Necrotum - Defleshed Exhumation

 

Necrotum have emerged from the depths of Romania playing pestilent and devilish old school death metal. Their music has a very real underground magic stemming not just from the early ninties derived riffs but also the wonderfully stripped down production .For those not used to more lo fi death metal this might pose a challenge, but for devotees of the underground this will be par for the course and something that only ads flavor to what Necrotum are doing. 

In terms of execution Necrotum are flawless. Clearly devoted to brutal nineties acts, their sound is punishing and full of beatdown riff after beatdown riff. If you were looking for a metal album that would smash you over the head this is the one. There is a clear passion here for early Cannibal Corpse and Incantation among others and it makes for skull meltingly good listening. More than that though - Necrotum are clearly just talented songwriters with shreddy performances allowing for thrilling tracks like "Psychotic Apparitions".

If you're looking for something crushing, heavy and just a little bit diabolical then Necrotum is for you. They understand the fundamental power of death metal as well as any of their peers and drinking from their font of blasphemy is a delight. This is what death metal was always meant to be about and Necrotum lean into it. Despite the lo fi production and limitations coming from a poorer country they've found a way to prove that the gift of death metal smiles upon all. 

Pre-order the album!

https://necrotumdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

Extinguished - Vomitous Manifestations

Well this is sick. Caligari Records has always plumbed the depths of the underground for some of the sickest new music and Extinguished is a fitting addition to this blasphemous pantheon. Vomitous Manifestations is a thriller any way you slice it and its old school death metal derived blasphemy is exactly the sort of thing to get longhairs headbanging. This is death metal done right, with an appetite for destruction and a desire to crack skulls through thick and thin. When you blast Extinguished you are exposing yourself to the purest underground darkness. 

There is something twisted and appealing about the tormented vocals on a track like "Unforeseen Consequences" - it speaks to a band who understand their own misery and want to lay down a sonic assault of skull crushing riffs on all posers who might be foolish enough to press play. As for those of us who have been long since acclimatized to this most devilish of music, Extinguished have managed to prove they are a mind melting force in the genre who have elegantly taken so many of the old school brutal elements and transformed into their own, with dungeon basement production and everything else in tow. 

Extinguished are an absolutely skull cracking force and it's a delight to really get lost in their unforgiving realities. Vomitous Manifestations sees the band unleashing pure hatred and dragging you deep into the pits of hell with them. Extinguished have managed to consistently set themselves a head and shoulders above their peers, and though this is just an EP it's a very fun offering that any fan of late 1980s death metal is going to really get a kick out of. It just dropped today, so grab your copy and embrace the pure evil. 

Pre-order the album!

https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/vomitous-manifestations

Invultation - Unconquerable Death

Ok so this is fuckin' sick. Invultation are a band who have drank deeply from the well of old school death metal in order to craft a crushing and unique sound that terrifies listeners with its bleak vision and basement dwelling vibes. Their second LP, Unconquerable Death is an absolute bone cruncher of a record, full of devastating riffs and an overarching vision that will have you gasping for air. This is death metal done right, executed at a high level and determined to leave listeners begging for more. The further you delve the more enticing it becomes. 

Unconquerable Death fascinates with the level of depravity that it embraces and the ability to go deep into the darkest corners of the genre and execute with aplomb. It's a death metal nerds death metal record, full of plenty of old school idioms but also with the sort of heaviness and quality songwriting that only comes with years of hindsight and cherry picking some of the sickest moments from the genre as a whole. The end result is an absolute crusher of a record that just keeps on giving. There may be no huge surprises here, but when the initial "Oogh" kicks in with all that glorious reverb on "All Flesh Falls Into Dust" you know you're onto something special. 

Invultation scratch that primitive death metal itch perhaps better than any other band I have heard this year. There are few bands who really understand the power of a well executed blast beat or a hectic riff better than these guys. The throat ripping magic that fuels them on Unconquerable Death is addictive and a weirdly nostalgic good time for old school fans. If you're looking to get your face kicked in by a band who promise to play it louder than hell then Invultation are your band, and they're going to crack your skull in for you. 

