Obsolete "Animate//Isolate "

    Do not let the colorful flowers on the album cover fool you! Obsolete’s debut album, “Animate//Isolate,” is like a titanic sized death/thrash napalm shower violently raining down upon the metal world. Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, this group of savage extreme metal musicians hammers out an endless technical onslaught of pure malevolent sounding metal music. 

    Working with Unspeakable Axe Records for the release of the album, I really feel as though Obsolete puts their own stamp on what one would expect to hear from a young and hungry extreme metal band. I will be honesty and admit that death/thrash albums have become rather repetitive over the last couple years with a few exceptions. Actually, I would say that most of those exceptions have come from Unspeakable Axe Records, mainly because whoever runs the label seems to know what is going on in terms of quality sounding metal music. 

    Obsolete joins the Unspeakable Axe ranks by putting together a fierce sounding album and utterly decimates all that stand in their path by writing some solid cuts of technical brutality. From start to finish, the caliber of musician displayed on this album was unbelievably impressive. As much as I want to keep putting over their musicianship, I have to also highlight the band’s strong songwriting skills. The overall production was definitely something I noticed right away. Each track conveys such raw and passionate energy that you become completely engulfed by these blistering guitar riffs and ear crushing drum parts. 

    The album’s opening track, “Still,” begins by unleashing a blizzard of distorted chaos across the musical landscape and sends seismic shockwaves from behind the drummer’s kit with enough force to level a town. Also, the band knows how to compose dynamic arrangements, so you are not inundated with sloppy death thrash riffs that maintain the same boring tempo throughout the entire song. 

    Tracks like, “The Slough,” “Old Horizon” and “Silent Freeway,” all exhibit a plethora of tormenting technical guitar work. Also, the vocals throughout this album are truly haunting and convey that unapologetic nature that one would expect from early death metal records that have ruthless thrash metal elements as well. Currently, I have noticed too many metal artists trying to sound aggressive and end up sounding like their parent’s would not give them ice cream for dessert, so they decided to form a metal band and scream like a pack of pestilent children. 

    Moving on, “The Fog,” was probably my favorite song off of this album and is definitely a track that I think most fans of extreme death thrash metal will enjoy. The guitar playing once again is executed with such savage precision and the vocals provide a sinister touch to the overall tsunami of brutality. The last song on the album, "Intercostal," was a close second in terms of top tracks and contains some mind bending rhythms to construct one venomous composition. 

    In conclusion, out of the nine tracks featured on this album I do not believe listeners will be disappointed. If anything, they are going to get their skin shredded off by the raw sounding aggression that this band delivers. Obsolete does not fumble the ball with their debut album, “Animate//Isolate,” and builds up anticipation for what this band is capable of coming up with next. This group of musicians does not need any cheesy gimmicks, or cartoony sounding lyrics to get people interested. They let the music do the talking, and after listening to this album, they are making a pretty powerful statement! 

Check out the song "Still" below : 

Album comes out April 19th, 2021. Pre-order through Unspeakable Axe Records below:

http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/

Shards of Humanity "Cold Logic"

    The newest release from Shards of Humanity is like a colossal thunderstorm of extreme metal music mercilessly sweeping across the metal world. These Memphis, Tennessee based death/thrash metal practitioners hold nothing back with the release of their sophomore full-length album, “Cold Logic.”

    Shards of Humanity is yet another tremendously talented extreme metal band that is working with Unspeakable Axe Records. “Cold Logic,” is an album full of savage technical riffs and bombastic drum parts. The songs on this album convey such raw ruthless aggression and the music never sounds cluttered in terms of production value. I notice that the band utilizes their technical talents efficiently throughout the album, and you do not hear them trying to overload listeners with unnecessary sections in an attempt to arrogantly showoff. When this band writes a song, they get straight to the point, while unleashing a blizzard of extreme sounding chaos.

    Out of the ten tracks on this album, I do believe that selecting a favorite will be quite a challenge. From the opening track, “Cosmic Shield,” to the final song, “Mechanical Phosphene,” the band continuously constructs razor sharp pieces of death metal full of malice and apocalyptic sounding landscapes. The lead guitar playing is exceptional and does not fall into the modern metal stereotypical style where the solos sound repetitive and unimaginative. Songs like “Moths of Zeta” and “Bathing Raw in the Blood of Pigs” are brutal offerings full of devastating instrumental compositions accompanied by some haunting vocals.

    Another track that stood out on the album and proves that this release is strong from start to finish is, “Demonic Crystallized Intelligence.” The song is a firestorm of adrenaline pumping death metal and then transitions into a slow mind-warping riff section that reminded me of classic Morbid Angel. Overall, fans are going to gravitate towards this band’s unique and dynamic approach, which really stands out compared to all these other metal bands who sound the same and act as though they are the future of heavy metal. If I was given a dollar every time a band claimed to the be the next greatest metal act, I would be able to buy an island.

    “Cold Logic,” is another Unspeakable Axe Records release that I highly recommend you check out, because the quality of the recordings and the overall talent is just down right impressive. Right now the top extreme metal music acts are on Unspeakable Axe, so if we are looking at the future of extreme music, then there is one label that I feel I can trust in terms of fostering and promoting solid extreme musical creativity. Shards of Humanity will hopefully be unleashing more punishing releases of inhuman brutality for many years to come.


