Artist: Destroying Divinity
Release Title: Hollow Dominion
Year: 2014
Label: Lavadome Productions
Genre: Retro Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1.The Eternity Guardians
2.Burning Divine Domination
3.Scent of Death
4.Empire of Emptiness
5.Suffering Redemption
6.Defleshed Skeleton
7.Sinful Omens
8.Inner Slavery
Undoubtedly at the top of their game, Czech death metallers Destroying Divinity has cemented their stance at the top of the revivalist death metal movement years ago, and have now slain all in their wake with yet another demolishing effort. With only a four-year gap between releases to keep the creativity flowing, this crushing and devastating fourth full-length effort was released September 30, 2014 on Lavadome Productions.
Following up their devastating last release, this one manages to carry on a lot of the same formulas that made that release so special and devastating by featuring the kind of technically challenging and complex riff-work within a framework that adds a degree of atmospherics into the proceedings. There’s plenty of ravenous thrashing mixed with technically-charged rhythms that all compliment the type of fiery patterns favored by the group, where it features a wide assortment of riffing to feature that amount of ferocious work here. While this here manages to give this a quite dominant display, there’s also hints of melody featured that carries a rather impressive buffer between these charging rhythms as the band’s ability to charge forward at blistering fashions yet also manage to accompany a slight deviation or variance that actually works quite nicely in support of the more dominant challenging riff-work and blasting drum-work. That carries itself across the album to such an extent that its dynamics allow it to feature enough here which combines that amount of old-school flavor with a more modernized approach to really gel so well here that its appeal is spread out even further by being able to allow for all these different elements into an equally coherent and devastating whole. While it might be a little same-sounding as it goes along, there’s little about this one to dislike.
There’s so much to really get behind with this one that it really furthers and cements their status at the top of the pyramid here when it comes to the revivalist death metal scene that the few minute flaws are so unimportant in the grand scheme of things that this deserves as much appeal as possible with all many of death metal fans required to check this one out.
Artist: Johansson and Speckmann
Release Title: Edge of the Abyss
Year: 2016
Label: Soulseller Records
Genre: Old-School Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Perpetuate the Lie
2.You've Stepped on a Dime
3.Misanthropy
4.Turn It Around
5.The Last Witness Is Barely Alive
6.The One They All Despised
7.The Edge of the Abyss
8.A Concept
9.Already in Disguise
Wasting no time in between recording for each members’ other groups, International death metal collaboration Johansson and Speckmann have quickly come together to offer what might be the crowning opus for each member in the calendar year. This time joined by monster drummer Brynjar Helgetun and also presenting lead guitarist Kjetil Lynghaug, the group’s third full-length effort was released September 16, 2016 through Soulseller Records.
As was prominently featured in the last album, this one here comes from the utterly dominating old-school attack that manages to feature the qualities of their two bands together in a fine mix. This one goes from the typical churning, swirling riff-patterns and the frenzied blasting tempos featured here that are mixed alongside the furious simplistic thrashing sections that create a palpable surge of energy and intensity throughout here while allowing for some strong agonized sprawling that gives it a strong touch of the old-school throughout here. When it gets to the mid-tempo rhythms become far more prominent and the album becomes far more straightforward and simplistic which is what drops this in favor of these plodding efforts which play far more in line with what occurs in both members’ other projects. That variety here is quite prominent within the confines of the album with it making a concerted effort to appeal to both fan-bases quite readily without much difficulty and the release makes for a great time for fans of both members by featuring the kind of work mostly familiar to each other. This tends to make the album come off like simply one of them is guesting on the others’ work which is the sign of a true collaboration between them yet doesn’t really pack any kind of surprises overall by simply providing more of the same here. While that is indeed quite a package, the lack of creativity and uniqueness about this project does become noticeable.
Though it really lacks much in the way of creativity or really any surprises of any kind, the fact that this one really seems honest about working to the strengths of both members here who come from a similar background that this is a no-doubt interest to fans of both members as well as any fanatic of old-school death metal.
