Ruinous - Graves of Ceaseless Death (2016)

This album would be SO much better if it wasn't for the retardation of the vocals. I mean, seriously, what the FUCK is going on here with that shit?

Musically, this is could easily have passed for the "next" album by Funebrarum since it showcases the riff-writing of two of that band's former guitarists. Honestly, this album sounds like the logical "next step" after The Sleep of Morbid Dreams.

Being that these guys are from the Jersey/Philly area, you can pretty much expect the typical toxic sludge o' doom drenched death that is inherent to that area (Incantation, Deteriorot, Solemn, Mortal Decay) to come oozing fourth from your speakers and as usual, drummer Shawn Eldridge delivers yet another astounding performance. One thing's a guarantee, if this guy's name is on it, you can rightly expect the drum performance to be legendary. Sure, he can blast with the best of them but more importantly, he knows his way around the kit and I've never heard a bum beat in answer to anything thrown his way.

Back to the vox, I'm not sure how to even describe them. I'm fairly certain my man was going for some sort of unhinged black metal shriek type of thing, but instead it comes across more like some sort of attempt at deathcore which becomes increasingly unbearable to endure once that thought enters your mind. The lows are decent enough and had he stuck primarily with those, we would have had an undeniable winner on our hands. Instead, I can only assume that the guys from Asking Alexandria decided to give "this death metal thing" a go. Unfortunately, the riffs are just a little too "underground" for the goth girls to hop on board as well.

Overall, this is one of those "could've, should've's" that, had it not been for the slap-monkey behind the mic, would've easily went down in legend. Maybe next time 'round they can enlist someone holding a cattle-prod to stand next to the vocalist while he's in the studio doing his thing and every time he gets outta line with that shit, "ZAP!"

Eviscium - Underneath the Buried (2003)

Some pretty devastating shit right here from past and present members of Rottrevore and Derketa.

Not only was I pleased but I was also shocked at how low tuned and heavy this machine was! So many times have I seen those that were once involved in earlier bands dating back to the late '80's/early '90's come back and just not have a fucking clue as to how to put the pieces back together. That was certainly not the case here with Eviscium.

Again, this thing is fucking HEAVY, and along with Mark's trademark ghoulish grave-slop vocal style, I'd be hard-pressed to believe that this was released at any time beyond '93. There's more of an emphasis on chug-laden catchiness and I'd even go as far as to say that Rottrevore could be considered as being technically clinical by comparison. That's not a bag on Rottrevore, I'm merely emphasizing just how primitive and straightforward this monster truly is. This is my kind of death metal all the fucking way!

My only gripe is the tinny production. This ep could have benefited heartily from a little more bottom end. Hardly cause for alarm, though, as historically many of the greatest death metal releases do not have the best sound quality (Magus - Ruminations of Debauchery, Crematory - The Exordium and Wrath From the Unknown demos, etc).

For some weird and unknown reason this ep, hell, the band itself has largely went unnoticed. Perhaps that has to do with the time of its release as the early 2000's were not exactly banner years for "old school death metal". Maybe that's why they decided to call it quits so early in the career. I was also a little bummed that Mastro didn't have anything to do with the reunion of Rottrevore a few years back (which produced a rather worthy three song ep) for whatever reason. Thankfully, though, I noticed that as of 2016 Eviscium has been reanimated and hopefully some new material will soon see the light of day.

For those who lack the proper amount of grave-slop in their diet, by all means, check Eviscium out at their Bandcamp page.

Bolzer - Hero (2016)

Out of all of the complaints I've seen fired at this album the one that perplexes me the most is that of the production, which, to me, not only sounds full and colossal but also manages to stay true to the aural aesthetic of the band's previous work. If anything, that would be the one true victory this time 'round for Bolzer. That, of course, is not to say that I deem 'Hero' a failure on any level. Hardly. It is just that there are those elements that I can clearly see others being thrown off track over, such as the various vocal nuances that have been brought out to the forefront instead of being relegated to mere "guest appearance" status as they have previously been.

Again, that shit doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's not as if the band "all of a sudden" decided to employ and incorporate clean vocals into their arsenal. They've been doing that shit since day one. It's just that this time around they decided to add a little more. Injecting them into areas where they saw fit. Fine by me. I happen to like them. There is something mighty, almost Grecian, about them to me which, of course, only adds to flavor of the lyrical content as well as the windy atmosphere and ensuing onslaught of the music itself.

There are slight gripes to be had, for sure, such as the first half of the album having a "same-y" sort of feel to it, not to mention that the riffs themselves aren't particularly the most inventive ol' KzR's conjured fourth. However, things begin to get mighty interesting around the intermission and beyond and that's really where the album's best songs come out to do battle. The riffing on a few of these tracks is downright bizarre and not far removed from that which you would hear on an Immolation album, which could never be a bad thing!

The only other flaw that can be construed is the lack of KzR's deeper growl. Starting with his work with New Zealand's Witchrist, he began to employ a slightly higher, raspier cackle, which, in and of itself sounds great, yet I am also as fan of the behemoth howl of old found on Bolzer's previous work so it would have been a treat to have heard a little more of them on this album. Nothing to fret over, though, as the vocal manifestations here are quite competent on their own and certainly get the job done.

Aside from these few and truly minor criticisms, I remain in awe of this band and, again, find myself rather puzzled as to the amount of angst and flak they have received from their supposed "fans" for this album. I hear no real deviation from earlier outings and it certainly stands out amidst the sea of technical chug-fests that is in no danger of drying up, The only thing I can come up with is that the metal scene has indeed been flooded with a newer, whinier type of "fan" that persists upon pissing and moaning over any perceived slight against their precious and oh so delicate sensibilities. Ironically, I've noticed that fanatically ousting someone as being a "hipster" is a tactic employed by... hipsters!

Anyway, fuck what the underground kvlt hipsters tell ya, Hero is a great album indeed filled with more good ideas than not and I definitely look forward to what comes next from the band.

Immolation - Atonement (2017)

I know in the past it may have appeared that I've been a bit hard on Immolation, and to some extent that may be true but that is only because they are one of my all time favorite bands (dating back to 1991 when I first heard Dawn of Possession) and their first four albums are more or less untouchable to me. I mean, that's quite a fucking run, really. In the 'death metal' world, at any rate. Sure, there have been some hiccups, which I can only surmise was due to the fact that their creative fires burned so bright for so long that there was bound to be a stretch of darkness along the way to immortality, yet nonetheless, these motherfuckers have earned their place among the gods for having held high the flag of evil death metal for so long.

Whatever the band's perceived shortcomings may have been, it's clearly irrelevant in hindsight as they have been on an absolutely vicious tear for the past seven years or so starting with 2010's colossal 'Majesty and Decay', followed by the excellent 'Providence' ep and 2013's 'Kingdom of Conspiracy', an overall great album slightly marred by the deafening sound of the drums. All of which brings us to 'Atonement'.... Holy.Fucking.Shit.

