The Horde

May 2024

01. Afterbirth – “Hovering Human Head Drones” (from “In But Not Of”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

02. Imperial Triumphant – “Lower World” (from “Vile Luxury”, 2018)

03. Eucharist – “Mirrorworlds” (from “Mirrorworlds”, 1997)

04. StarGazer – “Old Tea” (from “A Merging To The Boundless”, 2014) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

05. Edge of Sanity – “Hell Is Where The Heart Is” (from “Infernal”, 1997)

06. Pungent Stench – “Splatterday Nightfever” (from “Been Caught Buttering”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Morgoth – “Cursed” (from “Cursed”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Entombed – “Crawl” (from “Crawl” E.P., 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

09. Slimelord – “Gut-Brain Axis” (from “Chytridiomycosis Relinquished”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

10. Massacre – “Succubus” (from “From Beyond”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Neuropath – “Vulgar Rebirth” (from “Nefarious Vivisection” demo, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Gorguts – “Inoculated Life” (from “Considered Dead”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

13. Celestial Sanctuary – “Yearn For The Rot” (from “Soul Diminished”, 2021) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

14. Magefa – “Amputated By Force” (from “New Era Of Darkness”, 2019) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

15. Deconsekrated – “The Axiom” (from “The Hidden Paths” E.P., 2020) [Submitted by Sonny]

16. Napalm Death – “Mass Appeal Madness” (from “Mass Appeal Madness” E.P., 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Sketetal Remains – “Unmerciful” (from “Fragments of the Ageless”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. Mortician – “Mortician” (from “Hacked Up For Barbecue”, 1996) [Submitted by Sonny]

19. Coffins – “Domains of Black Miasma” (from “Sinister Oath”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

20. ZOMBIESHARK! – “Loxosceles on the Isosceles” (from “Die Laughing.”, 2024)

21. Septage – “Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms (Septic Worship)” (from “Septic Worship (Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms), 2024)

22. Gadget – “Remote” (from “Remote”, 2004)

23. Nightmarer – “Skinner” (from “Cacophony of Terror”, 2018)

24. Defaced Creation – “Baptised in Fire” (from “Serenity in Chaos”, 1999)

25. Kraanium – “Rock Filled Orifice” (from “Chronicles of Perversion”, 2015)

26. Kuroi Jukai – “II” (from “Kuroi Jukai”, 2015)

27. Ultra Vomit – “Une souris verte” (from “M. Patate”, 2004)

28. Vulvodynia – “Raped, Pillaged & Gutted” (from “Finis Omnium Ignorantiam”, 2015)

29. Coldworker – “The Crawl Inside Me Uninvited” (from “The Contaminated Void”, 2006)

30. Hour of Penance – “The Ravenous Herald” (from “Devotion”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

I believe the tracks on this EP were recorded during the Necroticism sessions, that much seems quite apparent anyway. The opening title track is the only previously unreleased track and I must admit that I am quite taken with it, it still hangs on to some of the earlier grind influence and although it was clearly recorded later, it sounds similar to "Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected Virulency" and easily could have been on Symphonies of Sickness, my personal favourite Carcass album. Second of the four tracks on offer here is Incarnated Solvent Abuse, lifted straight from Necroticism and is a worthy addition, it being one of the band's most recognisable and well-loved tracks, it's melodic chug always able to get the old head nodding.

The other two tracks are both re-recordings and are worthwhile additions here, if only as an illustration as to how good early Carcass' songs were when the production is polished up. First of the two is Pyosified (Still Rotten to the Gore), originally on Reek of Putrefaction which here is like a polished diamond compared to the original Reek version with it's demo-quality production values drowning most of the guitar work. Here the main riff is freed from the chains of poor production to reveal it's full galloping glory and allow a reappraisal of just how great a riff it is. The second re-recording is "Hepatic Tissue Fermentation II" the original of which I am unfamiliar with, it initially appearing on the 1989 Pathological Compilation, the first release from Pathological Records, alongside tracks from the likes of Napalm Death, Godflesh and Coil. At six-and-a-half minutes it's an epic early Carcass track and here it sounds very impressive, combining the later pure death metal sound with their earlier grind tendencies with significant pacing variation, to produce a track that would sound very much at home of Symphonies of Sickness.

These tracks are all now available on later-released comps, but at the time I am sure this would have been a very interesting insight into the Carcass story and would signal the end of one era of the band, prior to their embarkation upon the melodic death metal journey they undertook from the following year's Heartwork onwards.

4/5

No problem.

Hour of Penance - Devotion (2024)

My only previous dalliance with Italy's Hour of Penance was their previous album, 2019's Misotheism, an album about which I can remember very little, but which I see I scored as a 3/5, so evidently I wasn't greatly impressed at the time. However I have come a long way in my appreciation of death metal in the intervening five years and I went into Devotion with a clean slate. My initial impression is that the technical death metal tag is a little bit misleading as it doesn't exhibit too much of the chop-and-change, staccato style I assosciate with a lot of tech-death. Although I understand that style is incredibly well thought-of, it actually does very little for me (except in rare cases) so Devotion's technically very sound, but fairly conventionally-structured style of death metal is much more palatable to me.

The production is excellent and the sound is crunchy and thick, investing the riffs with a huge amount of heft that is perfectly suited to their brutality. Giacomo Torti's skinswork deserves praise, being precise, powerful and tireless in it's thunderous supporting role, driving the riffs along at pace and displaying mastery of the kit without resorting to excessive showiness. This lack of showiness seems to be the band's whole ethos, illustrated admirably by the tightly-played and effective guitar solos which display impressive technical skill without resorting to any kind of showboating and imbue the tracks with a keen cutting edge. There is very little let-up in the album's pacing, with most of the ten tracks fair hurtling along, yet always in a controlled manner with the band never letting their need for speed get the better of them. Paolo Pieri's bellowing roars are the focal point for the band's rage, sounding supremely aggressive and imtimidating for the entire runtime, he sounds like a man barely able to contain his fury at the world.

The thing is, though, impressive though the individual tracks and the musicianship is, they do tend to blur into one a little bit, with only the occasional hymnal motif providing anything like a variation to the blistering brutality. I found plenty to enjoy here, but if I were being hyper-critical, I would say that, as a whole and under repeated listens, the album starts to sound a bit sterile and doesn't really impart too much atmosphere or emotion other than an unchanging inherent violence. I know, it's f---ing death metal, what do you want, right? Well I think I prefer it a bit sloppier but more engaging to be honest.

3.5/5

Full of Hell - Coagulated Bliss (2024

Genres: Grindcore, Metal

You read the genre-tagging right.  I'm calling this "metal" on top of calling it a grindcore album because for a good portion of the album, it is so diversified and out-there that it's a difficult one to really peg down.  I'm getting switches between some thought-provoking noise rock, drawn out and brutal doom metal with noisy metalcore backdrops, black and death working in tandem and even a little sludgy stuff here and there.  This is Full of Hell going batshit insane, but with catchiness and accessibility covering it all so it never goes too far like Naked City's Torture Garden.  Full of Hell have always been one of the most artistic bands of the modern age.  They helped to justify the existence of the otherwise passable Merzbow with their collabs, Sister Fawn and the self-titled collab, the former of which was my number 1 FoH and the latter of which was my number 3.  The album goes for more straightforward grindcore on a more consistent level after the seven-minute doomy epic Bleeding Horizon ends side A, but the first half is organized chaos, justifying its directionless genre-bending with the bandmates's personas dominating the album's brutal presence.

Of course, it's safe to say that half the tracks are grindcore, warranting the tag, but with that seven minute epic steering closer to that joke of a genre tag RYM calls "downtempo deathcore" than anything, it's safe to say that this album covers the multitude of bases within the realms of extreme metal and metal punk hybrids, with thrash and crossover thrash being absent, and leaving room for some Orchid-style powerviolence.  It's highly accessible despite its plethora of metallic flavors, so I think the best tag for this album would either be "metal" or "extreme metal" as opposed to choosing any one specific genre.  I think to do otherwise might be a little insulting to this testament to FoH's metal cabapilities.  Although next time, I'd like to see them do this and incorporate some of the industrial sounds of Sister Fawn. Otherwise, this album is basically FoH's "When the Kite String Pops."

100/100

Neuropath – “Rectal Pulpation” (from “Nefarious Vivisection” demo, 1995)

Sadistik Exekution – “Cautness Darling Blood” (from “The Magus”, 1991)

The Crown – “Devil Gate Ride” (from “Deathrace King”, 2000)

Balmora – “A Dagger To The Heart Of Finality” (from “With Thorns of Glass & Petals of Grief” E.P., 2023)

Dying Fetus – “Enlighten Through Agony” (from “Make Them Beg For Death”, 2023)

Stortregn – “Cold Void” (from “Finitude”, 2023)

PainKIller – “Skinned” (from “Buried Secrets”, 1991)

Gorephilia – “Devotion Upon The Worm” (from “In The Eye Of Nothing”, 2020)

Massacra – “Atrocious Crimes” (from “Enjoy The Violence”, 1991)

Grave – “Deformed” (from “Into The Grave”, 1991)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi?si=addda1a87c2c4fac

Tracklisting:

01. Afterbirth – “Hovering Human Head Drones” (from “In But Not Of”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

02. Imperial Triumphant – “Lower World” (from “Vile Luxury”, 2018)

03. Eucharist – “Mirrorworlds” (from “Mirrorworlds”, 1997)

04. StarGazer – “Old Tea” (from “A Merging To The Boundless”, 2014) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

05. Edge of Sanity – “Hell Is Where The Heart Is” (from “Infernal”, 1997)

06. Pungent Stench – “Splatterday Nightfever” (from “Been Caught Buttering”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Morgoth – “Cursed” (from “Cursed”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Entombed – “Crawl” (from “Crawl” E.P., 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

