The Obituarist back again with another potent dose of sick underground metal to wreck your neck just in time for spring! This episode has been a little long in the making, and for that I apologize. Life has just gotten in the way a bit lately. The new The Black Dahlia Murder album is underway now and I assure you it’s quite a scorching affair.
Thanks for your undying patience! Without further adieux, here are 22 reasons to rearrange your bedrooms face. I hope you brought the caulk gun!
Aborted Fetus – The Art Of Violent Torture
Russia’s Aborted Fetus are back! Nice name, right? It’s actually funny how desensitized I am to this sort of thing from all these years chasing this stuff. Another brutal death metal release, another dead baby joke. It’s sick par for a demented course, and I still love it. “The Art Of Violent Torture” is exactly what I look for in a slamming brutal death release. It has a decent variety, a nice attention to the fine details, and a gruesome, ballsy swagger. I think calling this a slam release would be a bit of a short sell… these fellas actually have a pretty various approach. The slams are merely an addition to an already great formula wrought with hellish tremolo riffs cut from the same cloth as Mass Infection. I enjoy the stop on a dime choppiness these dudes employ to a small degree. It’s deadly stuff. Some decent solos help stir things up. The dark chords opening third track and utilized again later in the song are fucking excellent. What a good idea. I am glad to see there are bands that slam that aren’t content to just clone Devourment or Abominable Putridity but seek to forge a style of their own in this crowded game. Honestly, I thought these guys were one of those bands and they weren’t really anything I was excited about until now. My mistake… this is totally huge! Time to delve into their back catalog, if it’s half as good as this, it’ll still be very good. Thanks to Comatose for sending me this nice surprise! Preorder them shits now, it drops April 14th!
Grab it here
Analepsy – Atrocities From Beyond
Need more slams in your life, you say? These young guns have got you! Analepsy hail from Portugal and play a crushing subwoofing brand of slamming brutal death metal that is to die for, if you’re into this sort of thing. This particular album has been smooshing my skull for a while now, I keep forgetting to include it… perhaps from the brain damage I’ve endured headbanging to this massive release! For me personally this is the slam album of the year thus far. Gotta hand it to Germany’s Rising Nemesis for picking these bad lads up. I feel like they have a decently high standard of quality over there and these guys are now the cherry on top of their stylish, slam heavy repertoire. Atrocities From Beyond is chock full of really great well produced stuff that easily rivals genre defining acts like Abominable Putridity, Gravitational Distortion, or Kraanium. I feel like I’m seeing talk about this album quite often in my webly travels, which delights me. To me, this is what a good slamming brutal death outfit should sound like in 2017. It scratches that brutish, low end itch that I get every so often. It’s slick, professional, perfect slamming brutality. DO NOT miss this!
Grab it here
Antropofagus – M.O.R.T.E.: Methods Of Resurrection Through Evisceration
When it comes to brutal death metal, Italy is certainly no slouch. Between this, new offerings by Hour Of Penance and the upcoming records from Devangelic and Hideous Divinity, 2017 is poised to be a good year for the Italian scene. Jesus Christ this is brutal. There’s fast death metal and then there’s downright olympic, and that’s what Antropofagus is, one of the fastest things going right now. They stand with very few bands at the utmost edge of extremity, gazing down menacingly as we feeble humans cower in fear. The relentless drumming madman “Brutal” Dave Billia (Hour Of Penance, Beheaded, ex-Putridity) strikes again! Dude is incredible. As with the last album, there is some amount of shock hearing this for the first time… it’s enough to make one laugh out loud in sheer disbelief. These guys sound like a giant stainless steel meat grinding robot with a lust for human flesh. I didn’t know until just now that the guitar player goes by the moniker “Meatgrinder”. How very appropriate! Not only are Antropofagus quick but they possess a chunky low end not unlike Suffocation. They can dazzle you with their insane speed and technical chops yet also kick your ass into utter oblivion. These dudes blast, grind, and beat ya down until you just can’t take it anymore. The vocals of Mattia “Tya” DeFazio rip hard. They aren’t entirely guttural but they are difficult to understand; an angry, booming low-end bellow that sounds extremely tough. There are some wicked sounding tremolo riffs with a pretty old school flavor that’s a nice touch. Top it all off with a pretty mean Malevolent Creation cover plucked from the Eternal album and you’ve got a meaty brutal death contender here. Grab this now from the consistently sick Comatose Music label, one of my old favorites. I’m glad to see the brutality never stops over there!
