Howdy mutants, Trevor aka The Obituarist here to round of some of the finest releases in extreme music that I’ve been able to exhume this month. I would not really call what I do here in the column “reviewing” as much as I am endorsing. I only select from bands and labels that I like. I’m not here to piss on anyone’s parade.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my suggestions, please spread the gospel about this column to your friends and colleagues, your support is appreciated, immensely.
Blunt – Blunt
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHoCdabCh5A[/youtube]
Dekalb Illinois sleaze merchants Blunt offer one dense long player here for the real stoners out there… I mean for crying out loud the first song “Space Dabs” opens with a sample of one of the band members doing a dab, torch and all. Like Marijuana in it’s waxen form, Blunt is as thick and slow moving as molasses; but will also bring its bearer great joy and immense stimulation of the senses. I won’t front like I’m some expert on this particular faction of heavy music; it’s not too often that I fuck with the stoner rock style but these guys are really good at what they do and that is play fuzzed out, red-eyed Kyuss type stoner doom metal with a heavy as balls low end. If you like Sleep, and/or long sessions staring at black light posters, I would add Blunt to your radar immediately. Get mega wrecked and listen to Blunt… you’ll thank me later.
Grab it here
Cloak – Cloak 7"
This is surely my favorite entry this month… Cloak is simply friggin’ awesome! These up and coming Atlanta creeps play a sweet blend of death, black, and rock and roll: think Tribulation, Stench, Entombed "Mourning Star", Take Over And Destroy and even a pinch of Glorior Belli. This self titled 2 track 7 inch is host to epic, adventurous songwriting, deserty high hat work, and emotive riffing… this ambitious tuneage is good as a full length from someone else… nice far-reaching and long winded arrangements that expertly build and release tension, taking the listener on a real journey through Cloak’s sepia colored world of black magic sexiness. I checked these guys out at Blood Of The Wolf festival this year and they were outstanding… I have been anticipating the release of this two-songer for some time and it’s just perfect, if you ask me. I predict big things for these guys… you’d better get aboard now so you can say you were cool later.
Grab it here
Coscradh – MMXVI Demo
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNzU4ilWUJc[/youtube]
Frightening stuff here, folks! On their brand spanking new Invictus Productions released demo tape, Coscradh (which is ’massacre’, in Old Irish) unveil four sick, scary black/death rituals sure to scare this summer. These mysterious Irish hellions spew forth a bizarre, echoey, and alien kind of bestiality; part Teitanblood’s suffocating chaos, part Bolzer’s guitar creativity and bombastic dynamism. Sometimes Coscradh is nerve gratingly atonal; surely deliberatley toying with the listener’s sanity; and at others they channel the tribal mid-pace of Autopsy’s best material… the demo is really interesting melting pot of styles and the result is quite pleasing… I see a bright future for these young upstarts. Each song is a living, breathing monstrous entity that twists and stretches at it’s own will… it’s quite professional, what they’ve managed to achieve. Cocscradh is truly a massacre for the senses! .
Grab it here
Deceptionist – Initializing Irreversible Process
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y_h8LigpG8[/youtube]
Insanely tight technical death metal that is extremely polished and perfectly produced in the Unique Leader style… think Soreption, Bloodtruth, Psycroptic… I’m talking sick enough to hang with these big guns… this is some seriously blazing shit. With Initializing Irreversible Process Deceptionist unfurl a dazzling whirlwind of technicality, serpentine grooves, stylish and impossibly fast double bass patterns ala Synapses… this is futuristic machinated mayhem for you modernists to enjoy. If you like your death cold, calculated and razor sharp, Deceptionist could be the modern shot in the arm you’ve been seeking.
