It’s never not intimidating to look into the night sky, see the ocean of stars (that is when the haze of pollution isn’t obscuring such majesty), and wonder about the history that unfurled as that light made its way to be visible on our earth. It’s easy to feel microscopic as a result, our own existence paling in comparison, our life cycles over in a blink of the void’s eye.

Colorado-based doom dreamers Oryx also stand in front of that chasm of space and contemplate life, death, and what’s in between on their engulfing new record “Primordial Sky.” This is the band’s fifth album and one of their most realized, playing atmospheric doom over four mammoth tracks and 41 minutes that easily ignite every cell in your body. While the music is heavy and devastating, there is catharsis buried into each corner as the band—vocalist/guitarist/synth player Thomas Davis, bassist Joshua Kauffman, drummer Abigail Davis—does musical and mental contemplation, stretching beyond this world and into the stars, appreciating the majesty and might of what lies beyond and within ourselves.

The title track opens amid sounds burning in the atmosphere, doomy fire unleashed as the growls rumble through the earth, at times trading off with shredding shrieks. Haze thickens and hangs overhead as the tones darken, letting the barometric pressure strengthen as leads char before everything blooms in full again. An emotional surge pushes forward, gushing with heartfelt fire, the howls crushing as burly waves encompass everything. “Myopic” is engulfed in total blackness, and then the low end comes to life, shaking your guts, the growls smoking as grim reality takes control. The pace pummels and leaves bones aching, and then an acoustic passage washes over, adding a respite before the shrieks drive anew, every element unloading in full. The power floods as the battering spills blood downward, guitars glowing before turning into embers. 

“Ephemeral” opens delicately, softer guitars creating a pathway, and then the heaviness clogs veins, growls retching as the remaining sunlight is strangled, dirty, yet fluid melodies bubbling to the surface. The drums then hit even harder, a gutting pace laying waste, screams coming unglued and torching prone flesh. The corrosion doubles as a bruising beating is served, screams rippling before a vicious end. “Look Upon the Earth” is the closer, opening in deep space before the crunch hits terrestrial terrain, punches landing even as stardust continues to fall from the sky. The guitars thrust and accelerate the heat, sizzling through a thrashy wasteland, battering chaos seeking willing victims. The tempo explodes, spitting magma as the guitars dazzle, moving into a penetrating fog, slowly squeezing through wormholes and back into space.

As we make our way through life’s journey, contemplating where we stand and what impact we make to the universe is only natural, and “Primordial Sky” is the musical equivalent of that venture. Oryx make efficient use of their time, and even amid the longform doom template, they never waste a moment and make everything feel impactful. This is the most intense step on their journey so far, and spending time with this record can provide both a physical shakeup and a psychological mind storm all within the same dynamic experience. 

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

To buy the album, go here: https://translationloss.com/collections/oryx

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

There are those who believe the current time in which we all live is merely a single line in many layers of existence that occur on numerous planes and throughout the universe. Who’s to say they’re wrong? We’re connected to so many realities on just this level, and our dreams and déjà vu moments have to come from somewhere, right? Are there more versions of us somewhere else with whom we’re wired?

If Dødheimsgard exists alongside of us here on earth, Doedsmaghird would be their twin on another timeline, creating strange, avant-garde black metal informed by electronics. Except, both bands live alongside us, as Doedsmaghird contains two members of Dødheimsgard—vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez, guitarist Camille Giradeau—and this project’s debut record “Omniverse Consciousness” explores similar cosmic corners but goes at it a little differently. This duo delves more into their main band’s past, more of what they created around the turn of the century, and what we hear on this nine-track record brings some industrial nostalgia with a daring rocket into the future.

“Heart of Hell” begins spaciously, sound exhaust wafting as synth bubbles and the growls curdle. The intensity continues to build as beats crackle and howls pile up, the weirdness getting chaotic as it swims through electro pulses. New Wavey warmth boils as sounds rattle, wordless calls chilling to the bone. “Sparker Inn Apne Dorer” is manic, speak-sing words leaving shatter marks, chants dashing as the playing blisters. Unsettling yelps meet with warbling samples, the punishing playing becoming a greater factor, spacey grains disappearing into a vacuum. “Then, to Darkness Return” attacks with black metal fury, folding into the psychosis, the vocals mangling veins. The words then strangle, commanding and marching as this brief track ends suddenly. “Endless Distance” meanders purposely through clouds, punching its way out as thick singing sets layers, the synth jarring before settling in black breezes. Howls wrench as the ugliness melts into the shadows, the playing stirring as jazzy keys cool before a burst of heats melts metal and brings a beastly end. “Endeavour” is an alluring interlude built with glistening and frosty keys, liturgical vocals, building a perfect entrance into the second half.

