The haunting season remains a good while away (I see all you people counting down to Halloween every day!), but that doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in some horrific tales and music that would please the red man downstairs with the pointed tail. Be it terrifying tales or anthems to evil, anytime is a good time to revel in the madness, no matter the season outside the door.

Which brings us to tried-and-true sludge death crushers Ilsa, who have been doing their thing for a decade now and still are burying our faces in the dirt to this day. They’re back with their fifth album “Corpse Fortress,” their first for Relapse, and it’s another dose of filth and outright destruction. The DC-based killers come at you with nine tracks that spill over nearly 48 minutes, and they fit right along with earlier work such as what was packed onto “The Felon’s Claw” and “Tutti Il Colori del Buio.” The band—vocalist Orion, guitarists Tim and Brendan, bassist Sharad, and drummer Joshy—mixes muddy fury with a penchant for grinding, ugly death metal, making for a formula that’s perfect for telling their horrific tales and spreading their bloody madness all over your psyche.

“Hikikomori,” Japanese for being pulled inward or being confined, rips out of the gates with the drums kicking up, sludgy power shaking its hips, and the band settling into mauling, bruising death. Orion’s vocals belt you in the chest, while slurry soloing mesmerizes, savagely dealt chaos bubbles, and the track bleeds into noise. “Nasty, Brutish” is aptly named, as a doomy groove is set free, and ferocity blasts at you, with Orion warning, “Say your prayers, prepare to die!” Soloing goes off, as the track gasps its last breath. “Cosmos Antinomos” rumbles, with monstrous growls from Orion, devastating playing, and a pace that’s heavy, yet grinding your face in the mud. Black melodies are unleashed, while the track chugs ahead and ends in animalistic violence. “Prosector” is wild, as Orion wails bloody hell, sludgy riffs bruise eyes, and doomy lumbering comes your way with no hint of mercy, as this ends heavily as fuck. “Old Maid” is a change of pace, with the punishment going off as KC Oden’s harsh vocals enter the mix, sending shrieks down your spine. The track is catchy but incendiary, with both Orion and Oden’s vocals twisting and strangling.

“Long Lost Friend” starts with a voice running down an epic list of sins before a smudgy swirl lets loose, and the band enters into open assault. The cries for Satan are hungry and bloody, while warm guitars add some light, and the doom hammers later drop and maim. “Ruckenfigur” has a doomy stomp, with vocals piercing your flesh, and grisly playing opening up old and new wounds. A gravelly sung chorus gets the adrenaline flowing, while a brief pull back sets the stage for a thrashy attack and the final blasts for good measure. “Polly Vaughn” surely is the most twisted, deprived version of the old traditional Irish folk song, with these guys hammering at its corpse and warping its original form into a new nightmare. The song never was a happy one, and these guys make sure you feel every ounce of misery. Closer “Drums of the Dark Gods” has guitars droning and sounds boiling, letting its massive cloud drag for about four minutes before the band pulverizes you with power and horror, with Orion wailing, “Torture unrelenting”! The noise fog only spreads, thickening and poising, coating your lungs as you heave for clean air.

Ilsa’s decade-long run covering us in disgusting sludge and horror-filled devastation is well known by those following their bloody path, and “Corpse Fortress” should give their hungry audience exactly what they need. Bloody tales and satanic madness are delivered in full, and their arrival at Relapse should expose them to even more people. This band has delivered consistently vile, punishing metal over their time together, and there’s no reason to think they’ll ruin out of content anytime soon.

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

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

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

There’s no reason to wax poetic today about an album that simply exists to make your hearing that much worse, your psyche that much more fringed. Sometimes I get tired of trying to pin a record to a particular theme or life event, so today we have something that just turns on the demolition switch and watches you get caught in the gears.