09. Slimelord – “Gut-Brain Axis” (from “Chytridiomycosis Relinquished”, 2024) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

10. Massacre – “Succubus” (from “From Beyond”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Neuropath – “Vulgar Rebirth” (from “Nefarious Vivisection” demo, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. Gorguts – “Inoculated Life” (from “Considered Dead”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

13. Celestial Sanctuary – “Yearn For The Rot” (from “Soul Diminished”, 2021) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

14. Magefa – “Amputated By Force” (from “New Era Of Darkness”, 2019) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

15. Deconsekrated – “The Axiom” (from “The Hidden Paths” E.P., 2020) [Submitted by Sonny]

16. Napalm Death – “Mass Appeal Madness” (from “Mass Appeal Madness” E.P., 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Sketetal Remains – “Unmerciful” (from “Fragments of the Ageless”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. Mortician – “Mortician” (from “Hacked Up For Barbecue”, 1996) [Submitted by Sonny]

19. Coffins – “Domains of Black Miasma” (from “Sinister Oath”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

20. ZOMBIESHARK! – “Loxosceles on the Isosceles” (from “Die Laughing.”, 2024)

21. Septage – “Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms (Septic Worship)” (from “Septic Worship (Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms), 2024)

22. Gadget – “Remote” (from “Remote”, 2004)

23. Nightmarer – “Skinner” (from “Cacophony of Terror”, 2018)

24. Defaced Creation – “Baptised in Fire” (from “Serenity in Chaos”, 1999)

25. Kraanium – “Rock Filled Orifice” (from “Chronicles of Perversion”, 2015)

26. Kuroi Jukai – “II” (from “Kuroi Jukai”, 2015)

27. Ultra Vomit – “Une souris verte” (from “M. Patate”, 2004)

28. Vulvodynia – “Raped, Pillaged & Gutted” (from “Finis Omnium Ignorantiam”, 2015)

29. Coldworker – “The Crawl Inside Me Uninvited” (from “The Contaminated Void”, 2006)

30. Hour of Penance – “The Ravenous Herald” (from “Devotion”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

San Diego slam death metallers Pathology have a new album coming out on 17th May. It's entitled "Unholy Descent" & is their twelfth full-length thus far. Their last two records have been pretty decent so I will no doubt be partaking in some of this stuff too. Who knows? Maybe it'll be a fucking banger like their 2012 classic "The Time of Great Purification".

Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

Up until 1992, Birmingham grindcore godfathers Napalm Death had represented more of a novelty than a major player in my musical life. I'd happily purchased all three of their albums for that pleasure but found their two seminal 1980's grindcore full-lengths to be nothing more than a bit of fun. And while 1990's "Harmony Corruption" third record may have added some of my beloved death metal to the equation, it didn't exactly blow me away either. There had been a few pretty decent E.P.'s released between them too & I'd greedily lapped them all up, buoyed by the sheer extremity of it all, an attribute that I was actively seeking out in my music at the time (& no doubt still are). I have to admit though, nothing the band had done had quite stuck the landing up until that point with possible exception of their short 1988 "The Curse" single which I really dug. 1992 would mark somewhat of a new era for Napalm Death though with long-time drum legend Mick Harris having departed after 1991's "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. & been replaced by Danny Herrera (Venomous Concept). This change probably would have had a few diehard fans on edge a little as Harris had played arguably the most major role in the creation of both Napalm Death & the grindcore sound in general. For me personally though, 1992's "Utopia Banished" album would be the first Napalm Death album that I'd purchase immediately upon release & it's arguably remained my favourite release from their entire back catalogue for all the years since so I think it's fair to say that Herrera's induction into Napalm Death was a rousing success.

Napalm Death's first two albums represent some of the purest & rawest examples of the grindcore genre you're likely to find so there was unsurprisingly a little bit of a mixed response when they incorporated some of the death metal sounds they were hearing around them on "Harmony Corruption". It wasn't, however, a clear-cut death metal record as such with grindcore still playing a strong enough role in the outcome to see me tagging it as deathgrind. "Utopia Banished" sees the grind component being drawn upon a little more than it was on its predecessor & resulting in a more extreme & relentlessly savage deathgrind record that's buoyed by a stellar production job from Colin Richardson. Everything simply sounds so in-your-face with the riffs maintaining definition under some of the most violent drumming the world had heard to the time & with the iconic Mark "Barney" Greenway (Benediction/Extreme Noise Terror) producing some his finest signature barking over the top. The sheer energy of this material saw it immediately grabbing my attention but it also possessed a class that we hadn't heard from a Napalm Death full-length before too. The riffs of Jesse Pintado (Brujeria/Lock Up/Terrorizer) & Mitch Harris (Defecation/Meathook Seed/Righteous Pigs) are more sophisticated & very capably executed while the song structures offer a touch more complexity. The blast beat sections are beautifully positioned to ensure maximum impact with Herrera producing a stellar performance in his own right &, in doing so, putting any fears that the loss of Mick Harris would derail the Napalm Death train to bed.

The cover art is some of Napalm Death's best with the striking red & blue image coming across as both rebellious & shocking at the same time. It brilliantly depicts what the band were all about at the time in my opinion with a collage of social injustices being layered in a way that presents the band as the leaders of the resistance. The tracklisting kicks off in emphatic style too with the industrial noise of "Discordance" proving to be the perfect aural equivalent of the image I just mentioned & when the band blast in with one of their finest works in "I Abstain" I find myself being delightedly crushed under the weight of sound being projected out of my speakers at extreme velocities. The brutal "Dementia Access" follows in quick succession & at this point I'm thinking that we might have a genuinely classic metal release on our hands but things do settle down a bit from there with only the spectacular "Upward & Uninterested" seeing those levels of quality revived. The remainder of the 15-track album is all very solid & unwaveringly consistent in its execution but I can't say that it reaches the same sort of euphoric levels as the tracks I've already mentioned. Each song contains a number of exciting sections but invariably has them offset by some more hardcore-inspired sections that offer me a little less appeal & that's always been a bit of an issue for me with grindcore as I can never quite get the best releases up into my top rating bracket due to my inability to get as excited about the bouncier punk beats. "Utopia Banished" is no doubt one of the stronger examples though as it doesn't present the listener with any real weaknesses, instead choosing to flex its muscles & embrace the sound that the band had been so instrumental in creating in the first place.

At the end of the day, "Utopia Banished" was a unanimous success in my opinion & it still feels like the record that best reflects Napalm Death's sound to me. I just wish that it had lived up to the potential that it hinted at from the commencement of the tracklisting as I really (& I mean REALLY) dig the violence & extremity but can't quite overcome my issues with grindcore's hardcore roots. If the band had opted for a shorter release that dropped that component & simply focused on the half-time, tremolo-picked death metal riffs & the ultra-brutal blast-beat grind sections then we'd probably have my ultimate extreme metal album but, as it is, "Utopia Banished" is still a very fine representation of what Napalm Death have brought to the world & fans of bands like Terrorizer, early Brutal Truth & mid-period Extreme Noise Terror should definitely stand up & pay attention.

4/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list which sees "Utopia Banished" usurping Cattle Decapitation & Brutal Truth to gain top spot:

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. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

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

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

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

09. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

10. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

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

Too atrociously poppy in the chorus for a symphonic death metal song:

I investigated that one back around the time of release Andi. Quite liked it if my recollections are correct too.

I've updated my Top Ten Melodic Death Metal Releases of All Time list after deciding that Amorphis' "The Karealian Isthmus" is worthy of a dual tag with conventional death metal which has seen The Chasm's "The Spell of Retribution" dropping out of the list. I've always based these lists on the Metal Academy database position of genre-tagging so if you disagree with "The Karelian Isthmus" being tagged as melodeath then feel free to vote against it at the release page if you're a member of The Horde.

01. At The Gates – “Slaughter Of The Soul” (1995)

02. Stortregn - "Finitude" (2023)

03. Carcass – “Heartwork” (1993)

04. Dark Tranquillity – “The Gallery” (1995)

05. Merciless – “Unbound” (1994)

06. Sentenced – “North From Here” (1993)

07. In Mourning – “The Weight Of Oceans” (2012)

08. The Breathing Process - “Odyssey (un)Dead” (2010)

09. Amorphis - "The Karelian Isthmus" (1992)

10. Amorphis - "Tales From The Thousand Lakes" (1994)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/147

Here's my review:

Florida technical death metallers Nocturnus were a fairly big player in our household from very early on in their recording career. I was lucky enough to discover their 1990 debut album “The Key” shortly after it was released & purchased a copy on cassette. It showcased a highly ambitious band of talented musicians that were looking to push the envelope when it came to both atmospherics, imagery & technique & I found it to be a very solid release indeed. Perhaps not the undeniable classic that many death metal fans will have you believe it is but a worthy purchase that has commanded consistent revisits over the years. 1992’s follow-up album “Thresholds” simply wasn’t in the same caliber from what I remember of it although it was certainly worth a listen at the time & didn’t discourage me from picking up this month’s The Horde feature release (i.e. Nocturnus’ self-titled 7” from 1993) on vinyl immediately after it was released. I don’t remember much about it now to be honest & have no idea what happened to the record I owned but I do recall being a touch underwhelmed even if I certainly found entertainment in it. I’m interested to see how those recollections stack up now actually as I recently revisited “The Key” & it’s renewed my interest.

The ”Nocturnus” 7” is nothing more than a two-song single but includes two previously unreleased non-album tracks intended to showcase the band’s brand new lineup. Bassist Emo Mowery had now filled the empty position that was filled by session musician Chris Anderson on the “Thresholds” album while James Marcinek had now joined the fold at the expense of founding member & band leader Mike Browning (Morbid Angel/Acheron) who had been controversially axed. The two songs take a similar stylistic approach to the one found on “The Key” but there are a few notable differences & characteristics that are worth pointing out.

