Chilean Metal

Sermon to the Lambs – Sermon to the Lambs Review

By Alekhines Gun on March 6, 2026 in Reviews, 79 comments

“What’s your favorite slam album and why? Do you value catchiness in your big bruutz? Clear production? Melodic presence? My favorite slam alternates with my mood between Devourment’s Obscene Majesty and Analepsy’s Quiescence; the former for the excellent execution of such a narrow sound, and the latter for the colors and beauty imbued into the otherwise bone-shattering grooves. Though given a bad rap for its easy-to-emulate smoothbrain caveman stereotypes, slam has shown much evolution in recent years as bands continue to push and redefine the limits of extremity. Hailing from Chile, new outfit Sermon to the Lambs have arrived with their self-titled debut, coming with the usual aggrandizing promises of maximum aural violence and assurances of a downright traumatizing listen for anyone who has ears to hear.” Lambs to the killing floor.

Oraculum – Hybris Divina Review

By Owlswald on January 12, 2026 in Reviews, Death Metal, 23 comments

“New year, new beginnings. And just as my resolutions refresh and my word count resets to zero, Chilean quartet Oraculum arrives to break the seal. These connoisseurs of the “tried and true” first graced these pages more than ten years ago with their counter-breaking EP, Sorcery of the Damned—back when EPs still qualified for regular reviews outside of our now annual EP/Split/Single Roundups. That initial offering was a grim manifesto on old-school death metal (OSDM), forging deathly Incantations into a sharp, lethal slab of barbaric hostility.” Olde but still bolde?

Burning Sun – Retribution Review

By Baguette of Bodom on September 16, 2025 in Reviews, Power Metal, 44 comments

“Naming themselves after a Helloween song, this half-Hungarian, half-Chilean duo is on a mission to tell a classic fantasy story through a legacy sound. Burning Sun’s sophomore album, Retribution, lands only two years after their debut, Wake of Ashes, continuing the story of a paladin named Emaly.” Guitar-driven power metal about your WoW character? On brand!

Infernal Thorns – Christus Venari Review

By Kenstrosity on September 10, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 28 comments

“You may ask if the world needs yet another Satan-worshipping, demon-loving, God-forsaking metal band. The rational answer is probably a resounding no. And normally, I would agree. But I recognize that moving away from those themes is a lot to ask of the metalverse. Chilean thrashy death metal imps Infernal Thorns certainly aren’t inclined to stop reveling in hellish delights just because it’s a stereotype. They’ve been doing it since 2003, after all, and doing it quite well. So well, in fact, that after spending two weeks with third tome Christus Venari, I hope they never listen to me and keep churning out killer tunes from the nine circles for all eternity.” Thorns in the mind’s hide.

Iron Spell – From the Grave Review

By Steel Druhm on July 25, 2025 in Reviews, 31 comments

“Sometimes, we in the AMG Writers Guild grab a promo based solely on the band or album name, or the combination thereof. If it features any derivative of the word “vomit,” you know Mark Z will put his dirty paws all over it. If it has a wonky, prog-tastic moniker, Dolphin Whisper will seize the means of wank production. And if an alloy gets name-dropped, chances are Yours Steely will snatch it quicker than you can say CROM! That’s what brought me to Chile’s Iron Spell and their sophomore release, From the Grave.” Let the metal magic in.

Mawiza – ÜL Review

By ClarkKent on July 18, 2025 in Reviews, Death Metal, Groove Metal, Metalcore, 24 comments

“Mawiza, an indigenous band from Wallmapu, a territory out of South America’s Mapuche Nation (spanning Chile and Argentina), has seen a sudden rise in recent years. Formed in 2014 as Nunca Seremos Dichosos, their second album, 2019’s Kollong, would go on to win them Chile’s version of the Grammy awards (called the Pulsar Award) for Best Metal Artist. In 2021, they adopted the name Mawiza and decided to sing entirely in their ancestral language, Mapuzungum, instead of Spanish.” Death grooves.

To Escape – I Wish to Escape Review

By ClarkKent on July 11, 2025 in Reviews, Black Metal, 39 comments

“As the eruption of the craft beer scene saw a proliferation of beer styles, brewers found a need to stand out from the pack. To do so they created variations on the staples, thus the proliferation in IPAs, from hazy to smoothie to west coast. I see a parallel in metal, where bands attempt to stand out with unique genre tags. Thus, there’s doom jazz or blackened thrash or various other combinations. That brings us Chile’s To Escape, a fusion of raw black metal and traditional Latin dance.” Blackened and spicy.

Winds of Tragedy – Death Wash Over Me Review

By Twelve on December 14, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, 8 comments

“Since its inception in 2022, Winds of Tragedy has put out one full-length per year, and I was starting to wonder if it wouldn’t happen this time. Maybe, I thought, running a record label has finally taken up enough of his time that Chilean mastermind Sergio Catalán will have to dial back on his usual creative outlets. More fool I—Catalán seemingly never stops, and Winds of Tragedy is back with its third full-length release, Death Wash Over Me.” Frequent winds.

Capilla Ardiente – Where Gods Live and Men Die Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on October 29, 2024 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, 27 comments

“The only thing more metal than the glimmer of bloodied blade in the setting sun is the barbaric howl that reverberates afterward as a determination of victory. Early in heavy metal’s history, that kind of bravado embodied by the epic escapades of Iron Maiden, marching jams of Manilla Road, or the regressive rambunctiousness of Manowar separated that true spirit from burgeoning radio-friendly sounds in similarly incepted acts. In the modern day, the epic tag has carried on through the spirit of traditional heavy and doom-leaning acts—the Aceruses and Stygian Crowns of this world, among others. Capilla Ardiente too has carried the flag.” Swords are your destiny.

Invocation – The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures) Review

By Mark Z. on September 16, 2024 in Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 59 comments

“Chile has given us some great records in recent years, with Mayhemic’s Toba and Inanna’s Void of Unending Depths being two notable examples of fantastic albums that have earned a spot in my collection. Thus, when I saw a new Chilean black-death metal band were releasing their debut album via Iron Bonehead Productions—the ever-reliable purveyors of all that is raw and trve—my interest was piqued.” Inherit the void.