Pig's Blood--Destroying the Spirit (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Dark Descent Records/Godz ov War Productions}

www.darkdescentrecords.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Wisconsin has given birth to another blasphemic act who bring us their third full length. At first this appears to be more gasmask metal, but upon further listening this leans quite a bit toward traditional death metal and not as much war metal, although there is a very obvious influence at work here from the war metal genre. Folks often compare this band to Revenge and Archgoat, and they're not entirely wrong, but Pig's Blood is much less chaotic and noisy than Revenge, and much catchier than Archgoat. They bring a somewhat Bolt Thrower-esque approach to the style with bulldozer death metal riffs amid all the war metal influence. It's a nice mix, and one that's hard to believe no one has attempted before. It makes this band have a fairly unique sound and that helps them stick out. Vocally, we have some raspy highs and bestial lows, as is standard for the gasmask set. The production sounds like a bit of a '90s throwback and it's nice to hear. It gives the band a different sound than the other bands that share their influences. I'll be interested to see what they do next and how they evolve. 

Diabolizer--Murderous Revelations (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Me Saco Un Ojo/Dark Descent Records}

www.darkdescentrecords.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the second full length from this barbaric band from Turkey. This is proper death metal, reminding me just in passing of Vomitory for some reason I can't pin down, and perhaps a little of Deicide as well. They have a bit of technical flair, with the drums freewheeling behind the guitars that are just shredding nonstop with riffs that really have some inertia. In fact, inertia is a key word here - this band is ever moving forward, never stagnating, always remaining intense and violent, and giving no quarter. Proper death metal, like Diabolizer, never stops being intense and evil, two words which perfectly describe these death-magicians. The vocals are monstrous powerful roars with actual good vocal patterns that key on the rhythms presented, which is my preferred style to listen to, as it lends itself to maintaining that intensity that's so important. This is a fantastic outing, and the band should be proud. I'll be making sure this arrives in my collection.

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.

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.

Malformed "Confinement of Flesh" (Review)

Malformed Confinement of Flesh

2025 Dark Descent Records (CD/LP/CS)

www.darkdescentrecords.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Dark Descent has given us quite a few good releases over the years, but not many stand head and shoulders above the rest like this one. Taking influence both from the Scandinavian (Finnish specifically) and the 1990s Floridian scene (where it wouldn't sound out of place if released back then), Malformed has created an opus of death metal to rival the best. Top notch playing and vocals are on display, with excellent songwriting and vocal patterns. Their solos remind me of the best of Obituary's, with a morbid feel and style. The singer has excellent pronunciation and diction, and his voice is aggressive with loads of personality. He reminds me a little of David Vincent in his cadence, which is rhythmic and sharp. The songs themselves are musically diverse and entertaining, reminding me a little of early Malevolent Creation or Deicide. The bass player is doing all sorts of interesting things behind the music, and is a pleasure to hear. It amazes me that guys this young are playing at this level of proficiency - they're clearly dedicated to their craft. All the references I made above to other bands is not to say that Malformed sounds like anyone specific - they don't. They just do small things that remind me of those other bands. I recommend this highly if you're looking for original-sounding death metal that hearkens back to the sounds of the past. This is badassery of the highest order.

Grave Infestation "Carnage Gathers" (Review)

Grave Infestation Carnage Gathers

2025 Invictus Productions (CD) / Dark Descent (CS)

invictusproductions.net

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

From Canada comes this death metal behemoth, with their second full length. This is dark, almost Incantation-styled death metal but more up-tempo for the most part, with cavernous mid-range vocals and thick-sounding natural drums with thunderous toms. This has the morbid atmosphere of true death metal, evil-sounding and rough. The twisting, diving, dueling guitar solos in opener "Living Inhumation" made me think of Slayer's best moments. At times the dark vibe of this record veers into Autopsy-like riffs, and the vocals accentuate this, being of similar sound to that band at times. This is not to say they are a worship band - they are not. They simply wear their influences on the sleeves of their patched up jackets. This whole record is almost like a portal back to the 1990s in terms of riffs, production, and style. It's top notch, quality stuff that I'll now need to track down and buy.

Phrenelith "Ashen Womb" (Review)

Phrenelith Ashen Womb

2025 Dark Descent Records (CD/CS) / Me Saco Un Ojo (LP)

www.darkdescentrecords.com

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the 3rd full length from these Danish death metalists, and from some very respectable labels. This is more Incantation-style death metal (it also reminded me of Dead Congregation and Immolation), very dark and atmospheric, with a militant drum style (almost Krisiun-like) that's stiff and unrelenting. There's also a very European-style sound interwoven into their sound, hearkening back to the classic acts from Scandinavia, using dark melody in just the right ways. The vocals are good and cavernous, which is usual for this style, but the drawn-out patterns are monotonous, very samey-sounding throughout. Overall, this is satanic sounding, warlike, with a ton of morbid atmosphere, but not memorable. The riffs can be bendy and evil-sounding at times, but they don't really stick in the brain. The solos are appropriately nasty. This isn't catchy stuff for the most part, and there's not much in-your-face brutality to it. The anger isn't there. Just the morbidity. I'm sure this will be right in some folks' wheelhouses, but I prefer my death metal with more rage.

Strychnos "Armageddon Patronage" (Review)

Strychnos Armageddon Patronage

2024 Dark Descent Records (CD / LP / Cassette)

www.darkdescentrecords.com

BADASS SONG TITLES: Pale Black Birds, Sweeping Storm of Suicide, Choking Salvation

From the mighty Dark Descent Records comes the newest effort from Strychnos, who are quality purveyors of blackened death metal. They lean towards the epic, with bombastic sometimes doomed out compositions that nevertheless are aggressive, violent, and entertaining. Strychnos doesn't use much in the way of speed to get their extremity across - there are fast parts in most songs, but the focus is on the haunting melodies and crushing aggressive grooves that beg to snap your neck. The melodies are at once sinister and Satanic, angry and powerful.

The vocals are pure hellfire and brimstone, erupting forth with power and style, mostly mid-range and somewhat similar (in a very, very good way) to some of Necrophobic's work. It takes a talented band to keep my interest with slower death metal, and Strychnos does it well. All the songs are catchy, some to nearly earworm levels. Each song is different, distinct, and well-crafted. There is some clean singing on offer here, but not in a typical style. It reminds me a bit of the clean passages from Emperor or Hypocrisy. The lines are sung in a clear, strong, utterly manly style with morose melody and evil intent. The production  is clean and organic, and each instrument shines, capturing a very live feel.

It struck me upon first listen to this how different it was. This is a unique band that's cobbled their influences together in such a way as to sound quite original, and they don't lean on too many death and black metal tropes to do their jobs. This is a special album, and it should find a place on every death metalist's shelf.