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Lorry2025 has brought us Floods, Fire, War, Pestilence, and now Plague. It's odd that the religious right, who love their signs, are only holding onto the one where a bullet missed Trump.<a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Trump</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Politics</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Assassination" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Assassination</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Plague" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Plague</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Flood" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Flood</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Fire" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Fire</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/War" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#War</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Pestilence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/USPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#USPol</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Religion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Religion</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Christian" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Christian</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Fascism</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/quadvium-tetradom-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Quadvium – Tetradōm Review</a>By Dolphin WhispererWho needs two guitar players when you could have two master bass players at the helm? Quadvium seeks to answer this question with the fiery fingerwork of metal legends Steve DiGiorgio and Jeroen Paul Thesseling. DiGiorgio revolutionized bass playing in the metalsphere through radical death works with Autopsy, Death,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/quadvium-tetradom-review/#fn-217020-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> and his own band, Sadus. Even if you don’t know his name, you may recognize these hallmarks of percussive and frenetic bass engineering, or any number of the <a href="https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Steve_DiGiorgio/808" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">thrashy, deathly, or progressive albums</a> to which he has lent a wild, throbbing pulse. Likewise, Thesseling has weaved his way around <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sadist-firescorched-things-you-might-have-missed-2022/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">celebrated releases</a>, designing a style equally tricky but heavier in jazz-indebted fusion. Both Pestilence’s Spheres and Obscura’s breakout albums Cosmogenesis and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/obscura-omnivium-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Omnivium</a> would not have seen the same light without his buttery and bleeping presence.In the collision of these two thick-stringed giants, Tetradōm weaves and wobbles in delectable harmony. The role of bass in rock and metal arrangements rarely settles into that of the lead. But with conductors of this caliber on fretless, and extended-range bass devices,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/quadvium-tetradom-review/#fn-217020-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> nasally slides, flatulent thumps, and snarling shuffles rumble about this airy but grounded soundstage. Despite the low-end firepower at play, each accompanying performer brings flair and experience to their respective lanes. Guitarist (and engineer for Tetradōm) Eve (Kaathe) brings a flowing touch and additional melodic guide—opener “Moksha” even leads with her crystalline phrasing—that borrows from her tenure with instrumental progressive outlet Myth of I. And kitmeister Yuma van Eekelen has a storied rhythmic history with understated bands <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/our-oceans-while-time-disappears-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Our Oceans</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/exivious-liminal-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Exivious</a> that allows his textural phrasing to embolden the space between flying frequencies. No shortage of talent befalls Quadvium’s calculated stride.Though a tag of supergroup may follow Quadvium, Tetradōm leads with an ear for the tasteful and impactful rather than one deafened by excess. All members of Quadvium possess an overwhelming prowess and creativity that edges toward the funky fresh technicality of a fusion act like Tribal Tech. Yet, with a djent-like groove, Quadvium reclaims the sterile nature of scooped drop-F chugging against glitchy electronic backings with panned wide, warm bass massaging (“Apophis,” “Adhyasa”). Popping harmonics blare<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/quadvium-tetradom-review/#fn-217020-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> in a glory as flighty interruptions amongst Animals as Leaders-knotted riffage, all while capturing the exploratory jazz feel of the iconic and influential Jaco Pastorius (“Náströnd”). Howling and whinnying melodies signal a path around which Eve and van Eekelen can prance in touch-and-go solo flutters and cymbal-savvy atmosphere (“Sarab,” “Eidolon”). The breadth of techniques and tones on display requires an open and engaged mind to enjoy. But Quadvium’s resonant, interwoven throughput tied fast to ever-unfolding refrains never drifts into solo-laden, wandering note tedium.Such a bass-forward presentation—and not in the subwoofer booming way that modern hip-hop or electronic music can be—requires a listening setup with an extra oomph through the low and mid range. I remember the first time I listened to Gordian Knot’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tABeTV1vaSY" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Arsis</a>,” a subtle solo bass intro to 2003’s classic, <a href="https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2218" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Emergent</a>, I could have sworn nothing emerged from my crackling Logitech speakers, its subtle hum nary an auditory blip. Quadvium doesn’t render their instrumental dialogue quite as soft-spoken, with performers’ metal edges and jazzy chatter (and Eve’s cybersynth sound design) filling the room with bright, up-front, persistent movement. But to hear the nuances, and fall into a fuller love with Tetradōm, you may have to reach for your richest listening mode so that you lose neither the delicate drum teasing intro to “Ghardus”—and the bass duo’s subsequent descent to the lowest range of the experience—nor the delicate floor-scraping harmonies of “Apophis.” Of course, you could just crank that volume knob, lay out on the floor, and let the braying call-and-response bends of “Sarab” or the modulated stacked-track bliss of “Eidolon” vibrate your being to a higher existence.Without a single word, Quadvium manages to conjure the esoteric nature that Tetradōm and its philosophy-inspired titles promise. Its strike, though, takes full shape, eschewing the potential for amorphous free jazz tone flexing that fusion music can embody. DiGiorgio and Thesseling have a vision of what bass can be in a rock and metal context, and Tetradōm realizes that with every squeaking slide, pattering finger roll, cascading chord. Masters don’t always produce hungry music, but Quadvium has shown their appetite remains growling. Rating: 4.0/5.0 DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.agoniarecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Agonia Records</a> | <a href="https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/music" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Website: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/quadviumofficial/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/quadviumofficial</a> Releases Worldwide: May 