The union of political thrashers Iron Reagan and death merchants Gatecreeper is an intriguing idea, one that combines two of the more heralded underground acts of the past few years, both housed under the Relapse umbrella. Their new split release brings eight tracks barreling toward you in a nice, concise package that doesn’t take long to absorb but still leaves you properly damaged. It’s a nice collection not only because the content is strong but also because these two bands really could not be more different in sound and approach. Iron Reagan’s thrash-infested madness has crushed us for the past six years now, with three full-lengths in tow, including last year’s killer “Crossover Ministry.” As for Gatecreeper, they’ve been at their furious approach to death metal only a year shorter than their split mates, and their massive debut record “Sonoran Deprivation” has been out for a couple years now, so we should be due for a longer platter from them. It’s a nice mix, and it keeps it interesting.

Iron Reagan’s helping kicks off with “Warning” that has a spirited open, with Tony Foresta’s vocals practically spat out, with him later, grimly, figuring, “We’re going to die,” as he and the band get on violently about what might happen if people sit on their asses waiting for change. “Paper Shredder” gleefully takes aim at governmental cover-ups, with the band gang shouting “shred!” while the song goes much in the way of a classic Exodus jam. “Take the Fall” is heavy as fuck, with the band trying cut away at the ultimate truth behind the lies we’re told, with Foresta declaring, “Exposure to truth exposes all!” “Proudly Unaccountable” is a blast that speeds by in less than a minute, with the guitars slicing limbs, the vocals crushing, and the drums leaving things in dust. Their last salvo is “Burn for This,” a track that erupts and destroys, with Foresta warning, “No one gets out alive!” It’s thashy and bloody and ends on a razor-sharp burst of soloing.

Gatecreeper get started with “Daybreak (Intro),” an instrumental piece that unloads slowly grinding misery and horrifying intentions, as the guitars bleed and drain into the mouth of “Dead Inside” that immediately gets bones crunching. Grisly growls are unleashed, while the guitars light up and cause a blinding glare, and the back-end thrashes heavily. The track gets uglier, yet more melodic as it stretches on, before things come to a neck-breaking, abrupt finish. “War Has Begun” caps off their offerings, as guitars cut through like a freshly sharpened scythe, and then the pace is ripped apart. The tempo is furious and mean, as gut-wrenching hell explodes, and the leads begins to tangle dangerously. Guttural growls and smothering guitars well up and threaten, while the song hammers for a final time before things are laid to rest.

This split combining Iron Reagan and Gatecreeper is a concise, blistering, fun release that gives you a good taste of what each band brings to the table. The combo of political thrash and punishing death metal might not seem a match, but these bands’ music actually sounds pretty good together, perhaps paving the way for a future tour as mates. If nothing else, we have this package that aims to beat the shit out of you and leave you a heaving heap.

For more on Iron Reagan, go here: https://www.facebook.com/IRONREAGAN

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

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

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

How much madness is too much? At what point does one’s psyche collapse under the pressure and render itself incapable of moving ahead any further and only can deal with the very end of things? On that same note, how does one accurately portray that frame of crumbling mind in music in a way where you not only hear but feel the utter destruction?

Before even reading a word of the bio information accompanying “Alterity,” the panic-inducing fourth record from grind smashers Knelt Rote, it felt like this was a collection of music that isn’t for every listener, no matter how harsh one’s tastes might be. This is an album that pushes things over the edge, from the sound to the delivery to the unmistakable darkness that greets you at its gates. After poring over the information about this record, it wasn’t a surprise to learn some of the themes are social dissolution, identity (the album title hints at this), mental illness, obsession, and non-physical suicide. The album and its seven songs feel like one’s mind being shredded slowly, as the blood and pain are allowed to drip in long, sticky tributaries that are testaments to one’s breakdown. The band—guitarist/vocalist Gordon Ashworth, bassist/guitarist Lucas Danner, and drummer Elias Bloch—already are a deadly force live, but they’ve taken their agony and punishment to a new level. A person I’m friendly with on social media described this record as being something the world is not really to handle, and I can’t put it any better myself. That’s a warning.

“Lachesis” starts the record, and right away, there are signs of great trouble. Noise envelopes everything and threatens to derail the record before it begins, but then the assault unloads, with the vocals punishing, and some black metal-style melodies arriving. The track is a total fucking massacre, pushing your blood to the forefront, leading toward “Lineage and Dependence,” where guitars well like a town-ending flood. The pace smashes, while the vocal savagery mashes nerves, but then a weird swagger arrives and changes the tone. The pace melts, while uncomfortable whispers pelt, and wild howls smash you to bits. “Rumination” has a purely death metal start, as grisly fury and a barbarian-style assault are unleashed. The riffs clobber, while Ashworth’s growls devastate, and things come to an abrupt, smothering end.

