Hellknife "Flames of Damnation" (Review)

Hellknife Flames of Damnation

2025 Phobia Records (CD/LP)

phobiarecords.net

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Hellknife plays d-beat crust punk melded to death metal, bringing the obvious comparisons to very early Bolt Thrower, since they were the first to do the same. However, Hellknife belongs much more in the conversation with bands like Extinction of Mankind and especially Nuclear Death Terror, who they are quite similar to, but with longer songs, leaning into their death metal influences. Lyrically it's pretty standard d-beat fare about the destruction of the world and war, but they pepper in some more death metal style material about hell as well. It's crust punk seen through death metal glasses. I wish there were more labels devoted to this music, as a huge hole was left in the US market when Profane Existence closed up and I don't know who really took over since I'm only tangentially involved in this scene. However, if Hellknife is any indication, this music is alive and well, and coming for us all.

Extinguished "Foul Stench Adoration" (Review)

Extinguished Foul Stench Adoration

2025 Caligari Records (CS)

www.caligarirecords.com

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Extinguished sound much like old Autopsy but with a bit of Carcass thrown in. The vocals are the currently fashionable "recorded in a cave" type. Overall this isn't terribly exciting material, it just sort of plods along at mid- and slow-paced tempos. Material-wise, we get three songs plus a musical intro and outro. At least the intro and outro are performed by the band and not the typical drivel we get for intros in this style of music all the time. I have little else to say about this honestly, it just doesn't inspire me, but isn't bad. If you like Autopsy, you may like this.

Forced Starvation "Forced Starvation" (Review)

Forced Starvation Forced Starvation

2025 Regurgitated Semen Records (CD/LP)

www.rsr-hateape-shop.de

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Grindcore from New Zealand is what's on order here. Blending catchy riffs and hooks into relentless grind is not easy/ The constraints of the medium - speed, blastbeats, screamed and growled vocals - do not lend themselves to diversity of sonic application. However, Forced Starvation has done the difficult task of creating memorable songs out of pure grindcore. They do this by interjecting strategically placed slower riffs and changing tempos often, as well as using samples and catchy vocal patterns. Fourteen tracks rip by in eighteen minutes, and their longest song clocks in at 2:14. This is absolutely crushing material, and grindcore freaks as well as death metal devotees should give this a solid look if what you desire is nonstop sonic devastation.

Dogtag Remains "Forgotten Battlefields" (Review)

Dogtag Remains Forgotten Battlefields

2024 Satanath Records (CD)

www.satanath.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is high-quality death metal from Greece. Sonically they're a mixture of Entombed, Incantation, Asphyx, and especially Hail of Bullets. The remind me a lot of Hail of Bullets. They also share the military obsessions of Bolt Thrower, if not the melodicism. The vocals are the of the currently fashionable cavernous style with tons of echo. They're not afraid of blastbeats, peppering them in liberally throughout the record, and it goes a long way toward keeping the intensity high. This band is as much about a dark atmosphere as they are about brutality, not shying away from slower riffs to create different textures. This is better than average death metal and well worth a look even from grizzled veterans of the death metal scene.

Bone Storm "Daemon Breed" (Review)

Bone Storm Daemon Breed

2026 Independent (Digital)

wearebonestorm.bandcamp.com

4/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is just average death thrash from this Connecticut outfit. First, the good: the playing is excellent, right down to the perfectly timed drums and talented guitar solos. The production is perfect, with each instrument audible. However, the songs fail to get me excited. They blend right into each other with a lack of variation in the riffs. The tempos of all the songs are similar and the riffs and vocal patterns aren't good enough to really differentiate them. It's just a lackluster affair, overall, one you can honestly skip.

Decedent "For Those in Shallow Graves" (Review)

Decedent For Those in Shallow Graves

2025 Iron Fortress Records (CD/CS)

ironfortressrecords.com

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This record fits nicely in the current crop of up-and-coming death metal bands in the US, melding both the sounds of old and newer sounds like slam. You could put them on a tour with Sanguisugabogg with no problems. They're downtuned and dirty, and don't truly remind me of anyone specific. Sure, there are passages that remind me of Cannibal Corpse, and the vocals have a hint of the gruffness of 200 Stab Wounds, but that's where the similarities stop. They have a penchant for doomy riffs, slowing their tempo considerably at times during many of their songs. They may rely on slam riffs a bit too much, but they get in and out of them quickly enough that they're not terribly monotonous. This isn't an album I'm likely to revisit any time soon, but it's a tolerable listen overall.