30th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/agonia-records/" target="_blank">#AgoniaRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/animals-as-leaders/" target="_blank">#AnimalsAsLeaders</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/atheist/" target="_blank">#Atheist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/autopsy/" target="_blank">#Autopsy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death/" target="_blank">#Death</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/exivious/" target="_blank">#Exivious</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/gordian-knot/" target="_blank">#GordianKnot</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/instrumental-metal/" target="_blank">#InstrumentalMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/international-metal/" target="_blank">#InternationalMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jaco-pastorius/" target="_blank">#JacoPastorius</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jazz-fusion/" target="_blank">#JazzFusion</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/may25/" target="_blank">#May25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/myth-of-i/" target="_blank">#MythOfI</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/obscura/" target="_blank">#Obscura</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/our-oceans/" target="_blank">#OurOceans</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pestilence/" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/quadvium/" target="_blank">#Quadvium</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sadist/" target="_blank">#Sadist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sadus/" target="_blank">#Sadus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tetradom/" target="_blank">#Tetradōm</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tribal-tech/" target="_blank">#TribalTech</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sadist-something-to-pierce-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sadist – Something to Pierce Review</a>By Dolphin WhispererThrough Sadist’s classic run, from 1993’s Above the Light to 1997’s Crust, the imitable Italians carved a path around emergent death-thrash, progressive death, and groove sounds with a synth-laden and horror-guided flair as pillars of their heritage. And though their hiatus to reunion with 2007’s <a href="https://seasonofmistcatalogue.bandcamp.com/album/sadist" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">self-titled comeback</a> burst forth with an aggressive energy that encapsulated their extreme and unique breed of work, the path afterward has remained fairly rocky. The freedom to be Sadist in all their never-replicated Goblin keys meets Pestilence riffs with a B-movie attitude has resulted in some excursions that felt more <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sadist-spellbound-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">style than substance</a>. In that sense, with 2022’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sadist-firescorched-things-you-might-have-missed-2022/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Firescorched</a>, the embrace of techy fusion wrapped tightly around a carnival core fueled the promise of a fresh and focused Sadist. Can Something to Pierce, then, continue this late-career stab at glory?For the second album in a row, Sadist has leaned on outside talents for their rhythmic core, this time absorbing the bass-drum duo of Italian progsters Fate Unburied, who have also acted as the band’s live setup.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sadist-something-to-pierce-review/#fn-212861-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> And in grooving lockstep, the duo rumbles about with a throbbing double-time and blasting fervor between founding guitarist and keys maestro Tommy Talamanca at his most garish and ripping. Early tracks like the breathy and bouncy “Deprived” and “Kill Devour Dissect” find that has rooted the Sadist sound in the campy world of blood splattered jungles and terror-drenched cistern ruins since 1995’s Tribe. In vocalist Trevor Nadir’s ripping howls and raspy cries, you can almost smell the rising of the undead against Talamanca’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombi_2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Fulci</a>-tinged, surrealistic compositions.Alas, there’s not much plot to bind the horror-tinged persona that Something to Pierce wears as brazenly as it does deep death metal grooves. But that groove—that groove is, of course, persistent and slinky in a way that has always fused Talamanca’s knotted, progressive riffs and jazzy, heroic solos with an unbreakable flair. In that sense, though, Something to Pierce strikes in a uniform manner—a collection of songs that alternates between sliding riff intros and sparkling synth motifs that both bubble and bustle to gruesome and thrashing crescendos. As such, it’s the iterative nuance that colors Sadist’s stride—the swelling bass grunt of “Something to Pierce,” the snare roll to stomp of “The Sun God,” the escalating vocal grunt choir of “The Best Part Is the Brain”—and sells some memorability into the experience.Yet, memorable or otherwise, no one has quite the attack that Sadist does, even at their most comfortable. Though veteran fans may feel at home in the swirling twists of cinematic, MENA-laced melodies, creeping ambience, and virtuosic guitar fills that lace Talamanca’s playing, newcomers may find a novel solace in the eclectic atmosphere that Something to Pierce conjures. The front half, in particular, plays more directly in its progressive death onslaught, serving jagged riff tumbles and stronger chorus structures that recapitulate in “One Shot Closer” before Sadist launches into a fuller, snake-charming glory. And, in turn, ending on the credits roll of “Respirium,” an instrumental with little ties to the aggression that pervades all that preceded it, requires full acceptance of the quirky world that Sadist builds—the one-two wobble-toned escapade of “The Best Part…” and “Nove Strade” makes it a little easier. After all, it’s only in this world that this bleep and swoon, desert scene patches, and bongo prancing make any sense.That Sadist continues to walk undeterred along their own path now thirty-four years into existence is nothing short of a macabre miracle. Owing, in part, a peerish thanks to progenitors like Nocturnus and Atheist, the Genoese delicacy that Sadist presents has blossomed and rotted and reformed recognizable and largely uncontested. Why, in the annals of Angry Metal Guy, the Sadist <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sadist/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">tag itself</a> directs in style only to more Sadist. So, Something to Pierce may not represent a bold new take on that lineage, neither as technical or raging or whimsical as past peaks. But Sadist, in a practiced and powerful groove, remains as dedicated and energetic as ever to their progressive and deathly craft, with ears virgin to their dastardly wiles hopefully finding something to throw them deep down a Sadist hole. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://www.agoniarecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Agonia Records</a> | <a href="https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/music" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> Websites: <a href="https://www.sadist.it/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sadist.it</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/sadstofficial" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/sadstofficial</a> Releases Worldwide: March 7th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/agonia-records/" target="_blank">#AgoniaRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/goblin/" target="_blank">#Goblin</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/italian-metal/" target="_blank">#ItalianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mar25/" target="_blank">#Mar25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nocturnus/" target="_blank">#Nocturnus</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pestilence/" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-death-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sadist/" target="_blank">#Sadist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/something-to-pierce/" target="_blank">#SomethingToPierce</a>

