Ch’ahom “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation”

    For their sophomore album, “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation,” Ch’ahom returns to the ominous ruins where lost civilizations practiced ritualistic sacrifice and dabbled in dark mysticism to appease wrathful deities. Although the band is from Essen, Germany, the music that they conjure up heavily explores lyrical themes referencing ancient Central and South American cultures, thus telling these vivid tales of terror and sheer brutality. 

    The band’s debut album, “Knots of Abhorrence,” which was released via Sentient Ruin is 2023 was an astonishing extreme metal release mixing death metal and black metal as well as incorporating some progressive rock elements. I will say that instead of just hammering out bloodthirsty riffs and singing about the same blasphemous topics you hear in most extreme metal band’s lyrics, Ch’ahom really stands out by creating their own unique extreme metal identity. “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation,” which is being released by 20 Buck Spin, definitely picks up where the band left off on “Knots of Abhorrence,” but seems to push the music into an even more savage direction. Just like the jungles of Central America, or the green inferno of the Amazon, Ch’ahom’s music exhumes this violent and unapologetic nature to where the jungle does not come across as a place where the little animals harmoniously get along, but instead establishes a domain where evil is lurking around every corner waiting to consume your soul. 

    The opening song on this album, “Cult of Xaman,” begins with these terrifying tribal noise that make you feel as though you are being carried upon a wooden blank towards a sacrificial altar atop a ancient pyramid. After the noises cease, the band unleashes a violent assault of blackened death destruction containing some utterly heart crushing rhythms and hellacious sounding riffs. I personally think the band’s vocalist has one of the strongest death growls around and the way he delivers the lyrics injects an unforgivingly bestial presence into the mix. On this opening track the band really offers up some dynamic extreme metal arrangements that keep you hooked until the very. For their second song, “Reign of Nohol,” the band pushes the listener further into the esoteric madness by crafting these frantically devastating guitar parts. Some of the riff sections are almost cinematic in nature and create these surrealistic noises to complement the entropic soundscape. 

    Ch’ahom is definitely a band that desires to bring the most abhorrent elements of old school death metal with putrid punishing black metal, and tracks such as “Priests of Lik’in” and “Chosen of Chk’in,” are fearsome offerings with a plethora of extreme creative moments. There were some riffs like on, “Chosen of Chk’in,” that were truly mesmerizing while at the same time haunting as if the notes from the guitar were casting some dark spell upon your mind. Plus, the drumming on this entire album was unfathomably ferocious and the drummer’s cataclysmic style was perfectly captured on each song. The final song on the album, “Insemination,” is a sinister sendoff and feels like the conclusion of ritualist nightmare, but then the track also leaves this lingering malevolent presence imbedded in your ears. 

Overall, Ch’ahom’s, “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation,” is a yet another profound offering of extreme metal music that would appease even the most ruthless and might ancient deity. I think their musicianship along with how they arranged the tracks on this album, were taken to an even greater level on this release, which is saying something given how much I enjoyed their deubt album. If you are a fan of extreme metal and you want to hear an album where the moment the music starts you cannot turn yourself away, then I would highly recommend Ch’ahom’s, “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation.” Once you hear the first song on the album, you will become lost in a jungle of pure inhuman hostility frantically looking for an escape from the relentless darkness pursuing you. 

Check out the entire album below:

Links to where you can purchase the album:

https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/chahom

https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/anthropic-rites-of-sublimation

Empty Chalice “Majesty of Sin”

    For the fans of extreme metal music who are tired of seeing all this romantic black metal and experimental post-pussy nonsense coming out, the savage horde in Empty Chalice unleashes a deathly sounding strike to all those insanely atrocious and utterly ridiculous acts. The debut full-length album from Empty Chalice, “Majesty of Sin,” is without question one of the most intense and profanely devastating release to come out this year. 

    Hailing from the cold and shadowy parts of Victoria, British Columbia, the band seeks out those passionate fanatics of extreme metal music, especially those who desire to hear a style of raw and utterly punishing black metal with some primate death metal elements added into the mix. I have reviewed a couple of the band's demos in the past and I could tell that they were really crafting some insidious material, however, the songs of this new album come with an even fiercer and unforgiving edge. You can hear influences ranging from Bathory to Blasphemy as well as classic South American black metal. Personally, I thought the band really drew certain elements from Marduk, particularly the band's album,“Panzer Division,” because the music’s intensity is very profound and leaves an deniable impact. 

    The album contains 17 tracks, and even though most of them are rather short, the band hammers out plenty go merciless sounding riffs and unholy hymns of blasphemous celebration. “Upon the Throne,’ which is the first song off of the album, is a gruesome sounding intro into the starless black abyss where the low demonic vocals are accompanied by haunting guitar parts. On the second track, “Into a Dark Age,” the band maliciously opens up an aural assault with a burst of raw rhythmic intensity. The vocals paint a hellish picture as the band continues to deal out punishing arrangements with some ear crushing drum parts. There are some songs on this album like, “Slave Master,” where you can hear a mix of black metal vocals with more abrasive death metal like vocals, which I think gives the music an even more sinister feel at times.  

Another part of this album that really stood out and in my opinion and sort of helps Empty Chalice break away from a lot your modern extreme metal acts, was that there are some truly solid lead guitar parts throughout this album. Unlike some metal acts where the solos sound either out of place, or drag on for way too long, the leads on this album add a touch of agonizing explosiveness when needed. One of the best solos I thought was towards the end of the song, "Majesty of Sin,” where the lead really adds to the horrifying atmosphere. There are some songs that do slow down such as “From Thy Chalice,” and creates a very dark sounding atmosphere, which almost takes on Mercyful Fate vibe in terms of how the music is arranged to create a feeling of pure evil. Overall, the band really delivers in terms of the execution of their songs, and I would say that the production vividly captures the relentless aggression which Empty Chalice looks to convey on this release. From start to finish the album does not hold back and shows no lack of venomous creativity. 

In the end, I consider Empty Chalice, “Majesty of Sin,” to be one of the most deafening and purely sinister black metal releases to come out so far this year. The bestial bludgeoning that these musicians unleashed on each composition is truly impressive. I highly recommend this album for fans of extreme black metal and death metal, because unlike those generic bands who spend more time taking Instagram photos instead of practicing their instruments, Empty Chalice is truly dedicated to the dark musical arts. If anyone claims to be a fans of underground music, this album is a must listen, or else you must be one of them romantic black metal high heel wearing goofs who does black metal yoga and parties with Furries. 

