“Death Knocks isn’t the most extreme album out there, but it straddles the metal boundary more than enough to earn a spot here. While I hadn’t heard of Hoaxed before, their new release caught my eye through its album art and its impressive lead single, “Where the Seas Fall Silent.” This three-piece from Portland plays metal-edged occult rock that aims for an eerie atmosphere as much as for melodic gems.” Deep fake or deep cuts?
“Yes, I picked this up entirely because of its cover. Girardi’s gorgeous spiral of tombstones and skeletons conjures vintage highbrow death metal of the likes of Death. The title Chasm of Immurement grasps at brutal badassery in the vein of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten. Clairvoyance’s logo remains indecipherable even if you know the band’s name, suggesting kvltness galore. The promo materials describe lyrics that address the isolating effects of depression, foreshadowing a harrowing listen. In isolation, each of these judgments strikes at the truth but glances off. Chasm of Immurement is the debut album from Poland’s Clairvoyance, an unknown band comprising unknown musicians. Lying at the intersection of brainless death-doom and brainiac digressions, Chasm of Immurement is a powerful foray into death metal.” Are you not immured?
“It’s been a draining year. Lacking the mental energy for new music, I’ve subsisted on a diet of ISIS and Fvneral Fvkk. Clouded by the doomy stylings of the latter, I decided to make my return to reviewing with dismal death-doom. Despite releasing their debut just last year, Finland’s The Bleak Picture is a project of members of Autumnfall. That said, these two bands sound worlds apart, as their names betray. Abandoning the blackened scenery of Autumnfall, The Bleak Picture paints a bleak picture with melodic death-doom that reeks of Finland.” Smell the bleakness.
A new Allegaeon platter triggered a rare double review. Can the fancy melodeath on The Ossuary Lens impress these jaded, overworked, uncompensated staffers?
“Determined to explode my word count while safeguarding my character count, K L P S is a familiar band with an unfamiliar name. The band’s 2023 debut Phantom Centre, released under the name Kollaps\e, got stuck in our filter before I yanked it out. Phantom Centre’s sludgy mix of atmosphere and eighteen-wheeler riffs made it concise and compelling, albeit one-track. Two years on, K L P S sees Sweden’s sludgers drop a backslash and four letters while adding even chunkier riffs, more atmosphere, and three non-breaking spaces.” Sludge by any other name…
“After releasing a stellar sophomore record Millennium in 1996, the band lost both its vocalist (Corpsegrinder, poached by Cannibal Corpse) and its guitarist. After replacing them and experiencing another round of guitarist turnover, Monstrosity trudges to the studio and records In Dark Purity. Against all odds, the album is an icon.” Abomination parade.
“Faithxtractor’s second biggest musical contribution was the comment section from their last album. With a Farmers Only joke, a thread about metalcore album names, and a story that must be read to be believed, the birdbrain community’s mockery of Faithxtractor’s name has left me giggling for two years. Of course, the band’s biggest contribution was 2023’s Contempt for a Failed Dimension itself. Perhaps my favorite frill-free death metal record in recent memory, Faithxtractor’s fourth full-length dealt in riffs and also riffs.” Tractor pulling may cause injury.
![Hypoxia – Defiance [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/739463.jpg.webp)
“In a year where most death metal gems have come from well-established acts, Hypoxia carries the torch for the underground. Hypoxia caught my eye by advertising two ex-members of Monstrosity: both bassist Michael Poggione and vocalist Mike Hrubovcak appeared on 2007’s Spiritual Apocalypse and 2018’s late-career highlight The Passage of Existence. Along with the likes of Morbid Angel and Immolation, Monstrosity played a critical role in wooing a high school Maddog into death metal. Name-dropping them was bound to grab my attention, especially as Hypoxia’s third full-length Defiance promised girthy vintage death metal riffs.” Girthy riffs, some monsterism.
![Gigan – Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]](jpg/188581-768x768.jpg)
“Back in the early 2010s, Gigan wooed me with their lovably absurd album titles, like 2013’s Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery and Super Science. Luckily, Gigan had the musical chops to back it up. Their distinctive blend of brutal death metal, skronky technicality, and alien atmospheres made me a cult megafan. Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus interrupts a seven-year silence, and the only staffers thrilled about its arrival were myself and Alekhines Gun. In retrospect, this is understandable; AAI is a weird album by a weird band, and it’s unlikely to win over anyone who isn’t already so inclined.” Nerds assemble!
“While underground solo albums can be a scary prospect, Exilium is an exception. Andy Gillion served as lead guitarist and primary songwriter for Mors Principium Est in their heyday, from 2012’s …And Death Said Live through 2020’s Seven. This has earned him a permanent spot in both melodeath royalty and my heart, and got me thrilled to review Exilium. Gillion’s prolific solo career has spanned video game soundtracks, melodeath, and chiptune-infused metal. However, Exilium goes out on no limbs, opting instead for a synthy, rifftastic style that will please fans of Mors Principium Est.” MOAR Principium Est.
