Hey there freaks and geeks, Trevor Strnad AKA The Obituarist reporting live from the road on the current TBDM summer tour with some sick new suggestions to beef up your end of summer playlists. We’ve had a few bad ass festival stops and a handful of club shows with Dying Fetus, Goatwhore and Ghost Bath, one of which was with Converge… what more can a guy ask for? How about some new tunes to play in his headphones to get him from town to town?
As usual, there’s no shortage of fresh and awesome stuff to spotlight this month. I have a pretty wide mix of styles here as those seem to the be columns you guys react to the most, plus I think it’s been a slightly dry season for brutal death metal… so perhaps a little less brutality in my picks overall this time, but for no lack of extremity, trust me! Thanks to all at Metal Injection for having me and for all of you for stopping by. Without further adieu, here’s 21 tips on some scorching new extreme metal!
Baptism – V:The Devil's Fire
I was not surprised to see that long running Finnish black metaller(s) Baptism, headed by only constant member and brainchild Lord Sargofagian, had been swept up by France’s Season Of Mist label… I feel like they’ve really had their finger to the pulse in recent years; always expanding and sharpening their eclectic roster. I was however surprised to hear how dynamic the album is and just how un-Darkthrone it is overall… guess I haven’t checked in on Baptism in a while… its apparent they’ve been undergoing some kind of metamorphosis whilst I was away… this is way more eclectic than the earlier output. There are still nods to the two man Norwegian wunderkind but largely the band has moved away from the cold and dreary world of Transilvanian Hunger cloneage (that Northern Heritage records has become known for) to more colorful ground… I would say this has more akin with Taake or Trelldom… it has some really freezin’ tremolo riffage and great feels all around. There is a gripping professionality to V: The Devil’s Fire that only a master of his craft could achieve; and surrounded by the right group of players, Lord Sargofagian has brought forth a fine contender for Black Metal album of the year.
Grab it here
Blood Incantation – Starspawn
This album is so good I forgot all about the shitty day I was having when I started listening to it… it’s transcendental n’ shit! Seriously, I could not think about anything else but following these hypnotic Colorado-an death peddlers down their endless rabbit hole of wretched OSDM greatness… it’s all-consuming, suffocating and maddening music that will rattle you to your very core. These guys are about to be huge… well, in underground death metal terms. I predict major waves and much success for their upcoming fall tour of the US… this music is surely something that has to be seen to be believed. The air is thick with anticipation; reviewers and bloggers and fans alike everywhere are frothing at the gash at the bizarre alien spectacle that is Blood Incantation’s Starspawn, and I am one of them. After last years successful Interdimensional Extinction EP thrust its weird hooks into headbangers everywhere, we were left wanting more as Blood Incantation returned to the chasm of darkened Colorado from whence they were hatched to concoct this epic, sprawling full length outing; combining aspects of funeral doom, warped Finnish death metal ala Demilich and a myriad of other sounds and textures, the writhing Starspawn was (fantastically) born. Their sound is one so alien that its hard to describe with the words of this earthen plane, these guys have truly opened a doorway to somewhere else with their shambling, shape-shifting harrowing approach. Truly otherworldly. Truly abyssal! With ties to dismal death doom quartet Spectral Voice… you simply cannot go wrong here. I am beyond pumped to see them with Nucleus and Temple Of Void here in Detroit… I can’t think of a better line up than that. Here’s to The Old Ones, the beers I’ll drink that night and to everyone smart enough to pick this album up… fans of Chthe'ilist should take note!
Grab it here
City – On The Edge Of Forever
City… What a cool name for this kind of band… I had an inkling this would be on the progressive side of the tracks with that sweet logo and artwork and I was correct in my assumption. These Portland prodigies purvey a mostly chill progressive (death?) metal with a focus on texture and atmosphere overall brutality or shredding. It’s really hard to pigeonhole what City does into one perfect all encompassing sentence; they are creative, stylish and just plain cool. Colorful blend of styles here… long, instrumental heavy songs… at times it reminds me of BTBAM or Opeth; Shining (swe) others… perhaps a touch of early Baroness rears its mammothly grooving head once in a while, too. There is a real prowess that these guys play with, they are fantastic players and are successful are creating music that can generate some thought from the listener. The songs are big, open, slow to midpaced metal that cascades from the speakers in a very fluid way and intelligent sounding way; these songs are well done and epic as fuck… the drama City manages to create is their absolute strong suit. The screamed vocals are really the most aggressive part with their black metallist tinge… there is also a clean monkish kind of vocal thats not too shabby– it kind of reminds of Akercocke. If you crave something classy, stylish, progressive and original, City could be the trip you’ve been looking for.