The first & most obvious thing you’ll notice about this release is the shocking production job which is extremely rough & sees Nocturnus’ trademark flashy guitars being largely nullified. It’s a real shame because this flaw goes a long way to ensuring that the record was never going to have much of an impact, even if you absolutely loved the song-writing. Front man Dan Izzo had been brought in for the “Thresholds” album to enable Browning to focus purely on his drum kit. Here we see him trying awfully hard to sound like notorious Deicide vocalist Glen Benton & doing a reasonable job of it too. In fact, I’d have to suggest that it was a good move to swap him in for Browning as his more angry & aggressive delivery would seem to me to be a better fit for a death metal band. So would the drumming of Marcinek actually, at least I’d take it over the simplistic contribution that Browning gave us on “The Key”. The keyboards of Louis Panzer are still on show but don’t play as prominent a role in these compositions which was an interesting move given that this was one of the major drawcards that was seeing people flocking to Nocturnus. The other was the consistent layers of ultra-shredding guitar solos that were a majorly exciting prospect for this budding young lead guitarist but, once again, the solos have been toned down significantly here which I find to be a really strange decision. Perhaps that’s why we’ve seen these two tracks isolated on a dedicated single? I dunno but it was pretty annoying that Nocturnus had dropped a good chunk of their signature features.

When taken for what they are though, these two songs aren’t too bad & certainly offer enough to keep me interested & entertained. The lengthier “Possess The Priest” has a slight edge over the more aggressive “Mummified” but there’s not a lot between them as they’re both decent enough examples of the technical death metal subgenre. I’ve often seen people trying to utilize the progressive metal tag with this record but I don’t think that’s appropriate as this material is far more consciously technical than it is conceptually expansive. The riffs can sometimes be quite thrashy but I never feel that I’m listening to anything other than a death metal artist at any stage.

So, it would seem that the “Nocturnus” 7” single is bit of a mixture of positives & negatives overall, isn’t it? The production is arguably the most unfortunate & release-defining element but I’m pleased that Nocturnus possessed enough class to overcome that failure to give us a reasonable record nonetheless. Sadly, I can’t see it being enough to draw me back to the single at any point in the future but I don’t think your average Death. Atheist or Pestilence fan will find it to be too repulsive, even if it’s not on the same level as the universally worshipped releases that those bands were dishing out during that period. But then, I’m not sure I ever saw Nocturnus on the same level as those artists in the first place. Not many are though to be fair.

3.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi?si=0f873b007fa541cb

Tracklisting:

01. Cenotaph – “Crying Frost” (from “Epic Rites: 9 Epic Tales & Death Rites”, 1996)

02. Children of Bodom – “Lake Bodom” (from “Something Wild”, 1997)

03. Hypocrisy – “Adjusting The Sun” (from “The Final Chapter”, 1997)

04. My Dying Bride – “Vast Choirs” (from “Towards The Sinister” demo, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Entombed – “But Life Goes On” (from “But Life Goes On” demo, 1989) [Submitted by Daniel]

06. Neuropath – “Masticated Cadaver” (from “Nefarious Vivisection” demo, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Benediction – “Jumping At Shadows” (from “The Grand Leveller”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. Unaussprechlichen Kulten – “Die teufelsbucher” (from “Häxan Sabaoth”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

09. Internal Bleeding – “Driven to Conquer” (from “Driven to Conquer”, 1999)

10. Theory in Practice – “The Visionnaire” (from “The Armageddon Theories”, 1999)

11. Pyrrhon – “The Invisible Hand Holds a Whip” (from “What Passes For Survival”, 2016)

12. Gutalax – “Toi Toi Story” (from “Shit Happens”, 2015)

13. Massacre – “Dawn of Eternity” (from “From Beyond”, 1991) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

14. Cancer – “Tasteless Incest” (from “Death Shall Rise”, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

15. Coffins – “Hour of Execution” (from “Beyond The Circular Demise”, 2019) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

16. Verminous – “Salvation by Extermination” (from “Impious Sacrilege”, 2003) [Submitted by Sonny]

17. Found Dead Hanging – “Solar Powered Sun Destroyer” (from “Dulling Occams Razor” E.P., 2003)

18. Behemoth – “Here & Beyond” (from “Zos Kia Cultus (Here & beyond)”, 2002) [Submitted by Sonny]

19. The Ritual Aura – “Precursor of Aphotic Collapse” (from “Laniakea”, 2015) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

20. Incantation – “Blasphemy” (from “Blasphemy”, 2002) [Submitted by Sonny]

21. Contaminated – “Cosmic Shit Show” (from “Celebratory Beheading”, 2024) [Submitted by Sonny]

22. Mortician – “Redrum/Outro” (from “Mortal Massacre” single, 1991) [Submitted by Daniel]

23. Cannibal Corpse – “Frenzied Feeding” (from “Chaos Horrific”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

24. Malevolent Creation – “The Will To Kill” (from “The Will To Kill”, 2002) [Submitted by Sonny]

25. Tower of Rome – “They Say She Died Because She Was Too Honest” (from “All is Lost, All is Lost, All is Yet to be Found”, 2004)

26. Sete Star Sept – “Pilot Error Snooze” (from Beast World”, 2016)

27. Sissy Spacek – “Meat Slave” (from “Disfathom”, 2016)

28. Cephalic Carnage – “Zuno Gyakusatsu” (from “Lucid Interval”, 2002) [Submitted by Sonny]

29. Karmacipher – “Necroracle” (from “Necroracle”, 2016)

30. Fulci – “Gore Life” (from “Opening The Hell Gates”, 2015) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

31. Glossectomy – “Self Mangled Malformation” (from “Impediments From Dysplasia” E.P., 2014)

32. Hymenotomy – “Orgasm Achieved By Disemboweling Pregnant Women & Inserting Decapitated Fetuses Into Hairy Anus” (from “Some Necrophiles Having Sex With Naked Autopsied Bodies In the Morgue”, 2015)

I have a deep connection with Bolt Thrower that goes back to the earliest days of them appearing on John Peel's late night radio show which saw them becoming the only death metal band I got into prior to departing from metaldom at the beginning of the nineties. Despite the criticisms levelled against them, such as them producing the same album over and over, I have never bought into this view and think they are one of the most consistent bands in metal and have never produced a bad album. Anyway, here's my review:

Despite making a massive contribution to the birth of metal, the UK hasn't been overly blessed with important acts in the more extreme sub-genres. There were, of course, the twin grindcore godfathers, Napalm Death and Carcass and a few notables in the doom metal arena, but otherwise it has been the US and Europe that have led the way since the early 1980s. The sole exception and lone british banner fluttering among the death metal hordes, was Coventry's Bolt Thrower. War Master was the Midlanders' third album, following the rough and ready, crust and grind-influenced debut, In Battle There Is No Law! and it's much more professional sounding follow-up, Realm of Chaos, which had heralded a direction-change with the band moving into more conventional death metal territory. War Master saw Bolt Thrower heading further in that direction, ditching the grind element altogether in favour of a slower, mid-tempo, more cavernous sound that has more in common with Autopsy than fellow Brits like Carcass.

I must be honest at this point and admit that, for me, Realm of Chaos marks the band's highpoint, striking a perfect balance between the crusty grind of the debut and their later, conventional death metal sound, but that doesn't mean that War Master is any great drop-off in quality, in fact, quite the opposite as it is still one hell of a great record. The riffs on War Master are fantastic, possessing an inherent level of brutality, whilst still exhibiting a degree of melodicism which renders them instantly memorable. The songwriting is very good, and although most of the riffs stay within the mid-tempo range, the band don't shy away from either slowing down further to hulking, death doom pacing, or putting their foot down and letting rip. Karl Willetts has a great death metal growl, almost stripping paint as he barks out the lyrics which deal almost exclusively with the terrors of war, that puts him near the top of my list of favourite death metal vocalists. Production-wise War Master is a step up from Realm of Chaos with a chunkier, more bass-heavy sound that allows Jo Bench's four-string performance to shine and which is more conducive to this type of slower-paced, war-ridden death metal.

The solos are mostly of the brief, squealing style favoured by many death metal stalwarts since they were introduced by Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman back in the day and whilst they are perfectly functional and fit well within the song structures, they aren't on anything like the same level as the riffs. Despite seeing criticism of it elsewhere, I actually really like Andy Whale's drumming on here as it has tons of energy and some nice touches, such as the military tattoo-like beats at the end of Afterlife.

War Master saw Bolt Thrower finally getting near to a sound they were striving for and, as a result, they have often been accused of regurgitating the same material over and over again for the rest of their career, which is a bit harsh and personally I think is bullshit. When a band has hit on what they see as a signature sound, however, I am sure there is a temptation to plough the same furrow again on subsequent releases, and although BT never strayed far from the template they established on War Master, such is the quality of their material that only the most demanding or churlish of death metal fans could complain at the results. Evidently, this is a full-throated roar of challenge from a band in full command of their abilities, producing one of the best albums of their career and spearheading the British fightback against the scandinavian and american death metal hordes.

4.5/5

After a slow start getting the melodic stuff and the cybergrind out of the way, things picked up quickly and from track 5 onwards things looked much better with the filthy sound of Cryptworm leading the way. I have never listened to Anal Cunt before, mainly because I always thought they were supposed to be a bit of a joke band, but I actually quite liked this track, so never say never. Excellent stuff from Deicide, Disbelief, Plague of the Fallen and, of course, Neuropath. Good stuff too from Terrorizer, Mongrel, Horrifier, Nihilist and Napalm Death, so plenty of ammunition for further delving into The Horde's archives. The last two, like the first four, left me a bit cold, but overall this was another sterling playlist, so thanks for this, Daniel.

