Howdy Halloween hellions! I’m back with another list of killer releases from this year to get crunk to this Samhain… extra heavy on the Indonesian brutality! Peep the tracks, read the descriptions, and support the underground by picking up the albums!
Abhorrent Deformity – Entity of Malevolence
Love this cover art… might be the best thing I’ve seen from Marco Hasmann… the colors are nice and very refreshing. I first heard these young North Carolinians when I did a call and response thingy for Decibel magazine and I’ve been a fan ever since. I would describe their sound as influenced by Suffocation and Skinless… it has a constant huge underlying groove and utilizes a churning style of breakdown in favor of straight forward slam. A killer album from an exciting new band, Entity of Malevolence will maim you in all the right ways. [Bandcamp]
Analepsy – Dehumanization By Supremacy
These down tuned beatdown masters offer a monstrous brand of slamming brutal death metal from Lisbon, Portugal for the listening pleasure of only the sickest of deviants. Analepsy deliver the bulldozing goods with this 7 song EP that is every bit as sick as the works of genre leaders Abominable Putridity or Kraanium. If you like Slamentation, Fermented Masturbation, Gravitational Distortion, Extermination Dismemberment or Parasitic Ejaculation, this will slam your head in. Out now on the hilariously named Vomit Your Shirt records. [Bandcamp]
Blood Incantation – Interdimensional Extinction
Warped sideways and somewhat blackened death metal that recalls greats Demilich, Morbius, early Incantation, and Timeghoul. This 18 minute long EP crawls forth with a style that is convoluted, pitch black and potently progressive. Cloaked cultists Blood Incantation will lead your wandering mind into the depths of the darkened void with a skeletal hand. Conspire with Dark Descent records and order this wretched slab now. [Online Store]
Burst Bowel – Repelled Gift
Burst Bowel tear onto the scene in 2015 playing gore fueled mechanized blasting brutality from Italy. The slick production is very modern… it’s hard to discern whether the drums are programmed or just triggered to the tits… this is definitely brutal death metal of the clean and concise protools era, but that doesn't mean it isn't sick as fuck. Burst Bowel are heavy without falling into the often samey trappings of slam, they seem more content to blast and grind their way through a track than try to subwoof you to death. The deeply guttural (and sometimes humorously monosyllabic) vocal attack reminds me of something you would hear from gore freaks Serial Butcher or early Visceral Bleeding. If you like Murder Made God, Fleshrot or Unmerciful, these brutal bastards will do you good. Out now on Coyote records. [Bandcamp]
Carnivorous Voracity – The Impious Doctrine
Amputated Vein records always seems to pop up again with something new and good every once in a while. I find it to be an extreme pain in the ass to navigate their archaic ass store/site to buy anything, and the prices are consistently just as painful, forcing me to impatiently wait until their releases hit US distros like Comatose or Sevared before I can get my hands on them. They tend to put out a lot of slam that ranges from lukewarm to kick ass, but they also have a few gems of other styles tucked in their catalog like Italy’s Sickening or Russians Fleshbomb. Carnivorous Voracity are another prime example of the high end of Amputated Vein’s roster; these guys are like the Spanish version of Guttural Secrete!!! They even have awesome croaky vocals in the vein of Blue Jensen’s. The production is really big and clear, its easy to hear the minutiae of what Carnivorous Voracity is doing. The cover art by Daemorph is just incredible… it helps add to the must buy nature of this bestial brutal death album. If you dig the aforementioned GS, Asphyxiate, or Cenotaph, get on this immediately. [Bandcamp]
Coffincraft – In Eerie Slumber
Ah, Finlands Coffincraft… You know I love my Swedish style retro death and here’s more of it for you too who wish it were still 1992. If you dig classics like Goddefied, Excruciate, or Nirvana 2002, you’ll find a lot to like on In Eerie Slumber. They have a nice groove sometimes that reminds me of Dismember’s underrated Massive Killing Capacity album. Memento Mori is a cool old school centric label and this is one of the better HM-2 driven albums of the year… get into it! [Online Store]
Crocell – Prophet’s Breath