Artist: Johansson and Speckmann
Release Title: Mask of the Treacherous
Year: 2015
Label: Vic Records
Genre: Old-School Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Mask of the Treacherous
2.Inhuman Lust
3.Through the Filth and Riddled Ages
4.The Wicked Marches On
5.The Bringer of Pain
6.I'll End Your Rotten Life
7.Within Reach
8.Enslaved in Filth
9.A Grave for This World
Furthering their success from the previous album, International death metal collaboration Johansson and Speckmann are certainly putting their collective might together in this project that brings the two luminaries together once again for a spectacular assault of old-school death metal. Gaining in their abilities from the previous release, the project’s second full-length record was released February 23, 2015 on Vic Records.
As befits the status of the men involved here, this is their usually simplistic and overly primitive-styled mixture of straightforward death metal augmented with strong thrashing overtones. This utterly simplistic and not all that varied music within here allows it either to be a rather tight and ferocious charge swirling with mid-tempo agonized riffing and plodding paces or generates a crunchy thrash-laden series of rhythms that offer up some rather frantic and blistering efforts. It works quite well in keeping that nicely mixed with the attacks getting balanced incredibly well between the churning old-school riffing with the thrashing energy, and it really sounds like a full-on mixture of both artists’ main groups. Going for the mix of tight, churning thrash with the agonized sprawling rhythms really gives this the album’s greatest strength as there’s a slight variance between the styles in terms of the different approaches reaching a rather strong approach for the old-school tactics that are featured within here. While there’s plenty of rather enjoyable work here because of that, it tends to run itself into quite predictable realms because it’s all about letting their main bands come together in one area without much deviation and it does crop up as something within this one. The tracks really fall into either category and it does have a really simplistic attack that does really affect this one slightly. Still, it’s got plenty to really like here in other regards.
Though it does find itself losing a little bit in the overall set-up with the approach running itself too close to each other at times, this one still manages to effectively capture the old-school feeling from both members that this overcomes the flaws for the most part and becomes a wholly appealing choice for fans of either members’ projects or old-school death metal in general.
Artist: Brutally Deceased
Release Title: Satanic Corpse
Year: 2016
Label: Doomentia Records
Genre: Swedish Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1.The Art of Dying
2.The Disclosure (In the Circle of Thy Bowels)
3.Hostile Earth
4.Epoch of Self-Denial
5.Where No Gods Dare
6.Ruthless Cleansing
7.Withstanding the Funeral
8.At One With the Dead
9.In Torment We Shall Strive
Not exactly an expected location, Czech Republic death metallers Brutally Deceased has continued to forego more traditional sounds of their home country for a straight-up Swedish-influenced assault that’s been their trademark starting in 2007 when they formed. Furthering their connection with Doomentia Records, the groups’ third album is released August 18, 2016.
From the outset here this one is straightforward and utterly unrepentant Swedish-influenced death metal that takes it’s cues straight from the heart of Stockholm with it’s deep swirling buzzsaw grooves and churning riff-work. These here are the mostly up-tempo and vicious tracks which manage to make for a mostly familiar if still blasting charge through the Swedish death metal scene that takes these cues and riffing patterns from those efforts and incorporates that same sort of melodic harmonies as well into the rhythms along the way. With these efforts likewise graced by more mid-tempo efforts that take those same stylish rhythms into several rather solid and enjoyable mid-tempo efforts that plod along with some more mid-tempo elements that slow it down and really let the grooves breathe which is all part of the traditional and usual elements found in the style. That affects the shorter tracks here significantly which manages to go for the album’s biggest detrimental factor here with this one managing to just feel too light and brief to really make an impact as it’s just over so quickly that there’s not much opportunity to really explore many variations and change-overs here with this due to the rather familiar riffing and rhythms. It’s not all that bad but it does crop up throughout here.
Though it gives itself a rather familiar and overly-stock charge that makes for a rather unoriginal effort, it’s got that ever-present and still enjoyable groove to it that easily makes this a solid-if-unremarkable choice for ardent Swedeath fanatics only while those who prefer more variety and originality should look to other practitioners first before inquiring here.