Listen to "Moths of Zeta" below:

Shards of Humanity Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/SHARDSOFHUMANITY/

Unspeakable Axe Records Bandcamp:

https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/

Cemetery Filth "Dominion"

    Death metal fans should brace themselves for what is coming their way in April, because Cemetery Filth is looking to unleash a hurricane of uncompromising brutality upon the metal world. The band’s debut full-length album, “Dominion," brings together all the essential elements required to make a fearsome extreme metal release.

    Cemetery Filth over the last few years has proven to be a rising malevolent music making force and one I have definitely been watching closely. My first introduction to the band came when they were featured on Unspeakable Axe Record’s first, “Four Doors to Death,” compilation album. I remember being completely taken back by the band’s raw old school death metal sound and how it did not mimic most of the other death metal worship acts at the time. I’ve been patiently waiting for this album, so I defiantly took the time to listen to it before I sat down to write this review. Also, I listened to the entire album more than a few times, because the music is just that damn good!

    The opening track, “Subduction,” is a vicious sounding death metal storm of skull crushing riffs and feverish drumming. You feel as though you are being pulled down into a catastrophic world of instrumental savagery and unforgiving vocals. In my opinion, the entire album contains some of the strongest death metal vocals around and creates this insidious atmosphere that seems to suffocate you with such morbid aggression. The second track, “Exhumed Visions,” is another ferocious assault that contains these relentless sounding guitar riffs that come at you like a maniac wielding a machete wearing a hockey mask.

    As the album progresses the band continues to offer listeners countless pieces of pulverizing death metal. Songs like “Aeons in Dis,” “Festering Vacuity” and “Churning of the Shallows,” exhibit strong songwriting talents that I find to be lacking in the world of death metal. So many young bands just want to crank out an album to stay relevant and fail to take the time to craft memorable pieces of brutality.

    Now take the song, “Churching of the Shallows,” for example, which I consider to be my favorite song off of the album. The track is full of dynamic guitar parts that construct an environment of paralyzing fear that keeps you engaged throughout the entire song. Plus, the isolated bass part adds to the song’s already ominous tone and makes for the perfect segue into an extremely heavy riff section. The last song on the album, “Dominion,” is another juggernaut of thunderous destruction that strikes as fast as a rattlesnake. During the song the lead guitar parts come screaming out over the bombastic landscape and give off a completely sinister vibe.

  Cemetery Filth’s, “Dominion,” is a debut full-length release that death metal maniacs will be wanting to add to their collections once the album is released. Am I surprised the band is having this album released through Unspeakable Axe Records? Hell no! Unspeakable Axe Records is the label that everyone should be checking out right now, especially considering their current roster.

    I was extremely impressed with Cemetery Filth on this album and expect them to be a prominent force in the death metal world for many years to come. If you want some filthy sounding old school death metal to play while you stalk the graveyard in your hometown, well then here it is people! Just don't get caught...not like I am speaking from experience...


Check out "Churning of the Shallows" below:

Cemetery Filth Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/CemeteryFilth/

Unspeakable Axe Records Bandcamp (Where to order album):
https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/album/dominion

4 Doors to Death Vol. II

    Back in 2015 Unspeakable Axe Records opened the gateways into a realm of unimaginable brutality with the first 4 Doors to Death release. Four bands were chosen to unleash their sinister death metal talents upon the extreme music world. I can tell that all four bands on that release made an impact and proved to be formidable death metal acts.

    The time has come for Unspeakable Axe Records to open the gateways once again, but this time the label has found four new artists to bring about pure death metal devastation upon the metal world. The four bands that are featured on volume two: Nucleus, Ectoplasma, Fetid Zombie and Temple of Void, display tremendous old school death metal songwriting skills and prove to be four acts that people who crave musical brutality will want to check out.

    The first band on the split, Nucleus, is a technical death metal band from Chicago that explores science fiction lyrical themes, while writing these brutal mind being instrumental compositions. I am quite familiar with the band, having reviewed their last two full-length albums. The two tracks they provided on this four band split, “Nexus” and “Replicant,” are both amazing pieces of cosmic crushing horror. Their overall musicianship is what stands out the most, as well as their dynamic songwriting skills. The compositions take listeners into different directions, yet maintain a ferocious presentation that never loses its abrasive and unforgiving attitude.

    The second band on the split is, Ectoplasma, a band that delivers monumental riffs with enough force to knock you off your chair and into another dimension. These Greek metal musicians hold nothing back on their three songs, especially in terms of how the tracks flow in such an unapologetic manner. Out of the three, “Atrocious Ovomorphic Death,” is definitely my favorite and I like how the band starts the song off with a sound clip from the movie, Alien, which compliments the song’s theme extremely well. The band rips through these insidious sounding riffs, while the drummer hammers out some pulverizing skull crushing blast beats.

    Fetid Zombie, the third band on the album, conjures up some malevolent sounding recordings that really captured my attention. This Virginia based act takes listeners on a hellish old school death metal joyride into the unfathomable depths by writing terrifying cuts of gruesome brutality. I liked the use of two different vocal styles at times that added such a diabolical contrast to the already haunting old school death compositions. “Celestial Horror,” is definitely the track that stood out the most to me with its bone chilling atmosphere. Fetid Zombie shows how sometimes the best songs are not the ones that are overly technical, but instead grab you attention by experimenting with different sounds to build a mesmerizing atmosphere.