Pre-order the album!

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/unconquerable-death

Nullification - Kingdoms To Hovel

 

The Filipino death metal scene is truly exciting right now, and it speaks to the quality of the community that a band could form in May of this year and already have a sick record being put together that's going to come out on a badass label like Personal Records. Nullification's debut effort, Kingdoms To Hovel is a crusher and an incredible example of old school death metal worship. This is an offering that will take you right back to the early 90s and beat your head in with unrelenting sonic blasphemies and an auditory assault that is gloriously primitive. 

It's hard not to be charmed by the monolithic riffs and crushing vocals that have really come to define Nullification. Kingdoms To Hovel shines because of its willingness to choke you out. It's a record that makes listeners suffer under the sheer weight and volume of what has been conjured up. This is death metal done right, drinking the blood of the innocent and forcing the huddle masses to bend the knee in honor of the twisted ministrations that Nullification have conjured up. Kingdoms To Hovel is the sort of album that will crack your skull like a walnut, forcing your body into unholy headbanging motion and worshiping the abyss. 

Long story short - if you're looking for triumphant and bone crunching death metal, say no more. Nullification are a death metal band who have thoroughly digested the work of old school greats like Morbid Angel and Bolt Thrower and then regurgitated it in a way that speaks to the crippling horror of this music. Nullification have once more gone above and beyond on Kingdoms To Hovel and allow listeners to really revel in the insanity that they have created. Let yourself get lost in the abyss. It's worth it.

Pre-order the album!

http://personal-records.bandcamp.com/album/kingdoms-to-hovel

Consumption - Recursive Definitions of Suppuration

 

It's so rad when you hear a band who worships OSDM but in an unexpected way. Such is the case with Consumption. They are a death metal band on Petrichor who pay tribute to the altar of deathgrind Carcass. The sounds of records like Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious and Symphonies Of Sickness spread their reek throughout this album. The skull cracking insanity of Recursive Definitions Of Suppuration is gloriously twisted. It's a delight to really sink your teeth into the demented riffing that defines this record. 

While Recursive Definitions Of Suppuration may be a bit rough aroudn the edges that is clearly intended as a part of the appeal. Tracks like 'Splenium Corporis Callosi' revel in the sloppiness and the limiting factors on the record. Even if the vocals are too high and the drums don't always sound great, this record remains a blast. It's about that sense of danger, the sense that this whole thing could fall apart and that it's all about sharing the evil with the masses. Consumption aren't trying to reinvent the steel here, instead they are trying to pay tribute to an era of death metal that really doesn't get enough credit these days. 

At there best Consumption are triumphant. At their worst, they sound like another sick band fro mthe early 90s who you missed out on. Consumption do an excellent job of cracking skulls and laying down the law on Recursive Definitions Of Suppuration. Letting yourself get swept up in their death metal slaughter is a delight. It speaks to the high powered hate behind the music and will keep you coming back. Yes they are steeped in old school sounds and imagery, but if that's what you love, this is gonna resonate.

Pre-order the album!

https://napalmrecords.com/deutsch/consumption

Hexorcist - Evil Reaping Death

 

One of the problems in OSDM these days, at least in my view, is that so much of it is focused on worshipping the old Swedish scene. But what about a band who really grasped the essence of the Florida scene? That is to say 'Slayer but heavier'? Such is the magic of Hexorcist. This band, made up of members of Devastator and Gnosis worships at the altar of Morbid Angel and Mortem. The crushingly heavy assault of these tracks is addictive and its such a pleasure to really experience the devastation of this record.

Before we go any further I want to just talk about the cover art. Look at how fucking sick it is. The more time I spend staring at it the more I find cool details, from the inverted cross in the logo to the pentagram standard the leader of the cavalry is wielding. It's the perfect accompaniment to a record that delivers at a million miles an hour and terrifies listeners with the conjurations of blood, fire and death. This is a record that eagerly hints at the triumph of the past and uses its raw bombast and crazed ministrations. Evil Reaping Death manages to deliver on being a high powered anarchistic crusher of the most twisted level. 

