Gouge--Pure Deathfuck (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Hells Headbangers Records}

hellsheadbangers.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Again, Hells Headbangers has scored with this release, as they consistently do. It's amazing to me that a label's releases can so closely align with my own musical preferences. Gouge is back after eleven long years to deliver five tracks of pure Repulsion-style death metal as it was meant to be played. There are perhaps little hints of Impetigo influence at work here as well. The vocals are still as unhinged as ever, hearkening back to a time when death metal vocalists pushed at the edges of what thrash vocalists were doing - these aren't growls, but they're definitely death metal vocals, in other words. The production is clear but raw, and reminds me a little of Horrified, but with modern recording technology. It definitely adds to the band's personality, making them sound different than other bands of today. From what I can tell it looks as if the CD version comes with bonus tracks that consist of their out of print debut EP Doomed to Death, which is a good move. This is a quick listen at just shy of twelve minutes but you'll want to replay it at least once since the songs are all excellent.

Desolus--Dwellers of the Twilight Void (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Hells Headbangers Records}

hellsheadbangers.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

After reviewing several lackluster records in a row, I needed something to pick me up out of my funk and knock me on my ass, and this album did it. I knew it would since I've seen this band live twice and both times they were world class, and very easy guys to chat with. If you're unfamiliar, they play evil '80s style death metal (at least it's death metal to me), super-fast at all times. They're somewhat similar to Dark Angel and Sadus with their relentless attack, but with a deadlier atmosphere and sicker vocals. They continue with the material that was featured on their first record, System Shock, which I immediately bought after I saw them live for the first time. This time the production seems better than on the first record. They're a perfect band for Hells Headbangers as they bleed the old, evil metal spirit that so many of their bands do. I love the rapid-fire vocal attack and I'm glad to hear they haven't shifted their style at all - they just keep murdering and murdering. Some people wouldn't classify this as death metal, but I sure do, because this sounds like the masters of '80s death metal reincarnated. 

Caustic Phlegm--Purulent Apocalypse (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Hells Headbangers Records}

www.hellsheadbangers.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the bastard son of Swedish-style death metal and goregrind, and it's a hell of a combination. A one-man act from the UK, Caustic Phlegm is one of the dirtiest-sounding fucking things I have ever heard. Even some horror movie style synths appear on the record to really set the mood for this gross shit. The vocals are outrageous, with pitch-shifted effects that make the singer sound like he's gargling toilet water (turds probably intact). The riffs are catchy as fuck and all the songs are very well written, with hooks galore, even with the toilet vocals involved. The album cover fits the music so well, it's just perfect, with a diseased fungus creature and sickly greens and purples. The production has a layer of filth over it that further enhances the dirtiness of the record and really gives it a unique character. This is truly original shit, and a thousand percent worth your money.

Perdition Temple--Malign Apotheosis (CD/LP/CS) (2025 Hells Headbangers Records}

www.hellsheadbangers.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the fifth full length for Perdition Temple since their debut in 2010, and the fourth for Hells Headbangers. Perdition Temple is the spiritual successor to Angelcorpse, carrying on that style and bringing it to ever more ears with each record. They're also one of the bands that has usurped Morbid Angel's vacant throne as kings of Satanic death metal. They've become better with each release, never losing intensity or deciding to experiment unduly with their sound. Of course, all the lyrics are still as Satanic as ever, as you'd expect them to be. One thing I love that they do once in a while is throw in a blazing fast solo where it makes sense to do so - this helps break up the songs nicely and gives us a different aspect of the band to appreciate. Malign Apotheosis is a mighty effort of true death metal, a towering paean to malevolence and heaviness, and more sinister than most black metal. It's an album you should make sure is in your collection.

Melting Rot--Infatuation with Premeditation (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Hells Headbangers Records}

www.hellsheadbangers.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Melting Rot play absolutely furious deathgrind that takes no prisoners and gives no fucks. The vocals are ultra-guttural most of the time, but some different styles of growls present themselves from time to time. It's a masterful performance from the vocalist, overall. The guitars are down-tuned into hell and blown out, and they fill out the record nicely, taking up a lot of real estate with the mammoth distortion. The riffs are devastating, and at times incredibly catchy, with a real sense of hook. Grind is difficult as far as writing catchy songs since everything goes by so quickly, but these boys have pulled it off, and every song here is memorable. Some more so than others, but they have a baseline of being catchy overall. This is a band that would be at home on a death metal show as well as a grind show, and they truly straddle that line. I'll be buying this one, and all grind freaks should do the same!