Grab it here
Cropsy Maniac – Further Than Fear
Damnit, I love this kind of stuff; fun campy gory death metal/grind in the Razorback Records style of yore… not many bands doing it like this these days and that’s really a shame. Luckily, we have the horror of Cropsy Maniac to sate our lust for blood! Don’t know who Cropsy is? He’s a vengeful burn-faced shear wielding campground maintenance guy who was carbonized to death by a camp ground prank gone wrong… check out the movie The Burning immediately. The cover by horror art guru Jeff Zornow is just outstanding and I’ve come to expect nothing less from him… I like the perspective and (of course) the flying fingers… you can tell he must have dear place for Cropsy and The Burning in his own heart. No preorders up yet but I would imagine they are coming soon, keep an eye on their bandcamp in the meantime.
Keep tabs on ‘em here
The Dead Goats – All Of Them Witches
Don’t let the obscure cover art fool you, these Sick Polish OSDM underdogs are death incarnate! The Dead Goats are back this summer with a new album wrought with crunchy, combative HM-2 driven Swedish death metal loving madness. It’s raucous and punky at times like Bastard Priest, Bombs Of Hades or Tormented… Some of the riffing reminds me of mid-era Dismember… it has just a touch of the Death Metal albums bare bones melodies… very cool. I absolutely love the guitar tone here, it’s goddamn filthy… a rusty chainsaw right to the face! The Dead Goats also know how to slow down to a crawl for a nice Entombed-eqsue open part or breakdown… I really enjoy this aspect of what they’re doing here… the little synth accompanied part is Left Hand Path as fuck and works nicely. There is a really passionate band in The Dead Goats… it’s easy to accept that these guys are the genuine article in a sea of boring. If you’re like me and can’t get enough crunch in your life, these sick Polish bastards are the band for you!
Grab it here
Euphoria – Operation: Genesis
I caught these guys opening for Steel Bearing Hand a few months back without any prior knowledge of them, save seeing drummer Louie Badalament (a Detroit scene staple with links to Axe Ripper, Raw Dawgs, Against The Grain and Wastelander) plop his skinny bespectacled butt down on the drummers seat just before kicking into the first song. The band soon erupted into a torrent of blackened thrashing mayhem, one somewhere between Skeletonwitch and Vektor… they have a similar triumphant gallop and penchant for searing high-end guitars that constantly harmonize and duel… the guitar work is blazing… the right hands on Eric Lemmon and Bubba Colonna must be possessed by the devil himself. It didn’t take long to get the small crowd to morph from a clutch of yawning vest clad zombies into a full-on, beer spilling headbanging frenzy… Euphoria are just supercharged… their infectious energy was undeniable. A few weeks later I ran into Louie and he kindly handed me the brand spanking new self released Euphoria album Operation: Genesis, adorned with cosmic artwork and a logo with nods to sci-fi thrash masters Voivod, which I excitedly accepted. I popped it into my car stereo on the way home and was greeted with the same explosive thrash metal that stole the show that evening, and I promptly drove home at 200 mph, head banging all the way. If you enjoy the work of the aforementioned outfits Skeletonwitch or Vektor, as well as Nocturnal, or Nocturnal Breed, these dudes will thrash you nicely.
