The Horde

Hi Ben, could you add the new Atomic Aggressor album, "The Occult Forces", please.

August 2026

1. Avulsed - "Abduction of Limbs" (from "Abduction of Limbs" [single], 2026)

2. Unleashed - "To Asgaard We Fly" (from "Across the Open Sea", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

3. Slaughterday - "Astral Carnage" (from "Dread Emperor", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Imperator - "Necronomicon" (from "The Time Before Time", 1991) [submitted by Sonny]

5. Fall of the Leafe - "Starfire" (from "Evanescent Everfading", 1998) [submitted by Karl]

6. Nile - "Annihilation of the Wicked" (from "Annihilation of the Wicked", 2005) [submitted by Vinny]

7. Rotten Sound - "Sell Your Soul" (from "Exit", 2005) [submitted by Sonny]

8. Ablation - "Lethal Abuse" (from "Lethal Abuse", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]

9. Aurora Borealis - "Millisecond Pulsar" (from "Disillusioned by the Illusion", 2026) [submitted by Karl]

10. Sadism - "Perdition of Souls" (from "Perdition of Souls Demo", 1989) [submitted by Sonny]

11. Devourment - "Mortiferous Dependency" (from "Pious Impiety", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]

12. Loudblast - "Turn the Scales" (from "Sublime Dementia", 1993) [submitted by Karl]

13. Ceremony of Silence - "Serpent Slayer" (from "Hálios", 2024) [submitted by Sonny]

14. Rotten Tomb - "Condemned Reality" (from "Vestiges of Tortured Souls", 2026) [submitted by Karl]

15. Desecresy - "Summoned with Necrolunar Telepathy" (from "The Secret of Death", 2026) [submitted by Karl]

16. Sanguisugabogg - "Rotted Entanglement" (from "Hideous Aftermath", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

17. Nuclear Death - "Cremation" (from "Bride of Insect", 1990) [submitted by Sonny]

18. Atrocity - "Life Is a Long and Silent River" (from "Hallucinations", 1990) [submitted by Sonny]

19. Massacre - "Chamber of Ages" (from "From Beyond", 1991) [submitted by Karl]

20. ZOMBIESHARK! - "H3LLW0RLD_" (from "I Will Destroy You, Myself, and Everything I've Ever Loved.", 2020)

21. Six Feet Under - "Destroyed Remains" (from "Next to Die", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]

22. Putred - "Întâlnirea mortală" (from "Blestemul din adânc", 2026) [submitted by Karl]

23. Suffering Hour - "Inexorable Downfall" (from "Impelling Rebirth EP", 2025) [submitted by Sonny]

24. Allegaeon - "Of Beasts and Worms" (from "Damnum", 2022) [submitted by Vinny]

25. Effluence - "Putrefactive Symbiosis" (from "Psychocephalic Spawning", 2021)

26. Fleshcrawl - "Blood Dominion" (from "Epitome of Carnage", 2026) [submitted by Karl]

27. Desecrator - "Subconscious Release" (from "Subconscious Release", 1991) [submitted by Sonny]

In Flames - "Subterranean" E.P. (1995)

This five-track E.P. is generally considered to be one of the stronger of the Gothenburg melodic death metal releases to the time but, as you can see from my score, I've never managed to be convinced that it's worthy of all the praise. In Flames' sophisticated brand of melodeath has simply never appealed to me much & it wasn't until 2006's "Come Clarity" that I've found one of their records to offer me much enjoyment. I will admit that I think "Subterranean" is probably the best from the band's classic era but it still fails to scratch my musical itch enough to see me awarding it a respectable score. The production & performances are very good but my issues are more from a stylistic point of view & I would much rather enjoy records like At The Gates' "Slaughter of the Soul" & "Terminal Spirit Disease" or Dark Tranquillity's "The Gallery" from around the same time.

For fans of Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates & Soilwork.

3/5

For October:

Dissentient - Black Galactic (from Black Galactic 2026)

I will probably need a prog death track to help cover the bases, so I am happy to accept this suggestion. Thanks, Saxy.

No more suggestions from non-clan members, though, please.

Blackened death metal from me this month for my feature release nomination for The Horde clan.  Portugal's The Ominous Circle live up to their band name on this, their sophomore release from last year.  Not as straightforward as the blackened death metal tag I opened this post with may suggest, there's a cacophony of influences going on here ranging from Dead Congregation through to (early) Gaerea, even stretching to the more experimental style of Portal.

As ever, feel free to comment below or write a review as desired.

https://metal.academy/releases/65205

A really nice-looking vinyl boxset of all the Bolt Thrower albums from Realm of Chaos onwards (7 albums) is due out in October. Hmm... I may be tempted!

Update: Sold out already, dammit.

I first took notice of Suffering Hour with their 2021 album, "The Cyclic Reckoning", which I found interesting for its incorporation of influences from Eighties' gothic rock into its blackened death maelstrom. This EP is a different beast however, the gothic element to the guitar sound has been completely stripped away and replaced with dissonant guitar leads and the tempos have been ramped up, resulting in a more immediately visceral and in-your-face experience. The production here is somewhat thicker and muddier than previously and when coupled with such frantic and hectic material it kind of feels to me like Gorguts playing War Metal. I have only recently really been converted to the charms of disso-death (mainly thanks to Ulcerate) and the version of that employed here by Suffering Hour works really well with the rampant black metal blasting. The opening title track is probably the most accessible track on the EP and does still exhibit a little bit of the gothic feel of earlier material, but after that it is pretty much a relentless maelstrom with the sub-two minute "Anamnesis" that follows "Impelling Rebirth" leading the charge. At less than fifteen minutes total runtime, none of the five tracks on offer here are likely to become boring, but that is even less likely when you hear how much is going on within such short compositions.

At my advancing age, I generally prefer to stick to stuff I suspect I will enjoy, but I am glad I have persisted with delving into more dissonant styles because sometimes a record like this comes along and revitalises my jaded perceptions with a good old-fashioned (metaphorical) slap in the face.

4/5

As an aside, I have messaged Ben about this so hopefully he will rectify it, but this isn't actually in The Horde, even though it has a death metal primary tag, hence the reason I chose it for a Horde feature. I am guessing this is just a bug or oversight of some kind.