“Genetic Memory” is a bulldozer, as the growls feel like they’re trying to devour the earth, and speed and ugliness spread. Blood and guts are spilled all over, and then it’s into “Othering,” where drums burst, and ferocious power is dealt. The growls roar, while violence erupts across the land, and then it’s into chunky mauling and pure pit fighting. “Salience” has drums pounding away, as slow-driving filth pushes your face into the dirt. Cavernous growls erupt and signal trouble, while chaos bleeds through the wall and splits heads. Monstrous growls send shrapnel flying, while sounds emerge and drown out everything. Closer “Black Triptych” spills venom with a vengeance, as growls swarm like millions of wasp nests, and the soloing goes off. The vocals are packed with a fury, as the murderous power and intense mental trauma finally subside.

Knelt Rote’s fury and abysmal chaos in their heads are on full display with “Alterity,” easily the most painful and punishing of their four records. It’s been six long years since we last heard from the band, and it’s clear in the time since “Trespass” that things have only grown darker and more dangerous. This is a record to approach with caution, especially if you identify with the themes, because you only can walk away a more broken, shattered person.

For more on the band (um, sort of), go here: https://www.facebook.com/Knelt-Rote-442289149130881/

To buy the album (vinyl not available until May), go here: https://shop.nwnprod.com/

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

The homelands of many of the metal bands that tend to populate this site probably can be broken down to a handful of regions, simply because that’s where most of this stuff tends to come from. But when we get something from somewhere a little unexpected, I’ll be honest, we try to move them up in the queue.

It’s not like Israel is some unheard-of land or anything, but we don’t get a ton of metal from there. Melechesh, Orphaned Land, and Hammercult certainly have done ample damage over the years, but it’s not a place from which we commonly get new music. Another band trying to etch their name in Israeli metal lore is death/black duo Ziggurat, who have been making noise for three years now and finally are getting a little more exposure. Their “Ritual Miasma” debut EP was issued last year on cassette by ultra-reliable, always-interesting Caligari Records, and now Blood Harvest is releasing this five-track, 20-minute slab of power on CD and vinyl. The collection is a charmingly lo-fi affair from these two—guitarist/vocalist Mørk, bassist/guitarist Tohu—who serve notice that they have the goods to stick around a long time in this place if they keep making music as raucous as this.

The title cut starts the record, an intro-style track that dumps noise, ominous tones, and eerie ambiance, leading right into “Summoning the Giant Serpent” that heats up right away but sits more in a tempered pace. Growls bubble as strange melodies make you all dizzy, and then the thing turns more destructive. The vocals gurgle mud, while the song takes on a classic Behemoth feel as it crushes to the very end. “Blind Faith” has melodies entangling and growls scorching. The melodies are humid, as the storm picks up steam and soaks the ground. Black metal-style melodies interject themselves, as the underneath is deceptively melodic and catchy. Riffs rush back in, and the track has a blistering finish.

“דיבוק” is named after a destructive, possessing spirit, so when melodies are caught up in and devoured by the chaos, you shouldn’t be surprised. The playing punches, while the growls scar the flesh, and the leads spiral into oblivion. The track proceeds to drub you, as doom horns sit behind the madness, sounding like they’re delivering Armageddon, and the song then exposes its surprisingly proggy underbelly. The track then is driven into ash, as shrieks penetrate the surface, and the ending hammers bones. Closing instrumental “Death Rites Transcendence” is thrashy right away, with the drums pulverizing, glorious riffs lighting fires, and doomy muck choking off breath. The pace begins to cause hypnosis, while the leads surge, and terrifying noise stretches and drags the cut to its death.

