Sulphuric Rite--Wormgod (CS) {2025 Deepswarming Bloodmagik Records}

dpswrmngbldmgk.bandcamp.com

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This five-song EP is the only release from this Ukrainian band. The band reminds me a lot of Autopsy, with perhaps a bit of the old Floridian sound in the riffing. The problem with this EP is that it's just so helplessly average, and nothing really sticks out that makes it special in any way. This is death metal we've heard a thousand times, with nothing to propel it out of the murk. The vocals are cavernous, which is in vogue right now, with a lot of reverb on them, but not enough to make them too muddy. They're indecipherable anyhow, which is fine. All the musicianship is tight and the instruments are well-played, it's just that this style has been done to death in the last few years, and my ears are tired of it. If there was something more unusual about this band to help them separate themselves from the pack, I wouldn't just dismiss them like this, but unfortunately that is not the case here. 

Caesarean--Wretched Decrepitude (CD) {2025 Horror Pain Gore Death Productions}

horrorpaingoredeath.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This six song EP is full of deadly riffing and tight blastbeats, resulting in strong grind-influenced death metal. They remind me a little of the first two Gorerotted albums, Mutilated in Minutes and Only Tools and Corpses, which are classics in my mind. The dual vocal attack is excellent, and the high vocals are an especially intense screamed style, while the low vocals remind me of Bill Steer. The intensity never lets up from any of the instruments, and forward motion seems to be these songs' defining trait, alongside brutality, of course. Every riff is catchy and every song is memorable. We also get an excellent guitar solo in the song "Perverse Formulary of Human Fluids," which doesn't last long but really adds a dynamic to the song. In a scene where so many bands don't seem to care about writing forceful and intense death metal, this band is a breath of fresh air. I am now a fan, and I look forward to more from this band. Give me more of this intensely performed death metal!

Necronomicon Ex Mortis--Zombie Blood Nightmare (Digital) {2026 Independent}

necronomiconexmortis.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

It appears this band has a habit of releasing a swath of singles digitally before a release, and that seems like a good way to promote engagement, especially if the single is a different version of a song. Smart tactics. On to the music. Necronomicon Ex Mortis play death thrash with tight musicianship, and there's no slop at all. I feel like fans of the old Razorback roster, like Ghoul and Frightmare, would like them a lot with their focus on '70s and '80s horror films. The vocals are snarled in much the same way as Jeff Walker's vocals in Carcass, especially when compared to the Necroticism era. They use blastbeats judiciously and it really helps to make the music more intense at certain times, making certain of their riffs shine. The guitar playing is absolutely perfect, with complicated solos, intricate riffs, and impressive arrangements. Does all this translate to great music? Yes, for the most part. They do a fine job, and don't get lost in their ability to jam. Solid horrific death thrash here, and worth the time and effort to go find.

Fecundation--Moribund (CD) {2025 Obliteration Records}

www.obliteration.jp

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I don't know if I've ever heard a brutal death metal band from South Korea before - I can't recall any. This reminds me of Dying Fetus musically and vocally, but there's almost an Indonesian style of brutality going on here as well. The songs are quite good, and they really sink in on multiple listens. There are plenty of little catchy hooks in the midst of all the wildly technical playing. The musicianship on display is astounding - we even get great guitar solos in some songs, which is very unusual for brutal death metal. It speaks to a depth of composition that most bands cannot summon. If you, like me, are sick of all the Devourment clones and Disgorge clones in the scene, this is one band that will act as a palate cleanser, and it's worth going to the effort to track down their material.

Carbonized Eyesockets--Morbific Putrefaction Accidents (Digital) {2025 Independent}

carbonizedeyesockets.bandcamp.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Carbonized Eyesockets hails from Russia, this being their first full length and only release other than a single that arrived prior to the album. They plays Repulsion-style deathgrind that may also have some Terrorizer influence, and some from goregrind like old Carcass. The vocals are quite muddy in the mix, making them sound truly extreme, just a low-level deep roar that's growling away over the music, half buried by the guitars. The blasts are extreme, and we get gravity blasts occasionally. They're tight and they're intense, bringing a real personality to the grind. This is important when operating at speeds like this, because suddenly the drummer almost leads the band since boring drums can really harm deathgrind. His double bass work is lightspeed-fast in certain songs, too. Carbonized Eyesockets do what is so difficult in grind, and that's writing memorable songs that really catch the ear of the listener, even with all the relentless blasting. This is truly a great release, and I hope for continued success from this band.