Anatomy - "Arrogance Within Humanity" E.P. (1992)

This three-track 7" single originally appeared on the 1992 "For Those Whose Eyes Are Black" demo tape & it sounds like it too. That's not to say that it's a bad listen though as this five-piece Aussie death metal outfit had a good energy about them, even at this early stage, if not the black metal component that would define their signature sound later in the decade. Vocalist Jason Martin sounds very much like an angry Glen Benton & is the main focal point while the instrumentation is made up of some fairly straight-forward death metal riffs that generally tend to get my head nodding, if not necessarily banging. This is an underrated release from the Australian underground extreme metal scene in my opinion & Anatomy would go on to become a reasonably important player. I wouldn't say that this is their best release by any stretch though.

For fans of Deicide, Martire & Abramelin.

3.5/5

Immolation - "Descent" (2026)

Since I found my way to the Horde and I finally got to grips with death metal, Immolation have been a band that stood out to me as being something a bit special. Not special in an innovative, envelope-pushing way, but in a truly-getting-it, well-oiled machine kind of way. Their songwriting chops are unbelievably good and although they don't strive to break new ground, they always manage to make their tracks interesting and vital and seem to unerringly hit the spot with me. It often feels like they tap into an earthiness that feels redolent with the iron scent of spilled battlefield blood and which has the ability to make this old man feel properly alive and alert to the endless incoming of lethal death metal riffs and the hot shrapnel of searing solos. They are also incredibly consistent and while some of their releases may be genuine standouts, I haven't yet heard an Immolation album I didn't enjoy. The last couple, "Atonement" and "Acts of God" were really solid efforts that once more gave me enough of a fix to carry me through until the next one came out, but in "Descent" I think they may have turned in their best work for quite some time, an album able to sit comfortably beside "Close to a World Below" or "Unholy Cult".

The production is crisp and clear and allows the band to showcase how tight they are, allowing perfect expression of the brutality of the riffs and rhythm section. The drums in particular seem really well recorded, the kicks, snares, toms and cymbals all perfectly distinguishable and seeming to come at the listener from all angles, surrounding them in a percussive straightjacket that holds them in place while the riffs pummel the shit out of them. I love filthy-sounding, abyssal, old-school shit above almost all other styles of death metal, but Immolation achieve a similar effect on me with a clarity and precision normally employed by more technically-focussed acts that speaks volumes for their ability to generate a brutally evil atmosphere by sheer skill, not having to turn to production tricks to achieve it or to hide technical deficits.

So, a question I am sure many will ask is "do Immolation do anything new on "Descent"?" Well, no, but what they do do they do better than virtually anybody else, so does that mean you should listen to this? Abso-fuckin'-lutely it does. Is it better than their first five albums? No, not really, but if they aren't to hand or you now know them so well you can replay them in your sleep, then "Descent" will give you a fresh take on an old friend and should satisfy your craving for quality no-frills death metal.

4.5/5 [90/100]

I know how much praise Altars of Madness has gotten all over the metal realms, but I'd pick Consuming Impulse any day. Not only is it one of the few standard death metal albums that I absolutely love, but it would also lead to Pestilence's more technical/progressive material from their next album Testimony of the Ancients onwards.

Altars Of Madness 4 - Consuming Impulse 1

Checking this out as I type this and yes, I definitely get the comparisons with Neuropath. I am really digging what I hear and I think the earlier brutal death metal scene is something I am going to have to dig into deeper as it is an area of death metal I haven't covered so much. I often feel I have got so much catching up to do when it comes to death metal!

Hope never to hear again in my life:

ZOMBIESHARK!

Exactly the reaction I was hoping for!!

It is terrible isn't it, but I have to cover the whole range of Horde sub-genres and cyber metal hasn't had much representation during my tenure as playlist compiler, so I felt obliged to include a track. It'll probably be a little while before any features again, I am sure you will be glad to hear Vinny.

Yet another early band for me, one that I.wish lasted longer.  Most of what they got is decent or OK, but that album.boasted something that could e evolved into a formidable force.

From the time I first heard 1995's "Gradually Melted" E.P. back in the underground tape trading scene of the mid-1990's, Californian brutal metallers Deeds of Flesh became a regular contributor to my more extreme musical moments. They joined an elite collection of bands who were shaping my musical taste & directing my own creative endeavours as their sound seemed to indicate a close artistic affiliation with my own. A couple of solid full-length albums later, I would drift away from the metal scene for around a decade, only returning to it with any level of commitment in 2009 when I would very quickly attempt to make up for lost ground. In order to find my feet, I wasted no time in catching up with the five subsequent albums that Deeds of Flesh had released during my defection with this third record "Path of the Weakening" being the most well-known of them. That experience would see me returning to the album semi-regularly over the years as it's never failed to deliver in terms of tight, relentless brutal death metal, a style that perhaps speaks to me more than it does to the majority of extreme metalheads out there.

Deeds of Flesh had been a band for around six years by the time "Path of the Weakening" hit the shelves, having been put together by guitarist/vocalist Erik Lindmark (Disgorge), bassist Jacoby Kingston & drummer Joey Heaslet back in 1993. Heaslet had taken some time out after 1996's "Trading Pieces" debut album, only to return again & replace Brad Palmer (Scythe) who had only contributed to the one full-length release in 1998's "Inbreeding the Anthropophagi". "Path of the Weakening" also saw Deeds of Flesh bolstering their sonic arsenal with a second guitarist in Jim Tkacz who had formerly been a member of fellow Californian brutal death metallers Vile, giving Deeds of Flesh a four-piece lineup for the first time. The results are very impressive too with the group pulling off a precision display full of tightly-executed death metal riffage, complete with techy rhythmic ideas & a plethora of high-quality palm-muted, tremolo-picked riffs. The album would be self-produced so it's not terribly glossy with the guitar tone perhaps lacking a touch of brightness but there's no doubt that it suited the bands image & concept at the time which was important given that "Path of the Weakening" would be the first release for Deeds of Flesh's own record label Unique Leader records.

