Kev Rowland It has taken 11 years for Canadian Death Metallers Cryptopsy to return with their eighth full-length album, and it is interesting to read the differing reviews which are popping up. Some are saying it is the best since the departure of Lord Worm, some say that may be the case but that doesn’t mean much, others still think their one foray into deathcore immediately excludes them from ever releasing anything worthwhile, then others ask what happened to the band which released the classic ‘None So Vile’? I didn’t hear that one at the time, but I was asked to review ‘None So Live’ some 20 years ago and I was immediately taken by the Canucks, searching out past releases as there was something about them which I immediately enjoyed. But I didn’t come across the studio albums after that, and it is only now they have signed with Nuclear Blast that they have again come onto my radar.

Drummer Flo Mounier has long been widely regarded as one of the very finest in the scene, able to switch styles and beats throughout, always driving the band from the back, and here he is in his element. Christian Donaldson has multi-tracked guitars on top of guitars to create layers of intricacy, while bassist Olivier Pinard either sits in the pocket or even jumps out at the front to add nuances, while singer Matt McGachy is in total control. There is a powerful use of contrast within this album, with slower sections here and there, solos which are more controlled than then absolute shredfest one might expect, while the riffs are massively complex and dynamic. I enjoyed the earlier period of this band, and while the fanbase does appear somewhat split on this, to my ears ‘As Gomorrah Burns’ is a very fine album indeed, with its only major fault being that at just 8 songs and 33 minutes in length it is just too short. If you enjoy technical death metal then this is one to seek out as Cryptopsy are back with a bang.

UMUR "Make Them Beg for Death" is the ninth full-length studio album by US, Maryland based death metal act Dying Fetus. The album was released through Relapse Records in September 2023. It´s the successor to "Wrong One to Fuck With" from June 2017. "Make Them Beg for Death" was preceded by the two teaser singles "Compulsion for Cruelty" and "Unbridled Fury". Both tracks are included on "Make Them Beg for Death".

Stylistically you get exactly what you expect from a Dying Fetus album. Ultra heavy groove laden death metal which is combined with fast-paced deathgrind blasting, shredding arpeggios, brutal growling vocals, and a high level of technical playing (this time also with a couple of solos from John Gallagher). The songwriting is top notch for the genre, although the songs can be hard to tell apart on initial listens. Given enough spins it of course gets easier and there are generally some high quality material on the album. If I have to make one complaint it would be that John Gallagher and Sean Beasley sound a lot alike on "Make Them Beg for Death", which means you don´t get the powerful effect of having Gallagher´s unintelligible ultra brutal growling complimented by Beasley´s more aggressive and slightly more intelligible growling. At least the difference between the two vocalists isn´t as audible as it has been on the preceding releases by Dying Fetus.

It´s all details though when discussing a new Dying Fetus album, because you always get top notch death metal songwriting, a high level of technical playing, and powerful, raw, and detailed sounding productions no matter which album you pick from their discography, so it´s the little details which set the albums apart and which are decisive when evaluating if it´s a good, great, or excellent release. To my ears "Make Them Beg for Death" is one of their better releases. The sound production is tight, brutal, and detailed, the songwriting relatively varied for a Dying Fetus release, and the band are on fire in terms of delivering intense and tight performances. They deliver ultra heavy slam parts just as easily as they deliver fast-paced blasting deathgrind parts. It´s all weaved together in a natural and seamless fashion. "Make Them Beg for Death" is another victorious release for Dying Fetus and a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is fully deserved.

Kev Rowland It seems like Jag Panzer have been around forever, but given that John Tetley (bass), Mark Briody (guitars, keyboards) and Harry Conklin (vocals) formed the band more than 40 years ago, I guess they have. Drummer Rikard Stjernquist joined in 1987, and it is only new lead guitarist Ken Rodarte who has not been there for any length of time. This is their first album in six years and follows the conceptual storyline of the band's comic book of the same title which came out in late 2022. This means it is probably best to have a physical copy of the album to be able to understand the storyline a little more, as I am sure it will be in the booklet or inner sleeve. Briody has even created a lyric video to go with the track “The Dark Descent” and he says it, “can be interpreted as literal or metaphoric. In this part of the storyline, the group are descending down a cliff amongst the old city ruins. The group are also descending towards the final outcome of the story. Although at first glance it seems like a basic heavy metal song, those who breakdown the music will see that it is one of the most musically complex songs on the album.”