Grab it here
Defiled – Towards Inevitable Ruin
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5-2tY0wo0I[/youtube]
Defiled are a long running Japanese institution purveying album after album of quality off kilter old school meets tech death metal… don’t worry, you’re supposed to feel like you have food poisoning and are falling down and endless flight of stairs. When I say off kilter I mean downright nutty, take the jazzified weirdness of Cryptopsy and multiply it by three… chop and screw it, and you’ll arrive at the perplexing enigma that is Defiled. They may not appeal to everyone, but I find their quirky approach to be quite lovable in it’s originality. Many fans found their last outing to be a little rough in the production department this new record is definitely a raw endeavor in itself… it has very live sound to it that might sound junky to you protools buffs, but I can dig it. If you like weird, discordant, different death, give these ancient asian aliens a spin, they just might be the lunatics you’re looking for.
Grab it here
Depravity – Reign Of The Depraved
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylMcJJ9ljnA[/youtube]
Depravity come storming from the shores of Australia to crush this feeble planet with their masterful brand of majestic death metal might!!! It doesn’t get more professional sounding than this… these guys are seasoned players and songwriters of the highest order. The intro is the slimiest thing this side of Morbid Angel, with some spacey Mithras type leads overtop… very cool… it’s mystical and at the same time crushing. Definitely an insane pedigree of musicians here from many killer bands (Entrails Eradicated, Malignant Monster, The Ritual Aura, Shrapnel, The Furor and even Singapore’s Impiety to name a few)… these cut-throats know absolutely what they are doing… it’s fucking devastation all around. I have to admit that I’m a little puzzled as to why that they’d name their band Depravity when Finland’s Depravity is obviously such a prominent band in the history of death metal… I don’t quite think the statute of limitation is up on that one, dudes… might be shooting themselves in the foot on that one. If you like the slick death metallings of Hour of Penance, Bloodtruth, early 2000s Behemoth, or early Fleshgod Apocalypse give these blazing butchers a try, you’ll be blown away!
Grab it here
Endless Disease – There Is No Hope
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPEWVJqpHA8[/youtube]
Boy was a I surprised to see Endless Disease in my twitter feed… it’s been about 5 years since the last demo blew my head off and I had all but given up on this one man crusty black metal campaign… fuck yes… the war is back on, I say! Musically, this picks up right where Our Dawn Is The End left off… high quality d-beating fuzzed out crustiness… think of a more punk influenced version of Craft. It’s catchy, hateful, nihilistic music that makes me want to smash glass bottles behind Wawa and freak out. This is a band I’d love to see fill out and become a full time thing… 3 to 4 additional members, label signings, tours, the whole nine yards; I think it should be realized, I decree it! If you dig Rookwood, Young And In The Way, Dishammer, Hellhorse and other super angry black punk blends, you’d better give your middle finger a stretch, you’re gonna need it!
Grab it here
Fecundation – Congenital Deformity
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xeezCfEgaQ[/youtube]
I've noticed that certain words and terms seem to gain popularity in brutal death in the constant race to out-gore one another… congenital is definitely one of the 'it' words right now in brutality, no doubt. It’s everywhere. Anyhow, this insanely brutal two man crew from Korea named Fecundation has an absolutely killer ep on their hands; chock full of sickening technicality and guttural brutality. by the pictures in the cd booklet alone, these guys are just babes… they look absurdly young. Good variety… easy to listen to all four songs in succession. I think I could withstand a whole full length from these guys… its fresh enough to warrant a deeper and longer session with these sick slayers and I don’t always think that. I was taken aback by the super nice melodic soloing… wonderful to hear that in such a guttural band. It definitely helps bring new dimension to the songs… a more 3D element that brutal death so badly needs. If you enjoy Indecent Excision, Devangelic or Perverse Dependence gives these little freaks a shot.
Grab it here
Fetor – Abandoned Hope
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeAxWmpntMk[/youtube]
Nice! This is absolutely fucking sick… I had no previous experience with these fellas and damn… what a pleasant surprise. Hailing from Mysłowice, Poland, brutal death metallers Fetor bring a chunky, heavy as fuck, totally menacing and expertly recorded brand of modern sickness that is sure to please. There is a massive underlying groove throughout the material that will keep your head banging all the way through… the result is just devastating… think of the lumbering swagger of Dying Fetus and old Decapitated… I am talking expert level grooves, here. I enjoy that slam is a part of the party but not the dominant feature… Fetor knows how to show some style and prowess with what they are doing rather than just recycle old Devourment riffs… these fuckers can write songs. Top it off with some ultra sick, indecipherable wet frog man vocal gutturalizations and we’ve got a real winner here, folks. This just sounds so professional and fresh… I really dig it, and you will too. Out now on the upcoming UK based label Rotten Music.
