Marylandy doomy deathy sludgy force of metal YATRAhave inked a deal with Prosthetic! The band is crafting the follow up to last year’s All Is Lost and we are expecting great things! Seriously, this is fantastic news as the band already (like Haunt) spoiled us in 2020 with multiple astoundingly good releases.
Of the signing to Prosthetic the band commented: “We are very happy to be working with Prosthetic Records, and super excited about this new album that we have just recorded. It is our best album yet, and a crucial step for us in the evolution of YATRA as a band, in the darkness of this changing world we are living in. “
YATRA is:
Sean Lafferty – drums
Maria Geisbert – Bass
Dana Helmuth – Guitar/Vocals
YATRA US tour
August 13 – Sam’s Uptown – Charleston, WV
August 14 – Oliver Brewing – Baltimore, MD
August 19 – Odditorium – Asheville, NC
August 20 – Flicker – Athens, GA
August 21 – Freetown – Lafayeyye, LA
August 22 – Santos Bar – New Orleans, LA
August 24 – Lamplighter – Memphis, TN
August 25 – Milestone – Charlotte, NC
August 26 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
August 27 – Black Circle – Indianapolis, IN
August 28 – Remedy – Pittsburg, PA
August 29 – Westside Bowl – Youngstown, OH *
August 30 – Alchemy – Providence, RI*
August 31 – 33 Golden Street – New London, CT*
September 02 – Bar Freda – Queens, NY*
September 03 – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA*
September 04 – Cafe 611 – Frederick, MD*
Death metal vocalist Mallika Sundaramurthy (ex-Abnormality) has made an announcement about no longer being involved in underground death metal band Castrator. Here is the announcement, grabbed from Facebook:
***Important Announcement***
I will no longer be working with CASTRATOR. Unfortunately, things with the band have ended up in a hugely disappointing way for me. I’m not going to go into details. I prefer not to spread any drama publicly.
The vocal tracks I recorded back in January will NOT be used on the band’s future release. I’m very sorry to all the fans and followers who have been waiting for years for the full length album. I was really looking forward to sharing all the hard work we had done with you. However, this is now the reality and I will move forward.
I have decided I’m going to take the creative vision I had for CASTRATOR, my lyrics and ideas, and put it towards a new project.
Introducing EMASCULATOR. The name is based on the song title and lyrics I wrote. I am now forming a lineup for this new project and already started working on new songs. Follow these pages for updates!
Facebook: Emasculator
ÆNIGMATUM play incredibly sophisticated death metal that covers many sub-genres yet never feels like a putrescent pastiche, more of a masterful, murderous melding. Deconsecrate, their 2021 release for tastemakers 20 Buck Spin, finds the label completing a bases loaded grand slam they started this year with Ghastly unto Witch Vomit and then Cerebral Rot. Like those aforementioned skull fuckers, ÆNIGMATUM know exactly what styles of death metal they are harvesting and have a deep respect for the genres foundations.
The record opens with “Forged From Bedlam” as jazzy sounding drums that could be Elvin Jones joining Mastodon before things are soon exploding into death metal intensity paired with moving passages of melodic and emotional movements. These latter type of passages are often accentuated by the secret weapon bassist/synth player Brian Rush and one cannot help but wonder how many hours he spent studying Death records like Individual Thought Patternsto perfect the art of perfect accentuation.
Other highlights include the post solo almost thrashy devastation of the 4 minute plus mark of “Undaunted Hereafter” which then drops to half time and really mines the riffing for every drop of blood. Fucking outstanding section which then evolves into the dissonant longing of the “Disenthralled” intro.
This band is simply intimidating in their range and skill level without becoming so tech that it is annoying, somehow keeping things feeling evil and old school influenced but nonetheless displaying the kind of chops that would even make dudes like Archspire or Inanimate Existence probably take notice and give them props.
My only gripe is that in some places the mixes feel uneven or some things are a little too loud or brittle, but overall this shit is pure fire. My favorite is the cinematic, monstrous “Fracturing Proclivity” which really allows Pierce Williams to fucking destroy on the drums and show ungodly levels of talent that will have drum nerds gleefully oozing body fluids over this release.
The Ivory Crux artwork is also super dope, like some sci-fi horror realm comic book nightmare-scape or how the interior of Mars should have looked on Invincible as the parasitic cephalopods’ bedroom.
