Holy Death--Paradice (Digital) {2025 Independent}

holydeathdoom.bandcamp.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Now this is doom death I can really get into. Their slower moments are still heavy as fuck and above all catchy, and they vary their tempo in the songs enough that it remains interesting and totally unique. They fuse almost hardcore-style riffs to a death metal frame, and operate mostly in mid-paced speeds, making heavy use of groove and fucking ugly death metal riffs. The singer uses a yelled growl with real sack to it, reminding me a little of LG Petrov on Wolverine Blues. Even when playing slow, they manage to sound dangerous and threatening, bleeding anger and hatred from every note. I really like this record and it's probably the first doom death record I truly enjoyed in this history of the form, and it's all because they remain aggressive even when slowed down. They're remarkably intense the entire record. I highly recommend this slab of metal, and I look for great things to come from this band in the future.

Keitzer--Pandemonium Humanitas (CD/LP) {2024 FDA Records}

www.fda-records.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

How have I never encountered this band before? This is their eighth full length since their debut in 2001, and somehow I missed hearing them in all that time. Keitzer play furious deathgrind that reminds me of the mighty Misery Index, having a similar song dynamic of blasts juxtaposed with groove or slower riffs. When they do slow down, they have an almost Bolt Thrower-esque riffing style with melodic leanings to the riffs. We get occasional solos, and they do them right, all blazing notes and soaring melody. There is decidedly more death metal than grind on this release, though, leaning more toward bulldozer riffs, but the songs' lyrical content is more in line with grind, being about social issues, war, and things like that. The vocals are quite powerful, being delivered in a forceful growl that cuts right down to the bone. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I recommend it.

Effigy--Hail to Thy Dark Lord Resurrected (CD) {2026 Chaotic Carnage Records}

chaoticcarnagerecords.bandcamp.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This record is a total reworking and re-recording of Effigy's 1995 effort Hail to Thy Dark Lord. I've never heard the original, but I can instead review this on its own merits. This is solid '90s style death metal with plenty of both heaviness and speed, sporting excelling songwriting. The vocals are mid- to high-range growls, and the singer is quite understandable. His diction is perfect. Some of the songs, like "Rotting Remains" and "Embraced by Evil" have anthemic riffs that lend themselves to being quite memorable. The traditional verse-chorus-verse structure of the songs really helps them stand out, and they worm their way into your brain on the first listen, begging to be listened to again. These guys are riff masters, and I definitely want to check out the entire back catalog at this point. Highly recommended.

Concrete Icon--Voracious Streams (CD/CS) {2025 Memento Mori Records}

www.memento-mori-es

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the third full length from this Finnish death metal act. They focus on heaviness over speed, and they do this with jagged riffs that snake in and out of the rhythms with ease. It very much puts me in mind of some early Gorguts meterial in a way, but with a bit more groove to add to the heaviness. There's a technical aspect to the band for sure, with some off-kilter rhythms and complicated riffs. The vocals are delivered in a mid-ranged mostly understandable growl, the singer's diction and patterns being very well-developed. It's not terribly intense material up until the blastbeats hit, which kicks it up a level, mainly because it's mostly mid-paced. As I mentioned, heaviness and atmosphere over intensity and speed. But, when they do kick into high gear, it's very effective and suitably ferocious. I enjoyed this record quite a bit, and I look foward to digging into their back catalog.

Hierarchy--Wager of the Damned (Digital) {2026 Independent}

hierarchymtl.bandcamp.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

It's rare when I encounter an EP that I wish was a full length, and this is one of those times. Hierarchy play a vicious version of Swedish style death metal, which I normally approach with great caution due to so many bands sounding the same, but this band has riffs and hooks galore in these four songs. They rely a lot on groove, and that's a brilliant thing to combine with the buzzsaw guitars, lending the material a devastating heaviness that rivals any of the masters of this style. The vocals are a higher range growl, which sets them apart in the sea of bands playing this style. The singer is female, and she's brutal. Whenever this band drops into mid-paced passages you can expect a groove that will crush you fucking dead. The riffs are so goddamn good that you'll want to listen to this again and again - I gave it three passes through immediately. I can't say enough how good this is, and it's totally worth getting thy ass to Bandcamp and downloading it.