Dysmorphia--Morbid Atrocities (CD/CS) {2025 Iron Fortress Records}

www.ironfortressrecords.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the third EP from this heavy-ass band, who as of yet have no full lengths in their catalog of releases. We get five songs of serious nastiness on the EP. Dysmorphia plays relentlessly heavy death metal infused with some influence from hardcore, mainly in the big breakdowns they use in their songs. It's not an off-putting amount of hardcore influence, and it seems to make the music more song-oriented and catchy. Punk sensibility, in other words. They're definitely a part of the new wave of death metal bands with their focus on groove and stomp over straight-up brutality, and honestly it makes them heavier than most brutal death metal bands. Brutal bands too often get trapped by speed and can't be as heavy as they truly ought to be. I happen to prefer death metal with powerful vocals and riffs and we get that here, and tons of it. If adding hardcore to our revered death metal means bands get heavier, then I'm all for it. This EP is heavy as fuck, and I loved every minute of it. Speed can only go so far, and Dysmorphia has figured that out. Plus, the cover is fucking amazing, and it caught my attention immediately. 

Inhuman Condition--Mind Trap (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Listenable Insanity Records}

This band was formed by ex-members of Massacre, so it's no wonder they sound a lot like their former band, and with the addition of Terry Butler from Obituary on bass, you can imagine that they get compared to them as well. They operate in the same thrashing death metal space that Massacre does, hearkening back to the late 1980s and early 1990s with their sound. I think the vocals could be more powerful, and the singer is quite breathy. I want to hear some real roars, and that just isn't on offer here. The songs seem a bit overwrought to me as well, a bit long-winded, just going on for a little too long in each instance. I respect what they're trying to do and have done, but it's just not as good as it should be. This is my first exposure to them, so it's possible the first two albums are a bit better. I'll have to investigate.

Dying Remains--Merciless Suffering (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Maggot Stomp Records}

maggotstomp.bandcamp.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Dying Remains hails from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and this is their first full length, and a mighty one it is. They definitely fit in with the new wave of death metal that's occurring right now, and all the hallmarks are there - straightforward brutality mixed with heavy groove, chunky riffs, and a nod to the bands who came before. They keep it heavy and keep it groovy, and this is what makes them great. It's just good, solid death metal with few frills. The vocalist has a mid-ranged hybrid yelled growl and it helps to set this band apart from the imitators. This shit crushes everything in its path with stomping riffs and mid-paced violence. Some of the grooves remind me of Dehumanized, but with a less New York approach if that makes sense. This is a perfect death metal record, and you won't find many of these new bands that are this good. This is a monumental effort, and one that belongs in any death metal collection. I know it will be in mine.

Heruvim--Mercator (CD/LP) {2025 Redefining Darkness Records}

www.redefiningdarkness.com

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I hate when I have to review and album and the only description I can really muster is "very ok old school death metal," or something similar. Unfortunately, that's what I'm doing here. There's just nothing that truly makes this record stand out from the hundreds of other bands playing Bolt Thrower inspired death metal. Sure, the production is clear and crisp and the musicianship is perfect, but other than the very progressive bass playing at times, I don't feel anything special about this release, and death metal should make you feel something. I've just heard this band a hundred times before, and this one isn't doing much different to separate themselves from the other bands at all.

Subscum--Massgrave Summit (Digital) {2025 Independent}

subscum.bandcamp.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Subscum play crushing deathgrind that really sounds like no one else I can identify. The growled vocals have a supremely obscure echo with tons of reverb and distortion, and the high vocals are almost puked-up sounding, with a bunch of effects on them. The guitars are a chainsaw to the brain, and they may use an HM-2 pedal to achieve this sound, but I'm not certain about that. It could just be layers of distortion. They seem to take plenty of influence from Assuck and Napalm Death, and that's a plus. This is a very short record at just five songs, and it's all quite noisy, with a lot of experimentation with different sounds in the intros and outros. I definitely want to hear a longer release so I can analyze this band a bit further, because I see a ton of potential here. If you want a short grind release to pick your day up, this would be the one.