    The last band on the split, Temple of Void, contributes three songs to the release that demonstrates the band’s creative death doom mentality. The first one, “Voidmind,” opens with a monstrous riff and drum attack which lays siege to the musical landscape leaving carnage and despair as the music slowly charges forward.  All the bands on this release sounded great and the recording quality of each track did not disappoint, however, Temple of Void’s music just seemed to be on another level in terms of production value. Their second song, “Perfection of the Hideous,” is an instrumental piece that deviates from the band’s thunderous death doom onslaught. I thought the band’s musical creativity and high level of musicianship was on full display for listeners to get an idea of how they are not just another typical death doom group.

    In the end, 4 Doors to Death Vol. II is a death metal release full of exceptional extreme music making prowess. I believe Unspeakable Axe Records is a record label that knows how to bring together tremendous talent. If you are a death metal wanting to know what are some bands of the current bands you should check out, well then Unspeakable Axe has four that you do not want to pass up, or close the door on.


Preview below:

Link To Unspeakable Axe Records:
http://unspeakableaxerecords.com

Nucleus Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/nucleusmetal/

Fetid Zombie Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/fetidzombie/

Ectoplasma Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Ectoplasma-1579524392276613/

Temple of Void:
https://www.facebook.com/TempleOfVoid/

Hemotoxin "Restructure the Molded Mind"

    Hemotoxin does not disappoint with their newest onslaught of cranial splitting death/thrash. The band's third full-length album, “Restructure the Molded Mind,” features scorching technicality, uncompromising brutality and plenty of headbanging mind altering riffs.

    These San Francisco Bay Area musicians took their time this new album, which in all honesty was hard for me to accept, especially after the band’s impressive 2016 release, “Biological Enslavement.” I remember hearing that album and doing the review thinking, “Damn, these guys have really raised the bar!” Ever since the beginning Hemotoxin has shown promise, but I believe, “Biological Enslavement,” is where the band completely surpassed their previous recordings by developing an extremely tight and technical sound. Also, it was the first album of theirs on Unspeakable Axe Records, a label that I have a tremendous amount respect for, and the label that will be releasing this new album as well.

    “Restructure the Molded Mind,” is another solid offering from the band and I do believe it is their most ambitious effort to date. The musicianship and songwriting on this album is in all honesty even more astonishing than what was on, "Biological Enslavement." Unlike some bands who think they are writing complex thought provoking lyrics, but end up sounding like Garth from Wayne's World trying to explain conspiracy theories, Hemotoxin crafts these very profound messages that are not pretentious and really resonate with where our society is heading.

    All eight tracks off of this album do not disappoint and musically you are treated to some brilliant instrumental compositions. Plus, guitarist and singer Michael Chavez has a great delivery that gives the lyrics such a vivid burst of unforgiving attitude. The first track, “Nihilistic Principle,” is an explosion into a chaotic world of tectonic technical riffs and bombastic drum parts. The band’s drummer, Brandon Wilcox, plays with great precision behind the kit and he handles the complex rhythms with an almost inhuman ability. He is like the Terminator of drumming, although instead of killing people to change the future, he is recording drum tracks to make the future a better place. Bassist Shane Hunt-Dussé provides some killer bass lines and his playing compliments Michael’s guitar riffs extremely well.

    Overall, their musicianship on this album is simply outstanding, however, they do not over complicate the listener with pointless technical arrangements. Take for example the song, “Legions of Alienation,” where the open riff section hits hard like a suplex from Brock Lesnar, matching Michael’s ferocious delivery. Also, Michael lays down an exceptional guitar solo during the song that highlights his strong lead guitar talents.

    Tracks like “Unreality” and “Execution” do a great job conveying a progressive side at times, which I think creates a brilliant contrast with the band’s raw old school death thrash mentality. You just cannot predict where this band will go and that is what I tend enjoy most about this album. Another song I want to mention is, “Automation,” which I consider to be my favorite track off of the album. I felt the songwriting on this track was flawless as well as the instrumental compositions. This is what metal radio stations should be playing and not that watered down hardcore nonsense where the band looks like they are entering a fashion show for biggest hipster douche in the universe.

    In conclusion, Hemotoxin does not need to win a battle of the bands, or pay to play on a big metal show in order to feel like they are a worthy act, because at the end of the day these musicians prove time and time again that they are driven to create meaningful technical death thrash music. I feel that, “Restructure the Molded Mind,” is everything a ravenous death thrash maniac could ever want and more, especially in terms of solid songwriting. This is without a doubt an early contender for one of the best albums to come out this year and one I hope captures the ears and minds of the metal community in the months ahead.



Check out the song "Corrupted Flesh" below:

Hemotoxin Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Hemotoxin/


Unspeakable Axe Records Links (Pre-Orders are up and the album comes out March 16th):

FB Page:

https://www.facebook.com/UnspeakableAxeRecords/

Website:

http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/

Ripper "Sensory Stagnation"

    Scorching the metal world with a vicious strike of merciless metal, Ripper proves once again they are a band that does not mess around. This group of metal musicians from Chile demonstrates great technical ability and raw aggression on their new EP, “Sensory Stagnation.”