Jag Panzer have always concentrated on American style power metal, and this is no different, although there are times when they come across as quite similar to Sabaton, yet with more theatricality and not quite so much drive. Conklin still has a superb voice which has more baritone elements than many, while he also subscribes to the Dickenson style of providing loads of power. This album is being viewed by many critics as nothing short of absolutely essential, and there is no doubt there are some good performances here from a band who are totally tight and locked in. However, the songs are not always as dramatic and interesting as they might be, and the result is something which is undoubtedly something of a standout within the American power metal scene, but there are often times when it feels like the soul is missing. When they get it right, with the band blasting beneath Conklin as he reaches for the heights then it is very special indeed, and Rodarte is a superb shredder, yet there are too many instances when I found my attention wandering as they repeated a bridge, or the verses just were not dynamic enough.

It has been six years since ‘The Deviant Chord’, which in itself was six years from ‘The Scourge of Light’, neither of which are judged to be classics, and for me the jury is very much out on this one. There is little here to make me wish to return, but fans of the band may well disagree. Best to try it out for yourself.

UMUR "World Builder" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Texax based post-metal/progressive death-doom metal act Stillbeing. The album was independently released in July 2023. Stillbeing formed in 2021 under the AEGOS monicker and released the April 2021 "The Great Burst of Light" album, and the November 2021 "The Current" single under that monicker before changing their name to Stillbeing.

As Stillbeing is essentially the same project moving forward under a different monicker, "World Builder" is not really a debut album, or at least it´s not a newbie type debut album. If you´re familiar with "The Great Burst of Light" it´s obvious it´s a blueprint for "World Builder", although AEGOS and Stillbeing are slightly different (or maybe more correctly Stillbeing have evolved). Jei Doublerice (Despite Exile, Abiogenesis) again handles the growling vocals, but "World Builder" also features clean male- and female vocals (and spoken word sections).

Featuring four tracks which are all over 10 minutes long, the material on "World Builder" is quite creative and rather eclectic too, drawing influences from all sorts of musical genres. The basis of the band´s music is heavy riffs and rhythms, but the tracks are also greaty atmospheric (often created with keyboards or lead guitars) and at times even epic in scope. The tracks can rightly be called progressive in structure and they feature many intriguing ideas and elements.

"World Builder" features a well sounding production job, and even the programmed drums (I assume they are programmed because that´s how they sound) feature an acceptable sound production. They are sometimes a bit too simplistic though and to my ears the music could have prospered from a human drummer playing the drums. I wouldn´t be surprised if "World Builder" is actually a bedroom project created by one man, with guests handling the vocals.

Upon conclusion I´d say that "World Builder" is a step up from the previous AEGOS releases, although I wouldn´t call it a giant leap. The riffs are little sharper and more memorable, the atmospheric sections have more impact, but the tracks still feature sections here and there, which aren´t that interesting. If Stillbeing can eliminate the stale sections, and write slightly more memorable parts instead (and have a real human drummer play on the next release), they could well produce something spectacular in the future. For now a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Upon The Anvil" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Minnesota based death metal act Moloch. The album was independently released in January 2023. Moloch formed in 2012 and released the "Cleansed by Fire" EP in 2015. Other than a very early change on the drummer position Moloch have had a steady permanent trio lineup since 2012.

Stylistically this is technical and relatively brutal death metal. The material is played at an extremely high pace throughout the album, and you´ll hear very few slower parts on "Upon The Anvil". While the tracks are arguably well composed and very well performed (these guys are incredibly skilled musicians), it doesn´t take more than a few tracks before a lack of variation within the songs and between the songs sets in. 9 tracks and a total playing time of 37:24 unfortunately feels much longer, because the album is one-dimensional in nature. A few surprises and more variation wouldn´t have hurt.

But while I may sound a little negative, lack of variation isn´t the worst crime on a technical death metal release, and if you want your death metal delivered at a frantic pace, great intensity, skill, and brutality, this album certainly applies. There´s also a couple of more abstract moments, which remind me a bit of Morbid Angel´s abtracts ideas (twisted riffs and solos), and the demonic double growling/high pitched screaming sections provide a whiff of Deicide, so Moloch certainly know the classics and how to imitate them (be influenced by them).

