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Vinny

Good day, folks. Would you care to add Dawn of Decay and Traumatic (SWE)? Thank you.

199
Daniel

March 2025

1. Just Before Dawn - "Intro: Paths of Armor / To the Last Tiger" (from "An Army at Dawn", 2020) [submitted by Karl]

2. Blood Red Throne - "Revocation of Humankind" (from "Union of Flesh and Machine", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]

3. Unmerciful - "Ravenous Impulse" (from "Ravenous Impulse", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Pyre - "From the Stygian Depths" (from "Where Obscurity Sways", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

5. Phrenelith - "Stagnated Blood" (from "Ashen Womb", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

6. Darkthrone - "The Watchtower" (from "Soulside Journey", 1989) [submitted by Sonny]

7. Threnody - "The Elder" (from "As the Heavens Fall", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

8. Analepsy - "Witness of Extinction" (from "Atrocities from Beyond", 2017) [submitted by Vinny]

9. Excruciating Terror - "Don't Care Who You Are" (from "Divided We Fall", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]

10. Nuclear Death - "Place of Skulls" (from "Bride of Insect", 1990)

11. Stenched - "Mucus, Phlegm and Bile" (from "Purulence Gushing From the Coffin", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

12. Garden of Shadows - "Citadel of Dreams" (from "Oracle Moon", 2000)

13. Shadowspawn - "Sacrament of Deceit" (from "Blasphemica", 2023) [submitted by Vinny]

14. Necrophagist - "To Breathe in a Casket" (from "Onset of Putrefaction", 2004)

15. Desecresy - "Shattered Monuments" (from "Chasmic Transcendence", 2014) [submitted by Karl]

16. Gatecreeper - "Patriarchal Grip" (from "Sonoran Depravation", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]

17. Noxis - "Horns Echo Over Chorazim" (from "Violence Inherent in the System", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

18. Tormentor Tyrant - "Heavy Death Bombardment" (from "Excessive Escalation of Cruelty", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

19. Deteriorot - "Endless Hauntings of Demons and Despair" (from "In Ancient Beliefs", 2001) [submitted by Karl]

20. Upon Stone - To Seek and Follow the Call of Lions (from "Dead Mother Moon", 2024) [submitted by Saxy S]

21. Death Toll 80k - "Cycle of Misery" (from "Harsh Realities", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]

22. Nails - "Obscene Humanity" (from "Unsilent Death", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

23. Putridity - "Repugnance Enshrined in Deformity" (from "Ignominious Atonement". 2015)

24. Waking the Cadaver - "Blood Splattered Satisfaction" (from "Peverse Recollections of a Necromangler", 2007) [submitted by Vinny]

25. Putred - "Inscripții antice" (from "Megalit al putrefacției", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

26. Obscura - "Silver Linings" (from "A Sonification", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

27. Iniquitous Deeds - "Infinitive Putrefaction" (from "Incessant Hallucinations", 2015)

28. Twilight Glimmer - "Fate of Mankind" (from "Indignation", 2013) [submitted by Vinny]

29. Infernal Conjuration - "In the Presence of Another World" (from "Infernale metallum mortis", 2019) [submitted by Karl]

30. Sepsism - "Dissection" (from "Purulent Decomposition", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]

31. Engulfed - "Occult Incantations" (from "Unearthly Litanies of Despair", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

45
Saxy S

Here are some bands and releases that have the melodic death metal tag, but the melodic side is overshadowed by the deathly side:

Allegaeon (technical/melodic death metal but their 2010s material and earlier is less melodic)

Becoming the Archetype's 2010s material (much less melodic than their surrounding works)

Dethklok (melodic death metal yet focused less on melody in many songs, especially in Dethalbum IV)

Obscura (technical/melodic death metal but their 2010s material and earlier is less melodic)

Stortregn - Finitude (technical/melodic death metal in the same ratio as the 2010s material of Allegaeon and Obscura)

1
Daniel

Blood Incantation - Absolute Everywhere (2024)

Genres: Prog Death Metal

This is it, the conclusion of my Blood Incantation marathon.  This is the album that gave me reason to check them out, and I finally have room for them on my albums log as my need to explore other genres made me late to this party.  A death metal album taking influence from the 70's German rock and electronic scene?  For a wacko like me, that's a dream to good to be true.  But what with all the dick-sucking going around for this album, one can't help but wonder, does it live up to the legend, or is it overhyped?

