Three years after their debut Berzerker Legion return with their second album Chaos Will Reign. I was very impressed with Obliterate The Weak and said in my review at the time that I hoped we would see a second album from them. My doubt caused by the fact that the band is made up of members of already well established bands such as Asphyx, Decapitated, Dark Funeral and Wombbath to name just a few. Fortunately they have managed to synchronise schedules and return with the same line-up.

Chaos Will Reign pretty much follows in the same footsteps as its predecessor. That’s to say melodic death metal though at the heavier end of the sub-genre. I’ve heard a lot of people compare them to Amon Amarth which I don’t really hear myself, Berzerker Legion being a heavier beast. Like the debut it’s good stuff though not as immediate which in itself is no bad thing but the hooks aren’t quite as strong this time around. The musicianship as expected is top notch. With the brilliant drumming of James Stewart and Fredrik Isaksson’s pummelling bass driving the band you can’t go far wrong and the dual guitar work of Tomas Ellofson and Alwin Zuur is a formidable team and pack a mighty punch. Jonny Pettersson’s vocals from a guttural growl to scream are also impressive and I prefer his work here to Wombbath.

A couple of forgettable songs like Eternal Void and This Is The End whilst far from bad lose the momentum a bit but you’re soon into something better and on the whole the standard remains high. The production is powerful though a bit on the muddy side and a bit more breathing space could have allowed the songs to shine that bit more.

Another very good album then and a worthy addition to your death metal collection if you liked the debut. I’ll look forward to album number three.

Another Perfect day stands out as a bit of an oddball in the Motorhead discography. The departure of Eddie Clarke early in a USA tour after refusing to play on collaboration with the Plasmatics, a version of Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man, left them in need of a guitarist fast to avoid cancelling the rest of the tour. I believe a couple of dates did get cancelled but the quick arrival of former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson enabled them to salvage most of it. After the tour the band went into the studio to start work on the sixth studio album.

Another Perfect Day sounds different to any Motorhead album before or since. It’s their most melodic album down to Robbo’s more melodic hard rock guitar style replacing Clarke’s raw bluesy rock ‘n’roll riffing. On paper it shouldn’t have worked but although slated at the time is actually a strong collection of songs. It’s still clearly the sound of Motorhead with Lemmy’s distinctive vocals and pummelling bass and Phil Taylors driving drumming it couldn’t be otherwise but Robbo’s guitar, both lead and rhythm, with plenty of overdubs adds a melodic sophistication not previously present. Don’t be mistaken though, this album still rocks hard with some great guitar work. It’s also strong from start to finish without any weak moments which can’t be said for the previous album Iron Fist.

It wasn’t to last, mainly down to Robertson being permanently pissed on tour and his questionable dress sense on stage his services were soon dispensed with, the band coming back with Orgasmatron and a two guitar line-up with a more traditional Motorhead sound. Another Perfect Day is still a great album though and while not up there with classics like Overkill and Ace Of Spades is still stronger than many in the bands back catalogue. It would have been great to have had at least one more album with Robbo but sadly it wasn’t to be.

Following the three year release pattern by Incantation over the last decade along comes album number thirteen from the USA death metal legends. I was extremely impressed by 2020’s Sect Of Vile Divinities, awarding it 4 ½ stars in my review. On the face of it Unholy Deification is more of the same but is it any good?

To answer the above question, well, yes, but… it didn’t get me hooked like last time around, at least not initially. Okay, it has big boots to fill as to my ears Sect Of Vile Divinities is top five Incantation. After four plays however it started to reveal its strengths. The first thing to note is after the cleaner sound (relatively speaking) we had last time the sound here is murkier and more in keeping generally with past work. This is old school death metal with slower doomier parts alongside breakneck blasting as you would expect from Incantation. Opener Offerings (The Swarm) is a perfect example of the Incantation sound. Fast and extremely heavy and a killer riff. Concordat (The Pact) follows and is more of the same only better. Homuncules (Spirit Made Flesh) is the first of the slower songs but still crushes with a compelling doomy riff. One or two songs lack memorability like Megaron (Sunken Chamber) that comes and goes leaving no or little impression but on the whole this is solid stuff.