Open the Coffin--Once Alive Always Dead (CD) {2025 Black Hole Productions}

www.blackholeprods.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is Swedish-style death metal we've all heard before. I always approach this style with caution because so many bands are just less exciting Entombed wannabes. Open the Coffin, though, is a bit different. Right out of the gate, they offer some good riffs, the occasional blastbeat, and vocals that are on the higher end of the spectrum. The vocals are yelled rather than growled, and they remind me of classic Brazilian bands like Sepultura circa Morbid Visions. It's the quality of the riffs that makes this style work or not, and this band has good ones, each song having a signature badass riff that's not just more tremolo picking. The production is pretty easy on the ears. This style can sometimes be quite noisy, but that's not the case here. It's quite natural sounding. The album does drag a wee bit as it plays, so they haven't totally escaped the pitfalls of the style, but they're definitely well above average, and worth your time to seek out.

Dysmorphic Demiurge--Of Chaos and Eternal Night (Digital) {2025 Independent}

dysmorphicdemiurge.bandcamp.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This Knoxville, TN band has given us their fourth full length, and it's not bad. Dysmorphic Demiurge play brutal death metal that incorporates some slam elements but not enough to make them boring. They're adept musicians that aren't afraid of melody, and it seems they have some progressive metal influences, manifesting in several songs with off-kilter rhythms and melodic passages. They do have the good sense to keep it interesting during the slam parts and stay away from the typical approach of bands that use them. The vocals are strong, sung in a low growl that occasionally descends into guttural territory, and the singer has perfect tone. He's wonderfully recorded. One thing on this record I can't forgive is all the stupid-ass bass drops they use to emphasize tempo changes going into slam parts. I hate that shit. However, overall, this band does brutal death metal a bit differently and might be worth your time if you like actual death metal with a dose of slam.

Putrid Offal--Obliterated Life (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Time to Kill Records}

www.timetokill-records.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the band's third full length and first in five years. They play intense and violent death metal with a distinct grindcore influence that seems to stem from some early Carcass influence. The riffs are incredibly well thought out, optimized for maximum possible violent intention. This is clearly a seasoned and proficient band with ample songwriting skills, and a welcome addition to my collection because of that. Songwriting is a fading skill in the scene, and I'm glad this band hasn't forgotten how it should be. The songs never let up the intensity, working blasts around the grooves for optimal catchiness, and the band remains ultra-heavy while doing it. The vocals are a barrage of high and low dueling vocals with the low vocals taking priority in most songs. This is an absolutely perfect record in every way, and I recommend tracking it down immediately.

Horrific Visions--Remnants of Atrophy (CD) {2026 Comatose Music}

www.comatosemusic.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Finally, Comatose Music has hit the mark with this release. Horrific Visions play brutal death metal that reminds me a little of Regurgitation during some of the more frenetically fast parts of the songs. This band has fuckin' riffs and they know how to use them to create songs that have some catchy moments. The vocals are a super-low growl that I refer to as "moaning zombie vocals," since they remind me of the zombie noises in the legendary Lucio Fulci film Zombie. The songs have plenty of hooks that catch your attention and the musical ability to actually hold it. There is a mid-album interlude that really helped to break the album up and set the tone for the second half, which explodes out of the gate with blastbeats and aplomb. This is what brutal death metal should be: creative, aspirational, and original. It's unconcerned with trends, flavor-of-the-day sounds, or what's going on in the scene, and is just good, straight-forward, catchy, brutal fuckin' death metal. Horrific Visions has a monster on their hands here, and I hope for more.

Engorgement--They Rot Beneath Our Floor (CD) {2026 Comatose Music}

www.comatosemusic.com

3/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Well, this album contains the trifecta of things I fucking hate in modern death metal - ridiculous constant bass drops, pig squeal vocals, and what basically amounts to a hip hop intro. Sure, the guitars are heavy as fuck and they play in the Devourment style of brutal death metal, but I cannot stand what they're doing musically otherwise. If this had actual decent vocals and the bass drops were eliminated, I think it could actually be a half decent record. I will say I like what the drummer's doing. His performance is dynamic and full of personality as he hammers away beneath the slam. Other than that, this is a hard skip for me, and it's what I consider to be a very trendy release.