Immediately the prog rock and prog electronic influences are used as key ingredients in the hyperactive death metal, but the album also makes a point of switching genres mid-song from death metal to prog rock two minutes into Stargate Pt. 1.  I have to admit, while the instrumentation was beyond magnificent, rivaling the best aspects of their incredible debut, the sudden genre switch was a little jarring.  I would've preferred a little more buildup and a little more death in the beginning.  Was this a bad omen, or would I learn to accept that after hearing the rest of the album?  Stargate Pt. 2 was an intriguing and powerful prog electronic track that recalled all the best aspects of Tangerine Dream and Vangelis while remaining a Blood Incantation song, proving that they've mastered the art of electronics after having struggled so much with it on their previous ambient EP, Timewave Zero.  In the last two minutes, it carefully turns into a prog rock song with some beautiful Tullian flute.  Even the last bit of death metal feels pretty naturally handled.  Pt. 3 makes for some fantastic death metal in both technique and production.  There's this middle section of acoustic guitars mimicking the worldbeat vibes of The Tea Party, but it doesn't last long enough, unfortunately.  And some of the electronics that make the album so unique are present at the end, but not for long.

The next epic, the three part Message, begins with a more upbeat, melodic and almost alternative take on death metal, one that recalls the noisy but anthemic and somewhat aquatic atmospheres of Biomech.  But after 50 seconds, they switch back to the same old death metal.  Thankfully, the extremities are met at a capacity I have only ever dreamed about!  They go back to the original format after another 50 seconds or so, which is an interesting take and makes me glad there's more of that new sound involved. But once again, the standard but impressive death metal sound overtakes the balance.  I mean, they're playing some excellent riffs that make me wanna rip my shirt off and fly into the sun with a bottle of whiskey, but shouldn't they take the time to really expand on the new tricks?  Part 2 goes right into the prog rock, pulled right out of the 70's British scene with surprisingly authentic melodies that blend with the death sound on occasion.  It even has vocals that sound way too much like Roger Waters.  But if they could do that all along, then they SHOULD'VE used them a little more in previous tracks to expand on the various tricks they were trying to play.  Still, this one revived both the Pink Floyd prog and the more conventional kind of prog in one go while maintaining the atmospheric strengths of previous Blood Incantation albums.

And then... Part 3 took me by 100% surprise by introducing itself with a power metal riff of all things.  It has a tendency to switch things around though, as, once again, the power metal was not lived up to.  But it DID do an excellent job of maintaining many of the past sounds and tricks at a reasonable balance beyond that while delivering on of their best epics since Vitrification.  This one is easily the most epic-feeling song on the album, recalling the whole spirit of the band and its improved sense of effects and reverberations, as well as Faulk's wonderful drumming.  This song is also an excellent example of how our two guitarists have impeccable synchronization.  All is a relatively perfect harmony until in fades into aquatic sound effects, bringing our epic to a close.

This also closes my epic adventure in the Blood Incantation catalog.  What with this genre-tagging including space rock and Berlin school, I was stunned that a death metal album was finally attempting these things.  It's been 30 years since Emperor put synths in black metal, so an album like this is way late.  However, was it perfect?  While I admire a band for trying to reinvent the genre, there were some areas where the unique tricks and extra genre choices needed a little more balance.  If they fix that on the next album, you may end up having the greatest death metal album in the world.

97

148
Daniel

Another climatic story-ending melodeath epic:


249
Vinny

"Heartwork" has overtaken "Symphonies of Sickness" for my second favourite Carcass album in recent years to be honest. I saw them on the tour for it & they absolutely slayed which took some of the pain of missing the support slot away temporarily.

4/5

2
Daniel



Deicide - "Trifixion" (from "Legion", 1992)


Quoted Karl

This got me pining for the album so blasting Legion right now.

