Century Media Records

Worm – Necropalace Review

By Thus Spoke on February 16, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Doom, Death Metal, Dungeon Synth, 118 comments

“Worms are rich fodder for metal band names, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re gross, alienlike, and carry connotations of death and decay; and that’s before you start spelling it with a ‘v’ and thereby reference dragons, sea monsters, and the Devil himself. While sharing the collective imagination, this Worm definitely distinguishes themselves. After a shaky start, it was Foreverglade that first saw Worm realize their potential with a lean towards doom-death that retained just enough synth-forward black metal and balanced a murky soundscape with syrupy sweet guitar solos.” Worm turning?

Mayhem – Liturgy of Death Review

By Grin Reaper on February 4, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, 132 comments

“Mayhem’s reputation will forever be linked to their early days, inescapably tethered to the chaos of death. While it’s impossible not to acknowledge those grisly events when considering the band’s legacy, they detract from the unyielding musical vision Mayhem has etched into metal mythology. From the beginning, Mayhem has been at the forefront as one of black metal’s tastemakers and breath-takers. Over four decades in, Mayhem returns with Liturgy of Death—a fitting subject considering the band’s sordid origins and their penchant for metaphysical musings.” Never ending mayheming.

Crystal Lake – The Weight of Sound Review

By Dear Hollow on January 28, 2026 in Reviews, Deathcore, Djent, Hardcore, Metalcore, Nu Metal, 28 comments

“Crystal Lake is one of those bands that I lost track of. I adored 2015’s The Sign, its blend of hardcore attitude with a surgical metalcore attack and just enough djent and deathcore to make things interesting resulted in some of my all-time favorites in the style (“Prometheus,” “Matrix,” “Hades”). Yes, it’s knuckleheaded and boner-dragging brutality posturing, but for a jolt of breakdown-heavy sonic adrenaline, the Japanese quintet fit the bill.” Lake effects.

Ov Sulfur – Endless Review

By Lavender Larcenist on January 17, 2026 in Reviews, Deathcore, 45 comments

“Blackened deathcore has truly run its course. This is simultaneously a hopeful sentiment, as it may encourage bands to explore new ideas, but also a sad one, because so few bands have actually created music that resembles the genre’s namesake. For every A Wake in Providence, there are twenty more bands flailing around with crappy production, boring synths, and chugga-wugga breakdowns that induce eye-rolls every time. Vegas-based Ov Sulfur sits somewhere between the two on their sophomore release, Endless. Featuring genuinely blackened elements in their sound, the band puts greater focus on melody and clean singing, bringing them much closer to… dare I say, blackened metalcore?” The core problem.

Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Grymm on December 2, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Deathcore, 78 comments

“When we last heard from New Jersey’s Lorna Shore, they followed up the wave of attention they received during the pandemic with their song “Into the Hellfire,” showcasing not only their musical chops, but also the golden throat (and bangs) of one Will Ramos, with Pain Remains in 2022. Not only did the album further capitalize on their songwriting abilities and Ramos’ insane vocal talents, but it opened up a slew of headlining tours, closing festival slots, and untold amounts of fans.” MOAR Shore.

Omnium Gatherum – May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way Review

By Steel Druhm on November 4, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 57 comments

“Finland’s Omnium Gatherum have tinkered with their sound regularly over their career, ranging from rough Gothenburg-infected melodeath, to more melancholic and gloomy environs on career high points like New World Shadows and Beyond, and on to a more direct and modern style on The Burning Cold. 2021s Origin further simplified and smoothed out their sound into what could be described as melodeath-lite, and while some loved the new approach, it left me flat and felt forced and somewhat soulless. On 10th album, May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way, they change colors again.” Bonfire of the Omnis.

Coroner – Dissonance Theory Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on October 23, 2025 in Reviews, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, 87 comments

“Whether it’s the mystifying hourglass of parenthood or a sudden collision of earth to brain, time erodes both in steady, unnoticeable stutters and blink-speed slides. I’m sure Coroner never quite planned to sit this long on new material, with its inception a decade ago sliding to present today in maturity. But after thirty-plus years, there’s little rush in releasing anything for the sake of the release itself.” Back to examine.

Orbit Culture – Death Above Life Review

By Dear Hollow on October 3, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 60 comments

“Orbit Culture is a stellar band, so 2023’s Descent should have been an AOTY contender. An all-killer, no-filler blend of melodeath and thrash with a dark industrial edge sounds like a hodge-podge in the worst ways, but the Swedes have made it their brand with a fluidity that has defined them from the beginning. In this way, the quartet showed their songwriting prowess, with tracks like “Black Mountain” and “The Aisle of Fire” leading the charge in the death/thrash riffage that we’ve all come to know and love. But while the claustrophobic mix provided 2020’s Nija a bloodthirsty darkness, it made Descent impenetrable in its compressed muck – sinking it from formidable to forgettable.” From orbit to stuck in the mud.

Signs of the Swarm – To Rid Myself of Truth Review

By Dear Hollow on August 26, 2025 in Reviews, Deathcore, Djent, 71 comments

“I think deathcore’s lack of respect in metal circles is due to its subservience to trends. Riding waves of what’s considered too brutal or not, the recent MySpace-style revival and the inevitable shadow of Will Ramos-fronted Lorna Shore have collided to emphasize relentless brutality and utter sonic depravity. Signs of the Swarm has been a victim of this more than most, riding the coattails of the trends rather than setting them, and while offering some of the most intense deathcore offerings within the realm of the “low and slow” template, there’s been nothing to convince naysayers to give their albums a listen. Will To Rid Myself of Truth be the tipping point?” Core samples.

Vildhjarta – Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar Review

By Dear Hollow on June 2, 2025 in Reviews, Deathcore, Djent, 55 comments

“You could make the case that Vildhjarta’s third full-length is too late to be relevant. There are few that djent as hard as the Swedes, and their own influence exists in pockets of tone-abusing youngsters and diehard veterans who just keep releasing shit: Tesseract, Periphery, and Animals As Leaders, for example. I’ve always thought that Vildhjarta is the more curious Humanity’s Last Breath, utilizing a similarly crushingly heavy bone-to-dust djent tone, dark atmosphere, and vocal attack.” Djent into shape.