“Despot Of Amorphic Dominions” is as Lovecraftian a song title as you are ever likely to discover, whether the band meant that or not. Awesome name, though I am now hearing the Beastie Boys say ,”She’s Lovecrafty, She’s Just My Type” and that means it is medicine time. This song will make Gorguts and Grogus fans weep with joy whilst also achieving hallucinatory states of intense prog around 3:40 that Enslaved fans will appreciate.
This band knows how to write super addictive and intricate passages that astound without overwhelming and the repeat listening factor is huge as there is always more to discover, but somehow they still feel like songs and not showboating. Perhaps because the overall emphasis remains on the FEEL of the WHOLE experience rather than the ‘ooh, lookey what I can do’ of each section…ironically allowing them to get away with more insane shit somehow in the process!
Many hails to this band. I can’t imagine how long it took to memorize or chart all this shit! Much respect for sure. Lots of heart and talent. And again… a monstrously impressive new record for fans of old school and technical skill with actual emotional moments as well.
Taking a break from enjoying Henry Rollins camp it up as Tri-Klops to give you all a little death metal fix for your weekend. I had never heard BIZARRE from Spain before this morning and am really enjoying the mix of melodic soloing with the plague ridden corpse-like weight of the marching and oppressive main, rougher sound. This band crushes!
I was especially struck by the ominous might of the beastly vocals of Mark Berserk (APOSENTO), certainly some of the most head turning death metal vocals I have heard in awhile!
Transcending Obscurity will continue their tradition of high quality releases and merchandise with the gift of darkness that shall arrive whenInvocation Codex is birthed upon the unsuspecting world! You will head bang! Check out ‘Ex Oblivione’ today (or also peep the Lovecraftian death of “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” on the label Bandcamp. Along with Crypts Of Despair and Revulsion, Bizarre prove that Transcending Obscurity is right near the front of the pack in upholding the oozing, pungent legacy of death metal in 2021!
In other corpse ripping news, Belgium’s notorious ABORTED have just released their second single “Drag me to Hell” off their forthcoming album ManiaCult, which will be released worldwide on September 10th via Century Media Records. Watch the visualizer for “Drag me to Hell”,HERE. I can never think of the phrase ‘Drag me to Hell’ without thinking of the totally fucked ending of the movie!
Anyhow, this song gives literally zero shits and is not for the meek.
“Alright alright! It’s good old Jack Burton here, and he’s got one thing to say: ‘get ready for the boom stick!’ We have such sights to show you—or rather sounds to play you—with the next single from ManiaCult, ‘Drag Me to Hell’. Trust me, you’re going to want to click that button and spread it before Wayland comes for YOU,” states ABORTED about their new single “Drag Me To Hell”.
“We also welcome Filip Danielsson of Humanity’s Last Breath to the ManiaCult via a killer guest spot. Considering Wayland’s goal is the end of humanity, we’d say Filip’s support is a great harbinger…”
For more exclusive ABORTED content don´t forget to check out the bands recently launched fan group ManiaCult, HERE.
ManiaCult will be available as CD Jewelcase, Ltd. CD Box (incl. Jewelcase + bonus track, Pop-up card, Metal-Pin & shaped patch), Deluxe Gatefold LP+CD & Poster in various colors and of course on all digital platforms. Pre-orders are available, HERE.
Icelandic Tech Death battalionOPHIDIAN Iwill be releasing their new album, Desolate, on July 16, making it their debut to Season of Mist! The band is now streaming the offering in its entirety ahead of Friday’s release via Metal Injection as part of their Tech Death Tuesday column! You can hear the record in full at THIS LOCATION.
The band comments on the album: “The culmination of all our hard work and passion is finally here! We are beyond proud to present our lives work, our greatest achievement to date; ‘Desolate.’ We feel like this album truly belongs in the collection of every tech-death enthusiast and shamelessly declare this to be the sickest death metal ever to come out of Iceland.”
Posted by Metal Riot on Thursday, July 8, 2021 at 9:31 AM (PST)
Personal Records in conspiracy with Gurgling Gore are proud to present Wharflurch‘s highly anticipated debut album, Psychedelic Realms Ov Hell. On September 3rd internationally, Personal will release the CD edition while Gurgling Gore will release the cassette tape version. The vinyl LP version will come later via Personal.
Formed in the swampy summer of 2019, Wharflurch is the bastard brain excrement of two Floridian heathens (who also do time in D-beat death-mongers Hot Graves) who desired to made the world a more drippy, disgusting place for human scum to writhe in. Thus, a death metal sound influenced by the horrific doom found in uncharted areas of space and the malaise of swamp madness was envisioned, and mind-crushing riffs and concepts were conjured.
