Death Metal

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    Torn from Existence - Hearken the Darkened Skies (2024)

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    Perfectly capturing that old-school magic of late 90’s Symphonic Black/Death Metal bands, Colorado’s Torn from Existence drop their high-octane debut full-length release “Hearken the Darkened Skies”. Featuring seven tracks and over 32 minutes of highly engaging and dynamic music, this release is highly recommended for fans of early Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Vesperian Sorrow, and Tartaros, just to name a few.

    Opening with the pummeling “Crawl From The Crypt”, we immediately hear the band’s DNA with lavish keyboards, hellish screams, and a wide assortment of engaging guitar riffs and even some shredding thrown into the mix. This wide palette of influences is very well mixed together, crafting a very dynamic and engaging sound that also features some theatrical influences as “Of Curse, And Covenant” and “Sorcery Against Mankind” deliver playful tempo changes and lush atmospheric arrangements.

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    Behemoth - XXX Years ov Blasphemy (2024)

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    If there is something that Nergal and company know how to do is to put out an intense live show. Now preserved for eternity, the band unleashes “XXX Years ov Blasphemy” an audio/video release capturing their 30th anniversary celebratory livestream. Covering all of the band’s large and illustrious career is tricky, but the band managed to capture most of their iconic tracks in this devastating package. This is definitely the best live release of 2024, so do not miss out.

    Split into three different acts, the band nicely sets up a nearly chronological approach to playing songs from their back catalog. Opening with “The Scorched Forest” act, the band delivers more refined and updated renditions of tracks like “Chant of the Eastern Lands”, which was on their debut release “Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)”. It is quite interesting to hear songs like “Pure Evil and Hate”, which have a more old-school Punk-infused Black Metal sound, showing how far the band has come over the years.

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    Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All (2024)

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    Everybody’s favorite Egyptian-inspired Brutal/Technical Death Metal outfit is finally back with another high-octane release titled “The Underworld Awaits Us All”. Featuring eleven tracks and nearly 55-minutes of music, the band returns with masterful incisive onslaughts of brutality, perfectly paired with crafty atmospheric elements and crushing tempo changes. If you are a fan of the band’s earlier work, you will love this album as it keeps things hectic and punishing from start to end.

    Blasting away with “Stelae of Vultures”, we get those sweet chuggy Death Metal riffs the band is known for alongside the crushing drumming of George Kollias. Pummeling through blistering fast tracks like “To Strike with Secret Fang” and “Naqada II Enter the Golden Age”, to the traditional instrumental pieces like “The Pentagrammathion of Nephren-Ka”, Nile continues to polish their style while delivering intense pieces of music, only getting better with time.

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    Axamenta - Spires (2024)

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    Returning after a 10 year hiatus, Axamenta is a very unique Belgian band that combines cinematic elements with a well polished dose of Melodic Death/Black Metal. In this return EP, the band delivers a 23-minute track that is divided in seven acts, creating a very immersive and engaging experience. Recommended for fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh, this release is both explosive and bombastic.

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    Kommandant - Exhibition of Conquest (2024)

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    Unleashing all-out war, today we have Kommandant and their latest EP “Exhibition of Conquest”. Continuing the piercing onslaughts of their 2023 full-length “Titan Hammer”, this North American outfit delivers five tracks and over 27 minutes of swift destruction. Perfectly blending rawness with incisiveness, this release is full of fury and hatred, making it a top notch Black/Death Metal offering.

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    Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God (2024)

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    Abundantly delivering on one of the most awaited releases of 2024, Ulcerate returns with another incisive release titled “Cutting the Throat of God”. Featuring seven tracks and nearly one hour of punishing music, filled with raw brutality alongside crafty instrumentation and hypnotic melancholy. Slowly getting better and better over time, we thought it would be hard for the band to surpass “Stare into Death and Be Still”, but they managed to completely leapfrog it and set a whole new standard.

    Opening with the crushing “To Flow Through Ashen Hearts”, the band over the years has moved away from a more traditional Technical/Brutal Death Metal into more expansive and experimental Avant-garde territories and this track is one perfect example of that. The mysterious mood is perfectly flanked by textured guitars, pummeling drums, and harrowing harsh vocals, however, it's the crafty tempo changes and sinister melodies that make it interesting.

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    SYK - eartHFlesh (2024)

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    Holding us over until the new Ulcerate drops next month, today we have Italian outfit SYK and their pummeling release “eartHFlesh”. With eight tracks and over 45 minutes of highly intricate and punishing Death Metal with Groove and even some Djent elements, this release is as crushing as it is complexly layered to infuse maximum pain. If you like music that is brutal, relentless, filled with excellent ideas, and masterfully executed, this is an album you can’t miss.

    Opening with the ravaging “I Am The Beast”, the band sets a very disturbing and cinematic vibe with creepy atmospherics until the massive drumming and layered guitars make their appearance. The band’s ability to unleash sinister riffs is outstanding, as they pair perfectly with blistering drums and insane tempo changes. On tracks like “Where I Am Going There is No Light”, “I'll Haunt You In Your Dreams”, and “eartHFlesh”, the band rips through crafty tempo changes, hellish growls, and tons of Meshuggah-esque passages, showcasing masterful musicianship and execution.

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    Six Feet Under - Killing for Revenge (2024)

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    It’s been a while since we have liked anything that Six Feet Under has released and with “Killing for Revenge”, it looks like this will not change yet. Chris Barnes and company unleash thirteen songs of highly uninspired ‘Groovy’ Death Metal that while not as bad as some of their previous releases, it is still a stinker. If you are looking for the good old times of Chris Barnes in CC, or even some of the band’s earlier releases, this is definitely not for you.

    Opening with “Know-Nothing Ingrate”, we see the main change is that the vocals sound a bit different, albeit better, than on the previous release. They are deep and snarly and constant, which is an improvement and there seem to be no attempts at doing squeals as “Accomplice to Evil Deeds”, “Ascension”, and “When the Moon Goes Down in Blood” roll in. It is also notable that some tracks are over four minutes and have a few interesting riffs and hooks here and there.

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    Hour of Penance - Devotion (2024)

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    Five years since their last release, Hour of Penance is finally back with the pummeling “Devotion”. Showcasing their mixture of Brutal and Technical Death Metal, this band is ready to wail at the listener with ten tracks and nearly forty minutes of intensity. Far from disappointing, this release sets a new bar in terms of brutality and execution for 2024.

    The release kicks off with the brutal “Devotion For Tyranny”, a track that packs powerful punches in the shape of pummeling drums and crushing riffs. Like a bag of bricks to the face, the opener alongside “Parasitic Chain of Command”, “Birthright Abolished”, and “Retaliate” quickly dominate the listener with their sinister vibes and crushing instrumentation. The band has refined the art of being brutal and incisive as these songs clearly show.

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    Sarcasm - Mourninghoul (2024)

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    Unleashing an interesting sounding mixture of Necrophobic-meets-Dissection hybrid, today we have Sweden’s Sarcasm and their latest offering “Mourninghoul”. Featuring eight tracks and nearly 45 minutes of fierce music, this release has a nice old-school vibe with a modern mix/production edge. If you are looking for ravaging guitar-driven melodic songs, this is certainly a solid release to check out.

    The album starts with the savage “As Northern Gates Open” and its waves of melodic riffs. The harsh snarls perfectly complement the velocity of the drumming and are nicely contrasted with lush melodic passages. As “Lifelike Sleep” and “Withered Memories of Souls We Mourn” roll in, we hear the band’s versatility as they incorporate crafty atmospherics and engaging headbanging moments into their crafty style.

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