KORPSESOTURI have opened a terrifying maw in the Earth to exude the reeking death metal slime odor of their latest mortality fixated attack. This is punishing stuff, very well executed and relentless! Their 10 song sophomore album Korpskrist is set to be released on October 22nd, 2020 through Xtreem Music on CD & 12″ LP formats.
Listen to “Pedon Sielu Sisältäsi” below.
A GoFundMe has been set up for singer LG Petrov of Swedish death metal’s notorious Entombed AD.
The band said: “Sad news.. LG Petrov has been struck by cancer and he is undergoing chemo treatment to try and control it. Our thoughts and strength goes out to our brother. If you want to support him In these hard times, click the link in the Bio and feel free to donate. #fuckcancer #fightforlifeandmetal”
LG has lived for metal to the hilt and we all are rooting for him during this challenge.
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GOJIRA, arguably the best band in heavy music by a long shot, have released a new music video for stand alone track “Another World”. It has a classic Gojira blend of propulsive and relentless riffing patterns with hoarse melodies and a yearning for more in a big Universe. The animated video has a scientific theme and is an entertaining journey. Another grand slam from the masters.
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Brazilian Death Metallers The Troops of Doom have released a video for their track “Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”
The track comes off the band’s forthcoming EP The Rise of Heresy due out October 9 via Blood Blast Distribution.
The Troops of Doom is led by guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz from the band The Mist and former member of Sepultura’s original lineup. The band also includes bassist/vocalist Alex Kafer (Enterro, Explicit Hate, ex-Necromancer), drummer Alexandre Oliveira (Southern Blacklist, Raising Conviction), and guitarist Marcelo Vasco (Patria, Mysteriis, acclaimed graphic artist for legendary bands such as Slayer, Kreator, Machine Head, Soulfly, and Hatebreed among many others).
The Rise Of Heresy features four original songs and two cover versions of Sepultura classics, “Bestial Devastation” and “Troops Of Doom.” In advance of the EP’s release, The Troops of Doom are pleased to unleash a lyric video for first single “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea.”
Check out the lyric video for “Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea” as well as the album art for The Rise of Heresy here.
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Psycroptic have an explosive new video for dark thrash song ‘Beyond The Black’. The very gloomy looking and imposing clip can be experienced below.
The band comments: “We’re very happy have once again worked with our good friend and long time collaborator Wilson Bambrick on the film clip for Beyond The Black. The clip was shot last pre-isolating (in September 2019); and due to the Plague and other delays on our end it hasnt seen the light until now. Please enjoy, and we look forward to getting some new music out later this year.”
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Enterprise Earth have an in quarantine video out for their Foundation of Bones EP’s cover of Lamb of God’s “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For.” While the huge bellow and impending doom of the original is hard to top, the band did a good job and the coolest parts are probably how they charred up some of the faster parts to a blackened crisp. Gotta love the extra breakdown semi-Oceano thunder fudge at the end as well.
Bottom line – the band did a killer job on a self produced EP and kept the fires burning for fans in a commendable fucking way. Y’all need to peep the Necrophagist cover too as it is even better.
Guitarist Gabriel Mangold comments: “Lamb Of God is one of our collective favorites as we all draw a significant portion of our influence from their catalog. We really wanted to do something off of Ashes Of The Wake and this song seemed to check all of the boxes for us. Straightforward and to the point, this was a ton of fun to cover.”
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OVERKILL/SHADOWS FALL’s drummer Jason Bittner has joined forces with guitarists Felipe Roa (SHADOWS FALL), Bobby Koeble (DEATH), and bassist Steve Di Giorgio (TESTAMENT, DEATH) to record a ‘quarantine jam’ video of DEATH‘s “Overactive Imagination” (above).