The tracklisting on "Path of the Weakening" is seriously consistent with the boys generally sticking to a fairly limited formula. It certainly works though as I don't find myself waiting around for more restrained tempos until they drop the only slower tune right at the end in closer "A Violent God". Opener "Indigenous to the Appalling (Mutinous Human)" is an absolutely fantastic example of the BDM genre & is arguably Deeds of Flesh's signature tune to this day. I don't think that any of the other eight songs included ever get close to reaching those lofty heights again but they also never hint at dropping below a very solid degree of quality either so I never feel my interest waning. There are no wanky guitar solos or generic slam sections to be found here as Deeds of Flesh clearly possess a deep understanding of what it is that they're trying to achieve. Heaslet's drumming can be a little repetitive but his execution is really strong so it's hard to be too critical while Lindmark's dark death growl is unanimously effective in taking the listener to the darker end of the metal spectrum.

Ultimately, Deeds of Flesh have produced the sort of death metal that I find myself craving most on this record & have done a great job at it too. Perhaps the riffs aren't consistently catchy or unique enough to see me ever being tempted to claim "Path of the Weakening" as a classic release but I'm never left wanting either. A bit more variety of tempo would perhaps have added another dimension to the album but it's hard to complain about a release that so clearly & emphatically champions the same cause that I myself once promoted myself.

For fans of Defeated Sanity, Suffocation & Disgorge.

4/5

I hadn't heard of these Germans before seeing this nominated as a monthly feature, so went into it completely blind. A bit of background digging reveals that Slaughterday were formed in 2010 and for most of their career to date they operated as a duo with Jens Finger taking care of the six- and four-strings and Bernd Reiners the drums and vocals with a huge cast of supporting drummers, bassists and guitarists helping them out with their live shows. However, for this their fifth full-length, they have inducted reinforcements into their ranks and have expanded the band into a five-piece with Christian Wiesener taking over bass duties, André Janssen drums and Tobias Koops boosting the six-string attack as second guitarist.

So what do we have here? Well, this is pretty much meat and potatoes old-school death metal with obvious influence from usual suspects such as Autopsy, Bolt Thrower and Vader and I say that with no hint of sniffiness because that is exactly the kind of death metal that floats my particular boat. Sure, the more demanding death metal listener will likely feel unfulfilled by the lack of ambition displayed on "Dread Emperor", but I don't imagine that upsetting the Slaughterday guys that much. The performances are very solid indeed, the band obviously know their way around their instruments and have an excellent grasp of what OSDM is about. After a portentious instrumental intro track the band charge out of the blocks with opener proper, "Obliteration Crusade", and proceed to attempt to rip your face off with sheer riff power. Throughout this and the subsequent eight tracks they deploy a withering arsenal of riffs in order to batter down any resistance to their undemanding, but energetic, old-school blitzkrieg. Reiners' vocals are rough, gruff, roaring bellows and are plenty powerful while the rhythm section drive in the rhythmic piles upon which the individual tracks are built in an unshowy wholly dependable way. There is a significant amount of soloing present on "Dread Emperor" and it is with this that I have reservations. The thing is that the solos are actually quite melodic, even to the point of sounding like Maiden or Priest solos at times and I am not completely convinced that they suit the violence of the riffs and vocals, consequenly making the album as a whole sound a lot less aggressive and menacing than it should. I would have preferred more Kerry King and less KK Downing. I have been a big defender of James Murphy's contribution to Death's "Spiritual Healing" where a similar argument can and does get used, so this may be a bit of a hypocritical stance, but I think Murphy's skill was to enhance the more brutal aspects of "Spiritual Healing", where I find the melodicism of the solos here distracting.

Still, that aside, I love the riffs which still manage to give me that warm, fuzzy, OSDM buzz that I can just never get enough of so, derivative and unambitious it may well be and, in truth, I am unlikely to be running out to score a copy any time soon, but I actually quite enjoyed it and that is good enough for me. That cover is pretty badass too. I have been playing the Elder Scrolls Oblivion remake on PS recently and the creature on the cover is exactly like one of Oblivion's Nether Liches, tough bastards that they are!

4/5 [79/100]

I do love me some grind and this is lofty praise indeed Daniel, so this is definitely going to have to go onto my "to listen to" list.  In fact there are a few there on your Top 10 list that I haven't heard, so probably need to check out.

Here is my new, expanded review:

The Immortal Bird that recorded this 2015 album is very different from the three-piece that exists to this day with only vocalist Rae Amitay remaining. Drummer Gary Naples and guitarist Evan Anderson Berry left not long after "Empress/Abscess" hit the shelves, being replaced by Matt Korajczyk and Nate Madden respectively. Bassist John Picillo left in 2019 and hasn't been replaced with Madden doubling up on both four- and six-string guitars. It is good then that Rae Amity has remained as the only constant factor in the band because there is a rounded depth to her ravaged, bellowing shrieks that would be quite difficult for any other singer to replicate. She has a line in controlled fury that is distinctive and powerful and which would put the ineffectual bellowings of many metal tough guys to shame.

Immortal Bird play an amalgam of black and death metal that sounds immediate and confrontational with a suggestion of crusty sludginess that gives the material a further coating of grimy filthiness along with a twist of dissonance for added discomfort. With the five tracks on "Empress/Abscess" only nudging a hair's breadth over thirty minutes there is never any danger of attention wander, although the more timid listener may want to flee and lock themselves in the bathroom. Comfort is not something that Immortal Bird are interested in dishing up, they have a jagged and angular approach to songwriting that will keep you on you toes and which, with other bands, I often struggle. However just when it feels like the band are pushing you to the edge they have an uncanny ability to suddenly drop into a killer riff and sweep you away on a tide of moshpit fury. I get the feeling that the convulsive nature of the songwriting isn't to appear intellectually sophisticated or technically smug, which I feel is the case with some of the acts who write this way, but it is done with the aim of unsettling and disorienting the listener so that when they drop one of those killer riffs it hits all the harder.

So, overall, with a sometimes challenging but always interesting songwriting style, some genuinely exhliharating riffs and one of, if not the, finest female vocalists in all of metal there is plenty here on this short album to keep drawing me back to it time and again. Immortal Bird are one of those bands that I genuinely cannot fathom why they aren't bigger than they are.

