Surgery - Living Dead (2023)

This CD strike with a unique identiy that have tons of hooks, this album works well, catchy riff-monsters. Surgery mixes the old world and modern death metal. Love it or hate it, you can't deny that this band put in the work what they need to release a good record. I suggest trying it out if you like slow and brutish death metal with strong chorus hooks and a strange sense of lyrical entertainment.

greatdanerecords.bandcamp.com

Review by Soulgrinder Zine

Tiamat - Clouds (Reissue 2024)

I'm glad Metal Scrap Records reissued this Swedish act named Tiamat. Clouds is the true turning point in their career; where it became clear they were destined for so much more, but in its day, Clouds was a pretty monumental effort. A creation of true mystique. "Clouds" is almost mid paced with some creepy melodies and a nice shuffle groove to switch riffs, "A Caress of Stars" is glorious doom, the melody of the guitar evokes perfect sorrow. "Forever Burning Flames" is one of my personal favorites here; killer death metal riffs of Tiamat's career, and Edlund's vocals sound sick.This is pretty classic material. Easily recommended to fans of death/doom or unique and quality metal in general. Overall, the album is quite impressive for a not-quite-fan of Tiamat, as I am. The music is not very complex and sophisticated, but is very very straight, it hits you like a hammer in the face. Want some really heavy and dark, but simple and straight stuff? Get this and you won't be sorry.

metalscraprecords.com

Review by Soulgrinder Zine

Disgorged Foetus - Obscene Utter Gore Annihilation (2023)

Another goregrind act,  metal’s vilest subgenre, as you know guitars are tuned down to B, an incredibly low pitch, the music itself is incredibly chaotic, yes, but the guitar work is actually pretty well structured. The riffs are demarcated and organized, however, this is not very noticeable due to the production but this creates a truly sickening and dense atmosphere. The album is very raw, unrelenting and dissonant which is how grind is supposed to sound. This is wholly essential and recommended for those who enjoy the rawest elements of metal music !

facebook.com/band.DisgorgedFoetus

Review by Soulgrinder Zine

Sardonic Witchery - Barbaric Evil Power (demo cassette)

SARDONIC WITCHERY is a One man Black Metal band from Porto, PORTUGAL based in Texas, USA. This is really interesting for me since BM isn't my thing. The famous "no fun no core no mosh no trends" which became an intrinsic element for many in this kind of music, but a musical value that adheres to the aesthetics, specifically I'm referring to the sound quality of the recordings. A marked tendency for black metal, having extremely low and poor sound production parameters. Many have been the artists who have continued this trend considering themselves as the continuators and bearers of the authentic essence of black metal, while other movements within the same genre decided to abandon the lo-fi and dissonant trend to embark on other kind of sounds. I guess this is more for fans like me who very occasionally enjoy a noisy and instrumental sound with desperate vocals.

facebook.com/sardonic666witchery

Review by Soulgrinder Zine

Agents of Brutality - A Tribute to Kreator (2024)

I am not a fan of tributes but i would say this is a first class job with their chosen numbers. Some songs are not as awesome as the originals, but most are equally good but different taking nothing away from the originals, its just that they bring new life to these brutal fast songs. I personally like the version of Paganfire "Riot of Violence", for it is all a brutal thrash fest. All in all a great tribute album with the digital sound making things sound full and rich !

darkunitedmedia.bandcamp.com

Review by Soulgrinder Zine

Bestemia Aeternalis - Forbearance in Opposition (2024)

Primitive -wave black metal ambiance with burgeoning death metal ferocity, their style style is a vile combination of dissonance and crushing tremolo patterns. When i got this CD i didn't know what to expect, i can say this album is interesting, sudden vicious screams/roars/howls that appear out of nowhere, crushing blast beast too. Bestemia Aeternalis has creativity and honesty that makes this one enjoyable !!

bestemmiaaeternalis.bigcartel.com

Review by Soulgrinder Zine

A.K.U. / False Faith - Horde of Black Metal Warriors ( 2020)

This is an split whose streamlined approach to BM suggests a controlled fury and hatred, a power that is cold and vile. Elegance and efficency aren't qualities that spring to mind when talking about BM, this split is 

A.K.U. is demoniac, and totally hateful, like a lunatic madly slamming himself against the walls of his cell. The production is high and scratchy. The guitars are shrill and droning. The drumming is very simplistic. The bass is only semi-audible, and the vox… are completely fucking insane. Spitting, screeching, roaring, sneering, the vocalist sounds like some sort of infernal creature inciting his followers to slaughter. 

False faith side of the split, begins with an incredibly menacing intro Then everything explodes. Whereas A.K.U. is shrill, chaotic and crushing, False Faith are more deliberate and methodical, and still crushing. They know exactly what they’re doing, and that just happens to be utterly destroying you. The production is much lower and murkier which works nicely.

35 minutes of undiluted hatred, fury, and chaos. Highly recommended.

abyssalproductions361.bandcamp.com

akuband.bandcamp.com

falsefaithbm.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Fetid Zombie - Where Worms Crawl (2023)

 

...would be a more than accurate description for this masterpiece of absolute heinous death metal. It's both sharp and savage, tearing away at your face like a rabid pitbull. The guitars are sludgy as hell, Fetid Zombie is one of the most utterly METAL death metal bands nowadays. Every riff and lead break on this thing is an expertly crafted sledgehammer to face, drumming is an animalistic pounding menace, constantly mashing your skull with it's barbaric power, the rhythmic structures constantly shift to perfectly complement the riffage, always appropriate to the musical needs of the songs. And of course, no Fetid Zombie review would be complete without ranting about the vocals and lyrics. Conveyed as they are in an inhuman vomited bark, seriously pure gore and sickness here, covering all sorts of insane topics. Basically, if you like death metal, you need this. If you don't like it, you're a dick and would be better off listening to metalcore. "Where Worms Crawl" features 6 tracks of crushingly heavy DEATH METAL. Everything you could ever want out of a death metal album is here. And there are tons of guests...

Chris Monroy (SKELETAL REMAINS) 

Dawn Desiree' (AUTUMN TEARS) 

Dylan Jones (ROTTED) Steve Miller (LOCULUS)

Andrew Lee (RIPPED TO SHREDS) 

James Malone (ARSIS) 

Malcom Pugh (INFERI) 

Terrance Hobbs (SUFFOCATION) 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!

fetidzombiedm.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Fetid Zombie - Transmutations ( 2021)

If I had to describe Fetid Zombie with one word, that word would be "Unique". It's quite rare to see a band go through so many different phases, while still maintaining a very recognizable brutal-sound and a strong sense of identity. Transmutations is a very ambitious album that marks the transition from an interesting, nasty death metal act to full-fledged doom/death metal . It stays true to the band's brutal beginnings, while increasing the presence of some gothic elements and displaying stronger songwriting and a more proficient approach to song-arrangement. The album feels a lot more diverse than the debut thanks to the inclusion of more complexly structured tracks and melody. The songs flow incredibly well from section to section and feature many tempo changes and a refreshing dynamic diversity, it creates an atmosphere that is like no other, seamlessly blending menacing doomy death metal with some gentle female vocals as well and orchestral flourishes. From a production standpoint, Transmutations is still on the raw side of things, it works well when combined with the female vocals and orchestral parts. Much like the musicianship, the raw nature of the album's sound creates a very particular atmosphere. It captures a significant step in their evolution perfectly. It's an album that combined different musical styles in an organic and elegant and extreme. An absolutely essential listen!

fetidzombiedm.bandcamp.com/album/transmutations

Review by Paul Caravasi