Album Reviews

The third album “In Nomine Diaboli” from the Texan-based death metal cult Imprecation is a profane statement from one of the forerunners in the U.S. death metal scene. Next to bands like Immolation, Deicide, Incantation, and Vital Remains, Imprecation took the reins in 1991 and released a number of EPs, split albums, and a compilation. Unfortunately, the sudden death of founding member Ruben Elizondo (drums) came as shocking news, and David Herrera (vocals) now remains as the oldest member of the band with the new lineup consisting of Milton Luna (rhythm guitars), Jeff Tandy (bass), and, Nick Norris (lead guitars).
Read More >

With 'Cyan Night Dreams' PARASITE INC. presents themselves in a new sound robe that is different from before. An album with a lot of musical contrasts is only partly novelty for PARASITE INC though, since they have been surprising the world with their unique interpretation of melodic death metal from the inception of their career.
Read More >

California-based death metal band Mortuous makes a solid return with the sophomore release 'Upon Desolation'. The present lineup features drummer Chad Gailey (Vastum, Necrot), guitarist/vocalist Colin Tarvin, guitarist/vocalist/piano Michael Beams and bassist Clint Roach. There’s no doubt that in recent years Mortuous has become well-known in the underground death metal scene of the USA. Their 2018 debut effort 'Through Wilderness' was well received by the fans. However, the quartet's long-awaited return shows that Mortuous has a knack for writing some vicious music.
Read More >

Boston death/doom act Innumerable Forms has established its footing in the realm of doom metal. The second album 'Philosophical Collapse' delivers a juggernaut of oppression. In the last few years, we have witnessed the emergence of many death/doom metal bands like Hooded Menace, Mortiferum, Krypts, Anatomia and many more. Likewise, Innumerable Forms takes a monolithic direction. Their songs range within slow passages, preferring to focus on crushing doomy parts.
Read More >

The Rasmus has been one of the bands that has been in my life the longest and while I never became a hardcore fan, their music has always been important for me. So it pains me to say that I wasn't really convinced by their new album 'Rise'. The two Singles 'Jezebel' and 'Rise' are solid releases, but unfortunately there's not much backing that up on the rest of the album...
Read More >

Hailing from North Dakota Fargo, the death metal group Phobophilic's first full-length album 'Enveloping Absurdity' offers one of the year’s bone-chilling classics. The successful follow-up to the 2019 EP 'Undimensioned Identities' shows great songwriting maturity and musical cohesion. Proving their sheer brutality the eight songs are achieved with compelling talent. It is a pensively crafted album in which the intense riff work and the drumming are executed with brute strength. Unlike their peers, Phobophilic never relies on blast beats, rather the guitar imposes a meaty tone. While there is plenty of intense riffing, they’re still distinguishable.
Read More >

Parkway Drive is here with their 7th album 'Darker Still'. A special one, one with a lot of thought and a lot of darkness inside. Darkness that the whole band was experiencing during COVID. But does darkness always have to be bad? Let Parkway Drive tell you their story.
Read More >

Spiritus Mortis has been around for a very, very long time. In fact, their first demos go back to the late eighties when they were still called Rigor Mortis. It took these Finnish doomsters a while to get their official first record out. Actually, the self-titled debut did not see the light of day until 2004. They are down to their fifth full-length now, baptized ‘The Great Seal’.
Read More >

Death/doom quartet Graceless returns with their third full-length album 'Chants from Purgatory' out via Raw Skull Recordz on September 30th. In 2016 the bold partnership of this Dutch outfit was established by Jesper Aptroot (bass), Marc Verhaar (drums), Björn Brusse (guitars) and Remco Kreft (vocals, guitars) generating a formula that is in a class of its own. Through impressive old-fashioned riffs the band fuses abrasive riffing with churning drums providing an energetic, but stately feel. While the guitar arrangements on the album combine caustic qualities, they make the music effectively impactful. The grinding drums and distorted bass guitar bring a sense of might.
Read More >

The language of Viktor Hugo is not one you’re prone to find that often in metal corners, especially not in the realm of traditional metal. So Cauchemar’s leading lady’s singing might either throw you off or in fact peak your interest depending where you’re coming from, particularly if you’re not that fluent in French.
Read More >