First and foremost: The songwriting on 'Atonement' is placed safe and snug beside Immolation's post-'Unholy Cult' body of work, meaning there are scant moments of rampant technicality to be found, if any. The focus here is on simpler, smoother and more straightforward song structures, with, of course, Immolation's signature bizarro tendencies abound. Yes, this is the work of a band that never creatively "sold out", yet has been relentlessly on the hunt for "the perfect riff", casting aside the urge to mindlessly meander along the fretboard (not that that was ever the case, mind you). I'd be lying if I were to say that I do not miss the salad bar of rhythmic fluctuations the band had employed back in the '90's/early '00's, however, this new album is so good that I am completely willing to go wherever it is the band takes me and believe me, listening to and experiencing this album is one hell of a ride!

Speaking of bizarre intricacies, Bob is really firing on all infernal cylinders here! It would seem that he has rediscovered his love for harmonics as they are in full flurry and abound and their inclusion really cements in my mind that they are truly the rotten cherry on top of any evil riff.

I read somewhere that Ross was starting to show a bit of wear this time around. Whoever wrote that must be high on that homemade speed. You know, the kind that meth-zombies with ZZ Top beards out in the backwoods of Texas make by spraying RAID on a screen and shocking it! That motherfucker needs to go Frankenstein a new pair of ears because Ross not only sounds AS good as he has in the past but better. Even the drumming is on point in a way it hasn't been since Alex Hernandez was in the band. It's still not as deliciously kooky in its delivery as it was in the days of old but my man has certainly made it a point to divvy things up a bit instead of answering the guitars in the most mundane way possible.

The album is surprisingly mid-paced, overall, with a few fast and furious moments thrown in for good measure. It kind of reminds me of Morbid Angel's 'Gateways...' in that sense, proving that you don't have to constantly blast like a retard to effectively deliver a sound beating. It also has the feel of a concept album, in the spiritual sense, of course, where everything sort of works together building up to a dark and monumental conclusion.

At this point in the game I feel that Immolation (along with maybe Nile) are at the top of the heap in terms of quality and consistency and as always, I will be impatiently awaiting their next excursion into darkness.

Ritual Chamber - Obscurations (To Feast on the Seraphim) (2016)

More lame tremolo picked bullshit that unimaginative dweebs have already compared to 'Onward to Golgotha'. Please, dweebs, please STOP with that bullshit!

First off, Incantation (or more accurately, John motherfuckin' Mac and Cheese!) actually WRITE RIFFS!! They don't sit there chilling on the E string trying to jack it off as fast as they can and then palm it off as being evil and atmospheric. There's actually thought given to the process which in turn produces a variable landscape of ups and downs... nooks and crannies, so on and so fourth. One thing I always hated about black metal as well as this blackened death bullshit is that people insist that mediocrity somehow translates to atmospheric. It does not. Playing like this just means that you suck and lack creativity. Plain and fucking simple. This is the kind of shit a 12 year old whips together and records on his cell-phone after an all-nighter consisting of large doses of adderall and jacking off to Transylvanian Hunger, you know, for inspiration.

To sum it up... I'll never forget a good friend of mine who was a 'zine editor and college radio station DJ back where I'm from telling me (half jokingly) that I should start a black metal band. His reasoning? "you don't even have to know how to play!"

Malignancy - Ignorance is Bliss [demo] (1997)

As they have progressively lost me throughout the years by way of their increasing technicality, Malignancy's 1997 demo 'Ignorance is Bliss', for me, remains the band's crowning achievement.

Ignorance is Bliss sounds like some bestial offspring of Mortician and Immolation (both of whom are also Yonkers natives). The retardation of how ridiculously heavy the guitar sound is and many of the slower, more "chugging" sections immediately bring to mind Mortician while the faster and more bizarre tremolo/harmonic acrobatics remind me of Immolation. Of course everything over in Maligville is taken WAY the fuck further out into left field and the end result had me hypnotically listening over and over, etc al. At that point, in my mind, this band could do no wrong.

Unfortunately, Malignancy would opt for a more technically progressive approach as the years weaned on which, frankly, doesn't do a whole lot for me. Don't get me wrong, a few of their releases, (notably the string of 'ep's' that bridge the gap between their first and second albums) are absolutely on point, but the primal war-machine of old had clearly run its course and has sadly been left unattended and seemingly forgotten.

Trust me when I tell you... there aren't many bands aside from Bolt Thrower themselves who can so effortlessly convey images of apocalyptic battle as Malignancy had on this masterpiece. Make no mistake, though, this isn't merely a roller coaster ride through a kaleidoscope of violence and chaos. There are some genuinely haunting and moody passages clustered throughout that really place this in a category of it's own, although it could be argued that the misty graveyard sequences that pop up (most notably during 'Your Life is Shit') are some sort of inherent characteristic of bands from the Hudson River Valley (Incantation, Immolation, Morpheus Descends, etc.). This doesn't imply that Malignancy are aping their stats from other bands. Hardly. If anything, I believe there to be a case that they may very well be the most original sounding death metal band from their area, hell, the US, for that matter.

Disembowelment - Transcendence into the Peripheral (1993)

One of the most worshiped and idolized funeral/death-doom albums out there. Despite this, I've always been a bit on the fence with this one. On one side there are moments of absolute brilliance while on the other there are times where everything sounds a bit forced and disjointed.

The production and sound, overall, is a little too good while the vocals fall short of my expectations. They sound a bit haggard and weak. Not as elemental and powerful as I would have liked. The drumming here is technically sound, but again, I feel as though they are a little too precise. The aural perfection of this record lends to it an almost industrial feel. The one song on here that is a straight win for me is the Into the Pandemonium-esque 'Nightside of Eden'.

Overall, there's nothing terribly offensive about this album in terms of blatant suckage and there are certainly some very enjoyable moments clustered throughout, but I normally do not turn in this direction when I am looking to quench my thirst for funeral/death-doom. I find this album to be an incomplete experience that has me picking up on its flaws rather than sitting back and being carried away by the sounds provided within.

Kataklysm - Temple of Knowledge [Kataklysm Part III] (1996)

I remember hearing about Kataklysm around the time Sorcery was released. I believe it was an ad for that album probably on the back cover of an old issue of Metal Maniacs. This would've been around '95 and that was, for me, probably the dreariest year for death metal as far as bands breaking up or changing styles was concerned. I remember not being terribly impressed by Sorcery and pretty much wrote the band off.

A few years later, at the behest of my guitarist/Kataklysm nut, I gave in and checked out the band's sophomore LP, Temple of Knowledge.