The organic sound is essential for the murky depths that Incantation go to and works well. The band play well with mainman John McEntee’s easily recognisable guttural growl to the fore. The mixture of slower and faster tempos keeps things more interesting than 45 minutes of relentless blastbeats, something the band clearly know and use to good effect.

Unholy Deification is an album that is worthy of perseverance as it takes a while to reveal its strengths. It’s a more complex beast than initial impressions give. At present I’m not rating it quite as highly as previous album Sect Of Vile Divinities but that may change with a few more plays. Nevertheless it’s another strong addition to the bands impressive back catalogue and fans of the band are unlikely to be disappointed.

The Old Ways Remain, the fifth album from Canada’s Blood Ceremony, has been a long time coming. Seven years in fact since the excellent Lord Of Misrule. Since then just a couple of singles to let us know they haven’t left us including the brilliant let It Come Down that I would have liked to have seen on here. If you want that it’s available online or on the probably now out of print 7” single. They say that great things come to those who wait and I’m pleased to say that’s certainly the case here.

Those who loved Lord Of Misrule will also love The Old Ways Remain as on the face of it is a very similar album in style and sound. The difference is firstly it’s an overall heavier album than last time around though it has to be said not massively so. LOM had its heavier moments of course but the nothing as sugary as Loreley here for example. There’s still no shortage of the strong melodies you’d expect to hear from Blood Ceremony though like their most recent single Lolly Willows and Powers Of Darkness. So as expected the sound is more the late 60’s to early 70’s heavy psych sound and little if any trace of their doom past. The Hellfire Club is a perfect riffy opener and they keep the momentum going on the equally compelling Ipsissimus. In fact there’s not a weak song present. The sound gets a bit more whimsical and mellow later on with the short Hecate and Mossy Wood along with album closer Song Of The Morrow, a beautifully haunting and trippy song to end with.

The production is quite dry but suits the songs pretty well allowing plenty of separation and clarity of the usual instrumentation of guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocalist Alia O’Briens flute. Everyone does a great job as expected but a special mention must go to drummer Michael Carrillo for his inventive often syncopated drum parts.

To this day, for me, The Eldritch Dark remains Blood Ceremony’s finest moment but all their albums apart from the eponymous debut (not bad by any means) come pretty close in quality and The Old Ways Remain is another essential release in the bands small (so far) discography. Fair enough, we have had the covid years, but hopefully we won’t have to wait so long for the next one.

Swedish death death metal masters Vomitory called it a day in 2013, bowing out in fine style with the excellent Opus Mortis VIII released in 2011. In 2018 they announced their reformation and no doubt held up by covid-19, 2023 finally sees the release of their new album, All Heads Are Gonna Roll, with the same line up in tact as on the last few before the split.

Despite the 12 year gap, All Heads Are Gonna Roll could have been released the year after Opus Mortis VIII, such is the seamless continuity. They may not have reinvented the wheel but sometimes things stay the same for the better. That’s certainly the case here as what we get is 10 tracks of old school death metal, raw, fast and brutal as it usually is at its best. Their sound owes as much to the USA as their native Sweden, lacking that stereotype buzzsaw guitar sound in favour of something sharper but just as heavy, if not more so. The pace is relentless throughout with only the occasional pause for breath but the consistency of memorable riffs throughout makes this a winner. The in your face production certainly helps as does the great musicianship but without the strong hooks it could all wear thin pretty quickly. Thankfully that’s not the case as whilst Vomitory stick to their tried and trusted formula song after song they deliver the goods.

Despite some solid releases I was starting to think that 2023 wasn’t going to be one of the better years for death metal but in the space of a couple of weeks we’ve had this and Frozen Souls excellent second album so all is not lost yet. As things stand Vomitory have set the benchmark for others to aim for.