Grab it here
Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon
Artificial Brain put me in a unique pickle. I am glad to know them as people, especially mastermind Dan Gargiulo; but fact is I am an insane fan boy for this shit. I absolutely love them. To these ears, forward thinking death metal simply doesn’t get better than this. This cosmic death outfit is godly and important… the finest American contribution to the dissonant death metal craze of late. How Dan and crew have gotten access to Deathspell Omega’s secret riff stash is beyond me, but I and damn thankful for the infiltration! True to what we’ve heard from them so far, Infrared Horizon is a wholly organic affair again tapping the talented Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts) and his The Thousand Caves studio for that really real sound that only the pros who can play their shit before they even show up can get. Just as in life, keeping it real is a ballsy move. You have to be able to own this shit, there’s no piecemeal part assembly here. These fuckers have chops, and they are more than willing to dazzle you with them at the drop of a hat. Ex-Biolich and current Afterbirth and Buckshot Facelift vocalist Big Will shines in gaping guttural glory. He’s one of the best toad-y sounding vocalists out there and he simply dominates here. He is the Antti Boman to Artifical Brain’s revamp of Demilich’s warped death metal blue print, the bellowing anchor that keeps the spindly guitar webbing from completely taking flight. I told Dan G that I would take away some of their cred but he insisted that I provide some screams on the title track anyway. Truly an honor on my part. I want to see these guys become one of the biggest death metal bands in America… they truly deserve all the praise. Grab this now and have your feeble mind blown by the best in the business!
Grab it here
Ascended Dead – Abhorrent Manifestation
Now this is some grisly stuff! Ascended dead are an old school death metal band hailing from San Diego California featuring ties to Funebrarum, Ghoulgotha, Necrosic, as well as Portland legends Lord Gore. That’s quite a pedigree if you ask me. As you probably expect already these guys purvey some dark and stanky death metal sickness. There are some leanings toward Incantation, particularly the blastier era of The Infernal Storm or Diabolical Conquest. This is always a great thing in my book, I love Incantation. I feel like these guys could be the USA’s answer to Dead Congregation, if you haven’t been sold already. It has a similar infernal energy to it. The vocals are quite scary and difficult to understand. They are tucked a little into the background, which I think works here very nicely. They have sort of a gas mask, war metal flavor to them. The atmosphere these guys conjure is one of constant impending dread. It’s pretty fucking dire. I enjoyed the palette cleansing departure of “Dormant Souls” halfway through the affair. It’s got sweet rickety old acoustic guitar over the menacing sound of a howling windstorm. Then it’s back to the total warfare of blackened and blasting mayhem. Overall this is really a excellent death metal outing as one would come to expect from the awesome Dark Descent label.
Grab it here
Condemned – His Divine Shadow
After an extended leave of absence from the world of recorded material, Condemned have finally returned to the fold with a new album in 2017. Sole original member and mastermind Steve crow and his newly revamped crew unfurl His Divine Shadow, a dark and intelligent brutal death metal album brimming with crushing riffs and addictive atmosphere. There is still a lot of Disgorge at the heart of what Condemned does, but it has been scaled back since the absolute clone days of the demo and first album. It’s a much cleaner and less guttural affair than what you might be expecting. At first I was taken aback and even slightly offput by this, which thankfully was very short lived as the album has many strengths that quickly become apparent. This is condemned 2.0. Get with it or be bowled over! I find the riffing to be quite clever, easily understood and dare I say catchy! Easily the most accomplished sounding stuff Steve has been able to conjure yet. My favorite parts of the album are actually the calmest moments, strangely enough. They sound really good when they pull back a little bit and relent a touch, stopping the brutal train long enough to open things up and allowing the listener to catch his or her breath before the next beating ensues. There are some cool elongated Behemoth type intros and haunting passages here; Condemned have artfully woven a dynamic and darkly atmospheric tapestry for your unholy listening pleasure. Steve Crow’s love of California legends Sadistic Intent, which I became privy to while perusing the threads of SMN’s now extinct Death Metal Discussion, has permeated His Divine Shadow. The old school flourishes he’s injected are quite tastefully done. A bit of Immolation’s off kilter skronk rears it head at times, as well as those food poisoning/hellish harmonics. Its seems like Crow and his band of hoods are reaching further than ever to achieve their own identity with this clever mixture of styles and for this I commend them. Grab this now from longtime brutal label Unique Leader, you won’t regret it!
