Resurrected--Perpetual (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Testimony Records}

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9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Resurrected from Germany return with their eighth full length, and the first in nine years. This was always a band that I was aware of, but had never bought any of their records for some reason. In retrospect, I need to go backward in their back catalog and get some of this stuff! On this record they offer up more of their patented death metal with grind overtones. Their style is very much in the vein of the Floridian masters Malevolent Creation, perhaps mixed with a tiny bit of Immolation, Dying Fetus, and Hateplow. The vocals are a deep roar, a powerful and throaty style that has absolutely no fucking weakness in it. The growls are expressive and creative and the vocal patterns are quite good. He can also deliver a guttural that shames most other singers that try it. The production is a solid modern death metal sound which takes away a bit of their personality but their songs more than make up for it. The riffs are sublime, full of violence, with catchy hooks everywhere, and the songs are focused with ferocity. I can't believe I missed out on this band for so long and never bought any of their material. I have a feeling that's about to change. That logo is still no good, though.

Slaughterday--Dread Emperor (CD/LP/CS) {2026 Testimony Records}

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6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This death metal machine from Germany is releasing their fifth full length, and the first in four years, in February. I've only had limited exposure to them before, so I'm coming into this review blind, so don't expect an analysis of the changes in their sound. To me, these guys sound like a mixture of Autopsy and Grave, dumped into a blender, and minced up slow. The vocals, however, remind me a lot of Vader, due to the tone the vocalist uses and his cadence and patterns. The guitar solos really stand out - they're remarkably like classic heavy metal solos, yet fit the music and mood perfectly, and there are plenty of them. In fact, we get impeccable playing from all the instruments, turning out a perfectly played record. I had a little trouble getting into this, outside of the solos, because the band does focus on slower tempos a lot of the time, but that's just my taste. While not doomy all the time, doom freaks would do well to check this out since it does have many doom-filled moments throughout the record. It's not a bad album, just not exactly to my tastes overall. I give it a higher rating based on the solid vocals, which are a pleasure to hear.

New World Depression "Abysmal Void" (Review)

New World Depression Abysmal Void

2025 Testimony Records (CD/LP)

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5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Here we have the seventh (!) record from this German squad. This is well-recorded, well-performed death metal, but it misses the mark for me. The melodic parts are definitely a throwback to 1990s melodic death metal like At The Gates, and so are certain aspects of the vocals. They have weird, whiny inflection a lot like Lindberg's vocals did, and not everyone can pull that off without sounding grating. It takes a while to get used to this while listening to this record. The slower parts are much like something Amon Amarth would offer, but there are blastbeats here to offset. This lacks some intensity that good death metal ought to have, it's quite plodding. That said, the album does strengthen as it goes along, with a few interesting riffs like the tune "Spoils of War." That is truly heavy. If mid-paced death metal is your thing, you could do worse, but it didn't do anything for me other than a couple of songs.