“Death of Time” explodes, smoke choking as the music stirs, howls leading the violent drive. Keys lap as the mists thicken, the singing icing the blood in your veins. Things gets kind of zany, sounds looping through animalistic growls, spiraling playing, and a whirling end. “Min Tid Er Omme” is trippy and punchy, keys zapping past the stars, driving through alien pulses you can feel in your organs. The playing burns harder and more savagely, keys reflecting surrounding lights, the mechanical arms twisting and warping steel, bouncy notes disappearing behind the moon. “Adrift Into Collapse” blazes right away, beats shattering, the playing storming as the growls crumble. The pace gets faster as the atmosphere turns hypnotic, going into a tornadic push that meets with warping screams and melodies doubling over. Synth strings add regality as a cinematic sound scape sends everything into closer “Requiem Transiens,” a quick outro with thick keys, fluttering singing, and bizarre winds causing freezing permanence.

On a record that plays with cosmic mysteries and parallel existences, Doedsmaghird feels like the spiritual version of current Dødheimsgard, bringing more of the electronic madness back to the forefront. “Omniverse Consciousness” is an ambitious, pulsating record that puts more industrial and mechanical bits back into black metal in a heavier dose. It might take some time for it to sink in its hooks, but once that happens, this record becomes a starting point for exploring the strangest ideas in your mind.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://usa-peaceville.myshopify.com/collections/doedsmaghird

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

We try to avoid hyperbole when we can, but it’s hard to do that sometimes as a writer who’s trying to describe music you likely haven’t heard yet, at least not in full. There are a lot of really good records that come out each week, and we try to get to all the ones we liked. But you get a really special one only now and again. A world-altering record is something I can remember a handful or so times the last decade, and today is one of those.

Yes, there’s a lot of hype and anticipation any time cosmic death metal band Blood Incantation does anything, and for good reason. The arrival of their third full-length album “Absolute Elsewhere” brings with it nervous anticipation of what exactly this thing would be. Last time we heard from the band—vocalist/guitarist Paul Riedl, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky, fretless bassist Jeff Barrett, drummer Isaac Faulk—it was “Timewave Zero,” their ambient EP that wasn’t really a surprise but definitely led some to wonder where death metal stood in their universe. Turns out it’s still right in the fucking center, though there are plenty of passages that prove “Zero” wasn’t a lark, as they expertly combine the two worlds and create the most magnificent thing in their catalog. This is a record that, once it’s available to you, should be appointment listening, preferably in the black of night, on headphone or turntable (or both) so you can disappear into this landmark moment.

“The Stargate” is the opening track, running 20:20 and spread over three tablets. The first opens in a whir, a propulsive rush that tears apart and mangles its way to the stars. The playing is vicious and channeled, simmering into a synth haze that feels like it transports you five decades into the past, a heavy Floyd-esque excursion that is a tenet that returns often. “All life is temporary unless its consciousness,” Riedl howls, the leads smearing slow-falling ash that washes into the second tablet that simmers in the great beyond. It feels like oranges and purples are sinking into your psyche, shadowy sequences dashing past places undiscovered by humans, the playing picking up and getting more metallic. Guitars melt steel, crushing through a synth tidal wave, wrecking into the third tablet that stabs and illuminates. The battery spreads as glorious leads beam, voices warble, and the drumming decimates, a Middle Easten vibe tingling brain wrinkles. Trancey clean singing changes the temperature, howls returning to wrench muscles, the guitars catching fire and spiraling into a sound warp, dissolving into a black hole.

