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SOVEREIGN Altered Realities

Album · 2024 · Thrash Metal
Cover art 3.50 | 1 rating
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UMUR
"Altered Realities" is the debut full-length studio album by Norwegian death/thrash metal act Sovereign. The album was released through Dark Descent Records in January 2024. Sovereign formed in 2018 and their first release was the 2018 "Iron Cast" single. In 2019 the eponymously titled demo and a few more singles followed. The "Neurotic" EP was released in 2020.

Stylistically Sovereign travel a similar sci-fi themed technical thrash metal path as artists like Cryptic Shift, Vektor, Cryptosis, Dissimulator, and Obliveon (just to mention a few of the more prolific artists in the genre), but they are generally a bit more unhinged and savage and maybe bit less sophisticated. When they are most fast-paced, energetic, and caustic sounding I´m reminded of early Sadus (and even Merciless). So this is technical thrash metal bordering aggressive old school death metal albeit predominantly leaning towards the thrash metal side of things. Relentlessly aggressive, fast-paced, and highly energetic, but also with moments of more melodic sophistication. The vocals are raw, aggressive and hoarse shouting.

The quality of the songwriting is high throughout, the performances are top notch, and "Altered Realities" also features a raw, detailed, and powerful sounding production job, so upon conclusion it´s a good quality debut release from Sovereign. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY The Nothing That Is

Album · 2024 · Deathcore
Cover art 4.00 | 1 rating
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Kev Rowland
Here we have the seventh album from New Jersey deathcore outfit Fit For An Autopsy. They have had a remarkably stable line-up wit this being the third album to feature guitarists Pat Sheridan, Will Putney and Tim Howley, drummer Josean Orta, vocalist Joe Badolato, and bassist Peter "Blue" Spinazola. I am not always a fan of deathcore, and there are very few bands within the genre who I will happily turn to, but FFAA is probably top of that small but perfectly formed list. The reason for that is many deathcore bands somehow come across too twee, trying to put in the different elements because they think they ought to, as opposed to where the music takes them. That is not the case here, as FFAA always know the right time to drop, the right time to groove, when to add real melody, or space, for Badolato to totally change his singing style. The result is music which gets heavier the more it is played as they have this innate knowledge of the need for contrast and that music can only get heavier when there is a contrary approach for it to be pitched against.

The artwork may be a somewhat retrograde step from the last two releases, but musically they have kept moving in the same direction with high octane music which is brutal yet accessible, bludgeoning but with a hint of velvet around the sledgehammer as they move into nu-metal with some tracks which would not sound out of place with Slipknot. They are taking deathcore to the extremes, and it is no surprise to see that yet again they have managed to achieve some chart success as this has class throughout. This is one of the bands on my “must see” list so let’s hope they manage to find New Zealand on a map, and given the reception bands like Slipknot have had when they make it here (supported by Machine Head, I was in heaven!) it would be truly worth their while.

SLIMELORD Chytridiomycosis Relinquished

Album · 2024 · Death Metal
Cover art 4.00 | 2 ratings
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UMUR
"Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is the debut full-length studio album by UK, Leeds based death metal act Slimelord. The album was released through the 20 Buck Spin label in March 2024. Slimelord formed in 2019 and released the "The Delta Death Sirens" EP the same year. Two more EPs followed in 2021 and 2022, and in 2023 Slimelord released the "Spells at the Ismuth" live album. Three of the five members of the lineup who recorded "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" are also members of UK technical thrash metal act Cryptic Shift and appear on their May 2020 "Visitations from Enceladus" debut full-length studio album.