Artist: Destroying Divinity
Release Title: Dark Future
Year: 2010
Label: Brutal Bands
Genre: Retro Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1.To Live in Gloom of the Beyond
2.At War with Two Worlds
3.Birth of Faceless Killer
4.Putrid Stench of Past
5.Undead in the Darkness
6.Cult
7.Prophecy
8.Name Written with Blood
9.Face to Face to Destiny
Further establishing their reputation, Czech death metal veterans Destroying Divinity continues to showcase a growing trend in their homeland to play early US style death metal with doses of extreme creativity and uniqueness, which is what’s continued here. The third album in their decade-long career, delivered after a six-year layoff between releases, is initially released June 25, 2011 on new-label Brutal Bands.
As is customary for the group now, this one carries along their traditional stamp of quality, old-school death metal with their exuberant mix of both US and European styles. The US variations come namely the way it thrashes away with their technical-based rhythms across bouncy guitar riffs, dynamic tempo variations and a swamp-ridden atmosphere while invoking the atmosphere and sense of dread in the imagery that’s quite eerie. This ends up delivering raging, up-tempo riffs with a slight technical bombast into brutal, tight formations that definitely offer up a sense of darkness and intensity through a blasting drum-attack and technical riff-work that remains ferocious and vicious with its’ scathing intensity which recalls its forbearers quite nicely. Alongside such tight, intense tracks, the veteran sense of knowing when to throw in a melodic line or lead-work is mixed in, putting this in a rather fine league where it blasts away furiously before injecting a slower tempo or augmenting the intensity with a lighter mood through sparing use of a melodic tempo. Surprisingly, this results in somewhat bouncy and energetic rhythms than would normally be considered in such a genre as befits such a scene here, as the typical impetus is to just blast away with reckless abandon and scald all those who stand in the way, whereas here those get distracted by the melodic tones before getting scalded into oblivion and it generates a lot more favorable response when it doesn’t employ this for every track throughout as the sporadic use makes it’s surprise appearance all the more fruitful and the devastating impact of the blistering drumming and raging, brutal guitar riffs seem all the more impactful. As a side bonus, the impact against the brutal, deep gorilla growls that populate this one makes the melody more striking against such straight-laced and intense brutality. Though it can utterly dominate with this approach, it does bring up one utterly minor flaw in that it really doesn’t do a whole lot wrong beyond recycle a lot of the same riffing patterns and rhythms throughout. This can be somewhat same-sounding after a while, though the devastating and pummeling attack manages to correct it.
That it features so many enticing elements without all that many flaws is the capper on one of the most undervalued, overlooked bands in the scene and really makes this one a no-doubt inquiry for any fan of old-school death metal or the revivalist scene in particular, though it's hard to imagine anyone remotely into the genre as a whole to have a problem with this one.
Artist: Master
Release Title: An Epiphany of Hate
Year: 2016
Label: F.D.A. Rekotz
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Subdue the Politician
2.Fiction Soon Becomes Reality
3.Face Your Fear
4.Just Be Yourself
5.Just Take My Right Arm
6.An Epiphany of Hate
7.It's Clearly Eden
8.The People of the Damned
9.Senses All Will Be Controlled
10.Red Alert
One of the genre’s founding figures, Czech Republic-based death/thrashers Master has literally been at the forefront of the style from the very beginning being one of the first bands to ever adopt to the style back in the genre’s infancy. Now, nearly thirty years on from their start and reaching album number twelve, the titans offer forth this crushing release January 29, 2016 on F.D.A. Rekotz.