Evil Reaping Death is old school proto death metal at its finest. It's a record that pays tribute to the Florida scene and does so with the greatest aplomb. In a world where HM-2 worship is the norm then this record is a fitting contribution to a demented sound that caroms forward and leaves only the dead bodies of posers in its wake. Evil Reaping Death is a delightful blast to the past and embracing the heaviness and classic elements that make it special is really exciting and endlessly rewarding, even on multiple listens.

Pre-order the album!

www.hexorcist.bandcamp.com 

Disfuneral - Demo

Not gonna lie - I LOVE how Redefining Darkness send out demos of some of their favorite bands. It's a great way for nerds like me to find out about what's new, sick and brutal in the underground. Disfuneral are a crushing French death metal band, and contrary to what their name might imply, they don't play d-beat. Instead they unveil a sort of twisted brand of death metal that throws you straight into the pit and makes you choke on old school magic. It's a blasphemous crusher of a record that will keep you gasping for air. 

There's not a lot of band these days evoking this particular breed of old school death metal. Yes, there is a fair share of Entombed-core in the sound, but one also hears a lot of Leprosy era Death in the mix too. In fact it almost feels like that's the primary influence. The point being - there is a groove here that can't help but make you want to mosh out a redneck stomp across your house. The charm of Disfuneral is palpable to those who love the old school and while there aren't a lot of surprises it's always good to hear bands who can add to the pantheon of great death metal. It's especially surprising coming from France, a country that hasn't historically had a ton of great death metal. 

Disfuneral have done a fantastic job of evoking a very particular aesthetic and capturing the imagination with this twisted demo. It's a devastating offering that really speaks to the power of this music. It's a delight to sink your teeth into, and leaves me very curious to hear what's going to happen when this band finally get their full length out. Delve into the blasphemies and fall in love. If you want a classic death metal experience then get ready to turn this one all the way up. Disfuneral fucking get it, and it rips. 

Find out more on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/disfuneral/

Witches Hammer - Damnation Is My Salvation

Out of the old underground Witches Hammer has re-emerged. This is the perfect sort of release for Nuclear War Now! Productions. It's wickedly fast, wonderfully brutal and emerging from the primordial ooze of early extreme metal. The bands first full length, Damnation Is My Salvation comes 36 years into their career, but in many ways it stands side by side their early demos and EP's that made them such a force in the Vancouver scene to begin with. Vicious and relentless, Damnation Is My Salvation is a twisted offering.

The hyper power assault of tracks like the album opener, 'Across Azeroth' stands out to me because it immediately calls to mind why I fell in love with this music in the first place. There's an inherent drama to the band that ensures dedicated listeners are going to stay enamored with what they have put together here. These high speed blasts of guitars and battered drums come together to make something memorable and exciting. Who wouldn't want to hop into the pit during a song like 'Solar Winds' with its circle pit inspiring riffage? It's hard not to be in awe of what the band so eagerly bring to the table here.

The toxic waltz laid out here is addictive. The band unleash raw chaos and with their brutarian riffs grab you by the hair and toss you back into the pit. There is a certain madness that serves to make Witches Hammer an essential part of the Canadian death metal canon. Damnation Is My Salvation only serves to solidify that, proving once and for al that this is a band apart, a truly talented group of guys bringing the rage in a potent way that should not be discounted but instea celebrated time and time again.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/witcheshammerndhc/

Dodskvad - Kronike I

This is an interesting one - an extreme metal record that is almost gleefully atavistic. The compositions here are navel gazing and rear facing, they  explore the roots of bands like Death (And might even be able to legitimately cite Mantas as an influence!) Bathory and Obituary with their sound. It's wonderfully simplistic and primitive, but I think that's what keeps freaks like me coming back to their three song cassette demo. It might not be world breaking but it certainly is a hell of a good time.