    After teaming up with Unspeakable Axe records for the release of their 2016 release, “Experiment of Existence,” Ripper has really grabbed the metal world’s attention. Their style of extreme thrash combines a variety of influences, yet is presented in a unique and confident manner. The EP once again captures the band’s exceptional thrash metal making abilities and helps them break away from the gimmicky thrash worship acts that think by having long hair and dressing like they're from the movie Wayne’s World it makes them a great thrash metal band.

    The EP opens with a short instrumental piece full of technically and ravenous sounding attitude. The bass and guitar playing is well executed, while the drumming provides a ferocious kick. For their second track, “The Unreal,” Ripper unleashes an all out blitzkrieg of destructive sounding thrash sure to conjure up devastating circle pits during live shows. Once again, the guitar and bass parts construct these bombastic sounding riff compositions that give the song a sinister edge.

    For the album’s title track, the band exhibits more wicked sounding arrangements which are accompanied by the singer’s hellish delivery. The next song, “Like a Sacrilege,” is a blasphemous offering of musical terror that will scare the crap out of those Jehovah’s Witnesses who go around from door to door pedaling nonsense. If those people come to your door, I recommend playing this song for them. After hearing it I guarantee they will stop coming to your house!

    The final song off the album, “Terror Streets,” is a blistering cut of music right from the very beginning with rapid drumming and vicious guitar work. Each musician contributes to the attack by playing with tremendous amounts of energy throughout the song by hammering out some savage compositions of music to keep listener’s continuously banging their heads.

    Ripper’s new EP is yet another example of how this band has become a formidable and impressive force within the metal community. Their dedication and drive has allowed them to write some strong material over the last few years. I think that if this EP is a glimpse into the future of what is to come, fans of high quality thrash metal music should be extremely pleased. If you have common sense when it comes to good music, well then Ripper is a band you should be listening to right now.


Ripper "The Unreal" :

Ripper Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ripperchileoficial/

Nucleus "Entity"

    Science fiction themed death metal outfit, Nucleus, takes listeners on a space odyssey through mind bending brutality with their sophomore release, “Entity.” The Chicago based band constructs some monstrous sounding tracks displaying strong technical prowess, while maintaining an unforgiving old school death metal attitude.

    Set to be released through Unspeakable Axe Records in June of this year, the new album picks up where Nucleus left off on their debut full-length release, “Sentient.” The band’s sound is extremely tight and their technical abilities really standout when listening to the new album. Another point to bring up about this release is the quality of each recording. The music is well composed and the overall album flows unlike most of your modern day death metal releases that tend to sound like a cluster of tracks sort of hastily thrown together. Nucleus exhibits a catchy brutal sound, but also knows when to utilize their dynamic songwriting talents to add diversity in their compositions.

    I really like how the band starts the album off with the track, “Arrival,” which conveys a very cinematic sci-fi horror themed intro and then suddenly bursts like a chestbuster from the movie Alien into a pulverizing riff section. The band unleashes some merciless aggression throughout the song, especially the singer’s strong and monstrous sounding death growls. After the first song ends the band perfectly transitions into the next track titled, “Entity.” The guitar riffs create these intense and engaging atmospheres that are accompanied by relentless drumming and feverish bass playing. I always like those moments where the music slows down and the bass player is given an opportunity to thrown in a wicked sounding fill.

    Track number three, “Uplift,” continues the extreme sounding space like journey by hammering out more blistering pieces of death metal and there are plenty of tasty guitar parts that are guaranteed to melt your face off. Forget alien acid blood, the lead guitar playing on some of these tracks is down right incinerating! Other songs to mention on the album are, “Outpost,” “Dominion” and “Timechasm.” I would say that, “Timechasm,” is probably my favorite song off of the album and the song’s overall atmosphere makes you feel like you are floating through a haunting nebula of nightmare like proportions. The music starts out with this very calming instrumental part and eventually sucks you into a black hole of hellish old school death metal.

    After listening to this album I strongly believe that Nucleus did not settle for the simplistic old school death metal approach. The band demonstrated a desire to come up with a dynamic sounding release that in essence also maintained a vicious old school death metal sound. In the end, this is a release that will not disappoint and will leave you traveling through a galaxy of endless chaos and terrorizing technicality. Hollywood should tap Nucleus to create a sci-fi horror film, because these guys seem to have more talent and imagination than the garbage that most film studios are currently putting out right now.





Check out Nucleus "Entity" below:

Nucleus FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/nucleusmetal/

Unspeakable Axe Records FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/UnspeakableAxeRecords/

Laceration "Remnants"

  The Bay Area metal scene is thriving right now with numerous up and coming bands recording some really impressive material. Laceration is band taking old school death metal and thrash metal and unleashing blistering tracks of extreme metal chaos.

  Formed in 2006, Laceration has gained a strong following over the years amongst the Bay Area metal scene and keeps building momentum. Working with Unspeakable Axe Records, a label that seems to produce devastating releases from some of the most ravenous bands around, Laceration will be putting out a release featuring songs from a couple EPs, demos and songs that were part of their 2013 split with Tinnitus. I think fans will be pleased to hear a sinister array of material on the upcoming release, which I believe will help build anticipation for more new material from Laceration.