182
Daniel

Brutal Truth - "Need to Control" (1994) (

I picked up the 1992 "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" debut album from this popular New York deathgrind outfit upon release & really got into its superbly brutal & relentlessly savage attack on the senses so when I heard that Brutal Truth had released a follow-up I was straight down to the local record store to pick myself up a copy. "Need to Control" saw the four-piece act changing the ratio of death metal to grindcore a little bit with the death metal backed off a touch & the grindcore playing a stronger role. There's also a little more experimentation & variation than we heard on the debut with the slower, sludgier material being the strongest inclusions on the album. Guitarist Brent McCarty & bassist Dan Lilker (Anthrax/Exit-13/Holy Moses/Nuclear Assault/S.O.D./The Ravenous/Venomous Concept) combine beautifully with the riffs sounding tight & thick, buoyed by a very strong production job from Colin Richardson. The contribution of front man Kevin Sharp (Lock Up/Venomous Concept/Damaged/Winter) is outstanding too, particularly his more gutteral death metal moments. Incredible fast drummer Scott Lewis (Exit-13/Winter) had left the band after Brutal Truth's first record due to a reluctance to tour &, while his replacement Richard Hoak does an excellent job with the more hardcore based beats, his ability to play blast beats is extremely poor with each blast section sounding like a typewriter being thrown down a hill & it's this flaw that limits the success of "Need to Control" more than any other. He simply can't keep his kick drum in time with his arms which is further highlighted by the clickiness of the drum sound! Still... the consistency of the material is very good with no weak tracks included. Perhaps there aren't as many obvious classics as there were on "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" & I have to admit that the stronger death metal component of their first outing was always gonna be a little more appealing to me personally but I don't think that "Need to Control" is all that far behind its elder sibling these days, perhaps due to my having developed a much stronger taste for hardcore over the many years since. Both records should be essential listening for fans of the deathgrind hybrid & are all that needs exploring as far as Brutal Truth's back catalogue goes.

For fans of Napalm Death, Terrorizer & Pig Destroyer.

4/5


Here's my updated Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list:


01. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

02. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

03. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

04. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

05. Brutal Truth - "Need to Control" (1994)

06. Exhumed - "Dissecting the Caseated Omentum" demo (1992)

07. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

08. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

09. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

10. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)


https://metal.academy/lists/single/223

24
Karl

How's it going, fellas, as it is my turn to nominate the featured release for The Horde, I've decided to select the 1993 E.P. from Colombian death metallers Masacre, "Barbarie y sangre en memoria de Cristo". Lately, I've been spending a shit-ton of time with the Medellin legends' discography to cure myself of the burnout I've experienced after spending a big chunk of 2024 challenging myself to explore mostly new music (something very out of character for me). 'Twas a nice challenge and I cannot say I haven't found some gems along the way, but on the risk of weakening the fire of my metal passion I had to retreat to the comforting sounds of my beloved late 80's-early noughties era, although one thing that stood out to me while digging through the '24 stuff was the relative strength of the Latin American releases, which made me hungry to explore more of the earlier music from the continent.

I've selected this particular E.P. as I think it's a great entry point into the Colombians' catalogue, striking a nice balance between the untamed rawness of their 1991 debut LP, "Requiem" (my absolute favourite from them), and the more polished death metal sound of 1996's "Sacro". If you are interested, I recommend you seek out one of the re-release versions containing bonus live tracks - the sound quality is surprisingly good, and it's an opportunity to experience even more of Alex "Trapeator" Oquendo's absolutely demonic vocals, which are a big highlight for me personally. Let me know what you think & happy listening!

https://metal.academy/releases/11981


0
Daniel

Amorphis - "Black Winter Day" E.P. (1994)

A four-song E.P. that was released four months after the Fins' highly celebrated 1994 sophomore album "Tales from the Thousand Lakes" & was clearly taken from the same sessions. The title track was one of the highlights from the album & is the clear standout here two with the other three previously unreleased pieces all playing more of a supporting role. I quite like the short "Folk of the North" as well as the doomy "Moon & Sun". Closer "Moon & Sun Part II: North's Son" doesn't do a lot for me though as it errs a little too far over towards the melodic side of Amorphis' sound. There's a fair bit of doom/death here as was the case with a lot of their early material & it's those parts that make for the more compelling material. If you're into the full-length then you'll probably want to give this release a couple of listens too as they kinda go hand in hand.