Listen to the entire album below:

Empty Chalice Bandcamp:

https://emptychalicebm.bandcamp.com/

Ectovoid “In Unreality’s Coffin”

    The swirling and sonically devastating chaos from Ectovoid’s new album transports you into a nightmare world where you become completely overwhelmed by the unfathomable amounts of hideous brutality. Titled, “In Unreality’ Coffin,” the album is the band’s third full-length album to date with the last full-length album having been released in 2015. Even after some years of being dormant, the band reemerges with a confidently decimating extreme sounding creation. 

    when I first saw the promo and announcement for the upcoming album from Everlasting Spew Records, I thought the name Ectovoid sounded very familiar. Sure enough, I had reviewed a split that they had been a part of called, “4 Doors to Death," which came out in 2016 through Unspeakable Axe Records. I do remember the tracks that they contributed to the split were insanely savage offerings of sinister old school sounding death metal, so seeing them return with a full-length album goes to show how these musicians are still driven to unleash some catastrophic death metal upon the metal world. 

    “In Unreality’s Coffin,” is a proudly vicious and unfathomably deafening release from the very start until the gory end. Once this band gets locked in and starts laying down some juggernaut sized death metal riffs and pulverizing rhythms, the music comes rushing at you like an unspeakably grotesque entity from beyond looking to violently rip you apart. The album’s opening track, “Dissonance Corporeum,” starts with a bone crushing guitar riff followed-up by some bombastic drum parts to eventually welcome the utterly horrendous vocals. I knew right away that these musicians did not lose a step and have continued to craft a solid old school sound that does not fail to deliver a mighty dose of sadistic brutality. The singer’s growls hauntingly echo over the cataclysmic compositions to paint hellish landscape in the listener's mind.  

    The album’s second track, “Collapsing Spiritual Nebula," definitely invokes that soul crushing 90’s death metal sound and even conveys a savage Swedish death metal vibe at times. Throughout the song the band’s drummer unleashes a flurry of punishing beats to go along with the insidious sounding guitar work. One the third track, “Intrusive Illusions (Echoes from a Distant Planet),” the band does not deviate much from the first two songs and I would say that they maintain a consistent level of malevolence in terms of fiendish creativity. 

    Towards the middle of the album songs like, “Formless Seeking Form,” and “Irradiated Self,” feature even more abhorrently distorted aggression. The bass playing on, “Formless Seeking Form,” was extremely explosive sounding and reminded me of early Pestilence release where the bass injects an extra burst of low end hostility. Also, the band’s vocalist has one of the most vile sounding death growls around which I think is easily one of the album's strengths. 

    One track off of the album that really caught me by surprise was the instrumental track, “It is Without Shape.” During the track the band incorporates these cosmic atmospheric like touches as well as this extremely catchy and almost hypnotic sounding main guitar riff. For the last song on the album, “In Anguished Levitation,” I thought that the band added some more dynamic sounding arrangements and even slowed the tempo down at times to vividly emphasize certain riff sections. In terms of the production and how the riffs sounded throughout the album sounded, I do not believe fans will be disappointment because the music utterly destroys with a profane old school death metal edge. 

    In the end, Ectovoid maliciously tears through the starless void with the release of, “In Unreality’s Coffin,” to spread forth a sickening sound that pays homage to the mighty old school death metal masters, but also does not end up becoming yet another generic worship band to forget about after hearing just two songs. From the way the guitars and drums were recorded to how well the vocals came across over the mix, the band seemed extremely locked in when recording this album. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 10 years for them to record a follow-up album, because when a band has this level of inhumanely brutal talent, you really want them to keep the hammering out more cuts of death metal carnage. 

Check out the track "Collapsing Spiritual Nebula" below:

Link to where you can order the album from Everlasting Spew Records (Album comes out January 9th, 2026): 

https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/album/in-unrealitys-coffin 

Prophetic Suffering “Rivalry of Thyself”

    The nefariously barbaric death metal outfit, Prophetic Suffering, sets out to pave a pathway of unforgiving brutality with the release of their debut full-length album, “Rivalry of Thyself.” The Edmonton-based band draws influence from the profane death metal acts of the early to mid 90's, yet also mixes in some harsh black metal elements to achieve an utterly grotesque and pulverizing sound. 

    Following up their 2022 demo release, the band will be working with Sentient Ruin to unleash their debut full-length upon the extreme metal world on May 9th. I strongly believe that the band’s savage artistic vision aligns well with the other inhumanely insidious acts on the Sentient Ruin roster. Their sound and approach on this album is all about hammering out sadistically ruthless death metal riffs, while also finding ways to violently alter their arrangements by incorporating these agonizing dissonant noises. The vocals on this release add to the gruesome imagery, and sound as if they were recordings captured from some blackened abyss where fiendish creatures attempt to viciously claw their way of the obsidian like darkness. Similar to a lot of other profoundly brutal up and coming death metal acts drawing influence from the monstrous old school bands that paved the way, Prophetic Suffering offers up a plethora of ear shattering rhythms and deafening drum work. The production quality and sound of the drums on this album is unbelievably catastrophic sounding at times. 

    The eight tracks featured on the album are all merciless pieces of death metal music conveying a primitively aggressive nature that never strays away from the band’s pestilent vision. For example the opening song, “Holy Death, Sacred Rot,” is a punishing introduction to the band's vile sound that stirs up these cyclone like riffs of entropic destruction. During the song you can really hear the bass as the notes seem to ring out along to the devastating drumming. Of course, the guitar playing is down right incinerating throughout the song, and the overwhelming rush of brutal and dissonant sounds coming from the guitars seems to be fueled by an endless amount of sinister adrenaline. There are songs on this album like "Foul” and “Gift of Decay,” where the band does not waste a moment of time by feverishly blasting out short death metal tracks to completely overload your ears these monolithic bursts of putrid death metal. 

    On the track, “East Prey (Weakness Defined),” I liked how the band maintained their simple barbaric approach, which allowed the singer to deliver a hellish performance to compliment the relentlessly aggressive guitar and drum attack. Another creative moment during the song was as the band was going all out with their musical onslaught toward the end of the song, an explosion rocked the soundscape and then the following sounds were of church bells ringing which I thought really stood out. The final two song, “Rivalry of Thyself” and “Oppressor Beheaded,” are two abhorrent offerings evoking more of that same hateful energy that can be heard on the previous tracks. “Oppressor Beheaded,” is an insanely sinister track with some dynamically terrifying riffs and lead parts to create an unapologetic nightmarish atmosphere for the vocalist to unleash all these monstrous growls. 

    Instead of going for the over the top progressive death metal approach to where you become confused by the pointless shredding and odd time signatures, Prophetic Suffering decided to keep the music down right horrifically brutal on, “Rivalry of Thyself.” I highly recommend checking out Prophetic Suffering if you are a fan of abhorrent extreme metal music, especially given that they are working with one of the top underground labels in the extreme music world for their debut full-length release. In the end, I would saty that this is definitely not band looking to push the technical boundaries of extreme metal, but instead they are looking to walk right up to people and manically punch them in the face with a mighty fistful of unfathomable brutality. 