4.5/5

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

1. Deteriorot - "The Bataan Death March" (single, 2026) [submitted by Karl]

2. Immolation - "Attrition" (from "Descent", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]

3. Monstrosity - "Veil of Disillusionment" ( from "Screams from Beneath the Surface", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Brodequin - "Theresiana" (from "Harbinger of Woe", 2024)

5. Cephalic Carnage - "The Isle of California" (from "Lucid Interval", 2002) [submitted by Sonny]

6. Oppressor - "Genocide" (from "Solstice of Oppression", 1994) [submitted by Karl]

7. Blood Incantation - "Slave Species of the Gods" (from "Hidden History of the Human Race", 2019) [submitted by Vinny]

8. Epitaph - "Engraving the Epitaph" (from "Seeming Salvation", 1992) [submitted by Karl]

9. Intestine Baalism - "Banquet in the Darkness" (from "Banquet in the Darkness", 2003)

10. Gibbeting - "The Cursed Fortress" (from "Execution Rampage", 2026) [submitted by Karl]

11. Discordance Axis - "Radiant Arkham" (from "The Inalienable Dreamless", 2000)

12.Foetorem - "Oozing with Pustulent Fluids" (from "Incongruous Forms of Everlasting Rot", 2026) [submitted by Vinny]

13. Deathwards - "In Death I Become" (from "Towards Death", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]

14. Casket Grinder - "Celestial Devourment" (from "Trip to Oblivion", 2016) [submitted by Karl]

15. Drumcorps - "Cut & Grow" (from "Creatures", 2022)

16. Decapitated - "Mother War" (from "Nihility", 2002) [submitted by Vinny]

17. Wailing - "Crushed by Eons of Inequity" (from "Oracles of Devastation", 2026) [submitted by Karl]

18. Vacuous Depths - "Worshippers of Death" (from "Humiliation", 2022) [submitted by Vinny]

19. Malthusian - "Telluric Tongues (Roaring Into the Earth)" (from "Across Deaths", 2018)

20. Goemagot - "The Ethics of Omnipotence" (from "Eradication of Insignificant Beings", 2013)

21. Fluids - "Humanity Reviled" (from "Not Dark Yet", 2021) [submitted by Vinny]

22. Misery Index - "Plague of Objects" (from "Heirs to Thievery", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

23. Vital Remains - "Dawn of the Apocalypse" (from "Dawn of the Apocalypse", 2000) [submitted by Karl]

24. Gates of Ishtar - "Where the Winds of Darkness Blow" (from "A Bloodred Path", 1996)

25. War Därmen - "Sector Alpha" (from "Colonization", 2022) [submitted by Karl]

26. Frozen Soul - "Wraith of Death" (from "Crypt of Ice", 2021) [submitted by Vinny]

27. Eye Eater - "Other Planets" (from "Alienate", 2024)

Hate Eternal are another of those bands whose name I have seen all over the place, but which I have never knowingly listened to. Basically "I, Monarch" is pummelling and brutally relentless 2000s death metal - and that is it really. It is unremittingly aggressive and possesses a certain degree of tech-death influence on the songwriting. They don't do anything new with that formula, but what they do they seemingly do very well. Unfortunately this isn't really the sort of death metal that lights my fire, I much prefer a looser, grimier style and whilst this isn't the most constipated-sounding of the brutal death metal albums I have heard, it leans a bit too much towards the rigid intensity end of the death metal spectrum for me to ever fully embrace it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it as such, in fact there are a couple of real highlights, such as when "To Know Our Enemies" drops into the expansive guitar solo with the didgeridoo playing in the background I think it hits an atmospheric high point. The vocals are great too, Erik Rutan having a suitably brutal-sounding bellow akin to an enraged bull looking to eviscerate a wayward matador. The production is very nice too, clear enough to hear what everyone is up to whilst not becoming too clinical and it is mercifully free of the crazy over-compression ruining a lot of more recent death metal releases. On the whole, however, it is an album I can play, nod my head to in a few places then forget about when it has finished with very little of it sticking with me for long afterwards. I have no idea how this stacks up within the wider Hate Eternal discography and whilst I have no especial aversion to exploring them further, neither am I in any hurry to jump into their back catalogue. Sometimes we just have to say "This is perfectly fine, but not really my bag" and so without it setting a fire in my belly I am never going to award it better than middling marks.

3/5 (on another day it could have been a 3.5, but I am happy to go with the lower score at the minute).

"The Time Before Time"

The great spirit descended from the Heavens, carrying we, the ones called the Matoran to this island paradise.  We were separate and without purpose, so the great spirit illuminated is with the three virtues: Unity, Duty and Destiny.  We embraced these gifts, and in our gratitude, we named our island home Mata Nui after the great spirit himself.

I kinda had to.

Sorry, Rex, I have no idea what this means.

I was gambling on it, anyway.  Bionicle, old franchise my brothers and I were into as kids.  Saw the movie enough times to have that opening embedded in my head.  Bionicle stories always started with, "In the time before time."

Ah, OK. I don't think I have ever heard of it.

Went through this today.  Although I am still not massively as in to death metal as I was I still took some recs in that Solstice album and Rotten Sound.  Good mix of classics and more modern stuff here which kept me listening whilst I was working.

Imperial Triumphant - "Goldstar" (2025)

Another high-quality record from this unusual New York trio, possibly their finest work actually. Guitarist Zachary Ezrin (Folterkammer) does a great job behind the microphone with his deep death growls being both powerful & well phrased. I really enjoy the drumming of Kenny Grohowski (John Frum/Secret Chiefs 3/Titan to Tachyons) too while Sarmat bass player Steve Blanco also provides us with a capable performance. The black metal component of the Imperial Triumphant's 2010's era is long gone by this point with "Goldstar" sitting more comfortably under an Avant-Garde/Experimental Death Metal tag in my opinion. Even the dissonant elements are probably not consistent enough to call this full-blown dissonant death metal. There's a lot of progressive metal & tech death influence here though too. Unsurprisingly, I find "Goldstar"s best moments to be when the boys simply go hell for leather with the more frenetic & aggressive phases being the most effective & often marrying up with the simpler sections of the album but that's not to say that the more experimental parts of "Goldstar" aren't impressive as they're very smoothly incorporated for a record that jumps around so much. If you exclusively like your death metal of the old school variety then you'll wanna steer well clear of this release but those that like a bit of ambition & creativity should find it to be universally interesting because there's no doubt that it's a classy effort by a forward-thinking extreme metal outfit.