The sound production is professional and overall well sounding, although I could have wished for a more distinct snare tone, because often the snare and the bass drums sound the same, which means the drums become a slightly chaotic listen. I still enjoy it, but it´s a feature I would look into changing on future releases. Upon conclusion "Upon The Anvil" is a good quality death metal release by Moloch, and although it´s not without a flaws here and there, it´s still an album loaded with great assets and qualities. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Anno Domini" is a demo release by Hungarian black/thrash metal act Tormentor. The demo has been released in many versions, formats, and reissues through the years, but the original version was independently released in August 1988 as a demo cassette tape. It was recorded in a professional studio in 1988 and was originally meant to be released as the band´s debut full-length studio album, but because of label issues/living behind the iron curtain, that never materialized and the band were forced to release the album as a demo instead, just to get it out. It wasn´t until 1995 the album saw a prober label release. Tormentor was formed in 1985 and is mostly known for featuring later Mayhem vocalist Attila Csihar in the ranks, but "Anno Domini" is also widely regarded as an underground black/thrash metal "classic".

Stylistically the material on "Anno Domini" is blackened thrash metal, strongly influenced by the usual 1980s suspects in that style in Bathory, Hellhammer, Venom, and early Kreator/Sodom. Attila Csihar has a blackened croaky snarl, which works really well, and it´s not surprising that Euronymous would ask him just a few years down the line to join Mayhem after Dead´s suicide. He is definitely a great vocalist for the style.

The instrumental part of the music is predominantly fast-paced, raw, and aggressive blackened thrash metal, although the band take the pace down to a heavier mid-tempo at times. Tormentor are overall a very well playing band and both guitar, bass, and drums are well performed and actually a little more varied than what you might expect. It´s an entertaining album throughout. From the opening intro track where Tormentor play an interpretation of the main title theme for the horror movie "Phantasm (1979)" (a theme also used by Swedish death metal act Entombed on the iconic title track from their debut album "Left Hand Path (1990)"), to the closing eerie sounding "Anno Domini" title track, there´s not a single dull moment.

"Anno Domini" features a raw, loud, and powerful sounding production, which suits the rawness of the material perfectly. The drums and the bass may rumble in the low frequencies too much to call the sound production perfect, but on the other hand the unhinged nature and the murkiness of that part of the band´s sound provide the music with great darkness and organic authenticity. So upon conclusion "Anno Domini" is a strong release by Tormentor and it´s no surprise it has retrospectively become a sought after release for fans of 80s blackened thrash metal. It´s not the most seminal or unique sounding release in the genre, but it´s still a great release in its own right. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Necrotic Grotesque" is an EP release by Dutch death metal act Necrotesque. The EP was independently released in November 2021. Necrotesque formed in 2021 in Helmond, North Brabant and "The Necrotic Grotesque" is their debut release. The EP features six tracks and a total playing time of 26:47 minutes, so it´s a relatively long EP release...

...which is fortunate because fans of old school death metal are advised to give this one a good listen, and with a release length like this there´s more than enough time to get acquainted with the sound of Necrotesque. Stylistically Necrotesque play a massive, fat, and meaty type of old school death metal which reminds me a lot of Grave, but generally features more variation than the Swedes. The riffs are heavy and the music features a brutal driving groove but also slower more doomy parts. This is not blastbeat type death metal.

Lead vocalist Lodewijk van Doorn has a brutal growling delivery but there´s also a slight aggression to his growling, which provides the music with a little extra spice. His delivery still is slightly one-dimensional though but it works well with the instrumental part of the music.

"The Necrotic Grotesque" features a massive, brutal, and bottom heavy sound production, which suits the material perfectly. Upon conclusion "The Necrotic Grotesque" is a good quality EP release from Necrotesque and considering that it´s the band´s first release, it´s quite impressive. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Death Cult" is a demo recording by Swiss thrash metal act Coroner. The demo was independently released in 1986 on cassette tape and limited to 250 copies. Some sources say it´s the band´s first demo, while others mention a 1983 demo titled "Depth of Hell", as Coroner´s first demo, which of course would make "Death Cult" the band´s second demo. No matter what the truth is, "Death Cult" was the demo which secured Coroner their label deal with Noise Records, and the subsequent release of their debut full-length studio album "R.I.P." (Noise Records, June 1987). Only "Spiral Dream" from this demo would be re-recorded and included on "R.I.P.". "Death Cult" originally featured four tracks and a total playing time of 24:40 minutes (three of the songs are over 6 minutes long), but later label reissues of the demo add two-three bonus tracks, which were also recorded during the October 10-19th, 1985 recording sessions at Magnetix Studio, Switzerland, but initially not included on "Death Cult".

It´s noteworthy than even though Coroner were already established in their classic trio lineup on "Death Cult", Ron Royce had not yet started to sing, and therefore the vocals on this demo are performed by Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost). His raw shouting/singing vocal style is a bit different from Royce´s ditto, but it´s approximately in the same ballpark, so they arguably suit the music well.