Grab it here
Epoch – Sacrosanct
Damn, this is pretty furious stuff! Epoch from Belgium play a darkened brand of death metal not unlike the highly celebrated Dead Congregation. These dudes fit nicely amongst the Czech’s Lavadome label, right alongside the underrated offerings of Heaving Earth and Destroying Divinity. Sacrosanct, which was originally self released back in 2015, is wonderfully reissued here with a sick package that is equal parts artful and ominous that nicely compliments this harrowing statement of blackened death metal. These dude wield a bit of Immolation “Unholy Cult” era type skronky chord stuff and lots of what I like to call “food poisoning" or “seasick” riffs; when the band is straight up attempting to musically embody the soundtrack to a shitty time. Overall, Epoch project a pretty dark atmosphere… monolithic, earthy, and organic in tone. It has an evil that resonates long after the last note fades into oblivion. You’ll be back for more. It’s truly great stuff worthy of your attention as is the rest of the Lavadome roster. FFO: Lvcifyre, Resurgency, Ascended Dead, Incantation, Immolation
Grab it here
Fell Ruin – To The Concrete Drifts
I really dig these guys. They are one of the sickest bands out of the Detroit scene right now. Fell Ruin play an artful, progressive and often doom laden brand of modern black metal awesomeness that is sure to please. They can ride a filthy, dirgey part with the best of ‘em, exuding a terrible apocalyptic feel that is positively suffocating. These dudes are the musical embodiment of the urban decay of Detroit. They convey the emptiness of the fallen city, a tribute to a dream that died long ago. One can smell the piss and see the spray painted destitution of our lovely town just by listening. Harrowing bizarre soloing ramps up the haunting nature of the material to it’s unsettling boil. Seriously dark stuff! I enjoy when vocalist Brian Sheehan changes up his approach by tapping some cool Attila Csihar-type Popeye vocals. Dude sounds like a grim didgeridoo at times. I like it. Overall, this an impressive outing, and one that shouldn’t be overlooked for those seeking the apocalyptic. These dudes provide the end time feel in spades. Press play, get tetanus, and thank me later.
Grab it here
Fin – Arrows Of A Dying Age
Fin (as in Finished, over, done, the end) hail from the icy winded land called Chicago and play a martial brand of regal blasting black metal that is especially impressive considering their two-man stature. With just drums, a lone guitar, and a voice, they easily manage to sound like a van’s worth of black clad dudes. Having seen their live assault twice now, I can confidently say that they have captured their essence here in Arrows Of A Dying Age. Much like power duo Inquisition, Fin sound impossibly full. It’s as if they have some kind of deal with the devil himself to sound massive as fuck! Where Inquisition is fixated on the cosmic, FIN’s tellings are that of wars gone by, a glance through sepia-lensed binoculars onto the dusty battlefields of yore. They have a stoic, prideful sound… these are nostalgic anthems to the glory of mother war. It’s really carefully considered, thoughtful stuff. Tasty on all fronts. Riffs tear forth with a war like intensity to match their battle field laden themes. Serpentine vocals hiss and rasp from their echo-ey perch, howled by frontman M.K., who is truly is a formidable force on the front line. It’s quite a load he’s able to carry! Drums are expertly maimed by Dan Klein, who you maybe remember from the Invasion album I posted about a while back. The feel of his blast parts are notably great and his energetic high hat stuff reminds me of the blizzardy blasting days of Duane Timlin’s foray with Judas Iscariot. Too good! Dan is a fantastic drummer as well as a talented audio engineer. He recorded that Nucleus album I was gushing about last year as well as efforts by Hellfire Deathcult and Disfigurement (both Obituarist worthy bands). With FIN’s Arrows Of A Dying Age, Dan has proven once again that he is a veritable force at the knobs. The album sounds great. It’s lively, highly emotive stuff that thanks the bands seemingly infinite charisma, comes across like it is the most important thing ever recorded. There is a lot of heart in what FIN does, they are staunchly committed to their cause of churning out militarized black metal magic, and that goes a damn long way. Get Arrows Of A Dying Age and be privy to one of USBM’s best kept secrets.