I could tell this wasn't bad but there was still something that I wasn't quite feeling. It was almost like the guitarist would have preferred playing thrash but was being forced to come up with death metal riffs. Either that or the guy went from not knowing how to play a lick to writing songs in a matter of a few hours. I don't mean to imply that the kid couldn't play, but everything just sounded forced. Add to that the insanity (and believe me, I mean INSANITY!!!) of the vocalist and his desire to jam pack his lyrics into every orifice, nook and cranny dealt out by the guitars and finalize it all with an average drummer who is left to somehow make sense of all this, and voila... I give you... Temple of Knowledge!

All in all, this is easily the band's crowning achievement and they've pretty much released a long line of 'blah' since. Nothing terribly bad. Nothing tremendously good. Just... eh. Much of this has to do with the fact that this album was the last to feature the midget, bearded kook-monster himself, Sylvain Houde. I can say, with absolute confidence, that his work on this album is the most insane shit I've ever heard from a death metal vocalist, not to mention his frenetic stage presence. I would have really loved to have heard him in Cryptopsy after Lord Worm had gone about his way. I can only imagine how much better the Mike DiSalvo albums would've sounded had Houde been in control of that ship.

Temple of Knowledge is hardly a "stellar" album and aside from the shock value of Houde's performance there's really nothing here beyond a handful of decent riffs and accompanying blasts.

Exodus - Blood in Blood Out (2014)

When I first heard that the fat, afro-wave Bon Scott wannabe was back in the band (again) I was pretty excited. For one, I've always preferred 'Pleasures...' over 'Bonded...' and two, I thought that he sounded pretty damn good fronting his kid's band, however weird that concept may be.

Well, impact was assuredly imminent and the reunion of Souza and Exodus turned out to be one big crash and fucking burn.

The riffs are a grab-bag of 'ok' mixed in with sonic Xanax and other, various sleep inducing benzos. The main problem with them (and pretty much the album as a whole) is the production. This is quite possibly the worst sounding Exodus album in that regard. Having a "full" sound is normally good, yet, as with everything else in life, there is always the potential to overdo shit and boy did this thing overstay its welcome the oven!

While I thought Souza sounded killer in Hatriot, he sounds downright awful here. Of course the atrociously juvenile lyrics do not help in any way. They may have been cool 30 years ago, written by some hessian teen with a 1/4 ounce of pot tucked away in the pocket of his flannel, but to hear this shit dribbling fourth from a 50 year old goes WAY beyond the realm of comedy and is just plain excruciating to endure.

TRUST me... this is nowhere near as good as the first few Exodus albums. Hell, it aint even as good as Force of Habit! It's just one, gigantic mess written by a bunch of bloated guys who're only a few years away from senior citizen status.

From Best to Worst: Kreator (the early years)

Terrible Certainty (1987) 

For me, this is the "pinnacle" album by the band. While it retains a large sum of the raw and violent tendencies of the band's earlier output, it is obvious that Mille & Co. were improving as musicians and were keen to flex their newfound abilities. Thankfully, they opted not to go overboard and the end result is the perfect combination of precision and aggression. TC reminds me a mash-up of Immolation's 'Dawn of Possession', Pestilences 'Malleus Maleficarum' and Sepultura's 'Beneath the Remains'.

While Destruction may have alienated some listeners with their prowess and rather bizarre eccentricities and Sodom always sort of chose to stand on the primitive side of the fence, Kreator were always able to juggle both ends of the spectrum with ease and TC, in my opinion, is their ultimate statement.



Flag of Hate (1986)

This 'ep' serves as the bridge between the band's ultra-primitive (yet no less violent) debut and the more, (ahem) "kreative" riffing that would become more pronounced with each release.

Though merely an 'ep', FOH boasts a few of my all-time favorite Kreator tracks including the epic and volcanic blast, 'Awakening of the Gods' and the Terrible Certanity-esque 'Take their Lives'.






Pleasure to Kill (1986) 

Not only did Kreator manage to up the ante in terms of progression and technicality, they also ramped up the violence and brutality that made their debut an instant classic. No small feat there!

There will always be a special place in my black heart for this album as it was the first Kreator album I bought and listened to, not to mention it's just so fucking good!







Endless Pain (1985) 

As far as this list is concerned, Endless Pain is the last of the truly essential Kreator albums (Terrible Certainty if you were to go chronologically).

I have many, many fond memories of blasting this album at high volume and thrashing out during my youth and despite its violent tendencies, there is a great deal of "classic rock" sounding riffs scattered throughout (riffs that were obviously taken to their extreme and warped almost beyond recognition). I can only assume that the reason being is that thrash was still very much in its infancy during this time with rock and roll not so far behind in the evolutionary chain of extreme music.

EP also features Mille at his most absolutely venomous!



Coma of Souls (1990) 

This is probably the album that should have come out after Terrible Certainty as, for me, Extreme Aggression just really didn't cut it.

Without a doubt, COS is Kreator's most mature offering to date. Everything is pristine, from the production to the selection and placement of the riffs, lyrical topics and arrangements, so on.

The bands knack for writing aggressive material is still there, but now it seems to have a purpose. Everything has been tempered and honed and I have to admit, it's a slight bummer to see the band so calculative in their attack rather than caught up amidst the slaughter, throwing caution to the wind, which seemed to be the approach on their earlier records.

Make no mistake about it, though... COS is a standout album and in many ways is as far as the band could have gone in terms of seeking out perfection. Sure, it may not be as gritty and grimy as Pleasure to Kill or Terrible Certainty, but they proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that they could write and record an album on the same level as any one of their more "well-known" peers.



Extreme Aggression (1989) 

Technically, this may be the most advanced of the band's initial run, however, there is something oddly yet undeniably anemic about it. The venom in Mille's voice has been trampled over by a more comic sounding version of his former self. Some of the lyrics are just downright fucking goofy, not to mention the fact that they're rendered cringe-worthy by the sheer awfulness of his vocal performance this time around. Though I've never been the biggest fan of Ventor's work behind "da mic", he really would've been a welcome diversion to Mille's mysterious bout with retardation on this album.

The other gripe I have with EA is the horrendously stripped down and neutered sound of the guitars. There is absolutely NO power to be found here. Sure, there is a certain "razor-ishness" to some of the more technical riffage to be found yet I can't shake the notion that the soul had been thoroughly sucked from out of the whole thing before being palmed off to the public at large.



Out of the Dark... into the Light (1988) 

The songs found on this -ep- (sans the live tracks, of course) somehow manage to sound 100 times inferior to even the worst that Extreme Aggression had to offer, and that's REALLY saying something!

It's rather perplexing that this awful piece of shit was conceived shortly after the release of the mighty Terrible. I am forced to assume that the creative process for that album must have seriously put the proverbial hurt on their asses thus rendering them crippled, creatively, until they re-entered the think-tank that led to the creation of Coma of Souls.