Much like the majority of their work in the past, this here is a rather blistering and mostly primitive brand of death-infused thrash metal that charges along at a pretty generous pace here. The main basis for the swarming, mid-tempo attack here is given the main charge throughout here which keeps the tracks steady, simplistic and really straightforward as the rhythms buzz along through the tight patterns featured here as the bands’ thrashing energies are what really tend to drive this one forward rather than the riff-work. Since the tracks are generally given a much more explosive pacing that brings out the album’s rather simplistic nature quite well here as the album seems to pick one simplistic pace and then just holds it for the majority of the time here which makes the tracks bounce along when they’re given an up-tempo rhythm to play with yet when it comes to the more sluggish and plodding tempos it doesn’t really generate the same sense of energy with it never really deviating much in it’s patterns and arrangements. There’s some great work to be had when it really lets itself go since those tend to dominate the album, yet the rare occasions where it does drop these slightly is what causes this one to lose it’s steam as the disjointed pacing and tempos is slightly jarring overall here. Thankfully, it’s rare enough to not be that detrimental against the enjoyable remainder of the album as their craftsmanship and consistency allows them to do this better than most other acts in the genre by featuring enough to make it noticeably yet going for the jugular enough times to really make that impact.
As this is clearly a competent and highly professional act that knows what they’re doing, this is nicely displayed here with an album that has a lot to like about it and only a few real downer spots that leaves this a wholehearted recommendation not only for fans of the band as well as those who enjoy this ravenous style of old-school death/thrash metal.
Artist: Poppy Seed Grinder
Release Title: Bleeding Civilization
Year: 2016
Label: Amputated Vein Records
Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1.Dominant Class of Animals
2.Humans Are Dead
3.Variety X
4.Cesspit of Demagoguery
5.Going Through
6.Blindead
7.Disfigured Face of the Earth
8.Reign of Fear
9.Bleeding Civilization
10.Oppressed Reality
From their inception in the late-90s, Czech Republic brutal death metallers Poppy Seed Grinder have been at the forefront of that country’s growing and impressive output of acts in that style. With mainman and guitarist Yarda the sole surviving member of a roster shake-up that sees new members Klabi on bass, Štěpán on drums and Eddie on vocals, this long-awaited third full-length is released August 12, 2016 on Amputated Vein Records.
As befitting the band’s age and experience, this here is a mostly savage and intense assault of short, deep riffing cutting into the strong series of churning riff-work on display here. This here is tight and chugging-filled rhythms that take full advantage of the different rhythms to generate a ferocious style of full-on brutality in conjunction with the series of tightly-wound riff-work featured here alongside the occasional burst of wailing pig-squealing and grinding patterns in the riff-work for an extra touch of brutality. Even without the grinding patterns featured here, there’s more than enough speed and ferocity in the rhythms to give this a devastating charge yet those extra little slices added to the riff-work adds immensely to the proceedings which makes for a much greater impact when it rips loose and begins generating the kind of intense rhythms that wallow in the speed-drenched up-tempo paces. Coming complete with a ravenous series of drumming blasts that work quite well in completing the grindcore feel within the riffing and a varied vocal approach to match the different rhythm assaults, it doesn’t really leave much wrong with it. There’s really one minor issue to be had, though, in the fact that the album’s blitzkrieg style attack doesn’t really leave much wrong within this one to let the material breathe much, as even within the confined patterns of the genre this one doesn’t really let the rhythms stay stuck in the listener’s head. This has a cool assortment of riff-work within the album at times, but it quickly abandons that in favor of another savage riff before going onto another, and the bewildering arrangements here makes for a general blur of a release at times, all the more so with the short track-lengths. Still, there’s a lot more this one gets right here.
Though it does get slightly undone by the fact that it’s brevity works against it in creating blurry and frantic arrangements, the fact that there’s still a lot to really like here with this one makes for a truly savage and brutal album that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of this style or those who go for the band’s past efforts.