Jason Bittner wrote also a long accompanying message:
“Well there’s a bunch of explaining that goes along with this video and a history of sorts…….after the whole pandemic started, I contacted my longtime friend and former bandmate Felipe Roa (Shadows Fall touring guitarist after Jon joined Anthrax) to see if he wanted to do some “quarantine covers” and I proposed “Wake Up Dead” by Megadeth, and by now you have seen that one. At the time of discussion Felipe asked if I wanted to do a Death tune, knowing that they are one of my all-time fave bands as well as his, and we used to jam Death in soundchecks all the time. Initially my first reaction “ummmm, I don’t know if I want to do that much WORK, hahaha,” but as soon as he said “Overactive Imagination” I was in – I used to jam this song all the time in my formative years but I did wonder if I could still pull it off. After a couple days of shedding and trying to be 25 again, we had a completed drum track, which I even sent to my pals (former Death drummers) Richard Christy and Gene Hoglan for “approval”. Sean already gave me the green light from Heaven. At first we were just going to do it the two of us, but I had a plan. Here’s some crazy trivia – while I attended Berklee College of Music in the 80’s, I played in a band with Bobby Koeble and we actually recorded a few original songs wayyyyyy back in the late 80’s. Bobby later went on to join Death for the Symbolic album and still plays in Death to All. After not speaking for over 30 years I hit up Bobby, reconnected (which I’d been meaning to do for years) and asked him if he wanted to do this tune with us and he said yes right away. He asked who was playing bass and I told him Felipe probably would do that too………unless…….“Unless what? Unless I can get Steve to do it……So the next point was to contact my friend, and one of the greatest bass players out there, Mr. Steve DiGiorgio to see if this could be possible. At first Steve wasn’t’ sure if he could commit due to his many projects, so we actually asked our friend Bill Bodily (Ex- Toxik, Flotsam and Jetsam touring bassist) to do the bass since Steve wasn’t available. In the meantime, I had sent Steve the track after we put Bobby on it just to “make sure” he couldn’t do it. I had a feeling if Bobby committed, Steve would follow. A week later he did send his tracks, so first off THANK YOU to Steve for going above and beyond in such a quick and timely manner, and also to Bill for being our “backup”, sorry it didn’t work out – next time! So there you have it folks, we put a lot of work into this one because we absolutely love this band in every incarnation, and I am proud to say that I am friends with a lot of the people who have played in their ranks so…….so this one goes out to……Terry Butler, James Murphy, Richard Christy, and Gene Hoglan. Lastly, a moment to remember past members Scott Clendenin, my former bandmate and friend Ralph Santolla, my longtime friend and mentor Sean Reinert, and lastly the one and only Chuck Schuldiner for being one of the greatest songwriters to ever grace the Metal world!! Enjoy and share!!”
[Photo by Chris Johnston]
“When we first started, our goal was to play death metal and put out some tapes,” says Luca Indrio. “We always wanted to write an album that twenty years from now would be remembered as a true classic of the genre. With Blood Offerings, we may have done that but with Mortal we have definitely done that. Time will prove us right.”
Bold words but I believe them. Blood Offerings was sick as hell and if this is half as good it will still be better than a lot of crap people like too much. Recorded by Grammy award winning engineer Greg Wilkinson (High On Fire, Autopsy) and mastered by Alan Douches (Cannibal Corpse, Cattle Decapitation, Mastodon), the follow up to Blood Offerings can be pre-ordered HERE.
The killer production, riffs and menace of “Stench Of Decay” are very good signs.
Notes Indrio, “‘Stench Of Decay’ is the smell of our world falling under the greed and senseless pride of men. It is the stench you smell in the morning when you realize that outside your door is nothing but ugly humans ready to deceive, steal, or even kill for a little more power or money. ‘Stench Of Decay’ is what we have been breathing since day one and we will continue breathing it until everything and everyone we know and love inevitably disappears.”
Where is the lie?
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New Zealand-based death metal trio ULCERATE are pleased to unveil their official new video for “Dissolved Orders.” The track comes by way of Stare Into Death And Be Still, the band’s critically lauded sixth full-length, out now on Debemur Morti Productions.
The deepest, purest, and most meticulous form of ULCERATE, Stare Into Death And Be Still is a soul-searching conflagration of atypical melodicism, immaculate virtuosic dexterity, and sublimated psychological upheaval. A breathtaking new beginning for one of the most uniquely talented bands in extreme music.
Stream Stare Into Death And Be Still in its entirety at THIS LOCATION.
With Stare Into Death And Be Still, ULCERATE’s signature, ultra-atmospheric fusion of unorthodox death metal with the textures of futurist black metal is here pared down with the consummate hand of experience, giving stunning credence to the riff, the song, and the meaning. Thematically, the album draws upon recent personal experience to confront the truism that death and tragedy aren’t always sudden or violent; that people are often passive observers trapped, “in the silent horror of observing death calmly and cleanly.”
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image by Adam Freeman
Rainy day check-in and some music recommendations for you today here at Metal Riot.
I am doing ok. My mother, as I wrote a day or so back, has coronavirus along with 70 other patients at her elder care/dementia facility. For now she is stable and things are going as smooth as can be hoped under awful circumstances. Trying not to lose my mind about it still and breathe through it.
