“Old Year’s droning form of doom metal is big, and No Dissent leaves little room to argue the point. Rezendes’ massive, tectonic bass lines shift under Roark’s squealy guitar feedback, distortedly sustained chords, and morosely haunting leads, conjuring an atmosphere that fans of Khanate, Evoken or Hell might appreciate.” Old year, new dooms?
“Hoosier hellraisers Graveripper have been spewing their brand of blackened thrash on the streets and in the back alleys of Indianapolis since 2019. Their 2023 debut album, Seasons Dreaming Death, was covered favorably here by our dear friend Holdeneye, and while it didn’t receive one of his famous 4.0s, it did put a ‘big, dumb smile’ on his face nonetheless, proving Graveripper had potential. Divested of all his Seasons Dreaming Death bandmates, guitarist and vocalist Corey Parks partnered with new bassist Steve Garcia and drummer Nick James to soldier on as a trio. And so, with their stable label partner, Wise Blood Records, still in tow, Graveripper prepare to release their sophomore effort, From Welkin to Tundra.” Grave reviews.
“‘Murderpop,’ though freshly minted, is an apt genre tag for the kind of music Crippling Alcoholism have been playing since 2022. Their sophomore effort, With Love From a Padded Room, got stuck in Dolphin Whisperer’s February Filter in 2024, where our resident porpoise spouted positively about its attributes, and drew me into Crippling’s lugubrious world. Upon learning another album was coming just a year and some change later, however, I feared diminished returns. Still, I seized the opportunity to cover third effort Camgirl, which tells the tragically sordid tale of online performer ‘Bella Pink,’ unfolding not only through her eyes, but of ‘those who consume her: lovers, relatives, business partners, stalkers.'” Driven to drink.
“As I settle further into my staff position here at AMG headquarters I still feel a slight trepidation when grabbing a promo tagged “waived seniority.” With Nailed to Obscurity’s fifth long-player, Generation of the Void, however, such is the case, and for reasons we don’t discuss with fans, it has fallen to me to pick up where our hairy overlord, Steel, left off. His rave review of Nailed’s 2017 album King Delusion took the act from obscurity to notoriety and, in so doing, landed a spot on his top ten that year. While slightly less enamored with 2019’s Black Frost, it’s clear from that reading Steelstill harbored quite a bit of love for this German quintet, which not only raises the stakes for Generation of the Void, but for me as well.” Void if nailed.
“Formed in 2020 as a side gig by Nile’s Brian Kingsland and Olkoth’s Alex Rush, Imperishable didn’t become a three-piece until 2023, when drum aficionado Derek Roddy (ex-Hate Eternal, ex-Malevolent Creation) entered the fold. Imperishable’s 2024 EP, originally titled Demo’s, caught the ear of Everlasting Spew Records, who signed on to release the band’s debut album, Revelation in Purity. With no question as to the metal cachet of its constituency, the only thing left for me to do was determine if Imperishable’s first outing would signal the end of my August hot streak.” Hot metal summer.
“Growing up together in the Chicago suburb of Cary, Farseer’s Brendan McCarthy (guitars/vocals), Ted Ballantine (guitar), George Burrows (bass), and Kyle Curtis (drums) have been playing music together since the 8th grade. It wasn’t until they returned to the Chicago area after college, the four intent on applying their years of collaboration to a single, focused project, that Farseer formed in 2016. Their 2019 self-titled debut constituted forty-six minutes of progressively psychedelic stoner sludge, setting a solid foundation for Farseer to build from. Now six years on, stalwart line-up intact, Farseer prepare to release their second record, Portals To Cosmic Womb.” See the portal!
“Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is home to self-proclaimed ‘thrash metal titans,’ Cruel Bomb. Since forming in 2018, Cruel Bomb has released three EPs—2019’s Manhattan Mischief, 2020’s Trinity Terror, and 2022’s Man Made—while touring extensively along the East Coast. Now, wrapped in an energetically bright and nuclearly holocaustic package courtesy of artist Ed Repka, Cruel Bomb prepares to drop their eponymous, independent debut album. Crafting your debut as a nod to the Big 4, while not entirely original, does come with certain expectations, at least for this reviewer” Lots of bombs in the air.
“With Burdizzo’s ready, New York’s female death metal foursome Castrator are back to crush spermatic cords and eviscerate eardrums with their second album, Coronation of the Grotesque. Despite forming in 2013, Castrator didn’t release Defiled in Oblivion until 2022, that debut finding its way into the hairy palms and ears of our very own, stun baton-wielding overlord Steel.” Grip and snip.
“Despite a waning stigma, mental illness remains an oft-closeted topic, as those suffering from it struggle not only to cope but to discuss their struggles with others. Here to shed some of their death metal light on the matter are Canadian upstarts Harvested, with their independent debut full-length Dysthymia, which, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, is defined as a long-lasting form of mild depression.” The mind is a terrible thing to harvest.
“Cleveland, Ohio’s death thrash quintet, Atomic Witch, began as Bulk & Skull in 2012—a nod to the comic relief duo from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers—before changing their moniker in 2016. After releasing a few singles and EPs, Atomic Witch partnered with Redefining Darkness Records and producer Dan “The Man” Swanö for their debut album, Crypt of Sleepless Malice, in 2022, which created a splash in the death thrash pool with its visceral riffs, horror-themed lyrics, and completely unhinged vocals. Three years of lessons learned later, Atomic Witch have reopened the crypt to unleash sophomore effort, Death Etiquette, upon the phantasmic masses.” Be polite as you die.
