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.

Human Filleted "Blunt Force Embludgeonment" (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.

Human Filleted Blunt Force Embludgeonment

2010 Sevared Records

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

From Sevared Records comes this hefty slab of fucking heaviness!  One of the best brutal death metal albums I have heard all year, the new effort from Human Filleted never lets up and never takes its boot off your throat.  From Cannibal Corpse-esque guitar harmonics to Texas-style breakdowns, to moments of true technical ability, this is exactly what brutal death metal fans are looking for in a record.  Totally filthy subject matter is also in abundance here, but we all know this is not as important as the music itself.  The gore-soaked diatribes contained here are some of the nastiest I've ever deciphered, and they are backed by a band that relentlessly grinds through songs with reckless abandon and tight playing.  Any brutal death metal fan will love this record, that I can promise.  The tight snare sound brings me back to the mid-90s sound of which I am most fond, and the guitars have that peculiar heavy sound to them, but with a thin crunchy edge that also seemed to prevail in most 1990s brutal American death.  Americans still do death metal better than most other people on earth, and I love the fact that we get that recognition.  Fans of Gorgasm, Devourment, Dehumanized, Fleshgrind, and all gory brutal death take note - you need this, and you should kill to get it.

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.

Vorum "Grim Death Awaits" (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.

Vorum Grim Death Awaits

2009 Woodcut Records

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Vorum is the single best death metal band from Finland I've heard in the past five years, hands down.  Taking traditional Finnish/Swedish style death metal and putting it through a blender with more American style rhythms and drum work, we get a grind-ridden, diseased masterpiece of a record.  My only problem - it's too short!  However, this definitely adds to the mystique of the album, overall.  Short enough to leave you wanting more is something that is sorely lacking in today's overblown, over-recorded, and over-produced death metal scene.  These gents have achieved production values that are at once powerful and murky, culminating in that oldschool feel that we all love when we hear it.  This is the same love we develop for the sounds of old Grave or Incantation or Suffocation.  Murky, yet talented and cutthroat.  From the short, sharp shock of their grinding moments, to the slower, doomed-out feel of some of the songs, to the neckbreaking riffs spewed forth with abandon from the buzzsaw guitars, this is the definition of brutal European death metal.  No more do I want to hear the sounds of mid-90s American bands copied!  Vorum is the real deal, and real death metal fans should track this down at all costs.

 

Deadspawn "Bile of the Gods" (Review)

Deadspawn Bile of the Gods

2025 Independent (Digital)

deadspawn.bandcamp.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Once in a while I come across a band that should be signed but isn't. Now, that may come down to them wanting to control their own destinies, and I respect that, but I feel like a label would be able to push this record into some hands that wouldn't grasp it otherwise. Blackened death is the name of the game here, with attack riffs galore. It's excellent stuff, intense with machine gun drumming that cranks up the velocity just right. There are many melodic leads and some dueling guitar solos, and they're all good. The riffs themselves are a pure fusion of black metal and death metal techniques, melded for intensity and perfect flow. This is a band for guitar fans, mark my words. There are even some memorable vocal patterns in "Architect of Atrocity" and "Graveline," and this is the sort of thing that elevates the record above the mediocre efforts in the scene. This is worth tracking down, even if it doesn't have a physical format yet, it will not disappoint. Plus, you'll support the band directly, obviously, through Bandcamp, which is always a worthy cause.

Nameless Gods "And That Sigil Meant Death" (Review)

Nameless Gods "And That Sigil Meant Death"

2024 Thanatology Productions (CD) / Brutal Cave Productions (CD)

namelessgods.bandcamp.com

4/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is death metal from Brazil, notable for a slow, occult death metal sound with melodic and morose songs. Excellent musicianship is featured here, but the songs aren't terribly memorable or energetic. The bass sound is pronounced, drawing attention to the quality playing on offer, and it's a thick and heavy sound. There are also fantastic guitar solos, plenty of melody, and some guitar harmonies. Overall, though, for all that it has going for it musically, it lacks intensity and some heaviness. It's just too slow for my taste, and not crushing enough. It's a bland and rather generic record, and I can't call that good.

Cogort "And Oppressed We Shall Be..." (Review)

Cogort "And Oppressed We Shall Be..."