Ziggurat pretty much are newcomers altogether, but their “Ritual Miasma” EP feels like it comes from a band more seasoned than that. There is ample ugliness, bloodshed, and fire-breathing riffs to keep you overstuffed, and it hints at that the band has enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. A full-length record (which is imminent) from the band truly will tell the tale, and we’re pretty excited to hear what they can do with a longer format.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/zigguratband666

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.bloodharvest.se/?product=ziggurat-ritual-miasma-mcd-digi-blood-harvest

For more on the label, go here: http://www.bloodharvest.se/

Photo by Rennie Elliot

You don’t need words for stories and emotions to wash over you mind. Music doesn’t need a traditional narrative to provide a pathway to discovery or enlightenment or deepening the dark feelings that have rooted into your chest. Music only needs the right ambiance to be transformative or conducive to taking a journey, words to guide you be damned.

Dual-coasted Insect Ark have been wordless from the start. Originally a project helmed by New York’s guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dana Schechter, the project has grown over the years in sound and scope, and the band that also includes Oregon drummer Ashley Spungin (Taurus, Purple Rhinestone Eagle), who joined in 2015, returns with a new full-length “Marrow Hymns.” This nine-track collection can transport you far away from here if you let their psychedelic-rich, space-embracing music capture your imagination. The band keyed in on isolation, loss, and displacement, as both members experienced tumultuous times leading up to this record, and the result is a stunning collection that can be as cathartic for you as it was for the duo to create. At times, I get so immersed in what’s happening on “Marrow Hymns” that I forget where I am and what I’m doing. The music often feels like it’s soundtracking a dream from my past—perhaps recent, maybe a product of long-discarded childhood slumbers—and brings that imagery ever so viscerally into the forefront.

“Thelema” opens the door, letting you begin your exploration, as they allow noise to build and swirl into “Arp 9,” where Schechter’s pedal steel laps up the waves. The moody atmosphere haunts, letting Spungin’s drumming rattle against your head and a slow, foggy ambiance spread across the room. The track picks up speed, with the tempo sliding, and the track swirling to its end. “In the Nest” unleashes steely slide guitar, with Western darkness settling over everything. The track feels like it’s drinking in the dusk colors, as is slithers into the shadows, moaning and swelling before fading. “Skin Walker” brings a more ominous presence to the record, with a burlier pace flexing and guitars churning blood. Cosmic synth brings chilling winds, while the end crushes your psyche. “Slow Ray” is the second-longest song, clocking in at 7:13, with the bass slinking, the drums punching, and the song reflecting like there are blood streaks lining the sun. Doom shadows drop, as the song slows down, and noise drone penetrates. The tempo later kicks back in, as the guitars quiver and spread over its final moments.

“Sea Harps” lets guitars flutter, as a haunting atmosphere settles in, and the pedal steel stings your senses. The music keeps making your skin burn, your head swell, and you heaving for the wall as the music retreats. “Tarnish” has sounds building and attacking, slow-simmering darkness unfolding, and the music feeling like it’s simmering in a hot night. That slips into the final moments, which feels like a spirit drifting in and out of your mind. “Windless” is the longest song, an 8:38 journey that starts with synth floating and pedal steel guitar sending chills down your spine. The easiness and torment tangle for the next few minutes, with Spungin’s drums rattling and piercing the surface. At about 6 minutes in, the tempo shifts and is pulled forward. The melodies feel like they wander over ghost towns, bringing you along with them to absorb the desolation. The final cut “Daath” is built on mostly noises and electronics, with the darkened vibe reverberating and the bulk feeling like a robotic storm. The sound assault keeps marching toward the unknown, with the track setting off for the depths of oblivion.

If you feel like you’ve entered a dark void while tackling “Marrow Hymns,” you’re not alone. The amount of time I’ve indulged in Insect Ark’s new record at night, while staring at dark blank walls or the sky are only multiplying, and each trip brings new discoveries. Words are nice, sure, but when you transcend the need to have to speak or sing, you’ve entered a ghostly existence, where Insect Ark wait to greet you.

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

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

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

Being an American is a strange proposition right now. There are a lot of people walking around with major gaps in their memories, or they skipped their history classes altogether, and have no grasp on how this nation was formed. But it’s also not really a new problem. We’ve had our heads in the sand for a long time about many issues, and sadly, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to end.