Grab it here
Fistula – Longing For Infection
I’m not going to lie, Fistula scare the shit out of me. These guys are just too hard. Too real. They are heavier, they party harder and they give less fucks than anyone out there. Their prolific catalog of ten ton sludge metal is thoroughly riddled with references of (real) drugs and brimming with agoraphobic hatred… these are not nice people… they don’t care if you like them, they don’t want to be your friends. I saw them live at Berserker Fest III and they were monolithic. These scumbags took the Eyehategod handbook and glorified every vein-popping page… they are simply miserable in the best way possible. I have left a few bands I like crash here at my place in Michigan when it suits them but if I saw a note on Fistula’s merch table saying they needed a place to sleep, I would whistle and walk the other way. With music this vile, this disgustingly wrong and lyrics this nihilistic; how could they possibly not light the place on fire and/or shit in the middle of the living room floor?
Grab it here
Fuming Mouth – Lotus
You gotta love how many ways hardcore and death metal are cross pollinating these days… there are some really sweet sounds popping up the world over and HM-2 death metal marrying streetwise HC toughness is definitely one I can get behind. Bands like Gatecreeper, Spinebreaker and Skinfather are akin to what three piece Fuming Mouth spews; it’s buzzsawing death that can beat down when the going gets rough… I’ll bet people out in Mass kill each other to this shit in basements and VFW halls all over town… just try not to make a fist when listening to Lotus. I think these dudes could do big things… someone should sign them up and send em on tour.
Grab it here
Grave Desecrator – Dust to Lust
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gn0TtVZTEw[/youtube]
Masters of unholy as fuck black/death from Brazil Grave Desecrator have returned to draw dicks on your headstones and spill whiskey on your dead face as you lie disheveled in your ruptured coffin with a posthumous dookie in your pants! With their third full length and first for France’s ever exciting Season Of Mist label, Grave Desecrator have polished up their sound slightly… the result is a less chaotic, perhaps slightly less black thrash but more wholly realized and mature material. Things on Dust To Lust appear a bit more serious and professional than what I’m used to from these guys… it’s a good change… there’s more now for the listener to sink their fangs into than ever. Loving the sound of the snare… sounds like he’s really giving it hell. Press play, grab your gas mask and get ready for the war!!! FFO: Archgoat, Perversor, Vomitor.
Grab it here
Imperium – Titanomachy
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76XULUoBx2Q[/youtube]
Damn, this was an awesome discovery, I had no prior knowledge of these stunning UK warlords before stumbling on them very recently, but boy, I’ll be surprised if they don’t end up on a lot of people’s radars with the epic Titanomachy… it effin’ rages! Imperium play a straight forward brand of glorious death metal owing greats like Hate Eternal, Nile, and Hour Of Penance… its impressive, slick and fit for a king. After a fairly Morbid Angel-esque slimy intro, its off to the blast beating races; Imperium trample with an assault of forceful riffs and relentless kicks. The vocals have a tough sound to them, nice and in your face; handled by non other than Unfathomable Ruination (and ex-Bloodshot Dawn) drummer Doug Anderson, who commands the microphone with an iron fist. In line with Nile’s thematic devotion to Egypt and Sarpanitum to the crusades; Imperium take a similar historically informed approach, tapping greek mythology and lore for the backdrop to their majestic barrage. It’s regal, royal and combative death metal mastery of the highest order; I am definitely taking notice and you should too. If you like Sarpanitum, The Monolith Deathcult, Chaos Inception, Nile or Behemoth, give these berserkers a chance.