“The Message” runs 23:23, also divided into a triad of tablets, entering with catchy guitar work that feels strangely inviting. The fluidity multiplies as the playing grows more forceful, howls battering as a beastly explosion pulls at eyes. The tempo hulks, the leads diving and shimmering, raging into the second portion where sci-fi keys envelop like a sea of galactic matter. Clean singing again adds a different texture, and a welcome one, Weidel calling, “Can’t you hear them? The voices calling your name?” as it feels like the alien grandson of “Dark Side of the Moon.” The keys continue to ice the trails, the vocals continuing a smooth pathway, hypnotic visions taking over your dreams as you head into final third of this piece that rampages and destroys at dawn. Guitars crush as death howls turn maniacal, later evening out, singing that borders on folk easing fears, mellotron flutes breezing through your hair. The serenity is short lived as brutality returns and pummels to the point of decay, spilling through sieves of extraterrestrial keys, a slow fade beginning to take hold, the sounds hovering like a quiet storm as thunder melts into the clouds.

“Absolute Elsewhere” arrives amid a galaxy of expectations as Blood Incantation have become the flag bearers of the cosmic death metal movement, and they could not have been more up to the task of building onto their modern legend. It’s the best heavy metal record, from a pure artistic standpoint, that I’ve heard all year and one of the most impactful and soon-to-be-influential creations in the past decade. It’s an album that takes you into the deepest regions of the galaxy and into your own mind as you stretch beyond recognition what you thought was possible with heavy music.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://centurymedia.store/collections/blood-incantation

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

From what I understand, there are people who don’t wake up filled with existential dread, just waiting for the world to melt into an ash pit. Those have to be the people so consumed with their own wealth that they don’t care because doing so is bad for their earnings. Fuck those people forever, and our backs are against the wall because of these blood suckers.

Oklahoma City-based bruisers Chat Pile already have made a name for themselves for their down-tuned, sludgy sound, and on their second record “Cool World” (yes, it shares a name with the 1992 film starring human shit pile Brad Pitt), they add more filth and grit to the mix on these 10 tracks. You won’t be surprised to learn things have not gotten rosier since their great debut “God’s Country,” and here the band—vocalist Raygun Busch, guitarist Luther Manhole, bassist Stin, drummer Cap’n Ron—digs into the increasing nightmare that has enveloped this country and the world from our environment actively sold for parts and fascist assholes being a little too horny for power. It’s horror that we’ve seen before our eyes, the band violently reminding us that the dark skies are permanent, and trying to find silver linings is a fool’s mission.

“I Am Dog Now” bathes in synth, and then things turn chunky and blunt, Busch wailing the title over and over before yelling, “And you see nothing!” Guitars stab as your brain spins in its skull case, Busch pushing back, “Remember, everyone bleeds.” “Shame” has a grungy feel, something that is a sort of musical theme on this record, Busch’s talk singing jabbing like a pencil point. Suddenly, growls gurgle, later turning into numbing singing, a darker tempo forming and clobbering, scathing weirdness ending in static interference. “Frownland” has the bass driving aggressively, guitars chilling as the howls mangle and bring you to your knees. Things turn unhinged, the playing clubbing and numbing, tingling and battering, letting you bleed out. “Funny Man” bruises, and the guitars gets warped though remain strangely melodic, Busch wailing, “Outside there’s no mercy.” Riffs snake as the playing digs into a filthy, low-tuned drubbing, the title repeated maniacally as the jolts bury you in a pool of your own saliva. “Camcorder” is punchy and guttural, making you feel the rhythmic gusts in your belly, sober speak-singing building the plot. “I can feel it all,” Busch repeats, a steamy and calculated tempo rupturing, unraveling into a thick mist.

“Tape” bathes in clean guitars before howls and dreary singing mix, an overcast feeling creating unease. “It was the worst I ever saw,” Busch continues to warble, making the panic rise into your throat. Guitars cut through as the vocals slur and then combust, carving away at flesh before melting down. “The New World” dawns in a disarming haze, and then the playing gets speedy, the vocals spitting out rusty nails, zany guitar lines bringing further disorientation. The pace then clobbers as the band thrashes with reckless abandon, vicious screams ripple, and the final moments are crazed yet channeled. “Masc” starts with the drums spattering, more grungy energy creating electrical burns, Busch howling, “I trust and bleed.” The playing gets murkier and then clobbering, Busch continuing to repeat the previous mantra like a mad man, the band mashing digits to the end. “Milk of Human Kindness” slinks in, trickling and slowly pooling, the singing easing you into the picture, and you’re forgiven if you don’t trust the path. Troubling wails scathe, the bass plods with gravitational pressure, and then screams rip, the guitars liquifying and draining. Closer “No Way Out” has the bass thumping, unhinged cries loosening joints, the guitars glazing and blurring eyes. “Feed them lies!” Busch demands before warning, “No escape,” as the playing gets both spacious and thorny, leaving mouths cemented shut.