Cool cover, and that it!

From Out of the West Comes the Best! The Way's Top Ten of 2014

I knew well before this year had begun that 2014 was going to be a special year for music, metal in particular. I can honestly say that not only was this an almost abnormally great year, there were really no big letdowns either (hell, I even thought that the latest Incantation album was pretty fucking good). Obviously it was a bit difficult to whittle down all of the year's best releases to a mere list of ten, but, as tough as the decision was, here it is...

Before I continue, I must mention the fact that while I knew earlier in the year that there were going to be a few albums off of the Dark Descent label on here on this list, I was constantly in a state of amazement by damn near each album that was put out by the label this year. DD has really grown and matured by leaps and bounds and have earned my respect for not only having an almost preternatural sense of picking out and signing the best and most creative bands of this era but also for their diversity as well. Without a doubt, Dark Descent has become this generation's Earache Records in terms of importance and relevance and I genuinely look forward to the years to come in terms of their output.

10) Vallenfyre - Splinters

Just as good, if not better than their debut.

Splinters is a play by play account of 'how to get it right' in terms of writing a death metal album.

I am beyond stoked that not one, but two members of Paradise Lost have decided to revisit their death metal roots and though I quite enjoyed the latest Bloodbath album with Nick Holmes fronting the band, it is Vallenfyre who have ultimately made the list.

9) Swallowed - Lunarterial

I've never been the biggest fan of Autopsy (sorry, just never "got it") and the same goes for the majority of bands that have shamelessly aped them through the years, however, even though it is rather obvious where Swallowed gets the lion's share of its inspiration from, there is something downright addictive about what they are doing. I knew that they were going to be a great band after hearing their 2010 self titled 'ep' but this... this really blew me away beyond the point of comprehension! Sure, the "blackened" Autopsy" thing is still there, to be sure, but there is so much more to it than that. WAY more!!

8) Moab - Billow

While still heavy as fuck, Moab have opted to take a more "accessible" approach this time 'round. Don't let that statement fool you into thinking that Moab sounds like Green Day all of a sudden. If anything, this album reminded me a lot of Kyuss or Vista Chino with, of course, a MUCH heavier guitar tone. In a perfect world, THIS is the kind of band you would be hearing on the radio all the time had the mainstream not taken a turn for the worse somewhere back in the mid-'90's.

7) Salem's Pot - ...Lurar ut dig på prärien

NOT a fan of the band name. At all. However, the riffs and the vibe they create cannot be denied. There is some fairly gloomy shit going on here and I was quite glad that I decided to ignore the gay name and venture fourth unto the mental landscape wherein the strange and morbid mysticism of the sounds provided here were originally wrought.

With bands such as Salem's Pot and Saturnalia Temple (who are set to release their sophomore LP in early 2015), I think it's safe to say that Electric Wizard's days on the throne are severely numbered from here on out.

6) Blut aus Nord - Triunity

There were three releases by BaN to choose from this year and even though this is merely an 'ep' (a split, at that), Triunity was the one that spoke closest to my heart.

I'll always favor slower, more brooding music over constant blasting or albums that consist of a primarily faster tempo. Not that I don't like that stuff, but it has always been the slower stuff that caught my attention and BaN did just that here, and then some. Truinity is the perfect travel pick for a trip to the brain. Brooding and hypnotic ghoulishness best listened to at night.

5) Electric Wizard - Time to Die

After two extremely lackluster albums, EW is finally back on track. No, this is not the follow-up to 'Dopethrone' that everyone had hoped for. Nevertheless, it would appear that the band has employed hindsight to engineer a sort of "mash-up" of their previous incarnations and have delivered their strongest album since 'We Live'.

While never slowing down to the level of 'I, Witchfinder' or 'Eko Eko Azarak', the band has largely managed to recapture the "occult" vibe of their earlier albums while retaining the structural accessibility of their last two outings. I know that for some reason this is a divisive album, why, I have no idea as I found it to be infinitely superior to both 'Witchcult...' and 'Black Masses'.

4) Corpsessed - Abysmal Thresholds

Monstrously crushing!!!

THIS is how death metal should sound. Forget the cringe-inducing influx of technical wankery or the zombie apocalypse of misguided Incantation wannabes aimlessly wandering around for the last 1/2 a decade or so... THIS is how it's done, folks!

Planet shattering guitar sound? Check.

Evil tremolo riff onslaught wrought from deep within the caverns of planet Earth? Check.

Colossal, mountainous passages of doom and dread liberally placed throughout? Check.

Ultra-demonic vocals drenched in hatred and all-consuming rage? Check.

This could easily have been released twenty or so years ago. It's that good!

3) Verma - Sunrunner

Wouldn't be a proper "year-end" list from me without some sort of "space-rock/kraut/prog/pychedelia" floating around somewhere, so here it is!

While just as "spaced out" as anything they've done prior to this, Verma's latest sees the band going back to the accessibility of 'Salted Earth'. Perhaps even more so. Personally, I'm glad, as while I certainly love to zone out, dazed and confused, drooling and traipsing through a vast mental landscape wrought by master strokes of aural psychedelia, I actually prefer the more confined and direct approach of Verma's songwriting capabilities and am grateful to see the band has not forsaken the ability to do so. Why this band hasn't become "the next big thing" is beyond me.

2) Emptiness - Nothing But the Whole

And here we have the second album on the list to showcase some four-eyed figure on the album cover.

It's really almost impossible to categorize any one album by Emptiness and this one is by far their most scatterbrained and surreal.

Obviously the platform here is a sort of death metal/black metal hybrid (though which of the two comes out stronger is up for debate) yet the band spares no expense in reaching out well beyond the framework of expectation, pulling in some severely bizarre riff sequences ranging from the tranquil and serene to dizzying and hallucinogenic. Morbidly exotic, I find this band to be the most exciting prospect since the days when Blut aus Nord chose to follow their own path and left the traditional approach of songwriting forever behind.

1) Today is the Day - Animal Mother

As I get older, the need to listen to something over and over, no matter how good it may be, has lessened dramatically. I was actually starting to worry about that and began to wonder if I was finally becoming one of the "pod people", immune to the magical effect that good music has on my mind and mood. Then I heard this...

Holy shit!!

It's actually rather funny as I sort of wrote TitD off a while back after a slew of seemingly uninspired outings. I honestly didn't expect much this time 'round. Mistake. BIG time.

While it's easy to say that Steve Austin "went back" to the sound of the GODLY 'Temple of the Morning Star', it's really not that simple. While it certainly can be argued that 'Animal Mother' is a return to the quality of that era, it is really more of a clever recap of the band's career high points with 'Temple...' and 'Sadness Will Prevail' being the most noticeable.