Sermon to the Lambs--Sermon to the Lambs (CD) {2026 Comatose Music}

www.comatosemusic.com

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

The best way to describe this band is Morbid Angel meets Brodequin, complete with the sludgy riffing style of the former and the pingy snare of the latter. Vocally, the singer uses deep gutturals that help them stand out in a brutal death metal scene obsessed with gurgles and squeals, and occasionally he changes to a deep, low growl for emphasis. The vocals aren't terribly powerful, but they do the job nicely, and I feel it's the strongest part of this release. The guitars are tuned down so low that even fast riffs sound a bit slow, always sludgy, with a layer of mud over them. My biggest problem with this release is that there are very few catchy riffs or hooks, even ones common to brutal death metal, and it's completely monotonous the majority of the time. I think part of my dislike comes from the particularly wooden performance of the drummer. There are very, very few fills or rolls to break up the blasting and double bass. They are doing some things different sonically, and that in itself is a feat in this style of metal, but it's not enough to push them over the top for me.

Misericordiam--Nothing But Machine Now (Digital) {2025 Independent}

misericordiam.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I remember seeing releases by Misericordiam (which is hard to type) make the rounds in the mid- to late 2000s, and I had just assumed they were a standard brutal band and never did have a chance, nor a desire, to check them out. A glance at their Metal Archives page tells me I was probably right back then, but that this band has changed, and I believe changed for the better. They now play a mixture of brutal death metal, hardcore, and grindcore, and it's not a bad thing. They remind me a bit of Dying Fetus with the same combination of groove and brutality, but with a distinct grindcore feel to some of the passages that is a welcome addition to that style. This is brutal yet absolutely heavy, and it's intense from one end to the other. It rarely lets up, it just keeps its oppressive foot on your fuckin' neck. I really like the big, dumb, chugging riffs like at the beginning of "Coffin Occupation," they really know how to heavy shit up. I could do without some of the more experimental aspects of this, though, like the clean vocals in certain spots and the hardcore style breakdowns when they appear. But those are small parts of an otherwise excellent release, and I won't let it get in the way of enjoying it.

Scalp--Not Worthy of Human Compassion (LP) {2025 Closed Casket Activities}

www.closedcasketactivities.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Scalp play an unholy amalgamation of death metal, grind, and hardcore, but I would probably classify them overall as grindcore. Vicious fucking grindcore, at that. This is hyper-aggressive and monstrously heavy shit, crushing riffs and lightspeed blastbeats combining with frenzied vocals to annihilate the listener's ears. The singer is truly pissed off, using a scream that has all the hate in the world wrapped up in it. He's backed up by another member of the band, the guitarist, who belts out low death growls with force and violence. This is the kind of grind I can get behind, just incredibly heavy riffs that whip up into blastbeaten insanity on a dime. I'm not entirely sure if an HM-2 is being used on the guitars, but it sure does sound like it. I highly recommend this record if you're a grind freak like me, it's absolutely worth the effort to track it down.

Invictus--Nocturnal Visions (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Me Saco Un Ojo/Memento Mori/Iron Fortress Records}

www.mesacounojo.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Three venerable labels have come together to release this monster, a straight-forward death metal record that's heavy on the real metal feel. These guys are true maniacs, I can tell. They keep the intensity fairly high from song to song, which is nice to hear, but occasionally they lay back in the pocket to facilitate a lead or chorus. We get plenty of talented lead guitar work, which is truly unusual in death metal today, and honestly it's a breath of fresh air to hear a band do it. The vocals aren't super powerful, but what they lack there they make up for with their guttural tone. They're smooth and evil-sounding, reminding me a bit of Dying Fetus' low growls with a more old school flavor. These guys remind the listener at some point in each song that they can both play and write a good song, as well. They're truly gifted musicians. This was very enjoyable overall, and a worth purchase for the deathmaniacs in the scene.

Aposento--No Safe Haven (CD/LP) {2024 Xtreem Music}

www.xtreemmusic.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Aposento play a style of death metal that I would categorize as a vile mixture of Sinister, Deicide, and Cannibal Corpse, wearing their influences on their sleeves for all to see and hear. The vocals are a low growl that's occasionally punctuated by a higher scream. There's a lot of musical talent here, and while their style hearkens back to the Floridian greats of old, there are little flourishes all over the album to remind you that talented musicians are at the helm of this ship. They maintain a fair level of aggression, rarely falling victim to what a lot of brutal bands do whose music is intricate to the point of stagnation. I especially enjoy the bass player who is constantly doing wild shit behind the riffs and has some real personality to his playing. This is a decent record, and one worth tracking down if you like the old Florida sound.