Grab it here
Handsome Prick – Enlarged To Show Texture
Holy Shit!!!! This came out of nowhere… Handsome Prick from Indiana play a savage brand of death/grind featuring seemingly unlimited amounts of piss and vinegar, a bit of humor and some really murderous chops. Featuring ex-Decrypt and current Moistened Disciples/P.O.O.R. skinsman/vocalist Brad Vanderzee and ex-Decrypt bassist Jim Kelly, you know you are in for some good ol’ midwestern grinding madness, and thats exactly what ye shall receive. Handsome Prick violently excrete massively groovy, tight and teched out grindcore with savage multifaceted vocals… the lower of which sounds bit like Brutal Truth’s Kevin Sharp, which is sick!! The bass work is really good, nice to hear it so clearly out in the front of the mix. For grindcore, the music here is really quite competent and obviously is the result of a lot of work and effort… its expertly varied material that is super fun to listen to… I’m damn impressed by this! I could see this coming out of the Czech Republic on Bizarre Leprous Productions and being eaten up at festivals like Obscene Extreme. If you like Blood Duster, Pigsty, Blockheads, Mother Brain, Perfecitizen, or Brutal Brain Damage get on this immediately!
Grab it here
Insane Vesper – Layil
French orthodox black metallers Insane Vesper are back with a stellar outing of straight forward classic sounding black metal goodness sure to freeze you dead in your tracks. It’s competently written and executed although nothing new whatsoever; just straight up aural frost inspired by the glorious second wave of black metal. Some would argue that this style is painfully overdone, but I for one still like a good ol’ textbook black metal record… I don’t need ambient garbage or genre bending to achieve enjoyment… sometimes there is solace in knowing what you are gonna get. There is a really professional flow to the album, a narrative of sweeping song arrangements that expertly build and release tension… the passion that these guys play with is what sets them apart from the legions of BM clones. Cool 70‘s looking horror artwork and fonts that reminds me of something Tribulation would use round out this total package of high french art. Fans of Malign, Merrimack, and early Glorior Belli will feel this.
Grab it here
Inter Arma – Paradise Gallows
Black metal screamo sludge? Post Hardcore/Post black metal/post Sludge? I don’t know what the hell to call these guys, and it pains me to think of what the genre police must be saying about them in message board comments across the blessed internet… they simply can’t be pinned down by such tagging and I think that’s just the way these artful Virginians like it. They fill a unique space in the extreme metal universe; they have a sound all their own and a phenomenal live show to boot, seeing them is truly a tribal experience… the way they meld together onstage, not just playing in the pocket together but really vibing and feeding off of each other… their stage presence is a rarely perfected group effort of writhing, head banging and undulation that shows an obvious love for their unique craft. They are emotive, bombastic at times nostalgic, at times grim and black enough for a nod from Darkthrone’s Fenriz. Light up the bowl and get with the colorful world of Inter Arma, you won’t regret it.
Grab it here
Inverted – Origins Of The Unseen
Pretty cool little EP of standard Indonesian brutality, which is always a good thing, if you ask me. It has all the requisites of Indonesian death that their scene has become known for: raw/live sound, quick palm muted riffing, loud Suffo blasting drums and inhaled vocals… these guys are a good addition to the impressive young roster over at Dismembered Records (Bleeding Murder, Diffusal Blade, Nature Depravity). Grab one now on the cheap from our US connection to the Indo underworld, Rottrevore Records USA (formerly known as Force Fed Distribution).
Grab it here
Knocked Loose – Laugh Tracks
These guys are fucking sick! Imagine mean as fuck street wise hardcore ala Expire or Trapped Under Ice melding with a nice tasty doseage of modern, springy, breakdown friendly metalcore ala Kublai Khan, Varials, even a pinch of The Acacia Strain… I’m not the biggest hardcore dude in the world, but these young guns have landed upon quite the irresistible sound. The way they’ve married the old and new is just awesome to me… this is what Madball’s kids must be listening to. I find the vocalist Bryan Garris’ voice to be distinct… he is an instantly recognizable as the embodiment of our angered and disenfranchised American youth. The character plays lyrically is one that is tough, yet wounded by his own inadequacies; and his discontent with the world around him is both palpable and real. I’ve been following these cats since their disgusting Pop Culture demo and Laugh Tracks looks to be the best output they’ve mustered yet… I predict that these guys are going to be huge… get with it now and wear your new black eye with pride. FFO: 2×4, Varials, Prison
Grab it here
Memoriam – Demo 2016
Bolt Thrower singer Karl Willets, ex-BT drummer Andrew Whale and two Benediction alumni have teamed up to form the massive Memoriam, a juggernaut of old school death metal with a classic early nineties swagger. The riffing sounds a lot like older Bolt Thrower, particularly the Realm Of Chaos and War Master albums but a touch more evil and lead friendly (ala Scorched). It sounds perfectly natural to hear Karl’s dry english bellow over guitars like these. There are some million dollar riffs here… I am in love… just try not to play air guitar to this shit! It was cool to hear things getting a little punky with a galloping d-beat section, something that Bolt Thrower would’nt normally do. Some of what Memoriam does reminds me a bit of False era Gorefest… oh sweet midpaced death metal bliss. I really hope there is a full length in the works for these dudes… I am 100% on board.