FishercatMask Up Now by <a href="https://universeodon.com/@siderea" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@siderea</a> "If for some reason you stopped masking everywhere, now would be an excellent time to resume masking, and use a N95/KN95 or better.I have a longer post in the works, but am getting overtaken by events. I've gotten multiple reports that there's waves of some serious unidentified flu like illness(s) hitting areas hard enough to shut down schools and fill hospitals."<a href="https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1867959.html" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://siderea.dreamwidth.org/1867959.html</a>I can add an anecdata from a friend who's a respiratory therapist; she recently said she's been working as hard as she was during the first days of COVID. We live nowhere near any of the areas mentioned in siderea's post.<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/pestilence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#pestilence</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/psa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#psa</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/flu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flu</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RSV" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSV</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/COVID" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#COVID</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/hospitals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#hospitals</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/discordant-meditation-tragic-creature-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Discordant Meditation – Tragic Creature Review</a>By Alekhines GunRegardless of quality, a debut release always ensures an interesting listen. Whether paying tribute to the better bands of yesteryear or trying to carve their own way in the world, such offerings from young outfits reek of promise. Hope. Even optimism! American studio project Discordant Meditation have been crafting what they describe as “experimental death metal” for a couple years and and a handful of EP’s. They now arrive with their first full-length Tragic Creature. In this day and age, what does “experimental death metal” even mean? And is this Creature on display cursed to be viewed in a tragic light after all? Let’s meditate on that together.Sporting a thick and in-your-face mix, Tragic Creature is here to mess your living room up and leave before you can call the police. As Discordant Meditation are a two-piece, the production does an excellent job at pushing both members to the forefront without drowning each other out.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/discordant-meditation-tragic-creature-review/#fn-209460-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> Justin Becker, the man behind the bass n’ drums does a masterful job behind the kit, bouncing between blackened blasts and slam-styled snare abuse. His drums are well balanced, allowing the listener to appreciate his mercurial flows between restrained fills and monster assaults, with an extra touch of flair in his china and cymbal heavy rolls. Guitarist/Vocalist Donnovan Parran sports a mean tone, straddling the line between clarity and muck, with a strained guttural shriek that adds humanity to the calculated barbarisms on display. Meshed together, Tragic Creature is a confrontational listen, loud but not exhausting, and fitting for the mood on display.The spirit of a grimier, filthier modern Pestilence is strong in Tragic Creature. Grooves and bounces that would fit right into Obsideo or Hadeon are littered across the release, with ear-snatching assaults rarely far away. The opening swing of “Exist Alone” comes out the gate with as ugly of an earworm as you’re likely to hear, and is an instant Riff o’ the Year contender. Songs like kickoff track “Conduit” and “Formless as Water” channel the great Dutch ones penchant for alien leads that seem to touch both ends of the fretboard with energetic neck-snapping momentum waiting to throw off any sense of routine or complacency. This gives memorability to the otherwise dense mix and ruthless assault and speed of the riffs, with a few slower, slime-drenched measures creeping in for tonal diversity. Discordant Meditation are at their strongest in such catchy moments, with the ugly, unwelcoming tone of their chord progressions offset by rhythmic displays of hooks and identity.Discordant Meditation use their hook-game to offset the otherwise bleak and oppressive mood of Tragic Creature. Occasionally lurching into Incantationisms in gloomier passages (“Passages of Obscured Lucidity”), there is not a melodic or uplifting lick to be found across the release. Given the bands statement that the album is designed to channel “Feelings of mental torment, dismal surrealism, and spiritual defeat”, this is unsurprising. A pervasive, relentless atmosphere of claustrophobia is scattered throughout the release, maintained even if individual songs don’t all match each other in impact. “Clawing at the Open Wound” is the most disposable, sounding like an assembly of riffs that would sound merely transitional in the better songs proceeding it. Likewise, title track “Tragic Creature” swings hard for an epic finale with a slower, more calculated chugging section that teases a monster payoff which regretfully never arrives. This let down right at the end seems more akin to a brisk stroll to the finish instead of the grand display teased throughout the first half. Still, at a lean 32 minutes, Tragic Creature is mercifully free from outright bloat, which helps the music impact when consumed as a whole.Tragic Creature is a fetchingly dark debut from a young band who already have a keen sense of vision and a defined sound. As dissonance and ugly song stylings continue to stay in vogue, Discordant Meditation have succeeded in carving a small niche for themselves in an already crowded sonic scene. Skilled players and already capable song-smiths, I believe that there is better in store for us from this young duo, and I’ll be interested in their future releases. Come for the hooks, stay for the depression, and lend your ears to this not-so Tragic Creature. Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: N/A Format Reviewed: Stream Label: Independent Release Websites: <a href="https://discordantmeditation.bandcamp.com/album/tragic-creature" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">discordantmeditation.bandcamp.com/album/tragic-creature</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Discordant-Meditation-100087391137050/?locale=is_IS" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Official Facebook Page</a> Releases Worldwide: January 24th, 2025<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/discordant-meditation/" target="_blank">#DiscordantMeditation</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/incantation/" target="_blank">#Incantation</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/independent-release/" target="_blank">#IndependentRelease</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jan25/" target="_blank">#Jan25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pestilence/" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tragic-creature/" target="_blank">#TragicCreature</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-october-2024s-angry-misses/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Stuck in the Filter: October 2024’s Angry Misses</a>By KenstrosityNever fear, the blog’s penchant for <del>deep lateness</del> punctuality persists! It is likely the new year already by the time you see this post, but we’re taking a step back. Way back, into October. I was deep in the shit then, and therefore couldn’t do anything blog-related. And yet, my minions, those very laborers for whom I provide absolutely no compensation whatsoever, toiled dutifully in the metallic dinge that is our Filter. Unforgiving though those environs undoubtedly are, they scraped and scoured until, at long last, small shards of precious ore glimmered to the surface.These glimmers are the same which you witness before you. Some are big, some are small. Some are short, some are tall. But all are worthy. Behold! Kenstrosity’s Belated Bombardments <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Cosmic-Putrefaction-331030417723505/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cosmic Putrefaction</a> // Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains [October 4th, 2024 – <a href="http://www.profoundlorerecords.