  “Remnants,” features a strong dose of tracks that shall appease any extreme metal maniac looking for some high quality headbanging. The opening song, “Realms of the Unconscious,” is a dynamic assault of brutality and technical prowess. I felt like the track was a great introduction for people who may have never heard of Laceration, because the song really touches upon what this band is about musically and demonstrates their style of songwriting. The following tracks continue to maintain a vicious edge while constantly leaving carnage in their wake. Track number two, “Self Deprivation,” is a bombastic slaughter of sound and molds such ferocity from various influences that range from old school death metal to 80’s thrash. Laceration does a good job maintaining a balance of death metal and thrash metal to where the band is able to utilize the combination to their advantage when writing their songs.

  Other songs to mention off this release would be, “Exhausted in Form,” “Bred to Consume” and “Hobo with a Shotgun.” I personally enjoyed, “Hobo with the Shotgun,” the most since I am fan of the movie which the song is named after and I also thought the music sounded just as brutal as the film. Laceration’s vocalist is a strong singer and he does a tremendous job presenting the lyrics throughout the song in a bold unapologetic nature. Another killer piece of music off this album is, “Shadows of Existence,” which begins with a massive wall of distorted chaos that comes destructively crashing down along with the hellish sounding drum parts. The riff sections are harsh and convey such raw energy to where you feel consumed by this malicious force of extreme sounding horror.

  Overall I believe, “Remnants,” is a well put together release featuring songs that demonstrate solid musicianship and creative songwriting which seems to have evolved since the band’s inception. The band does not just simply slap together recycled death and thrash riffs, and I find there is a bit more thought in their instrumental compositions compared to most other death/thrash bands. I think if Laceration keeps up this type of songwriting and musicianship on future releases, we are going to be getting treated to some killer sounding extreme metal releases. Th future looks brutal people, so keep an eye out for Laceration!


Laceration "Exhausted in Form" :

Laceration Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/LACERATION-Bay-Area-106524719409624/

Phylactery "Necromancy Enthroned"

    Hellish death thrash devastation invades the metal world with Phylactery’s debut full-length release, “Necromancy Enthroned.” These Canadian extreme metal musicians take the relentless speed of thrash with the unforgiving brutality of old school death metal and create some terrorizing sounds of unholy proportions.

    Phylactery happens to be yet another band from Unspeakable Axe Records that does not disappoint and knows how to construct solid extreme metal music. Their debut album features eleven tracks of vicious riffs, thunderous drumming and demonic sounding vocals of unworldly terror. For their first album I think the band did a solid job crafting a unique raw and brutal sound that simply does not fall into the category of generic metal garbage.

    Each track on the album runs about the same length of time and the songs are usually about two to three minutes long. I think length of each song is just perfect for the band to deliver their merciless death thrash assault. If the songs were longer I believe the band would be recycling riffs to the point of complete and unbearable redundancy. The opening song off the album, “Risen Restless Dead,” wastes no time by thrashing away at a flesh tearing riff. Even though the song is short there are plenty of distinct riffs that are vicious yet extremely catchy. The band’s nonstop aggression continues on the second track, “Wisdom of Heretics,” with bombastic drumming and lightning fast guitar parts. I really liked the guitar solo, because the lead guitarist composed something that actually complimented the song instead of being a random hurricane of obnoxious shredding. Don’t get me wrong, I like shredding when it has a purpose and is not just an excuse to show how fast you can play through scales.

    Out of the elven tracks I find choosing a favorite to be a difficult task, but I will name some of the ones that I think standout a little more than the others. “Morbid Existence,” is a furious cut of metal music with insane sounding verse sections accompanied by haunting vocal parts. “Where I Dwell” contains some bone crushing guitar riffs and the bass sound adds an extra explosion to the distorted fiery chaos. I have talked about this before in previous reviews and still want to stress the importance of having a strong bass sound. There are some bands who turn the bass volume down to where I question if the bass player even showed up during the recording process. The final song I want to mention is, “Enslaved by the Dawn.” On this track the band delivers some nasty riffs of raw thrash attitude. I want to try and compare them to other bands, however, it is hard because their sound takes from so many different extreme metal elements.

    For their debut album I think Phylactery did a great job being themselves and leaving room for them to take their music into an even more unforgiving and brutal level. Some bands want to hit home runs for their first album, but sometimes just offering a consistent brutal sound is enough to peak the interest of listeners. Highly recommended for people who desire some vicious thrash and raw old school death metal blended together into one diabolical concoction. Also, I recommend people check them out because they are signed to Unspeakable Axe Records. I trust Unspeakable Axe Records more than I trust the people in charge of running the state I live in…


Phylactery "Unholy Empire" :

Phylactery Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Phylacterydeaththrash/

Unspeakable Axe Records Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/unspeakableaxerecords

Sewercide "Immortalized in Suffering"

    Venomous snakes and man-eating saltwater crocodiles, are just a couple things that make Australia one brutal place to live. Adding to the brutality is the Melbourne based death metal band, Sewercide. You want a shot of kick ass adrenaline pumping old school death metal? Well, their debut full-length release, “Immortalized in Suffering,” is definitely the answer. 