One thing has not changed from Chat Pile’s eye-awakening last record: The world is fucked, likely permanently, and why mince words and create a positivity that has no chance to exist? “Cool World” is a nice tongue-in-cheek, fuck-off title, and musically they both build on the volatility of their previous work and also add smoother edges and misleading approachability that doesn’t exactly disguise their disgust and despondency. We can’t put a fresh coat of paint over our reality, we can’t clean up the mess, and the more we watch our world devolve, the further the bile pushes up into our throats.    

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

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/chat-pile

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

There are evenings when, after dabbling in very, very legal adult substances, I like to lie in bed with headphones, stare into a strange outer space theme on YouTube, and listen to music that aims to transport me to another plane of existence. It’s a way to branch mentally and discover portions of my mind that often lie dormant, exposing long-forgotten memories and future desires.

In those situations, it’s only natural to turn toward Oranssi Pazuzu, the Finnish experimental black metal band that barely fits into the subgenre designation assigned to them. Every album, it feels like a new form of the band and the artists involved—vocalist/guitarist Juho “Jun-His” Vanhanen, guitarist Niko “Ikon” Lehdontie, bassist/vocalist Toni “Ontto” Hietamäki, keyboardist/percussionist/vocalist Ville “Evil” Leppilahti, drummer Jarkko “Korjak” Salo—bubbles to the surface, and it seems like they assembled their masterful sixth record “Muuntautuja” (translates to shapeshifter, which is a perfect title for these songs and this unit) from galactic materials mere mortals could not handle without life-altering effects. This collection of tracks veers deeper toward electronics, bathing you in digital chaos, threading in krautrock and black metal to make for one immersive adventure beyond.

“Bioalkemisti” dawns amid electronic pulses that threaten to flood, a haze spreading as  Vanhanen’s howls become intertwined with psychological impulses. The pace gets more aggressive as the keys blend, the shrieks tearing from crevices, a strange aura filling your senses and solidifying into ice. “Muuntautuja” opens with keys chewing away, alien vocal effects making strange waves, a psychedelic melting making it feel like brains are leaking from eyes. Howls open and stretch their jaws, teasing as the keys plink like ice pellets, the sounds stretching and warping, cold dreams taking over your consciousness. “Voitelu” is burly and like an extraterrestrial signal, pounding away while remaining thought provoking, a fiery gust striking and making the earth move. The playing builds a labyrinth, deep warbling plays tricks with your mind, and sounds clash in the open, creating a sonic panic that corrodes and disappears in ash.

“Hautatuuli” whirs as the drums pace, breezy keys make your hair shuffle, and whispers surround and push messaging through your mind. The playing gets meatier as howls begin to spit acid, and then darkness unfolds, consuming every last speck of light. “Valotus” opens in deep calm, sounds slithering as disorienting impulses create a spark of confusion. The storm gets heavier, the playing snaking and shimmering before sanity is shredded, mauling and adding to the bruising, warped voices causing mental gasps, swirling into piercing noise. “Ikikäärme” leaks into the room, moody strangeness causing psychological detachment, cosmic rays swimming in a sea of stars. The track unfurls into a surreal dream, mechanical waves lapping, howls crying out from a frozen reality and then turning into something late night and urban. Strange vocals tease sanity as everything slips behind thick clouds, slowly dissipating. “Vierivä usva” is the closing instrumental, dark synth creating patterns, an intergalactic calm spreading, making its way into the stars. Wormholes open and tunnel into bizarre worlds, fading into a distant horizon.