That takes us right into “American Scrap,” the debut record from Chicago’s Huntsmen, and one of the more unique records you’re going to hear from this genre the entire year. I know that sounds funny saying this in February. But there aren’t many bands like this one, and it’s possible this is going to be a record some listeners could reject outright simply for the sound. That would be a mistake. What this band does is takes traditional Americana music and combines it with earth quaking doom metal about as seamlessly as one could hope. This might reek of gimmick (metal’s been known to have a few of those bands…) but it really is natural and organic in presentation. It’s also incredibly well played and sung, and it’s as moving emotionally as it is sonically destructive. Here, songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Chris Kang tackles the conflicting idea of America being the land of opportunity for all, built on the backs of immigrants, as it long has been celebrated, and the current state of nationalism that is making those from other nations feel unwelcome and unsafe. Kang, along with bandmates Kirill Orlov (guitars), Marc Stranger-Najjar (bass), and Ray Knipe (drums) created a conceptual piece that examines the confusion and hurt so many feel here, along with the potential world-toppling outcomes that could follow if we continue down this path.

“Bury Me Deep” is a quick opening track, as deep acoustic strumming and harmonized singing introduces the story and bleeds into “Pyre,” where the song begins rustically before the pace picks up. The singing is strong, as it is throughout the record, as Kang declares, “Tell your god he don’t get my soul yet,” and then the whole thing is blown apart. Shrieks mix in with spirited yelled singing, while a Southern rock-style swagger emerges, smoke rises, and the track ends with vicious shouts and a devastating pace. “Canary King” begins with soulful singing only, as Kang calls, “Give me dust, give me death.” The track then gets grittier, as a burly path is pounded out, and a classic rock groove emerges. Growls land shots, as the tempo pounds away, and the opening lines of the song return, this time with the vocals devastating and bruising. Warm soloing washes over the back end, giving the song a psychedelic shine on its way out. “Interlude Part 1 – Shipwrecked” has sea birds cawing, a cosmic rush, and a droning pattern shoving ahead and into the second half.

“Atlantic City” has gazey chaos emerging at the start, as quiet, solemn singing reminisces about romance at the beach before everything went wrong. “Watch where you’re walking, there’s blood in the sand,” Kang warns, as the track kicks into a proggier gear, the soloing bursts and sprawls, and the track comes to a churning end. “Interlude B – Insurrection” is quite short, with drums rumbling and guitars moaning, and then we’re into “The Barrens,” where guitars rings and riffs scrape. Howled vocals are followed by barked words, and following that is a dose of calm, harmonized singing before the tempo crunches again. The playing over the final minutes is outright burly, as the track heads into a cloud of feedback. “The Last President” caps off the story, with guest singer Aimee Bueno taking the role of the title character, telling of giving her final televised address before euthanizing her family and hanging herself prior to Armageddon arriving. Fuzzy doom carries the thread from there, with the guitar work burning and stoking raging smoke bursts, the playing gushing with emotion, and the tale bleeding away.

Being a fan of Americana music, folk, and, of course, metal, Huntsmen’s concept intrigued me from the outset, but the music contained within “American Scrap” really brought everything home for me as a listener. The lyrical content is heavy and sad, and while you don’t necessarily have to pay attention to the concept to enjoy the record, it really helps add depth to the music. This is a band that’s onto something special, and this record could be the first step in one of metal’s most intriguing stories the next few years.

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

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

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

Depression and darkness are sons of bitches. I kind of know a thing about that, what with the medicine and various therapy sessions I have been through. Luckily, we now live in an age where people (the ones who matter) don’t ostracize those struggling with mental illness and actually understand that some people have a brain that can’t process chemicals the same way as others.

When tackling “For a Black Tomorrow,” the debut record from Deathwhite, it’s hard not to feel your very worst when hearing these songs. The band, whose members remain shrouded in mystery and claim their home ground as my hometown of Pittsburgh (even if I, nor anyone I know in the scene have ever heard of them, and I don’t mean that critically) bring about memories of classic Paradise Lost and Katatonia, as well as 40 Watt Sunn and, of course, Warning, and battling through these songs means being OK with confronting that which hurts you inside. This could help you come to grips and realize this music hits a little too close to home. The album is being released in wider number by Season of Mist, though the music has been available independently since last March.