    Teaming up with Unspeakable Axe Records, Sewercide perfectly compliments the label’s desire to be one of metal’s most extreme and solid independent labels around. The band has been active since 2011 and it seems after putting out a fair amount of demos and splits, the group is ready to introduce listeners to a full-length album that destroys from top to bottom. Their style of death metal falls into the old school worship category and I hear strong Morbid Angel influence along with Hate Eternal, Deicide and Pestilence. If anything, they play it safe and stick to face smashing death metal and leave all that progressive stuff to the bands who want to peruse that path of extreme music making. Honestly, I do enjoy their consistency, but I would say that Sewercide is not trying to rearrange the death metal formula. Is that good, is that bad...who cares, their riffs are aggressive and the vocals sound as if they were recorded in the tombs of cursed warlords. 

    Kicking the album off is the track, “For Those About to Rot.” The band lays down a vicious riff that features wicked palm muted chord progressions, while the double bass smashing rhythm from their drummer crushes across the musical landscape. I also really dig the gruesome old school death metal vocals that in my opinion captures the classic Florida death metal sound. “A Dying Dream,” is the album’s second track and maintains the brutal sound that you heard on the first track. They even throw in this short bluesy sounding riff that sounds like the footsteps of Cthulhu walking towards a town that will shortly be leveled to the ground. Track three, “Snares of Carnality,” features more slamming guitar parts and the instrumental arrangements sound well thought out. 

    There are some bands I have reviewed that seriously need to stop trying to play fast and focus on coming up with solid sections that can transition without sounding like a gigantic ball chaotic distortion. Sewercide’s level of musicianship and their solid songwriting abilities will really attract listeners who are tired of hearing piss pour death metal recordings. Some other good tracks I want to mention are “Interlude in Agony,” “Megalithic Tomb,” and “Eternal (In Spirit). “Interlude in Agony,” is just a creepy short piano piece that serves as an intermission before listeners are given more brutal cuts of old school. Probably my favorite song on the album, “Megalithic Tomb,” just annihilates with sheer unapologetic force. 

   When all is said and done and Sewercide is all out extreme riffs, you can’t deny their passion for making old school style death metal music. I think there is still more for them to offer and I believe they are on the right path. Also, I would not want to hear them become too experimental and think their old school worship style is rather enjoyable. All they need to do is just keep consistently pumping out monumental sounding tracks of brutality and the headbanging maniacs shall be drawn to their music like crocodiles to raw meat. 

Check out this song by Sewercide "Snares of Carnality":

Sewercide Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Sewercide

Nucleus "Sentient"

    Unspeakable Axe Records unleashes upon the metal community yet another solid extreme band, this time taking science fiction themed lyrics and monumental sounding death metal compositions into more extreme directions. Nucleus, based out of Chicago, disintegrates listener’s speakers with their debut full-length release, “Sentient.” 

    I can honestly say that once the first riff began, I had this premonition that some brutal force was coming my way. Nucleus summons the bombastic sounding aggression from old school death metal bands, but adds their own noticeable distinct stamp of ass kicking music. They really do a solid job crafting their own sound, which helps separate them from those generic sounding old school extreme metal copycats. To think of it, most of the bands I have reviewed on Unspeakable Axe Records tend to be very talented and incorporate a variety of extreme influences into their music, while expressing their own original ideas. 

    The songwriter is very consistent and as I noted earlier, I just felt like this group was going to deliver some massive and brutal sounding death metal tunes. Following the opening instrumental piece called, “Sentience,” song number two, “Dosadi,” gets the adrenaline pumping with a mean sounding riff. I swear, you just want to break everything in your path as the singer growls over the slamming instrumental parts. For the next song, “Cantos,” the band perfectly transitioned into a crushing tsunami of old school death metal worshipping horror. Every instrument is record at such a precise level that one can really appreciate the musicianship that this band put into the track. Plus, I think it is important to point out how Nucleus does not overwhelm listeners with technicality by seeing how fast they can play. Songs like, “Cube,” and, “Insurgent,” are well crafted tracks that do not need all that extra technical skill to get the band’s point across. Each musician is able to contribute their talents equally, and I don’t think one player solely steals the show. 

    Overall, they are a well rounded group of musicians that can offer such powerful pieces like, “Ancient.” To think it, I think Ancient was my favorite track on the entire album. Every riff, drum part and lyric, paint this sinister sounding world that makes for one unforgiving death metal song. The final track, “Starflyer,” was a close second favorite and forcefully shuts the lid on this extreme ride through brutal and tormented musical landscapes. 

    From top to bottom, there is not a dual or simplistic moment on, “Sentient.” Nucleus throws down deafening sounds of extreme music to show people that there is no settling for something boring and basic when offering brutality. Highly worth checking out if you are a fan of pure kick ass death metal...and happen to be drawn to any band that has album artwork done by Dan Seagrave. I swear, his artwork compliments the music every time...Any band with a Dan Seagrave album cover is certified brutal in my book. 

