Vulture - Dealin' Death (2021)

Bursting out of Germany comes Vulture, one of those bands that teeters the lines of thrash and speed metal that took form a long time ago. Their latest album Dealin' Death dropped a few days ago, and has since ended up being a total grower of a record. I say that because it starts out sounding like the typical raw old school speed metal which i like a lot. The speedier tracks aren’t bad by any stretch. Although the album bounces back and forth between these songs and the more intriguing crawlers, this style is let on little by little as the disc progresses. "Malicious Souls", “Flee the Phantom” are the fastest, kick ass tunes, showcasing their speed side the greatest heights. Others like "Below the Mausoleum" are solid enough. The vocals are a chaotic boost with tailing screeches. ​I can safely say that Vulture have perfected the art of balancing the throwback tactics with originality. I didn’t expect much more than solid-enough speed metal that does its job, but I found myself returning to it over and over, and can confidently say that it’s the perfect grower. Essential listen, especially if speed/thrash are your forte.

facebook.com/vulturekills

metalblade.com/vulture

Review by Paul Caravasi

GOG - Self Titled Release (2021)

This heavy bass driven death metal is a notable act. Speed and slowness in a brutal way is what do you get. GOG's production is actually loud and audible. The pace on this cd interchanges quite frequently. Ranging from fast drumming to mid pace sections and to spice it up they throw in some crunching doom riffs. Vocals are extreme raw. Basically it is like a slow moving tank. How it arrives and you hear it coming. The sound being the loudest when passing but also faded when leaving. The best thing about this album is it is actually headbangable! Unlike other acts.  GOG proves this "noise" can be put into very productive ways. By creating a single deep heavy sound with variety thrown into a melting pot. And what comes out is brutal death metal with a hint of doom in this 2021 release that shall be the marching drums to your death!

Stand out tracks: "Reduced To One Atom" and "Chemical Boar"

gogdoom.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Nekromantheon - Visions Of Trismegistos (2021)

"The Visions Of Trismegistos" is a pure massive dose of brutal adrenaline, this will make you sweat like a horse just listening the godly drumming--in fact, drummer owns this entire album. His pounding drumming will make you break your neck banging away in time with it. "Seven Rulers of Fate" has the most crazed and lunatic soloing on the record, chaotic leads in the old slayer vein, and that's fkn wonderful, dirty, and evil as it slices your speakers to shreds.These 8 tracks will drag you through the fiery depths of hell, I highly recommend this to fans of Venom, Slayer, Dark Angel, and Exumer. Monstrous tracks with its epic guitar solos. The production, for the most part, is very fitting to this album. It's dirty, unpolished and gritty. Perfect ingredients to throw into a brutal and extreme album. The mix is fine. It showcase loud guitars and drums, which is great for this kind of album. All in all, "The Visions Of Trismegistos" is an album that is oozing with filthy, vile brutal anthems  The uncompromising speed, song structure and the sinister sound give Nekromantheon an identity to call their own. A brutal album that every extreme metal fan needs to own. Fantastic !!

facebook.com/nekromantheonofficial

nekromantheon.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined (2021)

Cannibal Corpse’s latest  album "Violence Unimagined" and where do i begin? Well, for me, an old school maniac, Cannibal Corpse are back, kicking off with the brutality of "Murderous Rampage", it may not be 'Eaten Back To Life' with an insane riffage, but it is a fantastic way to kick off'. The first track announces that Cannibal Corpse have returned, Corpsegrinder’s voice is on point and never mind the foot tapping that goes along with it, before too long you’ll notice that the head starts to bang too! George has a distinct voice, that brutal growl which make  instantly CC recognisable. It clocks in at around 43 minutes making it short, sweet and difficult to lose your attention; all the hallmarks of a kick ass album. The ever present Erik Rutan/Rob Barret’ guitar claws through the mix, chugging away like a chainsaw swallowing down its gasoline, helped along with the stuttering blast beats of Paul which make tracks such as 'Inhumane Harvest', the superb 'Condemnation Contagion' and 'Surround, Kill, Devour ' Cannibal Corpse haven’t sounded this good in years. When you think about it, Cannibal Corpse have possibly recorded one of the best albums of 2021 and certainly it is their best work since 'Vile' in my opinion.  CC are back and doing what they do best. This is pure savage METAL, Period. Highly recommended for old school metal fans, and thrashers as well !!

cannibalcorpse.net

facebook.com/cannibalcorpse

www.metalblade.com/us

Review by Paul Caravasi

Solstice - Casting The Die (2021)

Solstice is back with vengeance!!. Still thrives on beating the listener over the head with as many riffs, insane drumming, kick ass bass lines and angry vocals. Their approach to death/thrash is fucking amazing. Ryan Taylor unleash pure vocal rage i must say. As a fan standpoint:“Casting The Die” absolutely nails it. Production quality is very high. Producer done excellent job. Guitars' sound very good, heavy enough, but not to escess. Drums fit perfectly. Sound of bass,is excellent - nothing irritates here. Alex Marquez really knows how to drum, and he is also very creative. Just see how many drum bridges are on this album! Aggressive as hell. I recommend this album to every death/thrash metal fan. Necksnapping Brutality!!!!

facebook.com/Solsticefl

emanzipation.dk

Review by Paul Caravasi