Blast Agony "Cradle of Brutality" (Review)

Blast Agony Cradle of Brutality

2024 Rapture Records (CD)

rapturerecords.com.br

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Brazil's Blast Agony has given us their first full length, and it's a great one. It's a twisted, brutal amalgam of older Suffocation- and Krisiun-style death metal with more than a little of the South American brutal death metal sound. The stiff blasts and double bass never let up, and that's not a defect or a way of hiding anything - these guys can fucking play. The bass is high in the mix, prevalent and rumbling away, mimicking the riffs for the most part. The vocals are viciously growled, but some of it is slightly muffled like on the first couple of Suffocation albums. Little technical flourishes abound in all the brutality, like the interplay between the bass and cymbals or the wicked-ass gravity blasts. It really separates these guys from the crowd. Elements of grind really raise their head in the fast-as-fuck "Out of Control," which is aptly named. Each of their songs is quite different even if their speed pigeonholes them a bit - multiple listens or a particularly astute ear, however, reveal all the little hooks in the music that at first glance may appear not to be there. This album has layers. The vocals become more diverse as the album progresses, from the muffled gutturals to growls to roars to higher-register snarls. The vocalist does everything, sometimes in one song (at least I assume this is all done by a single vocalist). Here and there the band does slow down and give us some groove, like on the title track. This is powerful and honest brutal death metal, and worth tracking down if you're into the sick shit.

Rapid Fire Reviews (Morgue, Disrupting, Cranial Disorder, Blast Agony, Brutally Deceased, General Fibrosis) (Review)

Morgue Close to Complete Darkness

2024 Godz ovWar Productions (CD / LP / Cassette)

godzovwar.com

BADASS TRACKS: Doorways in Crimson Red, Disobedience

BADASS SONG TITLES: Sacrificial Blood, Speculative Fall of the Human Race, Death in Communion

From the same French unit that brought us the almighty Artgore comes this newest effort. This is intense grinding death metal that is quite musical, with lots of repetition in the riffs and good songwriting. The vocals are almost a gurgling growl and remind me a lot of early Amorphis. There are quick changes, good riffs, and excellent drumming throughout this record. They somehow manage to be atmospheric while they blast away, I think due to some of the riffs that would normally be presented with a slower drum pattern by other bands. Their sound remains unique all these years later, especially the warm and well-recorded way it's presented.

Disrupting Conceive to Obliteration

2024 Coyote Records (CD)

www.coyoterecords.ru

From Brazil come Disrupting, and they're technical, brutal death metal with a lot of musicality. The vocals for some reason remind me of Disavowed - perhaps it's a tonality thing. It's not bad, but nothing that blew me completely away. I felt the songs could be a little bit more well-defined, but it may be just the style that is turning me off. There are a lot of dissonant riffs, and we all know how much I like those. It's almost an instant turn-off for me. Perhaps the tech-heads might disagree with me on this record, but that's just my tastes. I wouldn't turn the record off for any reason, but I won't be spinning it often. The cover art is badass, though. I love it.

Cranial Disorder Congenital Depravity

2024 Lethal Scissor Records (CD)

www.lethalscissor.com

This is sold brutal death metal in the tried and true Indonesian style, with plenty of blasting and staccato riffs. The vocalist is excellent. His tones are quality, and his diction (read: understandability) is good. The songs don't stand out as much here, as they blend together a bit due to the style, but the brutal-heads will like this, I'm sure of it, since I am one, and I liked it. I just thought it could be just slightly better in the songwriting department - give me something to make the songs a bit more different from one another. I'll be on the lookout for what this band does next.

Blast Agony Cradle of Brutality

2023 Rapture Records

rapturerecords.com.br

BADASS SONG TITLES: Blood of the Inhuman Torture, Resurrection Absurd, Devourer of Flesh in Spirit

Brazil belches forth another brutal band! There is clearly some Krisiun influence here, and that is understandable. Not only are they death metal gods, but they hail from the same country. For some reason the vocals remind me of some of Severe Torture's material. I hear some Gorgasm in the riffing as well. This is pretty good stuff with decent song structure. The vocal performance is unique and unhinged, almost stream of consciousness in its delivery at times. The music is relentless and intense, and there are some great hooks hiding in these songs.

Brutally Deceased Chasms

2024 Doomentia Records (CD)

doomentia.com

This is Czech death metal that sounds a bit Swedish, but encompasses a lot of different styles of death metal all at once, shifting from violent blasts to ripping melodic death thrash and back again. The musicianship is excellent, with great guitar solos and memorable riffs all throughout these songs. The vocals are very deep, sinister, and rhythmic in their delivery, just how I like them. Every song has great parts, and each is distinct. This is an excellent record and should be getting massive praise!

General Fibrosis Crossbreed Generation

2024 Coyote Records (CD / Cassette)

From Russia comes this band of brutal metalists, with an impeccably recorded, slam-heavy record of death metal. I wouldn't qualify them as a slam band, but a straight death metal band that uses quite a few slam riffs. The slam breakdowns on this record are inventive and emphasize the violence of the music above all else. Comparisons to Kraanium or Analepsy might be made, but they have much more focus on evil-sounding riffs than those bands. This is a seriously heavy record with memorable songs, and it just well-written death metal all around. I recommend it!