Evil Damn "Eons of Horror" (Review)

Evil Damn Eons of Horror

2025 Hells Headbangers Records (LP)

hellsheadbangers.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Reeking of Abominations-era Morbid Angel and the brutal South American scene, this is the first release in five years for this Peruvian outfit, serving to re-introduce this venerable band to the masses with a five-song EP. The vocals are unhinged, less growled than gruffly yelled or screamed, and they're quite unique. He doesn't sound like anyone else. In the title track there is a melody played over top a great deal of the song, and it's incredibly catchy and occult-sounding. By the second track, "God of Chaos," they've tossed that morose melody aside in favor of distinctly South American-sounding brutality. Panning the mid-song drum rolls left to right was a great idea here. It caught my attention! The production is clear but there's still an element of rawness to it that gives this record its own feel and identity, like the albums of old. This is well worth buying, and I highly recommend it to the true deathmaniacs that are looking for true underground death metal.

Deceased "March of the Cadavers: 40 Years of Death Metal from the Grave" (Review)

Deceased March of the Cadavers: 40 Years of Death Metal from the Grave

2025 Hells Headbangers (CD)

hellsheadbangers.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This release stands as a monument to one of the most important death metal bands of all time. It's a great collection of Deceased's best works over two discs, visiting upon all eras of the band. Every record and lineup is represented here. There's also re-recorded versions of "March of the Cadavers" and "Sick Thrash," from their first demo. This best-of charts the path from Deceased being one of the earliest pure death metal bands to the death metal-influenced heavy metal they now play. It's shown as a seamless transition, and it is a great way to sample all their works in one place. I'm a fan of all their material, but the modern version of the band may be my favorite. My tastes have grown (or regressed) right along with their progression as a band in many ways. I still think of them as purely a death metal act, albeit one that plays this form of music much differently than the average band, and it sets them apart. No one sounds like Deceased, in the past, or now. If you're unlucky enough (you don't have that Luck of the Corpse) to have never heard them, or are a younger metalist, definitely start here, and start at the beginning of the first disc. You'll hear a tale of horror that you don't want to miss.

Death Yell "Demons of Lust" (Review)

Death Yell Demons of Lust

2025 Hells Headbangers Records

www.hellsheadbangers.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Big things were expected when Death Yell announced their comeback some years ago, and signing with the mighty Hells Headbangers solidified, in my mind at least, that it was going to be a good record, since that label seems to cater exactly to my tastes most of the time. It was a good record. So when a second record was announced, I was eager to hear it, of course. Death Yell's style hasn't changed much, if at all, since the infamous demo days, and the metal world is thankful for that. It's still just as extreme and vicious, as heavy and fast, and as well written and well played as the last record. The vocals are still raw and throaty in the mid-ranges, the instruments clean and well-recorded. Hooks abound in these songs and the listener can tell the band has really focused on craft here - these are memorable songs. Anyone whose taste runs to extreme thrash, black metal, or death metal would do well to pick it up and give it a listen. It should satisfy on all those vectors. I know I'll be obtaining a copy for myself before long. I'm glad a band like this has returned to give us those albums they couldn't in the late 80s and early 90s, it's been worth the wait.

Disfigured Dead "Visions of Death" (Old Review)

Using the Internet Wayback Machine, I was able to cull a few of my old reviews on the old Ominous Vomit site for use here! Enjoy.

Disfigured Dead Visions of Death

2010 Hells Headbangers

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Once in a while an album comes along that embodies all that death metal fans, when we discovered this type of music, latched onto and held dear to our shriveled black fucking hearts.  Hearkening back to the genre's forefathers (Autopsy, Death, Possessed, etc.), Disfigured Dead resemble the late 80s and early 90s version of death metal perfectly.  Everything I love about death metal is here - aggressive and powerful vocals, fast speeds, thrashing riffs, and morbid subject matter.  These gents have embedded honesty in every sick song on this album, and this is easily one of my top albums of the year.  If you remember (and long for, as I do) the feeling that Scream Bloody Gore or The Ten Commandments or Beneath the Remains had, this is something that you should consider a must-hear.  There is no severe digital production, or over-the-top technical prowess, or time signatures that only a calculator can figure out.  It's simple, it's direct, it's in-your-face, and it's true death metal.  Hells Headbangers have a keeper on their hands - and this is saying something considering the incredible bands that are featured on their roster these days (Acid Witch, Speedwolf, Evil Army, NunSlaughter, and Destruktor to name but a few).  Buy or die!

Nunslaughter "Black" (Old Review)

Using the Internet Wayback Machine, I was able to cull a few of my old reviews on the old Ominous Vomit site for use here! Enjoy.