“The Grace of the Dark” opens the record with a driving riff and the line, “Isolation is bearing down on me,” as the gothy doom unfurls its wings. The singing is deep and pained, especially when revealing words such as, “Into the dark, I will be freed,” as the torment drains away. “Contrition” chugs as strong leads take over and the singing soars. The chorus drives the song, as the music takes on an emotional, jagged edge, while the song thrashes away. “Poisoned” begins with acoustics before the main riff kicks in, and then things return to rustic over the chorus. The singing soaks in gothic waters while the chorus brings crunch, the guitars swell, and the song dissolves in delicacy. “Just Remember” is crunchy as hell, as the words, “Your vanity will only serve to haunt you,” drives in its dagger. The track is moody and dark, the leads burn up, and the song ends in gloomy fog.

“Eden” has a clean start, as grim singing and mid-tempo balladry is launched. Strong soloing belts out for the sky, and the song bleeds away and sets the stage for “Dreaming the Inverse.” The beginning of the song is spindly and hypnotic, with the call of, “Keep calling your name, looking for purpose,” feels pointed. The guitars crush and sink into deep waters, leaving the mood feeling depressed and defeated. “Death and the Master” is the longest song, clocking in at 6:26 and starting clean and mesmerizing. The singing is more forceful here, as the gasp of, “Falling forever without fail,” feels cold. The soloing is spacious and later kind of proggy, while the tempo is torn apart later with the final shot of, “Time is yours to burn!” “Prison of Thought” is swarming and punchy, as power and acoustics entangle, and the focus turns to being trapped in one’s thoughts. “This is my prison, it’s where I will remain,” pays off that essence, and after a dose of quiet, the playing rages into a storm as the song comes to an end. The title cut ends the record with guitars churning and deep vocals, with the lure of, “Breathe in the dark.” The chorus is powerful, as the song lands some final shots, finally fading into the thick black night.

Deathwhite’s first record pushes and hurts and bleeds, and if you’re OK with displaying your vulnerability, “For a Black Tomorrow” could be the ideal passenger for your travels. This is heavy both mentally and physically, and its gothic undertones only help to elevate the blackness. This band revels in your and their doom, and the music they make should help you feel better about embracing your own darkness and sadness.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

Or here (International): https://shop.season-of-mist.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.season-of-mist.com/

It takes a ton of effort to change one’s life, especially if demons and personal hardships are standing in the way of transformation. It infuriates me when people write off those struggling with addiction because it’s a self-made issue. It is, and it isn’t, and what is wrong with showing compassion for someone whose life and struggles you really don’t understand?

Much of that is at the heart of “Misery Rites,” the new record from Canadian grind destroyers Wake, who created this conceptual piece about a person working through issues such as depression and addiction and bringing about a metaphorical death by trying to stamp out these matters. But in the end, the cycle just repeats itself, and even after all of the toil, the person is back at square one. It’s easy to understand how that could be frustrating as fuck, and that anger spews forth from the nine songs that band created for this album, their first since 2016’s “Sowing the Seeds Toward a Worthless Tomorrow,” itself not exactly a pick-me-up of a name. Here, the band finds a new home at Translation Loss, a fitting place for them, and the members—vocalist Kyle Ball, guitarists Rob LaChance and Arjun Gill, and drummer Josh Bueckert—deliver fury and punishment befitting the record’s theme and messages.

“Exhumation” begins the record as noise spills, guitars cut through the pain, and we get into slow sludging and menacing growls. “The cycle starts again!” Ball wails, as the track hits the mud pits, and then we’re into the title cut that tears off the bandage in one swift motion. The track demolishes with savage punishment, while the vocals lurch, the song smothers, and Ball howls about “endless suffering.” Duly noted. “Embers” packs a huge punch, as the pace is fiery and fast, and the bulk of this thing is outright blistering. Later on, even the vocals soak in the mud, and the track ends in a disorienting wave of noise. “Rot” splatters everywhere, while the vocals gurgle and strike, and then deep growls blacken the blood that has already pooled. Things continue to be volatile, as the track ends on a punchy note. “Paradigm Lost” is violent as hell and absolutely destructive. The track grinds you severely, while noise hangs in the air, roars tear things apart, and we end in death metal-style hell.