Really, after 'Kiss the Pig' (which was just really not that good) and 'Axis of Eden' (which was much better, musically, but had the misfortune of being drenched in an awful, over bass-y production), I figured that Steve Austin's best days were behind him as usually seems the case with most aging artists. I was wrong and I have never been so happy to admit that in all my life!


Honorable mentions:

Funereal Presence - The Archer Takes Aim

Stellar album that manages to create so-called "orthodox" black metal while adding in a multitude of other elements, keeping things interesting. For a debut this sounds fantastic!

Lumerians - Transmissions From Telos Vol. III

One of my favorite bands returns with yet another outstanding excursion into the warm and fuzzy expansion of the mind's eye. MUCH better last years 'The High Frontier'.

The Cult of Dom Keller - The Second Bardo

Miss the '60's or wish you were alive during that mystical and tumultuous time? Pop on this bad boy and feel yourself warmly slip away. Though this is far from the political crooning of Bob Dylan or Country Joe and the Fish, mind you. This is the kind of shit that'll have you starting a cult of your own, partaking in LSD fueled orgies and going on mass murder sprees. Beware.

Skaphe - Skaphe

Well composed and recorded black metal with moderate death metal leanings. Pretty evil shit and it won't surprise me if you start seeing this band's name all over the place in the years to come.

Godflesh - Decline & Fall

While the inevitable full length had a few stellar tracks, to be sure, I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed with how "same-y" it all ended up sounding. Oddly enough, this little "warm-up' 'ep' proved to be far superior .


Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know, I had mentioned earlier that there weren't really any big let-downs this year, but I almost forgot and so I now present to you...

The Stinker of the Year:

Exodus - Blood In Blood Out

When I first heard that Zetro was back in Exodus I was beyond psyched. Personally, my favorite Exodus albums are fronted by Steve and so I was fairly confident that this would be a triumphant return to form. I mean, hell... his work with his kid's band Hatriot was pretty venomous sounding. I figured his return to Exodus would be a flawless endeavor.

Not quite.

Vocally this album sounds like Steve Souza is a social retard. There are so many cringe-inducing moments that had me wondering "what the fuck were they thinking?"

To be fair, much of this has to do with the absolute retardation of the lyrical content, which I'm fairly certain is written by Gary Holt, therefore absolving Mr. Souza of that particular crime against humanity. Nonetheless, a different, perhaps... less "flamboyant" approach may have lessened the blow some to some extent, so he's not totally in the clear here. Honestly, Souza's been on a downward spiral since 'Fabulous Disaster', vocally, though again, the lyrical content does not help. They may have worked back in the '80's but in this day in age they are an absolute abomination.

The other, and perhaps greatest offender here is the production. While the riffs are mostly bloated and lazy sounding, they may have come across slightly better had they not undergone the overproduction that ultimately ruined them beyond repair. Had the production been a bit leaner and Souza's antics toned down some, this may have been a little better. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's seemes to have gotten the better of whoever the decision-maker is in the band and out came this steaming pile of over processed shit.

Today is the Day - Animal Mother (2014)

Unless somebody comes out of nowhere and releases the greatest album ever, this will be album of the year.

Having sort of lost a little bit of interest in TITD, I was completely unprepared for the gloomy majesty of this album. Honestly, I began to drift away from what the band was doing around the time 'Kiss the Pig' came out. Whatever it is  that album's supposed to represent, I was just not feeling it. 'Axis of Eden' was a little better but god damn what an awful production it had! By the time 'Pain is a Warning' came out I just sort of kept on walking by not really paying it any mind except for listening to a teaser on Youtube (of course, after being blown away by this album I would go back and ultimately feel a little dumb for having ignored PIAW in the first place).

The first thing I notice is that the vibe is more than similar to TITD's grand opus, 'Temple of the Morning Star'. I have always hoped that the "reverend" would revisit that territory through the years and now, it seems, he finally has, though a case could be made that 'Axis of Eden' traversed similar grounds albeit the bass-smothered production. This time, however, the stars were in perfect alignment and right from the jump you know that this is going to be a quality experience wrought by the imagination and fury of one of music's greatest contemporaries.

I'm not going to bother over-explaining every detail of every song on here but trust me when I tell you that this album is easily the best thing Steve Austin has created in a very, very long time. I would even go as far as to say that, spiritually, this feels like the successor to 'Temple of the Morning Star'. For me, 'In the Eyes of God' just lacked that grimy charm. It was a little too pristine for its own good and believe me, I could care less about how many drum rolls homey from Mastodon threw into the mix. 'Sadness Will Prevail' was certainly on point though there are detractors who complain of its length. Personally, I've always felt that that album was a voyage through insanity and a rather flawless experience. 'Animal Mother' is definitely a welcome return to the deeper levels of madness that Steve Austin has been so kind to show us in the past. Not only that, but god damn this is one heavy motherfucker! Not only are there many violent and psychopathic mindscapes to explore here but there is also no shortage of flat out heaviness, either, yet everything is perfectly thought out and placed. Where Godflesh may have overdone the heaviness just a tad on their return album, TITD has carefully put together a sonic masterwork for the ages.

I'm already fiending for whatever it is the Reverend decides to do next, though for now I figure what better time than to go back and reassess some of those albums I had previously overlooked.

Soulburn - The Suffocating Darkness (2014)

In recent years I've come to really just not give a fuck about Asphyx nor any of its many spin-offs that basically sound exactly like Asphyx. Sure, when I was younger I was moderately enthralled by them mostly due to the fact that at that time I was fairly forgiving when it came to any sort of fusion of death and doom metal (hey, pickin's were slim in those days) and of course the fact that they boasted the presence of Martin Van Drunen in their ranks, whose work on 'Consuming Impulse' I was still reeling from. Even then, though, listening to Asphyx was never a thorough endeavor as there were many bumps in the road when going from start to finish. It was always a rather puzzling experience as it almost sounded like two bands. One that could play and had a firm grasp on things and one who sounded like they were beaten over the head with a sledgehammer and rendered concussive before staggering into the studio, meaning, they would go from these somewhat showy, dare I say "sophisticated" (that's probably the wrong word here, but...) moments and then sort of slide into these segments that I can only describe as being remedial at best. Consuming Impulse this sure as fuck was not, yet there was certainly a weird charm to all of this and again, I believe that the presence of MVD probably kept me on board longer than I would have been had the mic been commandeered by someone else.

Eventually and for whatever reason, MVD would beat feet from the ranks of the band and that's when I decided to take my own leave as well. Years and years later, after learning of MVD's much heralded return to the band, I decided to see what all of the hoopla was all about. I realized, almost immediately, that the hype was in name only as the music found on 'Death... the Brutal Way' was about as lame and boring as you could get. By this time my drooling adoration of anything MVD had considerably dropped and it would take something substantial for me to get into this. Something that unfortunately would decide to remain hidden.

