Death Metal

  • The Bleeding – Rites of Putrefaction (2013)

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    With a hefty dose of blistering riffs and gripping growls, today we have Italy’s The Bleeding and their self-released EP “Rites of Putrefaction”. With over 24 minutes of neck breaking Death Metal, this Italian band does a great job of capturing a mix of Florida and Swedish Death Metal, resulting in a very solid self-released first effort.

    Things get kicked off with the catchy “The Hunt”, a track that is quite enjoyable and has a solid amount of powerful riffs and hateful growls. The band’s style is quite traditional, but very enjoyable for fans of the genre. “Rites of Putrefaction” features a faster pace and tight drums, showcasing the band’s excellent execution of all their instruments.

  • Ecocide – Eye of Wicked Sight (2013)

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    Debuting with the crushing “Eye of Wicked Sight”, today we have Ecocide and their old-school Death Metal from Hell. The band immediately reminded us of Centinex and similar outfits from the 90’s, but with all the production advantages of modern day music. Pummeling through 8 tracks and 33 minutes of music, this is one of those releases that will inflict some pain to your speakers.

    After a trippy/spacey intro, the riffing machine moves full steam ahead with the crushing “Planet Eater”. Shifting away from your typical ‘blood and guts’ of Death Metal, Ecocide choses to focus on aliens/sci-fi in this release. The band’s brand of Death Metal is quite catchy and traditional, something very surprising since the members are 20 or so years old. Delivery a bag of bricks to your face with tracks like “Eye of Wicked Sight” and “Unknown Disease”, the band surely makes a bang with the first 15 minutes of the album.

  • Behemoth – The Satanist (2014)

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    Having lost interest in Behemoth since their 2004 release “The Apostasy”, it is quite refreshing to hear they have recovered their brutality and desire to deliver the most sickening, and perfectly produced, release they could with “The Satanist”. Featuring nine tracks of Behemoth at the top of their game, this is one hell of a demolishing aural experience that no Metal fan would want to miss.

    Opening with the first single of the release, “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel”, the guitar sound is quite piercing and Nergal’s vocals are as commanding as ever. The use of choirs greatly enhances the atmosphere and gives it that “The Omen” kind of unholy vibe. The band’s aggression continues through demoralizing tracks like the punishing “Furor Divinus” and the massive “Messe Noire”, both of which are filled with pummeling drums and an intense bass guitar pounding away.

  • Shrapnel Storm – We Come in Peace… (2013)

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    Steamrolling their way from Finland, today we have Shrapnel Storm and their monstrous two song demo titled “We Come in Peace…”. With the Death Metal scene being invaded by tons of posers and pseudo-Death Metal, it is quite refreshing to hear a release that goes back to the basics of imposing riffs, brutal vocals, and a very polished traditional sound.

    The release immediately sets a brutal tone with the commanding old-school inspired riffing of “Detracked”. In this track the band quickly sets a very traditional Death Metal mood with crunchy riffs and imposing guitars. The production is quite clear and allows every detail of the song to show.

  • HELK – The Chronos (2013)

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    Arriving from Mexico, today we have HELK and their very unique debut EP “The Chronos”. In this 6 song release, the band showcases a mixture of Black/Death/Thrash Metal that creates a melodic yet aggressive atmosphere very unique to this peculiar band. With a high dose of melodic riffs and epic headbanging moments, this is one EP that should not go unnoticed.

    Opening with “Dark Funeral”, the band showcases their melodic aptitudes with incisive riffs, tight drumming, and catchy harsh vocals. With a certain air of bands like Kalmah and Carcass the release keeps pushing forward with “Freedom”. The combination of deep growls and harsh BM-style screams is quite engaging and allows the music to grow in different directions. Other playful tracks play off to the Thrash Metal strengths of HELK like the blistering “Vistrera”.