Stylistically this is relatively similar to the technically well played speed/thrash metal style of "R.I.P.". The recording quality is just not up to par with the subsequent studio release, which is of course only natural. The instrumental "Aerial Combat" drags a bit and is a bit uneventful, but the other tracks are of a good quality and it´s no surprise that Noise Records handed Coroner a contract soon after they heard the demo. So upon conclusion "Death Cult" is a good quality demo which had the effect a good demo should have. Introduce a band to the world and subsequently result in the band getting a label contract. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Across the Horizon" is an EP release by Swedish death metal act Utumno. The EP was released through Cenotaph Records in 1993. It succeeds the release of the "The Light of Day" EP from 1991. Both tracks from "The Light of Day" ("Saviour Reborn" and "In Misery I Dwell") were re-recorded and included on "Across the Horizon". The original versions from "The Light of Day" have been added as bonus material on later reissues of "Across the Horizon". "Across the Horizon" was recorded at Sunlight Studio in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Tomas Skogsberg.

Although Utumno had lurked in the old school Swedish death metal underground since 1990 (originally under the Carnal Redemption monicker), they didn´t manage to release a full-length studio album during the heyday of Swedish death metal (1989-1993), and before the release of "Across the Horizon" they only had the 1991 "Twisted Emptiness" demo and the above mentioned 1991 two-track "The Light of Day" EP under their belts. While "Across the Horizon" isn´t a full-length studio album it does come close as it features six tracks and a total playing time of 28:02 minutes.

Stylistically Utumno is one of the more varied and interesting Swedish death metal acts from the early 90s and it´s contemporary artists like Edge of Sanity and especially Afflicted that I´m reminded of (rather than Nihilist/Entombed, Dismember, and Grave). I wouldn´t call Utumno progressive but they are certainly adventurous and technically also very skilled. Lead vocalist Jonas Stålhammar is to my ears one of the great unsung growlers from the early 90s Swedish scene (along with Joakim Bröms from Afflicted), able to deliver brutal growling but also fiercely aggressive raw vocals. He should have left out the very short clean vocal experiment on "Emotions Run Cold (Saints and Sinners)" and the spoken word vocals on "The Light of Day", but other than that his performance here is vicious and commanding.

"Across the Horizon" is one of those more or less forgotten gems that you sometimes come across. It´s a high quality release, featuring intriging and effectful songwriting, a well playing band, and a professional, powerful, and detailed sound production. Through and through a high quality product. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Light of Day" is an EP release by Swedish death metal act Utumno. The EP was released through Cenotaph Records in 1991. It was originally released on 7" vinyl and limited to 1.000 copies. "The Light of Day" features two tracks and a total playing time of 9:36 minutes. The material was recorded at Sunlight Studio, Stockholm, Sweden in September 1991. While the original 7" vinyl version of the EP is a hard find, the material from "The Light of Day" have been added as bonus material on some reissue versions of Utumno´s next EP release "Across the Horizon". The two tracks also appear in re-recorded versions on "Across the Horizon".

Utumno play quite an interesting and technically challenging old school death metal style. It´s not completely different from some of the contemporary releases by fellow Swedes in Afflicted. While the level of technical playing is certainly high, Utumno manage to steer clear of the pitfalls (read...technical wankery for the sake of it), and they first and foremost produce some very powerful, brutal, and effectful old school death metal. The occassional lead guitar part and atmosphere enhancing keyboard section also add greatly to their sound. Lead vocalist Jonas Stålhammar is probably one of the most intense, raw, and brutal sounding vocalists on the scene. He hits the perfect balance between brutal growling, and intense aggression.

So not enough nice things can be said about "The Light of Day", which also features a professional, brutal, and detailed sounding production. Utumno may not have made it out of the Swedish death metal underground, but they certainly deserved more recognition judged on this release. It´s one of the best quality old school Swedish death metal releases (which isn´t a full-length studio album) I have come across and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Twisted Emptiness" is the first demo recording by Swedish death metal act Utumno. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in 1991. Utumno formed in 1990 under the Carnal Redemption monicker. "Twisted Emptiness" was initially released under that monicker, but after the band changed their name to Utumno, they opted to re-release "Twisted Emptiness" under their new monicker in 1991. So two different versions of the demo exist. The content is the same though.