Atomicide--Manifest of Aversion (CD) {2024 Death Division Rituals}

deathdivisionrituals.bandcamp.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I remember when Atomicide's demos were making their rounds in the underground, back when paper 'zines were king. At the time I didn't think much of them, but as this album shows, they've grown into a real force. Musically, they're a cross between death metal, thrash metal, and war metal, and they've openly called themselves war metal in the past. They do have all the hallmarks of war metal, with long scrapes along the strings, relentless blasting, and blower guitar riffs. However, they're much more nuanced than the average war metal band, with a multitude of riffing styles and not nearly as much repetition. They're just as much Morbid Angel as they are Blasphemy. The vocals are delivered in a low growl, bordering on a bark at times, and it fits the music perfectly, making them a bit more death metal in sound. This is a fine effort with excellent songs, and every devotee of truly underground death metal should seek it out and get nuked by it.

Vile Apparition--Malignity (CD/CS/LP) {2025 Dark Descent Records/Me Saco Un Ojo}

mesacounojo.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, this is Vile Apparition's second full length. They play vicious death metal that reminds me of old Suffocation and old Cryptopsy, but with much more repetition and groove. The same level of technicality is there, but they don't lose the song in it. They do, however, throw a lot of changes into each song to keep it interesting, and they succeed there. One of the biggest differences between those aforementioned bands and Vile Apparition is that they generally have heavy grooves in their songs, as I noted, that serve to make the music even catchier, and for extended periods of time. It's not just all technical death metal. It's like a perfect mix of old-school death metal and technical death metal, and it's a beautiful balance they've struck. The musical chops on display here are impressive, with each member having total control over his instrument. One nice touch on the record is the acoustic interlude "Pulverised Dreams," which was a smart move, and it breaks up the two halves of the album perfectly. While this album didn't completely floor me, I was very impressed, and I look forward to more from this band. We'll see what else they can do.

Morbidity--Malignant Necropsy (CD) {2024 Headsplit Records}

headsplitrecords.blogspot.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Morbidity plays heavy-as-hell death metal, and is somewhat similar to Molder in their approach to the metal of death. The production is very bright, bordering on being noisy due to the distortion on the guitars and the crisp drums. Mixing straight-ahead brutality with heavy fuckin' grooves, they have riffs upon riffs of catchy material here, and the songwriting is calibrated for maximum violence. There's not a weak song on this six-song effort, and the band clearly put their best material on this EP. Morbidity is also a band that knows when to turn on the speed and when to tone it down to create hooks, and I really appreciate what they're doing. This is a very young band, so I look forward to seeing what else they can create as they move forward in their journey in this scene.

Perdition Temple--Malign Apotheosis (CD/LP/CS) (2025 Hells Headbangers Records}

www.hellsheadbangers.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the fifth full length for Perdition Temple since their debut in 2010, and the fourth for Hells Headbangers. Perdition Temple is the spiritual successor to Angelcorpse, carrying on that style and bringing it to ever more ears with each record. They're also one of the bands that has usurped Morbid Angel's vacant throne as kings of Satanic death metal. They've become better with each release, never losing intensity or deciding to experiment unduly with their sound. Of course, all the lyrics are still as Satanic as ever, as you'd expect them to be. One thing I love that they do once in a while is throw in a blazing fast solo where it makes sense to do so - this helps break up the songs nicely and gives us a different aspect of the band to appreciate. Malign Apotheosis is a mighty effort of true death metal, a towering paean to malevolence and heaviness, and more sinister than most black metal. It's an album you should make sure is in your collection.

Reaping Death--Maggot Infested Coffin (CD/CS) {2024 Epidemia Records}

reapingdeath.bandcamp.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Reaping Death play ripping fast death metal that reminds me of a cross between Autopsy, Nihilist, and Repulsion. In fact, we even get a Repulsion cover version of the song "Bodily Dismemberment." They have the same ultra-fast riffing style that Repulsion had, like a sped-up version of thrash. The production is rather raw, but everything is audible. This release screams of wanting to be compared to the demos of the early 1990s, and they succeed on that front. Vocally, I'm reminded of Nihilist quite a bit, with barked growls and a fast delivery, reminiscent of those early recordings. I'll wait to declare myself a fan until I see what these guys can do with a full length, but this shows a hell of a lot of promise.