If you ever were into 80s extreme metal than you know that there si a certain moldy nostalgia attached that is hard to shake. That's ab ig part of why so many of us got involved with it in the first place, it's primitive, heavy and sometimes a little over the top. We crave this stuff and the sonic devastation it provides. While Dodskvad may not be breaking any new ground they certainly o make for fun listening for those of us who are seeking an escape from a coronavirus stricken world and want to dig back into the classic era of extreme metal when teenagers were shaping a genre that would change the word.

With its dungeon lurking synths and primitivist ideas, this is certainly a nerdy release. No one is going to necessarily be falling in love with the magic of metal due to Kronike I but I don't think that's the point. The point is rather to celebrate an era that has often been forgotten but which was a blast to be a part of and has had a resounding effect on younger folks like myself. Stripped down and wonderfully raw, Kronike I is the sort of record that continues to charm, even after multiple listens - give it a go!

Listen on Bandcamp!
https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/kr-nike-i

Vomitor - Pestilent Death

You gotta love underground death metal, and no one has done a better job of keeping the spirit of the genre alive than Hell's Headbangers. The latest glorious blasphemy that they have dug up is Pestilent Death, the upcoming fourth offering from Australia's Vomitor. A record that delightedly plays into the tropes of the genre and is full f over the top death metal riffing it's hard not to smile at the gloriously demented histrionics of Vomitor. It's the same sort of face ripping and delightfully evil death metal that made so many of us fall in love with the genre in the first place.

Seemingly torn out of the musicians by force the high powered assault of this record is evident from the first. The brash sense of bloodthirst with which they dart forward is the exact kind of over the top magic that you would want from a band named Vomitor. A group who have made a name for themselves with their dedication to the cult and the exclusivity of their releases (This is their first album in 4 years) it's interesting to see how Pestilent Death stays so true to the punk rock ethos that made this band interesting in the first place. You can see the mosh pits forming in the stop start punishment of opener Tremolation and it only gets crazier from there. 

Sure the dungeon basement level production can be seen as a limiting factor, but personally I kind of dig it. The sense of 'fuck you' that makes Pestilent Death such a strong statement permeates every aspect of the record and is going to be very important to a specific subset of the metal community. Watching their apocalyptic soundtracks unfold is a lot of fun and hearkens back to that eternal 15 year old who needs to be kept alive for the spirit of metal to still matter in our hearts. Vomitor understand the youthful appeal of the genre and make sure we stay in love with the decrepit truth. 

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/Vomitor-170920829616359/

Gruesome - Fragments Of Psyche

Gruesome have rapidly made a name fr themselves as one of the premier old school death metal bands in the scene today. There Death worship at first themed rooted only in Leprosy and other early era death tracks. but this latest offering sees them taking the influence of Human on a 7 inch that suggests that there could be a whole lot more to this Gruesome business than we originally thought. Fragments Of Psyche shows us that Gruesomes understanding of Death is incredibly deep and strangely delectable.

As a seven inch the record is simply made up of a new single, entitled, of course, Fragments of Psyche and a truly fascinating B side, A cover of Choke On It done in the style of the Human record. It's the sort of thing that I think that most people wouldn't quite get but for a Death nerd like me this is kind of a huge deal. I really do love though how on the digital edition of this record we get to hear a whole mess of demos, reminiscent of countless other Death reissues and rereleases that Relapse has showered us with in recent years. If the band members were any less legimate in their love for Death and their place in the scene this would be hokey but instead it seems like a passion project.

The fact that we get to hear a passion project like this, a band that is so clearly a teenage fantasy, coming from current and former members of Exhumed, Possessed and Malevolent Creation is actually really exciting to me and gives you a lot to sink your teeth into. It's dorky to be sure but it's also something that makes for a surprisingly fun listen. Most death metal these days is dedicated to pushing the envelope or is merely a dull rehash of what came before. Gruesome have been able to invoke the magic of the gods and create something truly special.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/gruesomedeathmetal

Opprobrium - Serpent Temptation

There is something endlessly appealing to me about the power of old school death metal - especially in the grand old style. The fact that we can hear a band like Opprobrium (Formerly Incubus, and no, not that Incubus) unleash Slayer worship like Voice From The Grave on their re-release of Serpent Temptation speaks to the enduring power of the genre. Serpent Temptation is a potent release because it reflects not just a time and a place but it is also infused with a sort of gloriously satanic energy that only the greatest bands have ever been able to invoke.