Oranssi Pazuzu long have existed and created on the outer rim of the universe, conjuring sounds that don’t seem of this galaxy and likely emanate from regions of the universe no human ever could hope to visit. “Muuntautuja” makes it feel like the band’s focus is becoming razor sharp, maturing into its true form, letting electronics and black metal flow freely into one another, forming a brand new element. This record is ideal for stargazing, for it feels like that’s what willed these songs into existence.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://oranssipazuzu.bandcamp.com/album/muuntautuja

Bands that refuse to stay put and adhere to a specific sound or philosophy are plentiful, and a lot of them make really good music and albums. The ones that never seem comfortable with status quo and that burn down to build back up again tend to be more interesting, though, even if their projects aren’t always exploding with acclaim.

Nordic black metal force 1349 made a career out of fighting back against what’s become acceptable, embracing the tenets of their chosen subgenre but never being afraid to push things elsewhere. Just look at 2009’s “Revelations of the Black Flame,” the most experimental record of their entire run, and personally, one of my favorites, no matter the flak it took at the time. Their latest opus is “The Wolf and the King,” an eight-track, 39-minute bruiser that is lean and mean, and while it’s one of their most straightforward in a while, it still contains the heart of a band unsatisfied with their haul and always thirsty for more. The quarter of vocalist Ravn, guitarist Archaon, bassist Seidemann, drummer Frost plays with themes of alchemy, but with the bloody twist of turning oneself into a better version (the proverbial gold) as well as the wolf devouring the king, leading to the fires of recreation. That’s not only the theme of the record but of the band itself.

“The God Devourer” gets off to a tempered start, letting the heat rise before leading the force to rupture, the simple, but potent chorus sending jolts. Leads turn and spiral as the trudging pace flattens, the guitars firing before a mauling end. “Ash of Ages” rampages from the start, Ravn howling, “The ash of ages, frozen in time.” The band’s signature sound is sharp as ever, dashing as the playing gets more volatile, howls creaking as sounds buzz, sickening until an abrupt end. “Shadow Point” begins with clean guitars that give way to machine gun drums, everything tearing apart as the vocals grab for the throat. Strong riffs flex as the carnage boils over, guitars dominating and serving up devastation. “Inferior Pathways” is pointed and channeled, drums crushing as the leads dart, the chorus stabbing to the point. Leads explode and lather as vocals continue to torch everything in its path, a vicious, unrelenting finish ending in a pit of hellish ash.

“Inner Portal” has the bass slithering, a vicious, channeled assault adding pressure, speed building as the guitars spiral. The beast moves into the fog, erupting anew and bringing snarling howls and speedy melodies that cause extreme vertigo. “The Vessel and the Storm” attacks, howls crushing, guitars carving tributaries into hell. Lava explodes to the surface, chugging and mashing, a lightning force electrifying, Ravn wailing, “I am reborn!” “Obscura” burns into tornadic weather, the calculated pace eating into raw nerve endings, humidity swarming and making breathing a challenge. The pace then goes off, guitars peeling back flesh, the blasts taking apart skeletal structures limb from limb. Closer “Fatalist” dawns amid burning guitars, snarled screams, and disorienting heat, weird magic working its way down your spine. Strangeness swells and makes your mind wander, explosive blasts blackening skies, the chorus rushing and making for a warbling, psychologically damaging exit.

1349’s hellfire remains raging on “The Wolf and the King,” and this record is another solid entry into their stellar history. The band’s refusal to settle and simply just regurgitate a new record based on expectations never has been their thing, and as they continue to develop as people, that growth is reflected in their art. This band might seem like the wolf devouring the king on the surface, but don’t let that distract you from 1349’s continual rebirth and willingness to burn it all down to build back again.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/1349official

To buy the album, go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/band/1349

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

How desperate is Nuclear Blast? Are they bleeding money? Are they destitute and absolutely had to sign one of the most reprehensible artists in music in order to save a sinking ship?

Yet here we are, just a few years after signing Tim Lambesis (and As I Lay Dying) after he got out of prison for serving a paltry three years for a murder-for-hire scheme intended to kill his then wife. He was sentenced to six years after pleading guilty on a solicitation of murder charge. Sure, one can point that he did his time, and he has expressed remorse for what he did. But it was two years after his release, basically handing him and his band a deal and not making Lambesis prove anything. He walked back into his career on one of metal’s biggest labels. There was no prove-it period. Here’s your job back. Cool. I do believe in second chances; trying to murder your wife should require a lot more work and time before that second chance is offered.

