Coffinwood "Acolytes of Eternal Flame" (Review)

Coffinwood Acolytes of Eternal Flame

2024 Independent (Digital)

https://coffinwood.bandcamp.com/

BADASS SONG TITLES: Salvation Through Radiation, Sacrophagus.

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

From the metal reservoir of Poland comes a band with a cool name and a cooler album. This is their debut full-length, with an EP and a single coming before, and I remember liking the EP, but this is a level beyond even that record. Blackened death with a speed-filled attack meets your ears after pressing play, with a very aggressive stance, black metal in its melodies but death metal in its aggression. I was reminded slightly of Destroyer 666, Gospel of the Horns, or even a little of Archgoat or Marduk. But this is more musical than any of them (well, perhaps equally with Destroyer 666). The drummer really elevates this performance, with the proverbial tide raising all boats. It's a masterful performance. The bass tone almost reminds me of DD Verni's on Overkill's W.F.O. album. The singer is strong-throated, with deep tones, perfect for this style, and has developed interesting vocal patterns for the songs. The guitar riffs are supreme. Each instrument adds something special here, and the songs are varied and memorable enough. I want to hear the next effort from this band, but I consider myself a fan already.

Relics of Humanity "Absolute Dismal Domain" (Review)

Relics of Humanity Absolute Dismal Domain

2025 Willowtip Records (CD/LP)

www.willowtip.com

2/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I wanted to like this. The name is cool, the song titles were cool, everything about it was cool. I was let down. This is a tepid toilet bowl of an effort, devoid of almost anything that I like in death metal. Sure, it's well-played and spotlessly produced, but the songs moving like molasses, without any forward motion, really hurts it. It might as well be doom metal. Doom-slam? Perhaps they've stumbled onto a new genre that's just no good. Everything the band does seems slow, even when it's fast, even during blasts. Also, fuck bass drops. There's a few scattered throughout this record. Sure, are there a few hooks that caught my attention? Yeah. Almost every record has one or two. This is heavy and brutal, sure. But so is a lot of other music. The pingy snare gets on my nerves, too. This just isn't my bag.

Ethel Hunter "Absence of Light" (Review)

Ethel Hunter Absence of Light

2025 Independent (Digital), physical coming soon via record label(s)

ethelhunter.bandcamp.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

From Brazil comes this 1990s-death-metal-worshipping squad, and they have a sick-ass Tomb of the Mutilated guitar sound! They deliver mid-paced death metal in the 1990s Florida style, which is a dear favorite of mine, so I was happy to hear it. This is their second full length, and they've released it digitally to streaming platforms before letting this beast out physically. You can search it out via a link on Facebook. A novel approach, and I'll be interested to see if they make a go of it. It wouldn't surprise me if we see more and more of this as time goes on as a strategy for bands to help monetize their music. Musically, this is better than average death metal, but not particularly spectacular. They use chunky breakdowns in good places, which really helps the songs. I do love a good breakdown. The musicianship is tight and professional, of course. The bassist especially shines, widdling away like a madman behind the rest. The record gets a little samey-sounding as it progresses, but they manage to snag my interest back with a good riff here and there. Overall this is good, just not spectacular. I'd recommend it if you're seriously hunting new bands or are a collector of Brazilian death metal. I do wonder what their name means, it sounds like an old-ass American lady's name.

Acrid Death "Abominable Presence of Blight" (Review)

Acrid Death Abominable Presence of Blight

2024 Rising Nemesis

risingnemesisrecords.de

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Chainsaw Swedish style death metal from Germany is what's on order with this release, and a mighty release it is. This is fist-pounding and hair-whipping violent death metal! I'm instantly interested from the very first notes of the first song, and the riffs that follow are violent and crushing. The entire record is fresh take on an old style, and breathes some life into the form, a lot like Black Breath did when they hit the scene. This is better even, since a multitude of attacks are mixed in, from melodic lines to blast beats to furious double bass, along with the standard almost punk feel of the style. Higher vocals also make an appearance, and mix it up in an interesting way. The entire record sounds warm and is easy on the ears, almost enveloping in its fuzzy heaviness. The drums are especially well done, having a bit of a "wet" sound. A lot of galloping pace here, too, which is what I always want in this style, with big riffs over top and tons of double bass. Any serious fan of this style needs this record. It's a modern classic, mark my words. Hopefully the band can follow up this monster of a record with another of the same!

