2025 is fading in the rearview, but the Filters still need scrubbing. See what was left over after all the holiday debauchery.
AngelMaker
Crypts of Despair – We Belong in the Grave Review
“When Lithuanian death metal outfit Crypts of Despair dropped All Light Swallowed back in 2021, I was impressed with their destructive riffs, dynamic songwriting, and oppressive tone. The record boasted a never-ending assault of killer passages and memorable atmosphere that, in time, only grew in depth. Unsurprisingly, I felt great excitement at the prospect of a new Crypts of Despair when Transcending Obscurity announced third LP We Belong in the Grave late last year.” The revenge of despair.
Warforged – The Grove | Sundial Review
“It took an unprecedented length of time for me to appreciate Warforged’s debut I: Voice back in 2019. In fact, I was so moved by the record once it finally clicked that I awarded it an enthusiastic 1.5-point upgrade. Naturally, that puts a lot of pressure on the follow-up, entitled The Grove | Sundial. Upon learning that Adrian Perez—who was in charge of lead vocals, keyboards, sampling, piano, and lyrics on I: Voice—separated from the project, I balked.” Forging a new weapon.
Killitorous – The Afterparty Review
“Yep. That’s a band name. Killitorous. Say it a couple times and soon you’ll see what they did there. Tasteful, right? I’ll be honest, it took me way too long to find it (ayyyy), but by that point I was already four listens into the Canadian supergroup’s sophomore record The Afterparty and was having too much fun to care about the silly double-entendre anymore. After all, we did give high marks to bands with such respectable names as Fvneral Fvkk and Shitfucker, right? So who am I to judge?” Tech-deathicus for the rest of us.
