GATHERING DARKNESS - The Heat Of A Dying Sun Review

Gathering Darkness - The Heat Of A Dying Sun (Necromance Records)

Release date : May 22nd, 2017

Death Metal and Latin seems to be a natural fit like tonic and gin. Formed in 1998, Gathering Darkness is a Spanish outfit that carries the flag of Death Metal in the 1990’s fashion way. Think of Morbid Angel, Hypocrisy, and Vile and you have a good idea of the meaning of this last phrase.

Sxap - Cathedral Review

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Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon Review

Full Review

CONDEMNED - His Divine Shadow Review

 

Condemned - His Divine Shadow (Unique Leader Records)

Release date : March 10th, 2017

Unique Leader Records is synonymous with Death Metal and mostly Brutal Death Metal. They have rosters that represents many American states that produce the best and the worst of the genre. A genre that’s been a bit worn off in the latest years. Between Technical DM and Brutal DM is a plethora of talented musicians and brutalists.

VASTUM - Carnal Law Review

Vastum - Carnal Law Remaster Reissue (20 Buck Spin)
Release date: March 10th 2017

8.0

SAILLE - Gnosis Review

Saille - Gnosis (Code666)

Release date : March 13th, 2017

The fourth album of the prolific Belgian Black Metal quintet of Saille is a concept album exploring the world of the Promethean ideal and its Luciferian counterpart. Taking inspiration from the Symphonic Black Metal that followed the Second Wave of Black Metal, Saille’s sound is closer to Windir, Dark Funeral, and Emperor than Dimmu Borgir even if they still have a clean sound and the backing of a Polish production of the Hertz studio (Behemoth, Decapitated, Vader).

SUNLESS - Urraca Review

Sunless - Urraca (Self-released)

Release date : February 24th, 2017

As I am into a lot of things other than reviewing new releases lately, I am still listening to a bunch of the albums that are overcrowding our promo mailbox. February wasn’t the strongest month in new releases and there are few records that will eventually be in my permanent rotation. Sunless and their first full length Urraca might be one of the few acts to be piercing this so-called prestigious rotation of mine. Their use of Dissonant Metal à la Gorguts and Ulcerate is quite something.

BEHEADED - Beast Incarnate Review

Beheaded - Beast Incarnate (2017, Unique Leader Records)

Malta’s own Brutal Death Metal oddity in Beheaded has released another punishing album on the Extreme Metal label of Unique Leader Records. Formed in 1991, those veterans of the genre are coming with a Brutal yet Melodic album with a renewed lineup and more than twenty five years of existence getting among the likes of Suffocation and Dying Fetus.

SCALPTURE - Panzerdoktrine

Scalpture - Panzerdoktrine (2016, Final Gate Records)

When every Death Metal enthusiast got around Sonoran Depravity lately and jizzed his pants a couple of times at the upcoming tour of Gatecreeper, the Germans of Scalpture took a spin at the sound of Death Metal from Bolt Thrower to the Swedish buzzing sound of Entombed. This is another take on the classics of the genre.

ERA DECAY - Inritum

Era Decay - Inritum (2016, self-released)

Since it is not the main subject of this Music/Metal blog, I don’t mention often that I am an avid snowboarder. As with every product of consumption nowadays, the offer of snowboards is as vast as the wide array of subgenres from Death Metal. The Romanians of Era Decay are labeled as Doom/Death Metal but as any snowboard out there many labels can be applied to its versatility. It is the case for ED’s interpretation of the genre. Their latest release, Inritum, is a blend of Melodic Death Metal with Doom and many elements of old school Death Metal.

DYSRHYTHMIA- The Veil Of Control

Dysrhythmia - The Veil Of Control (2016, Profound Lore Records)

Beforehand, there is something I have to admit while reviewing this album, I am a fan of everything Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, Behold… The Arctopus, Byla) ever touches. Pair that to Kevin Hufnagel who also is a member of Gorguts, Vaura, and Sabbath Assembly and you have a fanboy that almost cried when receiving his promo of The Veil Of Control.

DIATONIC - I Am The One

Diatonic - I Am The One (2016, self-released/Triton’s Orbit Distribution)

It’s funny how things happen in life, the day of the election of President Trump I get to pick a record that is titled I Am The One just as a coincidence or not of the man’s huge ego and furious declarations of his supremacy in one of the worst elections America has ever seen. 

