REVIEWS ROUND-UP: Through The Cracks Of Death (January – March 2023) – Faithxtractor – Maze of Sothoth – Cadaver Shrine – Astriferous – Nothingness – Tentacult


 

Decades pass without incident, and we dare to hope that the door is closed forever… but hope is a coin that buys only disappointment.  Richard Benton returns once more from the lands beyond, six new horrors fast at his heels.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Siege of Power – This Is Tomorrow


 

Normally when I hear the term “Supergroup,” I let out a disappointed sigh. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great idea to have a bunch of your favorite musicians get together and collaborate on something new. The major problem with this however is that it often works better as an idea since the finished product never seems to live up to the hype. Other times, the supergroup offers nothing really new. Siege of Power is to defy that cliche. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Spectral Souls – Towards Extinction


 

Formed in 2019, it didn’t take Peruvian death metallers Spectral Souls long to feel the effects of Coronavirus, the global pandemic throwing their plans into chaos within months. After eventually completing work on their full-length debut, the Lima-based act released Towards Extinction (Hammerheart Records) digitally last year but are now reissuing the album in a variety of more traditional physical formats.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Memoriam – Rise To Power


For my money, there is no better Death Metal vocalist than Karl Willetts. There is just something about it that just feels like “Classic Death Metal”. His delivery is always on point with the perfect blend of raw power and intensity. His time and contribution to the one and only Bolt Thrower were nothing short of incredible. When the band broke up in 2015, Willets along with Benediction bassist Frank Healy quickly formed Memoriam the following year. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy


 

Having taken the death metal world by storm, it is an understatement to say that Sanguisugabogg’s sophomore release, Homicidal Ecstasy (Century Media), is highly anticipated. Everyone and their cool horror movie-obsessed grandmother is looking forward to this record and they will not be let down! Sure, there is some maturation here, and maybe music videos depicting penis monsters duking it out, but this is The Bogg that we all know and love.

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INTERVIEW: Cedrik Davis of Sanguisugabogg on Modern Death Metal and a “Homicidal Ecstasy” Album Breakdown


We caught up with Cedrik Davis of Sanguisugabogg ahead of the release of their new album, “Homicidal Ecstasy” – due out this week via Century Media Records! We chatted about the ascent of the band to the forefront of modern death metal, their varied influences, and a track-by-track analysis of the new album!  Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Grief Symposium – …In The Absence of Light


What was the first bit of heavy music you ever heard in your life? Did you level up, gaining mana from the ear-peeling riffs and shouts? Lovers of extreme metal surely have had experiences like this in their lives, where their entire world is tossed upside-down a new band, or a clutch of new demos from an emerging scene. This is how my ears felt hearing Grief Symposium, with a new take on the Death / Doom sub-genre with their debut, …In The Absence of Light (Church Road Records). Although mysterious and secretive, they did not set out to reinvent extreme music, but rather invent themselves, and a sound that should echo for a long time. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Nothingness – Supraliminal


 

January is always a strange month for new music as albums will drop, are loved, and then usually become an afterthought by July. Having said that, the sophomore release from Minnesota’s own Nothingness, entitled Supraliminal (Everlasting Spew), is the grimey death metal that will revisit my earholes for months to come. The overall sense of dread on some of the tracks is an added bonus as I do enjoy heavier music with some feelings outside of anger and brutality.

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CONCERT REVIEW: At The Gates – Municipal Waste – Enforced Live at Irving Plaza


 

Recently renovated classic venue Irving Plaza in New York City is the scene for the finale of the US leg of At The Gates most popular album, Slaughter of the Soul. Enforced opened the night. They’re an interesting group to me. They sound like a mix of Death Metal/Thrash with a some hardcore-tinged vocals. Whatever they’re going for, it’s working for them. I dig it. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Exhumed – To The Dead – Relapse Records


Besides writing reviews and attending shows, I have both full time and part time jobs, a family and too many cats. It’s safe to say that I like to stay busy but I have nothing on Exhumed founder and frontman, Matt Harvey. In this year alone he toured with both Gruesome and Death tribute band Left To Die (performing Leprosy in its entirety!) If that’s not enough, he somehow conjured up more hours in a day to write and record Exhumed’s latest batch of gore soaked madness, To The Dead (Relapse Records).

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