I think one of the first things that struck me about Serpent Temptation is that there is a surprisingly unique riffing style. Sure - the band conforms to a lot of traditional old school death metal tropes but still, things feel surprisingly melodic, without ever going towards Leprosy levels of guitar wizardry. As mentioned before - the Slayer worship is a key component of the record and drives a lot of the vocal patterns, but even then, the band is bale to put just enough of a death metal edge to keep things interesting. Surprisingly charming is the dungeon level production - it reminds you that despite all the critical praise the band has received these were still just kids having a good time - and there is a profound beauty to that.

And so we beat on, our hearts improved by the glorious odes to Satan that only a band like Opprobrium can properly evoke. Serpent Temptation is a fun listen not only because it's some great fuckin' music, but it feels genuine. There is a very real quality to what the band is doing here and as you hear the manic circle pit inspiring riffing on songs like Incubus (Opprobrium) it's hard to not feel transported back to high school when all that mattered was primitive brutality. This is a band who have always understood the nature of death metal and this is the perfect blast to the past for the twenty first century.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/opprobriumofficial/?fref=ts

The Sickening

There is a certain perverse charm to underground Norwegian death metal. As you feel the stench of the basement in your nostrils and revel in the underproduced bass drum assault you find yourself strangely clean - as if something this demented has provided a way forward. The sublime darkness of a band like The Sickening is a prime example of this, a band who, on their new record Sickness Unfold unleash ten tracks (including a Vile cover!) of sonic decimation. Songs like Throat Hole Ejaculation and Power Tool Sodomy are reminiscent of an older time, even if elements of the riffing definitely seem to be borrowing from new school death metal ideas. The Sickening understand the primal beauty of death metal, despite their stripped down sound and fucked up lyrics. Simply put - if you like everything that is old school, brutal, and evil you will fall in love, and if not, you might as well turn around and go home.

Find them on Facebook!

Horrendous - Anareta

Today when I checked Facebook I saw Albert Mudrian editor of Decibel post something about how Horrendous is the best death metal band from post 2000. Approximately five minutes later I got the Horrendous promo material in my inbox. Figuring it was a sign I turned it up, and I have to say, despite a few petty complaints, I'm pretty damn impressed with what these boys have been able to do on their latest offering - the crushing and strangely terrifying quasi-masterpiece that is Anareta, one of the best death metal albums of the year.

Let's just get this out of the way - Horrendous tackle every side of the death metal spectrum, and that in and of itself is glorious. The cool thing is, they're doing it all through an old school death metal lens which in and of itself is wonderfully tasty. While I do have issues digging into the guitar tone I think the bands overall attack is delicious and the crushing melodic lines on tracks like Acolytes speak to their mastery of their instruments. This is what death metal songwriting should sound like. In a world where we are often let down by our favorite bands Horrendous rise up and grab you by the throat.

Horrendous, more than almost any other band in death metal today truly understand the spirit of the genre and that is a large part of what makes them so great and deliciously vile. You peel back the mask and you find yourself staring into the fucked up face of a band who understand what it means to crush skulls. Fully aware of their own artistry and unafraid to leave you gasping for air Horrendous are old school death metal that works in a twenty first century context. Rather than sounding outdated or silly they come off raw and vicious, so hop on in, the blood is fine!

Find them on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/HorrendousDeathMetal

Noisem, Homewrecker, Unsacred, Scorched, Outer Heaven and Jarhead Fertilizer at the Harmony Grange

The crushing finality of existence, my tired bones reaching out for comfort...insert miscellaneous moment of poetic bullshit here... The point being tonight was one of those nights that remind me why I love death metal. I thought I had started to outgrow the genre or to become tired of it... but then something like this happens and I see a fuckton of top notch bands desecrate a stage on the same night and I realize that despite all the scene drama, despite all the waiting around and being tired - dudes like me live for this shit. We have nothing else to do with our lives and after all, this is our journey.