Now, the label announced the signing of Marilyn Manson (born Brian Warner) whose heyday is so far in the rearview mirror it’s almost comical. But labels sign legacy artists all the time. Most don’t have the sexual assault/harassment accusation storm that Manson has, and it’s such a bad look to be doing business with this guy. Except Nuclear Blast doesn’t seem to mind.

I don’t care to recount all of the accusations because there are so goddamn many that it’s hard to keep a handle on it all. The Vulture did a pretty good job summarizing all of this, which you can read here. It’s long and it’s ugly and if he wasn’t a famous person, there’s a good chance he’d be rotting in jail. Instead, he’s releasing music through Nuclear Blast Records. A total of 16 people have made a wide range of claims against Manson, with five people claiming sexual assault. Five people. One should be disqualifying. He’s on five. Loma Vista dropped him in 2021 once abuse allegations were made by former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, and Manson obviously has denied all charges. In every case. Try not to be surprised. Some of the cases have been dismissed (statute of limitations in some cases, one because the complainant didn’t hire new legal representation, and one person did recant her story altogether). Manson settled cases with one Jane Doe on a rape case and with actress Esme Bianco, who detailed a hellish and controlling relationship.

Manson has a history you can’t hand waive away. It’s not one or two people making claims. It’s clear this is not a stable person, not a good person, and there’s no purpose of doing business with someone who very easily could have more skeletons ready to climb from his closet. But we live in a capitalistic society, money is all that matters, and sadly, there are going to be people who will lap this shit up. Fuck doing the right thing. There are dollars to be made. Probably not as many as Manson would have made a few decades ago, but I’m sure they think they benefit from name recognition alone.

Oh, and Nuclear Blast had to know the shit storm was coming as they’ve disabled the comments section on all of the Manson announcements so far. Almost like they know this is a bad call. And they’re too cowardly to let their audience have their say.

I doubt this will hurt Nuclear Blast, and I’m sure they don’t give a fuck what someone like me and this site has to say. He’ll keep playing shows to people who also don’t give a fuck what he did and will probably mumble some mummified line about cancel culture (which I think we can lay to rest as something that even exists) or woke culture or whatever allows them not to feel guilty about supporting an alleged serial abuser.

Hopefully nothing else is out there that will make this signing even worse of an idea. I say that not because it’ll be beneficial to Nuclear Blast but because if nothing else comes out it means there aren’t other voiceless victims out there. This is a gross business move. It makes me not want to cover their artists though, if I’m being honest, they don’t have many bands these days that I care about, and stories I write about their roster don’t perform terribly well as it is. Lose/lose, I guess. This site is a microscopic being in an ocean, I realize, so I’m sure they’re sweating this out. I just can’t sit back and not say anything after they’ve done this yet again.

Quit platforming accused sexual abusers, especially when they have a laundry list of accusers. Stop giving them power and money. Let Manson suffer like his alleged victims have.

People unfamiliar with the ins and outs of metal’s countless subgenres probably find death metal ridiculous. You can hear jabs people make about it, the vocals especially, and whatever, man. People who love it revel in the blood-soaked gore, the over-the-top horrors, and the violent sounds that somehow calm the terror in us all.

New York was one of the hotbeds of death metal originally, boasting Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Immolation and others, and over the past few years, Undeath have done a smashing job learning from the masters and creating a world their own. On their great third record “More Insane,” the band—vocalist Alexander Jones, guitarists Kyle Beam and Jared Welch, bassist Tommy Wall, drummer Matt Browning—ups the ante from their previous work (2020 debut “Lesions of a Different Kind” and 2022 breakthrough “It’s Time … to Rise From the Grave”)  by delivering an even more refined vision with equal amounts bloodshed and relentless melody. Listeners wanting all-out brutality can find that here for sure, but there’s also an accessibility that can let in those who are curious but don’t want their heads removed right away. That lets them take a beating, develop some calluses, and indoctrinate themselves into the most vicious form of heavy metal.