For fans of Barren Earth, Paradise Lost & Sentenced.

3.5/5

22
Sonny

My review is short and sweet, like the EP itself (well, maybe not so sweet!):

Morbid were a death/thrash/black metal band from Sweden who never had an official release before splitting in 1988, a couple of it's members going on to form Entombed (guitarist Ulf Cederlund and drummer Lars-Göran Petrov who was vocalist for Entombed). This demo is (in)famous for featuring legendary Mayhem vocalist Dead and features four tracks with a runtime of 17 minutes. I have loved this from the very first time I heard it, so much so that I managed to get a copy of the Reaper Records 2000 version a couple of years ago that set me back a ridiculous amount, but I felt it was worth it. It's death metal is very thrashy in execution and, mainly because of Dead's contribution, has quite a black metal sound, at least vocally. The production is very good for a demo, there is a hefty bottom end to it that contributes to the deathliness of the riffs and the playing itself is very good indeed with the band sounding like an inordinately tight outfit for a bunch of guys who had only been together a couple of years and had never put out a studio album. The songs are brilliant and easily rival the early stuff from the German thrashers on whom a lot of their material seems to be based. Similarly to the Poison demo this is probably more important to the black metal historian than the death metal antiquarian but either way it is a fantastic snapshot of a band who I wish could have produced more because if they were this good on a demo then we can only guess how fucking great they could have been had they put out a proper album or two.

1
Daniel

Phlebotomized - "Immense Intense Suspense" (1994)

I picked this unusual Dutch debut full-length up through the tape trading scene after hearing the outstanding album highlight "Dubbed Forswearer" on a compilation record back in the mid-1990's & found it to be pretty decent. Phlebotomized were a seven-piece band that championed a symphonic death metal sound complete with full-time keyboardist & violinist. They sound very much like a more up-tempo version of My Dying Bride here so I'd imagine that the Englishmen were a major influence. The production isn't amazing & neither is the majority of the song-writing but Phlebotomized have enough about them to keep me well & truly interested. Ben fucking loves this release so perhaps they'll offer more appeal to some of our more open-minded members of The Horde. Boy, that cover art is crap though, isn't it?

For fans of My Dying Bride, Pan.Thy.Monium & Disharmonic Orchestra.

3.5/5

6
Daniel

I think I have enough experience with grind to publish a top ten list, even though it may be a bit basic with a few obvious selections. So here we go then:

1. Terrorizer - "World Downfall" (1989)

2. Carcass - "Symphonies of Sickness" (1989)

3. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

4. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered EP" (1989)

5. Napalm Death - "Enemy of the Music Business" (2000)

6. Repulsion - "Horrified" (1989)

7. Nails - "Abandon All Life" (2013)

8. Insect Warfare - "World Extermination" (2007)

9. Death Toll 80k - "Harsh Realities" (2011)

10. Nasum - "Inhale / Exhale" (1998)


28
Daniel

Sarmat - "Upgrade" E.P. [New York avant-garde/technical death metal]

120
Sonny

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi

If you happen to check it out, then let me know what you think below.


1. Just Before Dawn - "Intro: Paths of Armor / To the Last Tiger" (from "An Army at Dawn", 2020) [submitted by Karl]

2. Blood Red Throne - "Revocation of Humankind" (from "Union of Flesh and Machine", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]

3. Unmerciful - "Ravenous Impulse" (from "Ravenous Impulse", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Pyre - "From the Stygian Depths" (from "Where Obscurity Sways", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

5. Phrenelith - "Stagnated Blood" (from "Ashen Womb", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

6. Darkthrone - "The Watchtower" (from "Soulside Journey", 1989) [submitted by Sonny]

7. Threnody - "The Elder" (from "As the Heavens Fall", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

8. Analepsy - "Witness of Extinction" (from "Atrocities from Beyond", 2017) [submitted by Vinny]

9. Excruciating Terror - "Don't Care Who You Are" (from "Divided We Fall", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]

10. Nuclear Death - "Place of Skulls" (from "Bride of Insect", 1990)

11. Stenched - "Mucus, Phlegm and Bile" (from "Purulence Gushing From the Coffin", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