For fans of Pyrrhon, Ad Nauseam & Portal.

4/5

Baphomet released this in 1992 then changed name to Banished to avoid confusion with the german death thrashers of the same name before promptly splitting in 1993. They did reform in 2013, but so what. Luckily they left The Dead Shall Inherit as their legacy and this is a great example of Nineties' death metal that sits between the cavernousness of Autopsy or Asphyx and the brutality of Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation and that really hits the mark for me. There is no technical wizardry or songwriting complexity on show here, this is unadulterated OSDM filthiness and menace that appeals to the animal, not the cerebral. Now that isn't enough for some metalheads I am sure, but when a band does these things right then there isn't much better in the death metal world as far as I am concerned - and Baphomet most definitely do it right here.

4.5/5

An initial listen to Swallowed's "Lunarterial" left me somewhat dumbfounded and confused I must admit. From Vinny's effusive description of the album in the feature thread's introduction this was apparently right up my street, yet I really wasn't feeling it. The disconnection was so pronounced that I really doubted my own ears and my interpretation of what I had heard. Determined to get to the bottom of this, I persisted and have now clocked up four or five listens over the last few days, both through intently concentrated listenings and as background whilst doing other tasks. Whilst my initial reticence has been alleviated somewhat, the truth is, I am still not completely sure how I feel about this, or even if I will ever be able to make a definitive judgement on my appreciation of it. I think this is one of those albums where there are moments that make me think "OK, right. Now here we go" when things click and fall into place and show glimpses of the album I envisioned getting at the beginning, but on the flipside there are also parts of seeming random chaos that literally make me want to turn it right down in order to lessen the discomfort I am feeling.

Anyway, this is an album that draws on a number of extreme metal influences, old-school death metal, death doom, disso-death, war metal and even drone metal, all combining to produce an, undoubtedly intentional, disconcerting feeling that all is not well or right with the world. To this end, at least with me, this was inordinately successful, although the effect was to alienate me from what I was hearing rather than drawing me into its aural maelstrom. The transitions from doomy oppressiveness to outright blackened violence overlayed with jagged shards of dissonance just overwhelm me I am afraid. At times the band sound a lot like Mayhem at their most experimental, a phase of the norwegian black metal legends that I have never been a big fan of. In an inversion of Vinny's view it seems, my favourite track is actually the 25-minute closer, "Libations" which appeals to the doom and drone fan in me and within the drone-y confines of which the band's tendencies towards dissonance makes more sense to me and if it had been released as a stand alone EP I may even have toyed with the idea of purchasing it.

I would claim to be a fan of extreme metal, but I guess an album that really pushes deeply into unconventionalism such as this, makes me question whether that is truly the case. Things still have to make sense to me and for many stretches "Lunarterial" really doesn't. "Libations" aside, which is actually really growing on me, I can't in all honesty say that I would return to this in the future.

3/5

Sonny has been on form this month.  I am rediscovering some appetite for death metal after the last 12 months has been dominated by black and doom metal.  The playlist in The Horde this month has only added fuel to that flame.  I found it easier to run at the list in thirds this month and took time to check out the releases that individual tracks came from where they jumped out at me in the list.  Nefarious, Broken Torso, Knoll, Embalmer and the absolute find of the list, Ceremony of Silence all fell into this category.

I revisited Altars but still cannot get on with that record despite the featured track here being a banger.  You can’t go wrong with a Macabre track in my opinion though. Here is a band who manage to take the true macabre essence of people at their worst and put a comedy slant on it without sacrificing the quality of the music.  Good to see Angelcorpse getting a run out to alongside some of the more household names like Incantation and Morbid Angel.  Speaking of which, Karl’s selection of that track from that album not only led me to discover a great album I had somehow never listened to until this month but it also put me on a Morbid Angel trip for two days solid whilst I was away working and spending a couple of nights in a hotel.

Ahright my turn.

Top 10 from the RYM charts

1. Death - Symbolic (300)

2. Gorguts - Colored Sands (393)

3. Athiest - Unquestionable Presence (547)

4. Death - The Sound of Perseverance (674)

5. Death - Individual Thought Patterns (823)

6. Morbid Angel - ALtars of Madness (851)

7. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere (862)

8. Immolation - Close to a World Below (891)

9. Suffocation - Human Waste (957)

10. Gorguts - Obscura (1008)

Top 10 of All Time

1. Septicflesh - The Great Mass (Symphonic)

2. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines (Brutal, Tech)

3. Blood Incantation - Starspawn (Death)

4. Napalm Death - Throes in the Jaws of Defeatism (Grind)

5. Death - Symbolic (Tech)

6. Edge of Sanity - Crimson II (Melo, Prog)

7. Gorguts - Colored Sands (Tech, Dissonant)

8. Shadow of Intent - Primordial (Melo, Deathcore)

9. Cabinet - Claustrophobic Dysentery (Blackened)

10. Disfiguring the Goddess - Deprive (Slam)

I didn't expect my top 10 of death to practically be a new subgenre for each entry.

Carcass - Reek of Putrification (1988)

Genres: Goregrind

In an earlier review for Carcass's second album, Symphony of Sickness, I mentioned that there was less of the melodic strength that made the third and fourth albums so beloved.  In this early goregrind release, as well as their debut, there's even less of that.  This is one of those somewhat common examples of early 80's metal albums compensating for lack of creativity with absolute brutality, the way earlier movies by Wes Craven were.  "Mature" content over substance.  Now the funny thing is, like Wes Craven, the band grew as their career progressed, so by the mid-90's this was basically nothing more than a historical example of how much they grew.  Despite a few cute tricks here and there, I predicted how the whole album would go after listening to Symphony of Sickness.  Now there may be some charm to have in the lo-fi production.  It's certainly a heavy piece.  But the production also muddles things that shouldn't be muddled, which cements yet another weak point in comparison to future works.  Basically, this overly "adult" album amounts to little more than an imitation album made by a bunch of children who think all it takes to be the best is to be different and "true to yourself" by "not giving into radio capitalism" or some shit like that.  Fortunately, this was the last time they ever sounded like this.  With 22 short tracks, they found a way to make a 37-minute album way too damn long.