Cancer Void "First Metastasis" (Review)

Cancer Void First Metastasis

2025 Iron Fortress Records

ironfortressrecords.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Here we have solid 1990s style death metal with a penchant for big doomy riffs in some of their songs. I hear Death influence at work as well as Incantation and possibly Asphyx and Entombed. The synth intro sets the morbid mood mighty fine, and going back to this on the fourth track, "Interlude," was a wise choice - they cave up the four studio tracks here nicely into two halves. I can just imagine all the nasty alien creatures visiting horrors upon any who witness them with these intros. It's a perfect fit with the album cover. I normally hate intros, so this is a triumph in itself. There are catchy hooks all throughout the songs to accentuate the monolithic riffage, and they consistently kept my attention with their songwriting. Cancer Void is as much about atmosphere and feeling as it is brutality, and I think that's why I like it so much. It reminds me of the early Swedish death metal bands, even though their sound is not similar. This is absolutely worth picking up, and I intend to do so.

Sepsis "Fetishize the Gutted" (Review)

Sepsis Fetishize the Gutted

2025 Independent (Digital)

sepsisdeathmetal.bandcamp.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I truly love that we're in the middle of a new wave of death metal bands that are looking to the past and taking influence from it rather than from modern, trendy bands. Sepsis is a good example of brutal death metal that is doing just that. They have a technical side that reminds me a little of Suffocation but they also have a heavily groove-oriented approach that really brings to mind the new wave of true death metal bands like 200 Stab Wounds. It's a glorious melding of those two styles that we have here. The brutality of past masters and the song-oriented approach of the new. The caveman-riffed breakdowns are a nice respite when the rest of the music has so much going on. This is top-notch brutality and deserved to be picked up on a proper label and distributed far and wide! Consider me a fan.

Begrime Exemious "Festering in the Void" (Review)

Begrime Exemious Festering in the Void

2025 The Mortuary Records (LP)

begrimeexemious.bandcamp.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This EP is Begrime Exemious's first new music in three years. The two new tracks here are incredible, with absolutely amazing riffs and perfect songwriting, hallmarks of a band at the peak of their creative power. I just wish we had another pair of new songs here, at least. We're also treated to four cover songs and a 2016 rendition of "The Ghost Brigades." The cover songs are from Carcass, Nunslaughter, Bolt Thrower, and Entombed, four bands which you can hear in this band's sound. They manage to take the Carcass song and truly make it their own while clearly trying to stay true to the original. It's a great rendition that melds well with their style. The other cover songs also have this same twist to them, but they don't camouflage as easily. Overall this is a worthy release if you're a fan clamoring for new material from the band, but if you're a casual fan, you may want to track down a full length of theirs instead.

Frigid "Contempt of Decay" (Review)

Frigid Contempt of Decay

2026 Iron Fortress Records (CD)

ironfortressrecords.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

With this release, Frigid give us heavy as fuck death thrash from Chicago. The vocals are powerful growls that match perfectly with the heavy ass riffs. It definitely reminds me of something that would have come out in the early 1990s. They rely on groove quite a lot, and with riffs as good as this, that's a huge plus. If I had to compare this to anything, I would say imagine Demolition Hammer mixed with 200 Stab Wounds and you've got a hell of an idea of their sound. I love this new wave of death metal and its focus on the sounds of the '90s, when the bands were focused on writing good songs. This is infectiously catchy song-focused death metal that consistently has top-notch musicianship and riffs in each song and an energetic delivery. It has "it." I repeatedly found myself air-guitaring to the songs, and wanted to hear the record again as soon as it was over. I don't do that very often, and it should be taken as a definite endorsement of the metal on offer here.

Sacrificial Death "Absolute Katharsis" (Review)

Sacrificial Death Absolute Katharsis

2026 Soman Records (CD)

somanrecords.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

The is the first full length from this young Grecian band, following up just one EP and a single. They play aggressive death thrash with vocals that remind me a little of Deicide when growling low and a little of Emperor when a high is used. I also hear some influence from mid-period Death. The thrash here is a mixture of Bay Area sounds, albeit with a harder edge, and the ubiquitous Slayer. The guitar solos are rip-roaring and fast, whipping by at light speed. The bass player doesn't merely follow the riffs, he's widdling away behind the music and working heavily with the drums and throwing in little flourishes of his own. This production is easy on the ears and very natural-sounding. I can see why they used the title track as the name of the album ("Absolute Katharsis"). It's their most well-developed tune and it's catchy as fuck. I hope for more of the same if the band issues further music, since I see this song as their current blueprint.