Nunslaughter Black

2010 Hells Headbangers

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

By now, we know what to expect from this band, which happens to be my favorite band of all time.  Ripping.  Satanic.  Thrash.  They make no bones about the fact that they play death metal the old way, and simply write what they are good at - simple, catchy, blaspheming, two minute songs.  Since their rise to royalty in the underground, there have been quite a few acts that have tried to copy what they do, and invariably it sounds forced.  NunSlaughter never sounds forced.  This is honest music, written by metalheads for metalheads.  I bought this on CD and 7" EP when it came out, and I am pleased with both.  The black-on-black look of the packaging is awesome.  NunSlaughter always puts serious effort into their releases - most of them are flawlessly presented - and that commitment to quality makes it worth the hard earned dollars we NunSlaughter fans lay down for their music.  The 4 songs on this release are all great, but the standouts are "Yet the Odor Still Lingers" and "Grave Grave".  Excellent fuckin' tunes that are awesomely catchy, with lyrics growled with tongue firmly in cheek.  I love the pervasive sense of humor this band has about things - even when they are firmly offensive, it has an air of humor about it.  It's great stuff, and if you have not heard this band and had your face shredded by them, then you haven't heard real death metal yet.

Destruktor "Nailed" (Old Review)

Using the Internet Wayback Machine, I was able to cull a few of my old reviews on the old Ominous Vomit site for use here! Enjoy.

Destruktor Nailed

2009 Hells Headbangers

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Firmly rooted in the old schools of black and death metal, Destruktor deliver a nuclear fucking bomb to the face of the metal scene every time they release an album.  They've stepped it up on this one, from playing to songwriting to lyrics.  Their seamless blend of genres is a welcome cacophony - thrash, death metal and black metal all find a home in each and every song on this album.  As a death metal fan, I insist that this is essential listening.  They embody the Australian approach to blackened death and they can also play their instruments well.  Not many of the current wave of brutal black death metal bands are this capable.  The riffs aren't too simplistic, and the drums are light fuckin' speed and spot-on time-wise.  The vocals are powerful low roars, which all good death metal must have.  A death metal band without perverse or powerful growled vocals is just shit.  All told, it's an album that I find difficult to get out of rotation, being every bit as awe-inspiring as the newest Nile or the debut Nocturnal Graves album.  Death metallers need this album, period.  Get it or die unsatisfied.

Gravewurm "Blood of the Pentagram" (Old Review)

Using the Internet Wayback Machine, I was able to cull a few of my old reviews on the old Ominous Vomit site for use here! Enjoy.

Gravewurm Blood of the Pentagram

2010 Hells Headbangers

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Rarely can I say that I know exactly what I am in for when I first listen to an album.  Even Cannibal Corpse surprises me with their newfound ultra-technical leanings.  However, there are a few bands that I can honestly say put out the exact thing I expect them to, and Gravewurm is one of them.  Do not mistake:  this is a good thing.  I love when I can buy a record and I get exactly what I expect.  Not every band is that consistent or loyal to their following.  What Gravewurm offers up on this, their final record, after twenty years of existence, is simple, bare-bones, black/death the old way.  Think old Sodom, old Varathron, and NunSlaughter.  I respect the amount of time these blokes have spent in the underground and the faithful following they've built up.  That said, I have a few complaints.  The drum machine.  I hate it.  Period.  It's very samey-sounding from song to song, and without a ton of variation in the riff-work on the guitar, I found myself periodically bored.  Also, the vocals have never typically been a high point for me with these guys.  I've never been a fan of the approach the vocalist takes, as he's very breathy and raspy, rather than powerful.  Just not my thing, and it sounds a bit weak.  A few songs really shine, like the title track, which kept me hooked and definitely won me over, but for the most part, this one is forgettable, much like most of their back catalog.  Trust me, it'll be kept around the house for those few tracks that I loved, but it's not something I'm rushing out to get immediately in my favorite format, vinyl.  Get it if you dig these guys, don't if you don't.  Simple as that.

Grave Desecrator "Insult" (Old Review)

Using the Internet Wayback Machine, I was able to cull a few of my old reviews on the old Ominous Vomit site for use here! Enjoy.