Check out their song "Cube" below:

Nucleus Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/nucleusmetal

Unspeakable Axe Records Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/unspeakableaxerecords

Hemotoxin "Biological Enslavement"

    For some bands that second album can be a challenge and the sophomore slump is something most would like to avoid. However, Hemotoxin rises to the occasion on their sophomore full-length release, “Biological Enslavement.” Also, this is their first album to be released on one of my favorite metal labels, Unspeakable Axe Records. 

    The Pittsburg, CA based band has really grown as musicians and songwriters. Taking from various influences, the band molds a technical death/thrash sound that features melodic and progressive elements to add great depth to their songs. I remember seeing them when they opened up for Havok a few years back and I could tell they were trying to tear themselves away from that generic death/thrash label that so many bands just can’t escape from. When I saw them in September of last year, I felt that they were headed in a positive direction musically. “Biological Enslavement,” is an example of their determination, hard work and expanding skill level which makes this release such an amazing listen. 

    Focusing on the songwriting, Hemotoxin’s whole approach is quite refreshing and the musicianship helps formulate some killer tracks. The album begins with an explosive chord pounding instrumental piece, "Decadence." After a quick transition, song number two, “Regression,” unleashes a wicked sounding guitar riff. I found the vocal presentation to offer tremendous raw emotional expression. The song’s lyrics articulated some very serious political and social topics that demonstrates how metal people are quite informed about the world around them. Track number three “Minus Human” definitely displayed the band’s technical talents, while maintaining a heavy groove. The bass playing especially in the beginning of the song added some extra emphasis to the main guitar riffs. 

    Track number four, “Not of this World,” opened with a feverish guitar jam and the drumming seemed to be set on rapid fire cruise control the entire time. Following it up, “Forgotten Faces,” featured the two guitar players shredding through various scales as the lyrics happened to leave a vivid statement that stayed with me after the song was finished. One line that stood out was, “How do we determine, the value of human life.” I liked how certain verses that followed played off this one simple statement and really made for a powerful piece of music.  As much as the lyrics were my favorite part of track number five, I thought track six, “The Alchemist,” contained some creative and dynamic instrumental compositions from each member. The band dives into an intense thrash tornado of souls and the vocals come roaring through the noise to make truly strong lyrical statements. Plus, I have to give major credit to the exaggerated growl that reminded me of something Chuck Schuldiner would do.  

    A song like, “Bleak Prognosis,” remains very true to the previous tracks in structure and towards the end the band does not throw in any filler to finish out the release. “A Journey Through Dreams” and “Transparent Eyes” are actually the two tracks I enjoyed the most. I especially need to raise attention to, “A Journey Through Dreams.” Being a fan of instrumental rock and metal songs, I thought Hemotoxin did a spectacular job writing an exciting and engaging instrumental piece. Their use of a variety of tempos and intricate guitar leads kept the music constantly flowing and never sounding redundant or simplistic. The final song “Transparent Eyes,” closed the album by truly raising the aggression bar along with more phenomenal guitar leads. 

    Hemotoxin’s “Biological Enslavement” happened to be a perfect example of why young up and coming bands need to never give up and keep pushing themselves. Listening to their previous release and this one is almost like night and day. Now, I am not trying to imply that their debut full-length was a massive failure. “Between Forever...and the End,” was a decent first release for a beginning band. However, their talents really came together when making this new album. I think my only critique is, where will they go from here? I mean, how can they out do this album? I hope Hemotoxin continues to find ways to further push themselves as songwriters, because they are on a great path right now. Seriously, get this album and support a band who is truly keeping the passion for technical extreme metal moving forward. 

Preview the song "Transparent Eyes" Below:

Hemotoxin Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Hemotoxin

Unspeakable Axe Records Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/UnspeakableAxeRecords/

Ripper "Experiment of Existence"

    The extreme metal music passion that comes from South America is quite amazing. A fair amount of bands I have reviewed for this blog have been from South America and the quality is usually top notch. Ripper, a group of Chilean death thrashers, are yet another band who skillfully blend a variety of extreme metal influences, while demonstrating tremendous talent for an up and coming act. 

    Their new full-length album, “Experiment of Existence,” is an extreme metal fan’s every wicked dream, especially if they happen to enjoy sinister science fiction/space related lyrical themes. I personally notice the death metal qualities in their sound, but I would say that the riffs can convey an old school thrash style at times. One area of the album that gives the band a unique musical flavor is the bass playing. If you enjoy those first couple Atheist albums or the bass sound on Death’s, “Human,” Ripper’s bass player follows in those footsteps. His bass solo which is track number eight, “Chromatic Fantasy,” is a brilliant sounding exploration of technical bass playing. 

    Overall, the band has one solid soul crushing sound and the first couple songs, “Magnetic Solar Storms,” and “Anthropophagic Life,” establish a monstrous sound of technical riffs and furious double bass drum rhythms. Ripper’s singer growls over the musical storm of extreme sounding chaos with a vocal style that reminded me of how Mike Browning sounded on the first Nocturnus album. The instrumental presentation is impressive and I really like how they pieced out the vocal parts.  Also to make note of is the lead guitar playing, which throws in these exciting moments of technicality and note shredding insanity. 

