Sad news as Control Denied and Pharaoh vocalist Tim Aymar has died. He was just 59. No cause of death was shared, as the news was released via Pharoh’s social media. A tribute from the Death Facebook account was also shared. Aymar is perhaps best remembered as the vocalist for Chuck Schuldiner’s Control Denied project, which released one album, 1999s The Fragile Art Of Existence. Tim was the vocalist for 313, Triple X, Psycho Scream, and Pharaoh. RIP.
It hasn’t taken long for the bright and shiny optimism of the new year to be well and truly soiled by what is sure to be one of the filthiest and repugnant releases of 2023. Hailing from the land of grunge, Seattle, Re-Buried were formed in 2018 and feature bassist Clayton Wolff and drummer Alex Bytnar from sludge/doom act Un. With guitarists Ed Bingaman and Paul Richards providing the stomach churning riffs, the line-up is completed by frontman Chris Pinto, although the vocals on this recording are actually performed by his predecessor Mat Chandler.
If Leper Colony’s self-titled debut album (Transcending Obscurity) is any condition of what to expect musically for 2023, we are in for a helluva treat.
Canada’s All Else Fails released their latest EP, “The Incident at Black Lake,” this past September. A concept EP intended to be listened to as a whole, it is a personal foray into the darkness of depression and the torment of addiction. To cap off the EP, the final track is a cover of “Crystal Mountain” originally performed by Death. The band just shared a music video for the cover! Watch it now!Continue reading
Detherous is quickly becoming a band to pay attention to. Their 2019 debut, Hacked to Death was a balls-to-the-wall thrasher with a killer Kreator-meets-Death sound that easily put the band on many playlists. The Canadian band’s follow-up solidifies the group’s thrash meets death metal style with more unrelenting riffs, bombastic drums, and savage vocals that invoke the great Chuck Schuldiner.
Sweden’s Defleshed have returned to the land of the living after a nearly seventeen-year hiatus. The band broke up shortly after their last album, Reclaim the Beat, in 2005. The original core lineup runited just last year with the intention of recording just a few new tunes to be included in a vinyl box set. The group was more than satisfied with their efforts and decided to press forward and recorded an entire new album and Grind Over Matter (Metal Blade) was born.
The brainchild of guitarist/vocalist/everything-ist Andrew Lee, US death metal mob Ripped To Shreds has been tearing up the Californian underground scene since 2016 and shows no sign of slowing down with its third full-length studio release 劇變 (Jubian) (Relapse Records). Originally created as a solo project to increase the visibility of American-born-Chinese in extreme metal, the band now acts as a four-piece and flies that flag with just as much pride as before but to a larger audience.
Molder ticks off a lot of my sonic checkmarks, but something isn’t quite right here. If Engrossed in Decay (Prosthetic Records) were a dish in its ingredients section you’d read that it contains Autopsy, early Death, Slayer, and a hint of vintage Carcass. Seems like a pretty appetizing meal, right? And there are several moments to sink your teeth into, but overall, I was left unsatisfied. I’ll still recommend the eatery, no doubt, but here’s to hoping that the next entre hits the spot.
Formed in 2016, Detroit death-thrashers Plague Years follow up 2020’s highly impressive full length debut album Circle of Darkness with rampaging four tracker All Will Suffer (MNRK Heavy).Continue reading
Although unable to play live for over a year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Indianapolis based death metallers Obscene were still fortunate enough to release their debut album The Inhabitable Dark in mid-2020. Finally back on stage last year, the four-piece didn’t hang around, taking the time to write the bleakly titled follow-up From Dead Horizon to Dead Horizon (Blood Harvest).Continue reading