Grab it here
Necromancing The Stone – Jewel Of The Vile
These guys are really freakin’ good, and I’m not just saying that because it’s on Metal Blade records or because I love Ryan Williams (ex-The Black Dahlia Murder) on a personal level, but because they are in fact a really freakin’ good band that deserve your listening attention. Classic heavy metal is what Necromancing The Stone unabashedly embody, punctuated out by the screaming lead work of Arsis brainchild James Malone and the gripping drama of the incredibly talented and refreshing vocalist Big John Williams; who here strikes me as being the obvious choice for most metal person on planet earth. Paired with the drumming talents of The Absence drummer Jeramie Kling; Necromancing The Stone shine on jewel of the vile, I definitely like this a lot more than the early stuff from the band, they just seem to gel together here a way they didn’t quite before… they are more comfortable in their collective skins. I think their true metal sound is refreshing… they serve as a good pallette cleanser for all the cheesy wannabe Ghost stuff or Rise records bell bottom rock in sight; the closest comparison I have at this time is to molten Californian legends Steel Prophet; there was definitely room and need in the modern scene for a band like this. To round it all out Jewel Of The Vile is host to excellent design by that dude that did the last Perturbator cover… really cool for metal art… I think it marries well with the throwback content… it’s modern and hip and at the same time such a nod to the past… undeniably chic. Great job all around dudes.
Grab it here
Neocaesar – TBA
Listen man, if you don’t like the first three Sinister albums, you just plain suck or you were born yesterday. I hold Diabolical Summoning and Hate in such a high regard… it pains me that these albums aren’t as commonly known as your Deicides and your Cannibal Corpses… to me, these are important; god tier death metal albums and some of the finest Europe has ever produced. If I were traversing the grounds of (insert metal fest here) and was to drunkenly shout “AWAAAAITING DEE ABSUUUU!!!” in your face only to be received with a shaking head and the shrugged shoulders of indifference; you my friend, have a lot of homework to do, and I just may be liable to shove your ass down into the fetid festival muds. Anyway, why all this talk about Sinister? Isn’t this entry about Neocaesar? Well, in so many words… Neocaesar is Sinister… or the real Sinister, if you want to get technical; or at least more real than the band we have been accepting as them for many years. Reuniting key members Bart van Wallenberg and Mike van Mastrigt is just magic to my ears; Bart’s distinct riffing style has been sorely missed since his departure from the band in 2002 and Mike’s vocals are irreplaceable, some of the best and catchiest around. While Sinister has existed in many forms of varying quality since then, most recently led by original drummer Aad Kloosterwaard who has now switched to vocals; Neocaesar just plain sounds more like the Sinister you (should) know and love, and I could not be more pleased that their debut album is just on the horizon. From the looks of their FB posts it would seem that they are shopping themselves around to labels. Although we haven’t been made privy to the impending album’s title; the band have been kind enough to put for a fine preview track in Sworn To Hate; which is still unmastered and will be recieving a few final tweaks, according to the band, so keep that in mind upon listening. What you’ll hear is the same classic, catchy as fuck old school death metal mayhem that left a scar upon my once teenaged eardrums… I am beside myself about this shit. My only beef here is the name, Neocaesar… a band this awesome can surely do better…. and at this point it’s not too late (wink, wink). I wish these guys all the success in the world and I hope that they’ll stick their hooks in you the way they did to me at 15…. I’ve included a link to their facebook so you can stay in the know about the album release… now somebody sign these dudes before I freak out.