“Dead From Beyond” opens with militaristic drumming before it tears apart, drubbing as the leads electrify. Riffs sweep over the chorus, the harsh growls adding to the punishment, speed then exploding as soloing rockets through the skies, everything coming to a crushing end. The title track blisters, crushing force coming your way, snarling drums combining with prog-infested bass that slithers at will. Brutality spurts as the vocals clutch throats, crazed riffs going wild as the final gusts blacken eyes. “Brandish the Blade” fires up as strong riffs and inescapable melodies combine, making for something that’s a little sugary on the surface but deadly at its heart. “We know! The time is now!” Jones howls, the playing gradually slowing and pulverizing, fluid soloing working through the murk as the chorus eats into ribcages. “Disputatious Malignancy” is thick and engorging, burly at its core, and then things  turn ugly and savage. The attack is jarring and quaking in a hurry, roars crushing wills, and the guitars zapping into oblivion. “Sutured for War” feels glorious when it dawns, growls snaking, guttural playing heading into lumbering mud. Growls maul as it feels like skulls are being buried beneath pavement, crushing until the final second.

“Cramped Caskets (Necrology)” bludgeons and thrashes, heading full force through soot, riffs crawling and gliding through the dirt, darkness dropping and blanketing the earth. “Bodies mashed together,” Jones wails, a hilarious yet morbid vision of way too many corpse locked into the same casket, and the drums round back and give this an even deadlier aura. “Bounty Hunter” returns to the mud, mucking up the gears and filling your veins with sludge. The vocals punch as the brutality thickens, the riffs smearing, Jones vowing, “I will claim your bounty,” before the band ends it with a blunt hammer shot. “Wailing Cadavers” actually swings a bit and also blisters, stomping and darting through the darkness, leaving flesh charred. Growls seethe as the pace gets slower and more brutal, fading into the deepest reaches of hell. “Disattachment of a Prophylactic in the Brain” is a goddamn mouthful, and it enters with the drumming driving with attitude, the guitars lighting up, and Jones spitting out his words like they’re poisoning him. The band slips into thrashy waters, and then a blindingly fast gust knifes toward prone victims, the guitars going off and blistering out of control. Closer “Bones Clattering in the Cave” smashes and slays, the boiling temperatures leaving sweat and grit on your brow, throaty vocals scraping flesh. The playing turns seething and insane, the pace blasting in a renewed burst, heaviness raining down mercilessly, Jones’ final screams rippling into time.

The gore and horror on “More Insane” burst out of every crevice as Undeath continue their upward trajectory with bludgeoning power on this third record. If you’re one of those people so serious about death metal that you can’t have any fun, then this likely isn’t the record for you. For the rest of us, this is another generous serving of the grossest, catchiest death metal you’re bound to hear this autumn, and each visit with this record unlocks more ghouls, demons, and blood that keep you disgustingly nourished.

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

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

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

Grieving is a really strange thing. You hear about the five stages people experiencing this must go through, but it’s not until you’re in its clutches that you realize that experience is not linear and you face each phase often at the same time. That hurt often can expose other feelings, most notably anger, and it can make healing that much harder to achieve.

Maul’s second record “In the Jaws of Bereavement” drives to the heart of the grieving process, and over 10 tracks and 39 minutes, the band—vocalist Garrett Alvarado, triple-guitars attack Anthony Lamb, Alex Nikolas, and Josh Sanborn, bassist/vocalist Mike Griggs, drummer Robby Anderson—addresses the issues of dealing with loss and its aftermath with the proper amounts of frustration, chaos, and destruction, informing their pounding death metal with a hardcore edge and relentless misery. It’s an album that’s heavy in more ways than one, and the journey through it can leave you sore and breathless.

The title track opens with muddy, beastly power, barked vocals ripping through you, the pummeling taking on a hardcore feel. Haze wraps over the chorus, and then the band slays again, dragging a filthy, gutting pace toward “Blood Quantum” that slashes upon contact and unleashes beastly growls. The playing trudges, vicious leads opening and pouring lava, the pace slowing but not sacrificing a sliver of heaviness. Growls boil and retch as the pressure scrambles brains, dissolving into strange ambiance. “Weaving Cerebral Horrors” is burly and bruising, the chugging pace chewing flesh, the leads stirring the humidity that becomes nearly uninhabitable. Guitars boil in blood as the growls lather with foamy plasma, the massacre ripping to an abrupt end. “Spontaneous Stigmata” is heated as the guitars blister, again gnawing on hardcore veins, gruff howls leaving ample bruising. The heat gets more intense as the mercury crashes through glass tubes, the growls engorging as leads flutter, burying bodies deep in the soil. “Alluring Deceit” opens amid cold guitars, the growls letting the ice thicken, the force burying bodies beneath pounds of sludge. The playing leans into a strange storm of sounds, disorienting before everything fades.