Check out the song "Gift of Decay" below:

Link to Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/rivalry-of-thyself

Samiarus “Reign Destroyer”

 

    The debut EP from the sadistic SF Bay Area based black/death horde, Samiarus, is an inhumanely punishing release that seeks to land a profoundly devastating blow upon the world of extreme music. Titled, “Reign Destroyer,” the debut EP is a vile concoction containing some of the most profoundly extreme and down right unapologetic elements known to those within the underground music community.  

    Featuring members from Bay Area bands like Abstracter, Mentor, Doomsday, Abnutivum, Meth Sores, Flesh Dungeon and Slaughteruin, all of these accomplished extreme metal musicians in Samiarus really deliver a vicious decree of aural hostility. Right away I noticed the influence of war metal acts like Blasphemy and Archgoat, but I also could hear the anarchist punk/hardcore elements that seemed to fuel the band’s defiantly raw and savage vision. From the start of the EP, you are instantly hooked by the harsh surreal sounds of a world thrown into bleak entropic turmoil, which is eventually consumed by an utterly deafening riff onslaught. Songs like, “New Iron Age” and “Torment’s Spear,” feature plenty of bestial compositions as well as these horrifying vocals from the band's lead singer. I thought the vocals perfectly complimented the chaotic instrumental compositions by adding to the music’s agonizingly apocalyptic atmopshere. 

    Even though there are only seven tracks featured on the album, you feel as though you are constantly being overwhelmed by the band’s ferocious energy during each song. Also, unlike some of these modern black/death war metal bands that do nothing but mindlessly hammer away at recycled Blasphemy riffs, Samiarus really offers up something more with their sound and approach to writing songs. For example the song, “Throne Devoured,” is a monstrous piece of extreme music featuring some pulverizing rhythms, especially from the band’s fiendish drummer. The level of intensity from the beginning of the track until the end is almost unfathomable. “Crushed by Inferior,” is another solid track which once again contains some solid sinister guitar work while unleashing an aggressive sonic assault aimed at crippling the corrupt foundations working to oppress society. The album’s last track, “Exitium,” served as this more nightmarish industrial sendoff after all the decimating black/death metal riffs, and I thought the track was a clever way to finish off the album. 

    Overall, Samiarus did not waste one moment on this debut EP and they definitely left a ruthless everlasting mark when recording of this release. “Reign Destroyer,” is being released through Sentient Ruin on April 25th, so if you are a fan of extreme underground music then you better go get yourself a copy. I can honestly say that there are no half-ass compositions on this release, which is rare when you have so many extreme metal bands coming up with releases lacking substance, or just following trends to get noticed. Samiarus proves to be a band driven my uncompromising artistic ethos, which is why I would consider their debut EP to be one of the best extreme metal releases of this year so far. 

Check out the song "New Iron Age" below:

Link to Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/

Cemetery Filth “Senses of Detriment”

    After releasing their debut album four years ago, Cemetery Filth has re-emerged from the malevolent depths to unleash upon the metal world a brand new unfathomably decimating release titled, “Senses of Detriment." Picking up where they left off on their debut album, “Dominion,” an album that I consider to one of the most brutal and tenacious sounding recordings in recent years, the band continues to deliver a down right brutal brand of old school style death metal. 

    On this new EP, I can tell that the band wanted to push themselves in a more technical direction, while still maintaining that gruesome sounding old school death metal tone. Based out of Atlanta, GA, the band has had some new additions to the line-up with exception of vocalist/guitarist Maddie Kilpatrick who has been the foundation and primary driving force behind the band. I actually interviewed Maddie back when I hosted a hard rock and metal radio show in college, and I have really been impressed by the band’s continued growth over the years since that interview. With the new additions of Evie Austin on bass and Tristan Payne on drums, I really do believe that this new line-up really came together and recorded a strong release. 

    The EP features three new tracks, a new recording of the song “Cosmic Wraiths” which was first featured on the Unspeakable Axe split, “4 Doors to Death,” and a cover of Death’s “Vacant Planets.” On the new tracks I can hear the band pushing themselves in a more technical and dynamic sounding direction similar to that of bands like Atheist, Death and Pestilence. There are some unique and complex sounding riff structures, which gives the music a very entropic feel at times. I still find that Maddie’s voice and delivery captures the raw nature of old school death, thus allowing the music to give off that morbidly sinister vibe. “Intrepid Ways,” is very much a track that combines blistering technicality with a horrifying old school death metal sound and I thought that it was a great choice as the first track on this EP. The riffs really jump out at you as well as the bombastic drumming from Tristan who seems to be a beast behind the kit. The second track, “Cyclocognition” is another extremely warped sounding piece of extreme metal music that features some truly wicked sounding bass lines along with some diabolically savage riffs. 

    On the third track, “Senses of Detriment,” I thought the band did a tremendous job building up the intensity in the beginning of the track and by the middle of the song you become completely possessed by the insidiously deafening arrangements. Also, the lead guitar parts during the song were executed extremely well and did not go overboard with the shredding. I really liked getting to hear this new line-up tackle the song, “Cosmic Wraiths,” which I remember enjoying when I first heard the track on the, “4 Doors to Death,” split back in 2015. This line-up is unbelievably tight and the new recording really gives the song an extra hellacious sounding boost. As for the band’s cover of Death’s, “Vacant Planets,” I definitely think the song was an appropriate choice given the more ambitiously technical direction that Cemetery Filth seems to be exploring. I would also say that I liked how Maddie’s vocals sounded, because instead of trying to sound exactly like Chuck to where the track becomes another cheap and generic Death cover, Maddie’s style provides a refreshing take and adds a unique touch to the track. 

    In the end, if you are a fan of scorching old school death metal and want to hear some mind altering cuts of sickening technical brutality, I definitely think you need to check out, “Senses of Detriment.” I know a lot of bands are writing material similar and sometimes you feel as if there are more new metal bands compared to new metal fans, but I must say that Cemetery Filth not only puts thought and unrelenting passion into their recordings, but this is a band that continues to persevere by coming up with some down right killer sounding death metal music. After seeing this band put out some exceptional releases in the past, I look forward to the future of Cemetery Filth if this is the musical direction that the band plans on pursuing going forward. 

Check out the music video for "Cyclocognition" below:

Link to where you can order the album on CD and Vinyl:

https://rottedlife.bandcamp.com/album/senses-of-detriment

Cemetery Filth links:

https://linktr.ee/cemeteryfilth

Hemotoxin “When Time Becomes Loss”

 

    Similar to most metal bands that have experienced triumphs, challenges and setbacks in their careers, Hemotoxin is an act that has been on a wild rollercoaster ride since the band’s formation back in 2010. From line-up changes to having their third full-length album come out right when the 2020 Pandemic was in full-swing and everyone was stuck at home due to lockdown orders, this Bay Area based band is no stranger when tasked with overcoming adversity. However, the band’s resilience and feverish work ethic, especially from that of founding member and primary driving force Michael Chavez, is why I would consider this newest release, “When Time Becomes Loss,” to be an extremely important album that fans have been highly anticipating.  

