Death Metal

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    Behemoth - A Forest (2020)

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    Not even the COVID-19 pandemic can stop Behemoth from spewing their powerful gospel, and “A Forest” is the evidence of it. Featuring two new songs and two versions of a cover of The Cure’s “A Forest” with Niklas Kvarforth on vocals, this EP continues the path of devastation the band has set upon their 2018 “I Loved You at Your Darkest” release. If you are looking for a way to stay entertained and headbanging through this pandemic, this short but sweet release will carry you over.

    For those The Cure fans, Behemoth’s rendition of “A Forest” is a perfectly fitting one. Adding their own sinister touch and the incisive vocals of Niklas Kvarforth. The combined result is one hell of crushing track with ravaging guitars and punishing vocal onslaughts that perfectly bring the band’s touch to an already classic song. Both the studio and live versions are quite engaging, leaving us wishing we could witness the track being played live one day.

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    Bombs of Hades - Phantom Bell (2020)

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    Led by Jonas Stålhammar of At the Gates fame, today we have Bombs of Hades and their short-but-sweet EP “Phantom Bell”. Released as a teaser before the band records their next full-length release, the listener is treated to four tracks, two of them covers, and 16 minutes of music. With a Crusty Death Metal sound, this album is a nice warm-up but it feels a bit too short, as we are always caught off-guard when the next release one our playlists sneaks up on us.

    Opening with the title track, we get a furious guitar onslaught that quickly escalates with fast drumming and a moshing vibe. The guitar leads in this song give us a certain retro/crusty edge that we don’t typically find in our playlist. “Bridge of Sighs” is more settled as the crunchy guitars lead way to a very catchy vibe. The climax portion of this track is very impressive and nicely developed, firing up guitar solos and atmospheric elements.

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    Ulcerate - Stare Into Death and Be Still (2020)

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    As one of the most expected releases of 2020, today we have Kiwi’s Ulcerate and their impressive full-length release “Stare Into Death and Be Still”. Pegged as Technical Death Metal, this release is as refined as it is brutal, delivering nearly one hour of savagely crafted songs that will rattle your speakers and skull. With an unrivaled finesse, this release is by far on one of the best we have heard in 2020, so be ready to be blown away.

    Opening with the crafty layering on “The Lifeless Advance”, we are instantly immersed into the band’s punishing world of high-octane drumming and intricate guitar work. Juxtaposing walls of sound with the inhuman vocals of Paul Kelland, the band creates very cavernous and intimidating pieces like the crushing opener and its more playful counterpart “Exhale the Ash”. There is an underlying melodic aspect to the band’s sound that makes songs even more effective in delivering their contrasting fast-paced brutality onslaughts of intense riffs and growls, as we can hear in the moody album title track.

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    Dawn of Ouroboros - The Art of Morphology (2020)

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    Unleashing a very unique musical concoction of Progressive elements mixed in with Death/Black Metal, today we have Bay Area’s newcomers Dawn of Ouroboros and their full-length release “The Art of Morphology”. With over 40 minutes of crafty music, this release showcases plenty of musical talent and creativity paired with a high-octane delivery and intensity. If you are a fan of creative music that blends genres together and delivers high-replay value, this is the album for you.

    Opening with the dreamy intro to “Revivified Spirits”, the band quickly shifts into 5th gear with brutal onslaughts of harsh vocals, violent drumming and intense riffing, showing off their versatility from the start. With a certain jazzy and proggy vibe, “Pinnacle Induced Vertigo” is one of those playful tracks that nicely transitions into the mood setting instrumental “Gateway to Tenebrosity”. Fronted by Chelsea Murphy, the band’s sound is perfectly suited for her mixed use of demonic harsh screams and angelic clean vocals as the ethereal “Lunar Cathexis” contrasts.

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    On Thorns I Lay - Threnos (2020)

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    We are quite psyched that Greek Death/Doom legends On Thorns I Lay have remained active and releasing albums since they reformed back in 2015. With “Threnos”, the band continues their musical journey with yet another powerful and melancholic release. Featuring over 45 minutes of music, this album delivers on the band’s signature style while adding a few surprises to keep the listener’s engaged and entertained.

    The opener, “The Song of Sirens”, has that signature OTIL sound of their 90’s releases, with the firm growls, crafty riffs and subtle atmospheric keyboards, perfectly contrasted by weeping lead guitars and a hyper melancholic atmosphere. We particularly love the band’s timeless mixture of heavy foundations, like crushing riffs and tight drumming, with dramatic atmospherics delivered by the keyboards, clean vocals, and string arrangements on tracks like “Ouranio Deos” and the superbly catchy “Cosmic Silence”.