Straight forward no frills death metal of the highest level of professionality; Denmark’s Crocell are the latest sickos to get the nod from highly slept on Massachusettes based label Deepsend Records. There is nothing new here really but the quality is undeniable… these guys are old pros and have a had a string of albums I assume little have heard, seeing as I have never come across these guys before in my insane internet scourings. The material at hand is quite memorable; as the band have a good handle on how to create some enthralling dynamics for the listener to enjoy. Experienced death metallers will hear their Danishness in the Panzerchrist style tremolo riffing and the Illdisposed like melodic sensibility Crocell wield to great effect. Add a dash of latter day Exmortem, and you have yourself a Danish cocktail sure to burn the place down to the ground. [Online Store]
Disrupted – Morbid Death
More ripping retro swedeath with that infamous HM-2 pedal crunch; Disrupted will skank, blast and dirge their way into your elitist death metal heart with a rambunctious zeal. Recalling such energetic filthy greats as Repugnant, Entrapment and Tormented, these undead minions have a fuzzed out sound that reeks with a posthumous funk that only few are sick enough to purvey. Inhale the rot! Inhale Morbid Death! [Big Cartel]
Drain Of Impurity – Into the Cold Crypts of Dead Planet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX_qITbjU7Q
Batu Çetin from long running Turkish legends Cenotaph drops another hideous slab of depraved one man brutal death metal for all you gorehounds out there with side project Drain Of Impurity. His trademark gutturals shine during the span of Into the Cold Crypts of Dead Planet as the music churns with an old style brutality that recalls Pyrexia, Fleshgrind and Broken Hope with a very classic sounding result. I think the drum programming sounds pretty cool here… it doesn’t sound like the same ol’ samples the other bands are using… at least there’s some kind of originality to it. It could be a lot worse and doesn’t really detract from the whole. [Online Store]
Guttural Disease – Periodical Torment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUzaE_F_aP4
The Indonesian underdog strikes again! As you've probably figured out by now, I am somewhat obsessed with the country's loveable brand of raw, passionate, and primitive brutal death. Guttural Disease are no exception to IDDM's cause, maiming the listener with a Suffocation meets Disgorge (CA) influenced style of old school brutality packing a nice and heavy punch. I would say these guys are at the more professional sounding end of the spectrum, not as sloppy as some of indo's exports, but still nice and natural. I can see this crushing EP making some waves in the brutal underground this year. Check it out! [Big Cartel]
Horrendous – Anareta
Horrendous has done it again… Anareta is nothing short of captivating death metal music. It seems a little less macabre to me than the last one and definitely less so than The Chills, but that doesn’t mean it’s not excellent. Things have gotten a little more progressive, following a similar evolutionary arc as Swedes Tribulation has with their last two releases… increasing the length of sweeping song structures and upping the amount of masterful dynamism to create an undeniable narrative drama; as Horrendous unfurl their graven NWOBHM inspired Death Metal wizardry for all to hear. Where the scene has been flooded with a zillion HM-2 toting clones content to sound just like Entombed or Grave, Horrendous capture the excitement and experimentation that was occurring in the early death metal scene. I can see this album coming out back in the day on Shiver or Lethal Records… it has an old school authenticity about it. For lack of a better description, I would say Horrendous is part Utumno, part King Diamond, and part The Lord Weird Slough Feg. Whatever it is, you will be glad you came to the party. [Online Store]
Morbid Vomit – Doctrine Of Violence
Morbid Vomit remerge from the coffin for their first official full length effort, Doctrine Of Violence. I really think these guys deserve a higher profile and a chance to get in the ears of all Bloodbath, Vallenfyre and Entrails fans worldwide. Morbid Vomit jam solid, catchy old school Swedish death metal of the sunlight studios variety that is host to meaty hooks, roaring vocals and a killer raw yet muscular production that all add up to one casket crushing sum. The only detractor here is the cover art, seems pretty amateurish; it just does the incredible musicianship no justice. Don’t let that deter you from disinterring corpses with Finnish sickos Morbid Vomit this Fall! [Online Store]
Mutilatred – Dissecting Your Future