Jarhead Fertilizer were up first, featuring multiple members of Full of Hell both present and past, this band uses two bassists to help drive their sound forward and gives them a rather iconoclastic and unique approach to the music. While I did feel that their two bassist sound was a lot of fun, I got the sense that the Harmony Grange might not have been the best venue for these sonic assaults. I got the impression - as the band blazed through a fifteen minute set of wonderfully short songs - that this is the kind of music meant for tiny backrooms of shitty bars, and the dudes in this band wouldn't have it any other way.

Next up was Outer Heaven, a band I have always found thoroughly enjoyable. There is something inherently satisfying about their essentially old school death metal sound, the crushing growls, the punishing screams, and the all out sense of oppression that dominates the music. For the right kind of fuck up (IE: screwed up individuals like myself) there is something very therapeutic about this sort of approach to music and it's hard to deny the magic within that type of triumphantly primitive sound. What I'm trying to say is that Outer Heaven understand the spirit of death metal, and the deeper you delve the more you will fall in love with this band.

Scorched gave me a similar vibe. Fronted by the quasi-legendary Matt Kapa their old school death metal attack was deliciously evil. Kicking things off with a motherfucker of a thrash riff before stomping away at the crowds skulls with monster riff after monster riff these guys may not have been around for long, but they truly get what death metal is supposed to be about. When Tyler Carnes from Noisem came on to do a verse it felt only appropriate - the culmination of years of hard work and dark dedication. This is the kind of band that the Philly scene needs if it wants to keep developing and growing.

It was only now that we got to the actual touring trifecta. First of the three was Unsacred, one of the most distinctly... evil bands I have seen live. Their sound - while distinctly American brings in touches of black metal to help keep things sufficiently dark. The sense of tortured refinement that defines their work is the kind of thing that I love about the American underground. These dudes have had fucked up stuff happen to them and yet they push on anyway, and with a band this bleak you gotta admire that. Unsacred understand the wonderful hatred of this music and push it to the fore, leaving you to suffer in silence.

Homewrecker were one of my most anticipated bands of the bill. Watching them tear apart the stage, with their drummer Matt delivering ungodly vocals alongside the bands frontman it's hard not to be impressed by Homewreckers sound. While I'm still not entirely sure what thrashcore is (I'm pretty sure it's a marketing term) this is probably what it would sound like. They have one of the most beautifully brutal sounds in the American underground right now, and their hard work is starting to pay off with trips to Europe in the works and with many more road-worn adventures to come for the band I am genuinely excited for them!

Finally it was time for my beloved Noisem, and I have to say, I've honestly lost track of how many times I've seen them. That said, this set, asides from technical difficulties and a subpar mix actually was very strong. Sure it was late and people had started to head home, but every time Noisem play live they deliver. Even at their most fucked up moments... and this may very well have been one of them... they still manage to unleash a strange sort of perfection. They may not be the band we deserve, but they certainly are the one we need. Fully aware of their own humanity and deliciously bleak, the depressed teenager inside of me can not get enough of this band.

And so - once more, I road off into that vaguely poetic American night, dropping off a kid at home and then making my own way through the back country to my resting place. There is something beautiful about these late evenings spent exploring the nature of death metal in my kitchen, thinking about this weird, demented thing I have given my life up to. And yet it allows us to carry forward and join together, lifting up a united banner... or some shit like that. Maybe we should all just go back to hating each other. Fuck it. 

Find the bands on Facebook or Bandcamp:

Jarhead Fertilizer: https://jarheadfertilizer.bandcamp.com/

Outer Heaven: https://www.facebook.com/OuterHeavenPA?fref=ts

Scorched: https://www.facebook.com/scorchedde?fref=ts

Unsacred: https://www.facebook.com/unsacredva?fref=ts

Homewrecker: https://www.facebook.com/HomewreckerOH?fref=ts

Noisem: https://www.facebook.com/NoisemBaltimore?fref=ts

Decomposed - Hope Finally Died

Decomposed are the kind of band who invoke triumphant images of basement doomed death metal destruction. The all out sonic assault that the band provides is strangely tempered with notes of sublime sadness. What Decomposed manage to do is infuse their brand of old school death metal with something vaguely poetic that helps to make Hope Finally Died the kind of record that you can really sink your teeth into. The touches of doom metal really help with that and guide you forth into the murk.