Recording began in mid-2019, with MC handling all instrumental duties, while JM (normally behind a drum kit in all previous bands) took on the vocal attack. Primitive demos were tracked, and the four-song Demo 2019 was unleashed digitally. Even with nearly zero promotion, the response was eerily enthusiastic among comrades of the band. Still wishing to refine and strengthen the sound without losing the bizarre atmospherics, writing began for a new demo recording process that would bring the horror even more into focus. In early 2020, the recording began for Lurking Doom, the first official EP from Wharflurch, which found the depths of cosmic death worship even deeper and more obscure than before.
Wharflurch then assembled a live lineup, just in time for Covid-19 to relieve us the burden ov enjoying live music. Writing and rehearsing went frantically, and by the end ov summer, the second EP Shitslime was recorded and released digitally, and then released on CD by Personal Records in March 2021. Like light-speed slime malformed into song, or more malodorous basements found below those of subterranean death metal, Shitslime lived up to its lively namesake, and then some: Wharflurch‘s command of ripe, rotten riff and tension-inducing texture are enviously advanced for a band so new. Which is to say nothing of the utterly sweltering production across Shitslime, totally live and loose(st)…and this was merely the beginning of a tale too gruesome and gargantuan to contemplate.
At long last, that tale reaches a fever pitch with Wharflurch‘s debut album, Psychedelic Realms Ov Hell. Almost too perfectly titled, Psychedelic Realms Ov Hell is a hallucinogenic maelstrom of a full-length, the band equally armed with riffs and psilocybin. A tale that can only come from the spiral swamps of Florida, the album comprises six songs that reveal a story of how this psychic spore arrived on this planet, determined to take over, and how that has played out over centuries to the present moment. Awash in trippy synth textures, Wharflurch‘s tendrilous attack still remains a death metal odyssey to its core, riff after pummeling, slimy riff. This time, the sound is much more powerful and in your face than before, and the artwork takes the elements that the band is known for even further.
One could say that Wharflurch have truly “arrived,” but their increasingly unique style of death metal simultaneously sounds aeons old and light years ahead. With more variation and experimentation all over the place without losing their disgusting spatial core, Psychedelic Realms Ov Hell is pustulent proof of that data.
Hear the first proof with the brand-new track “Celestial Mycelium” HERE at Personal Records‘ official YouTube channel.
I am gonna give tech death prog core creatives Born Of Osiris the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t intentionally bite Three’s excellent banger “Alien Angel” (which still rocks) and that BoO came up with their album title on their own. It is quite possible since aliens and angels are both common (I see and talk to them constantly, don’t you? haha) and, like Fallujah, Born Of Osiris have also often seemed into weird cosmic and portentous art and symbols.
Regardless, no shade. This new material sounds next level energetic and some of the best production yet from a band that continues to add to their impact and push their skills with each meaningful release.
Born Of Osiris will release their new album, Angel Or Alien, on July 2nd via Sumerian Records. Pre-order the album here, and check out the preview below.
Tracklisting:
“Poster Child”
“White Nile”
“Angel Or Alien”
“Waves”
“Oathbreaker”
“Threat Of Your Presence”
“Love Story”
“Crossface”
“Echobreather”
“Lost Souls”
“In For The Kill”
“You Are The Narrative”
“Truth And Denial”
“Shadowmourne”
Metal icon Dee Snider has been spreading his wings into heavier territory in recent years, though he has always supported bands on the heavier end of the spectrum (think of that great Strangeland soundtrack-better than the movie!- that had Crisis, Bile, Clay People, etc.).
Dee Snider recently announced the upcoming release of his fifth full-length, Leave A Scar. Once again produced by Jamey Jasta, the outing will arrive on July 30 through Napalm Records. Big props to Jasta for getting what makes Dee tick so perfectly and being able to honor his legacy while actually helping add to it in a big new way! And huge props to Dee for not getting complacent like so many elder statesman of rock!
Today, Snider has unveiled the album’s second single, “Time to Choose,” which features guest vocals from Cannibal Corpse frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. The song is rad heavy metal, though by George’s standards it is like chamber pop. That is no slight to Dee. The song rules. It just is way more on the heavy metal end of the spectrum than death metal and that is also fine by me. It is enjoyable and head banging will certainly ensue.
Dee Snider comments: “‘Time To Choose’ deals with a subject I’ve addressed often over the course of my writing career: good vs. evil (see ‘Burn In Hell’). Given the heaviness of this track, I felt adding George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher’s voice to this would drive home the seriousness of the choices we make. I was honored when he agreed to contribute his incredibly powerful voice.”
