Scion of Darkness--Horns of the Apocalypse (Digital) {2026 Independent}

scionofdarkness.bandcamp.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This Austrian band brings us absolutely bestial death metal that's packed full of intensity and violence, especially when they perform a blast. The riffs are straight up bulldozers, tempered here and there with little runs, and occasionally backing down during verses to let the music breathe, only to dive right back into a blast at just the right time. There's a lot of thrash influence at work here during their "slower" moments, and it's where they show off their chops a little with interesting leads and little embellishments here and there. They're at their strongest when blasting, and I've not heard too many other bands do it this violently and with this much urgency. The drummer is a fuckin' beast. The vocals duel back and forth between high and low, the high vocals reminding me of Pete Helmkamp and the lows reminding me of Dallas Toller-Wade. This is a perfect record and I highly recommend this to all the true deathmaniacs out there reading this. This needs to get picked up by a label immediately for physical release.

Sewer Altar--Fever Dreams of Vengeance (CD/LP) {2026 783 Label}

www.783label.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Sewer Altar from Finland merge death metal, grind, and true hardcore punk in a similar way to Misery Index or Terrorizer, but with a focus on grind, catchiness, and intensity. There are also some Bolt Thrower-esque moments that really give the songs heaviness and dynamics. This is a record that any death metalist of any stripe can pick up and sink their teeth right into, it's so catchy and song-oriented. There's zero pretentiousness here, just some talented guys writing excellent deathgrind. They break many of the songs down with vicious thrashing riffs at strategic times to maximize the violence, a lot like a hardcore band would do. The riffs are truly inspired and nasty, being an amalgam of styles that blend together into a cohesive whole, but remaining true deathgrind the whole way. And, just when I think the album can't get any better, it does, with riff after riff crushiing my face. Any fan of Terrorizer or deathgrind in general would do well to investigate this record. I believe this band has appeal past the individual style ghettos that we impose on our music, and that all fans of death metal would enjoy this album. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

Circle of Blood--In Praise of Darkness (CD) {2026 Grindhead Records}

www.grindheadrecords.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This crew from Australia has unblessed us with their first full length. These gents remind me a little of countrymates Abramelin, but more technical where the drums are concerned, and of greater quality in general. There's also quite a bit of Morbid Angel influence here. The production is crystal clear and professional-sounding, but it's not a soulless pristine recording. It's just a great modern death metal recording with all that entails. The vocals are amazing - the singer puts everything he has into this effort, and it shows. His vocals are nasty and powerful, running from low growls to high screams, sometimes within the same measure! Their Morbid Angel-isms are countered by heavy grooves, and it serves to really amp up the heaviness, and creates hooks that make the songs even more memorable. They also have a very technical aspect to their playing - these guys know their way around their instruments intimately. There are little flourishes all over this record from all the instruments that really enhance the songs. This is monstrous death metal for the diehards, and I highly recommend it.

Hammerthrone--Hammerthrone (Digital) {2026 Independent}

hammerthronetx.bandcamp.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This band hails from Texas, and this is their first and only release so far. This is strong, nasty death metal that puts me in mind of slower old Bloodbath, but with a less pronounced Swedish style - they use a lot of mid-paced groove to split your skull instead. Every song has at least one absolute crusher of a riff that just bulldozes everything before it. The vocals are fucking strong, deep chesty growls that punish the listener for thinking they can withstand the assault. The guitars are dirty, but I can't decide if an HM-2 is involved here or not (I'm leaning on not). They're crushing, like everything else on the record, and they're crisp and crunchy as well as dirty. This band is definitely in the camp of the '90s death metal revival with their focus on heaviness and piledriving groove, and they're up there with the best of the new bands like 200 Stab Wounds. The production is fantastic, heavy as fuck. I want to see what this band can do with a full length if their first EP is this damn good.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Scorching Tomb--Ossuary (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Time to Kill Records}

www.timetokill-records.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I'll say it again - I'm a fan of the new wave of death metal bands that are taking inspiration from the masters and updating the sound in ways they see fit. Scorching Tomb fits right in with acts like Sanguisugabogg and 200 Stab Wounds with big chunky riffs and lots of groove to get your ass moving, all the while not losing their sinister edge. They temper all the groove with plenty of straight-ahead death metal that hearkens back to the masters of old like Obituary and Jungle Rot. The vocalist uses primarily a deep, powerful death growl that's quite understandable even without accompanying lyrics in front of me. His patterns are top notch, very rhythmic, and they elevate the music above the level of just ok, to must-hear. The riffs are also nonstop heavy-as-fuck, and they grind away at your ears while making you want to move. That's what good death metal should do. This is one seriously heavy bastard of a record, and I will be adding this to my collection soon. A perfect death metal album.