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Profound Lore Records</a>]I was originally slated to take over reviewing duties for Cosmic Putrefaction this year, as Thus Spoke had a prior commitment and needed a buddy to step in. Unfortunately, I was rendered useless by a force of nature for a while, so I had to let go of several items of interest. But I couldn’t let 2024 go by without saying something! Entitled Emeral Fires atop the Farewell Mountains, Cosmic Putrefaction’s fourth represents one of the smoothest, most ethereal interpretations of weird, dissonant death metal. The classic Cosmic Putrefaction riffsets under an auroric sky remain, as evidenced by ripping examples “[Entering the Vortex Temporum] – Pre-mortem Phosphenes” and “Swirling Madness, Supernal Ordeal,” but there lurks within a monstrous technical death metal creature who rabidly chases the atmospheric spirits of olde (“I Should Great the Inexorable Darkness,” “Eudaemonist Withdrawal”). While in lesser hands these distinct aesthetics would undoubtedly clash on a dissonant platform such as this, Cosmic Putrefaction’s particular application of sound and style coalesces in devastating beauty and relentless purpose (“Hallways Engraved in Aether,” “Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains”). Were it not for some instances wherein, for the first time ever, Cosmic Putrefaction threatens to self-plagiarize their own material (“Eudaemonist Withdrawal”), I would likely consider Emerald Fires atop the Farewell Mountains for year-end list status.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/feralswe/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Feral</a> // To Usurp the Thrones [October 18th, 2024 – <a href="https://tometal.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Transcending Obscurity Records</a>]Another one of my charges that I unfortunately had to put down against my will, Swedish death metal fiends Feral’s fourth salvo To Usurp the Thrones deserves a spotlight here. Where <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/feral-flesh-of-funerals-eternal-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Flesh for Funerals Eternal</a> impressed me as my introduction to the band and, arguably, my introduction to modern buzzsaw Swedeath, To Usurp the Thrones impresses me as a singularly vicious record in the style. Faster, meaner, more varied, and longer than its predecessor, Thrones offers the punk-tinged, thrashy death riffs you know and love, with bluesy touches reminiscent of Entombed’s Wolverine Blues adding a bit of drunken swagger to the affair (“Vile Malediction,” “Phantoms of Iniquity,” “Into the Ashes of History”). Absolute rippers like “To Drain the World of Light,” “Deformed Mentality,” “Decimated,” and “Soaked in Blood” live up to the band’s moniker, rabid and relentless in their assault. In many ways, Thrones evokes the same bloodsoaked sense of fun that Helslave’s <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/helslave-from-the-sulphur-depths-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">From the Sulphur Depths</a> conjured, but it’s angrier, more unhinged (“Spirits Without Rest,” “Stripped of Flesh”). Consequently, Thrones stands out as one of the more fun records of its ilk to come out this year. Don’t miss it!<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sunworshipband" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sun Worship</a> // Upon the Hills of Divination [October 31st, 2024 – <a href="https://vendettarecs.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vendetta Records</a>]Back in 2020, our dear Roquentin offered some damn fine words of praise for Germany’s Sun Worship and their third blackened blade, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/sun-worship-emanations-of-desolation-things-you-might-have-missed-2019/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Emanations of Desolation</a>. It’s been six years since that record dropped, and Upon the Hills of Divination picks up right where Emanations left off. That is to say, absolutely slimy, post-metal-tinged riffs bolstered by dense layers of warm tremolos and mid-frequency roars. Opener “Within the Machine” offers a concrete encapsulation of what to expect: bits and pieces of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hulder-verses-in-oath-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hulder</a>, <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/gaerea-coma-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Gaerea</a>, and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vorga-beyond-the-palest-star-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Vorga</a> melding together into a compelling concoction of hypnotic black metal. Using the long form to their utmost advantage, Sun Worship craft immersive soundscapes liable to scald the flesh just as quickly as they seduce the senses, leaving me as a brainwashed minion doing a twisted mystic’s bidding unconditionally (“Serpent Nebula,” “Covenant”). Yet, there roils a sense of urgency in these songs, despite many of them occupying a mid-paced cadence, which unveils a bleeding heart willingly wrenched from Sun Worship’s body (“Fractal Entity,” the title track, and “Stormbringer”). This is what sets it apart from its contemporaries, and what makes it worthy of mention. Why it’s gotten so little attention escapes me. It is with the intent of rectifying that condition that I pen this woefully insufficient segment. Dolphin Whisperer’s Duty Free Rifftrocity<a href="https://www.facebook.com/extortednz/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Extorted</a> // <a href="https://extorted.bandcamp.com/album/cognitive-dissonance" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cognitive Dissonance</a> [October 16th, 2024 – Self Release]You don’t need to read this review to know that the Kiwis of Extorted plays pit-whipping death/thrash. Though not adorned with other obvious symbols, like Vietnam War paraphernalia or crushed beer cans, the Ed Repka-penned brain-ripped head figure screams “no thoughts only riff” all the same. With snares set to pow and crashes set to kshhh, Cognitive Dissonance finds low resistance to accelerating early Death-indebted refrains. Vocalist Joel Clark even plays as a dead ringer for pre-Human Schuldiner or Van Drunen (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/asphyx-necroceros-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Asphyx</a>, ex-<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/pestilence-exitivm-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pestilence</a>) as the torture in many lines grows (on “Infected” and “Ghastly Creatures” in particular). And in a continued tour of Van Drunen-associated sounds, Extorted’s ability to find a push-and-pull cadence that twists the fury of thrash with the cutting drag of death hits that hard-to-nail early Pestilence pocket with studied flair (“Deception,” “Limits of Reality”). Though a considerable amount of the Extorted identity rests in ideas borrowed and reinterpreted, a modern tonal canvas gives Cognitive Dissonance’s rhythms a punchy and balanced low-end weight that doesn’t always present itself in the world of old. Couple that with hooks that reach far beyond the limits of pure homage (“Transformation of Dreams,” “Violence”), and it’s easy to plow through the thirty minutes of tasteful harmonies, bending solos, and spit-stained lamentations that Extorted offers with their powerful debut.<a href="https://brii.