Gore experts Exhumed will soon get back to what they do best, corrupting the youth with some of the bloodiest death metal ever! The Worming Through America tour begins October 22 and features support from Creeping Death, Bewitcher & Enforced! Can you say “Shattered Sanity” three times fast?!! Tickets are on sale this Friday and a full schedule is available below.
EXHUMED Comments:
“We’re beyond psyched to be back on the road AT LAST! It’s been far too long since the teeming masses have choked on our foul stench. We’ve put together a killer, diverse lineup to crack craniums and rupture eardrums in a town (hopefully) near you, as well as some new surprises, including ‘Worming,’ an exclusive ‘tour-only’ vinyl EP. Gas up your chainsaws, put your beers and corpses on ice and get ready for us to roll into your neck of the woods and wake up some neighbors!”
EXHUMED TOUR DATES:
All Dates Oct 22 – Nov 20 w/ Creeping Death / Bewitcher / Enforced (Drops after Nov 13)
Portland’s WITCH VOMIT return to fill the hungry, gaping death metal hole in our hearts. As metal fans we know it can never truly be filled and that we will always crave more, but this band comes pretty damn close to satiating our death needs! Abhorrent Rapture is out digitally via 20 Buck Spin! Some of the band’s best work yet, dirty and punishing death metal with an obligatory for the genre spooky intro.
Everything is here. Ominous and oppressive art implying otherworldly forces, a brutal and excessively evil mix not in any way for a casual death metal fan and lots of old school throwbacks. The solos leap out from the mire and every member sounds like they are on Satan-fueled PCP. This is the stuff good bad dreams are made of. “Funeral Purgation” might be their most intimidating and deadly song yet, just a wall of dark tidings delivered with pure mastery over the death metal arts.
I was just thinking of the scene in Lords Of Salem (easily my fave Rob Zombie movie) where the over the top nasty old witch spits on a baby for not being an evil enough baby (hahaha) and honestly, a pile of witch vomit is the only thing nastier than that!
Recorded and mixed by Evan Mersky and mastered by Dan Randall with artwork by Matt Stikker (Power Trip, Outer Heaven, Apraxic)
Continuing the long tradition of elevating the best metal bands to even greater heights, Metal Blade have officially signed ENTHEOS. The band’s new album and Metal Blade debut will arrive in 2022. Everyone is stoked for this era of the band as a formidable duo (with more touring guns hired live, I believe I recall).
Entheos members Navene Koperweis and Chaney Crabb comment: “We are incredibly excited to announce that we have signed with Metal Blade Records. Metal Blade is a pillar in the metal community and consistently releases music from many of the world’s greatest bands. We are proud to be associated with such a label and look forward to our future working together. Six years, two albums and many tours later, it is just the two of us, and we want to prove that the heart and soul of Entheos is not only far from gone, but that in this iteration, we can still deliver the best and most passionate release that we have created.”
Kudos to the band for not being deterred by change and forging their path ahead. Both members are very talented. Let’s gooooo!
Believe me when I say that once you hear “Starvation” from one of my favorite new powerhouse metal combosCRYPTAyou will be STARVING for…MORE CRYPTA!
I have been watching the Brazilian/Dutch death metal band ramp up their promo on social media and the hype is well-founded for this group!
CRYPTA will release their debut album,Echoes Of The Soul, on June 11 via Napalm Records.
Formed in June 2019, the four-piece consists of vocalist and bassist Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto on drums (both former members of Brazilian thrash metallers NERVOSA), plus guitarists Sonia Anubis (COBRA SPELL, ex-BURNING WITCHES) and Tainá Bergamaschi (ex-HAGBARD). I was already amazed by Sonia’s talent and also a Nervosa fan and it has been rad to discover Tainá as well. Hope you enjoy this group as much as I am. Their chemistry is no joke!!
I have a lot of respect for Fernanda Lira’s transparency in how it has meant a lot to brave the daunting task of starting over after a long time in another band and to still have love and support from real fans. “I should thrive not die from starvation,” howled in her intense snarling death voice is a highlight of the year for us over here so far, for sure! Solid mantra!
Bloodbath have awesome news today for death metal fans in North America! The icons will at last return to North America in 2022, playing several shows leading up to an appearance at Maryland Deathfest XVIII. The current dates are listed below. To say this is exciting news is an understatement!
Bloodbath comment: “We have been crushingly disappointed from tours falling through in the past, and it would be naive to say there isn’t an element of uncertainly about tours in the future. However, we are determined to commit to playing the US in 2022 and we are pleased to announce the following new dates.”