Stylistically the material on "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is in an almost abstract sounding death metal style. The gutteral growling is low in the mix and works as a cavernous presence in the busy, chaotic, and at times quite technical sound of Slimelord, although the vocals at times take on a more aggressive snarling tone. This is sometimes dissonant technical death metal, but other times it´s filthy, death-doomy, and gloomy death metal. It´s quite adventurous and creative music, and Slimelord deserve a lot of praise for being as bold and unconventional as they are. This is not easy listening music, but the tracks flow nicely and the many different riffs, the well played morbid leads, rhythms, and song structures ensure that "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is one long interesting and intriguing listen. Artists like Spectral Voice and to a lesser degree the related Blood Incantation are to my ears valid references. There´s a similar combination of old school death metal values and progressive/experimental songwriting present on this release, although Slimelord of course have a sound of their own.

"Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" is a well sounding album, featuring a powerful, raw, and brutal sound production, which suits the material well. The people responsible for the recording, mixing, and mastering of the album deserve recognition for the job they´ve done. This is the perfect sound for the music featured on "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished". Upon conclusion Slimelord have released a high quality debut album, and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

GUTLESS High Impact Violence

Album · 2024 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.50 | 1 rating
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UMUR
"High Impact Violence" is the debut full-length studio album by Australian, Melbourne based death metal act Gutless. The album was released through Me Saco Un Ojo Records in November 2024. Gutless formed in 2018 and released the "Mass Extinction" demo the same year. They released a split with US death metal act Mortal Wound in 2020 and the "A Live Execution" live album in 2021.

...and label mates in Mortal Wound and another contemporary death metal act like 200 Stab Wounds are arguably valid references. Old school death metal but with a more contemporary twist. The latter manifests in heavy groove laden brutality and a generally more focused emphasis on groove laden riffs and rhythms than what you find on most old school death metal releases. When that is said "High Impact Violence" is still predominantly an old school leaning death metal release. The vocals are aggressive growling delivered in a staccato punchy style.

"High Impact Violence" features a powerful, raw, and brutal sounding production job, which suits the material well, and upon conclusion it´s a good quality debut album from Gutless. You won´t find much new here, but Gutless have managed to put well known musical elements together in the powerful and effective fashion, and fans of raw and aggressive old school death metal should find a lot to appreciate here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

MORTAL WOUND The Anus of the World

Album · 2024 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.50 | 1 rating
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UMUR
"The Anus of the World" is the debut full-length studio album by US, California based death metal act Mortal Wound. The album was released through Me Saco Un Ojo Records in May 2024. Mortal Would formed in 2018 and released the "Forms of Unreasoning Fear" demo the same year. They released a split with Australian death metal act Gutless in 2020.

Despite the somewhat humorous/silly album title, Mortal Wound aren´t a comedy death metal act, although they certainly integrate some humour in their songtitles and lyrics, which songtitles like "Royally Fucked Forever" and "Even the Jungle Wanted Him Dead" are proof of (the many shorter interlude tracks/samples featured on the album are also quite humorous and nice breathers between the more regular death metal tracks). The actual music is old school death metal but with a more contemporary production job. Not completely unlike a contemporary artist like 200 Stab Wounds. The vocals are relatively unintelligible deep growling placed at the forefront of the mix. They sound a bit like 90s Chris Barnes (Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under).

"The Anus of the World" is a well produced death metal release, and Mortal Wound are a well playing band too. Paired with the effective, relatively varied (tempo changes, brutal grooves, and morbid leads), and solid songwriting, "The Anus of the World" is upon conclusion a good quality debut album from Mortal Wound, and they are definitely an act worth following. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

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SIGH Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien

Album · 2007 · Symphonic Black Metal
Cover art 3.93 | 17 ratings
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Warthur
Among the most symphonically-inclined of Sigh's output, Hangman's Hymn sees them returning to a more immediately recognisably black metal style, but with sonic enhancements learned from preceding avant-garde efforts. Comparable to works by the likes of Deathspell Omega, it finds Sigh demonstrating an ability to keep up with newer acts throwing in an honest to goodness choir on top of all that. After this they'd go back on a less traditional route, but the mere fact that this is closer to more readily identified metal subgenres shouldn't lull you into a false sense of security - having shown they can break the rules whenever they please, Sigh return to a more traditional format to show just how completely they master such structures.