Pestilence - "Testimony of the Ancients" (1991)

Dutch legends Pestilence first came to my attention back in 1990 through their classic death metal anthem "Out Of The Body" which was played on late-night metal radio & saw me quickly exploring Pestilence's first couple of albums. I found both of them to be very solid examples of the early death metal scene too & have returned to them quite often over the years but it would be their 1991 "Testimony of the Ancients" third full-length that would really set my world on fire after I picked up a cassette copy of the album upon release. It would be by far Pestilence's most ambitious effort to date as it would see them expanding their musical palette significantly with a more progressive approach that sat very well with my taste profile at the time. For some reason though, I've managed to never get a firm rating down on Metal Academy & I'd like to change that today.

1988's excellent death/thrash debut album "Malleus Maleficarum" & 1989's widely praised death metal classic "Consuming Impulse" were both classy affairs that showcased a band that was willing to push themselves as musicians but were still comparitively straight forward in their structure & composition. The loss of influential front man Martin van Drunen would see a reshuffle in the ranks with guitarist Patrick Mameli stepping up to the microphone & the super-talented Tony Choy taking over Mameli's bass duties which were both extremely positive moves in my opinion. While I do enjoy van Drunen's psychotic howls, I've always found Mameli's more controlled & traditionally deathly vocals to be far more to my taste while Choy's undeniable chops & impeccable tone would see Pestilence reaching a new level of technical proficiency that would no doubt play a role in the musical direction they'd take.

"Testimony of the Ancients" sees Pestilence offering eight full songs in combination with eight short interludes of various styles for a wonderfully expansive take on the death metal model that wouldn't totally isolate old-school fans but would open Pestilence up to a whole new audience of open-minded metal fans. It's still very much a death metal album at its core but the incorporation of more complex song-structures, the wide use of octaves & dissonance within the chord structures & the integration of jazz fusion concepts within the guitar solos would see Pestilence starting to play in spaces previously only traversed by bands like Atheist & Cynic but maintaining a darkness & intensity that neither of those seminal acts could match. The influence of Teutonic thrash heavy-weights Kreator's classic 1988 "Extreme Aggression" album is obvious throughout without the record ever feeling like thrash while the contribution of death metal godfathers Death to Pestilence's music is still as clear as day, although it's certainly worth noting that "Testimony of the Ancients" actually came out before Death's wonderful 1991 fourth album "Human" with which it shares so many of its traits. Pestilence had traditionally followed Death's lead but here we see them making the running in no uncertain terms. The tendency for people to want to call both bands "technical death metal" is misguided though in my opinion with neither being particularly technical in the true sense of the term. This music is far better served by a "progressive death metal" tag as it's a lot more adventurous than simply making the riffs & rhythms harder to play. In fact, a lot of the material isn't actually all that hard to reproduce, even Choy's bass lines which are still fairly faithful to the riffs for the most part.

Despite the inclusion of the many interludes which are quite varied in their effectiveness, "Testimony of the Ancients" possesses an outstanding tracklisting that's full of genuine classics. "Twisted Truth" is one of my all-time favourite death metal tracks & lead the way nicely while "Land of Tears", "Prophetic Revelations", "Stigmatized" & particularly the incredible "Testimony" & "Presence of the Dead" present an elite artist that's at the very peak of their creativity. This all amounts to a record that I still consider to be the clear highlight of an impressive four album run that would etch Pestilence into the annals of death metal folklore for all time. Sadly, the band's subsequent reformation & continuous efforts to match their early works hasn't amounted to anything of significance but they'll always be afforded a position amongst the greats of the genre nonetheless, such was the impact of those late 80's/early 90's releases on the global extreme metal scene. If you're a diehard Death, Atheist or Cynic fan then you owe it to yourself to get across this record too.

4.5/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Technical Death Metal Releases of All Time list with Death's "Symbolic" dropping out to make way for "Testimony of the Ancients":

01. 7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes Of Absolution" (2012)

02. Death - "Human" (1991)

03. Suffocation - "Pierced From Within" (1995)

04. Suffocation - "Despise The Sun" E.P. (1998)

05. Death – “Individual Thought Patterns” (1993)

06. Pestilence - "Testimony of the Ancients" (1991)

07. Gorguts – “Colored Sands” (2013)

08. Cynic - "Focus" (1993)

09. Ulcerate – “Everything Is Fire” (2009)

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

https://metal.academy/lists/single/148

Wow! I've gotta say that the third full-length from these Finnish death metallers has well & truly blown me away which was perhaps somewhat inevitable given that it falls so clearly within my musical comfort zone. Gorephilia offer a dark & dank take on the classic 1990's death metal model with very little in the way of invention however they simply go about their craft so efficiently & effectively that I'm left feeling similar feelings to those that I first felt as an early teenager while discovering this great genre to begin with. The main influence is clearly classic Morbid Angel although (unlike Ben) I'd suggest that the era in question sits closer to "Blessed Are The Sick" & "Covenant" than it does to "Domination". Its actually pretty obvious a lot of the time too but the execution is nothing short of splendid which gives Gorephilia a strong sense of class & pedigree. Plus, there are a few more strings to Gorephilia's bow than that as they also possess a darker, murkier & slightly doomy Immolation/Incantation vibe that drags the atmosphere deeper into graveyard territory.

The guitar solos are perhaps the weak point as they lack a little finesse & often cross over into out-of-key territory but not in a way that feels intentional. It's more from a lack of understanding. The battering blast-beats, swampy yet powerful guitar tone & monstrous death growls more than make up for them though with the quality of the song-writing improving noticeably as the tracklisting progresses. "Devotion Upon the Worm", "Not for the Weak" & closer "Ark of the Undecipherable" are all devastating examples of modern death metal but the atmospheric interlude "Death Dream" is perhaps my favourite inclusion with its clean guitar arpeggios & eerie yet quite beautiful lead work providing a lovely change of scene before the final deathly assault. "In The Eye Of Nothing" is everything that a death metal band should aspire to be in my opinion & has been so successful in its undertaking that I'd even go so far as to sit it right alongside its more celebrated influences at the table of death metal's more elite performers.

4.5/5

Stortregn - "Finitude" (2023)

The sixth full-length from this Swiss outfit is arguably their best & has had me thoroughly engaged over the last couple of days. Forget the tech death talk that's floating around the internet as that tag is not expansive enough to cover Stortregn's sound which sits right in the middle of the space between melodic death metal & progressive death metal with smatterings of Dissection style melodic black metal also entering the equation to go with the really effective raspy blackened vocals. The level of musicianship is wonderfully proficient, particularly the drumming with the ultra-fast blast-beats being astoundingly tight & powerful. I'm not usually a big melodeath fan but I have to make an exception with "Finitude" as it gets the balance of extremity & ambition just right. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I would place it behind only At The Gates' magnificent "Slaughter of the Soul" record for the melodeath subgenre as a whole which I'm aware is a very big call.

4/5

A full single track EP Daniel.  I applaud this choice.  I love me some Gorguts!  I thoroughly enjoyed istening to this track through as the highlight of a list that was strong overall I thought.

You are never going to go too far wrong with a list containing Demilich, Nihilist, Darkthrone, Repulsion, Bolt Thrower, Carnage, Morbid Angel and Nile.   

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 2023.

Below are the releases that are currently competing for the prestigious 2023 The Horde Cover of the Year Award (i.e. they rate at least 3.7 and have 3 or more ratings). The winner will be announced on the 1st of February, so there's still time to get your ratings in.

Neuropath - At Damnation's Core

Bodyfarm - Ultimate Abomination

Demon King - Vesania

Sulphur Aeon - Seven Crowns and Seven Seals

Catacomb - When the Stars Are Right

Suotana - Ounas I

7 H.Target - Yantra Creating

Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant for Us

Darkthrone - Goatlord: Original

If you want to contribute and rate some covers, the easiest way is to go to The Gallery and select The Horde and 2023.

https://metal.academy/gallery?cid=4&type=overall_cover_rating&myRating=&fromYear=2023&toYear=2023&exclude=0

I look forward to seeing which release gets up for the win!

Still a quiet week at work this week so managed to get through all of the playlists for my clans before end of first week of Jan.  From this list I still confess to being in a bit of a rut with death metal of late so I did skip a few tracks (Epiphanic Truth, Pyrrhon, Amon Amarth, Anata and Sacrilege all got short shrift).  My positives came in the form of Edge of Sanity, Setentia,  Neuropath and Death.  I have zero time for Cattle Decapitation though, have never understood the hype around the band at all and this track did nothing to change that opinion.

I cannot lay any claim to being a source of much knowledge when it comes to death metal, having come to it quite late on. I turned away from metal during the nineties and was listening to hardly any, let alone the burgeoning death metal scene, at the time of the release of Neuropath's two demos in '95 and '96 that make up the contents of this compilation. Luckily for us all, we have the inside track on this release from the horse's mouth, so to speak, in the shape of Academy co-creator Daniel, lead guitarist and songwriter with the Sydney brutal DM pathfinders. From the CD liner notes and the interview with Hessian Firm, it is apparent that Daniel and vocalist Mark see the evolution between the earlier demo, Nefarious Vivisection, and the later, Desert of Excruciation, as a quantum leap in both technical and songwriting abilities. I certainly would not disagree with this assessment as the technical skills on show are obviously much improved and the songwriting has matured with an increased emphasis on technicality and complexity that is testament to the hard work and dedication that the guys put into the band during what amounts to just a few months between the recording of the two demos.