Grab it here
Ghost Bath – Starmourner
Funny how people are still bringing up this China thing. Who gives a shit? Is the music only good if it’s from some ‘exotic’ location? If so, you might be too elite for your own good. If anything, I commend Ghost Bath for drumming up a lot of press on the matter, as we all know, all press is good press in this metal game. Starmourner is a great album of experimental depressive black metal, and sees them in slightly different form that the lauded Moonlover. From what I’ve gathered from our brief run of shows together in Europe, this line up is quite different from the one that laid down Moonlover, and it shows here to some degree. This is more densely layered than what we’ve heard from them before, perhaps it’s the employment of a third guitar adding to the soul draining din. It’s still very emotive and exudes a staunchly suicidal vibe. While many were writing Ghost Bath’s last outing off as a rip off of Deafheaven’s Sunbather, Starmourner will at last cease such unimaginative comparisons. This shit stands on it’s own. It’s very well crafted, thoughtful post black music with a gripping sense of dynamism. Many of you won’t make it past the howling, mocking vocal style that is a prevalent part of the DSBM thing, and to you I say good riddance. Ghost Bath are a polarizing band like that. People either love them or love to hate them. I am definitely in the first camp and wish these guys the best of luck. Bust out your absinthe and get weird with these oddballs of modern black metal.
Grab it here
Gorephilia – Severed Monolith
Gorephilia play a blackened brand of sinister old school death metal that is sure to separate the men from the boys. It’s chasmous, evil music… like Morbid Angel in a constant free fall through the pits of everlasting hell. Fellow countrymen Maveth come to mind. They peddle a similar filth. I’ll bet they hang out and slam salmiakki together in a stanky old dungeon just for kicks. Death and drek are Gorephilia’s business; and business is damn good! These dudes are masters of grave-dirt soiled death metal so true that they probably sleep with their bullet belts and leather jackets on. These guys are a fine example of Dark Descents immaculate track record. There’s a reason Matt Calvert’s label has become THE definitive voice of old school death metal in this day and age, and with this wonderfully unholy sophomore full length outing, Gorephilia remain a proud addition to his ever-expanding roster.
Grab it here
Gruesome – Fragments Of Psyche
Super sick new 2 song EP here from Gruesome, tacked with their first demo as bonus tracks. The Fragments Of The Psyche ep is a loving tribute to Death’s Human era, and features none other than Mr. Sean Reinert himself manning the drum seat for an original (“Fragments Of The Psyche”) and a revamped cover in “Choke On It 91”. When I say the song is revamped, I mean that it is approached in a jazzy reworked style more akin to Human than the sophomore Leprosy album it was originally culled from. Perhaps this is how it would have really sounded if it came out in 1991 backed by the moonlighting players from Cynic. Very cool and interesting idea, if you ask me! The real meat of the EP is the lengthy title track, it boldly emulates my personal favorite era of Death and does so remarkably well. I would kill for a full album of this particular sound. The artwork is fucking perfect too. So much so that I am wearing the t shirt version while I write this. My only wish is that there was a longer playing time for the Fragments ep. Now for the bonus material. The rough renditions of five bangers that would end up on the awesome Savage Land sound great here, possessing a nice youthful energy. My prayer is that ol’ Matt Harvey will bend to the overwhelmingly positive response to this EP and give us even more godly Human influenced perfection.