Sometime not long after all of this, original (or at least in terms of album appearances) guitarist Eric Daniels would re-emerge and join his counterparts in Asphyx under the guise 'Grand Supreme Blood Court' (still not sure how I feel about that name). Admittedly I was a wee-bit excited as there were more than a few of Eric's riffs in the past, particularly the slower ones, that I truly enjoyed and I was hopeful that the pairing of MVD and Daniels would be fruitful indeed. Well, after all was said and done this was as boring as all of the new Asphyx shit. No better, no worse.

Shortly after, I learned that founding member and drummer of Asphyx, Bob Bagchus had once again flown the coop. No big loss there as I always felt that his "contributions" to the band were part of why they sounded like a pack of drunken amputees headbutting their instruments and calling it music. I was curious, however, by the fact that he was, once again, reuniting with Eric Daniels to resurrect their very own Asphyx clone, Soulburn, a band who many folks seem to like and respect but personally I never got into as they were just too boring for my tastes.

I can finally say that this album does not sound like Asphyx or any of its spinoffs. Does that make it good? Nope. Basically, someone in the band must have been listening to a dump-truck load of black metal as that's basically the formula here, though in its most remedial form. No, I don't mean the whole "necro" -aka- "look at me, I'm playing as badly as I can in some pathetic attempt to come across as being old school" thing. This is more like the rendering of someone who can "sort of" play but is choosing to go for the traditionally dumbed down black metal approach without realizing that you have to have absolutely zero production value in order to really "capture" the shittiness of that genre. So yeah, basically this is pretty fucking lame. The occasional doom-"ish" riff that finds itself as part of the proceedings (if riffs had minds of their own and could speak, these would probably be wandering around wondering what the fuck was going on and how they ended up where they were) sound out of place and thrown in as if part of some half-assed attempt at pleasing those who thought they knew what Soulburn was all about.

The thing about this album and pretty much everything else connected to Asphyx (Hail of Bullets, Grand Supreme Blood Court, Pentacle, etc... ) is that it doesn't outright suck but it's just too boring to really stand out and the fact that there is a staggering number of albums that are all woven into the whole Asphyx thing now, doesn't help. For music this anemic and weak, I'm really left puzzled at how these individuals were allowed to not only build a legacy to begin with but bring it this far. I guess people are just that fucking stupid.

Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral (2014)

Words cannot begin to express my elation upon discovering that Nick Holmes from Paradise Lost was going to be the vocalist on the new Bloodbath album. Not so much because I'm some huge fan of Nick Holmes or Paradise Lost but I just felt that this was such an odd yet logical pairing and I was more than curious to hear the rotten fruits of this combination. It's like one of those bright ideas that has long lingered beneath your nose and upon discovery you feel like and idiot for having not connected the dots sooner.

Now don't get me wrong, I DO happen to like Paradise Lost (well, everything up 'til 'Shades of God, at least) but my excitement at the prospect of having one of Peaceville's original warriors of doom teaming up with one of that label's newer hordes had me feeling more than a bit giddy inside. Honestly, I would have probably been a bit bummed had the band chosen to employ the services of yet another one of their well-traveled countrymen such as Jorgen Sandstrom (as earlier rumors had indicated). I mean, hell, if the whole purpose of this band's existence is to pay homage to the days of old then why not go all out by reaching back in time and snatching up one of the genre's true forefathers?

Now I've already seen some of the whining, bitching and complaining regarding Nick's vocal style and I have to say that I'm a little surprised. These are undoubtedly the same people who give praise to the butt-pirate of Autopsy's cartoonishly goofy vocals yet all of a sudden transform into "serious" critics of all that is death metal once the homosexual festivities of THAT band have ceased to continue. Honestly, if this is the type of people that these sorts of opinions are wrought from then so be it. I'll take Holmes over anyone that these idiots drools over ANY fucking day of the week. Sure, if you're expecting Holmes' bellow of old here then you may be left feeling a bit empty inside but if you're looking for something a bit "maggoty" and rotten sounding then be at ease for Holmes' has delivered the good right on time.

Musically, this is more or less a typical Bloodbath affair, which is A-OK. I wouldn't want them going too far off the experimental deep-end. You still have your nods to Morbid Angel drenched in the Stockholm sound and hell, there's even a riff or two that reminded me of early Exodus. Whether or not that was intentional I have no idea though I was pleasantly receptive to it nonetheless.

I have to say, with all many of death and doom metal's "elder gods" rising from their stylistic slumber as of late, I am very excited to see what lies in wait. Not only was there the death/doom marriage of My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost in Vallenfyre and then Nick Holmes entry into the ranks of Bloodbath but I have recently discovered that Paradise Lost themselves are interested in revisiting the gloomy rot of their earliest incarnation. The future looks bright, er, dark indeed!

Diamonds in the Rough (Patch): Death Metal during that dry spell otherwise known as the mid-late '90's

During the mid to late '90's there were a handful of demo's and ep's  that restored my faith in death metal. While I won't go as far as to say that death metal died in the mid-'90's, I do acknowledge that it was a trying time, for sure. Many bands were either breaking up or changing their sound in an anemic attempt to garner a larger following. Furthermore, metal in general seemed to succumb to the ever-looming specter of obscurity as the notion of major label access was kicked to the curb after the disastrous marriage between Earache and Columbia. Yeah, these were dark times, indeed, yet anyone who tells you that "death metal had died" during this time was obviously not paying attention.

The following are a bunch of releases that really blew my mind at the time. Not only was I surprised to hear death metal of this quality but I was also happy to see that finally there were some bands out there that were upping the ante in regards to suffocating gloom.

In no particular order...

Clean Flesh - Clean Flesh (1997)

I remember seeing this at a distro at some show in CT back in 1997 and passing it up due to the band name, which I thought was rather lame. Boy, did I feel stupid when I finally heard it at a friend's house. First off, the vocals are absolutely disgusting! I'm not quite sure what the vocalist's "technique" is (inhaling, cupping the mic, etc.), nor do I give a shit! When you sound this vile and sick, I take notice! Ever since I listened to Carcass for the first time back in 1989 I was obsessed with death metal bands that showcased more than one style of vocals. After a few years of decent, if not ho-hum styled vocalists in death metal, the scene was about to explode with vomit and pus and Joe Wolfe (vocals) was among the best.

Secondly, the music on this 'ep' pretty much picked up where Carcass and many of Sweden's finest left off during their demo stages. Where a lot of those bands "progressed" musically, bands like Clean Flesh were clearly inspired by mausoleum-type atmosphere provided by the earliest incarnations of their idols. This is more Nihilist/Left Hand Path than it is Clandestine with nary a Hollowman in sight! The guitar riffs here are as heavy as a tombstone being ground into dust.