The thing is, with Decomposed you constantly find yourself bolstering your nerves for the next terrifying change. While there is a sense of the epic and lots of tasty minor key melodic lines to keep things interesting there are also a few tempo changes keeping things dangerous and edgy. The dudes in Decomposed are clearly master songwriters and the sense of drama that they are able to invoke with such relatively limited musical resources is stunning. The trajectory the music takes you on, with its guttural growls and deliciously down tuned guitars is surprisingly complex given how stripped down the whole affair can be. It speaks to the bands potency and leaves you wondering what other depths have yet to be explored in death metal. More shocking still is that a record this advanced come out in the early 90s!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in some ways Hope Finally Died is a progressive metal record as well as a death/doom one. The sense of technicality and muddied up anger provides other elements, as does the general sludginess With every crushing note Decomposed pound you a little bit deeper into the dirt and you find yourself gasping for a bit more air. It speaks to the bands ability to keep the listener enthralled, forcing you to spin the album again and again until you truly understand the magic found within Decomposed's mind melting music.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/decomposeduk?fref=ts

Human Animal, Eternal Sleep and Noisem at the Voltage Lounge

This Is Hardcore Aftershows have a certain appeal to me because I simply can't take an entire day of hardcore. As much as I appreciate what Joe does I'm not entirely sure that festival is for me. So getting a dose of it as I did this evening with my buddies in Noisem was just about perfect. Though I had to peel out early and miss Chokehold I still had an eye opening evening that left me with memories to last a lifetime and reflected the inherent magic that underground music can have on any stage.

Human Animal were the first band to go on and played some tight almost DRI-esque hardcore that provided the perfect sort of intro to the soiree. Fun to listen too and filled with quasi-anthemic moments the dudes in Human Animal were able to put together a set that left me with a smile on my face. Having come all the way from Erie they were very excited to share their music with a new crowd, and it was inspiring to see that they had fans in the venue singing along to every line. That's what I love about hardcore, how even tiny bands can have dedicated followers hundreds of miles from home, and that's just a part of the gig. It's a grassroots majesty that no other genre has.

The next band, Eternal Sleep, were far more aggressive with even occasional touches of grindcore (Or perhaps more accurately groovegrind) touching their sound. Their harsh delivery and wonderful anger made their set a lot of fun to watch, even though they blazed through it in just under twenty minutes. In many ways what they did represented the perfect hardcore set, violent enough to get the crowd going and short enough to never be boring. Eternal Sleep get the fucking job done and have a sense of humility and passion behind their work that makes for music that is a joy to watch unfold in a live setting.

Finally it was time for the band I had come out for, the almighty Noisem. I probably geek out too much over this band considering the number of times I've seen them and how close I am with the band members, but fuck it, Noisem are the real deal. Playing a vicious set that is rife with the almost cinematographic presentation of the band they delivered as they always do. The thing is, when you watch Noisem you get a sense that their star is only rising and that you are witnessing a special moment in time. You see yourself becoming a part of something greater, perhaps that is what Noisem stand for, movement forward into a brighter future, where we run faster, reach out our arms farther until one fine morning... you get hit by a fucking bus because this world is hell.

The point being, this particular Philadelphia jawn in the legendary Voltage Lounge was a pleasure to attend and reflected why I do this in the first place. Beyond this it was an honor to get to see Noisem at the venue that I met them at exactly a year ago today. It felt kind of poetic that we could cap off a year of misadventures with a night like this one. Toss in the hardcore magic brought in by Human Animal and Eternal Sleep and you realize why I'm so freaked out about this type of music in the first place.

Find the bands on Facebook!