Grab it here
Internal Suffering – Cyclonic Void Of Power
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75RB1pnABUA[/youtube]
So great that the brutal blasting tornado is back! This sounds exactly as I remember them… I’m glad they haven’t succumb to any modernization in terms of style or production values… these brutal Colombians (newly relocated to Spain) are as raw and relentless as you’d want them to be. This is wily, savagely grinding brutal death metal aural punishment in the way that only Internal Suffering can deliver… there was void felt by the scene while they were away. The drums are relentless… a little sloppy at times but it’s nice to hear the humanity there… what you hear is a lone man and his abilities as a drummer, not some lifeless, doctored up protools festival. Thematically, they continue their bizarre magic ridden quest to our ultimate apocalypse… I love that they are still running with the chapters/bizarre sub titles to the songs like old Kataklysm (back when they were mystical and cool). I was fortunate enough to catch these guys live once and it was truly devastating… definitely one of the most intense brutal death experiences I’ve ever been privy to… I’ve never seen a bdm outfit give themselves to the music like that, they were explosive. They brought absolute Colombian death metal fury that night and they continue to do so with Cyclonic Void Of Power… it simply rages.
Grab it here
Morgue Meat – Mutilation In The Chapel
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGbhUI0lm9I[/youtube]
This is sick! Morgue Meat burp forth Chunky blasting and brutal death metal in the vein of Degrade, Welding Torture or Meat Devourer. The songs are concise and devoid of much fat… just catchy riffs, some cool bouncy slam parts that go over nicely… it’s meat and potatoes that you’ll be glad you came to the table for. Nice crunchy guitar tone and thick bass meld together well, making that heavy wall of sound effect. The vocalist brings that ‘clinical’ old Carcass/Lymphatic Phlegm touch to the fold; deep, gaping and guttural, sometimes opting for some impressively rapid patterns and ree ree stuff that recall sickos Serial Butcher. Overall, this is some really heavy brutal death…. thick and sick! Get into it!
Grab it here
Mourned – Promo 2016
Massholes Mourned are here to crush skulls and take names, like fellow statesmen Fuming Mouth (see above), these dudes grind out an abrasive blend of hoods up tough guy hardcore and old school death fury… it’s downright mean! Nice death metalish tone, not quite HM-2 fuzzy, but cool none the less. There’s a great deal of Slayer at play here, too… always welcome in my book. Mourned menacingly churn out a couple of sick ride fueled break downs that would make the late Jeff Hanneman proud and send karate kicking mosh kings into a pitting frenzy. Keep the killer crossovers coming and I’ll keep gobbling them up gleefully.
Grab it here
Necosic – Putrid Decimation EP
Perfectly graven death metal of the highest order featuring Eric Cutler of Autopsy fame, Sean McGrath of Impaled and the drummer of Funebrarum/Ghoulgotha C. Koryn. Sounds like its takes a lot of influence from the classics of old finnish death metal… its plodding, grisly, raw and thick. Punctuated by a super catchy vocal delivery, this four songer is host to high quality lyrics and patterning that makes them a lot more gripping than a lot of bands of their retro ilk. Semi melodic at times in that old finnish style… very cool. Undergang, Eternal Darkness, Funebrarum, Ascended, Abhorrence… you know the drill… it’s diseased retro death to die for… crack open the casket and get eating!
Grab it here
Oniricous – La Caverna De Fuego
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T76zGdGWAJU[/youtube]
I only took one semester of Spanish and it was in Middle school, but I can surmise that the album titles translates to The Cavern Of Fire… I’m a regular Alex Trebeck. Anway, old school death metal stalwarts Oniricous are back with a new scorcher in La Caverna… one reeking with an nice ancient atmosphere dripping with authenticity; the blood of the old goods certainly courses though Oniricous’ ancient veins. The first song has some riffs that belong on Bolt Thrower’s Realm Of Chaos album before picking up into a thrashy verse that will certainly pump some fists; something like Necrophobic or Bloodstone. The songs tend to have a decent variety to them, changing tempos and chopping things up nicely. There’s definitely nothing new here but Oniricous is a solid band thats worth your time if you’re into the ways of the old school.