    “When Time Becomes Loss,” is the fourth full-length Hemotoxin studio album to date, and can really be described as solo endeavor for singer/guitarist Michael compared to the previous releases from the band. For this new album Michael enlisted the help of Scott Fuller (Annihilated, ex-Morbid Angel) to handle all the drum parts. I thought Scott did a tremendous job, because his style of drumming as well as his past experience, perfectly complimented the musical direction Michael was trying to accomplish with the new material. There are even a few guest solos featured on some of the songs with contributions from Tony Barhoum (Condition Critical), Andrew Lee (Ripped to Shreds) and Donnie Small (Laceration/Trecelence). 

    The album’s first song, “Morbid Reflection,” makes an impact right away by unleashing some hellacious guitar playing and ear-piecing harmonic sequels to usher forth one devastating composition. Everything sounds tight and on point in terms of the sound quality and the punishing rhythms coming from Scott Fuller from behind the kit. Also, I thought Michael’s vocals sounded utterly profound on the recording, which is also something that can be heard throughout the album. On the second track, you continue to hear this raw and bombastic energy being unleashed through the agonizing technical death/thrash riffs which Michael conjures up. The guest solo that Donnie Small from Laceration/Trecelence provides really adds to the song’s aggressive and dynamic sound, while even offering up some unbelievably ethereal sounding shredding. 

    On track number three, “Malediction,” I liked how the music at times took on a very old school thrash sound by relentlessly hammering out these chaotic sounding riffs that sort of reminded me of the early Hemotoxin releases. However, Michael proves to be a very omniscient extreme metal musician who experiments with a plethora of different tempos and time signatures, so there are these extremely clever transitions from raw intense sounding riffs to more mesmerizingly fluid technical solos. In all, the music features so many layers and on tracks like “Abstract Commands” and “Conscious Descent,” you find yourself becoming completely ensnared by the overpowering arrangements. On, “Conscious Descent,” Andrew Lee from Ripped to Shreds, a band that Michael also plays in, offers up a brilliant sounding solo which I thought really complimented Michael’s playing on the track as well, thus demonstrating the solid chemistry between these two players.  

    Lyrically, I have always felt that with each new Hemotoxin album the l songwriting has always evolved, and I can definitely hear that on this new album.  Michael's approach to writing lyrics reminds me a bit of how Chuck Schuldiner’s lyrics always seemed to dig deeper into more meaningful themes relating to human existence, unlike some bands that cannot seem to breakout of the whole, "Hail Satan and put Jesus in a blender," fixation. That is why without question I thought the best song off of this release was,“Reborn in Tragedy.” From the relatable lyrics that can resonate with so many listeners to the highly emotional driven guitar solo, this song was truly exceptional from start to finish. 

The final track on the album which happens to be the title track, “When Time Becomes Loss,” is another fearsome piece of death/thrash, yet also conveys a progressive sounding feel at times. To me this has always been one of Hemotoxin’s strengthens when comparing them to their peers, as the music always seems to reacher higher than just that of a straight forward dearth/thrash band. I really liked the lead guitar parts during this track as well as Tony Barhoum’s solo, which once again provided a nice transition from the heaviness of the main riff to a more calming progressive rock/metal section. 

    Overall, I cannot find much to complain about this album, as I strongly believe this is yet another step forward for Hemotoxin. Of course, I will admit that I do have some bias having watched this band over the years, but I will refrain from being like wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer and just blindly giving the album a seven star rating out of five stars. Hemotoxin’s “When Time Becomes Loss” may not be Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada at the Tokyo Dome, but in the end the album is an exceptional metal release that I was recorded by some extremely passionate and dedicated individuals. In my opinion, the songwriting and musicianship really stood out when listening to this album, and I think a lot of that can be attributed to the attention to detail from all those involved in the making of the album. My final thoughts are that this is an album that you need to check out if you are a fan of extreme metal music, as well as someone who appreciates dynamic musicianship from an act that continues to wave the flag for heavy metal music in the Bay Area/Contra Costa County. 

Check out the full album below via Pulverized Records Youtube Channel! 

Hemotoxin Bandcamp:

https://hemotoxin70.bandcamp.com/merch

Pulverized Records:

https://www.pulverised.net/

Diabolic Oath “Oracular Hexations”

    Spawning from out of the twisted and hellish depths comes yet another inhumanely agonizing release from Portland, OR’s savage black/death metal trio Diabolic Oath. Titled, “Oracular Hexations,” this sophomore full-length release picks up right where the band left off on their debut album, “Profane Death Exodus,” yet ventures even further into the tumultuous musical void that shreds away at your sanity as you become engulfed in the abhorrent sounding extreme metal miasma. 

    Right away, I will acknowledge that this album is definitely a step into an even more sinister direction, which is hard to imagine given how much I thought their debut album was a monstrous release. However, the production on this new album along with the cataclysmic riffs seems to take on an even more aggressive and surrealistic sound. There is a truly haunting evolution that you hear on this album as the songs seem to further experiment with utterly bludgeoning unorthodox chord progressions and seismically devastating blast beats. I feel as though where most modern death metal and black metal bands take on a very repetitive formula and fail to really step outside box, Diabolic Oath really puts a tremendous amount of effort into this new album by structuring the songs to leave a profound and devastating impact. 

    Out of the six tracks featured on this album, I never thought that the band disappointed in terms of offering some dynamic extreme metal compositions. Plus, the titles for the songs on this album are also extremely descriptive with the opening song being titled, “Rusted Madness Tethering Misbegotten Haruspices.” The band wastes little time and dives right into a massive sounding arrangement featuring some bombastic riffs, grotesque growls and sickening rhythms. Throughout the album the band continues to deliver these unbelievably monumental sounding arrangements that really standout thanks to the solid production. Track number two, “Serpent Coils Suffocating the Mortal Wound,” is a dynamically fearsome sounding black/death metal onslaught which blends together different tempos as well as some frantic sounding blast beats. 

    There are tracks on this album that really explore the thresholds of extreme metal music by deviating from the same path like on, “Winged Ouroboros Mutating Unto Gold” and “Fragmented Hymns from the Globulous Cruciger.” There are some death doom elements at times which adds to the dark suffocating atmospheres, but then all of a sudden you can have an unexpected transition into an adrenaline pumping old school death metal beatdown of unapologetic aggression. One track that stood out on this release was the close to ten min song, “Gathering Hordes from the Outer Worlds.” From the opening riff you are thrown into a thunderous primordial sounding realm, while at the same time the vocalist delivers more demonic growls to complement the music’s putrid tone. In the end, you just cannot escape this band’s unapologetic ferocity as well as their savage musicianship that delivers until the final song. 