Artist: Cadaveric Poison
Release Title: Cadaveric Poison
Year: 2016
Label: Metal-on-Metal Records
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Track;listing:
1.Cadaveric
2.The Few
3.Rollover
4.Fight for Evil
5.Forfeit the Race
6.Never Put All Your Stones in One Basket
7.Face the Whore
8.Bombs Away
9.Violence Breeds Violence
10.Poison
The self-titled debut from International death/thrash supergroup Cadaveric Poison offers a lot of exceptionally strong work overall that makes them a potential powerhouse in the genre. This here is mostly all about simplistic, straightforward riffing featuring low, deep rhythm patterns creating a dark, heavy atmosphere that permanently dwells over the entire release emanating from the riff-work. There’s a certain dynamic spreading throughout the album as the cause of the straightforward, simplistic patterns keeps this charging along at pretty frantic, strong up-tempo paces that are far more enjoyable when it really lets loose with these arrangements as the heavy thrashing melds together incredibly well with the primitive death metal riff-work. Off-set by the ability to drop into a stellar mid-tempo sprawl that still maintains that evil, dark atmosphere for a sense of variety, this all makes this a wholly enjoyable and cohesive effort which does manage to highlight the one big flaw throughout here. The fact that the material does come off with a cohesive sound that it feels awfully familiar quite quickly here as it goes about doling out it’s attack which rarely deviates from either pattern throughout here. Considering the chance this had to really let loose if it did something about having both an intro and outro that would have provided more chances to deviate somewhat, but overall this one still doesn’t come off that bad with the enjoyment on offer here with how it executes the material/
The first half sets up this one’s work incredibly well. The instrumental intro ‘Cadaveric’ uses a haunting, ominous series of chords setting the stage for proper first-track ‘The Few’ ripping through pounding drumming and simplistic thrashing riff-work through raging tempos with swirling intense rhythms holding the raw, dirty rhythms along through the onslaught of tight riffing and a strong series of thumping, mid-tempo paces into the solo section leading into the raging final half for a spectacular, rousing opening effort. ‘Rollover’ features tight, swirling thrashing riffing and pounding drumming rolling through intense tempos as the series of sprawling, slow-down riffing makes for a fine segue into a rolling, blistering series of thrashing riff-work leading into the solo section and continuing through the blistering finale for another strong effort. ‘Fight for Evil’ immediately takes on thumping mid-tempo charging with infectious riffing and pounding, simplistic drumming thumping along through the steady paces keeping the simplistic rhythms along throughout the solo section and carrying through the steady final half for a truly enjoyable highlight offering. ‘Forfeit the Race’ uses a sprawling series of riffing before settling on thumping drumming and ravenous swirling thrash rhythms carrying the steady riffing along into the dexterous drumming and holding the steady thrashing riffing along through the blistering solo section and continuing through the finale for another solid, enjoyable track.
The second half stumbles a tad but still has a lot to like here. ‘Never Put All Your Stones in One Basket’ features rattling mid-tempo riffing and straightforward drumming running through a fine mid-tempo pace with plenty of rattling rhythms carrying the steady pace along through the steady paces leading into the solo section and carrying through the final half for a decent and solid track. ‘Face the Whore’ takes a steady, sprawling extended lead-in and melodic leads that turns into a rattling swarm of up-tempo thrashing riffing alongside the rattling drumming that continually pounds along to it’s simplistic charging pace into the solo section and on through the blistering finale for a rather dynamic and impressive effort. ‘Bombs Away’ uses a steady fade-in that works through a fine mid-tempo series that keeps the steady, straightforward riffing along through the deep, rattling patterns and plodding drumming that carries the steady rhythms leading into the solo section and keeping the plodding pacing intact through the final half for a still-decent-if-obviously-weakest track on here. ‘Violence Breeds Violence’ immediately blasts through the steady riffing and churning drum-work carrying the straightforward patterns along through the intense patterns leading through the furious riffing thrashing along through the solo section and keeping the intensity raging through the finale for another utterly strong track. Lastly, album-closing instrumental ‘Poison’ takes the sampled noises and ominous build-up into the light fade-out makes for a fine lasting impression as it ends this nicely.
While it does misstep a bit from time-to-time, there’s still a whole lot of enjoyable elements featured here that makes this a wholly worthwhile example of this genre that sounds ripe and ready for fans of the members’ other projects or for those who enjoy this rattling, primitive-sounding death metal variant.