Grab it here
Immolation – Atonement
Between this and the new Obituary album (which I’ll get to a bit later), I’ve been living in a bizarre suspended state of 10th grade all over again. I might as well go back to wire glasses and cut my hair into an elongated and shaved-under bowl (yikes). Definitely minimal contact with chicks. Rough justice. Penisy hair and lonely genitals aside, I loved me some Immolation. I still do. I worship them as absolute heroes. For me, it doesn’t get better than Here In After, and honestly, I feel like the hefty Atonement is another one for the books for these guys. This is god tier death metal. Artful, powerful, with an air of ancient wisdom that few can touch. It seethes classic-ness from it’s every pore. There are some million dollar death metal riffs here, of the highest fucking order. Rob Vigna is still the king of all skronky, angular death metal shrapnel and this is indeed one of the finest hours in his storied career. The creativity just never ends with this guy. Like Here In After, this album is a bit more concise and often times more straight forward than what I’ve come to know them as in recent years and that’s a very good thing. It’s got it’s weird parts, but it’s never too busy. It’s not going to fly over anyone’s heads. It breathes where it needs to, weaves one hell of a unique and masterful atmosphere. It’s immolation at their absolute fucking best. Seriously, if you don’t like Immo, there’s a place for you in the La Brea tar pits. Get this now, or we can’t be friends.
Grab it here
Incinerator – Stench Of Distress
Incinerator are bad ass! Another victory for Rai over at Raw Skull Recordz! The dude definitely has his fingers to the undead pulse of the old school death underground, and this Incinerator may be his most exciting release yet from the young label. These wily dudes play a graven style of fuzz fueled OSDM that is completely timeless. This shit will ALWAYS be cool! It’s fist pumping, bullet belt toting, true death of the highest degree. Scorching! While Asphyx and bullpen band Pentacle are easy comparison, the fiery galloping energy of Hellhammer is at the very heart of Stench Of Distress. Much appreciated! There is a punkish undercurrent when they really get moving… It’s borderline crusty at times. Gotta love the awesome exaggerated Martin Van Drunen vocal style. So sick that it’s almost comical. It’s like he and Johnny Hedlund from Unleashed had a bunk baby back in the early nineties, and here he is, all growed up and pissed as fuck! Incinerator bring a lot of energy into their death… its’s got a constantly exciting feel to it, which is no small feat to achieve. It’s driving, addictive stuff. Intensity in ten cities! I defy you not to bang your head, or at least bob it along when playing this song. You shan't resist! FFO: Asphyx, Nocturnal Vomit, The Psalm, early Usurper, Rude, Decaying
Grab it here
Kalopsia – Angelplague
https://youtu.be/hZ-10iuzuuc
Damn, I had forgotten about these dudes! Kalopsia are a relatively unknown death metal entity from NJ harboring a pretty impressive pedigree of talents featuring current and ex members of Dehumanized, Funebrarum, Deteriorot, Ruinous, and Abacinate. Kalopsia have a melting pot of different styles, and a bit of residue hanging around from each of these aforementioned bands in their menacing and memorable formula. There’s the balled fist NYDM swagger of Dehumanized as well as the dark Incantation-y dirge of the under-appreciated Deteriorot, for example. There are also some melodic flourishes that surface here and there that really spice things up. The results are powerful, potent, and give you that feeling that you are hearing something you’ve heard before, but with a new twist. It’s so good you’ll feel like you’re already familiar with it; these veterans know what you want. They can read your death metal minds! The recording is really nice. A good balance of realness and thick production. The drums sound cool… I dig the angry snare. The pace here ranges from mid-speed blasting and hooky trem riffs to slow dirge and groove. There are some cool breakdowns, but I would liken them to either the Slayer or Suffocation camps before anything to do with the modern world of slam that’s become so prevalent in the last while. The bulk of the tracks are host to a menacing, monolithic groove that only seasoned vets like Kalopsia can provide. Godly stuff! The fifth track, “Scorched Earth and Blackened Skies" is a welcome melodic departure. It’s gripping dramatic death borrowing from the earliest days of Sweden’s melodic metal scene in an awesome way that doesn’t seem played out or like a sore thumb amidst the rest of these bruising songs. These dudes know their strengths and play to them… they aren’t the fastest band, or the most brutal, or the most anything. They aren’t caught up in trying to be some olympic, one trick band. What they are is a seasoned group of very talented songwriters that love death metal. This passion radiates from every moment of this crushing release. Get this now and open your eyes to the North East’s best kept secret! Keep your eyes peeled for that preorder over at Horror Pain Gore Death!