Descend - Demonstration Cassette 1995

Like Clean Flesh, this demo from Descend also showcases a particularly vile and vomitous vocal assault. Perhaps the fact that both bands are from Ohio has something to do with it.

Aside from the wonderful barfing and belching heard throughout this five song release, the music itself is more than a bit similar to the early '90's Finnish death metal scene, particularly Disgrace (pre-castrated tranny closet jump, of course). Both bands have that sort of whimsical, meandering jam-fest approach to playing. Regardless, this is still a rather skull-smashing affair and one that will have you wondering what the hell is going on in Ohio?

Mortal Decay - Brutalizing Creations (1995)

Perhaps what drew me in more than anything on this release were the string bends on 'Opening the Graves'. Before I heard that, I had this playing in the background on my stereo as I went about some menial tasks around the house. All of a sudden I remember taking notice as MDK threw down some seriously delicious doom and I was sold right then and there. Hook, line and sinker. Of course I took the liberty of rewinding my tape and listening from beginning to hear what I had missed while farting around the house and was astonished by what I heard, to say the least.

How the fuck did I not notice the staggeringly awesome low-tuned guitars bellowing from the speakers?! Not only were these fuckers tuned as low as the tombs but there were some savagely obese doom excursions to be found seemingly 'round every corner! Now before I go on, I must tell you that I am a HUGE death-doom fanatic and have always been on the hunt for artists/albums that fall under this category pretty much since hearing Celtic Frost back in the '80's. Sure, I love fast shit as well but nothing beats a colossal riff slowed down to a snail's pace crushing you like an ant under heel.

As if my newfound revelation concerning the guitars wasn't enough, there were the vocals! Ahhh... the vocals...

Again, like what was happening in the riff department, I could not believe that somehow I did not notice how fucking grisly and insane these vocals were! I must've been pretty fucking busy as I now sat in wonder and astonishment, listening to this barbaric onslaught of vocal ghoulishness take form before me. Think Antti from Demilich teamed up with Glen Benton (sans Salacious Crumb) and an occasional spoken word guest appearance from a robotic Ross Dolan and that would pretty much sum up the cast of characters behind the mic. Even better, I decided to read along and was righteously blown away at how clever and well written the lyrics were.

Unfortunately, MDK would be bitten by the "progressive" bug as they tuned their guitars up to the point of sterility for their next release, '97's 'Sickening Erotic Fanaticism'. While not a bad album by any stretch, and certainly a proper platform for the band's next vocalist, former Deathrune throat-shredder, Kelly Izquierdo, SEF saw the band forever leave behind the mud and gloom of their 1995 incarnation. As it is, Brutalizing Creations is by far a highpoint for death metal in the '90's and unquestionably a legendary East Coast death metal release.

Desolate - The Scourge of Sanity (1995)

Ancient and barbaric death metal with more than a healthy dollop of doom to further cement the band's genocidal intent.

I know that New England has had the misfortune of being labeled a hotbed for not only many a shitty hardcore band but also the horrendously homo metal-core scene. Sadly, as the numbers dictate, this is unfortunately true, but being a born and bred New Englander myself, I find Desolate to be more fitting to the vibe I get when wandering the forests of my native land in the dead of Winter. Desolate play death-doom of the highest order and what could be a better match for the haunted forests of the north-east?

One could be forgiven for assuming that this demo is some long-lost classic from Sweden as it boasts a guitar sound similar to that notorious "chainsaw" buzz.

Vocally, the performance here is a bit higher-pitched than most of the other fare on this list. There are a few low ended growls to be found here and there but most of the lyrics are delivered by way of blood-curdling shrieks, a few of which go straight through the fucking roof!

I'm going to say it (er, type it, rather) here and now... this is without a doubt the BEST and most quality death metal release to come out of New England. Period.

Malignancy - Ignorance is Bliss (1997)

Sure, 'Ignorance is Bliss' isn't exactly the most "brutal" name for a death metal release and anyone out there who is familiar with the band's work post-1997 could be forgiven for assuming that this band plays nothing more than an amorphous brand of death metal designed to cater only to those who suffer from some sort of super-advanced ADHD but the fact is, 'Ignorance is Bliss' is easily one of the greatest death metal releases in the history of the genre. Bar none.

The guitar tone, tuning and heaviness of the slower sections gives even the almighty 'Realm of Chaos' a run for its fish & chips. That's how serious shit is on this 4 song demo. For those of you who are enamored by the band's use of every harmonic in (and out of) the book, never fear as there is absolutely no shortage of that particular exploitation to be found.

Vocally, Danny Nelson is in his best form here, employing a vast cast of characters to brute out the band's genocidal onslaught. Everything he does here is tempered to perfection. The screams. The shouting. Growling, etc... There are even some mid-paced roars that are just plain astonishing to behold.

I always felt that Malignancy, particularly on this release, was the perfect combination of Mortician and Immolation (both of whom are from Malignancy's native Yonkers as well). Mortician for the heaviness of the slower riffs and guitar sound/tuning overall and Immolation for their quirkiness.

All in all, this may be the best release in this list.

Shredded Corpse - Exhumed and Molested (1996)

The shit that interests me doesn't necessarily have to be "original" or cutting edge. It merely has to sound good. To "these" ears, obviously, and Shredded Corpse does just that.

Where most of the other bands on this list sound heavy as shit, Shredded Corpse are a bit more "electric" sounding. The guitars are a wee bit higher in pitch and there is more of an emphasis on precision picking ie Fear Factory.

Vocally this falls under the multi-voice Carcass style category with a weird whispery "electric" vibe (ie Ministry, Meathook Seed)thrown in for good measure.

They might not be doing the most "mindblowing" shit here, but there's always been something about this release that kept me pressing play again as soon as it was over.

Devourment - Impaled (1997)

Sure, they may have become the poster boys for slam-death retardation, but make no mistake... there's a valid reason why everybody went apeshit over this band in the first place and 1997's 'Impaled' demo is it.

What a lot of people don't realize is that this demo is more or less a love letter to Devourment's fellow DFW area legends Magus and their ultra-cult, super swampy 'Ruminations of Debauchery' ep (1992). Of course, you could hardly accuse Magus of being a "slam-death" band and I don't believe that Devourment's intentions at that time were to cater to the slam dizzle crowd. Sure, they may have eventually embraced the term and all of the love/hate that came with it, but in the beginning they were more or less paying homage to one of the greatest death-doom bands to have ever poisoned the well.

Although I prefer later Devo vocalist Ruben Rosas' wretched croak overall, the performance here by the late, great Wayne Knupp were something of a minor revelation to these ears and undoubtedly played a major part in influencing many others to "go guttural".

Unfortunately, the guitars are tuned so low that the riffs are nothing more than a wall of static and noise and you actually have to use the drum patterns as a point of reference. Either that or wait for the slow parts! Legendary, nonetheless.