Recidivist--Madness Malformed (LP) {2024 Creator-Destructor Records}

www.creator-destructor.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Sometimes, when death metal and hardcore meet, a beast is formed that is both catchy, crushing, and aggressive. That's the case here with Recidivist. Weaved in and out of the more typical death metal riffing are riffs that are very hardcore-oriented, with that bounce we all associate with the genre. However, here they're positioned in such a way that it elevates the music to something more than hardcore masquerading as death metal, and turns it into just good, hard death metal with simpler, catchy riffs. I'm a huge fan of certain bands like Jungle Rot and Mutagenic Host who do the same thing, and it works so well here. Some people have compared this band to Gatecreeper, and I guess I can see that at a basic level, but they're really nothing alike to me once you really get into what the bands do. Recidivist keeps their music mostly in the mid-tempo range, focusing on the heavy and aggressive guitars, with the drums' driving beats inflicting violence behind them, in much the same way as the first couple of Grave records accomplish. The vocals are deep, strong, powerful death growls, and they perfectly mirror what the music itself is trying to accomplish: violence. I'll be attempting to hunt down this LP now that I've heard this record, and I encourage deathmaniacs who are into simpler, easier-to-digest death metal to seek this out. It's catchy as fuck, and I can't put it down. They get bonus points for the Night of the Living Dead sample at the beginning of the record, too.

Ganglion "Humanity Refined" (Review)

Ganglion Humanity Refined

2025 Independent (Digital)

ganglionhtx.bandcamp.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I've had a streak of great albums come over the "review desk" lately, and this is one of the best of the bunch, a perfect outing from this Houston band. They play a brutal almost Assuck-style death/grind with a heaping dose of intense Repulsion-like thrash over top of it all. This serves to absolutely multiply the intensity of the music, and it's like taking a freight train to the face. They shift from strength to strength on this record, never overusing anything in their arsenal, and leave me wanting more songs. The songs are played with frantic speed most of the time, and there are hooks galore, which is where they truly shine. These are memorable songs even at breakneck speed, short songs be damned, the snare drum hammering like a stuttering machine gun through it all. A label needs to step in and give this a proper physical release, I would love to have it in my collection. It's a great record, and the band should be proud. I'll be listening to this one over and over.

Gutless "High Impact Violence" (Review)

Gutless High Impact Violence

2024 Dark Descent Records (CD) / Me Saco Un Ojo (CS/LP)

darkdescentrecords.com

mesacounojo.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Albums like this are why I'm still reviewing after all these years (I started in the early 2000s). This Australian band has delivered a nuclear bomb of an album, and it should escape no serious deathmaniac's ears. It's a perfect record, and leaves me wanting more. Hailing from Australia, this is the first full length from this squadron after a demo, a split, and a live record. I was excited to see a former Sewercide member in their ranks, I like that band quite a bit. Gutless play heavy as fuck, groove-oriented death metal, 90s style, with absolutely vicious riffs and great songs stuffed full of brutality and intensity. The badassery never stops, with pit-inducing riffs, neck-snapping rhythms, and songs that stick in your head almost instantly. They're extremely tight, and nowhere is this more apparent than when they blast, the guitars and drums sticking together like glue. The cover of the record evokes the albums of the past mightily, and for some reason reminds me of Garbage Pail Kids art, probably due to the vivid (lurid?) colors. I went to the Dark Descent site immediately to see if it was still in stock and I snagged myself a copy of the cassette (along with a cassette copy of the newest Malformed and Devil's Force by Nifelheim), and I plan to blast my eardrums until they're dead once it arrives. This is not an album to sleep on - go get it, steal it, kill for it. You have to hear it. This should, if justice is served, be hailed as a classic in the years to come. It's every bit the brick to the face the album art depicts.

Violent Testimony "Aggravate" (Review)

Violent Testimony Aggravate

2025 Horror Pain Gore Death Productions (CD)

horrorpaingoredeath.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the first length from this Wyoming grindsquadron. They play a catchy mixture of death, thrash, and black metal on a grindcore chassis and it's absolutely wonderful. They remind me slightly of Rotten Sound, if only for their song structures. This is vicious stuff, violence in musical form, here to take your worthless fuckin' head. This is very original material, also - other than the Rotten Sound comparison I made, it's unique and I can't think of anyone they truly sound like. The consistent power of the blast beats brings to mind classic records like Panzer Division Marduk. They have the same rabid energy and quality of composition that it takes to make a great record with this much blasting. This one just grabs hold of you and won't let go at all, drowning you in the turbulent atmosphere. It's equal parts piss, vinegar, and violence! Their vocalist is a formidable force, belting out his lines with power and conviction. They also know how to slow it down and bring the heavy like on "Left to Rot," among other tracks, to give us a break from the grind for a few seconds. This is a perfect record and I am now a fan, and I can't recommend this highly enough. Mandatory purchase - don't let this one get by you!