    Working with Sentient Ruin on the release of this album, Diabolic Oath will be releasing, “Oracular Hexations,” on April 5th, 2024. Looking back at the other releases I have reviewed from Diabolic Oath, most of which have been released through Sentient Ruin, I strongly believe that sonically this is their best release to date. The riffs on this album are extremely insidious and the overall execution on each arrangement instantly hooks you once you start listening. This is definitely one of those extreme metal releases you are going to want to check out, because there is simply no denying Diabolic Oath’s almost unworldly sinister extreme music making talents on this album. 

Check out the song "Winged Ouroboros Mutating Unto Gold" below:

Link to Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/

Link to Diabolic Oath Bandcamp:

https://diabolicoath.bandcamp.com/album/oracular-hexations

Aberration “Refracture”

     On their debut album, “Refracture,” Aberration molds together a monstrous sounding death metal release that ventures down into the cataclysmic depths to achieve a profoundly malevolent sound. The Minneapolis, MN based band proves to be a formidable force that looks to violently reshape the perception of extreme music by offering up some mind bending brutality with each new track. 

    Working with Sentient Ruin on the release of their debut full-length album, Aberration confidently puts forth an album that does not fall into the run-of-the-mill modern death metal category. Very similar to other artists on Sentient Ruin, I find that Aberration’s skillful musicianship as well as their abhorrent approach to composing death metal, creates an unfathomably deafening sounding realm where the music grips you from start to finish. I reviewed the band’s first self-titled EP back in 2021 and I definitely remember being impressed by the band’s willingness to compose these unique agonizing riffs, while maintaining such a vividly haunting overall tone. Recently, they put out a split with fellow Sentient Ruin label mates, Diabolic Oath, which I also recommend checking out if you're into sinister sounding death metal.

    The new album features five tracks, but most of the songs on this album average around eight to ten minutes, so do not let the number of tracks think you are getting a short release. Actually, the longer tracks feature a plethora of dynamic compositions and dissonant chord structures to keep you constantly focused and wondering where the band will transition next after already laying down a mighty death metal barrage. There is definitely an unpredictable and eradicate side to their style of death metal, but of course that is why I think Aberration is such a fascinating extreme metal act. On the opening track, “Antithesis,” the band slowly rises from the abyss and then unleashes a punishing riff assault. The vocals give off this pestilent demonic vibe as the singer growls with tremendous ferocity, while your ears get completely pummeled by the intense blast beats. At the core of this album, the drummer maintains such a monumental presence and the recording of the drummers is something that I think was exceptionally executed throughout the album. 

    On the second track, “Wresting Vibrations,” you are violently thrown into this realm full of unorthodox arrangements and chord structures, which compliments the album’s dark entropic vision. I think, "Wresting Visions," was my favorite song off of the album because of the savagely aggressive sounding dissonant riffs. Along with most of the songs off of this album, you are almost overwhelmed by the complete chaos going on in terms of how the band frantically transitions from arrangement to arrangement, but eventually you become firmly acclimated to the sadistic unpredictable musical landscape. This was also the case with tracks like, “Interstitial Enmity” and “Blighted,” where the band deals out these insidiously bludgeoning riffs. At times the music slows down to allow the band to conjure up these thunderously agonizing rhythms that end up complimenting the singer's inhumanely unapologetic vocal delivering.

    From the album’s opening track until the last song, “Refracture,” I do honestly believe that Aberration did not disappoint in terms of intensity and unforgiving brutality. Overall, this is a strong debut album from a very ambitious extreme metal band. I am not surprised that Sentient Ruin is continuing to work with Aberration, especially given the label’s strong history of putting out profoundly decimating releases. One recommendation for Aberration would be to continue to explore those surrealistically dark and unorthodox compositions which make their debut album such a compelling extreme metal creation. In a world where we are overwhelmed with mindless simplicity from mainstream music, you really do appreciate a band like Aberration for their skillfully innovative extreme metal mindset. 

Check out the song "Interstitial Enmity" below (Album comes out March 22, 2024) : 

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/

Eternal “Faceless Evil”

    Over the past few years, I’ve come across a decent amount of solid up and coming extreme metal and punk acts from Arizona, which tells me there is a thriving underground scene out in that region of the country. Recently, I discovered this EP from death metal maniacs, Eternal, and was instantly taken back by the band’s raw unapologetic energy. 

    Titled, “Faceless Evil,” Eternal offers listeners five horrifying cuts of old school influenced death metal in the same vein as Obituary, Death, Autopsy and Massacre. This EP sounds like it came from the late 80’s/early 90’s period when death metal bands were really starting to unleash some utterly decimating releases. Eternal is by no means reinventing the wheel, but their sound and attitude pays homage to the gruesome death metal greats, while showcasing their skillful extreme music making talents. 

    The opening song off of the album will have some listeners surprised at first, but in the end, “Dagger to the Mind,” is a great opening piano composition to capture your attention. Also, I thought the song’s overall haunting ambience was a clever way to lead you into the fiery death metal onslaught that would take form on the second track, “Faceless Evil.” Right when the second song begins, you are instantly hit with a tremendous amount of raw old school death metal force. As the band slashes away at these ominous chord progressions the singer unleashes some tremendously decimating death metal vocals. Probably one of the areas of this album that I enjoyed the most was the vocal delivery, because so many young singers fail to maintain that profoundly sinister presence, where as the vocalist in Eternal stays consistent throughout the entire release. 

    On the third track, “To the Grave,” the band continues to stick to the old school formula by cranking out more putrid sounding riffs and agonizing drum arrangements. Also, the transition from the slower doom like parts to the more intense savage death metal compositions was very well executed. I liked how the band ended the song as well by coming up with a very abhorrent sounding riff section that reminded me of early Suffocation where the music hits you right in the gut with each palm muted chord strike. The last two tracks, “Diabolic Rebirth” and “Depravity,” are monstrous tracks that once again invoke the malevolent spirit of old school death metal. On, “Depravity,” I really enjoyed by the frantic lead guitar playing which was thrown into the blistering chaos. On future releases I definitely would like to hear more of those lead guitar fills as they do a great job adding to the sadistic soundscape.  

    Overall, Eternal’s “Faceless Evil,” is a solid EP that I would highly recommend fans of sickening old school death metal check out. I believe the band has something to offer and on their future albums I would like to see them continue to display the same savage attitude as they did on this EP, while also not being afraid to expand upon certain musical themes to create a very brutal and dynamic album. Eternal is another example of how this style of extreme music has continued to thrive even without mainstream recognition, because the young bands that have been inspired by the previous generations of extreme metal music are undeniably passionate fans looking to continue the brutal legacy by creating their own monstrously deafening releases.  