Stalk it here
Memoriam – For the Fallen
Ah, it’s finally time! It feels like I have been anticipating this one for a long while now. For the uninitiated, Memoriam has risen from the ashes of the now dissolved Bolt Thrower, in a loving death metal tribute to the fallen drummer Martin “Kiddie” Kearns (RIP). Iconic ex-BT bellower Karl Willets commands the honorable procession, joined by current Benediction and ex-Cerebral Fix members Scott Fairfax and Frank Healy, on the strings, respectively. Honoring Martin’s drum throne is none other than Andrew Whale, the Bolt Thrower drummer that proceeded Kearn’s joining in 1994… who else would be more fit for the job than him? The results are tried and true classic death metal with the warring flavor of latter day Bolt Thrower but with a few new twists. Searing pinch harmonics and more of a focus on soloing offer to freshen things up a bit. Fourth track, “Corrupted System” is surprisingly punky. I can dig it! Karl sounds as identifiable as ever. The dude is just a legend and he does what he does best here; bellowing tales of a grisly war that never seems to end. These riffs and songs were built to succeed at an outdoor festival, I can feel Germans spilling beer on my vest as we speak. I do find the recording to be a little on the stiff side when in comparison to the lively demos, which is a small bummer, but overall this is really cool stuff. I look forward to the future of the band and hope that I am lucky enough to cross paths with them in my travels. I would sure love to see this live.
Grab it here
Obituary – Obituary
Goddamnit! It’s finally here and it’s just as good as I remember! I was lucky to get a sneak peak at this album while I was out on tour with Napalm Death. Their sound guy, Joe Cincotta, had recently mixed the album and played it once through as background music to an aftershow rager. I was a bit drunk then, but I was very much blown away by the passion and urgency of the material. This is far and away the best thing the band is done since reforming. While they haven’t had any music I dislike per se, I feel like they were very comfortably resting on their grooving laurels in recent years. They were still making great death metal music but it wasn’t nearly as exciting or dramatic as their first three offerings. Kinda just cut and dry Obituary. This self titled effort has seen them taking a brutal self-examinatory look in the mirror and realizing the small details are what make an Obituary album go from good great. A lot of the magic stems from the soloing. I equate Obituary’s grandest moments with the colorful, dramatic soloing of James Murphy or Allen West. Here, semi recent addition Kenny Andrews shines with a similar glory. The leads he paints this exciting album with are just what the doctor ordered, they really allow the songs to take flight and take the material from being flattened two dimensional into vibrant 3D. Another thing I think they’ve brought back into the fold is use of more entertaining song structure. They are at their best when their songs aren’t too concise, but an adventure in violence, varying tempo and feel and content to slow things down and just sell a rich, darkened atmospheric picture. This self titled monster does just that and whole lot more. The album rekindled something deep in their loins that had been all but forgotten, a real adventurous and creative streak. This is seriously so good. I have played this twenty times already, no lie. I feel confident that the boys have learned a lot during the creation of this album, and that we have a bright future of wonderfully morbid death metal to look forward to. I personally can’t wait!
Grab it here
Pestifer – Execration Diatribes
This is really fucking good! Not to be confused with Pestifer from Belgium, these Portuguese punishers purvey a much more evil and war-like variety of death metal. Pestifer, out of are bullet belted up and ready to blow you to fucking bits!!! Execration Diatribes is host to a nice organic production with a great bass tone and real drums. These guys summon quite a din of exciting and confrontational death for your listening pleasure. Fiery riffs bringing to mind some Brazilian death metal classics like Krisiun, Nephasth, and Mental Horror. There is also a good dosage of Morbid Angel and Peruvians Mortem. Perhaps some Impiety. The results are a vicious melting pot of hateful molten lava, eager to carbonize any poser within earshot. Lavadome is a spectacular old school centric label out of the Czech republic and definitely one worth watching.