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bríi</a> // Camaradagem Póstuma [October 11th, 2024 – Self Release] With Camaradagem Póstuma we enter the hazy, folky world of Caio Lemos’ unique vision of what experimental electronic music can be colored by the underpinnings of atmospheric black metal and jazz fusion. Using terraced melodies like baroque music of old and distant breakbeats like the <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bong-ra-meditations-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bong-Ra</a> of recent yesteryears, Brazil’s Bríi represents one man’s highly specific melding that rarely occurs in this space. The guitar lines that do exist play out as textural, slow-developing passages. On tracks “Aparecidos” and “Baile Fantasma” this looping and hypnotic pattern shuffle resembles ambient Pat Metheny or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/yer-prog-is-olde-king-crimson-in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">King Crimson</a> colors, the kind where finding the end of nylon pluck into a weaving, high-frequency synth patch feels not impossible but unnecessary. And on the more metallic side of things, Lemos cranks programmed blasts that carry his tortured, panning, and shrouded wails as a guide for the melodic evolution of each track, much in the same way a warping bass line would in a progressive house track. But maintaining the tempo of classic drum and bass, Camaradagem Póstuma wisps away in its atmosphere, coming back to a driving rhythm either via pummeling double kick or glitching break. Despite the hard, danceable pulse that tracks “Enlutados” and “Entre Mundos” boast, Bríi does not feel built for the kvlt klvbs of this world, leaning on a gated, lo-fi aesthetic that makes for an ideal drift away on closed cans, much like the equally idiosyncratic <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/amgs-unsigned-band-rodeo-wist-strange-balance/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Wist album</a> from earlier this year. And similarly, Camaradagem Póstuma sits in an outsider world of enjoyment. But if any of this sounds like your jam, prepare to get addicted to Bríi. Thus Spoke’s Rotten Remnants<a href="http://www.facebook.com/livloesband" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Livløs</a> // The Crescent King [October 4th, 2024 – Noctum Productions]Livløs are one of those bands that deserves far more recognition than they receive. With LP three, The Crescent King, they might finally see it. Their punchy intriguing infusion of Swedish and US melodic death metal—though the band themselves hail from Denmark—has a pleasing melancholia and satisfying bite. Here in particular, there’s more than a passing resemblance to <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/hath-all-that-was-promised-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hath</a>, to <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cognizance-malignant-dominion-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cognizance</a>, and to <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-mourning-the-bleeding-veil-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In Mourning</a>. Stomping grooves (“Maelstrom,” “Usurpers”) slide in between blitzes of tripping gallops, and electrifying fretwork (“Orbit Weaver,” “Scourge of the Stars”). Mournful, compelling melodies woven into this technical tapestry—some highlights being the title track, “Harvest,” and “Endless Majesty”—turn already good melodeath into great melodeath; melodeath that’s majestic and powerful, without ever feeling overblown. With its relentless, groovy dynamism, the crisp, spacious production seals the deal for total immersion. If this is your first time hearing about Livløs, you’re in for a treat.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sordideband" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sordide</a> // Ainsi finit le jour [October 25th, 2024 – <a href="https://lesacteursdelombre.net/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions</a>]And So Ends the Day, whilst another begins where I rediscover Sordide. I know not how I forgot their existence despite the impression that 2021’s Les Idées Blanches made upon me, yet all I could recall was the disturbingly simple, <a href="https://sordide.bandcamp.com/album/les-id-es-blanches-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">melty art.</a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/stuck-in-the-filter-october-2024s-angry-misses/#fn-207332-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> Ainsi Finit le Jour arrives with a hefty dose (53 minutes no less) of punky, dissonant black metal that’s even rawer and more pissed-off than their usual fare. “Des feux plus forts,” “La poesie du caniveau,” and the title track stand out as the most vicious, near-first-wave cuts the trio have ever laid down, with manic, group wails, and chaotic, jangling percussion. But as is so often the case with Sordide, perhaps the truest brutality comes in the slower discordant crawls of “Sous Vivre,” “Tout est a la mort,” and the particularly unsettling “La beauté du desastre,” whose creeping, half-tuneful teasing and turns to eerie spaciousness get right under your skin. It is arguably a little too long for its own good, given its intensity, but its impressiveness does mean that, this time, Sordide won’t be forgotten. Dear Hollow’s Droll Hashals <a href="https://www.facebook.com/annihilistmetal/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Annihilist </a>// Reform [October 18th, 2024 – Self Release]What Melbourne’s Annihilist does with flamboyant flare and reckless abandon is blur the lines of its core stylistic choices. One moment it’s chugging away like a deathcore band, the next it’s dripping away with a groove metal swagger, ope, now it’s on its way to Hot Topic. All we know is that all its members attack with a chameleonic intensity and otherworldly technicality that’s hard to pin down. An insane level of technicality is the thread that courses throughout the entirety of this debut, recalling Within the Ruins or <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/the-human-abstract-digital-veil-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Human Abstract</a> in its stuttering rhythms and flailing arpeggios. From catchy leads and punishing rhythms (“The Upsend,” “Guillotine”), bouncy breakdowns, clean choruses, and wild gang vocals (“Blood”), djenty guitar seizures (“Virus,” “Better Off”) to full-on groove (“N.M.E.,” “The Host”), the likes of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/lamb-of-god-lamb-of-god-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lamb of God</a>, early <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/architects-the-here-and-now-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Architects</a>, Born of Osiris, and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/children-of-bodom-hexed-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Children of Bodom </a>are conjured. Lyrics of hardcore punk’s signature anarchy and societal distrust collide with an instrumental palette of melodeath and the more technical kin of metalcore and deathcore, groove metal, and hardcore. As such, the album is complicated, episodic, and unpredictable, with only its wild technicality connecting its fragmented bits – keeping Reform from achieving the greatness that the band is so capable of. As it stands, though, Annihilist offers an insanely fun, everchanging, and unhinged roller coaster of -core proportions – a roller -corester, if you will. Under Alekhines Gun<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheurgyBDM/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Theurgy</a> // Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence [October 17th, 2024 – <a href="https://newstandardelite.