Kaivs "After the Flesh" (Review)

Kaivs After the Flesh

2024 Brutal Records (CD)

brutalrecords.bandcamp.com

BADASS SONG TITLES: Sepulchrist, Beyond the Autopsy, Krushing All Altars

5/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

From Italy comes this Swedish-sounding chainsaw unit with their debut record of death metal. The cover art and logo are excellent. There are decent riffs, decent song structures, and varied songs, but there are some problems. Some of the riffs seem to go on too long without any variation, which lends to the songs blending together a little bit. Some of the vocal lines are delivered in an awkward way as well, but this may be because the band are not native English speakers. Just look at early Sodom and Sepultura and Sarcofago and you'll see the same thing. This stuff is forgivable if you're really a fan of this style, but I had a hard time with it, mainly just the repetitiveness of some of the riffs. "For Satan Your Flesh, For God Your Soul" was a standout track with its relentless pounding, but it could use a breakdown mid-way through.  "Sepulchrist" was easily the most badass song here with its punishing verse riff, and I'd like to see more material like this from the band. It's a fairly strong song. Overall this is for Swedeath freaks who have to hear every band, or fans of old n' morbid n' dirty death metal who want to hear something new. For me, it was a middling record, but not something I'd turn off. I want to hear what the band does next to truly make up my mind.

Ritual of Decay "Among Riotous Eaters of Flesh" (Review)

Ritual of Decay Among Riotous Eaters of Flesh

2025 Maggot Stomp (Cassette)

maggotstomp.bandcamp.com / artists

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is an almost Swedish-sounding unit from Arizona. They get the morbid feel of that old Swedish shit right, with haunting melodies and pounding riffs! This is their newest EP, following up on some splits and EPs prior, and I believe their first for Maggot Stomp, purveyors of hardcore-influenced death metal in the best of ways (most of the time). This bunch of tunes is good, spewing forth chunky death metal with good riffs and solid songs overall, with some truly heavy-ass breakdowns and inertia-driven riffs. It's supremely heavy-sounding. "Dominion" is easily my favorite track with its aggressive pacing and focus on heavy riffing with a hardcore structure underneath it all. Let's all remember that death metal was built on the carcass of speed metal and hardcore punk, so it's all coming back around. I'm glad that it has. Simpler death metal is what I love, and this fits the bill - just heavy, aggressive, and focused on that morbid atmosphere. They bang on the vegan drum a bit, but that's ok, we like free speech here at OV. More power to them. I look forward to their next record, since this one really hit me right where I needed it to. 

Ratings System Debut

I used to love SOD Magazine. I remember they had a scale of 1-10, given in skulls, that always gave me a rough idea what they thought of a record even before I read the review (back then it wasn't so much their opinion that mattered, but what new stuff was coming out!). I'm going to do something similar here, but we're going to used CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS. That's the only way to up the ante! From here on out, I'll give ratings to records. It will also help me when I just can't find enough to say about a band on a record - I can give them a few sentences and a rating and bang, review done. Not that I'm trying to lazy my way out of writing, but you can only say so much about a run-of-the-mill record when it's just not inspiring you to write. 

Ossuary "Abhorrent Worship" (Review)

Ossuary Abhorrent Worship

2025 Me Saco Un Ojo (LP) / Darkness Shall Rise (CD/Cassette)

www.mesacounojo.com / darknesshallrise.de

BADASS SONG TITLE: The Undrownable Howl of Evil

From the land of Wisconsin comes this band with their first full length, preceded by two demos and an EP. I'm not familiar with their efforts before this, so I went into this review blind. Heavy-ass death/doom met my ears when I pressed play, and a particularly nasty and raw variety of it. I'm not a huge doom-head, but this isn't bad and is mostly slower to mid-tempo stuff.

The vocals are cavernous, as is a modern trend for this style, but it's not overdone, and it works for this band. The reverb is actually tasteful here, and it accentuates their style and helps give them their own sound. I like it. The reptilian vocals the singer uses are truly excellent and morbid-sounding, almost sounding like he's being strangled when he drags out a scream. It has to be hell on the vocal chords, but we'll assume he knows what he's doing and won't strain himself! 