But I digress with politics and you are here to read about the second full length in two years from the Swedish Melodic Death Metal band Diatonic.

NETHERBIRD - The Grander Voyage

Netherbird - The Grander Voyage (2016, Black Lodge Records)

With the happening of Jon Nodtveidt’s greatest offering to Metal in the form of Dissection’s Storm of the Light’s Bane back in 1995, a multitude of copycats and followers from Sweden took a spin at the blend of Black and Death Metal with melodic guitar riffs and a huge penchant for the epic of Heavy Metal of the 80’s. In this wave of Swedish melodic Black/Death Metal acts, Netherbird is one of the most loyal band in the genre. Back after a short break, between 2014 and 2016, the Swedes made a comeback in full force.

GATECREEPER - Sonoran Depravation

Gatecreeper - Sonoran Depravation (2016, Relapse Records)

Of all the influences cited about the release of Gatecreeper’s first album, Sonoran Depravation, there is a conclusion we can easily get to; the band pushes the Death Metal buttons of fans of every spheres of the genre because the Gatecreeper is form by passionates of the Death Metal movement. Let’s have the name dropping game going on : Entombed, Asphyx, Suffocation, and Bolt Thrower just to name a few.

ETERITUS - Following The Ancient Path

Eteritus - Following The Ancient Path (2016, Godz Ov War Productions)

After a more than ten years I didn’t listened to a lot of Death Metal except for the bands I was really into. It is since last year that I discovered that I am such a sucker for the genre especially for Old School Death Metal. Beginning with the underrated and underappreciated Echelon release of last year, it went on with Live Burial this year and on and on. Released in June, Polish based Eteritus and their nine songs full lenght Following The Ancient Path is not bringing much new to the genre but plays it like 25 years veterans of the scene with killing riffs, thunderous breakdowns, and a really enjoyable production.

LIVE BURIAL - Forced Back to Life

Live Burial - Forced Back to Life (2016, Dunkelheit Produktionen)

Straight outta UK, the old-school Death Metal revivalists of Live Burial are throwing riffs and blasts like it was the best era of Death Metal, some purists would say. The promo people noted Death/Doom  Metal as the genre of this record but I would be more into the categorization of old-school Death Metal à la Horrendous, Sarpanitum, and even Vektor for the old-school touches.

OBSCURA - Akróasis

Obscura - Akróasis (2016, Relapse)

Recently we have reviewed the album Bleak Fragments by the Portuguese band Destroyers Of All and we referenced Obscura’s latest release (Akróasis) as another one of the most interesting Technical Death Metal albums of 2016.

STORTREGN - Singularity

Stortregn – Singularity (2016, Non Serviam Records)

If I could have a time capsule and go back to any time in my life as a Metal addicted fan it would be around 1998, the time I got around Black Metal and the extremities of music along with Brutal Death Metal and Grindcore. The new album by the Swiss Melodic Death Metal band Stortregn is almost doing that for me. It took me many listens to actually get it but know the comparison can’t get off my head : Stortregn reminds me of In Flames circa 1998 to 2001. Not the actual melodic Metalcore that they are doing dressed as Metal emos. But to be even more precise, they remind me of the album Whoracle. It’s like a picture where you can see two faces depending on where you are looking; once you can see it you cannot unsee it.

DESTROYERS OF ALL - Bleak Fragments

Destroyers Of All - Bleak Fragments (2016, Mosher Records)

When I was a young child my father had this keyboard we could play on and it had a metronome and pre programmed accompaniment styles like samba, jazz, dance, rock, R&B, etc. My brother and I would be mixing those arrangements as if we were ‘’DJing’’ before knowing what it was. Sketchy, could be the correct word to describe our mixes. It would take a young four year old to think that so many genres could be mixed together and sound somewhat good. Not until now, at more thirty years old I would discover a band that would do the same while mixing Technical Death Metal in a way that is way more studied and mastered than the younger version of the author of those lines. Added to that, it was not played in MIDI. 

LJOSAZABOJSTWA - Starazytnaje licha [EP]

Ljosazabojstwa – Starazytnaje licha (2016, Hellthrasher Productions)

This official release of the first demo of the Belarus band Ljosazabojstwa on Hellthrasher Productions is a three song effort of mid-tempo rocking Death metal with a vocalist that reminds of the old school Death Metal of Yore.