Check out the full EP below:

Eternal Bandcamp:

https://eternalaz.bandcamp.com/

Eternal Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Eternalbandaz

Egregore “Synchronistic Delusions”

 

    Nightmare like surrealistic sounding landscapes dominate the debut album from Utah’s putrid death metal/grindcore act, Egregore. On their debut full-length album, “Synchronistic Delusions,” the band violently hammers out some pulverizing riffs to launch an utterly sadistic sonic onslaught upon the global metal community. 

    From the frantic and gruesome guitar riffs to the unbelievably deafening blast beats, this band puts together one insanely intense listening experience. Fans of old school grindcore, death metal and crust punk will definitely be drawn into the abysmal and hope crushing sound that can be heard throughout the album. I think what impressed me the most was how the entire album flowed by perfectly weaving together all these cataclysmic compositions. Taking a page from old school extreme acts like Carcass, Napalm Death and Terrorizer, the songs are not very long in terms of length, but they sure as hell pack a mighty punch of ruthless inhuman aggression. 

    The opening of the album is very fascinating and the band uses a couple different audio samples to setup up the first song, “Synchronistic Delusions.” Without much warning the band dives right into a hurricane like arrangement full of adrenaline pumping drum parts and ear shattering malevolent guitar riffs. Also, the vocals perfectly compliment the overall hellacious soundscape by providing this sort of disgusted and unapologetic attitude. Songs like “Walk in Soul” and “Ligis,” have this sort of crust punk vibe, while still maintaining an utterly blistering old school death metal sound with some technical guitars parts thrown into the mix to give the music this unpredictable quality. I think the lead guitar playing on this album was extremely well executed, and the band did a solid job adding some vividly sinister sounding note patterns when needed. 

    Along with the strong guitar playing, I think the unique cinematic electronic noises used on certain songs like, “Incorporeal Vivisection,” made the music standout even more and complimented the album’s theme. Even though this style of metal music along with the riff structures are nothing new to the world of metal, I would argue that Egregore’s commitment to coming up with a creative release, as well as making sure the production on this album fit with what they wanted to get out of the songs they wrote, made this an enjoyable listening experience from start to finish. You even have acoustic guitar riffs thrown in at times like on the song, “Metaprogramming The 8th Circuit,” which started out by blending together these ambient celestial sounds before shifting over to an impressive acoustic arrangement. Even though the majority of this album places an emphasis on unleashing pure devastation with hellish offerings like, "Birth of Death and "Chaos Protocols," you do have these moments that makes this a very dynamic extreme metal release. 

    Working with Sentient Ruin, a label that you all should know by now if you read this blog, Egregore will be releasing, “Synchronistic Delusions,” on September 1, 2023. I am looking forward to seeing how fans take to this album, because the variety of extreme metal elements makes this an album that I do find can be of interest to a wide range of metal fans. Yes, the band takes significant influence from old school extreme metal acts, however, their ability to forge a very enthralling and monumentality savage album is something which allows them to really standout. Given that this is just the band's debut album, I look forward to what they might be able to record on future releases!

Check out the song "Birth of Death" below:

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/synchronistic-delusions

Pale Cremation “Malevolent Cosmic Forms”

    Whenever the aliens decide to meet our leader they will not be asking for Joe Biden, but instead they will be wanting to meet, Matt Lasserre, the mastermind behind Pale Cremation. On Pale Cremation’s new release, “Malevolent Cosmic Forms,” Matt takes listeners completely off course by conjuring up some songs that sound as if they came from another galaxy far far away. 

    I would best describe Pale Cremation as a one-man doom act that throws in some other rock/metal elements as well, thus delivering a hauntingly groovy hard hitting sound to jam through your speakers. However, the two new tracks featured on this release sort of venture down a different musical path compared to previous releases, which I think makes the new music vividly jump out at you right away. Instead of classic sounding doom metal coming at you with thunderously monumental riffs, you are pulled into this chaotic sounding science fiction themed cinematic realm that is utterly unpredictable. 

    The opening song, “Malevolent Cosmic Forms,” is a sadistically warped musical creation featuring at first some death metal elements as well as some industrial metal elements to create a fearsome piece of music. Matt’s harsh distorted vocals confidently growl over the cataclysmic instrumental destruction to add to the hellacious sounding arrangements. All of a sudden the music stops and transitions into this cosmic hallucinogenic electronic atmospheric world where you feel as though you are floating through an alternate universe and are slowly melting away in the galactic oblivion.  

    The second song on the new release, “Phobos Lab,” is more of an electric cinematic composition that compliments the whole science fiction theme Matt has going on with the new music. If you were to tell me that this is where Pale Cremation would go musically after the first release, “EP I: Pale Cremation,” I would have thought you were crazy and needed to be locked up in the loony bin along with Charlie Sheen. After listening to this new music a few times I find everything to be very creative and really fascinating given the experimental nature which Matt decided to pursue on both of these new recordings. The following tracks definitely continue to focus on the cinematic electronic elements of the second song with the third track, "Shodan," reminding me of something you might hear from an 80's science fiction film. 

    On the album's fourth track, "Containment Zone," I could hear a lot of industrial elements that reminded me of industrial icons, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, especially the pertaining to the way the entropic electronic noises somehow come together to create a very hypnotic and catchy sounding atmosphere. The final song, "Salvation Initiative (Phase II)," is a very somber piece of music which is definitely a departure from the previous three tracks by putting more of an emphasis on this very eerie melody. I really liked the rough distortion setting Matt used and how it complimented the riff as the music eventually faded into the cold lifeless sounding void. The final noises you hear are these extraterrestrial like noises as if you have finally made contact with a species from another planet and in the end you wonder, why would anyone want to visit our toilet of a planet...

    I would highly recommend that people check out, “Malevolent Cosmic Forms,” if they are into extreme music mixed with some cosmic electronic noises that all come together to tell this surrealistic science fiction tale. Hollywood might want to reach out to Matt and get Pale Cremation to help score the next big blockbuster film, because they sure as hell need help right now given all the crap they have been putting out lately. Maybe Pale Cremation can create some music for my idea of a film, “The Day Barbie was Disintegrated by Visitors From Mars.” 

Check out the album via 666MrDoom's channel below :

Pale Cremation Bandcamp:

https://palecremation.bandcamp.com/album/malevolent-cosmic-forms

Vile Ritual "Caverns of Occultic Hatred"

     The one-man East Coast based death metal act known as, Vile Rites, delivers a downright brutal debut full-length titled, “Caverns of Occultic Hatred.” This album really captures the sickening bestial essence of devastating old school death metal by aggressively overwhelming listeners with insidious amounts of putrid distortion and cataclysmic blast beats. 

    Vile Rites offers a tremendous amount of monstrous sized guitar riffs, while throwing in some agonizing lead guitar parts when needed. I think what should be pointed out right away about this album is the extremely solid production. The way that this album was recorded makes you feel as though the instruments were recorded in some primordial cavern where all light is devoured by some unspeakable ominous dark force. From the beginning of the album until the ending, the songs simply give off this malevolent, yet mesmerizing vibe which reminded me a but of mid to late 90’s Morbid Angel. You can also hear influences from other death metal acts like Incantation, Morgoth and Demilich, but Vile Ritual does a great job not getting stuck recycling the same generic death metal compositions that you hear from some of the other new up and coming death metal acts. 