RUSH Clockwork Angels Tour

Live album · 2013 · Hard Rock
Cover art 3.34 | 7 ratings
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Warthur
Another Rush live set which offers plenty of material but which doesn't quite hit the mark, in part because of the annoying decision to have the crowd comparatively high in the mix, something which has affected their live releases from at least as far back as Rush In Rio. It's because these live releases of theirs tend to have accompanied DVDs, and are usually just the audio from the DVD transferred to CD with some touch-ups here and there - the problem is that if you're listening to a CD rather than watching a DVD, it's probably because you want to hear the music and can take or leave the live crowd ambience.

SLIMELORD Spells at the Ismuth

Live album · 2023 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.00 | 1 rating
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UMUR
"Spells at the Ismuth" is a live album release by UK death metal act Slimelord. The album was independently released in March 2023. The album was recorded live at Little Buildings, Newcastle, UK on the 10th of October 2021 (at a show Slimelord played alongside Coffin Mulch). It features three tracks from the June 2019 "The Delta Death Sirens" EP and three tracks from the September 2021 "Moss Contamination" EP. It´s a bit unusual for a band to release a live album before releasing their debut album, but that´s the case here, as Slimelord wouldn´t release their debut full-length studio album "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" until March 2024.

"Spells at the Ismuth" is a warts and all live recording and sounds like it´s an authentic representation of a Slimelord show. It´s a recording done by the house engineer/sound tech at the Little Buildings venue, so it´s a pretty raw recording, although I wouldn´t call it lo-fi. It sounds a bit distant, as if you´re listening to the gig standing at the doorway to the next room or something like that. Filthy and abstract death-doom metal delivered with a twist is what you get here and Slimelord excel in that style. They are more than capable of delivering the goods and "Spells at the Ismuth" is overall a decent quality live recording. Just don´t expect a professional live recording with overdubs and other polish and your expectations will be met. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

MAGNUM Chase The Dragon

Album · 1982 · Hard Rock
Cover art 4.14 | 12 ratings
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martindavey87
Back in 2002, I had a sampler CD with an issue of Classic Rock magazine, upon which there was a song on there that had a beautiful piano intro, followed by some dramatic but powerful vocals, and plenty of big, epic guitar riffs. That song was ‘Sacred Hour’, and it introduced me to British AOR band, Magnum.

Admittedly, I’ve never been the biggest Magnum fan, and they’ve only ever been a small blip on my musical radar. After checking out their discography, I found their first album to be a pleasant surprise, though its follow-up, the creatively-titled ‘Magnum II’, was pretty disappointing. So it’s good to hear that with their third album, 1982’s ‘Chase the Dragon’, the band are back on track.

Following in the same vein as their previous outings, the British quintet don’t stray too far from their established formula, mixing classic hard rock and progressive rock elements, with plenty of keyboard-driven riffs mixed in with a healthy dose of pomp and cheese. This is top notch dad rock at its finest.

The songs here are pretty solid, and the musical performances are of a high standard, in particular, vocalist Bob Catley is really belting it at times, and guitarist Tony Clarkin and keyboardist Mark Stanway have excellent chemistry together. The production is also very good, though very typical I suppose, of 80’s hard rock.

With highlights such as ‘Soldier of the Line’, ‘The Spirit’, ‘The Teacher’, bonus track ‘Down to Earth’, and the aforementioned rock ballad ‘Sacred Hour’, ‘Chase the Dragon’ is just a straight-up good album. I’m sure the band will improve with later releases, but this is none-the-less a worthy addition to the collection.

PEARL JAM Ten

Album · 1991 · Heavy Alternative Rock
Cover art 4.21 | 77 ratings
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martindavey87
‘Ten’ is the debut album by hard rock band Pearl Jam. It was released in 1991, during grunge’s heyday, and with the help of a number of hit singles, it sold in its millions, rocketing the Seattle band to superstardom, and becoming one of the most influential bands (and albums) of the early 90’s.