Stalk them here
Neurogenic – Ouroboric Stagnation
This is it! This is my absolute most anticipated brutal death release of the year now that Defeated Sanity has dropped… this will be next thing that splatters the whole brutal scene’s brains onto their bedroom walls. While most of you probably haven’t heard of them, Neurogenic is an international super group harboring members from Indecent Excision, Back Door To Asylum, Posthumous Blasphemer, Derogation, and Fleshbomb; who are all stellar bands in their own right, as well as the olympic drumming of “Lord” Marco Pitruzella (ex-Braindrill, current Six Feet Under/Anomolous). The result of this marriage in morbidity is an album wrought with hyper fast, uber brutal death metal in the vein of masters Putridity that is sure to make some waves this september. Do you like guttural vocals? Matteo Bazzanella has my vote for one of the most brutal on earth, his work with Italy’s Indecent Excision is worthy of standing ovation and he continues his tirade of grossness throughout the duration of Ouroboric Stagnation. The musicianship here is second to none, these guys have all the right chops and have unfurled one of the most relentless albums in recent memory… it’s an exhausting mindfuck of an album. Get on this now (and order the shirt too or be eternally jealous of mine!)
Grab it here
Nuke – Nuke
Sons of scum Nuke are back to corrode your veins and get you as high as shit, Robocop 2 style! As you may recall from my review of their demo a bit back, these dudes hail from the dirty glove and contain an impressive cast of characters from various prominent acts in the motor city’s exciting Punk/Metal scene including Perversion, Reaper, Temple Of Void, Acid Witch and more. This is a bit more polished than their demo tape was and a touch more melodic but its still pretty raw, real and live. I feel like I’ve heard them sound exactly like this in the live arena, so this is a mighty fine representation of what the band Nuke is all about… playing kick ass slightly punky speed/thrash metal that combines the sounds of early Onslaught, Iron Maiden’s Killers album and early Bulldozer. Host to some nice maidenesque dueling guitar work that sears and soars; the retro loving speed metal 80s style these guys have committed to is unapologetic… there is zero modernity here… just classic sounding molten metal madness sure to bang the heads of all comers. The original vocals of Shitfucker frontman Richie Riot are unhinged, maniacal and gross; his mocking and villanesque style is definitely park of the punk aspect of Nuke… he is confrontational, scathing, and dangerous… a real freak show; a switchblade wielding beer breathed scumbag from Planet Insano. He does some of those kick-ass falsetto vocal wipeouts not unlike Deathhammer… I dig the fuck out of that shit… it’s so obnoxious that it just rules. If you like Onslaught, early Running Wild, Children Of Technology or Midnight give these firecrackers a whirl… but don’t say I didn’t warn you when you become a panhandling, scab faced Nukehead that lives on the streets.
Grab it here
Omnipotent Hysteria – Abattoir Of Slain Deities
New Standard Elite just can’t loose. Head Dan Osborn always finds the sickest in brutal talent the world over… no one has their finger to the brutal pulse quite like Dan… it’s like a fucking religion to this guy. As you should expect by now if you haven’t been fortunate enough to have heard their previous output, UK’s crushing export Omnipotent Hysteria are right in line with the rest of NSE’s top notch roster… I would dare say this one of Dan’s best releases yet! Abattoir Of Slain Deities has everything a person could want in a brutal death metal album… it’s technical yet understandable; even memorable… that’s asking a lot from a band of this ilk already… not only can Omnipotent Hysteria write a decent song (gasp!); they know how to make an album that flows, with a beginning, middle and end. There is a lot to chew on during Abattoir’s duration… it’s death metal with purpose, not just random tacked together parts and thank jesus for that. It has the variety and intelligence the genre so badly needs to succeed; the album is satisfying to listen to as a whole… these guys are the UK’s answer to gods Disentomb and Disgorge… don’t miss out on one of if not the finest brutal death outing of the year.