    In addition to the crushing riffs and devastating death growls, the haunting hellish atmospheric elements used throughout the release really add to the album’s deafening sound and inhumanly abhorrent lyrical themes. The intro parts to the opening song, “Formless,” is a very clever way to bring the listener through this surreal sounding void and into a thunderous landscape where the instruments consume you like a swarm of vile demons descending upon a small village. Songs like, “Aimless” and “Gyromancy,” feature some truly sickening riffs that perfectly compliment the barbaric death growls echoing across the musical carnage. 

    One track that really caught my attention was, “Manifestation,” because the ominous intro part reminded me of a terrifying supernatural horror film score, which then fades out to be completely annihilated by an agonizing guitar arrangement. The music starts out slow and takes on a very death doom like quality sweeping you away into this distorted void of hellish entropy. Towards the end of the album I’d say not much changes as the artist continues to pump out very vicious arrangements, while throwing in these eerily hypotonic atmospheric elements. The final two songs, “Living Hell” and “Void,” are a couple unbelievably solid offerings of ruthlessly bombastic death metal to wrap up Vile Ritual’s sonically destructive tale. 

     Working with Sentient Ruin Laboratories, Vile Ritual’s “Caverns of Occultic Hatred” will be released on June 16th, and I’d highly recommend fans of savage sounding extreme music to check the album out. I thought Vile Ritual did a great job not getting lost in a sea of random technicality, nor did the overall mix sound completely cluttered and horrendously arranged. For a one-man act I was extremely impressed by the songwriting, production and ability to come up with a unique sounding full-length release that does not simply copy similar sounding old school death metal riffs from past bands. In the end, Vile Ritual lays before the sacrilegious altar an album that deserves to be listened to as well as worshipped by all those who desire some hideous sounding light devouring death metal. 

Check out the song "Living Hell" below:

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/caverns-of-occultic-hatred

Savage Necromancy "Feathers Fall to Flames"

     Savage Necromancy perfectly captures the unapologetic and malevolent extreme metal spirit with their full-length release, “Father Fall to Flames.” These extreme metal maniacs from Phoenix, Arizona, really nail down the basic elements of what is needed to create an undeniably blasphemous album. Their sound combines the straightforward brutality of old school death metal with the pure hostile and vile mindset of sacrilegious black metal. If you are a fan of bands like Blasphemy, Bestial Warlust, Beherit and Archgoat, then you’ll definitely find this album to your liking. 

    The first track on the album, “Milenio De La Crucifixión,” begins with what sounds like a demonic incantation being read over this spine-chilling organ synth arrangement, giving the album a very horrifying cinematic vibe. Eventually the haunting cries fade away and this gruesome sounding riff cuts through the soundscape unleashing an onslaught of hateful distortion. After this first song and hearing the guitar tone, I was instantly sold and looked forward to the coming tracks. Although I’ve heard a decent amount of bands play this style of extreme music, I found the overall production and execution to be very impressive. Songs such as, “Baptized in the Cum of the Goat” and “Conquest of Nazareth,” are written in a very direct and brutal manner, which definitely leaves an impact when listening to the music. 

    Throughout the album I never felt that Savage Necromancy was recycling the same monotonous sounding riffs and the music vividly captures your attention by continuing to deliver that utterly savage sounding approach. When looking at this group, each member of this extreme war machine injects a certain amount of distinct abhorrent talent into songs, thus creating some very monstrous compositions. The vocals throughout the entire album delivered a tremendous amount of raw unapologetic energy with my favorite example being the vocal parts during, “Storming the Gates of Heaven.” As the guitarist frantically hammers out these agonizing bone crushing riffs, the vocals come roaring over the chaos unleashing a massive amount of unholy aggression. 

    Also, the drumming on this album was unfathomably deafening at times to the point where you started to wonder if your speakers might blow out. On the track, “Disgorging Christ’s Kingdom,” the drumming and guitar playing makes you feel like the world around you is collapsing into some black abyss. Again, the band is extremely consistent with their delivery, thus allowing you to become possessed by the primitive and bestial sounding assault. 

    Overall I would describe, “Feathers Fall to Flames,” as an album completely focused on dealing out punishing riffs and down right brutal rhythms. Also, I believe that the album’s strong production along with the band's tight sound, is what ultimately made this such an insidious sounding release. I highly recommend people check out Savage Necromancy if they are into this style of extreme metal music, especially if you are a fiendish headbanger who enjoys terrorizing their community by wearing demonic themed band shirts and playing their music at full volume as they go to the grocery store. 

Check out the entire album below:

Savage Necromancy Bandcamp:

https://savagenecromancy666.bandcamp.com/

Hedonist "Sepulchral Lacerations”

    Partnering with Dawnbreed Records, savage Canadian death metal maniacs, Hedonist, shall be releasing their sadistic debut demo, “Sepulchral Lacerations,” on CD format through the label. The band’s debut demo is without question a blistering release that dives deep into the abhorrent sounding abyss of soul-crushing old school death metal. 

    I think what impressed me right away about this band was their ability to deliver an utterly merciless sounding demo. The band’s sound perfectly captures the pure destructive essence similar to that of bands like Bolt Thrower, Master, Morbid Angel and Benediction. There is no nonsense when listening to their songs and the band does a great job steering away from the traps which can make some modern death metal bands end up sounding like a flaming pile of sloppy dog shit. From the monstrous guitar riffs to the purely hellacious sounding vocals, this demo is all about handing out a brutal beatdown of old school torment. 

    The demo features six gruesome offerings of fiendish sounding death metal that violently hammer out some sickening riffs. For example the opening track, “Intrepid Repulsion,” is a profoundly adrenaline pumping assault upon the ears. The band plays with such raw and fearsome focus, while also creating this thunderous sounding landscape which heightens the band’s brutal creative vision. Also, I really liked the drum parts throughout the song and thought that the recording of the drums was extremely well executed. The band’s drummer provides a truly monumental rhythmic attack from behind the kit and really serves as the solid foundation on each of the demo’s deafening tracks. Songs such as, “Lunar Bathysphere” and “Cephalic Rot,” contain these cataclysmic like sounding compositions that vividly stand out in large part due to the bludgeoning drum and guitar parts. 

    Overall, this release is a purely sinister creation that was recorded with a strong old school death metal mindset. The last two tracks, “Parodic War” and “Fatidic Dread (Thanatophobic Ritual),” do a tremendous job fueling the inhumane musical onslaught moving forward until the very end. Probably my favorite song off of the demo was, "Fatidic Dread (Thanatophobic Ritual),” which once again displays some pulverizing drum work, as well as some scorching lead guitar parts. Plus, I liked how the band ended the track by coming up with this very haunting sounding guitar riff that fades out and after it comes a brief sound bite from the movie Blade Runner to end the demo. 