But for all the accolades and praise this album receives, I find it to be more of a mixed bag. The first half in particular, are all absolute bangers, and arguably some of the bands best material, as well as some of the most famous rock songs to come out of the first half of the decade. But the rest, well… they’re not terrible… but they’re not overly exciting either.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad, and the album as a whole still flows quite nicely. But the first half gives you the likes of ‘Evenflow’, ‘Once’, ‘Alive’, ‘Why Go’, ‘Black’, and of course, mega hit ‘Jeremy’, basically, some of the best hard rock songs of their time. The second half just feels like background music. A lot of the energy and grungy angst is gone, and replaced by what feels like chilled out, elevator music. Special mention to funky bonus track ‘Dirty Frank’, while slightly unusual, is embarrassingly catchy!

Overall though, the good on this album outweighs the bad, making this an all-round solid debut. Its status as one of the all-time greatest might be slightly hyperbolic, but yet, it HAS held up for all these years, and despite the filler tracks, it’s still fairly easy to listen to all the way through.

SLIMELORD Insurmountable Peril

EP · 2022 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.50 | 1 rating
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UMUR
"Insurmountable Peril" is the third EP release by UK death metal act Slimelord. The EP was independently release in April 2022. It´s the successor to the "Moss Contamination" EP from September 2021. The material featured on the EP was recorded, mixed and mastered in the Pitlab at Boom, Leeds, UK in December 2021-January 2022.

Compared to the early releases by Slimelord, "Insurmountable Peril" features a less heavy and more clear sounding production job, and it´s maybe a bit less death-doomy, although the two tracks featured on the 10:11 minutes long EP are still quite heavy and brutal. Slimelord have upped the tempo though, and the music sounds a bit more busy and technical compared to the cavernous and slow dragging abtract death-doom metal of the previous releases. Another big change is the vocals. While the previous releases featured low in the mix abysmal growling, the vocals on "Insurmountable Peril" are much more varied and there is now both the aforementioned abysmal growling but also aggressive snarling growling featured as part of Slimelord´s music. It´s a great treat if you ask me, as the more diverse vocal style creates more emotional dynamics.

Although "Insurmountable Peril" is not as dark and heavy sounding as the preceding releases, it´s still an ultra heavy and brutal death metal release, and it´s certainly no less interesting than the releases which came before it. Slimelord have proved once again that they are a force to be reckoned with and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

DEFEATED SANITY The Sanguinary Impetus

Album · 2020 · Brutal Death Metal
Cover art 3.85 | 6 ratings
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UMUR
"The Sanguinary Impetus" is the sixth full-length studio album by German death metal act Defeated Sanity. The album was released through Willowtip Records in July 2020. It´s the successor to "Disposal of the Dead / Dharmata" from 2016. "Disposal of the Dead / Dharmata" was an experimental release for Defeated Sanity showing two sides of the band. Half the album featured Defeated Sanity´s usual brutal and technically well played death metal style, while the other half featured material composed and performed in an early- to mid-90s influenced technical death metal style (complete with guest vocals by the Death to All- and Cynic related Max Phelps).

On "The Sanguinary Impetus" Defeated Sanity have paired the two styles, so the listener is both treated to some crushingly brutal death metal but also a lot of technical playing and even progressive songwriting. This is an insanely technical release, constantly shifting gears, tempos, and riff styles. The vocals are the least interesting feature on the album, as they are one-dimensional and unintelligible growling, which doesn´t add much to the album. They are there and they get the job done, but nothing more and nothing less.

"The Sanguinary Impetus" features a brutal, meaty, and detailed sound production, which suits the massive heaviness of the music well. It´s an interesting brutal death metal release, because although the brutality factor is very high throughout, it´s not an uncompromisingly brutal and extreme release. The technical playing and the focus on compositional details make "The Sanguinary Impetus" a standout release in the genre. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

CRYPTOSIS The Silent Call

EP · 2023 · Technical Thrash Metal
Cover art 3.50 | 1 rating
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UMUR
"The Silent Call" is an EP release by Dutch technical/progressive thrash metal act Cryptosis. The EP was released through Century Media Records in December 2023. It follows the release of Cryptosis' debut full-length studio album "Bionic Swarm" (March 2021). "The Silent Call" features two new original compositions and two live tracks. The two latter are tracks found in their studio versions on "Bionic Swarm".