Ohio's own Mutilatred (featuring two ex-members of confrontational metalcore/noisecore outfit Premonitions of War) emerge from the stygian depths of Toledo with their first full length offering of twisting darkened old school death metal owing a great deal to legends Incantation. Traces of PoW can be heard in Dissecting Your Futures most discordant moments, but I assure you this is grave desecrating, corpse fucking true death that is not to be missed by fans of Ignovimous, Resurgency, Destroying Divinity, or Ectovoid. [Online Store]
Intravenous Contamination – Drowned In Human Fluids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_TAPD3_GXY
These foul blood tainting freaks unleash a contagious album of seriously sick blasting brutal death metal from Germany. Imagine the kick ass tremolo riffing of Mass Infection, Brutus or Inveracity mixed with a touch of jaw breaking slammage to break things up and kick your ass. Add a huge production with a nice natural drum sound, and you've got one beast of a record on your hands. This is by no means anything new, but I quite like it. Germany’s Rising Nemesis Records have been releasing a lot of bangers lately… if I were you I would start keeping tabs on them if you don’t already. [Online Store]
Misþyrming – Söngvar elds og óreiðu
Icelandic black metallers (pronounced Misthyrming) are here to summon up a lightless din of terrifying black metal atmospherics for that ass in 2015. These young and mysterious freaks are two parts of the equally impressive Carpe Noctem and conjur one hell of a frightening style that is quite entrancing. This is one of the finest BM releases of the year no doubt, and will suffocate you to death with your own drool covered pillow. If you dug my Abyssal post, this will give you a similar scare. It’s offered up for free on their bandcamp, but trust me, you’ll want a physical copy of this little piece of black matter for your very own. [Bandcamp]
Omnivorous – Age of Maelstrom
Another shining example of the excitement transpiring in the Indonesian underground, Omnivorous will covet your meat off your dinner plate (and your vegetables too). Don’t let the name fool you, these Suffocation inspired youngsters are as blood thirsty as it gets! The cover art by the consistently awesome Bullmetalart definitely drew me in, and the tuneage kept my head banging all the way to the Brutal Mind records store. In typical Indo fashion the production is fairly raw but I would say that it’s pretty well done overall. I find it awesome how many of these young Indonesian Suffo worshippers are popping up lately… I can never get enough NYDM influenced brutality. [Bandcamp]
Reduced – Gradually Executed
Goddamn, these guys are just relentless. I would describe the style of Reduced as somewhere between indo Gods Jasad and NYDM heroes Suffocation. The guitar sound here is raw enough to perforate your little pink eardrums… each time these guys chug or unleash a fevered torrent of quick palm muted riffing, a little more of your skin will be grated off like parmesan cheese. The guys interweave forceful, downright savage blasting sections with a little tech and the occasional slow churning NYDM style breakdown, complete with indecipherable guttural vocalizations sure to disgust. This is a fine album from a fine new band… don’t miss out… grab it on the cheap from Force Fed Merchandise! [Big Cartel]
Serocs- And When The Sky Was Opened
Mexican technical death metal guitarist Antonio Freyre has assembled quite an all-star international death metal cast to back his crusade to mind-bending glory. Included amongst Seroc’s elite ranks are Monstrosity bass wizard Mike Poggione, impressive Sotajumala skinsman Timo Häkkinen, and an exciting young guitar prodigy in Montreal’s Phil Tougas (Chthe'ilist/Vengeful/Zealotry/First Fragment). Traces of Antonio’s favorite band Cryptopsy can be heard amongst the virtuosic melee; sometimes recalling the most neoclassical moments of now departed guitarist Jon Levasseur. A number of cool Anata-esque riffs that are melodic yet urgent at the same time also come forth from the din. If you are up for some thinking man’s death metal that would fit snugly in with a lot of the Willowtip records roster, give Serocs a whirl. [Online Store]
Sufism – Reptilia Buas
Arrrrrrggggghhhh!!!! Here we have yet even more Indonesian brutality sure to smash your first world pumpkins into mushy old baby food. Young bucks Sufism churn out a really heavy low-endy Skinless style sound chock full of Suffo blasts and bass ridden beat down informed by Dying Fetus. The recipe is nothing new, but it’s convincingly executed and exemplifies the intense passion with which Indo scene exists. This is simply great brutal death… get ready to bang your heads! [Online Store]