Now I don't know if Daniel and the rest of the band may consider this blasphemous, but I must sheepishly admit that I like the tracks from Nefarious Vivisection a bit more than the Desert of Excruciation material. I guess it has become apparent that I am a bit of a caveman when it comes to my taste in metal, the more technical, avant-garde, experimental stuff often leaves me cold and I would much rather have something relentlessly brutal and bludgeoning than any number of time-changes and finger-knotting guitar leads and to this end Nefarious Vivisection fills my criteria perfectly. The filthy-sounding riffs stick in my head better than the more complex stuff of the DoE tracks, Masticated Cadaver and the closer here, Rectal Palpitation, being the favourites that stick with me most. Then the clincher is the absolutely fucking brutal vocals supplied by Mark that are some of the best death metal vocals I have ever heard, rivalling Reifert, Vincent, Chuck and even Demilich's Antti Boman.

I really love digging through early metal demos and, sure, there are a lot of poorly-recorded shit out there, but sometimes you find a genuine pearl or two and I would suggest that is exactly what we have here, a rugged, uncut death metal diamond. I now have a CD copy with pride of place in my collection, nestling next to Diabolical Conquest and Altars of Madness where it belongs!

4.5/5

I will get around to a full Neuropath album review eventually but this track underlines the Suffocation influence brilliantly for me.  The diving guitars and stop/start rhythms are great.

I'm not surprised that you've picked up the clear Suffocation influence in that particular track either as it was the last song I wrote for the "Desert of Excruciation" demo & "Pierced From Within" was the biggest release for me that year. I'm sure everyone's well aware that they're still my favourite band to this day too.

For the record, I share your struggles with the melodic death metal subgenre too.

I've done my review. Here's its summary:

I felt up to facing one of my worst enemies, the heavier side of death metal. This is the kind of devilish aggression I'm normally in a feud with, and yet I can't help but take it on. The chaotic nature smashes me around and leaves me breathless. It's so horrifying yet so good! OK, I have to agree that this isn't death metal per se. Imagine blending together the standard death metal that you might find in 90s Hypocrisy and Bolt Thrower with the sludgy side of Neurosis and Will Haven, and a bit of Entombed's Wolverine Blues. You end up getting an excellent extreme death 'n' roll/sludge/groove metal sound, that barely any other band has tried, with songs ranging from sludgy and melancholic, to dynamic and groove-filled, to deathly while still melodic but not overly melodic, all in monstrous guitars, annihilating bass, devastating drums, and inhumane vocals. So get ready to face a true powerful beast!

4.5/5

Edge of Sanity - Crimson (1996)

Edge of Sanity are completely new to me and I have only come to Crimson via a project I am running on RYM. My time is a bit limited at the minute, so I have only given it a solitary listen yet, but this has very definitely grabbed my attention. Although I am a massive fan of progressive rock, there are only a few prog metal albums I rate very highly. Often the metallic version of prog leaves me cold, but this was great. At times it's death metal chugging has me desperately yearning for a good headbanging session (neck injuries notwithstanding), whilst at others it's touch is far more subtle and emotionally engaging. There are even sections of the sole forty minute track that take me back to my old gothic rock worshipping times, with the vocalist doing a more than credible Andrew Eldritch impression. Musically interesting, without resorting to excessive technicality or avant-garde pretensions and whilst still engaging the primal headbanger in me, this is scintillating stuff and although I don't have time for replays just yet, this is absolutely a release I will be returning to and hopefully will be able to deliver a full review for.

I'm going to assign a provisional 4/5, but suspect this may increase when I give it the time it so obviously deserves.

Suffocation - "Reincremated" demo (1990)

The crude demo tape represents the beginning of a life-long love affair between myself & New York brutal death metallers Suffocation. It's also where death metal reached the next level in both brutality as well as technicality. "Reincremated" shows off a previously unparallelled level of intensity & sophistication & pretty much single-handedly created a new sub-genre of death metal. Although all of these tracks were re-recorded in later years, the song structures & performances stayed pretty much the same which really highlights how fully realised these pieces were even at this early stage. There's no out-of-time sections or mistakes that were so common with other death metal demos of the time & you can easily tell that these guys were the real deal. The hyper-speed blast beats, the monstrous vocals & the twisted nature of the guitar solos all became part of the signature Suffocation sound & claimed thousands of immitators world-wide. It's a landmark release for brutal death metal & for myself as a teenage tape trader in the early 1990's.

4/5

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Horde has been nominated by myself. It's 2018's "Within a World Forgotten" debut album from US death/war metal outfit Infernal Coil, a record which royally ripped my face off at the time through its sheer ferocity.

https://metal.academy/releases/13675

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi?si=39a8716e43f344ce

Tracklisting:

01. Sadist – “Perversion Lust Orgasm” (from “Crust”, 1997)

02. Amorphis – “On Rich & Poor” (from “Elegy”, 1996)

03. Adramalech – “The Book Of The Worm” (from “Psychostasia”, 1996) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

04. Edge of Sanity – “Crimson, Pt. 1” (from “Crimson”, 1996) [Submitted by Daniel]

05. Godgory – “In Silence Forever” (from “Sea of Dreams”, 1995)

06. VoidCeremony – “Forlorn Portrait: Ruins of an Ageless Slumber” (from “Threads of Unknowing”, 2023) [Submitted by Daniel]

07. Hypocrisy – “Roswell 47” (from “Abducted”, 1996)

08. Baring Teeth – “An Illusion of Multiple Voices” (from “Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins”, 2014)

09. Pestilence – “Malleus Maleficarum/Anthropomorphia” (from “Malleus Maleficarum”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

10. Blind Equation – “Fade Away” (from “Death Awaits”, 2023)

11. Immolation – “Burn With Jesus” (from “Here In After”, 1996) [Submitted by Sonny]

12. Vader – “Blood Of Kingu” (from “De Profundis”, 1995) [Submitted by Sonny]

13. Deicide – “They Are The Children Of The Underworld” (from “Once Upon The Cross”, 1995) [Submitted by Sonny]

14. Leng Tch’e – “Derisive Conscience” (from “The Process of Elimination”, 2005)

15. Torture Rack – “Forced From The Pit” (from “Primeval Onslaught”, 2023) [Submitted by Sonny]

16. Nile – “I Whisper In The Ear Of The Dead” (from “In Their Darkened Shrines”, 2002) [Submitted by Daniel]

17. Oni – “Creature of Chaos” (from “Incantation Superstition”, 2023) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. Necrophobic – “Nailing The Holy One” (from “Darkside”, 1997) [Submitted by Sonny]

19. Gorerotted – “Dead Drunk” (from “A New Dawn For The Dead”, 2005)

20. Cryptopsy – “Pathological Frolic” (from “Blasphemy Made Flesh”, 1994) [Submitted by Sonny]

21. Birdflesh – “Coffinfucker” (from “Night of the Ultimate Mosh”, 2002)

22. Exumed – “Clawing” (from “Horror”, 2019) [Submitted by Sonny]

23. Abyssal – “I Am The Alpha & The Omega” (from “Antikatastaseis”, 2015)

24. Altarage – “Cataract” (from “Worst Case Scenario”, 2023) [Submitted by UnhinderedbyTalent]

25. First Days of Humanity – “Chainsaw Dripping With Cum” (from “Atrocities” E.P., 2020)

26. Circle of Dead Children – “Destiny Of The Slug” (from “Human Harvest”, 2003)

27. Last Days Of Humanity – “Garbagebag With Human Waste” (from “Last Days of Humanity/Lymphatic Phlegm” split, 2004)

28. Phyllomedusa – “Covered With Slime As Decoration II” (from “Desiccation in Progress (Version II)”, 2011) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Napalm Death – “Morbid Deceiver” (from “The Curse” E.P., 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

30. Ozigiri – “Girl At The Grave” (from “おじぎりなら死にましたけど?” E.P., 2020)

31. XavlegbmaofffassssitimiwoamndutroabcwapwaeiippohfffX – “Gore” (from “Gore” E.P., 2016) [Submitted by Daniel]

32. Disgorge – “Womb Full Of Scabs” (from “She Lay Gutted”, 1999)

33. Regurgitation – “Acid Enema” (from “Tales of Necrophilia”, 1999)

34. Coprocephalic – “Concrete Exhumation” (from “Gluttonous Chunks”, 2013)

35. Vulvectomy – “Abdominal Ectopic Pregnancy” (from “Abusing Dismembered Beauties”, 2013)

At least some of the material on "The Sound of Perseverance" was originally intended for Chuck's clean-sung progressive metal project Control Denied so it's hardly surprising that it doesn't sound like death metal.

Here's my review from a year or so back:

As most diehard extreme metal fans will know, there’s a rare & highly desirable brand of metal that is destined to forever bubble away beneath the service of the underground scene, leaving its blackened mark on only a chosen few who share knowing nods in dark, smoky dungeons of metal worship without ever daring to give up their unholy secret to those deemed to be unworthy. This particular brand of metal isn’t about glossy production jobs, technical prowess or pushing genres into previously untraversed territories. It’s about presenting extreme metal in it’s most evil & primal form & generally resides within the confines of the unholy trio of extreme metal subgenres i.e. thrash metal, death & black metal. The exact ratio of an artist’s composition isn’t important but it dare not step outside of those three. Additionally, there needs to be an element of mystery about the artist in question with much left to the listener’s imagination. It also helps a lot if these artists have never released an album but existed for just a relatively short time, releasing only a few crude demos, 7 inches or limited edition EPs so that the audience can always be left wondering what could have been & if the most pure realization of metal should stay in the underground forever. Sadistic Intent is one of these acts & I love them all the more for it.

I first discovered this underground Los Angeles death metal outfit back in the early 1990’s through the tape trading scene. From memory I found their 1990 “Impending Doom…” E.P. to be pretty interesting but it wouldn’t be until their 1994 “Resurrection” E.P. that they’d really get me raising an eyebrow or two with their talent for creating raw, dark & authentic old school death metal falling right in line with my musical preference at the time. I followed them onwards in the hope that I’d eventually see a full-length album being released at some stage. I’m glad I didn’t hold my breath because that’s still yet to eventuate but they did manage to release another excellent E.P. before drifting out of my sight in 1997’s highly regarded three-track effort “Ancient Black Earth”.