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">New Standard Elite</a>]In a year where slam and brutal death have already had an atypically high-quality output, international outfit Theurgy have come with an RKO out of nowhere to shatter whatever remains of your cerebral cortex. Channeling the flamboyancy of old Analepsy with the snare abuse and neanderthalic glee of Epicardiectomy, Emanations of Unconscious Luminescence wastes no time severing vertebrae and reducing eardrums to paste. Don’t mistake this for a brainless, caveman assault, however. Peppered between the hammiest of hammers are tech flourishes pulled straight from Dingir era <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/rings-saturn-lugal-ki-en-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Rings of Saturn</a>, adding an unexpected technical edge to the blunt force trauma. The production manages to pair these two disparaging elements with lethal efficiency. Is it the techiest slam album, or the wettest, greasiest tech album? Did I mention there’s a super moldy cover of <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/devourment-obscene-majesty-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Devourment</a>‘s “Molesting the Decapitated”? It slots right into the albums flow without feeling like a tacked-on bonus track, highlighting Theurgy’s commitment to the homicidal odes of brutality. Throw in a vocal performance that makes Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity) sound like Anders Fridén (<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-flames-foregone-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">In </a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/in-flames-foregone-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Flames</a>), and you’re left with one last lethal assault to round out the year. Dive in and give your luminescence something to cry about. GardensTale’s Great Glacier<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GhostsofGlaciers/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ghosts of Glaciers</a> // Eternal [October 25th, 2024 – <a href="https://translationloss.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Translation Loss Records</a>]Ghosts of Glaciers’s last release, The Greatest Burden, was a masterclass of post-metal flow and has become a mainstay in my instrumental metal collection since <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ghosts-of-glaciers-the-greatest-burden-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">my review</a> in 2019. Dropping in tandem with several other high-profile releases, though, I could not give its follow-up the kind of attention it deserves. And make no mistake, it absolutely deserves that attention. The opening duo, “The Vast Expanse” and “Sunken Chamber,” measure up fully to The Greatest Burden, though it takes a few spins for that to become clear. Both use repetitive patterns more than before, but closer listens reveal how subtle variations and evolution of each cycle build gradual tension, so the release becomes all the more satisfying. I’m a little more ambivalent on the back half of Eternal, though. “Leviathan” packs a bigger punch than more of the band’s material, it lacks the swirling and sweeping currents that pull me under and demand full and uninterrupted plays every time. Closer “Regeneratio Aeterna” is a pretty but rather demure piece that lasts a bit longer than it should have. But despite these reservations, the great material outstrips the merely good, and Eternal is a worthwhile addition to any instrumental metal collection.<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/abominable-putridity/" target="_blank">#AbominablePutridity</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ainsi-finit-le-jour/" target="_blank">#AinsiFinitLeJour</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/analepsy/" target="_blank">#Analepsy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/annihilist/" target="_blank">#Annihilist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/architects/" target="_blank">#Architects</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/asphyx/" target="_blank">#Asphyx</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/atmospheric-black-metal/" target="_blank">#AtmosphericBlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/australian-metal/" target="_blank">#AustralianMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/bong-ra/" target="_blank">#BongRa</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/born-of-osiris/" target="_blank">#BornOfOsiris</a> <a rel="nofollow 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Arno Jan Boere 🍉 🇺🇦 🇬🇱 🐧And their names are <a href="https://mastodon.nl/tags/Pestilence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a> <a href="https://mastodon.nl/tags/War" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#War</a> <a href="https://mastodon.nl/tags/Famine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Famine</a> and <a href="https://mastodon.nl/tags/Death" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Death</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mercyless-those-who-reign-below-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Mercyless – Those Who Reign Below Review</a>By Steel DruhmThe tale of France’s Mercyless has been told before on these pages so I don’t want to recount the saga of their rise, fall from grace, and eventual redemption. I will however endlessly blather on about how great their early releases are. 1992s Abject Offerings was a top-notch example of furious thrashing death metal with chops to spare. However, it was 93s Coloured Funeral that cemented their legacy, taking their brutish bashing and smartly seasoning it with the progressive energy of mid-period Death. It’s technical and intelligent, full of twists and turns, but the war hammer is ever-present. It’s a deeply underappreciated classic that deserves far more attention. Since reforming in 2011, Mercyless have released 3 albums of good to very good old school death, no longer pushing boundaries and content to rehash the glories of the early 90s. 2020’s The Mother of All Plagues was an entirely solid if not exceptional blast of familiar deathery, harkening back to the stuff I harassed dormmates with in my drunken college years. 2024 sees them return with 8th full-length Those Who Reign Below, and Mercyless remain locked in their late-career comfort zone, delivering 90s-centric thrashing death in the vein of old Pestilence and Morbid Angel. Can these olde dawgs still bring the war to your front door?At this point in their resurgence, Mercyless are a known quantity. You get meat n’ taters death with heaping helpings of thrashing fury and enough technical know-how to make things interesting. There’s nothing new to what Mercyless are doing here, but they know how to clobber and cudgel nonetheless. Opener “Extreme Unction” is the nastiest filth on offer and it hits like a concrete truck flying down a steep hill. The riff phrasing bears the stench of vintage Morbid Angel and original vocalist/guitarist Max Otero has a death croak rather similar to that of David Vincent. The speed and savagery are spot on and the guitar work is very good. This is Merycless at their best and they can still kill it. While the quality of songcraft doesn’t remain at this elevated level, you still get crop-dusted by burly thrashers like “I Am Hell” where bits of Vader slam into Behemoth and Angel Corpse. Both “Thy Resplendent Inferno” and “Prelude to Eternal Darkness” check all the 90s death thrash boxes, being invigorating if not gobsmacking nuggets of fugly noise. There are a few cuts that underperform too. “Phantoms of Cain” is generic in structure and leaves me unfulfilled despite reminding me of a basket of death deplorables I loved back in the day. The inclusion of a 2-minute instrumental and a dull outro pads out the runtime without enhancing the listening experience, and closer “Sanctus Deus Mortis” weaves early days Death influences throughout, but it doesn’t have much of a payoff. At a trim 42-plus minute with most songs in the 3-4 minute window, Those Who Reign Below moves at a brisk pace and rarely drags. It just doesn’t soar often enough.Max Otero and Gautier Merklen are very skilled six-string assassins and the riffage is consistently solid throughout. The solos are varied and slick and the duo borrows from all the best legendary acts as they burn and loot the countryside. I especially like it when they venture into Azagthothian slitherscapes, which is common here. I’ve been a fan of Otero’s vocals since the beginning and they’re still good and grisly today. Johann Voirin (Mortuary) tags in to man the kit and does a great job skinning the skins and scraping the brain wax from your ears with a thunderous performance. I often found myself more focused on what he was doing than everything else, which is unusual for me.Mercyless will never recapture the elusive magic heard on Coloured Funeral but I’m more than happy to see them churning out albums of the caliber. Those Who Reign Below won’t top many best-of lists this year but it’s a competent, effective death metal biscuit with enough frills and chills in the meat gravy to hold its place in the rotation for a while. Well worth a brutal spin.Rating: 3.0/5.0 DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: <a href="https://osmoseproductions-label.