Only the most deranged and extreme releases for you today. Those looking to brighten their day best turn back now...
If you only listen to one song on this album, make it "Cursory." That's not at all to say that the other songs on this lovely little blackened death EP aren't equally worth your time, but the infectious rhythm and demented vocals are too hot to miss. The album art for Montreal band Deadly Tower's new album, Weaponed Tyrant, may not promise much; but it has it where it counts. Crusty drums, ugly guitars, and deep rumbling vocals are their business, and business is booming. I didn't expect much when I pressed play, but dang this is a concentrated blast of headbanging metal. If you dig bands like Bolzer, I have a feeling you will enjoy this.
Another new county to check off of Metal Trenches' world tour. Death metal is coming to us today all the way from Ecuador. Dig that old school stuff in the vein of bands like Sarcofago, Sepultura, Torturer, and Sadism? Get in here, man! More demented vocals equal parts growl and gurgle. More CRUSHING riffs that run you down like a Mack truck. Snare hits like a jackhammer. And in addition to the usual crunch of death metal, there are a few hooks reminiscent of At the Gates (see middle of "Retribution Homicida"). Same goes for the melodic solos that crop up. Proficient, but with more focus on ominous atmosphere than showboating. The mailer I received probably said it best using the word "primal." This is stimutation for that reptilian brain.
Perhaps you are craving more of a black metal sound today. How about Aka Funeral from Brazil? This album continues with the no frills approach common to the above two albums, but with much more focus on squealing lines of tremolo and raspy howls to the netherworld. You wanted that 2nd wave sound? Your got it. While not quite as lo-fi as Darkthrone and the like, Stormy Tide would play well next to acts like Dissection and Marduk. There are some melodic death elements that come through in the soloing and double bass-driven drumming, but the BM elements still come out in the majority. Dark, insidious, and well-played. Get out the black and white makeup.
Like black metal a lot, but want more death metal in the vocals? I got you covered with Dystehist. Despite their otherworldly sound, these dudes are from Missouri. Though not the first place I think of when it comes to blackened death, their geography never gets in the way of their need to ascend and dominate. You're a sniveling imp shoveling brimstone as a massive, imposing figure preaches from the highest peak in shadow but for the flickering flames. The deep vocals are enough to make you cower in fear; the dissonant shrieking of tremolos are the wings with which this unholy beast takes flight. Four tracks, all of them good. Check it out now.
Holy crap, look at that cover. Everything about returning South African brutal death band Vulvodynia's new album seems painstakingly constructed to make one feel sick. For me, it is certainly work; so much so that I feel the need to say that I do not promote violence, misogyny, or really any of the other topics covered within Psychosadistic Design. I merely share the album here because in terms of metal musicianship, it is a sonic assault on the senses. Featuring guest appearances from a number of other notable members of various death and death core bands (Within Destruction anyone?), Vulvodynia may have topped their already excellent previous efforts with terrifyingly technical drumming, wretched riffs, and primitive vocals. Recommended most highly to metal musicians and those who can separate lyrics from reality. I need to go vomit now.