05/22 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
05/23 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
05/24 Montreal, QC @ L’Astral
05/25 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
05/27 Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest
Posted by Ralka Skjerseth on Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 11:46 PM (PST)
When it comes to Finnish death metal, I could go on talking for hours about it. Renowned big names such as Abhorrence, Demigod, and Amorphis have helped the scene build a continuous worldwide legacy that will forever prevail. And speaking of Finnish death metal, of course we can’t forget the legendary, off-kilter Children of Bodom with their viciously hell-raising sounds. Unfortunately, the band didn’t last more than 25 years (even though it’s probably best for them and it’s meant to be so I can’t complain, considering the situations). Moreover, the passing of Alexi Laiho has definitely left everyone actively involved in the metal scene devastated.
As for me personally, Children of Bodom opened the gates of discovery towards the Finnish death metal scene for me as a 12 year-old back in 2010, therefore hearing the news about his passing shocked me to a great extent. Just right before passing away, Alexi Laiho, together withBodom After Midnight, left his one last legacy in the form of a sonic thrashing, which is this Paint the Sky with Blood EP that I’m reviewing.
Bodom After Midnight itself is a new act in the Finnish metal scene that Alexi Laiho and Daniel Freyberg proceeded to form, not so long after the disbanding of Children of Bodom. Together with bassist Mitja Toivonen (of Santa Cruz fame) and drummer Waltteri Váyrynen (of Paradise Lost fame), they went on to create ferocious resonances that bear an inclination towards persistence and heavy rhythms. Posthumous works (in this case, music) are always heart-wrenching to listen to, mostly if you have a profound attachment towards the late musician. So whenever I listen to this EP, somehow fragments of reminiscence towards Children of Bodom would still replay itself in my head. I can sense some Blooddrunk-ish hints here and there, and the album artwork of this EP reminds me of Hate Crew Deathroll. But enough reminiscence for today, I guess.
This EP consists of three tracks, in which, two of them are original tracks, and one of them is a cover of Dissection’s very own “Where Dead Angels Lie”. The title track is one hell of a far-out wonder; it presents intricate chord progressions, frantic drumming, and chorus with enchanting melodies. The fast paced guitar solo also helps build an intense nuance that makes the tune even more ghastly.The second track, “Payback’s a Bitch”, is quite strong on thrash influences. Aggressive riffs and barrelling rhythms are two of the qualities I noticed first when I came across this track for the first time. The distortions on the vocals really got me hooked as well. And finally, the Dissection cover. They took a bold step by attempting to cover a song by these Swedish extreme metal einherjar, and that bold step turned out to be a good step. It starts off as tranquil with its intro that features orchestral instrumentation, but then strikes like a malevolent thunder, and while Bodom After Midnight presented their own kind of eclectic authenticity in a cover, they still retain the dark and atmospheric ambience that Dissection has.
Even if Bodom After Midnight is not going to continue on with the absence of Alexi Laiho, I’m already satisfied enough with the release of this impeccable EP. It explores
many sides of death metal converging with a bit of thrash and the way they keep their sounds consistent throughout the whole EP is one of its good sides. Thank you for your last riffs, Alexi Laiho. Rest in power.
Finnish atmospheric death metal crypt delversGHASTLYreturn this year with third brooding opusMercurialPassages. As the album nears late May release through 20 Buck Spin, the ghoulish new movement “Out Of The Psychic Blue” is now playing as the label issues preorders and more.
20 Buck Spin will deliver Mercurial Passages on LP CD, cassette, and digital formats on May 28th. Preorders are now live at the label webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
Mercurial Passages was recorded and mixed at Parasite Dune Studios by Ian J. D’Waters and mastered at Redmount Studios by Magnus Lindberg. The mind altering artwork adorning the release is from Riikka Pesonen, once more working with the band for a memorable pairing. Fans of Necrot, Oranssi Pazuzu or Sadistik Forest would likely also find a lot to enjoy within these dreary and dangerous realms. Few bands are writing on this level with so much micro-genre awareness and individual expression.
Escuela Grind is one of the most intense AND fun bands out right now in the extreme metal scene. Anyone who has seen the outfit live knows they put on a careening and death-defying show, blending elements of many of the heaviest sub genres into a world changing charge. It has been awesome discovering truly fired up and creative acts such as them, Habak or Hostilities this year, giving me hope for the next generation of ass kickers. When I heard Indoctrination I was hooked and feel blessed Escuela Grind were one of the first bands I caught live when shows revved up again. Long may they reign.