As of May 1st I will also be celebrating 4 months sober from booze, no weed and cigs completely after a hard struggle and depressed 2019. During a pandemic, I feel like I am proud of myself for not guzzling red wine every day and divebombing into a serious spiral. Thank you to those who have encouraged me. Love and horns to you all. Count your blessings.
Last night I was watching Chloe Mendel’s IG live, which was cool. She is creative director for faux fur brand Maisonatia and was doing a fundraiser for Paws Chicago. She is also incidentally (we are a rock site, lol) Billy Corgan’s partner and Chloe was telling stories about how she was getting creative with Tie Dye techniques on some unsold Pumpkins tour merch to make them look more vintage. It was interesting! Props to anyone staying creative or positive during this time and also using their platform to remind that animals need help right now too.
I actually recently bought my gf Elizabeth/Globelamp the chord book for the Adore album-the gothiest SP record- which arrived just before we took a drive to see the Tibetan prayer flags near the KTD Monastery above Woodstock, NY (as we do every few years). Yes, we wore masks and stayed far away from people. It was very spiritually replenishing.
Elizabeth and I have been arguing with a lot of mindless Swifties during the pandemic who are covering for Taylor Swift. Swift made anti-Semitic public statements against Soros as “greedy”. My gf used to be a Swiftie but the second she critiqued Taylor for anything she was mocked mercilessly out of the fandom and trolled for trying to get solidarity against her well connected indie scene abuser’s DARVO tactics. She also is hated by them because she recently wrote a Medium piece about how Taylor Swift is a hypocrite for pretending to be “woke” while she spent years ignoring Trump- so she could keep making money off her conservative fans, let’s get real- only to make a huge fuss (and an awful documentary centering her privileged perspective) on how hard it was to come out as a moderate Democrat. Since then Swift has played Amazon prime day during a worker’s strike and while Amazon supports ICE and also played China for Xi while there are millions in Muslim re-education camps. Taylor could have pulled a Bjork and shouted ‘Tibet!’ but instead she just made money and ignored the suffering and capitalistic rubber stamp she gave to Alibaba Singles Day. Her fans have even trolled us and said no Uighur’s have been harmed in China and Globelamp is just “jealous”. Um, calling a female musician the “jealous” trope when they critique your pop fave you stan isn’t aligned with the espoused theme of “The Man”.
Seriously, why can privileged known shitbag Sam France start a label called “Fascist Records” and pretend it is about the unfair music industry (you’re wealthy and from Calabasas, stfu…you’re not Prince) or Swift can dogwhistle about Soros from her zillion houses during the Covid-19 outbreak and the music media thinks it is chill?
I wish humans learned from the past. I am reading the awesome Nico: The Life & Lies Of An Icon by Richard Witts and there is a haunting passage where she (someone deeply scarred by the war since childhood) suggests that post-WW2 ,“It is a pity they rebuilt Berlin. They should have left it empty. It would make a marvelous museum now. The National Museum of Destruction.”
This shit is not a joke for scene points.
It seems we are more divided in the world than ever, heedless of environmental issues and corporate cronyism/blind spots, etc. In America we have the DNC gaslighting for Biden and misleading about NY Times’ Tara Reade conclusions with the gross playbook Lisa Bloom established to try and once save Weinstein’s hideous ass being now weaponized against anyone from Rose Twitter or elsewhere who thinks regardless of party accusations can’t be erased by Voltron-formations of politicians saying ,”He’s a good guy.” I can relate to Rose McGowan feeling alienated by it. I never thought I’d see Gillibrand and Warren (naïve as I was) run cover for Biden. It’s gross and more proof they should have not impeded Bernie. It has alienated so many people, even folks who were Blue No Matter Who before like myself out of a desire to get rid of Trump (yes, I wanted Bernie or Warren to win and then hoped things could be improved if it “had to be” a centrist). But FUCK this Tara Reade silencing, gaslighting DNC crap.
There must be a reckoning and push for restorative justice and a higher bar set than using the Kavanaugh approach (from the LEFT!) – or Anita Dunn compromising Times Up via PR for Biden. GROSS! Wack!
You can’t pretend no victim’s story doesn’t shift slightly at times as they work up the nerve over time to confront powerful figures. It’s textbook. Survival doesn’t fit neatly into your party lines.
We really do need a revolution in this country and a much better social safety net, along with a total mental restructuring around empathy over dollars and power.
Anyhow, thanks for letting me rant. We’re all in this human mess together and this is my only current platform besides music (I lost 5 jobs including my 8 year newspaper gig shuttering due to the virus). Gotta vent somewhere! XO, y’all.
Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery II is on the way.
My friend and sometime noise collaborator Dave Brenner aka GRIDFAILURE has announced Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery II. The second album in the five-title concept series will see its initial release on June 5th via Nefarious Industries. It is going to be seismic. Pre Order HERE and check out “No Defensive Wounds To Be Found”.
Containing material spanning GRIDFAILURE’s entire four-year lifespan, Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery II infuses many styles of analog and digital percussion, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, ukulele, many types of keys and synth, accordion, trumpet, theremin, powerelectronics, harmonica, didgeridoo, field recordings, and more, some of which were recorded outdoors including in extreme weather events. The record features guest contributions from members of Deadbird, Vastum, T.O.M.B., Chrome Waves, Mountaineer, A Fucking Elephant, Megalophobe, The Third Kind, Cutworm, Fuck Your Birthday, Fyrhtu, Feel Happiness, and musicians who’ve played with likes of David Bowie and Miles Davis, and more.
Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery II was performed/arranged, recorded, and mixed by GRIDFAILURE’s David Brenner at The Compound in Valley Cottage, New York, who also drew the cover art. The record was mastered by Dan Emery at Black Matter Mastering in Nashville, Tennessee (Kool Keith, Benjamin Tod, Krieg, Thetan).
HETHER FORTUNE is one of my favorite artists and people. She’s even one of the last real punks, I’d even go so far as to say. Hether has a new demo and rarities collection out this week. Buy it on Friday when Bandcamp gives 100% to the artists during this fucked time.
The release is called Whenever I’m In Doubt About Things I Do I Listen to the High Street Wailing Sounds in a Queue. Among other highlights it has some Wax Idols songs as demos, her Tom & Stevie cover, a killer Verve cover she was playing live in recent solo gigs (which made me pre-order this as soon as I learned about it) and more. Dig the lengthy Fiona Apple style When The Pawn…, The Idler Wheel… -esque long ass album title. Or maybe she was inspired just as much by Shai Hulud’s Hearts Once Nourished…? Hard to say! Just support it!
Lastly today before I fade back into the Catskill mists, outstanding death metal act IN MOURNING have a slick re-release of their Monolith record coming out via Agonia. How hot is that double pink vinyl?! Shut up and order it HERE.
Until next time, best wishes and may hope stay with you through this shitshow.
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Chicago’s LIKE RATS are streaming their caustic latest rager HERE. Death Monolith is out April 10th via Hibernation Release. The title seems pretty timely with a raging pandemic, Bernie dropping out while Biden dodges commenting on rape allegations but has time to talk about how he loves Fig fucking Newtons and the Trump shitshow continues apace. Oof. Brutal times and not in a good “brootal” way.
Anyway, “Ashen Rain” is pretty fantastic and helping keep me from licking the absolute bottom floorboard of depression right now, so there’s that. Great material and glad this band is releasing new and meaningful art.
LIKE RATS comments, “Death Monolith is an attempt to combine the lowly, violent aspects of our primitive nature with the horror and awe that we feel when confronted not just with death, but with our place in the cosmos.”
Death Monolith explores themes of obsession, love, loss, depression, and sociological commentary on the human condition. Vocalist Dan Polak comments on the lyrical themes in the album, “Underneath, or rather looming above in the heavens, is the connective theme of our awareness of the fragility of this existence and that we are very small on a cosmic scale.”
Track listing:
1. World Devourer
2. Ashen Rain
3. Foul Wind
4. Death Monolith
5. The Omega Equation
6. Crimson Cosmos
7. Contagion
8. Land of Gloom
Recorded and engineered by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Recording in February/March 2019
Album artwork by John Regan / Hand of Doom.
Dying Fetus are one of the true legacy acts in the Relapse stable still slamming out brutal death metal with no impulses towards making it more palatable for squares, obviously. It just isn’t what they do. They are too busy “Reveling In The Abyss” of pure evil.
A mini-doc was recently filmed at MilkBoy Studios in Philadelphia, PA in 2017 upon the release of Wrong One To Fuck With, the band chronicled the re-recording of their classic track “One Shot, One Kill” with Swedish Producer/Engineer Mattias Nillson. The video, featuring interviews, a new “One Shot, One Kill” performance, and behind-the-scenes footage, can be seen below. It is pretty damn cool and insightful for fans.