12. Garden of Shadows - "Citadel of Dreams" (from "Oracle Moon", 2000)

13. Shadowspawn - "Sacrament of Deceit" (from "Blasphemica", 2023) [submitted by Vinny]

14. Necrophagist - "To Breathe in a Casket" (from "Onset of Putrefaction", 2004)

15. Desecresy - "Shattered Monuments" (from "Chasmic Transcendence", 2014) [submitted by Karl]

16. Gatecreeper - "Patriarchal Grip" (from "Sonoran Depravation", 2016) [submitted by Vinny]

17. Noxis - "Horns Echo Over Chorazim" (from "Violence Inherent in the System", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

18. Tormentor Tyrant - "Heavy Death Bombardment" (from "Excessive Escalation of Cruelty", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

19. Deteriorot - "Endless Hauntings of Demons and Despair" (from "In Ancient Beliefs", 2001) [submitted by Karl]

20. Upon Stone - To Seek and Follow the Call of Lions (from "Dead Mother Moon", 2024) [submitted by Saxy S]

21. Death Toll 80k - "Cycle of Misery" (from "Harsh Realities", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]

22. Nails - "Obscene Humanity" (from "Unsilent Death", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

23. Putridity - "Repugnance Enshrined in Deformity" (from "Ignominious Atonement". 2015)

24. Waking the Cadaver - "Blood Splattered Satisfaction" (from "Peverse Recollections of a Necromangler", 2007) [submitted by Vinny]

25. Putred - "Inscripții antice" (from "Megalit al putrefacției", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

26. Obscura - "Silver Linings" (from "A Sonification", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

27. Iniquitous Deeds - "Infinitive Putrefaction" (from "Incessant Hallucinations", 2015)

28. Twilight Glimmer - "Fate of Mankind" (from "Indignation", 2013) [submitted by Vinny]

29. Infernal Conjuration - "In the Presence of Another World" (from "Infernale metallum mortis", 2019) [submitted by Karl]

30. Sepsism - "Dissection" (from "Purulent Decomposition", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]

31. Engulfed - "Occult Incantations" (from "Unearthly Litanies of Despair", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

0
Karl

Collating the five Death studio albums lists gives us a Metal Academy ranking of their discography that looks like:

1. Human - 28pts

2. Symbolic - 27

3. Leprosy - 20

4. Individual Thought Patterns - 18

5. The Sound of Perseverance - 17

6. Spiritual Healing - 14

7. Scream Bloody Gore - 13

6
Vinny

Here is my review:

This is the debut album from Cleveland's Noxis and is an album of quite brutal and occasionally technical death metal. I love the guitar tone, it sounding thick and meaty with a marked weight to it. The production pushes the bass to the fore quite often, deliberately I am guessing because the basslines provide a point of emphasis in a number of places, especially early on. The playing is very tight, with an impressive crispness and precision as all three of the instrumentalists are in lockstep and never seem to lose a beat nor drop a note. And therein lies a bit of the downside for me. I am not advocating sloppy playing or messy production as such, but it is no secret that I am an old-school fanatic and I often find death metal that is very tight and precise comes off as a bit sterile to my ears. Noxis do counter that to some extent by veering towards a visceral brutality, which I often find to be a mitigating factor that can balance out overt technicality, at least to a degree. The vocals are, in the main, an aggressive and bullish, bellowing roar, which I like, but they do occasionally drop into "stuck-pig" mode, on second track "Blasphemous Mausoleum for the Wicked" for example, which is a style that is a particular bugbear of mine.

So there are a number of factors that work against Noxis, at least based on my normal taste profile. The technical shifts and flourishes, the very precise nature of the instrumentation and overly crisp production that often leaves me cold and the resorting to a vocal style I am not a fan of all suggest I am in for an unsatisfying experience. Yet, somehow Noxis manage to keep me onboard, probably due the suggestion of brutality they maintain throughout the runtime. This gets me through the early part of the album, which is where I think there is a greater concentration of the problematic elements for me, and sustains me enough to reach the second half which feels less technical and more in-your-face brutal. Then there is the crazy "Horns Echo Over Chorazim" which isn't only one of the most brutal-sounding tracks on the album, but also has a crazy solo section that seems to be performed by a large selection of wind instruments, such as oboe, saxophone and so on, each following the other to perform a single solo. Weird, yet strangely compelling.