Human Animal: https://www.facebook.com/humananimal814?fref=ts

Eternal Sleep: https://www.facebook.com/eternalsleephc?fref=ts

Noisem: https://www.facebook.com/NoisemBaltimore

Undergang - Doden Laeger Alle Sar

With a vile crunch undermining the low pitched vocals and buzzing guitars accenting the breakneck rhythms Undergang get Northern European death metal. Their latest offering – the wholly unholy Doden Laeger Alle Sar is the kind of filth that lies in every metalheads iPod – demented and bleak, yet also incredibly vital. What I'm trying to say – I think – is that with Doden Laeger Alle Sar Undergang go for the throat. There is something distinctly disturbing about this band – and that's what makes them so much fun to listen too.

The dungeon level production in this case only seems to help the music. It helps to create a total atmosphere of eradication and chokes the listener to death. Listening to the desecrated sonic offerings this band conjure up is an experience to say the least. While Undergang represent the pinnacle of a movement it's hard to define exactly what make them so fascinating to my ear beyond those low, deeply ominous growls and the stunning breakdowns where every beat feels like a sledgehammer bein taken straight to your ribs. Ooh – perhaps I figured it out just there – the magic of Undergang is in the violence these aural atrocities seem to gleefully propagate.

Rumbling and crude Doden Laeger Alle Sar leaves a surprisingly powerful impact on the listener. This record is heavy to the point of being alienating at times, it doesn't feel tight at all, but again – that's part of the point. These Danish death metal dealers are creating a sound that is devastating, it groans along like so much muck and then suddenly drags you in. Stolen straight from the old school Undergang have managed to craft and refine their soundworlds to justify invigorating death – and I have to say – I've kind of fallen in love.

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/UNDERGANG8?fref=ts

Morbid Vomit - Return to the Crypts

One thing that always kind of charmed me about death metal is how it is prone to flights of fancy. I mean - the music can remain visceral and brutal, but there is definitely an element of silliness that can be found in record like Return to the Crypts by Morbid Vomit. Incredibly vicious and deliciously vile Morbid Vomit rage from bottom to top and tear out throats until you can't handle them anymore. There is a wonderful charm to their skull crunching brand of old school death metal. You feel yourself being rammed into a wall  and held there, suffocated until you give up, a slave to the almighty groove. A highlight of the work for me is the power of the growls, they invoke an old school evil that doesn't really surface these days. Morbid Vomit get the triumphant evil of death metal and they also understand how ridiculous it can be at times. Wonderfully self aware and deliciously goring these buzzing Finnish maniacs will keep you listening for hours on end!

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/morbidvomit?fref=ts

Gruesome - Savage Land

Longtime readers know that I love me some good Death worship. Featuring Matt Harvey from Exhumed and the quasi-legendary Robin Mazen Gruesome are the kind of throat destroying old school death metal that puts a smile on my face. There is a wonderful sense of darkness that accompanies Savage Land a record that somehow manages to capture the magic of multiple eras of Death while simultaneously infusing the music with something that is distinctly their own - heavy metal for the modern man.

There's a lot to love on Savage Land from the Spiritual Healing style vocals to the flashy and highly melodic solos. The oftentimes stripped down verse riffs provide a tasty basis for the entire record to base itself off of guiding the listener into circle pit after circle pit as they feel every bone get crushed with the almighty power of death fucking metal. There is something triumphantly obscene about the aural violation found in songs like Hideous. You can tell the band is made up of OG death metal freaks - there is a sense of desperation borne of years of shitty shows in tiny basements, and I absolutely love it.

So let these melodies truly sink into your soul and prepare yourself to be battered into a pulp. Gruesome assault the listener with music that is utterly vile and thus glorious. Gruesome have a dedication to dealing death and gore that few of their peers have. With a remarkably youthful vitality that will hopefully come to define the project I can't wait to see what Gruesome pull out next. As is I think we can safely say we are witnessing the birth of a powerful new death metal force who will soon come to hold the world by its throat.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/gruesomedeathmetal?fref=ts