Regarding the re-recording of “One Shot, One Kill”; Bassist/Vocalist Sean Beasley comments:
“I’m excited to hear and put my vocals on there and hear Trey belt it out. It was our first video song basically, we recorded it at the old Masquerade in Atlanta. Mike [Kimball] was our old guitarist, he was new in the band then and it was different where we didn’t use straight up raw amps for the first time. We used a racked mount mix and it was a new thing for us at the time.”
band photo: Scott Kincade
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Northtale
Hey everyone. Sending so much solidarity, love and blazing horns to anyone scared or discouraged during the current viral pandemic. I am quarantined and sipping what I hope is not the last peach-nectarine RedBull on the planet and wanted to lift your spirits with some metal videos you may not have seen yet!
Last year, Swedish-American power metal supergroup NORTHTALE played two concerts in Japan as part of the Evoken Fest. Today, they release a new live video for ‘Time To Rise’, that you can watch below. We of course hope you are not seeing any big live shows like this at this current time due to the virus. Fuck that band The Stereophonics who were willfully reckless about it in the UK. Asshats.
Anyway, here is some power metal fix for ya! The fist pump/solo part is awesome. I hope no one on Earth takes for granted the luxury of celebrating together in a crowd ever again and supports rock and metal when it can return to live stages safely!
The band comments: “We hope everyone is staying safe during these crazy times! Since we know you’re gonna be at home and we can’t really play live for the foreseeable future, how about we show you a little bit of what our Japan tour was like? Thanks to director Jason McNamara who shot and edited this (not to mention hanging and driving us around) over the 2 nights we performed in Tokyo at Evoken Metal Fest last September! And finally, thanks to Yama Darkblaze for bring us to Japan, Ryo and our label King Records, Makoto Suzuki at ESP Guitars, as well as KORG and Pearl Drums for all the support!”
Next up is Belgian band Solitude Within who charm with a well executed new song called “Astray” (above). The band’s energy picks up as the song goes on and the sort of just above mid tempo metallic surge of most of it serves the rising feeling and various elements well for a satisfying release. I also had to include this band because of their name going along well with the idea of staying home during Covid-19. I am sure that is probably not what they ever thought the band name was about but I am repurposing it here to remind you all to be safe, my friends!
I enjoyed Emmelie Arents voice and particularly liked the drummer who I believe if Facebook is correct is named Hans Sarazyn. He reminds me of Mike Bordin a little but that is probably mostly hairstyle similarities.
“The song “Astray” is about being lost in an overwhelming world, being caught in lies and broken things. It’s about loss, defeat, losing your mind. But it’s also about hope. Hope that someone will be there to guide you home” – Solitude Within
We have to have hope together in these times. Good message! Cool band!
Last up we have some new Deranged. The video is the heaviest featured today and has some slaughterhouse imagery and a very dark general vibe paired with excellent death riffs and hoarse vocals. If you like this style you will come away feeling on edge and adrenalized in a scowling haze of world darkness energy. I guess that is not so uplifting but hey we all need to vent our anger right now as well somewhere. Stay strong, everyone!
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Switzerland death metallers Arcaine released a video for their song “Toxic Mankind” earlier this week.
“Toxic Mankind” comes off the band’s debut album As Life Decays which was released on February 14. The video for “Toxic Mankind” was shot and produced by Oliver König/Pavement Graphics.
Check out the video for “Toxic Mankind” here.
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New York City death/doom metallers Funeral Leech are preparing to release their debut full-length album Death Meditation on April 17 via Carbonized Records.
Death Meditation spews forty-five soul-crushing minutes of death/doom darkness mired in contemplation of our mortal fragility. Recorded and mixed at Chapel Black Studios in Brooklyn, New York by Travis Bacon (White Widows Pact, Black Anvil, Hogwasche) and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Tomb Mold), through the putrid resonance of Death Meditation, Funeral Leech believes that death is a new beginning!
Check out the first track released off the album, “Statues” over at Carbonized Records Bandcamp.
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California thrash upstarts Warbringer have returned to settle the score and cement their long term legacy fully with sixth album Weapons of Tomorrow. "Firepower Kills" probably ought to open all their future shows, just a complete stage setter for chaos. "Crushed Beneath The Tracks" and "Power Unsurpassed" in particular show this band would have ruled 1988 with ease and contain maximum neck injuring/ fist pumping potential (along with notable Slayer-worthy wraith shrieking). I am not 100% on the semi-thin snare sound but it hardly distracts the band's performances are all monstrous on this bad boy. Exodus, Annihilator fans or of course fans of more new school speed thrash bands should get all over this one. \m/