Grab it here
Purgatoire – Passé Décomposé
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovNjiWncABs[/youtube]
More new blood for me here folks, French Canadian death metal stalwarts Purgatoire (“purgatory" if you’re slow at the draw) make an impressive old school death statement in Passé Décomposé. The album is rife with that galloping Celtic Frost by way of Obituary feel… Bolt Thrower is tapped at times as well. Its definitely old school and simplistic what Purgatoire does… some of you young bucks might not be into this. There are some really killer neck snapping grooves that are straight out of Jungle Rot’s most wiggery moments… overall, there’s a decent variety to what Purgatoire churn out. If you liked Six Feet Under’s Haunted album as much as I did, this could fill the void. FFO: Weak Aside, Torture Killer, Catastrophic, Debauchery, SFU and These Are They.
Grab it here
Qrixkuor – Three Devils Dance
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD1ewKOZsLE[/youtube]
Whelp, this is up there amongst the most foul, evil, scary shit I have ever heard to date. It’s so repulsive, so blackened, so freakishly otherworldly that you can’t help but think about it afterward and feel a sick want to return to Qrixkuor for more depravity… it’s got horror that will shock you. It resonates. At its most structured times Three Devils Dance falls somewhat in the Archgoat/Black Witchery category; at its most unravelled; Abyssal or Aevangelist is the closest comparison I can make. You’ve got to love the countless wailing Slayer guitars coming from nowhere providing layer upon layer of hellishness, a maelstrom of unease. Deep, chasmous vocals echo for days – the scary ass effects make for a really inhuman quality to the vocal approach. The package is undeniable, Qrixkuor’s style of scarey ass, suffocating, shapeshifting black/death depravity could cost you a set of bedsheets. Hit play and prepare to sleep with the lights on tonight.
Grab it here
Teeth/Fister – Split EP
Goddamn I love Teeth. They are so cool. They definitely like their Gorguts… I hear a little Bolzer-ishness at times as well that I hear in their brother band Our Place Of Worship is Silence, who some of you may already be familiar with to some degree. Teeth strike me as a stoners version of that whole skronky as hell dissonant deathmetal craze right now that everyone is loving… there is a real richness of texture and vision. I want to move to California and be a hobo and sneak to these guys practice spot and hear the weirdness seep through the walls while I slug cough syrup. This is challenging, artful and mercurial death metal. If you like forward thinking bands Ulcerate, Gorguts, Ad Nauseam, and Artificial Brain, Teeth will rock you. On the other side of the coin we have St. Louis blackened sludge degenerates Fister who offer up a lone song of crawling, plodding dirge that will have you self harming in no time flat. The vocals are scary and remind me of Shape Of Despair or Septic Flesh… that super cranked sounding double thing with a big lower voice in front and a higher more fuzzed out one tucked in just so to make the guy sound like the ultimate nightmare. Musically it starts out pretty sludgy and hate-filled, something like Fistula, who I mentioned earlier this month. About three quarters of the way through the track the tune takes a surprise turn for the melancholic; summoning early Katatonia to brilliant blight filled effect and then its back to sludge town for the outro. This side is just as bomb as Teeth… what a split guys… get on this!
