyard has almost shed all of its leaves, and as I write this, it’s still the dying days of summer. Let the blood flow.

Timed just perfectly, long-running death-grind miscreants Exhumed have pulled their body out of the sticky goo with their new full-length “Horror,” which could not have been titled better. The cover looks like an old B-movie cover (the ones I salivated over in old video stores when I was a kid … and yes, there’s a limited edition VHS version of this record because obviously there is), and the panic and violence over these 15 tracks and 26 minutes is soaked with plasma and a total mindfuck to take on in any state of mind. This, their eighth record (I’m not counting the 2015 “Gore Metal” re-recording in that number), finds them sounding as savage and monstrous as ever as the band—guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey, bassist/vocalist Ross Sewage, bassist Sebastian Phillips, drummer Mike Hamilton—remains bluntly to the point and savagely efficient, as these tracks blast by before you can get a grip. You can tell how fast the record is just by looking at my notes that seem hastily and very haphazardly written. It’s that tough to keep up with these ghouls.

“Unsound” opens with a smashing fury as the spat-out vocals and grunts deal damage, the leads go off, and their brand of mangling death grind grabs you by the throat and lets you bathe in their bloodshed. “Ravenous Cadavers” is thrashy and massive, with shouts of, “Kill! Kill! Kill!” over the chorus, and the guitar work grinding meat. “Scream Out in Fright” thrashes and establishes a vicious pace as the screams devastate and the death growls churn. The frightening hammering mauls ferociously before the fire is extinguished suddenly. “The Red Death” smothers and wails away as the playing chews at veins, and a punishing chorus leaves plenty of welting. The track is also pretty catchy while it’s killing, with yells of, “No escaping! No delaying!” before everything is ground into the dirt. “Utter Mutilation of Your Corpse” is seven seconds long, like a beefier version of “You Suffer,” and then it’s on to “Slaughter Maniac” and its nasty guitar work and bruising devastation. The world crumbles as speed and panic launches, blending out into a noise cloud that shoves into “Ripping Death.” The drums murder while the vocals trade off lines, as things get vicious and relentless. The chorus is raging fire, ending with a killer shout of “Ripping fucking death!” for good measure.

“Clawing” is thunderous and just pounds away at you, while the guitars go off and give a good scorching, and vile shouts and gurgles mix together to create nausea. “Naked, Screaming and Covered In Blood” is blasting and totally rapid firing, with the guitars bleeding, the title shouted over the chorus, and gut-ripping screams ending the fury. “Playing With Fear” trudges before everything comes unglued. The drums turn bones to dust as pure death metal hell is unleashed, and the chorus leans on your sore body that’s already suffered enough. “Dead Meat” is a 34-second monster with growls and shrieks combining, and the simple chorus pelting over and over. “Rabid” crunches from the start, with molten soloing erupting and smoking carnage being created. The growls cause added chaos as the tempo slams bodies, with the track coming to a neck-jerking end. “In the Mouth of Hell” has morbid riffs and playing that smashes your senses to bits, followed by deep, lurching growls that sound sickening and blaring soloing that concludes the track is a disgusting manner. “Shattered Sanity” speeds from the gates as the guitar work tangles your brain, double-kick drums destroy, and then the plasma flows into closer “Re-Animated” that nails the gas pedal to the floor. The vocals are spattered like blood while the pace pelts, and the track ends in a flood of violence.

Decay is in the air, the days are getting morbid, and it’s again time to wash yourself in the guts of other victims, at least while it’s seasonally appropriate to do so. In that case, Exhumed’s “Horror” is arriving at the right time, when you might walk away feeling a little less depraved having enjoyed this filth so thoroughly. Actually, Exhumed’s music is truly for any season; it just feels nastier and more sinister doing so when we’re celebrating violence of all kinds again.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://relapse.com/exhumed-horror/

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