“Exile” also tears open, as the track pounds bones, and the vocals lacerate your veins. A metallic stomp causes a dust up, but then things are pulled back as the tempo burns away. That doesn’t last long as we’re back to a dizzying pace that gives way to a monstrous end. “Rumination” simmers in gory death, as the vocals are shrieky as hell, but then Ball segues into a deathy, gory delivery. The band continues to smear you into the cinders before things end abruptly. “Bitter Winter” grinds away, while the vocals get ugly and mean, and the playing slowly batters. The band keeps driving away, bleeding out and heading right into 7:38-long album closer “Burial Ground” that opens spaciously before the death sprawl begins firing. The growls gurgle acid, and even when calms arrives and spreads blue skies, it’s not long until we’re back into sludging heaviness and swelling noise. The band finds new ways to mash your senses before a noise glaze arrives, and the record ends in a pit of fire.

Wake’s music remains volatile and sharp, and “Misery Rites” is a bludgeoning fist to the face, bringing you back to reality to face your own matters. These songs are massive and heavy as all hell, the perfect gateway into self-examination and, in some cases, self-loathing. It’s not a pretty picture they paint, but that’s just as we expect from them, and Wake never disappoint.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://translationlossrecords.bigcartel.com/

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

Death metal’s always good for an ample dose of brutality and horror, but not every band packs their music with misery. That misery can be depressive or morbid, and if woven properly into the mix, it can make for death metal that’s weightier and more devastating, laying waste to your body and psyche.

Spanish death unit Ataraxy have both bone-crushing violence and mournful tones in their music, making what they do even darker than some of the bands that have their minds situated in horror and bloodshed. On their tremendous second record “Where All Hopes Fades,” the band—vocalist/guitarist Javi, guitarist Santi, bassist Edu, and drummer Viejo—unveils six tracks spread over 45 minutes that drop a dark curtain over you and bring down your mood while you’re being bludgeoned. Following up their 2012 debut record “Revelations of the Ethereal,” Ataraxy should be able to extend their reach with Dark Descent behind them, and this record is one that will allow you to drink in the darkness and have you taking this psychologically horrifying trip along with them.

“The Absurdity of a Whole Cosmos” is a slow, eerie instrumental opening track that bleeds deliberately and keeps welling up liquid before flowing into “Matter Lost in Time.” This 10:49-long track drubs slowly at the start, with Javi’s growls sounding otherworldly, as the amalgamation of doom and death picks up speed. The band begins crushing with a callousness, with the music feeling like it originated in a fever dream and made its way into reality. The music plods, as the melody lines entangle everything before things speed up and resume smothering. The growls rip at the skin, while the guitars are dizzying and mournful, pouring the final blackness as things rumble to a close. “One Last Certainty” unloads from the start, with harsh wails and lurching growls joining forces and stunning, and smeary death metal leaving black streaks. A dose of slowness is dealt before the pace erupts, punishing bones and grinding closed.

“As Uembras d’o Hibierno” is murky and stormy, taking its time to unfurl and march into the throes of harshness. Mauling growls meet up with doom horns, pushing deeper into the destructive madness. Dark riffs well up and collect ash, while the raspy growls and funereal ambiance give the back end of it a pounding precision and remains rampaging until the track slows into a mournful tempo. The guitars chug, while Javi delivers a chilling monologue drowning in echoes, as the track ends at the frozen gates of death. Closer “The Blackness of Eternal Night” is the longest song, stretching over 12:50 and starting with icy guitars dripping. The fog rises as the growls strangle, and then we trudge mercilessly into scarred emotions and gruff growls that blister your flesh. A black metal touch is splashed on the guitars, as they cut through the sinew and lead to a gut-wrenching battery. From there, a slow, weary pace takes over, with weird guitars streaking blood, and the track fading out into a mysterious noise pocket.