52

Reading various reviews of Mercenary online, I soon found myself looking at two factions of opinion. Group one, believe that this is a perfectly respectable Bolt Thrower record. Group two, believe the production job killed this one entirely. Although I would also add that most of either camp seem to acknowledge that this is the weakest album in the discography. As I have listened through over the weekend, I can see both camps arguments as being valid. The production on Mercenary is muffled, although I have heard much worse, and it is unclear even after multiple listens whether the album lacks power in the performance or whether it is robbed by the production job. I am finding myself in the production camp at this stage of my experience of the record, based on the belief that there is enough classic Bolt Thrower in the sound still, all with some prowess and heft behind it too, but there is an obvious dulling of the absolutely unstoppable force that came across on the previous two albums.

Therein lies another topic of contention of course. After two absolute bangers in The IVth Crusade and …For Victory, could anything match the standard set by those two records? I suspect not, certainly given that of the three albums that followed …For Victory, only the final Bolt Thrower album, Those Once Loyal stands out as being a highlight. When all is said and done, 1994 was very much the band’s peak. Much is also made of the fact that Karl Willets left the band after Mercenary, citing a lack of commitment and financial pressures. I cannot say that there’s anything about Willet’s performance on Mercenary that makes me think his heart was not in it though. My belief is in fact that he was just as potent as ever, the production job for me is the guilty party in any perceived shortfall in this aspect of Mercenary.

If I had to pick the weakest album from the Bolt Thrower back catalogue, it would not be Mercenary. Yes, there are better albums in the band’s kitbag, but it is my fundamental belief that Mercenary suffers from poor (not terrible) production. I prefer it to Realm of Chaos which if I recall correctly suffers from the same affliction. My choice for the worst Bolt Thrower album would be Honour Valour Pride, notwithstanding that Bolt Thrower on a bad day could still produce death metal that most other bands still could never hold a candle too. I have increased my rating of Mercenary based on this revisit by a whole half a mark, albeit the performance I suspect is at least a further half a mark on top that gets robbed back by the production.

3.5/5

The perfect song for anyone up for a lot of aggression with some melody here and there:

Legendary death doom outfit, Cianide are one of my criminally underrated bands with them rarely getting anywhere near as much spin time as they deserve. This EP coming up in the feature release section this month has been a timely kick up the arse to remedy that for a few hours at least. Unhumanized is only a shade under twenty-six-minutes long and perhaps is not the Chicago trio at their absolute best, yet it is still a bruising and entertaining affair to listen to.

Coming out thirty-one-years after the band first got together, Unhumanized has the hallmarks of an established and mature band. The riffing sounds perfectly crafted and richly performed to accentuate the crunch and groove of the guitar of Scott Carroll. For a band with only one guitarist, he is clearly more than enough, and the mix lets him sit front and centre in proceedings alongside the barking of vocalist Mike Perun. The percussion is less prominent than the guitar and vocals but still does a fantastic job in the background. Check out the punky vibes on the title track for an example of how this is not just a standard death metal release.

Offering some of the best in extreme metal that the underground has to offer, Cianide give a decent enough acquittal of themselves on this release to pique the interest of any fan wanting to go and look at their earlier work. With a discography going all the way back to 1992 when their debut record dropped, this taster of the modern Cianide has enough of their familiar sound to tie it back to their earlier releases. Love me a short EP every now and again to whet the appetite for some further death metal listening afterwards.

3.5/5

I have paid so little attention to death metal in 2025 that it was a struggle to find a release to feature when my turn came around for November. If I recall correctly, I only found Mortual from a previous The Horde playlist as I made some semblance of effort to try and create a “to do” list of anything that I heard on the monthly playlist that piqued my interest. I had already rated the release as 3.5 stars and to be honest, further visits have not altered that score.

For pretty much all the reasons stated in the other review by Sonny, Altar of Brutality is to some extent an album that celebrates the death metal artform, doing so incredibly well I might add. However, it is hard to get too excited over meat ‘n potatoes death metal nowadays, especially after over thirty-years of me listening to this music. Props to Mortual for doing such a fine reflection of such an established style, but the longevity and memorability factors for this one are not all that high.

3.5/5

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

1. Sadistic Intent - "Dark Predictions" (from "Resurrection", 1994) [submitted by Vinny]

2. Ritualhammer — "Devoid of Grace and God" (from "Grand Pestilential Flame", 2024) [submitted by Karl]

3. Proscription - "Behold a Phosphorescent Dawn" (from "Desolate Divine", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

4. Atavisma - "Sacrifice unto Babalon" (from "The Chthonic Rituals", 2018) [submitted by Sonny]

5. Immolation — "God Made Filth" (from "Failures for Gods", 1999) [submitted by Karl]

6. Revocation - "Confines of Infinity" (from "New Gods, New Masters", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

7. Abraded - "Menticide" (from "Ethereal Emanations From Chthonic Caries", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

8. Inanna - "Mind Surgery" (from "Void of Unending Depths", 2022) [submitted by Sonny]

9. Disgorge — "Manipulation of Faith" (from "Consume the Forsaken", 2002) [submitted by Karl]

10. Carcinoid - "Morbid Curse" (from "Encomium to Extinction", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

11. Brutal Truth — "Walking Corpse" (from "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses", 1992) [submitted by Karl]

12. Mercyless — "Abject Offerings" (from "Abject Offerings", 1992) [submitted by Karl]

13. Baphomet - "Valley of the Dead" (from "The Dead Shall Inherit", 1992) [submitted by Sonny]

14. Imperishable — "Bells" (from "Swallowing the World", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

15. Kontusion - "Endless Horror" (from "Insatiable Lust for Death", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

16. Magrudergrind - "Martyrs of the Shoah" (from "Magrudergrind", 2009)

17. Meth Leppard - "Idiocracy" (from "Gatekeepers", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

18. Anata — "Released When You Are Dead" (from "The Infernal Depths of Hatred", 1998) [submitted by Karl]

19. Night in Gales — "Towards a Twilight Kiss" (from "Towards the Twilight", 1997) [submitted by Karl]

20. Ataudes - "La Desgracia" (from "Tempus edax rerum", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

21. Gigan - "Square Wave Subversion" (from "Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus", 2024)

22. Diphenylchloroarsine - "Asphyxiating on Hazardous Pollution" (from "Post Apocalyptic Human Annihilation", 2017)

23. Imprecation — "Daemonium" (from "Vomitum Tempestas", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

24. Benediction - "Eternal Eclipse" (from "Subconscious Terror", 1990) [submitted by Sonny]

25. Deteriorot — "Horrors in an Everlasting Nightmare" (from "Awakening", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