2024 Independent (Digital)

cogort.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Death metal from California is what's on order here, a debut full-length album after an EP and a single prior to this. The gents have a humorous and probably unhealthy preoccupation with reptiles and swamp life, which is a weird fuckin' thing to write about, but I won't complain when the tunes are this good! I also will not dismiss them as a joke band, as they are clearly not a joke. Thick, chunky death metal riffs meet a very good recording, warm with excellent drum sound. Good musicianship and classy songwriting are also featured heavily. The song titles are humorous satires of popular metal songs in many cases, with examples like "Caught in a Marsh" or "Bonded by Bog," but the songs themselves are anything but a joke. This is good, solid death metal with tongue firmly in cheek. I'd compare them loosely to 1990s Floridian death metal crossed with Nunslaughter crossed with Massacre or Pungent Stench, with other styles popping up here and there, but with morbid solos and a lot of punk attitude and energy. "Jesus Toad" is a standout track, just heavy as fuck and interesting musically, although it's not the only memorable song here, it's just the one that stuck out the most. I'd like to see this get a physical release, so any enterprising labels should get in touch with these guys and do it. There are a lot of good death metal records out these days, but nothing really like this. And bonus points for the oddball Crocodile Hunter samples. That's weird enough on its own to stand out!

Plasmodulated "An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell" (Review)

Plasmodulated "An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell"

2025 Dawnbreed Records (CD/LP), Gurgling Gore (CS), Personal Records (Digital)

www.dawnbreed.com

www.gurglinggore.com

www.personal-records.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Of course when I saw the cover of this album I had to cover it. There's puke. This is Ominous Vomit. Anything puke-related gets covered! Anyhow, this is the debut LP for this Floridian band, and it's a damn fine effort. They evoke the 1990s greats while having their own well-defined sound, both technical and hook-laden. Sometimes they even border on the atmospheric like a lot of European death metal, as well. It really is beyond a pigeon-holed description, other than this is real death metal for underground metalists who like good, heavy, morbid music. The drums keep it interesting during the slower songs, and the guitar solos are actually worth hearing, unlike a lot of death metal solos. "Excess Virulent Seepage" shows off the band's technical prowess, but they don't dwell overly long in that territory, and get right back to being vicious and heavy. I respect a band that doesn't lean strictly on their technical ability and attempts to write actual songs that rely on that technicality instead. I keep coming back to one point - this is a unique sounding record with great songs, and I can't endorse it more fully than that. 

Premethius "Aftermath..." (Review)

Premethius Aftermath...

2025 Independent (Digital)

music.apple.com/us/album/aftermath/1823474337

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Chicago has produced quite a bit of quality death metal, and this is no exception. This one-man outfit has finally released this full-length, so far just to streaming channels that I am aware of, although I wouldn't rule out a physical version since they've had dealings with Iron Fortress before for a cassette tape. Prior to this record they've had some EPs and singles, and there's been a clear progression to this point, each release being slightly better than the last. Stylistically, this is slower brutal death metal like Chunked, Gutricyde, or earlier Putrid Pile, but quite often slower than any one of those bands (except maybe Chunked). The drums could be a bit more varied, but they'll do. This is clearly a guitar-driven project and that's where the talent really lies here. This man can play. The vocals vary between growled and guttural, and are well done. The focus is strictly on heaviness here, not speed or technical prowess, though. The heaviest bastard on this album is "Hanging Corpse," and gives this record some much needed speed and variety, and I hope this project continues in that direction. I'll wait to hear more.

Mortual "Altar of Brutality" (Review)

Mortual Altar of Brutality

2025 Nuclear Winter Records (CD/LP/CS)

www.nuclearwinterrecords.com

BADASS SONG TITLES: Mortuary Rites, Necromancy Ritual, Dominion of Eternal Blasphemy, Skeletal Vortex, Altar of Brutality

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

All hail Costa Rica, god DAMN. What a record! I was so happy to hear something this good after so many middling efforts met my ears lately. This is the first full length from this band after a small collection of splits, EPs, and a demo. Mortual has strong musicianship, excellent songwriting skills, and a badass vocalist with deep, strong tones. Their songs have perpetual forward motion, which is what I like in a death metal record (hell, a metal record in general) - there is no ponderous bullshit here. It's attack, attack, attack. Tons of great riffs and variety in the songs kept me interested throughout, as did the seriously heavy guitar tone. It reminds me of the best of the '90s, particularly Deicide for some reason, even though they sound nothing like them. It's the energy of the music itself, it has the same velocity and inertia that their early recordings (and the most recent one) had. I love this record. This is proper fucking death metal. I encourage anyone who is a fan of real death metal to give this a listen and more importantly, buy the motherfucker. You won't be sorry.