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Osmose Productions</a> | <a href="https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/music" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mercyless-those-who-reign-below-review/#fn-205332-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> Websites: <a href="https://mercyless.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">mercyless.bandcamp.com</a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mercyless-those-who-reign-below-review/#fn-205332-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mercylesscult/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/mercylesscult</a> |<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mercylessofficial" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> instagram.com/mercylessofficial</a> Releases Worldwide: October 25th, 2024 DolphylessMercyless is far from a household name, as are many from the short-lived French death/thrash scene.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mercyless-those-who-reign-below-review/#fn-205332-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> But the olde and wise like legendary AMG alum Al Kikuras heard their fabled Coloured Funeral back in the days of wound magnetic tape and FM radio as a major discovery tool. Yes, it’s true the 90s weren’t kind to acts of all varieties, with Mercyless too succumbing to the pressures of groove and hiatus. Yet with their revitalization in the modern age, the French underground stalwart has managed to both <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/65308-2/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">impress</a> and <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mercyless-the-mother-of-all-plagues-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">remain solid</a> in their golden years. In a back-to-basics move, Those Who Reign Below serves as both an ode to the lords of the underworld and an outing of classic death metal from a time when genre lines were but a suggestion.Sharing fresh blood with Mortuary—another aged French act revitalized in this modern era—this current version of Mercyless continues to tackle death metal with a thrash-rooted flair alongside ears who grew up with Mercyless’ contemporaries. More so than their original run (really their first two albums), Mercyless has picked up some of the low-end grooves you’d hear in late 90s Morbid Angel (“Crown of Blasphemy,” “Sanctus Deus Mortis”) along with a jagged melodicism that fed into increased aggression of early Hate Eternal works (“Phantoms of Cain”). But as a band born of a certain time, it’s hard to escape that early Celtic Frost influenced death/thrash that powered primal Florida bruisers Master or Obituary, with heavy skanks and ragged vocals leading the charge (“I Am Hell,” “Prelude to Eternal Darkness”). And still, that same gritty sense of harmony that composed Mercyless’ career highlights presents itself through founder Max Otero’s chunky guitar charms (“Thy Resplendent Inferno,” “Chaos Requiem”).While a falling out of interest with deathly happenings drove Mercyless into hibernation all those years ago, Otero and co. have no lost love, at this stage, for ugly tones that carve monster riffs. With dialed incision whammy dives, tracks that rip from the start (“I Am Hell”), or find a fluttering catch in wild solo land (“Evil Shall…,” “Crown of Blasphemy”), have no problem rolling back eyes and flaring nostrils for a fully-torqued pit frenzy. A fuzzy twang provides weight to each riff embarkment, allowing techier expeditions (“Extreme Unction,” “Phantoms…”) to land with a precision that plays off the force of drummer Johann Voirin’s textbook accelerating kicks and pounding snare drive. On the low-end bassist Yann Tligui doesn’t provide the same depth of performance that popped about in the distant past, but his gravely throb provides a grit necessary to ensure that Mercyless wrecks bodies in a circular, tumbling fashion.However, Mercyless’ increased theater around anti-Christian themes hinders Those Who Reign Below’s more direct offerings. Though Mercyless has never shied away from elements that spit at Christianity, their renaissance from 2013’s Unholy Black Splendor has increased its upfront presence. And, likewise, Those Who Reign Below finds itself the holder of both a built in liturgical intro (the first section of “Extreme Unction”) and an unannounced—but still present—closing modulated sermon (“Zecheriah 31”) to reinforce its ham-fisted camp. This book-ending also creates an awkward framing around the true closer, “Sanctus Deus Mortis,” which runs preceded by a low-in-tension instrumental (“Absurd Theater”). These blunders, though, don’t tack much time onto the total run of forty-two minutes, so they are forgivable. But those looking for a steady blaze from snout to tail may encounter more of an ending fizzle than desired.Regardless, Mercyless harbors too high a quality of hammering riff, slobbering shout death metal in its unlikely second-coming—a length of time that now spans as many albums and almost as many years as the first. In many ways, this new path of old sounds represents a more fitting distillation of Mercyless’ evil worshipping ambitions than its detour into weird 90s industrial death land.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/mercyless-those-who-reign-below-review/#fn-205332-4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">4</a> For those easily moistened by the call of a sweat-stewed pit, Those Who Reign Below offers a practiced and visceral window into an aged like fine jerky take on rippin’ death/thrash. So give it a listen and be sure to hit the classics too—Abject Offerings and Coloured Funeral—if you’re new to Mercyless’ ancient callings. Rating: 3.0/5.0<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/celtic-frost/" target="_blank">#CelticFrost</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/coloured-funeral/" target="_blank">#ColouredFuneral</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-thrash/" target="_blank">#DeathThrash</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/french-metal/" target="_blank">#FrenchMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hate-eternal/" target="_blank">#HateEternal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/loudblast/" target="_blank">#Loudblast</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/massacra/" target="_blank">#Massacra</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/master/" target="_blank">#Master</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mercyless/" target="_blank">#Mercyless</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/morbid-angel/" target="_blank">#MorbidAngel</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mortuary/" target="_blank">#Mortuary</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/obituary/" target="_blank">#Obituary</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/oct24/" target="_blank">#Oct24</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/osmose-productions/" target="_blank">#OsmoseProductions</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pestilence/" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/the-mother-of-all-plagues/" target="_blank">#TheMotherOfAllPlagues</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/those-who-reign-below/" target="_blank">#ThoseWhoReignBelow</a>