Grab it here
Ribspreader – Suicide Gate – A Bridge To Death
Rogga Johansson is back with the long running Ribspreader project… this is a great entry in his prolific catalog of old school flavored HM-2 lovin’ swedeath… he really seems to be on a roll lately with putting out solid stuff between that last face smasher from Megascavenger along with quality outings from Putrevore, Down Among The Dead Men, Humanity Delete and Revolting… the man is busy! The second entry today to feature the drumming talents of Jeramie Kling; who you would most likely know best from recently revitalized melodic death champs The Absence or Prosthetic records signees Infernaeon… Jeramie is a great death metal drummer and a cool guy to boot… I wonder how he got hooked up with Rogga all the way out there in Sweden? Perhaps in his travels during a brief stint tour managing. Definitely a great match up here with Kling and his fellow Infernaeon bandmate Taylor Nordberg on lead guitar. Awesome d-beats all around… I love the sound of the blasting sections… they remind me of Fleshcrawl or Centinex. Energetic, dripping with authenticity and filled out by Rogga’s familiar vocal roar, Suicide Gate – A Bridge To Death is catchy osdm for sickos like me who just cant get enough death metal from the left hand path!
Grab it here
Unmerciful – Ravenous Impulse
Kansas based brutal death legends Unmerciful have finally blessed us with their sophomore album after stirring from their ancient slumber ending years of inactivity… Ravenous Impulse finds them razor sharp and downright murderous; they sound as cut throat and vital as ever. Like Origin (whom Unmerciful contains both current and ex members of), Unmerciful sound like a fucking freight train at full blast… so technical and tight, this shit will mechanically separate you from your skeleton and feed your bleeding meat to the dogs. The kicks are flying… they are absolutely non-stop, I mean even during the breakdowns; it’s punishing stuff, what else would you expect from blasting olympian John Longstreth? I enjoy the new vocalist… he has a cool midrangey low vocal that is fairly easily understood. He sounds very angry and forceful… Unmerciful, even ;) he kinda reminds me of Kyle Simmons that did sang for Malevolent Creation for a spell… nice! I feel like I haven’t heard death metal of this style in some time, its classic yet at the same time has some really fresh chops. This is what I loved about Unique Leader in the olden days… these guys are a fucking gem in a sea of clones. If you like Origin, Severed Savior, or Hate Eternal you’d better listen up.
Grab it here
VHS – Screaming Mad Gore
All murder, all guts, all fun! That’s what Canada’s horror obsessed ghouls VHS (or Violent Homicidal Slasher) are all about! If you miss the thrash/grind/death days of Razorback’s early 2000‘s roster (Frightmare, Blood Freak, Splatterhouse, Ghoul etc), you’ll be right at home with Screaming Mad Gore’s campy and catchy approach. I dig the name VHS… upon becoming privy to it and a glance at the awesome and playful artwork by Nev Gruseome Grafx; I felt like I knew what I was in for… thank christ I was right. Akin to The Burning obsessed Cropsy Maniac who I mentioned above (who also lend a guest appearance along with Massacre’s legendary vocalist Kam Lee, Stevo from Impetigo and more), these guys scratch an important and rarely reached itch… I am so grateful there are still bands emerging in this style. These guys are absolutely gonzo for old horror, so for a little twist to spice up this month’s column I asked vocalist/guitarist Mike Hochins what he considered to be the ten best horror movies from our friends to the great white north and here’s what he came up with:
Scanners (1981)
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Visiting Hours (1982)
Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
Deathdream (1974)
Black Christmas (1974)
Humongous (1982)
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 (1987)
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Curtains (1983)
A great list, I’ll admit I’ve got some homework to do and I look forward to it, greatly and you should too, happy hunting! Mike is a cool guy and VHS is a cool band… support them and do the monster mash tonight!
Grab it here
Voidspawn – Pyrrhic
The ever talented Marlon Friday (Abhorrent, Absvrdist) steps forth with yet another outstanding project within the extreme metal realm, this time summoning a twisted blackened death approach so high in quality he’s already landed the band a deal with the amazing Unspeakable Axe records, and rightly so… this shit is magnificent! It’s weird, dissonant, skronky and experimental; part Gorguts and part Abyssal, with scary dry, deep gas mask vocals (something like Proclamation). If you can dig the out of the box approach of bands like Ulcerate, Pyrrhon, Artifical Brain or Nucleus, Pyrrhic will slither it’s wretched way into your feeble mortal hearts.
Grab it here
Alright that’s all for this month you mongrels! Keep on thrashin’ and keep supporting the underground… I don’t know about you, but I’ll be collecting music, going to shows and banging my head until the day they put me underground, ya dig? Thanks for listening, please tell your friends and until next month, stay dead!
Check out previous editions of Trevor's recommendation column, The Obituarist, here.