“Midwest Death” brings scuffing howls, a driving and punchy pace, and then things calm, giving a slight reprieve before the next serving of brutality. Growls menace as the pace kicks up, mud caking veins, a suddenly calculated tempo spiraling into a vortex. “Unbridled Delusions” opens with a solid riff that stings and dizzies, the playing getting faster and seemingly promising carnage. It delivers just that, the pace getting steamy and thick like a stew, speak singing wailing away and causing contusions, guitars spiraling into a lightless pit. “Stuck Stomped and Smeared” has grinding riffs, a force that feel like it’s trying to piledrive you into a hill of nails, the bass so thick it feels like it’s tunneling through the earth. Agony strikes harder as the guitars smoke and make breathing a task, never relenting on the misery that pulls you all the way under. “With Each Voracious Lick” is a fast one, a filthy, punishing piece that pulverizes from the word go, coating lungs with coal residue, the guitars driving a wedge right through your chest. Closer “Drawn to Drowning” emerges from strange noise, and then techy leads attack, screams ripping as the playing clouds the senses. Guitars pick up the pace all over, roars spreading and amplifying the horrors, everything driving to a finish as menacingly as possible.

As its title indicates, “In the Jaws of Bereavement” is a dark, emotionally taxing record that delivers destruction in ample servings musically and adds an extra dagger thematically. Maul’s mix of death metal and hardcore continues to develop and wallop, putting you to the test repeatedly over these 10 tracks and refusing to give you room the breathe. This record is a wrecking machine in more than one way, and it’s one that will reward you over repeated listens as its layers of fury slowly reveal themselves to you.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/maul

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

It’s about to get dark earlier, and the weather is supposed to take a nosedive, or at least that’s what the calendar would lead you to believe. As I write this, autumn has arrived, and it was hot enough here on the East Coast of the United States that my dog tapped out on a walk. And she never does that. But one of these days, it will be time for scares and chills.

While I’m sure Light of the Morning Star didn’t create their new EP “Wings in the Night Sky” specifically to act as a partner for this time of the year, these four tracks fit these months like a blood-soaked glove. This project that pairs vocalist/multi-instrumentalist O-A and drummer JSM (who also crushes worlds in Ulcerate) ended their three-year silence with this brooding, alluring collection that sinks even deeper into the oceans of despair. The music centers on the grave, which might seem obvious simply from the haunting nature of the music. But they throw in elements of discovering strange pathways and “ghostly vampirism,” and you have something that will shake you to the bone.

“Night Falls” plays with elements of dark and light right away, melodies seeping in as O-A ‘s deep singing adds a thickness to their gothic drama. Creaky speaking sends chills, and total darkness is conjured, the chorus digging into your psyche before this phantom fades away. “Burial Chamber Cold” is doomy, breathy singing setting the aura, keys washing over as the fog in the distance begins to accumulate. Guitars hang in the air as the pace picks up, drilling through cold, dreary evening, winds chilling before an abrupt end. “Phantomlights” is faster, whispers whipping through the air, guitars spiraling as O-A’s singing rushes to the surface. Icy waters gush and soak, leaving you quaking, then the chorus hits back again, flowing into a fluid end. Closer “Aura” is melodic and stimulating, synth building as voices turn cataclysmic, keys creating a miasmal atmosphere that causes psychic confusion. The singing turns more sinister, guitars stinging as whispers slip back in, sounds melting into oblivion, bowing to eternal lightlessness.

With the spookiest of times just about upon us, it’s perfect listening atmosphere with Light of the Morning Star and this great EP “Wings in the Night Sky.” Their blend of gothic, chilling metal and dark rock swells and creates a disarming storm that obscures light and should perfectly soundtrack the coming chills in the air. This is a nice appetizer and a solid building block to their next full-length, which will be another attempt for them to sink their teeth deep into your neck.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

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