Angry Metal Guy<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/ripped-to-shreds-sanshi-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ripped to Shreds – Sanshi Review</a>By SaundersFour albums deep into a promising and increasingly impressive career, California’s death mongers Ripped to Shreds continue to hammer away and chisel a jagged path to the hearts of old-school death-loving folk. Following back-to-back bangers, the band’s prolific mastermind and guitarist/vocalist Andrew Lee (also of Azath, Houkago Grind Time, Draghkar amongst a plethora of other projects) readies his battle-hardened companions for another sick, ugly dose of grind-injected old school death mayhem. Quality writing and a deft hand at intertwining classic influences with an unvarnished modern twist, has trademarked an engaging, consistent body of work. Lee lives and breathes the musty airwaves of death metal’s storied, murky past, but composes and plays this shit better than most. Can the fourth album Sanshi capitalize and expand upon the sturdy groundwork and scene cred the Ripped to Shreds brand has so far established?Despite the occasional proggy foray, this latest platter of crusty nastiness, breakneck speed, and gnarled hooks finds Ripped to Shreds refining a formula that seeks the advancement of their signature style, without muddying the waters with bold attempts at innovation. Few modern acts nail the retro aesthetic and rancid, fleshy appeal as well as Ripped to Shreds without leaning too heavily into derivation or tired recycling of old ideas. Ripped to Shreds sounds invigorated and full of punky, gritty aggression and songwriting flair. The roots of the Ripped to Shreds sound feature the classic vibes of the buzzsawing Stockholm and swampy Floridan scenes of yesteryear. Throw in a healthy dose of early Pestilence and vintage grindcore influences, think prime Terrorizer, and some flashy melodic shreddery, and you have a recipe for awesomeness.Overall, the grind influence is more pronounced, unloading some of the band’s nastiest work to date, balanced by the increasingly noteworthy use of extravagant melodic solos and leads. The tradeoff vocals from Lee and the backing efforts of his bandmates work a treat, blending nasty guttural grunts and higher-pitched explosions with anguished van Drunen-isms and all manner of rip-roaring variations. Sanshi opens ambitiously, launching a six-plus minute juggernaut courtesy of the multi-pronged “Into the Court of Yanluowang.” Length isn’t an issue due to the propulsive energy, structural shifts, and an action-packed blend of death, grind, and thrashy melodeath influences, touching on some Horrendous vibes. The punky grind meets the thrashing death punch of “燒冥紙 (Sacrificial Fire)” jams swaggering grooves and melodic guitar embellishments into a violent tornado. Ripped to Shreds balances its crisper melodic tendencies and production values expertly with its feral, abrasive instincts. Balance is the key to much of Sanshi’s success. The album’s varied songwriting palette is showcased through blunt force grooves colliding with riff-driven thrashy death (“冥婚 Corpse Betrothal”), compact, blazing deathgrind numbers (“Force Fed,” “Perverting the Funeral Rites, Stripping for the Dead”), and brutish beatdowns punctuated with heroic shredding solos (“殭屍復活 [Horrendous Corpse Resurrection],” “Cultivating Towards Ascension”).Lee’s skills as a composing architect, accomplished axe-slinger and chief vocalist are well established, however, there is an argument Lee is really coming into his own with a fully-fledged line-up of like-minded souls. The whole band fires on all cylinders, the material fueled by ripping tempos, technical precision, and gritty, yet undoubtedly infectious songwriting. Brian Do’s sick, blasty drum performance is worth noting, while the addition of second guitarist Michael Chavez proves a masterstroke, adding firepower, showmanship, and a potent dual axe dynamic to the formula, emphasized through the string of stunning solos and memorable riffs, touching on thrash, death, melodeath, and grind influences. I could use a little more fuzz and grime to the guitar tone, and the bass drums are a little clicky, otherwise, the production adds sharp edges and crisp punchy tones to compliment the album’s rawer charms.Ripped to Shreds remain as consistently solid as ever with this latest opus. Sanshi takes the ingredients that have worked so effectively for Ripped to Shreds thus far and ups the ante to reveal some of their most potent, impressive work to date. Lee’s songwriting skills are reaching increasingly esteemed heights and the expertise in which the band wield speed, melody, abrasiveness, chugging grooves, and catchy writing is top-shelf. Every Ripped to Shreds album has delivered quality, teetering on the precipice of greatness. Sanshi keeps the consistent trend going, though takes it up a notch and showcases the Ripped to Shreds juggernaut operating in peak form. Rating: 4.0/5.0 DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stinky Stream Label: <a href="https://store.relapse.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Relapse Records</a> Websites: <a href="https://rippedtoshredsdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">rippedtoshredsdeathmetal.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rippedtoshredsband/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/rippedtoshredsband</a> Releases Worldwide: September 27th, 2024<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/american-metal/" target="_blank">#AmericanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/azath/" target="_blank">#Azath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/death-metal/" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/deathgrind/" target="_blank">#Deathgrind</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/draghkar/" target="_blank">#Draghkar</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/grindcore/" target="_blank">#Grindcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/horrendous/" target="_blank">#Horrendous</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/houkago-grind-time/" target="_blank">#HoukagoGrindTime</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/old-school-death-metal/" target="_blank">#OldSchoolDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/pestilence/" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/relapse-records/" target="_blank">#RelapseRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ripped-to-shreds/" target="_blank">#RippedToShreds</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sanshi/" target="_blank">#Sanshi</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/terrorizer/" target="_blank">#Terrorizer</a>

sariashThe first three Death Metal albums I bought were by Morbid Angel, Obituary and Pestilence. All at the beginning of the 90s. I already posted Obituary's The End Complete before on <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/ThursDeath" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ThursDeath</a>. For today's, here is Testimony of the Ancients by Pestilence. A classic! 🖤The 2023 remaster is on bandcamp here: <a href="https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/testimony-of-the-ancients-remaster" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/testimony-of-the-ancients-remaster</a><a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/Music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Music</a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/Metal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Metal</a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/DeathMetal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DeathMetal</a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/Pestilence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a>

HarmonyMetalhead whining

Kau)))Hastigerina pelagica as <a href="https://qoto.org/tags/Pestilence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Pestilence</a>’s Spheres. <a href="https://qoto.org/tags/Metal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Metal</a> <a href="https://qoto.org/tags/AlbumArt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AlbumArt</a> <a href="https://qoto.org/tags/Foraminifera" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Foraminifera</a>

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