26. Décryptal - "Flétrissement" (from "Simulacre", 2025) [submitted by Vinny]

27. Grenadier — "The Swine of Mount Cashel" (from "Wolves of the Trench", 2025) [submitted by Karl]

28. Iniquitous Deeds - "Abstract Vibrations Compressed" (from "Incessant Hallucinations", 2015)

29. Disma - "Of A Pasat Forlorn" (from "Towards the Megalith", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]

Just useless jazzy guitar noodling that breaks the flow of the album by appearing so early:

I finally got around to revisiting "Resurrection" this week & found that I still really enjoy it. Sadistic Intent clearly came from the same roots as I did (i.e. classic Morbid Angel & the more extreme thrash metal like Slayer, Kreator & Dark Angel) so we share a common understanding of what extreme metal should be. Their sound is so heavily invested in the underground tape trading scene that it gives them an even greater appeal to me than they perhaps have any right to command too. I really love the psychotic guitar solos & blast beat sections. The hardcore component of "Condemned in Misery" was possibly a mistake but, apart from that, "Resurrection" is a really solid death metal record. I slightly prefer 1997's "Ancient Black Earth" E.P. over it but there's not a lot between them & both should be essential listening for our The Horde members.

For fans of Necrovore, Mortem & Repugnant.

4/5

Also if any of the tracks above encourage you to check out more of those bands and come up with some ideas for the monthly Spotify playlists, here's a thread to add in your playlist suggestions: https://metal.academy/forum/10/thread/480

So, I finally got around to revisiting this old favourite & there's no doubt that it's a really solid piece of death metal. It kinda sounds like a dirtier version of the conventional death metal of James Murphy's Disincarnate project which would make sense from a timing point of view. I dunno why people tend to slap "Serenadium" with a brutal death metal tag because there's really very little BDM included. Perhaps it's the ultra-gutteral vocals (think Grave meets Seance) & the clear Suffocation influence that pops up from time to time. I could be entirely mistaken but I also hear a fair bit of Neuropath here, especially on the closing track "Retorn" which has an almost identical riff to one of mine. The tracklisting is extremely consistent (almost a flat line in fact) but I don't think there's anything that I regard as being "classic". Still... I maintain my position that "Serenadium" is Iniquity's finest work & it should satisfy the requirements of all but the most selective of Horde members.

For fans of Swollen, Serocs & Vengeful.

4/5

Got on to this tonight and there's some good stuff on here again  Great tribute to Tomas, I had no idea he was in Lock Up until tonight.  Fuck the Facts and Ecchymosis were a real treat and I will be checking out both albums off the back of this list.  Glad to see my favourite Brujeria release represented as well.

Never been a fan of Fallujah really but that track was okay actully, but that Warmen track got skipped more or less as soon as those keys started (sorry Andi).  Highlight of the list was without question that Replicant track, I am already familiar wih that album, and think it is a bonafide banger.  Good to see Abhorrence in there as well as something obscure in Byatis. Not so much a fan of Vale of Pnath it should be said.

I've always quite liked "Mindloss" since first picking it up through the tape trading scene during the early 1990's. I think I probably reach for the 1992 follow-up "False" a little more regularly when I feel like a Gorefest hit but both are certainly worth a listen.

Totally devastated that I couldn't revive this old Suffocation long-sleeve due to the size of the holes in the elbows. Oh well... it means I get the chance to replace it with something equally cool now. ;)

Impetuous Ritual and Portal on the same night, Kevin and Brad will be busy.

Next Horde playlist will be October, so suggestions by 15th September please.

I discovered an activity like this in a subreddit and thought we could have some fun with it in this site. Who do you think would make the ultimate Horde band? Can be members from any bands you want, not just from bands of the same clan. You can even come up with your own name and specific genre for the band if you'd like. Have fun! Here's my example:

Björn "Speed" Strid – lead vocals

Jani Liimatainen – guitars, additional clean vocals

Michael Amott − guitars, backing vocals

Ted Lundström − bass

Shannon Lucas – drums

Janne Wirman – keyboards, backing vocals

Band name: Imperial Storm

Genres: Melodic death/power metal in a similar vein to Children of Bodom, Mercenary, and Skyfire

Checked this out as it is one of Andi's two 0.5 star rated releases. In truth I don't really know what to make of an album like this. I am probably very wrong, but this doesn't seem like a very serious release and its heavy reliance on samples, despite the whole album only being 25 minutes long, seems like a low-effort affair. Cybergrind really ain't my thing and even though this is far from the worst example I have heard, my in-built aversion to too much chaos is stretched beyond its limit here. Strangely, I think that some of the "riffs" if replicated by a capable grindcore band with some real vocals attached would be pretty good. So I would say the guy can write grindcore riffs, but can't execute them very well... and there is just too much going on for my brain to deal with.

2/5

This month it falls to me to nominate the feature for The Horde and I have gone with a recent discovery which is the 2011 debut album, "Harsh Realities", from Finnish grindcore crew Death Toll 80k. Twenty-three tracks in 25 minutes gives you an idea of what to expect.