  • Empire of the Scourged – Transcend Into Oblivion (2013)

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    Hailing form the Netherlands, today we have a very strange collective named Empire of the Scourged. Mixing Death Metal with Industrial elements, this band delivers their debut EP “Transcend Into Oblivion”. Featuring five tracks of deranged music filled with punishing Death Metal riffs and crazy electronic elements, this release will push your senses to the max.

    The EP opens with the punishing “Der Wanderer über dem Nebelsee” mixing powerful DM growls and riffs, all packaged into weird electronic atmospheric elements. There is also a very present melodic vibe to the riffs allowing them to be more accessible.  Things get heated up with the playful “Hollow Machinations of the Foul Spirited”, a track that reminded us of bands like Shade Empire in their heyday. Here you notice a bit of a disconnect between the atmospheric elements and the traditional instrumentation/vocals. While this sounds odd, it also gives that uniqueness to the band’s sound.

  • MaYaN – Antagonise (2014)

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    After a long album cycle with the last Epica release, Mark Jansen returns with his Symphonic Death Metal outfit MaYaN and their sophomore release “Antagonise”. In a release that is larger than life, we find ourselves somewhat lost with how many different elements and styles are put together in this album. While not being bad, but confusing and sometimes a bit dull, this is a most have release for any fans of Jansen’s previous work after a few listens to settle things in.

    The album kicks off with the Death Metal riffing intensity of “Bloodline Forfeit”, with the heavy elements getting offset by Henning Basse’s commanding vocals. The album keeps rolling filled with lush orchestrations in dramatic tracks like “Burn Your Witches”, “Redemption – The Democracy Illusions”, and “Paladins of Deceit”, all of these tracks follow the same formula with some Epica elements bleeding into some of the aspects of the music.

  • Dead Bread – Hatred Slice (2013)

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    Arriving from Poland, today we have one-man project Dead Bread and its killer Death Metal EP titled “Hatred Slice”. Featuring four tracks filled with punishing Death Metal riffs, blistering guitar solos, and a plethora of guests on vocals, this is one of the most powerful self-released EP that have found their way to our inbox in the last few months.

    Like a bag of bricks directly to the face, “Gates of Hell” opens this release with crushing riffs and brutal vocals courtesy of Janick Klausen. In this track we have Dead Bread playing a catchy and punishing Death Metal with very well-crafted guitars and an excellent guitar solo by Jacek Hiro. Not letting go of the listener, “Call Out” keeps the brutality going with tight drumming and incisive riffs.

  • Festerguts – Heritage of Putrescent (2013)

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    Hailing from Russia, today we have Festerguts debut full-length release “Heritage of Putrescent”. Featuring eight tracks eclipsing over 30 minutes of intensely atmospheric/symphonic Brutal Death Metal, this band reminds us of a mixture of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Cradle of Filth (on their good years). Not for the faint of heart, this release will squash you with its powerful riffing and intense drumming.

    Opening with the symphonic intro “Above A Cold Body: Pre-Funeral Preparations”, the band really gets into the thick of things with the punishing “Now I can Fee You From Inside”. Using keyboards from atmospheric effect, the band quickly delivers uncompromising riffing and demolishing growls. They nicely offset the brutality with lush female vocal arrangements thrown into the mix. One of the best things in this release is that the atmospheric elements are not the main direction of the music, since the brutality of tracks like “Besmeared With Blood and Viscera” focus on the aggressive side of things.

  • Dargonomel – Varkulama (2013)

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    Behemoth and company move over, today we have Russia’s Dargonomel and their devastating Black/Death Metal debut release “Varkulama”. Delivering over 45 minutes of crushing music, this band has enough power behind their sound to blow the competition away. Filled with hate and brutality, the 11 tracks presented in this release are relentless and uncompromising.

    Opening with two songs with atmospheric intros titled “Leviathan retributive” and “From the void this is beyond”, this Russian three-piece delivers unrivaled waves of brutality. Focusing on aggressive riffs, lush drumming, and brutal hate-filled vocals, tracks like “Varkulama” showcase their aggressive power and superior execution skills. The tracks are filled with powerful Death Metal riffs, enough to please any of the genre’s most demanding fans.

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