    Now, Ripper is not just another one of your straightforward intense riff pumping bands. They have a progressive rock and metal mind when writing their songs. The album’s title track, “Experiment of Existence,” begins with these calm sounds of nature and then morphs into a brutal old school death metal sounding assault. Their style of songwriting that can be very dynamic at times, definitely gives the album a unique presentation. 

    The band maintains their extreme science fiction themed music as the album reaches the mid point with tracks like, “Stellar Evolution,” and “The Alpha Orionis.” One of my favorite tracks on the album, “Spherical Energy,” contains those powerful bass riffs and those moments really intensify the music. The guitar playing is down right unforgiving as the band gallops through different riffs of pure sounding evil. Finishing off the album, “Humanity Was Wrong,” leaves listeners with an ominous sounding message. Musically the band does not disappoint and the lyrics vividly standout when the singer growls them out. 

    I do not know what it is about those South American metal bands, but they can sure release some amazing sounding albums. Ripper is yet another young band who takes old school death and thrash metal to create high quality extreme recordings. Also, the lyrics deviated from your usual Satanic themes that I find young bands tend to over use. On a final note, I recommend this album to all metal fans who are riff loving enthusiastic headbangers and desire lyrics that don’t just keep on repeating, “Hail Satan,” for about twenty minutes. 

Band's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ripperchileoficial/

Album Review: 4 Doors to Death

    No matter which door you open on this four way split, you shall be unlocking some brutal sounding death metal. “4 Doors to Death,” features four great up and coming acts from the death metal community. With songs by Cemetery Filth, Ectovoid, Sabbatory and Trench Rot, there is reason to believe that this extreme sounding split can open up portals to realms of unholy ancient terror.

    To begin, one must give credit to Unspeakable Axe Records for bringing these four bands together. The amount of extreme music making talent that can be heard throughout the album is highly impressive. All the bands compliment each other by having a very similar old school death metal worshipping sound, but one can tell where each band tries to carve their own brutal cyclopean legacy of unforgiving brutality.

    The first band on the split, Cemetery Filth, brings forth a crushing style of death metal. Their three songs dig deep into the old school death metal roots and unearths some sinister cuts of extreme music. The Tennessee based band’s first song, “Consumption of Volition,” conveys a very raw sound that reminds me of early Morbid Angel and Pestilence. I especially liked how the drums were recorded which gives the track a solid bone breaking rhythm. Song number two, “Dagonian Dialect... The Obelisk,” is the one piece of music on this album that really shines through the dark musical abysses. With its Lovecraft themed lyrics and its bombastic sounding riffs, the track is pure death metal genius. The vocalist during the song really stands out and his haunting death growl delivery throughout the track has me hooked. For their last song on the split, “Cosmic Wraiths,” the group pounds out more heavy instrumental structures of morbid expression and lyrical tales of unspeakable evil.

    Next up on the split is, Ectovoid, who are from Birmingham, Alabama. These southern death metal dudes explore a whole range of diverse extreme musical compositions while still maintaining a straight forward no nonsense approach. Their first song “Ash Primordial,” begins with a burst of blast beat rhythms and corpse cutting riffs. There is no telling where the band will go musically and they change tempo at times to achieve this slow death doom sound that is massively loud. The next song from them, “Possessed by Ancient Dread,” reeks of gruesome old school death metal remains. I am really impressed by the vocal delivery and the sheer power of their overall riffs.

    Third up on the split is, Sabbatory, who come from Winnipeg, Canada. Now this is a band who knows how to deliver exceptional death metal music. Hell, you play me a Sabbatory song and I might think it was recorded back in the late eighties or early nineties. The band’s extreme music making passion and drive to create vicious pieces of music can easily be heard on their two tracks, “Ascension to My Holy Tomb” and “Primordial.” That guitar sound during “Ascension to My Holy Tomb” is aggressive and unforgiving just like the singer’s vocals. “Primordial” is another exceptionally brutal track and features a brilliant guitar solo of note shredding madness. 

    The final band on the split, Trench Rot, is a sinister sounding necronomicon worshipping legion of musicians from Philadelphia, PA. After reviewing their debut release, “Necronomic Warfare,” I have been a fan of these guys and their Evil Dead and battle themed death metal music. The three tracks they summon forth on this split are nothing short of skull crushing malevolence. “Hell Pilot’s Call,” is a hellish musical bombardment with a crushing riff section that is accompanied by the sounds of air raid sirens. Track number two, “Powerful Kandarian Steel,” contains some awesome lyrics that can be used to summon evil forces from the book bound in flesh. Finishing up the split the band does an impressive cover of Death’s, "Evil Dead.” To sum up Trench Rot’s three songs as Ash from Army of Darkness would say, “Hail to the king, baby!”

    “4 Doors to Death,” might very well be called, “4 Doors to High Quality Death Metal.” Getting these acts together for this spilt is an extreme alliance that needs to be heard if you are wanting to hear what newer bands are doing with the old school death metal formula. Make sure to get a copy when it is released January 22, 2016...or be haunted by the spirits of the Evil Dead for all eternity!

Cemetery Filth Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CemeteryFilth/?fref=ts
Ectovoid Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ectovoid/?fref=ts
Sabbatory Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Sabbatory-302276589803917/?fref=ts
Trench Rot Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Trenchrotdeathmetal/?fref=ts