    If you are fan of old school death metal and unapologetic extreme music, then I highly recommend checking out Hedonist and giving this demo a listen. Although some critics might say that the extreme metal world is becoming saturated with bands playing “old school death metal worship,” I always enjoy discovering bands that demonstrate those solid old school death metal songwriting qualities, and are also willing to put in that extra brutal effort into each recording. For a demo, I'd have to say that this release was very impressive and is a great first introduction. I cannot wait to hear what the band can come up with on future recordings, because the amount of sheer brutal energy was down right astonishing! 

Check out the full demo below : 

Hedonist Bandcamp: 

https://hedonistdeathmetal.com/releases

Dawnbreed Records:

https://www.dawnbreed.com/

Diabolic Oath "Aischrolatreia"

    The intense mind altering apocalyptic sounds that Diabolic Oath delivers with the release of their brand new mini-LP titled, “Aischrolatreia,” will leave you drifting away into a void unfathomable terror. These extreme metal musicians have proven to be a fearsome act by crafting some utterly tormenting death metal arrangements that feverishly shred away at your sanity. 

    Based out of Portland, OR, I am rather familiar with Diabolic Oath having reviewed their debut full-length album, “Profane Death Exodus,” which just like with this new mini-LP is being released through Sentient Ruin. The amount of sickening guitar riffs and unconventional chord progressions makes this band vividly standout when listening to their music. On their debut release the band offer up a plethora of hellacious creativity, so I was extremely pleased to hear the band continue to write such terrifying pieces of morbid aggression on this new release. 

    Sonically, “Aischrolatreia,” is a monumental sounding release with a very chaotic, yet profound presentation. The first track wastes little time conjuring up some purely putrid sounding riffs as well as some pulverizing drum parts. I think the drumming instantly caught my attention, because the flurry of blast beats provided by the band’s drummer creates this massive sounding thunderous assault. You really feel as if some malevolent force is rushing towards you and all your can do is watch as the landscape around you crumbles into oblivion. 

    Tracks like, “Grand Atrocities through Foul Miscreations” and “Swathed in Aberrant Flesh,” are purely sinister pieces of music featuring arrangements that seek to go beyond what listeners have come to hear from most modern death metal artists. Diabolic Oath is able to construct these dissonant guitar riffs which violently pull you in a variety of directions. Even though the musical landscape is mercilessly getting swallowed up by what seems like a massive sounding cloud of hellish distorted entropy, you become almost entranced by the inhuman chaos and you just cannot stop listening. 

    The album’s overall sadistic sounding production quality definitely helps to strengthen each composition on the album, and the band never gives off that vibe of where you feel like they are settling for a cheap ritualistic death metal sound. For example, “Malefic Pathways,” is one song where the riffs are down right savage sounding, yet don’t fall off the rails by throwing in unnecessary extra guitar parts to muddy up the arrangement. On the last track, “Poisoned Bodies of Swine Imbuing,” the music builds toward this pestilent sounding climax where the guitar playing leads you on a brutal hallucinogenic journey into the depths of hell. 

    If this album is a prelude of what is to come on the next Diabolic Oath full-length release, well then people better start preparing for the upcoming onslaught, because this band does not mess around. I will point out that at first some listeners might be overwhelmed by the constant chaotic sounding landscapes, but in the end the band does such a great job bring everything together and the overall sound definitely can hook listeners looking for something that transcends the basic death metal formula. We already have too many new death metal bands sounding like Dollar Store versions of Suffocation and Morbid Angel, so I always respect band's like Diabolic Oath for creating unique and dynamic sounding extreme metal releases. 

Check out the song "Swathed in Aberrant Flesh" below : 

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/

Diabolic Oath Bandcamp:

https://diabolicoath.bandcamp.com/

Spectre "Omen (EP)"

    Back in 2019 I went to a show at an auto repair shop of some sorts in Castro Valley, CA and watched four up and coming extreme metal bands perform. One of those bands was Spectre and that show was actually their first live performance. Overall, I thought that they played a solid set, especially considering that it was their first live show. Fast-forward to now and this Bay Area death metal act has finally released their debut EP titled, “Omen,” which in the end was well worth the wait if you ask me. 

    Spectre is a band that does not settle for that simple old school death metal worship tag, but they also do not go overboard with obnoxious technical arrangements that eventually end up sounding like a beehive of utter horse shit. Their sound reminds of old school death metal bands that thoughtfully experimented with ambient elements and atypical compositions, thus creating very haunting atmospheres to accompany the harsh death metal arrangements. If you are a fan of bands like Pestilence, Nocturnus, Morbid Angel, Death and Gorguts, then you are definitely going to find that Spectre draws influence from some of the bands I just mentioned. Also, the band’s lyrics are not painfully gimmicky to the point you start to wonder if they stole them from the back of a hipster metal cereal box which they probably sell at Hot Topic. 

    The first song on the EP is, “Assemblage,” which serves more as an introduction piece for the next track, “A Scream With Blood In Its Teeth.” I noticed when listening to the beginning of the EP that even though there is a flurry of technicality throw at you right away, the band is able to create cohesive and well structured arrangements. There is a massive amount of brutality injected into each composition, but the execution is precise and the transitions sound extremely tight. Songs like, “Trail of Wax” and “Symbiote,” feature some ferocious guitar and bass playing, as well as some punishing rhythms from the band’s drummer. Every just really comes together, so when the vocals start screaming over pestilent sounding landscape with a fearsome confidence, you just cannot tear yourself away from the band’s hellacious energy. 

    The final track on the album, “Omen,” is without question the strongest track on the release, and without a doubt my favorite. During the beginning of the track you feel this ominous presence which eventually fades away once the fiendish guitar riff comes bursting out from some inhuman abyss. About midway through the track the band decides to deviate from the monstrous death metal onslaught by exploring this very haunting celestial like sounding atmosphere. The guitar playing conjures up a breathtaking landscape that seem to guide you towards some unspeakable force hidden deep within the confines of a pitch black portal from another dimension. 

    In all, “Omen,” is definitely a great first glimpse into what Spectre is capable of creating and I think old school death metal fans will really want to check this release out. Also, I can definitely see this appealing to a wide variety of extreme metal fans, because the band's sound is very dynamic and the musicianship definitely catches your attention. My main recommendation for them is to keep pushing themselves as songwriters, which in the end will allow them to compose some even more profound pieces of music. Too many bands settle for the simplistic route and fail to really put forth the effort in their recordings, thus the metal world becomes saturated with constant copycats. 

Check out the EP below:

Spectre Bandcamp:

https://spectreovdeath.bandcamp.com/releases