Concrete "Absent Mortality" (Review)

Concrete Absent Mortality

2026 Rebirth the Metal Productions (CD)

rebirththemetalproductions.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the fifth album from this Bulgarian band. They're a capable and solid death metal band that clearly worships at the feet of the 1990s Florida scene, with Cannibal Corpse and Deicide being of particular influence here form the sounds of it. They definitely have a strong Cannibal influence - just look at the song "Charnel Expulsion," specifically the way it begins. That's a very Cannibal Corpse-like riff. The vocalist has a peculiar breathy growl, and it makes him stand out. No one else I can recall has vocals like this. They are also quite powerful, full of anger. The songs are well-written with catchy riffs and strong guitar solos when they're present - in fact, the riffs are better than many bands I've heard recently, and they're quite easy on the ears. If you like the Florida bands of old, this is in your wheelhouse, so definitely get out there and find it.

Enragement "Extinguish All Existence" (Review)

Enragement Extinguish All Existence

2025 Transcending Obscurity Records (CD/LP)

tometal.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is dense death metal with a lot going on in each song, with quite a bit of technicality but not enough to be accused of wankery by yours truly. There are plenty of hooks in their songs if you pay enough attention and give it multiple listens (since they go by quickly), and their riffs are truly unique and brutal. They embellish those riffs with little runs and sweeps a lot like the way Dying Fetus does, not that they're similar at all. They also know how to be purely heavy, like on the song "Parasitic Ingress," which shows them trading in their trademark speed for crushing grooves. The vocals range from an Angelcorpse-like reptilian rasp to a deep guttural and everything in between. Vocally, this is just as masterful as the rest of the playing on the record. The guitar solos are also virtuosic, and they seem like magic to me, the guitarists acting as wizards playing their sonic spells of death. Brutal death metal fans need this record in their collection, it should be mandatory.

Infinite Misery "Altar of Extracted Teeth" (Review)

Infinite Misery Altar of Extracted Teeth

2026 Iron Fortress Records (CD/CS)

ironfortressrecords.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Let me be clear - the only reason this didn't get a 10/10 rating is because it's a mini-LP. I want that full length! This band worships at the altar of Corpsegrinder-era Cannibal Corpse, and they have done a hell of a job. It's absolutely bonkers how much they sound and play like Cannibal. It's completely uncanny, even the guitar tuning and bass guitar sound like they should. They nail this target, writing not just in the style of Cannibal Corpse, but writing incredibly good songs on top of that. The vocals sound exactly like Corpsegrinder, right down to the excellent and tight vocal patterns, with just minor differences. If you played this for a casual fan of Cannibal (is there such a thing?), they would be hard pressed to tell it's a different band. They play this material with the greatest affection for a great band. But let's ask ourselves - why do we need a "worship" or "clone" band in this style? Well, it's goddamn fun, that's why. It's interesting to see how this group of gentlemen have interpreted Cannibal Corpse, and how they chose to write, versus how the object of their worship writes. We accept so many Sodom and Destruction and especially Hellhammer black thrash clone bands, so why not Cannibal worship bands? Their sound is as distinct as those bands, for sure, being almost its own style of death metal. This material, however, stands on its own and doesn't need the association to be good. Sure, it creates interest from the fans of Cannibal Corpse, but that does not take away the ability and power on display here. It's a damn fine record, and one that I'll be buying soon. 

Anti-Sapien "At the Mercy of the Merciless" (Review)

Anti-Sapien At the Mercy of the Merciless

2026 Terminus Hate City Records (LP)

anti-sapien.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is very good death metal with a focus on the sounds of the 1990s, but also with a pronounced crust punk influence. The riffs are infectious and these gentlemen can write a goddamn song, with hooks everywhere, and proper song structure. The vocals are often dueling back and forth between high and low, or singing as a duet (a weird word to use in death metal, but that's what it fucking is). These vocals, whether high or low, are incredibly strong, with the primary low vocals being deep and aggressive with excellent tone and understandability. The guitar solos we get are wonderful and well-performed, and worked into the songs as the best possible times, never overstaying their welcome. I want to hear more from this band for sure, and I'll be watching for their next release.