If you do check it out then we would love to hear your thoughts, either down below or as a review (or both!)

https://metal.academy/releases/12145

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

1. Deicide - "Trifixion" (from "Legion", 1992) [Submitted by Karl]

2. Suffocation - "Seraphim Enslavement" (from "Hymns From the Apochrypha", 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

3. Dismember - "9th Circle" (from "Indecent and Obscene", 1993) [Submitted by Karl]

4. Nile - "I Whisper in the Ear of the Dead" (from "In Their Darkened Shrines", 2002) [Submitted by Vinny]

5. Caustic Wound - "Blood Battery" (from "Grinding Mechanism of Torment", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

6. Death Toll 80K - "Taught To Consume" (from "Harsh Realities", 2011) [submitted by Sonny]

7. Arch Enemy - "Dream Stealer" (from "Blood Dynasty", 2025) [submitted by Andi]

8. Acephalix - "Mnemonic Death" (from "Decreation", 2017) [submitted by Sonny]

9. Shub Niggurath - "Abominations of Ancient Gods" (from "The Kinglike Celebration: Final Aeon on Earth", 1997) [Submitted by Karl]

10. In Vain - "At the Going Down of the Sun" (from "Solemn", 2024) [submitted by Saxy]

11. Obscureviolence - "Refuting the Flesh" (from "Refuting the Flesh", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

12. Deeds of Flesh - "Execute the Anthropophagi" (from "Path of the Weakening", 1999) [Submitted by Karl]

13. Putridity - "Conceived Through Vermination" (from "Ignominious Atonement", 2015) [submitted by Sonny]

14. Devourment - "Autoerotic Asphyxiation" (from "Butcher the Weak", 2006)

15. Atheist - "Unquestionable Presence" (from "Unquestionable Presence", 1991) [submitted by Sonny]

16. Masacre - "Imperio del Terror" (from "Barbarie y Sangre en Memoria de Cristo", 1993) [Submitted by Karl]

17. Adramelech - "Heroes in Godly Blaze" (from "Psychostasia", 1996) [Submitted by Karl]

18. Flourishing - "Summary" (from "The Sum of All Fossils", 2011)

19. Wombbath - "Malevolent" (from "Beyond the Abyss", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

20. Vacuous - "Stress Positions" (from "In His Blood", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Massacra - "Eternal Hate" (from "Final Holocaust", 1990) [Submitted by Karl]

22. Asinhell- "Inner Sancticide" (from "Impii Hora", 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

23. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - "Her Despair Reeks of Alcohol" (from "Honky Reduction", 1998) [submitted by Sonny]

24. Misery Index - "Fed to the Wolves" (from "Heirs to Thievery", 2010) [submitted by Sonny]

25. Unleashed - "Land of Ice" (from "Shadows in the Deep", 1992) [Submitted by Karl]

26. Dark Throne - "Sempiternal Sepulchrality" (from "Soulside Journey", 1991) [Submitted by Karl]

27. Cancer - "Enter the Gates" (from "Inverted World", 2025) [Submitted by Vinny]

28. Oni -"Seppuku Blade" (from "Incantation Superstition", 2023)

29. Intestine Baalism - "A Place Their Gods Left Behind" (from "An Anatomy of the Beast", 1997)

I have always loved the early works of Carcass, with Symphonies of Sickness being my favourite, sitting as it does in a sweet spot between the grind of the debut and the more conventional death metal approach of Necroticism. However, I have never been much of a fan of Heartwork. In truth I have only heard it a couple of times and not in a while, so I am going to go into it once more with a clean slate.

Well, initial (new) impressions are that Heartwork is more brutal than I remember it being. Sure, Carcass introduced more melody into their death metal, but whereas previously that had overshadowed the album for me, it is now abundantly clear that the melodic aspect is relative and Carcass being Carcass this still has the ability to give you a damn good beating round the head, albeit in a more refined and elegant manner!

One big change on Heartwork is that vocal duties are solely performed by Jeff Walker. Although this gives the album a greater consistency of sound, I actually miss the three vocalists approach, it providing some interesting contrasts. I guess that as the songs themselves varied more here than previously the band felt the use of several different vocal styles may become a bit too much. The songwriting has obviously become a bit more refined, but guitarists Steer and Amott can still summon powerful riffs, even without the blastbeats and searing tempos of yesteryear. The soloing is one of the areas where Heartwork really grabs my attention with both guitarists absolutely nailing it and shredding the hell out of it, sounding more like Tipton and Downing or Smith and Murray than King and Hanneman. Ken Owen is on fine form behind the kit and without having to provide a constant stream of blastbeats he is allowed to exhibit a more creative approach to his timekeeping duties. That Heartwork sounds so tightly performed whilst being more open and expansive than previous Carcass releases is testament to the development of the band and their technical expertise.

In summary, I have got to admit to having been wrong about Heartwork all these years. OK, so Symphonies of Sickness still tops my list of Carcass releases, but this is an accomplished piece of work indeed and is heading towards becoming one of my favourite melodic death metal releases. That an album can still sound so damn heavy and brutal whilst also being melodic and refined is a brilliant musical trick and a fantastic indictment of all four members' musical abilities. I have rarely been happier to say "I was wrong".

4/5 (up from 3/5)

It's my opinion that a large portion of the releases tagged as tech death on other websites are mistagged as the understanding of the genre is pretty atrocious these days. For example, the biggest names in tech death are all much better served by the progressive death metal tag (Death, Cynic, Atheist, Pestilence, etc) & the dissonant death metal tag has made the tech death tagging on bands like Gorguts & Ulcerate redundant too. The same can be said of the more brutal acts we're referring to here as labelling Cryptopsy's first couple of releases or the vast majority of Dying Fetus' back catalogue as tech death is stretching the friendship as far as I'm concerned. I'd even extend that to some of the earlier Nile releases like "Black Seeds of Vengeance" & "In Their Darkened Shrines" which only seem to receive the tech death tag due to the speed & brutality of the drumming which is inherent in all brutal death metal so I can't see the need to go there personally. I'd prefer it if the tech death tag was reserved for genuinely technical yet non-progressive bands like Suffocation or Spawn of Possession. 

Personally, I find dissonant death to be its own subgenre rather than an offshoot of death.  Some of it is structured a bit too conventionally.  I mean, Gorguts can keep both, but if it ain't tech it ain't tech.  Now I'll keep the Nile tag, considering that they're my current favorite of this so-called category because of their outlandish elements, incorporating some crypt-crawling doom into the mix.  My review of Darkened Shrines was about as glowing as any review I'd give a good Coppola.  I guess instead of a "subgenre," it's more like a "niche offshoot," though I'd still consider it a bit more relevant than something like "downtempo deathcore."  And of course, most of the brutal stuff only has mild tech to it if any at all.  Can't expect much from the majority of slam, so it's a fine line, especially when some albums by the same acts will be either more tech or more brutal than others.

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)

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

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.