The four tracks from "Horns..." onwards are more to my liking than the earlier parts of the album, with less emphasis on the technical aspects making the band sound freer, looser and more relatable for me at least. The title track, which follows "Horns.." is a formidable beast and sees the band hinting at an old-school desire to sound as intimidating as they can. There are still some interesting moments in this latter part of the album, the off-kilter guitar solo and especially prominent basswork in the middle section of "Emanations of the Sick" as well as the previously mentioned wind instrument solo in "Horns..." are inspirational and really stand out during these more brutal tracks, more so than I feel they would in the more overtly technical earlier material.

So, ultimately this was, for me, an album which started off OK without especially wowing me, but which kept me sufficiently engaged to persevere and find the buried gems that are the final four tracks. These are the motherlode of the album as far as I am concerned and would have made a killer EP, but as it is, this is a decent album of pseudo technical and brutal death metal with a killer final 22 minutes.

4/5

2
Sonny

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi?si=2dae8e2f5eab47eb

Tracklist:

1. Burn Down Eden - "Fake News for Breakfast" (from "Epiphany", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

2. Dismember – “Fleshless” (from “Indecent & Obscene”, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]

3. Nile – “The Underworld Awaits Us All” (from “The Underworld Awaits Us All”, 2024)

4. Gorguts – “The Erosion of Sanity” (from “The Erosion of Sanity”, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]

5. Siderean - "The Sacred Sea" (from "Spilling the Astral Chalice", 2024) [submitted by Karl]

6. Bolt Thrower - "Celestial Sanctuary" (from "The IVth Crusade", 1992) [submitted by Karl]

7. Coffin Curse - "Reeking Filth of Ages" (from "The Continuous Nothing", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Dissection - "Retribution" (from "Storm of the Light's Bane", 1995) [submitted by Karl]

9. Revocation - "Lessons in Occult Theft" (from "Netherheaven", 2022) [submitted by Vinny]

10. Blood Incantation - "The Stargate [Tablet III]" (from "Absolute Elsewhere", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

11. Vitriol - "Flowers of Sadism" (from "Suffer & Become", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

12. Diabolic Oath - "Oracular Hexations Leeching" (from "Oracular Hexations", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

13. At the Gates - "Windows" (from "The Red in the Sky Is Ours", 1992) [submitted by Karl]

14. Avulsed – “Morgue Defilement” (from “Dead Flesh” compilation, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]

15. Mortician – “Brutally Mutilated” (from “Brutally Mutilated” single, 1990) [submitted by Daniel]

16. Exhumed – “Oozing Rectal Feast” (from “Dissecting the Caseated Omentum” demo, 1992) [submitted by Daniel]

17. Pathologist – “Progression of Putrefaction” (from “Forensic Medicine & Pathology” demo, 1992) [submitted by Daniel]

18. Eucharist - "Floating" (from "A Velvet Creation", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

19. Black Curse - "Ruinous Paths…" (from "Burning in Celestial Poison", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

20. Atomic Aggressor - "Faceless Torment" (from "Sights of Suffering", 2014) [submitted by Sonny]

21. Slaughter Lord – “Die by Power” (from “Taste of Blood” demo, 1987) [submitted by Daniel]

22. Antagonyze - "Deadly Sorrow" (from "Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness", 2024) [submitted by Karl]

23. The Fallen Prophets - "Beneath the Veil of Flesh" (from "Beneath the Veil of Flesh", 2024) [submitted by Vinny]

24. Illdisposed – “When You Scream” (from “1-800 Vindication”, 2004) [submitted by Daniel]

25. Embalmer – “Rotten Body Fluids” (from “Rotting Remains” demo, 1993) [submitted by Daniel]

26. Invocation - "Hypnosis" (from ""The Archaic Sanctuary" (Ritual Body Postures)", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

The next Horde playlist will be published at the beginning of March, so suggestions by 15th February please.