One other thing I liked is that, unlike most death/doom, the songs don't just stand still like a dick in a yard - they have forward momentum and more interesting riffing than most bands in this style. If I'm listening to this style, I'm definitely going to gravitate more to this band than many of the others out there. I'm not falling all over myself to go buy it with my aforementioned distaste of death/doom, but I'm not turning it off, either.

Ancient Necropsy "A Mass Grave Under the City" (Review)

Ancient Necropsy A Mass Grave Under the City

2025 A-N Records (CD)

ancientnecropsy.bandcamp.com

BADASS SONG TITLES: The New Era of Witch Hunting, Agents of Decease, Garbage Pail Beings

This is the first full length from Ancient Necropsy in 10 years, their 6th overall. They've been around the block, having albums released on Nice to Eat You, Goregiastic, and Mutilated. That's not a bad pedigree. I remember hearing them around the turn of the century and I remember them being quite loose in execution (I keep saying "they," but it's really a one-man band).

They still have the oddball riffs and pingy snare but the songwriting is miles better than what I remember. There's even surprisingly melodic passages, like in "The New Era of Witch Hunting." There are a lot of guitar harmonies utilized on the record, especially during more technical riffs. Ancient Necropsy has fully developed their sound, and it's quite distinguishable. It doesn't blend in with all the other bands out there in the scene. Other bands could also get a lesson in how to slam properly with the track "Tectonic Shift." That's a heavy bastard.

Overall, this album is a huge improvement from what I remember. There could perhaps be a bit of a better flow to some of the riffs - they can get a little too weird, but I'll take originality where I can get it. The vocals are the strongest part of the record by far, being varied and interesting. They elevate the record above "just another brutal death metal album." The tones and patterns the vocals use are thoughtful, precise, and sick as fuck. Highs, lows, and in-betweens are shown off, and it's a masterful performance in that regard.

Detest "A World Drowning in Detest" (Review)

Detest A World Drowning in Detest

2024 Emanzipation Productions (CD/LP)

emanzipation.dk

This is a solid death metal release. Plenty of everything you would expect in a death metal record is here, with excellent riffs that chug when they need to, sickly solos, and plenty of up-tempo thrash beats. The vocals are very strong, deep, and enunciated with satisfying patterns. Heavy breakdowns get inserted at just the right part of the song, and the heaviness gets turned up just at the right time. There are even melodic sections, but only when they accentuate the heaviness. I recommend this one highly if you like how death metal was performed in the 1990s in Europe, even down to the melodic solos, but with a heavy American-style edge. I wasn't familiar with their past work, but the history of the band is fairly lengthy, going back to 1991 for their first demo. They have the pedigree, and they deliver the goods. What more could you ask for?

Malignant "1001 Ways to Die" (Review)

Malignant 1001 Ways to Die

2024 Independent / Digital

malignant607.bandcamp.com

Here we have some dead basic death metal with a technical edge. Stylistically it reminds me a little of the modern wave of death metal that's pounding about the scene right now, like 200 Stab Wounds or Sanguisugabogg, but with some tech-death flair and a few oddball riffs. However, that's the most interesting part of this record. The songwriting is simple, which is normally a good thing, unless you combine it with uninspired slow dissonant breakdowns that hearken more to deathcore than anything else, and I cannot stand most of that stuff. The band also tries just about every death metal trope that exists on the record, right down to pig squeals here and there, and jumbly tech riffs, to thrash parts, to hardcore breakdowns, but they haven't developed their own sound. Granted, some of the riffs are good, but the songs aren't constructed in an interesting way at all. Shockingly, this is their third full length, and I would have assumed these guys would be a bit more cohesive at this point. Stick to the fast shit and it'll be much better, gents. You start to shine when you speed up and don't try to sound superficially heavy.

My daughter Liv Parrish also drew this killer Nunslaughter logo

My daughter also drew this killer Nunslaughter logo that I'm going to have handpainted onto some patches for me and for the band, so they can have something special with their logo on it. Again, if you want logo work like this, you can get hold of her through this site by getting in contact with me.

Logo by Liv Parrish 2025

 

New Logo

Finally, here it is. My daughter Liv Parrish drew this. If you want to contact her for similar logo work, you can contact me through this site.

Logo Copyright Liv Parrish 2025