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    God Dethroned - Illuminati (2020)

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    Delivering a firm and switch brutal onslaught of intense riffing, today we have God Dethroned and their latest opus “Illuminati”. Luckily for early fans, Henri Sattler decided to revive the band a few years back and now they unleash one hell of a release divided into nine ear-piercing tracks. While not long in duration, the 36 minutes of music presented are some of the finest this Dutch outfit has ever produced.

    The album title track opens the release with a vicious old-school Death Metal vibe, perfectly adorned with Blacked Harsh screams and lush atmospheric keyboards. With “Broken Halo” continuing in the same fashion, we are completely floored as “Book of Lies” unleashes hell with piercing riffs and brilliant melodic intensity. This last track is definitely one for brutal headbanging, and with some contrasting solemn guitar leads, it is just magical.

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    Devilish Impressions - Postmortem Whispering Crows (2019)

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    The amount of quality Polish bands breaking into the Metal scene in the last few years has been outstanding. Today we have Devilish Impressions and their uniquely Melodic/Symphonic Blackened Metal style. Featuring all new members other than founder Quazarre, the band delivers a very promising and short EP, demonstrating their excellent craftsmanship and promise of what is to come.

    Starting with the bleak “Dvma”, the band sets a very enigmatic and oppressive mood. The catchy guitar work is perfectly contrasted by a nice variety of vocal styles and tight drumming. We particularly enjoy the creepy mournful slower sections that are highly atmospheric and pretty eerie. The meaty hooks of “Cingvlvm Diaboli”, give a certain Death Metal vibe to this more intense track, filled with Satyricon-esque guitars and solid headbanging passages.

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    Memoriam - Requiem for Mankind (2019)

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    Continuing their prolific trayectory, UK’s Memoriam unleashes their third full-length release “Requiem for Mankind” this June. Formed by members and ex-members of some of the finest British DM bands like Benediction and Bolt Thrower, this band plays straight up no bullshit old-school Death Metal. Delivering over 45 minutes of crushing music, the band perfectly pays homage to their roots, while crafting some brilliant moshing and headbanging moments.

    The album kicks off with the chugging riffs of “Shell Shock”, an old-school track filled with heavy guitars and the characteristic raspy growls of frontman Karl Willetts. With a nice melodic edge to it, this opener nicely leads into the catchiness of songs like “Undefeated”, “Never the Victim” and the pummeling “Austerity Kills”, which brings back memories of our 90’s Death Metal cassette collection and band like Unleashed, Grave and Entombed.

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    Ataraxie - Résignés (2019)

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    Unleashing a dense and punishing Funeral Doom/Death Metal release, today we have Ataraxie and their latest effort “Résignés”. Featuring four tracks and over 80 minutes of music, the listener is in for monumental 20 minute tracks that slowly unravel to unleash heaviness and brutality. Blending old-school Death Metal elements into their Funeral Doom composition, the band creates a very unique and ravaging aural assault.

    The album leads with the pummeling “People Swarming, Evil Ruling”, as heavy crunchy riffs lead the way to traditional growls and an overall feeling of helplessness. We particularly enjoy the dreamy interlude that breaks the song in two, just before more brutality is around the corner. Our version of the release continues with the album title track, a song that combines the rawness of Thergothon with the weeping guitars of Mournful Congregation in a crushing package.

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    Fallujah - Undying Light (2019)

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    Moving away from the lively Progressive/Technical Death Metal from their last release, Fallujah returns with the atmospheric “Undying Light”. Having lost long-time vocalist Alex Hofmann and guitarist Brian James since the last release, has made Fallujah turn into uncharted territories with their sound. Featuring 10 tracks and over 44 minutes of music, this release feels a bit too atmospheric and experimental to be digested easily. The sound is crushing and commanding at times, but at other times it just feels lost and unguided.

    Opening with “Glass House”, we get that sweet Melodeath riffing from French bands like Hacride, but with extra kick and aggression thanks to new vocalist: Antonio Palermo. Some Deathcore elements are back and they sound ok when mixed in with semi-proggy passages, as in “Last Light”. For those looking for sheer brutality and catchiness, “Ultraviolet” achieves this with superb drum patterns and solid riffs. On the other hand, we have tracks like “Dopamine”, which feel a bit too convoluted with too many things going on at once and not really engaging the listener. The dreamy guitar leads are great, but the vocals kind of ruin the mood on this track.

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