https://brokenlimbsrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/fister-teeth-split
Grab it here
Terra Tenebrosa – The Reverses
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vQVl2-DcWY[/youtube]
Where do I begin with these masked avante-garde freakazoids? Well, back when they were human, some of them were in a semi-famous fully-awesome hardcore band out of Sweden called Breach; who while awesome in their own right, were a mere precursor to the high art that Terra Tenebrosa exude both visually and sonically. The Reverses is an album that is so strange and obscure that it has to be heard to be believed. Nothing I can say can prepare you for nightmarish world these masked men effortlessly embody… it's sincerely unnerving and dark music of the highest quality and the attention to detail is at times astounding… there is a lot to be heard in this suffocating and disorienting melee marrying damaged atmospheric post black metal deconstructionism with a darkened electronics. While Terra Tenebrosa is a band of many complex layers including horror movie-esque soundscapes; there is a guitar driven backsplash black metal element at the bands very core. While I wouldn't say theres much on Reverses in the way of straightforward headbangable riffs; what it does offer is an expertly woven dissonant tapestry (not unlike some of what Blut Aus Nord does) that cascades over the syncopated industrialized sounding percussion to create an atmosphere of dread… sour sounding bad time music that is the soundtrack to a wretched fever mixed with food poisoning… it's weird, perverted, and hauntingly anonymous. Last but not least we must mention the unearthly weirdo vocals that repulsively hiss and rant overtop the tumult, at times warped by effects adding an even more schizophrenic element. The guys sounds like a legitimate freak… there is a very villainous element to this front man character… he is part of what makes it great. Surreal, haunting, original, ambitious, and addictive… the bizarre realm that this band introduces on The Reverses will rattle you to your very core. FFO: Stagnant Waters, P.H.O.B.O.S., Dodheimsgard, Aevangelist, Neurosis.
Grab it here
Towering Abomination – Towering Abomination
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrKbu7eZ0dA[/youtube]
Towering Abomination, eh? I like the name. The only thing worse than a gnarly, disgusting monstrosity is a big gnarly, disgusting monstrosity. You would expect the bands sound to be huge, and gladly they do not disappoint. After a nice brief instrumental intro part, the album kicks into high gear with some modern brutal yet tech slamming death metal… cool to hear a slamming outfit incorporating some noodly elements… I can dig it. Some of the more sweep laden segments remind me of Cytotoxin or Beneath The Massacre… there are some pretty cool ideas and guitar trickery that I wouldn’t have expected when judging this album by its name and cover art… this is far more intelligent stuff than your average run of the mill slam band… in fact, these guys have such a varied sound that I feel l may have done them an injustice… slam is only one side to what these guys do… it’s saved and used as a weapon at precisely the right moments. The vocals are of a semi dry gaping butthole variety for the most part with a sparse high and a few nasty reees scattered throughout. They are all well executed, patterned and cleverly layered at times; well done, fellas! Every once in a while a distinguishable word or phrase pokes out. I find this overall package to be very professional and easy to listen to… the songwriting has enough spice to keep the listener aboard…. With clever pacing and equally impressive turn arounds, they know how keep it interesting in a genre that can get stale quickly.
Grab it here
Vulvodynia – Psychosadistic Design
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIu26JVvUfA[/youtube]
I’m sure a lot of you have heard or heard of these cats by now, they are South Africa’s most prominent extreme metal export and worshipped by those who love the more extreme end of deathcore and flat brimmed hat wearing slammers alike. For the record, Vulvodynia is a chronic pain syndrome that affects the vulvar area… resulting in burning and discomfort; one of those band monikers that sounds tougher than it is. They need to make a shirt with the logo huge on the front and “My Pussy Hurts” on the back… I think it’d be a hit! Jokes aside, Psychosadistic Design is another improvement in the young bands growth as musicians… this crushes their last album, which I did like quite a bit. Psychosadistic Design is catchier, chunkier and slightly more death metal overall than their previous output. Modern slamming death metal by way of deathcore is still what Vulvodynia unashamedly puke forth, and they do it very well. This band is a product of the protools generation of extreme metal… if you can’t stand that polished to perfection sound replaced and quantized world of modern slam, I would stay far from this… it’s simply not for you. If you like Ingested, Acrania, or Katalepsy, be sure to give these brutal south africans a shot.
Grab it here
Well, thats all I have for you this time, maniacs. Another month, another dense batch of jams! Hails and horns to all the hardworking bands out there and to anyone who goes out of their way to support the underground… I appreciate, and these talented underground deviants appreciate it even more.
Read previous editions of The Obituarist here.