To cut to the chase, Sadistic Intent are a pure death metal band in the traditional sense of the term. They don’t provide a good imitation of late 80’s death metal here. "Ancient Black Earth" IS late 80’s death metal. It’s just that it was written, recorded & released in 1997. See what I’m getting at? These dudes simply get it. They understand what’s required to create a genuine old-school death metal atmosphere as they’ve clearly lived it. This sort of approach has become somewhat of a trend over the last decade or so & has seen lesser bands elevated to much higher levels of acclaim & fandom than Sadistic Intent can ever hope to achieve. They really are their own worst enemies as not releasing a full-length is never a great marketing ploy but one gets the feeling that they don't really care. The quality of their material however is very hard to deny.

It won’t take you long to figure out who Sadistic Intent were listening to around 1989. I’ll give you a hint. They start with “M” & end with “orbid Angel”. Ya with me? The short 16 minute duration of the “Ancient Black Earth” E.P. sounds almost exactly like “Altars Of Madness” & “Blessed Are The Sick” at times which certainly can’t be a bad thing now, can it? Are they as good as Trey & co? Well… in a word no but then who is? I mean “Altars Of Madness” is the still the greatest death metal release of all time in my opinion so I’ll take whatever I can get. Very few artists have been able to accurately replicate the riff structures that Trey Azagthoth created back in Morbid Angel's hey day but Rick Cortez & Vince Cervera make a really good fist of it here & even do a pretty decent job at the insanely chaotic guitar solos too even though they’re not in the same league as far as technical ability goes. The blast beats at the start & end of the title track (my personal fave) sound like they’ve been torn straight from Morbid Angel’s “Blasphemy” & I frankly lose my shit when that happens. Then you toss in some super-evil yet easily intelligible Dave Vincent-style death growls of pure darkness & I’m 100% in… hook, line & sinker. There are also a few riffs tossed in that remind me more of the early 90’s Swedish death metal sound but they’re very well done & still manage to maintain a blasphemous & undeniably evil atmosphere.

If you’re a fan of 80’s & early 90’s death metal then you probably owe it to yourself to give this E.P. a spin or four. “Ancient Black Earth” provides categorical proof that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make high quality extreme metal. Sadistic Intent deliver on their promise with passion, substance & an unquestionable pedigree & in doing so prove themselves worthy of standing alongside their idols. This is underground death metal of a very high quality.

For fans of Morbid Angel, Repugnant & Mortem.

4/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi?si=ffc0c97f8f9a4361

Tracklisting:

01. Ceremonial Oath – “The Day I Buried” (from “Carpet”, 1995)

02. Nightfall – “Ishtar (Celebrate Your Beauty)” (from “Athenian Echoes”, 1995)

03. Quo Vadis – “Legions of the Betrayed” (from “Forever”, 1996)

04. Pyrrhon – “The Mother of Virtues” (from “The Mother of Virtues”, 2014)

05. Morbid – “My Dark Subconscious” (from “December Moon” demo, 1986) [Submitted by Sonny]

06. A Canorous Quintet – “Through Endless Illusions” (from “As Tears” E.P., 1995)

07. Sarmat – “Formed From Filth” (from “Determined To Strike”, 2023) [Submitted by Daniel]

08. FesterDecay – “Rotten Fester Decay” (from “Reality Rotten to the Core”, 2023)

09. Nile – “Wrought” (from “Festivals of Atonement” E.P., 1995) [Submitted by Sonny]

10. Necrophobic – “Unholy Prophecies” (from “The Nocturnal Silence”, 1993) [Submitted by Sonny]

11. Obituary – “Intoxicated” (from “Slowly We Rot”, 1989) [Submitted by Vinny]

12. Gorguts – “Condemned to Obscurity” (from “The Erosion of Sanity”, 1993) [Submitted by Sonny]

13. Frozen Soul – “Atomic Winter” (from “Glacial Domination”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

14. Celestial Sanctuary – “Biomineralization (Cell Death)” (from “Insatiable Thirst For Torment”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Defleshed – “One Grave To Fit Them All” (from “Grind Over Matter”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

16. Tribal Gaze – “Cold Devotion” (from “The Nine Choirs”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Brutality – “These Walls Shall Be Your Grave” (from “Screams of Anguish”, 1993) [Submitted by Sonny]

18. As The Sun Sets – “Untitled One” (from “7744”, 2002)

19. Aevangelist – “Hosanna” (from “Writhes in the Murk”, 2014)

20. Internal Bleeding – “Inhuman Suffering” (from “Voracious Contempt”, 1995) [Submitted by Daniel]

21. Suffocation – “Rapture of Revocation” (from “Pinnacle of Bedlam”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

22. Goemagot – “Too Decomposed to Rape” (from “Eradication of Insignificant Beings”, 2013)

23. The Red Chord – “Fixation on Plastics” (from “Clients”, 2005)

24. Disgorge – “Deranged Epidemic” (from “Cranial Impalement”, 1999)

25. Archagathus – “Drunk As Fuck” (from “Dehumanizer”, 2014)

26. Full of Hell – “Burning Myrrh” (from “Weeping Choirs”, 2019) [Submitted by Daniel]

27. Napalm Death – “Sometimes” (from “From Enslavement To Obliteration”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

Following my immediate purchase on CD of VoidCeremony's debut album in 2020 after just a couple of streams online, I was keeping an eye out for the follow up for what felt like an eternity. With its bass-heavy presence the debut took the prog element of prog-death and put it on a plinth all of its own before surrounding it with some great OSDM vibes to ground proceedings nicely. Some three years later and Threads of Unknowing picks up essentially where Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel left off. Damon Good's bass still commands a lot of attention (and rightly so) and that OSDM vibe is still present also, thankfully.

The main immediate difference to note this time is that production job that makes the drums sound like the are incredibly brittle. Despite the obvious hard work of Charles Koryn, his efforts are stifled somewhat by knob-twiddler, Gabriele Gramaglia. The leads shine well enough though. Soaring and uplifting, they do a quality job of expanded the soundscape of Threads... without giving us any pretentious traits to get annoyed over, These, cleaner, more progressive elements are the strongest part of the album for me and I agree that VoidCermony do work better as a progressive outfit as opposed to a technical/prog-death band. I do not have a problem with the vocals actually. I can see where the aversion comes from but I find them perfectly acceptable.

Whilst I am not as instantly blown away by their sophomore album, I still find Threads of Unknowing to be a solid record and one that does grow with each listen. Yes, it is bottom-heavy, with the second half of the record easily outstripping the first half, but this is still a mighty fine album, delivered by some very professional sounding individuals. Drums aside, I have no real issue here.

4/5

XavlegbmaofffassssitimiwoamndutroabcwapwaeiippohfffX - "Gore" E.P. (2016)

I’d suggest that most Metal Academics are probably fairly aware of the fact that subgenres like slam death metal & deathcore are unfairly treated on most other metal websites. In fact, this was one of the major reasons for Ben & I even starting to discuss the possibility of a Metal Academy site in the first place. In saying that though, there are some pockets of the subgenres I mentioned that are more maligned than others & it's hardly surprising that South Africa’s XavlegbmaofffassssitimiwoamndutroabcwapwaeiippohfffX (short for Acidic Vaginal Liquid Explosion Generated by Mass Amounts of Filthy Fecal Fisting and Sadistic Septic Syphilic Sodomy Inside the Infected Maggot Infested Womb of a Molested Nun Dying Under the Roof of a Burning Church While a Priest Watches and Ejaculates In Immense Perverse Pleasure Over His First Fresh Fetus) fit into that bracket now, is it? I mean, you could be forgiven for making the immediate assumption that they’re a novelty band because the reality is that they clearly are, not only because of their ridiculous moniker & completely absurd logo but also because they also seem to want to showcase & highlight all of the commonly criticized traits from both genres. While that may be true though, sometimes I just find that I like what I like & how cool I may appear is not something that I've ever been too concerned with.

2016’s “Gore” E.P. was the Durban duo’s first release with Kris Xenopoulos (Vulvodynia) handling all of the instrumentation & Duncan Bentley (Vulvodynia/Wormhole) taking on all vocal duties. The sound you can expect to hear sits somewhere between slam death metal & deathcore with a slightly stronger emphasis on the former even though the breakdowns often tend to angle a touch more towards the other direction. Kris’ performance behind the drum kit is worth mentioning as he possesses some impressive chops for someone that’s presumably more of a guitarist based on his prior experience. The blast-beat sections are amongst the strongest components to the band’s sound & are accentuated by a bright & crystal-clear mix that brings the kick drums right to the front. It’s a really well produced little E.P. actually which admittedly isn’t all that uncommon for groups that tackle these sort of niche subgenres these days.

Duncan’s vocal performance offers a bit of variety. He’ll no doubt annoy those who can’t stand a pig-squealed “BBBBRRREEEEEE” or two because he seems to be consciously trying to highlight the absurdity of that technique here. He also displays some level of hardcore pedigree at times through some more aggressive beatdown-style deathcore rants. Another element that might piss of the purists out there is XavlegbmaofffassssitimiwoamndutroabcwapwaeiippohfffX’s tendency to indulge in a bit of humour, both lyrically & instrumentally. You won’t understand the lyrics but I’m led to believe that they’re particularly silly (see the weakest inclusion "Dicks Out For Harambe" for example) while the random u-turns into disparate musical genres like djent, groove metal or even jazz require an open-mind but are well-executed nonetheless.