Atomic Witch "Death Etiquette" (Review)

Atomic Witch Death Etiquette

2025 Redefining Darkness Records (CD, LP)

www.redefiningdarkness.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the second full length from these Cleveland death/thrash masters. They deliver brutal thrashing death metal with a heavy dose of brilliant technicality, reminding me of luminaries like Hellwitch or Demolition Hammer, even Razor and Destruction, but with a heavy dose of death. The singer is truly unique - he shifts from a growl to a yell to a falsetto (yes, a falsetto) in one measure sometimes, and it works. The drummer is wildly talented, all over his kit with all sorts of fills and rolls. The guitars are nonstop aggressive thrashing hell, with top notch riff after top notch riff. We even get melodic solos from time to time. How can this be death metal, you ask, if there are so many non-death metal elements? Trust me, it just is - there's no doubt about it. "Worms and Dirt" has some of the most aggressive riffing I've heard in a long time, and the vocal lines are perfectly sung and punchy. I think I love the singer's delivery most of all, intense, snarling, and evil above all else. This is truly unique shit, and not one other band sounds like this. They've bottled lightning on this album and it is absolutely perfect. Buy it, steal it, kill for it, just go get it.

Crimson Butchery "Stalker" (Review)

Crimson Butchery Stalker

2025 Iron Fortress Records (CD/CS)

www.ironfortressrecords.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I didn't think it would happen this fast, but we have our second perfect rating here at Ominous Vomit for a record in 2025. Crimson Butchery has done it with their forthcoming effort! I remembered really liking this band's last record, so I jumped at the chance to review their brand new album for Iron Fortress Records, a label that I think has some of the strongest up-and-coming death metal bands today. This is yet another masterful musical performance from Crimson Butchery, I dare say even better than the prior record. Gone are the super obvious bass drops I disliked last time, which is good.. Still present are the sick-as-fuck solos, vicious pounding thrash metal riffs, and the hard-ass grooves that made their last record so special. I still hear a lot of Cannibal Corpse influence, from the more death metal-style riffs to the vocal patterns, which is just fine by me - wear those influences on your sleeves! They seem to lean even more into the thrash on this record, which really works when they toss a blast beat underneath it all, amplifying the intensity off the scales. Their formula really works for them, and they've really found their voice with this album.  The breakdowns, when they come in either the form of a thrash riff or a slam riff, hit as hard as a Dying Fetus breakdown. Somehow the monster grooves are even more monstrous this time around, and the constant little fills and rolls the drummer employs really makes things shine, just like the consistent variation on riffs does by the guitarist. I finally figured out that these guys remind me of the bands coming out on Razorback Records in the 2000s, like Ghoul or Frightmare. Thrash-oriented death metal was and is still the name of the game with those two cults, and even the artwork, being almost comic-book in nature, reminds me of those bands. This is no knock - those are some of my favorite bands, and Crimson Butchery fits well right in between them, and outshines them musically. This is one seriously strong record, and it should be making waves in the death metal scene. If it doesn't then death metal has to catch up. Buy this shit or die having inferior taste in music.

Storm Death "Chaos Will Reign!"

Storm Death Chaos Will Reign!

2025 Suicide Records (CD)

facebook.com/SuicideRecords

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I don't often hand out a perfect 10/10, and I have a lot to say about this record. This is vicious death/thrash with excellent vocals, but let's not stop at death/thrash as an explanation of their sound. They employ so many more influences than that. The guitar solos are fantastic and they feature prominently due to the long songs. This Chilean band absolutely blew me away from the first, epic, ballsy 10-minute track. Beginning with a song that long is a move not many bands would make, and these guys pulled it off. It's heavy, memorable, filled with killer hooks, and they really know how to ramp the intensity up and down to keep the listener interested. There's even an acoustic interlude that builds back up to an explosion quite spectacularly. I instantly became a fan after just this first song. Every song afterward is also perfect, and they consistently explore sonically with their instruments. I even hear little tinges of Emperor when they shift into a more black metal style of riffing during the record's frostier moments, and the deeper vocals the singer employs reminds me of Archgoat. He uses these for emphasis - his normal voice is a mid-range growl. They're always doing little fills and things throughout the record that really set the music apart. No one else sounds like this. Each track, from first to last, is a monument to death metal majesty with epic riffs and a brutal assault on the senses. This is a record you absolutely have to go track down and get, even if it's digitally, if you want to hear a modern death metal record that's perfect in every way. I even went and tracked down their first album as well. I suggest you do the same.