Winter is undeniably creeping forward as the nights draw longer and the cold ever sharper. Even aside from this, happenings feel ultimately bleak and the world is increasingly grief-stricken as a result. Perhaps suitably, Convocation makes a welcome return; a band that conjures that sense of foreboding and misery, if in a general sense rather than at specific events.
The conclusion of 2022 saw Beyond Grace split with Prosthetic Records, and as any innovative and adaptable band does, the four-piece took charge themselves and carved out quite the hype-laden release timeline.
For those unaware, there has been a resurgence in metal when it comes to unsettling, haunting noise and eerie, sonically paralyzing sound.
Nothing makes me feel more proud than when a local band from the Boston scene makes it. I’ve been a big fan of Fuming Mouth over the years of their growth and was pleased to find their sophomore full-length, Last Day of Sun (Nuclear Blast Records), in my bin.
Autopsy is a band that understands itself. Like spiritual death metal brethren Cannibal Corpse, the band has core musical, thematic and visual staples you can almost always depend on (the poo-chomping album cover of Shitfun being an outlier). Think Autopsy, think the evil, Black Sabbath-inspired tri-tones, pulverising percussion, slow, menacing crawls blended with charging gallops, malevolent guitar lines, bowel-loosening bass, squealing bursts of lead guitar and rasping vocals, all tied up in a bloody bow of bodies being monstrously torn to pieces.
Well, look out guys, we’re in for another brutal outing. See, a band usually lets you know they mean fucking business when they have one of them thesaurus type names. Hence Arborescence of Wrath with the surprisingly tame album name Inferno (Transcending Obscurity Records).
All the signs are there: this is not going to be the easiest listening experience. From the likely purposefully awkward moniker, the cacophony of guest musicians (mostly drummers) and the self-processed palette of influences that range from Technical Death Metal to Classical; it does seem that Extreme Metaller’s OWDWYR purpose is to intrigue and to baffle in equal measure. The result of this; debut release Receptor (Self-Released) is, as expected, manic and as such, warrants hearing.
Evolution is inevitable. It happens in humanity, nature and even art. Since their start back in 2011, British extreme metallers, Overthrow have grown and evolved their style with each release. Starting out playing dirty thrash and adding in plenty of grimey black metal, Overthrow has upped their attack with more of a tried and true death metal attack.
Technical progressive Death Metal trailblazers Tomb Mold must have known they had something remarkably special on their hands when label 20 Buck Spin announced out of nowhere on social media that The Enduring Spirit would be released.
Let’s talk about Volbeat for a minute. They have a huge following and a ton of people dig ‘em. Good for them. I’m just not their target audience. I was born and raised on Carcass, Bolt Thrower and Deicide.