Look, I’m not gonna suggest that any non-believers try “Gore” on for their very first slam or deathcore experience but it’s not half bad when taken on musical value alone. I love me some brutal death metal & there’s certainly some brutality about this stuff. I’m also a bit of a sucker for decent production jobs in my extreme metal & it ticks that box too. I can’t see myself giving this twelve-minute release too many revisits in the future but fans of artists like Acrania, Ingested or the previously-mentioned Vulvodynia will no doubt find some appeal in this unfairly maligned piece of over-the-top extreme music.

3.5/5

So, my first time checking out the Horde playlist as a bona fide member of the clan. Top discoveries for me this month were Horrendous and the unpronouncable Sanguisugabogg with their charmingly-titled Testicular Rot. Others that caught my ear were 200 Stab Wounds, Splatterhouse and Torture Rack.

Immolation, Bloodbath, Tzompantli, Atheist and Teitanblood are familiar already and were represented by great tracks.

I didn't really care for Fleshvessel, Geryon, The HIRS Collective, Waking The Cadaver and Aborted - but I still have much to learn!

All in all, great fun and an enjoyable listen.

So now that I have (finally) completed the Death Metal the 1st Decade clan challenge, I think I will put this thread to bed now. I have thoroughly enjoyed this time travel back to the late 80s / early 90s via the early releases of death metal and have found some absolute corkers to keep me going for many a year. As a bit of a death metal skeptic going in, it just goes to show that you can teach an old dog new tricks! I have discovered plenty of new favourites and believe I now have a much better understanding of a genre I had merely scratched the surface of before. This is not the end of my death metal exploration, not by a long shot, but I don't need this thread to log it any more and so will bring it to a close now. Thanks for indulging me and for joining me for the ride...

For all the influence and respect that Suffocation (rightfully) receive across the extreme metal community, their game plan is not particularly a difficult one to follow. With the talent in the band it seems almost effortless for them to take the depths of brutality and the fast flowing torrents of technicality and combine them into this vicious and yet measured assault that I have come to enjoy over the years. Whether it is the frenzied attack of the debut album some fifteen years before this or the tangible and tactile structures of Pierced From Within or Effigy of the Forgotten, the band have medals of honour littered throughout their discography. Yet, at the same time they have "the rest of their discography". The likes of Despise the Sun, Blood Oath and indeed this month's feature release never get anywhere near the same levels of rotation as the aforementioned releases do. Within minutes of listening to the self-titled it is clear that this most certainly is not Pierced from Within, but then again I would not want it to be in all honesty. Despite not living up to that standard, Suffocation is by no means a bad or even mediocre death metal album.

The album feels restrained in its delivery yes, but by no means is this at the expense of entertainment and most certainly is not Suffocation going soft. Instead, the record feels like it is simply exploring all the good parts of the bands sound in glorious detail. By varying the pace across the record, the band create a celebration of themselves. They leave themselves completely exposed in some regards but the quality of the song writing is so high that there is little to no threat here for them. Tracks like Bind Torture Kill explore the full gamut of their range and you can hear the old school roots of their existence shining through very clearly. As we have come to expect, Hobbs' guitar laying is nothing short of exemplary and original guitarist Guy Marchais supports well also. Mullen, of course, can do no wrong as we already know and puts in a consistent and entertaining performance throughout with his clear yet still inherently extreme vocals providing their grim and scathing attack as always.

I feel like there are times when the drums of Mike Smith get a bit of a poor representation in the mix (opening track Oblivion springs to mind as being a noticeable point of this issue for me) but there is still enough weight to them to make them an integral part of the overall experience. With so much quality on show, I guess mixing the record to let all parts shine is a challenge I personally would not want to take on so Joe Cincotta has my sympathy on this. But there is nothing here to take away from this self-homage that Suffocation create on a record that needs a lot more attention from me than it has had to date. Bangers like Entrails of You are evidence that there is more than just shock value to the content of Suffocation, their brand of extremity has thought and feel behind it.  

4/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi?si=604056b7251a4b8a

Tracklisting:

01. Nocturnal Graves – “Beyond The Flesh” (from “An Outlaw’s Stand”, 2022) [Submitted by Daniel]

02. Phlebotomized – “Bury My Heart” (from “Clouds of Confusion”, 2023)

03. Contrarian – “In Gehenna” (from “Sage Of Shekhinah”, 2023)

04. Sadist – “Escogido” (from “Tribe”, 1996)

05. In Flames – “Stand Ablaze” (from “Subterranean” E.P., 1995)

06. Balmora – “July, Unending” (from “With Thorns Of Glass & Petals Of Grief” E.P., 2023)

07. Hellwitch – “Delegated Disruption” (from “Annihilational Intercention”, 2023)

08. Torture Rack – “Morning Star Massacre” (from “Primeval Onslaught”, 2023)

09. Creeping Death – “Intestinal Wrap” (from “Boundless Domain”, 2023)

10. Apparition – “Unequilibrium” (from “Feel”, 2021) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Bandit – “End Of The Rainbow” (from “Siege of Self”, 2023)

12. Ulcerate – “Confronting Entropy” (from “Vermis”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

13. Gigan – “Electro-Stimulated Hallucinatory Response” (from “Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery & Super Science”, 2013)

14. Houkago Grind Time – “Bakyunsified (Moe To The Gore)“ (from “Saving The World By Overloading It With Mincecore Brigade“ E.P., 2019)

15. Cavalera – “War” (from “Morbid Visions”, 2023)

16. Blind Equation – “BXE666” (from “Born To Die” E.P., 2020)

17. Aevangelist – “Veils” (from “Omen Ex Simulacra”, 2013)

18. Crisis Sigil – “Skybox” (from “God Cum Poltergeist”, 2023)

19. Septage – “Of Gangrene Limbs” (from “Septisk eradikasyon” E.P., 2021)

20. Atavistia – “Cosmic Warfare” (from “Cosmic Warfare”, 2023)

21. Burnt By The Sun – “Buffy” (from “Burnt By The Sun” E.P., 2001)

22. ZOMBIESHARK! – “Idiot Machine” (from “Born From A Wish” E.P., 2022)

23. Cattle Decapitation – “Humanure” (from “Humanure”, 2004)

24. Deeds of Flesh – “Summarily Killed” (from “Path of the Weakening”, 1999)

25. Tithe – “Demon” (from “Inverse Rapture”, 2023)

26. Disfiguring The Goddess – “Black Earth Child” (from “Black Earth Child”, 2013)

27. Inhume – “Incineration Of The Body By Own Will” (from “In For The Kill”, 2003)

28. Suffocation – “Translucent Patterns of Delirium” (from “Suffocation”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

29. Acranius – “Life Sustainment Will Continue Mutilation” (from “When Mutation Becomes Homicidal”, 2013)

30. Katalepsy – “Lurking In The Depth” (from “Autopsychosis”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

31. Devangelic – “Which Shall Be The Darkness Of The Heretic” (from “Xul”, 2023)

I don't recall hearing a bad release by Bloodbath to date and Unblessing the Purity keeps this consistency going nicely. It is a nice break from the more traditional Swedish sound you would associate with the band and shows the bands versatility well.  If there was ever any doubt in anyone's mind around the ability of the reknowned artist that comprised the band at this time then this EP would immediately dispel them.  I note the references to Polish death metal which is not one of my preferred styles of death metal with me having very little time for Vader in all honesty.  However, there is a real bite to the riffing on this release that is so superbly tied into the percussion and vocal delivery that I find it exceeds those relevant comparisons pretty quickly.

This is Åkerfeldt at his very best for me.  No clean singing and throaty as that wolf in the main part of the great album artwork probably would be.  The guitar work, as well as being rhythmically superb, also generates fantastic atmosphere on tracks such as album opener Blasting the Virginborn.  Those urgent and stabbing riff sections really driving the tension of the track.  With its huge sound and tight performances, Unblessing the Purity is probably as perfect a 15 minute blast of raging death metal that you could ask for.

4/5

Sorry Vinny, but I'm struggling for time at the moment, so won't be making or taking part in review drafts for a while. If anyone else wants to participate, feel free to create one without me.

Was just about to post the same mate.  No activity here for me this month at least.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R0a3qxSe1XkOMxBN6gkwi?si=057fda8307e24890

Tracklisting:

01. Ascended Dead – “Abhorrent Manifestation” (from “Evenfall of the Apocalypse”, 2023)

02. Amorphis – “The Four Wise Ones” (from “Under The Red Cloud”, 2015) [Submitted by Daniel]

03. Violent Dirge – “Craving” (from “Craving”, 1995)

04. Helltrain – “Helltrain” (from “Route 666”, 2004)

05. Kalmah – “Red & Black” (from “Kalmah”, 2023)

06. Flourishing – “The Petrifaction Lottery” (from “Intersubjectivity” E.P., 2012)

07. Blindfolded & Led To The Woods – “Hallucinative Terror” (from “Rejecting Obliteration”, 2023)

08. Scar Symmetry – “Chrononautilus” (from “The Singularity (Phase II – Xenotaph)”, 2023)

09. Haggus – “Mince The Meat Monger” (from “Plausibility of Putridity”, 2018)

10. Carcass – “Fermenting Innards” (from “Reek of Putrefaction”, 1988) [Submitted by Daniel]

11. Gorguts – “An Ocean of Wisdom” (from “Colored Sands”, 2013) [Submitted by Daniel]

12. The Sawtooth Grin – “Good Touch Bad Touch” (from “Cuddlemonster”, 2001)

13. Rippikoulu – “Ukuinen piina” (from “Musta seremonia” demo, 1993) [Submitted by Daniel]

14. Rotborn – “Praise The Downfall” (from “On The Perspective Of An Imminent Downfall”, 2022) [Submitted by Vinny]

15. Frozen Soul – “Glacial Domination” (from “Glacial Domination”, 2023)

16. Entrails – “Crawling Death” (from “The Tomb Awaits”, 2011) [Submitted by Vinny]

17. Vomitory – “All Heads Are Gonna Roll” (from “All Heads Are Gonna Roll”, 2023)

18. Immolation – “Close To A World Below” (from “Close To A World Below”, 2000) [Submitted by Vinny]

19. Plague Bearer – “Rise Of The Goat” (from “Summoning Apocalyptic Devastation”, 2023)

20. Outer Heaven – “Rotting Stone/D.M.T.” (from “Infinite Psychic Depths”, 2023) [Submitted by Vinny]

21. Cannibal Corpse – “Infinite Misery” (from “Kill”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

22. Teitanblood – “Black Vertebrae” (from “The Baneful Choir”, 2019) [Submitted by Daniel]

23. Mortician – “Chainsaw Dismemberment” (from “Chainsaw Dismemberment”, 1999)

24. Impetuous Ritual – “Lecherous Molestation” (from “Iniquitous Barbarik Synthesis”, 2023)

25. Soilent Green – “Hand Me Downs” (from “A Deleted Symphony For The Beaten Down”, 2001)

26. Fear Factory – “Flesh Hold” (from “Soul of a New Machine”, 1992) [Submitted by Daniel]

27. Caustic Wound – “Invisible Cell” (from “Death Posture”, 2020) [Submitted by Vinny]

28. Disfiguring The Goddess – “Deaths Head Mask” (from “Deprive”, 2013)

29. Hate Eternal – “Nailed To Obscurity” (from “Conquering The Throne”, 1999)

30. Devourment – “Babykiller” (from “Butcher The Weak”, 2006) [Submitted by Daniel]

Oh, yes, nice one Vinny!

This is most definitely centred right on my death metal g-spot! The instant it's gloriously downtuned, cavernous riffage infested my earbuds, I was hooked. OK, it's Autopsy worship does absolutely nothing original, but is so well executed and is just so much to my taste that I don't intend to criticise it for not diverting from the template set down by Chris Reifert and company more than three decades ago now. Although the album as a whole is somewhat generic, in that they don't try to do anything unexpected, the band have a genuine grasp of what this corner of the death metal world requires.

The riffs are massive with some real killers amongst them, although they don't push the needle much beyond medium-paced with very little blasting even on the pacier sections, the beginning of Perpetually Altered probably marking the album's peak velocity. The subsonic vocals even rival Reifert's growls for sounding like the ravings of some infernal, abyssal demon and are a big part of the draw of Feel for me. The downtuned riffage and generally cavernous atmosphere make it feel more doomy than it actually is, as they don't stray into purely death doom territory as much as you think, slowing the pace to a crawl only for a short time during most tracks. Each of the tracks are artfully constructed and the variety in pacing throughout is worked very well. An extra layer of atmosphere is supplied on the most doom-laden track, Nonlocality, with the inclusion of thin but atmospheric keyboards that reminded me of the keys used by Thergothon on their classic Stream From the Heavens with the thinness of the keys' sound being in marked contrast to the meaty heft of the guitar sound.  The production is very effective with a cloying thickness to the atmosphere, whilst still possessing sufficient clarity to do each of the instruments justice and never descending into an indiscernable morass.

This is most definitely the kind of release I can revisit time after time as I live for this kind of cavernous sound, absorbing it like plants absorb sunlight. Consequently a vinyl copy is winging it's way from Amazon to Sonny's crypt-on-the-hill as we speak!

4.5/5

Yeah, I can't blame you for struggling with those gorenoise & cybergrind tracks (or the subgenres in general really) Sonny. I don't include those subgenres every month as they're just so niche. I only toss in the occasional tracks here & there to ensure a consistent coverage of all The Horde subgenres. I'm not sure that I can believe that there are people out there who claim one of those as their favourite subgenres but I recently had a bunch of people on Twitter getting very passionate & heated (read: condescending & aggressive) when I criticized a cybergrind release so you never know. I think I might be the only Metal Academic that can tolerate slam death metal. I can easily understand why people might not find it appealing though so let's just call it a guilty pleasure.

Blood Duster are nothing short of an Australian metal institution. It's against the law not to like them over here. Their sense of humor is stereotypically Australian so it wouldn't surprise me if some outsiders simply don't get it.

Blasted the playlist whilst out on an extended morning dog walk and enjoyed it immensely... well at least three quarters of it. I must admit that, much like last month as it seemed to end with more brutal death metal, it kind of lost me a bit. The Drumcorps track intrigued me as it almost sounded like a kind of cyber-sludge - I don't think I could listen to a whole album of it, but as a single track on a playlist it stood out as an interesting anachronism. I will also have to check Misery Index out - a band whose name I have seen around for what seems like ever, but never listened to before.

I'm thinking I've got a bit of an easy gig with the Fallen playlist as 15 or 16 tracks usually covers the two hours but Daniel (and Vinny on the Pit playlist) have to come up with twice that number of tracks to fill two hours - well done lads for your admirable perseverance.

A nasty little burst of abrasive and aggressive grindcore that will give your ear'oles a good pummelling with most of it's ten tracks. It isn't exactly relentless, however as the two longest tracks are delivered at a more considered pace, but it is generally speaking an exercise in nothing less than aural violence. There is blasting aplenty and drummer Taylor Young is given a pretty intense workout, but luckily he seems more than up to the task. The guitar tone is brilliant, aided I believe by Kurt Ballou of Converge who was producer on "Abandon All Life", and maintains a terrific clarity despite it's thick crunchy sound.

The two slower tracks, that is " Wide Open Wound" and closer "Suum Cuique" are, unsurprisingly I suppose, the ones that appeal to me most, as they deliver more on the atmosphere front with looming, menacing riffs rather than just trying to blow your balls off! I guess grindcore records have to be taken as an overall package and the adrenaline-fuelling effect of the majority of the genre's output is the main thing as most of the songs display only minor differences in a lot of cases, and that is the case with some of the faster material here, but those slower tracks do give the listener a foothold into the tracklisting and "Suum Cuique" is actually a very effective, slower and brooding end to the record.

Where it loses marks for me, in what has become a bit of a theme with this month's features, is the vocal department. I prefer grindcore with a vocalist whose vocals are a bit more OSDM sounding like Barney Greenway or Terrorizer's Oscar Garcia and although Todd Jones doesn't actually hit "shouty toddler" level, he still sounds a bit metalcore-ish for my taste. The vocals aren't bad enough to be a deal breaker, though, and on the whole I did enjoy this a lot, it's variation in pacing and generally excellent instrumentation being huge plusses.

4/5

Carcass - "Reek of Putrefaction" (1988)

I've always struggled with Carcass' debut album to be honest. Between the appalling production, woeful lead guitar tone & ridiculously over-the-top vocal performances, it all simply sounds a little silly to my ears. Of course, there was nothing quite like it at the time & it's gone on to influence a multitude of bands that became infatuated with the novelty but I have to admit that I find it hard to take seriously. I know it's not meant to be but I LIKE to take my extreme metal seriously if you know what I mean. Perhaps the fact that I was introduced to the band through the far superior "Symphonies of Sickness" sophomore effort has made it a bit harder to appreciate "Reek of Putrefaction"? I dunno but at least I've managed to increase my rating just a touch since my last revisit, mainly off the back of the shorter & more brutal material as I'm not a huge fan of the groovier grind stuff. I'm afraid I don't see that rating ever moving higher than it is now though.

3/5

Death - "Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)" (2001)

This archival live album was released by Death's label Nuclear Blast in order to raise money to assist Chuck Schuldiner's family in supporting Chuck through his futile quest to fight off the brainstem tumor that eventually killed him & I'd hazard to guess that it probably wouldn't have seen the light of day if Chuck had anything to do with it as the production is very rough & bootleg-ish & the performances aren't amazing at times either. But considering that I never got the chance to see Death play live, I'll take this record as it's about as close as I'm going to get really. These recordings were taken from the 1998 tour for Death's final record "The Sound Of Perseverance" which came just after Chuck's peak period in my opinion. For that reason, Atheist & Pestilence fans would likely have been rejoicing at a setlist that's heavily weighted towards the most progressive material in Death's back catalogue with only a couple of tracks included from the first few albums for those still proudly donning their decaying Possessed "Seven Churches" t-shirts. It's hard to be too critical of a setlist that looks like one though. It's absolutely chock full of classics but it's hard not to feel that many of them have had their potency curtailed a bit by the production & performance issues with only the two-track run of "Together As One" & "Empty Words" managing to truly maintain their elite status. The fact that Chuck had elected to maintain the new higher-pitched death growl he'd adopted for the "The Sound of Perseverance" across the entire tracklisting hasn't helped matters as it's certainly not as effective as his classic style. That's not to say that there's anything even resembling a weak track amongst this lot though & I'd suggest that any Death fan worth his salt should have a copy of this album &/or the accompanying video.

4/5

Note: Ben's review is excellent & says everything that needs to be said about "Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)" so I didn't feel the need to extend myself to a full review.

Well, the weather's getting better here in the UK, so I can spend more times outdoors and the monthly playlists are excellent company whilst working in the garden or whatever. As a result I managed to squeeze this month's Horde playlist in and got a lot from it. I didn't have the actual tracklist in front of me while listening, so I'm not too sure who played what, but it was an enjoyable listen nonetheless. Yes, there were some tracks that weren't up my alley, the cybergrind of Whourkr (I think it was) is something I don't think I will ever come round to. Similarly some of the slam death towards the back end of the playlist wasn't really for me. Other than that, though, there was plenty of great stuff, the first ten tracks were a brilliant start and one in particular I checked out later was the Benediction track, a band I have heard a lot about, but not listened to much, but will definitely do so going forward. So nice work Daniel and hopefully I will try to check out the Horde playlist every month.

It's unanimous then - this one's a real winner for the features feature!