Stylistically Utumno play a powerful old school death metal style featuring some pretty brutal growling vocals. The band are relatively well playing, and they skillfully change pace within the songs to keep things interesting and varied throughout. It´s almost too much at times and the almost funky tech drumming on "Inane Incantation" isn´t that suiting.

The sound quality isn´t the best, although the demo arguably features an authentic, gloomy, and raw sounding production job. Some details are lost in the mix though, and some of the instruments sound like they were recorded at at volume too high for comfort, which makes for an occassionally distorted soundscape. Upon conclusion "Twisted Emptiness" is worth a listen for fans of old school Swedish death metal. It´s not a seminal release in the genre, and it´s not the best release either, but there´s enough quality here to warrant a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating.

UMUR "Twisted Emptiness" is the first demo recording by Swedish death metal act Carnal Redemption. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in 1990. Carnal Redemption formed in 1990, released this demo and then changed their name to Utumno. They opted to re-release the "Twisted Emptiness" demo under the Utumno monicker in 1991, so two different versions of the demo exist. The content is the same though.

Stylistically Carnal Redemption play a powerful old school death metal style featuring some pretty brutal growling vocals. The band are relatively well playing, and they skillfully change pace within the songs to keep things interesting and varied throughout. It´s almost too much at times and the almost funky tech drumming on "Inane Incantation" isn´t that suiting.

The sound quality isn´t the best, although the demo arguably features an authentic, gloomy, and raw sounding production job. Some details are lost in the mix though, and some of the instruments sound like they were recorded at at volume too high for comfort, which makes for an occassionally distorted soundscape. Upon conclusion "Twisted Emptiness" is worth a listen for fans of old school Swedish death metal. It´s not a seminal release in the genre, and it´s not the best release either, but there´s enough quality here to warrant a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating.

UMUR "Interdimensional Extinction" is an EP release by US, Colorado based death metal act Blood Incantation. The EP was released through Dark Descent Records in August 2015. Blood Incantation formed in 2011 and released three demos before being signed for the release of "Interdimensional Extinction".

"Interdimensional Extinction" features 4 tracks and a total playing time of 18:05 minutes, which serves as a good length and amount of material to introduce Blood Incantation to the world. Stylistically the material is technical/progressive death metal. It´s a combination of old school death metal elements and more contemporary elements like dissonance and an atmosphere of controlled chaos that many other contemporary artists also use. Lead vocalist/guitarist Paul Riedl has a decent sounding growling style, but his vocals are not placed very high in the mix and I also miss a bit more emotion from his performance. The vocals have a tendency to become a little monotone. The instrumental part of the music is both interesting and challenging, but a few more hooks or memorable moments would have been welcome. It´s details though, and overall the quality of the music is high.

The EP features a powerful, detailed, and well sounding production, which helps heighten the listening experience, and upon conclusion "Interdimensional Extinction" is arguably a good quality debut release by Blood Incantation. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Warthur This is one of several live releases which capture Porcupine Tree performing in the wake of Fear of a Blank Planet, perhaps the height of their 2000s powers before 2009's The Incident split opinions and took a little of the shine off the band.

As the title implies, it's taken from their appearance the Isolaarirock Festival in Finland, and as is often the case with festival sets that makes it a somewhat different beast from live releases sourced from a concert where the act in question is headlining. The necessity to stick to a festival running time prompts Porcupine Tree to pick out a setlist tightly focused on more immediately gripping songs, and whilst it also limits the extent to which they can zoot off on flights of fancy, this nonetheless is a capably performed set performed for a clearly appreciative crowd.

Save for Lightbulb Sun, only songs from In Absentia, Deadwing, and Fear of a Blank Planet are included, and on the whole the setlist makes a good case for the band's 2000s-era output.

Warthur Nil Recurring is a fairly simple EP to review in some respects. Did you like Fear of a Blank Planet? Would you like more Porcupine Tree in that particular vein, consisting of a brace of songs (some devised in those sessions, some only coming together afterwards)? Does the idea of Robert Fripp paying a visit to lend his guitar and some blessing to a band as important to progressive rock in the 2000s as King Crimson was in their heyday appeal to you? Then you probably already have listened to Nil Recurring - but if you haven't, don't snooze on it, because whilst some secondary Porcupine Tree releases are a little ancillary (Metanoia, for instance, is an acquired taste), Nil Recurring is of much the same standard as the album that preceded it.

Or do you think Fear of a Blank Planet was rubbish? I don't agree with you... but Nil Recurring won't persuade you to like this phase of Porcupine Tree any more than you already do.