Both "The Silent Call" and "Master of Life" could well have been included on "Bionic Swarm" as they are much in the same sci-fi themed technical/progressive thrash metal style (featuring almost symphonic sounding keyboards) as the material featured on the full-length studio album. The two live tracks feature a very well sounding recording quality, and if I didn´t know it, I would have thought that these were studio recordings. The occasional "hey, "hey, "hey" from the audience also reveals that it´s indeed live recordings though. With the amount of keyboards used, I´m assuming that Cryptosis use a lot of backing tracks (they are a trio and probably don´t handle keyboards on stage), which explans the relatively polished live sound, but the guitars, bass, drums, and vocals also sound really good in the mix.

So if you enjoyed "Bionic Swarm" this is definitely a nice little stop-gap release between "Bionic Swarm" and the March 2025 second full-length studio album "Celestial Death". A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

DEFEATED SANITY Passages into Deformity

Album · 2013 · Brutal Death Metal
Cover art 3.86 | 7 ratings
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UMUR
"Passages into Deformity" is the fourth full-length studio album by German death metal act Defeated Sanity. The album was released through Willowtip Records in February 2013. It´s the successor to "Chapters Of Repugnance" from 2010. The four-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor is intact on "Passages into Deformity".

Stylistically the material is brutal and technically well played death metal. The vocals are gutteral and completely unintelligible growling. It´s ultra brutal, meaty, and pummeling death metal, but there´s actually a bit more variation than what may initially appear when listening to the album. Defeated Sanity skillfully change pace multible times during each track, and they also make sure to incorporate little songwriting details (as an example check out the bass lines and breaks on "The Purging"), and intros and outros to tracks, to ensure that the listeners attention isn´t completely lost in the relentlessly brutal and busy soundscape.

"Passages into Deformity" features a meaty, brutal, and well sounding production job, and upon conclusion it´s a high quality brutal death metal release by Defeated Sanity, perfectly pairing brutality, technical playing, and powerful and effective songwriting (which for the genre is quite varied). Had the vocals been a bit more varied and not just a one-dimensional growling drone, "Passages into Deformity" could have deserved an even higher rating, but as it is the vocals get the job done and nothing more, and in my book a little more is needed to hit the really high marks. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

ABHORRATION After Winter Comes War

Demo · 2021 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.50 | 1 rating
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UMUR
"After Winter Comes War" is a demo recording by Norwegian death metal act Abhorration. The demo was released through Invictus Productions in November 2021. Abhorration formed in 2020 and this is their first release. The demo was originally released in only 50 cassette tape copies which the same four tracks featured on both sides. None of the four tracks would survive and be re-recorded for Abhorration´s debut full-length studio album "Demonolatry" (released in September 2024).

Stylistically this is slightly more thrash infused old school death metal then the more death metal dominated debut album. Morbid Angel is arguably an influence here, just as they are on the debut album, but to my ears the savage and raw thrash metal elements are just heard more on this demo. Lead vocalist/guitarist Magnus Garathun has a caustic snarling vocal style and again the arrow points towards the most raw end of the thrash metal spectrum rather than to death metal. So death/thrash metal is probably the most correct desription of "After Winter Comes War".

No matter what labels are put on the music this is highly effective, aggressive, and relentlessly energetic music, performed by a skilled unit of musicians. The songwriting is strong too and the tracks feature many old school thrash and death metal riffs and rhythms, morbid sounding leads and themes, occult lyrics and imagery, and everything else fans of the genre appreciate. Considering that "After Winter Comes War" is a demo release, it features a very well sounding production job. It´s suitably raw and brutal, but still clear enough for all details to be heard in the mix. A perfect sound production for this type of music. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

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