Embalmer - There Was Blood Everywhere (1995)

Embalmer's 'There Was Blood Everywhere' is the perfect blend of early '90's ghoulishness and the tone set by the next generation of brutal death barbarians that reached its deafening pitch by the late '90's.

Although, in terms of generation, Embalmer fits into the older group of death metal bands whose ranks include Immolation, Incantation, Rottrevore, etc.. the band didn't receive it's notoriety until the release of their 1997 compilation 'There Was Blood Everywhere' which included the 1995 'ep' of the same name and the band's 1993 demo, 'Rotting Remains'. Part of this, I'm sure, has a lot to do with the band's then fairly new vocalist, Rick Fleming, whose absolutely batshit crazy style helped catapult the band into the collective conscious of the death metal underground.

Aside from the fact that Rick employs pretty much every trick in the book, the high point of his approach is without a doubt his higher pitched screams which are just plain fucking bonkers. Seriously! Easily one of death metal's greatest "character actors'. Ever.

Musically, Embalmer are a bit more on the gloomy, "spooky" side of the spectrum with an unmistakable early '90's vibe. Ghoulish to the max.

Scattered Remnants - Procreating Mass Carnage (1994)

Along with Desolate, Scattered Remnants hails from the haunted woods of New England and made quite a dent in the underground with this rather putrid and abysmal 5 song demo.

Like many of bands on this list, SR would offer up some solid doom-death early in their career only to be eventually and erroneously lumped into the 'slam-death' category by a veritable cast of Van Gough's.

Though the band's later material (particularly the Inherent Perversion 'ep') is quite solid, PMC is by far their most ghoulish and oppressive.

Necrophagist - Necrophagist (1995)

Yeah, yeah... all of the "purists" on here will balk in disgust and yammer on about what's "true", yada yada, but the fact is... Necrophagist's '95' demo is without a doubt one of the best and most brutal death metal demos, ever!

Before the band transcended into the halls of clinical sterility, they were delivered the fucking goods with this 4 track excursion into eye-bulging technicality. The thing that  truly makes this great isn't the band's legit technical prowess but the fact that everything comes across as primal despite the precision on display. Think Deicide's debut with Frank Mullen on the mic and voila.

Internecine - Internecine (1997)

Long before he joined the ranks of the Morbid Angel elite, Jared Anderson was toiling the underground and conjuring fourth such blasphemous works to rival that of Incantation and Immolation with Internecine.

Bear in mind that the material on this demo is played by an actual band as opposed to the album Anderson would later release which merely featured him on guitar, bass and vocals and a few session drummers (Derek Roddy and Tony Laureano) along with Anderson's then bandmate in Hate Eternal, Erik Rutan, throwing in some leads for taste.

I really wish that Internecine had kept it together in this form as this is truly some of the best death metal I've heard in quite a while. You can tell that the band knows what they're doing and can actually play yet everything sounds quite raw and unpolished thus lending that elusive "earthiness" to the proceedings, making the evil of this demo that much more dismal.

The vocals are somewhat goofy but not in a bad way. There's a big difference between the guy who sang on this demo and Anderson's vocals on the album. This guy was obviously going for a lower, more guttural approach with some Salacious Crumb shrieks ala-Deicide to add to the effect.

I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite pieces of death metal and something I'll be listening to until the end of my days. Quality stuff, for sure.

Gorgasm - Stabwound Intercourse (1998)

I remember there being a lot of hype behind this band during the time of the release of this 'ep' and rightfully so. Stabwound Intercourse was a particularly virulent and barbaric assault on the delicate sensibilities brought on by death metal's supposed "dry spell".

SI is somewhat of an anomaly in the Gorgasm catalog as there is more of an emphasis on quality riff-writing as opposed to the "speed for speed's sake" approach that they're probably more known for.

Apparently there were three vocalists on this release. You could've fooled me. If they all sound so similar, why bother having three? Oh well. Whoever's running their motor behind the mic here is certainly no slouch in the guttural category and manages to transcend the "ree-ree ooh-ooh" tradition of most late-'90's guttural sewage-mongers by actually employing a fair amount of diction into the proceedings. Let's be honest here, folks... nothing in the lyrical department is going to come out crystal clear when using death metal vocals but I always hail the efforts of those who at the very least ATTEMPT to pronounce each word as it tends to lend a more hateful and convincing angle to the music itself.

If you played me a handful of songs off of any given Gorgasm full length that has come out after the release of SI, it would be impossible for me to identify as they all have that tendency of sounding like one another. SI is easily their one and only stand-out release.

Fleshgrind - Sorrow Breeds Hatred... Bleed on Me (1995)

Not sure what the point of the double title of this demo is, but oh well. That's one of the things about death metal... a lot of times you just have to 'pretend' that the artist knows what the fuck they're talking about. Suspend your imagination, if you will.

Nonsensical whimsy aside, SBH was one of those treasures that I had picked up somewhere in the mid-west during my own band's mini-tour and I was blown away by the barbaric heaviness of the guitar sound. There was plenty of emphasis on slower passages as well as a shit ton of putrid and gurgled vocals. For a while there I had assumed that death metal bands had all but forgotten the importance of including a sustained note or two into the riff-writing process. I was relived to see that concept was alive and well here.

While Fleshgrind would more or less stick to their guns throughout the remainder of their existence, they would tweak the speed factor a notch or two with each impending release and more or less lose me in the process as I preferred them when they were toppling pillars with doomier riffs such as those found on 'Cum on my Stump' (awful song title, by the way. Just fucking awful).

Disgorge - Cranial Impalement (1998)

Last but not least we have undoubtedly the most brutal offering on this list. Up until the point where I was introduced to this release I was all but convinced that no one was capable of toppling Suffocation's penultimate 'Effigy of the Forgotten' (though Cryptopsy certainly made a case with 1996's None so Vile), then I heard this. Obviously the first thing I heard was one of the most putrid and disgusting growls in the history of the genre and then the battering assault of everything else crashing through the doors shortly after.

Cranial Impalement is more or less a novelty listen for me. Something to put on when you want to blow someone's mind but certainly not something I want to sit through and listen to for the duration.

For some unknown reason, Disgorge tends to get lumped into the "brutal/slam" category of death metal. Trust me folks, 90% of the shit Disgorge has written (especially on this release) flies by at mach 10. They are hardly concerned with writing "grooves" or whatever other mundane categorization the denizens over at Metal Archives are branding artists with lately.

Unfortunately and as is the usual case with bands such as this, Disgorge would go on to release a gratuitous number of albums which ultimately proved quite pointless as they more or less sound like re-configurations of this very album (compilation, technically). If you absolutely must own something by this band, Cranial Impalement is all that you need. Trust me. It hasn't been exceeded yet by anything the band's released since.