Under The Church – Rabid Armageddon
Lurking in Sweden’s most dismal midnight fog, Under The Church (who feature two ex- Nirvana 2002 alumni) spew forth a stench ridden brand of old school death metal that is demo era Autopsy meets pre-Entombed/Unleashed band Nihilist’s HM-2 buzz and fuzz. Energetic punk beats drive the undead pulse of this record, and the echoey yet understandable vocals recall Tormented or Vampire and paint visions of eyeless corpses shambling hungrily into the night. If you like death metal the old dirty way, this is for you. Singapore’s Pulverised records just fucking rules and deserves your undivided attention for all of your elitist extreme needs. [Big Cartel]
Vastum – Hole Below
Totally true death metal from San Francisco boasting an awesome cavernous old school sound spawned from the same cauldron of primordial goo as Incantation, Autopsy, and Depravity. Hole Below grooves and lumbers monstrously, at times dirging to unfathomable doom death depths and at others purveying sea sick harmonies that would make Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler smile. The vocals are deep and reverby, recalling the bellows of many greats of yore… like every other instrument, the booming growls are perfectly retro… nothing about what Vastum is doing is from this time nor place. Get old and moldy with these Californian cadaver-men, you won’t regret it. [Bandcamp]
Viscral – Egocentric Underneath of Horror
This is absolutely the best death metal I've heard from Indonesia this year… It's a lot more professional and fully realized than some of Viscral's garagey countrymen… their stylish take on Suffocations NY blast and grind will boot you directly in the chin. What I'm most amazed about here is the amount of variety on the album; it’s quite well done in a genre that can get boring quickly. Marrying some melodic moments one could liken to Decrepit Birth’s most recent output with the technical onslaught of Origin and Indonesians Antithesis and Djin, all witnessed through the twisted lens of Suffocations spiraling crunch, Viscral are the Indos to beat in 2015. [Big Cartel]
Visceral Throne – Those Who Have Fallen Beyond The Grace of God
I saw these guys once and they were pretty decent, but seemed a little young and maybe slightly naïve… I recall thinking them better on record. Fast forward a few years later, Visceral Throne offer up this stunning head turner of a new EP showing a real maturity in performance and scope; brutal death metal that shares the technical and progressive vison of bands like Defeated Sanity, Cerebral Effusion and Disentomb. Some of you will shut this off immediately because of the high (and oh so loud) piccolo type snare; but I really like it. It’s difficult to communicate but there is a real feeling of being in immediate peril whist listening to this EP, these guys play with a crushing sound that is totally apocalyptic. Accompanied by a striking black and white artwork by Heavyhand Illustration’s Mark Richards that stands out in a crowd of overly colorful bullocks and an Internal Suffering cover to boot… this is my vote for finest brutal death EP of the year. [Online Store]
Vulnus – Vessels Of Throe
This album kicks brutal ass! Similarities to Disavowed, Inveracity, Mass Infection and (of course) legends Suffocation are all present, amalgamating to a sound that will see the mighty (and newly reincarnated) Vulnus hammering all those in their path with crushingly reckless abandon in 2015. Vessels Of Throe upholds New Standard Elites law of quality, rawness and realness; the result is very full and powerful. It is very evident that these Greek sickos are tight as shit and would take great pleasure in dismantling your feeble human body. Get on board now or get bowled over. [Big Cartel]
Wilderness Dream – Wilderness Dream
Wow this is really good! Mean as fuck metal/hardcore crossover with snarling Ringworm type vocals… these guys are part Canadian thrashers Sacrifice, part the Cleveland metalcore of In Cold Blood… not at all what you would expect from a member of pop punkers Heartsounds. There is a NWOBHM overtone to it all that will get your fists pumping. Wilderness Dream lay down an impressive amount of honest sounding anger for one record… this stuff is absolutely pissed!!! [Big Cartel]
That’s all for now young piquerists… Happy Halloween to all… toilet paper the neighbor that gives you pennies instead of Snickers and be sure to skip my place or you’ll get an AOL 2.1 floppy disk and a few wirey pubic hairs. Thanks for reading… until next time, stay brutal!
View all of Trevor's previous recommendations here.