Grave Desecrator Insult

2010 Hells Headbangers

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Many are the bands today that look to the bestial styles of Brazil for inspiration.  However, once in a while a band comes along that does everything correctly - Grave Desecrator is one of those bands.  From the sound (very organic), to the songwriting (well done!), to the image of the band (denim and leather), everything screams 1985 Brazilian black/death on this record.  Of course, the recording is better than those days, but that is to be expected and desired.  Grave Desecrator have captured the essence of Sarcofago, Sepultura, Sextrash, and similar bands, all the while melding it into a framework of bestial black metal.  This is easily one of the best bands in this style in existence today, and they fit the Hells Headbangers roster perfectly!  The songwriting is really what grabs my attention.  It all stems from good arrangements and interesting riffs, with plenty of hooks to grab the attention of the listener, all without giving up the extreme nature of the music.  Tech death fans won't be into this as much, but those of us who enjoy the primitive sounds of the old school will love it.  This is a very special band that needs to be heard, and fans of any of the bands mentioned above would do well to snap this up.  It won't kill you with chaos the way some bestial bands do, and it is thoroughly METAL.  I can't recommend this highly enough.

Acid Witch "Stoned" (Old Review)

Using the Internet Wayback Machine, I was able to cull a few of my old reviews on the old Ominous Vomit site for use here! Enjoy.

Acid Witch Stoned

2010 Hells Headbangers

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Fuck, I love this band.  I've never been a huge doom freak, but this band has pulled off such a totally original sound, and I am so impressed by their continuing progression within the boundaries of that sound, that I must scream their praises from the lowest pits of hell to the front doors of the house of Nazareth.  Acid Witch have blended classic-sounding horror music with heavy doom death, and it's a truly captivating mix.  Their obsession with horror fuels the imagery, and the vocals are straight out of the bubbling cauldron from whence their songs come.  They've taken the style established on their debut record on Razorback to new heights, and they've found a new home, and an appropriate one at that, with Hells Headbangers.  The closest approximation of their sound I think would be if Black Sabbath had been born and bred on death metal and did nothing but watch 70s and 80s horror films.  I can't say much more than just do yourselves a fucking favor and buy this!  True cult death for the true fans.  This is a band who will never grow dull, and I appreciate every note they play.  The organ playing during the songs is totally awesome, and it sets them apart.  More please!    This will be in my top five for the year, easily.

Deceased "Children of the Morgue" (Review)

Deceased “Children of the Morgue”

2024 Hells Headbangers / CD, Cassette, LP

www.hellsheadbangers.com

BADASS SONG TITLES: Terrornaut, The Reaper Is Nesting, Eerie Wavelengths, Skull with the Vacant Stare

BADASS TRACKS: Terrornaut, The Reaper Is Nesting, Eerie Wavelengths, Brooding Lament, Farewell (Taken to Forever) – yes, I like the aggressive shit the most.

This is one band I don’t need to spend time describing. They’ve been around since the original wave of death metal, weathered all manner of storms between then and now, and came out the other side stronger and ever more focused. If you don’t know who Deceased is, you can chuck your fuckin’ backpatch right in the trash, because you’re not a metalist at all.

Along the lines of their classic record “Supernatural Addiction” comes this new masterpiece of the metal of death, “Children of the Morgue.” It’s a damn fine record by a damn fine band. I can’t think of another band that has had as many different stylistic leanings as them over the years that has kept me as a fan, and I think that’s down to Fowley & co.’s understanding of what makes something metal. I tend to gravitate to bands that don’t throw me curveballs, but every one that Deceased has thrown me has been a positive one. They’ve been playing in this style for a while now, and I think it suits them well. I got into them back in the Relapse days with “Blueprints for Madness”, back when I was finding my footing in metal (when that came out I had turned 15 that summer), and I’ve loved them ever since.

Melding classic heavy metal with what we normally associate with death metal was a stroke of genius on their part years ago, and continuing in this vein was a great decision. There are all sorts of Possessed-style moments on this record, but there are also elements of the heavy metal greats of yore, with melodic leads and excellent riff-work. Just listen to the beginning of “Eerie Wavelengths.” It’s got it all! Deceased is not all brutality, but it is all death metal. I think you’ll understand what I’m trying to say. The chops on display, musically, are on par with the best musicians in metal. But all of it, and I mean all of it, makes you bang your fuckin’ head. And the lyrics are up there with King Diamond for storytelling. Each song is like a short horror story. Not to mention King Fowley’s vocals are as strong as they’ve ever been, and they still have that nasty edge to them.

I can’t recommend this album highly enough. None of it disappoints, sonically it's perfect, the short instrumentals add to the feel of the album, and the ghostly childrens' voices here and there on the record are totally fucked, they’re spooky as shit. Every song is different and memorable, and a little sonic journey all its own. I hope these gents continue to make music and keep Deceased going as long as they can. We are the ones that are rewarded, as fans, when records this good come out.