Grab it here
Tomb Mold – Primordial Malignity
https://youtu.be/EDvewtJzE-k
Damn, if there is one release I’ve been recommended the most this year so far, this is the one. Another killer release that I’ve meant to include for a minute. It’s just too good not to! Tomb Mold hail from Toronto, Canada, but sound like they crawled out from under a Swedish death metal rock in the early nineties. This putrid platoon drop absolutely filthy old school death that would sound great on your mix tape right between Gorement and God Macabre. It has the plodding doominess of Autopsy at their most foul, who were a massive influence on the slower contingent of old Swedish scene. It’s authentic what they’re doing. It has a rickety clumsiness to the sound that puts it smack in that old school vibe. The rattling bass is friggin’ awesome. Primordial Malignity is an exciting release that defies both locale and era, a direct portal to lovely Sweden at the very height of the death metal explosion of yore. Get this musty, stanky-ass affair now and start growing mushrooms on yourself as soon as possible.
Grab it here
Virulent Depravity – Fruit Of The Poisoned Tree
Virulent Depravity is the brainchild of Colin Butler, who plays guitar, bass, and provides vocals for this tech death frenzy of biblical proportion. What a talented bastard! Also joining him is good ol’ Malcom Pugh on second guitar. You may be familiar with Malcolm’s work without even realizing it. He contributed guitar to the last Entheos album, but I would guess he’s better known for his one man Necrophagist influenced assault A Loathing Requiem or blazing melo-death bad asses Inferi. He was also a part of Enfold Darkness and the now extinct Diskreet. Rounding out this disgusting line up is Svart Crown drummer (and ex-Benight live drummer) Kevin Paradis. The album is dizzying romp through the cosmic world of futurist technical death metal supremacy. Fruit Of The Poisoned Tree will surely please fans of Soreption, Spawn Of Possession, Virvum, Beyond Creation, Archspire, etc. Those hungry for a good shredding, look no further!
Grab it here
Warpath – The Ambience Of War EP
Warpath are an angry as shit brutal death metal outfit screaming out of beautiful Dublin, Ireland. We (The Black Dahlia Murder) had the great fortune of meeting and playing with these guys at one of our rare appearances out there. They impressed us with their Aeon-esque chops, professional sound, and were cool dudes to boot. It’s been quite a long time since their last full length, Malevolent Reprisal, and this brutish EP is definitely worth the wait. These skilled Jameson swillers deliver intense, muscular death metal that is pretty darn catchy. It’s very high quality stuff with tight grooves, massive vocals, deserty soloing and great tones all around. The last song, “Hunted Like The Prey That You Are” features a nice vocal contribution from Misery Index’s bassist turned frontman Mark Kloeppel. Kick ass! FFO: Aeon, Hate, Vader, Micawber, Scordatura, Discarnate. I’ve struggled to find a link to any kind of pre-order, so you’ll just have to go inquisitively knocking at their facebook door.
Inquire here
Woe – Hope Attrition
SO goddamned glad to see so many people gushing praise about this record. This band and album are truly awesome, I’d love to see them ascend to the top of the USBM heap where they rightfully belong. As the name would suggest, bleakness is what Woe sell. You can smell the asphalt seeping from the concrete jungle in which this scathing release was conceived. This is the musical embodiment of the dying American dream… an ode to the monuments of concrete failure we’ve chosen to desecrate this green earth with. Woe unapologetically represent the dark side of the human experience. The hopelessness and futility of life. It’s powerful stuff and not for the faint of heart. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting main man Chris Grigg (also of grinders Unrest) on a few occasions. He is friends with my longtime girlfriend Casey “Doom” Carlton and even took Casey along for a brief tour so she could photograph them in the live element, which I’m sure was really cool for her. Cheers to Chris and Woe and what will probably be an exciting year ahead for the band in 2017. Get this now or miss out on one of if not the best black metal album this year so far.
Grab it here
That’s all for now folks! Now that you’ve had your rage glands properly expressed, I can assure your safety until next month. Please check these bands out, find them on Facebook, and buy some shit from them. They will thank you. Keep telling your friends about this article!
A most sincere thanks to all the kind labels and PR people who help me along the way, I can’t thank you enough! I have gotten so much props for this thing lately and it means a great deal to me, thanks to everyone for the encouragement. It’s truly a pleasure for me to give back to the scene I love in some small way. I feel forever indebted to this music, and it has done my soul a lot of good to do The Obituarist for you each month. Stay stinky til next time friends!
Read previous entries from The Obituarist here. Also, check out Trevor reviewing unsigned bands on last night's episode of the RIP a Livecast.