0
Shadowdoom9 (Andi)

Fantastic choice, Daniel! The power metal-ish melodeath of Skyfire is a grand treat for any fan of Children of Bodom, Norther, and early Eternal Tears of Sorrow.

2
Daniel

Daniel, you must check out Mexico's Stenched and their "Purulence Gushing From the Coffin" album before the closing date. I came upon it by accident and it is utterly filthy and rotten sounding OSDM that has got me proper fired up. Fuck all this fancy bollocks, this is the shit.

14
ZeroSymbolic7188

NOTE: AFTER SOME THOUGHT I REWROTE THE FORMAT FOR THESE THREADS, PLEASE REVIEW THE OP AS THINGS WORK A LITTLE DIFERENT NOW. HOPEFULLY IN A WAY THAT IS MORE FUN.

10
Daniel

Just updated my Top Ten Dissonant Death Metal Releases of All Time list after reviewing Ulcerate's "Cutting the Throat of God" album last week & found that it's still heavily weighted towards the two clear subgenre leaders:


01. Ulcerate - "Stare Into Death & Be Still" (2020)

02. Ulcerate - "Cutting the Throat of God" (2024)

03. Gorguts - "Colored Sands" (2013)

04. Ulcerate - "Everything Is Fire" (2009)

05. Ad Nauseam - "Imperative Imperceptible Impulse" (2021)

06. Gorguts - "From Wisdom to Hate" (2001)

07. Ulcerate - "The Destroyers of All" (2011)

08. Ulcerate - "Vermis" (2013)

09. Gorguts - "Obscura" (1998)

10. Ulcerate - "Shrines of Paralysis" (2016)


https://metal.academy/lists/single/181

12
Karl

I am on around my seventh or eighth listen through of Matter of a Darker Nature as I write this review. With Turkish death metal being somewhat of an unexplored geography for me it has been surprising to see such a healthy influence from Suffocation, even though they are the band with probably the most copied style in all of death metal (well Incantation aside maybe). As I have sat with this album over the past couple of weeks, I have swung between being in awe of the technical mastery that unites effortlessly with the more brutal elements of the sound and wondering if this is just outright Suffocation worship or even plagiarism. If I am honest, I think both reactions have a degree of validity to them. However, whilst this style of death metal is well-known to be plagiarised for years, it does still require a level of technical ability to execute this well.

Wherever your standpoint is, Carnophage certainly have the years of playing under their belts to have honed their art form. Playing as one of the key acts in the Turkish Death Metal movement (TRDM – founded by Cenotaph’s Batu Çetin) for nearly twenty years clearly, they are more than just a Suffocation tribute act. The sound on their third album is monstrous to say the least. From the very start there is a suffocating (pun intended) element to the weight of the riffs and when combined with that stabbing urgency that features through the album, it all soon comes together to suggest a group of musicians who are of a significant level of repute. Onur Özçelik on the drums is unbelievable at times. The successes of Matter of a Darker Nature would be much reduced without his presence I sense.

However, as a band, they sound like a tight unit overall. Pace changes seem to be done as shifts as opposed to jarring hairpin turns. Even in the more frenetic moments everyone seems to be in line with everyone else. No one instrument or performance dominates proceedings yet at the same time all the component parts can establish themselves notably. They remind me of Blood Red Throne in places whilst also echoing elements of Defeated Sanity also.

What places the cherry on the cake for the record is the measured songwriting that leads to a succinct run time of just over thirty-two minutes. This makes for a real palatable experience for me since my experience of some technical brutal death metal albums is that they are either quite lengthy or all tracks fall into a three-minute maximum time limit and are over before I can blink. With only one song kissing the five-minute mark, it appears that Carnophage know how to showcase their skills without overstaying their welcome or falling into formulaic territory.

4/5

3
Ben

So with the start of a new year it's once again time to have a look at the covers for all the releases for each clan. I personally like to rate a whole stack of covers all at once, rather than doing them one at a time throughout the year, as it allows me to get a better feel for where each cover sits in comparison to others. With that in mind, I've just rated every cover for releases in The Horde for 2024.

Below are some of the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2024 The Horde Cover of the Year Award. The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

The following link will take you to the Gallery, displaying the top Horde releases that you have not rated yet: CLICK HERE