Review: Ninth Realm--Damnation's Veil (CD/LP) (2026 Transcending Obscurity Records)

tometal.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

A lot of folks first hear the thrash and hardcore in Ninth Realm's influences, but I hear and feel the death metal in their sound more than anything. For me, this is a death metal record. I can detect exactly what the other reviewers are hearing, there is plenty of both thrash and hardcore in Ninth Realm's repertoire, and I love that aspect of them, but this album is pissed off in a way that only death metal will allow. Take a song like "Imbued in Hellfire," or "Rituals in Thar'amath," for example. These are pure death metal epics with thrashing riffs! The band defies easy classification, to be sure, and that's what I like so much about them. It's just good, aggressive heavy metal. The guitars really shine during the solo work. There's some real talent in this band, to say nothing of their songwriting chops. This is quite the accessible album for being an extreme metal record, with hooks galore and catchy riffs everywhere. It's just a record that all metalists need to hear, and I'm giving it perfect marks.

Review: Vilifier--Skullthrone (Digital) (2026 Independent)

vilifier.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Now, I know it says digital in the title line above, but there should be a physical release of this coming at some point. The promo for this release was sent to me on a hand numbered cassette, which reminded me wistfully of the old days of the scene. Until an official release is out, you can grab the digital version on Bandcamp. Vilifier deliver some seriously sickening metal of death on this EP, properly ancient sounding and filthy. The band makes a show of saying this was recorded "under abysmal conditions," but the sound isn't bad at all, just quite raw. I can still hear all the instruments well, and everything sounds like it should. It doesn't take away from the heaviness, no, it adds to the atmosphere! Gone are the days when recording quality could give a band a specific atmosphere, but hats off to those bands like Vilifier who remember this and do something about it. Stylistically there's plenty of war metal influence, but also 80s and 90s death metal and black metal. The riffs are simpler, the arrangements are catchy, and the axiom "only death is real" applies. I truly enjoyed this material, as I generally do with most of the scene in Australia! There's just something about bands from that country, a certain grittiness in the sound that truly satisfies my metal tapeworm. This is worth tracking down, get thy ass to Bandcamp now.

Rapidfire Review: In Obscurity Revealed--Chaotic Maelstrom (CD/CS) (2026 Personal Records/Night Terrors Records)

personal-records.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

In Obscurity Revealed comes from Mexico and play an interesting dark death metal perhaps a little like Sadistic Intent. There is some excellent guitar solo work on this record, which really helps to distinguish the band. The vocals are low growls with force and power behind them, and they're produced perfectly for this style. This is another solid release from Personal Records, who have really found some interesting bands recently.

Rapidfire Review: Azatoth--Carnal Lust of Blasphemy (CD/LP/CS) (2026 Extremely Rotten Productions)

extremelyrottenprod.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Azatoth hail from Finland and play catchy, dark, filthy death metal. Their darkness reminds me of Incantation, but their catchy songwriting reminds me of Grave. Vocally we get near-guttural low growls with the occasional pitch-shifted measure mixed in to make it ultra grimy. This should be an album to buy for those of you who want death metal that's sick and filth-ridden.'

Review: Abyssal Evisceration--Bleeding Through (Digital) (2026 Obscurity Records)

obscurityrecords1.bandcamp.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

The Archives tells me next to nothing about this band, other than they're signed to Michigan's Obscurity Records and that they're from Colorado. They're a complete mystery, and that's interesting to me. Their music is a vicious hybrid of death metal styles, half the material being firmly rooted in groove-oriented, almost 1990s style brutal death metal, and the other half being vicious deathgrind. I can't figure out if the drums are programmed or there's just heavy trigger use. If this is a real drummer, he's a fucking beast, a grinding god. The blasts are super-tight, even on the gravity blasts, and the double bass is inhuman. Vocally we get mostly mid- to low-range growls, and they're aggressive, which is nice to hear on something this brutal instead of the typical gurgles. Some of the riffs are straight out of the 1990s Florida camp, and there are slower, heavier Dying Fetus-style transitions and breakdowns. The grind influences mixes with these two things to form incredibly brutal death metal the way it ought to be played, and the nice part is they're not actively playing in anyone else's style like happens so often with brutal bands. This is totally original sounding. So far, no sign of CDs or LPs, but you can get a digital copy at the label's Bandcamp site. I think this deserves a physical release, so hopefully someone will step up and make that happen.