Ataraxy’s mix of gloomy doom and sepulchral death is cloudy and misery-inducing, making “Where All Hope Fades” a place where desolation and madness are the primary tenants. The music is captivating and swirling, punishing and dizzying, making it one of the first landmark death metal records of young 2018. These guys haven’t lost sight that death metal should bring coldness and pain, and they deliver both in ample supply on their devastating second record.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/ATARAXY-281047751876/

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

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

It’s a pretty unsettling experience to put on a record and immediately get the sense that things are not good. I don’t mean with the band, although certainly that situation exists from time to time as well. No, I mean with the subject matter the band is approaching and the way the songs are carrying out a message that what surrounds you might just be toxic.

Seattle-based hardcore unit Fucked and Bound give that sense of dread and misery on their debut full-length “Suffrage.” Featuring members of notable bands such as He Whose Ox Is Gored (their keyboard player/vocalist Lisa Mungo is out front here, and is she ever a goddamn force), Witch Ripper, and Cascabel, the band launches 13 songs that are over in about 23 minutes, and along the way, the group addresses, according to their own description, nihilism, feminism, and the woes that make one wonder what it takes to make a good living. That’s a lot of heady stuff there, much of it could bring you down if you’re facing the same matters, yet the way the band sets fire to everything is galvanizing. This music fights back, spits blood and piss in oppressors’ faces, and promises a beating to anyone who dares stand in their way and bring about more frustration. This is one seething warning.

“Wild Thing” rips the lid off this record, a 33-second barnburner that smothers with animalistic cries from Mungo and speedy hardcore, and then it’s onto “Get Inside” that keeps the boulder rolling out of control down the hill. The riffs crush, the vocals are raspy and forceful, and then it’s right into “Dead Bop” that is rapid, with the words spat out. The track has a deep punk melody, but it’s also violent as hell, and Mungo bites off some lines from Nirvana’s “Negative Creep” to bring the song to a scathing end. “Terror” is fast and grimy, as one might expect from the title alone, and the muscular melodies and filthy carnage barrel into “0FUXX” and its shouted, volatile vocals. The chorus is simple but blistering, and a molten solo washes over the back end, leaving it in ash. “My Love” has a punk blast and a maniacal pace, with the band demolishing everything, and Mungo bringing equal amounts of danger, wailing, “You’re stuck with me!”

“Party Void” is meaty and menacing, with the vocals churning and torturing, and the song melting into a sludgy pit. “Locked” starts with boot steps crunching before the drums kick in and deliver a groove, the riffs dive, and the playing goes off, bringing this instrumental cut to a fiery finish. “Creeps on the Street” is annoyed and sneering, but considering the irritating subject matter, it’ll make total sense. “I see you looking around!” Mungo pokes, as the band backs her with vitriol and sharpened claws. “#GTFO” has a burly metallic riff, with the vocals making things even more explosive, with Mungo howling, “Get the fuck out of here!” “Punishers on Deck” brings back the punk taste of some of the stuff that preceded it, while the riffing brings with it damaging intent, and the vocals blast you in the chest, rendering you a heaving disaster. “Parasite Lost” has Mungo wailing, “You’re losing it, I’m losing you!” while the band wraps her words in fist-filled fury that hammers to the end. Closer “Abuse of Registry” is the longest cut by far at 4:19, and it starts with mud-thick bass and slow-driving playing that drops doom into the scene. The track is even darker than what came before it, as the playing takes on more metal aspects, Mungo’s voice slices to the bone, and the song bleeds out in a cloud of sound.

Be careful Googling Fucked and Bound, by the way, as you might stumble onto sites you didn’t intend to visit. Or maybe you did plan to go there. I’m not judging. As for the band, finding your way to them results in a vicious, fire-breathing assault that unloads on oppressive and damaging ideas and seeks to dissolve them with acid. This record is a great rallying cry, especially with what’s going on in American society, and is the perfect “fuck off” to those who wish to stand in the way of change.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://atomicactionrecords.bigcartel.com/product/aa-78-fucked-bound-suffrage

For more on the label, go here: http://atomicaxrecs.blogspot.com/