Emaciated "Death from the Southwest" (Review)

Emaciated Death from the Southwest

2025 Independent (Digital)

emaciated.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I'm not sure how many bands I've ever heard that come from New Mexico. Not many. If this is anything to go by, they may have a great sound over there. This is simple but very effective death metal that reeks of the 1990s American scene but is infused with thrash and some hardcore riffs. They employ very effective songwriting with clear verses and choruses. The guitar solos are especially good and well-structured to fit the atmosphere of the music. The vocal patterns are rhythmic and powerful, adding layers to each song. A fine job. There are some nods to Bolt Thrower style melodies in the song "Yawning Corridors of Gehenna," which was a nice touch. Lots of furious thrash riffs exist in these songs as well, from Slayer-like breakdowns to Demolition Hammer style speed. They have big headbanging breakdowns, when they employ them, and the room almost got thrashed a few times. This band would fit right in with the current 1990s-worshipping death metal bands that have a slight hardcore edge. No boundaries are being pushed here, but that's not the point. The point is just solid fuckin' death metal, full stop, and that's what they deliver.

Pandemic Outbreak "Torment Beyond Comprehension" (Review)

Pandemic Outbreak Torment Beyond Comprehension

2025 Godz ov War Productions (CD/LP/CS)

godzovwar.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Pandemic Outbreak give us a mix of Bay Area style thrash while adding death metal of the highest order to the mix. This mixture of material gives them a fresh sound among all the mediocre death metal bands of the day, and I think it will serve them well. At times they remind me of Death, at other times Demolition Hammer, and yet others of the German thrash masters. The vocalist has clearly focused on his delivery. His growls are rhythmic and well-placed. There isn't a lot of power behind the vocals, though, it's more of a spoken growl. It fits, though, and allows the singer greater pronunciation overall. This band can really write a song, with each track distinct and different, yet forming a whole that's clearly the same band. One moment that immediately stood out to me was the absolutely brilliant dueling vocal section in "Consumed by Flames." I can still hear it in my head. Just a monster hook. Some maniacs might be put off by the lighter sounds the thrash side of the band brings, but I am perfectly fine with it. Track it down and worship it!

Pseudomaimer "Cavernopathic Autoentombment" (Review)

Pseudomaimer Cavernopathic Autoentombment

2025 Independent (Digital)

pseudomaimer.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Brutal death metal from Finland with a tinge of the old school and goregrind is what's on offer here. The album has a noisy, loud production, but it fits their style and makes them stand out a bit. Your ears adjust after a while. They remind me of Catalepsy from the Heralds of Oblivion compilation from 1993, even the vocals have a similar aspect, but Pseudomaimer isn't as groove oriented. Lots of blastbeats help elevate this from standard fare as well. The riffs may be a tad simplistic, but they do seem to work well, especially when they're arranged this competently. Pseudomaimer is good at songwriting, with memorable hooks and grindcore influence abounding. The blasts are truly fast and furious, in the same way that Replusion's blasts are. In the end it's a solid mix of American brutal death metal and Scandinavian style that's worth a listen.

Atomic Witch "Death Etiquette" (Review)

Atomic Witch Death Etiquette

2025 Redefining Darkness Records (CD, LP)

www.redefiningdarkness.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the second full length from these Cleveland death/thrash masters. They deliver brutal thrashing death metal with a heavy dose of brilliant technicality, reminding me of luminaries like Hellwitch or Demolition Hammer, even Razor and Destruction, but with a heavy dose of death. The singer is truly unique - he shifts from a growl to a yell to a falsetto (yes, a falsetto) in one measure sometimes, and it works. The drummer is wildly talented, all over his kit with all sorts of fills and rolls. The guitars are nonstop aggressive thrashing hell, with top notch riff after top notch riff. We even get melodic solos from time to time. How can this be death metal, you ask, if there are so many non-death metal elements? Trust me, it just is - there's no doubt about it. "Worms and Dirt" has some of the most aggressive riffing I've heard in a long time, and the vocal lines are perfectly sung and punchy. I think I love the singer's delivery most of all, intense, snarling, and evil above all else. This is truly unique shit, and not one other band sounds like this. They've bottled lightning on this album and it is absolutely perfect. Buy it, steal it, kill for it, just go get it.

Hallucinating "Carnage" (Review)

Hallucinating Carnage

2025 Independent (Digital)

hallucinatingmusic.blogspot.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the first full length from this Italian death squad. It's solid, cleanly produced brutal death metal that wouldn't be out of place in the American Midwest in the late 1990s. There are plenty of big chunky slam riffs and lots of double bass. The blasts set this apart from other brutal bands. They're really well done - the stop/start double bass in tandem with them is great. I'd be curious to find out if these are sampled drums or performed since this is a one-man project. The riffs are creative and although fairly standard for brutal death metal, they're put together with great songwriting skill and the songs are quite catchy. My nemesis the "bass drop" makes a few appearances but it's relatively inoffensive here. There is a technical side to the music as well and the man behind the music, Federico Romano, can clearly fuckin' play, and play well. He doesn't try to overdo the technical aspect and makes sure he gets back to the heavy very quickly. The breakdowns are insanely heavy and catchy, and you'll thrash the room when they hit. The vocals are mostly guttural but high vocals are used for emphasis, and his patterns are rhythmic and memorable, accenting the riffs and drums perfectly. This should be one you go track down if you like the sick shit, you'll thank me later.

Rottenatomy "Deadly Vortex" (Review)

Rottenatomy Deadly Vortex

2024 Independent (CD)

rottenatomy666.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This Slovakian legion can write a fucking song! The tracks are full of groove but also plenty of pleasantly interesting riffs. When they blast, they go all-in with truly fast blastbeats. The vocals are powerful and deep, no half-assing it here at all, and the singer has developed good memorable vocal patterns. Some of the grooves remind me of Unleashed, as does their sense of melody (when it emerges from the brutality). Of course, as soon as I make this comparison, they throw something completely different at me - they have a real variety of riffs and aren't afraid to use them. They have one of the best guitar tones I've heard in a while. There's even a lot of 1990s Florida in their sound, particularly Deicide during slower parts. All this is played at a highly proficient level, and they aren't afraid to be technical here and there. We also get a Demigod cover as an added bonus, which is always welcome. This is solid death metal for the true death-heads, so track it down.

Blood Bringer "Dead World" (Review)

Blood Bringer Dead World

2025 Independent (Digital)

bloodbringer1.bandcamp.com

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Blood Bringer is a death/thrash unit from Germany with a melodic streak, but in a more classic thrash metal vein than in a melodic death metal way. Their verse/chorus/verse songwriting is very effective and works to make their music somewhat memorable. Solid heavy riffs sandwich the melodic passages that wouldn't be out of place on a Bay Area record. The vocalist has a unique low growl, sorting of reminding me of Stevo or Jim Sadist, but lower and more horrific. He has a good rhythmic delivery with decent patterns. The riffs in the third track, "Forest of the Damned," wouldn't be out of place on a speed metal record, and this is largely the story of how this album sounds, and they're one of the more unique bands I've heard lately due to this. Each song is vastly different, however, yet it doesn't sound cobbled together. It's a cohesive effort. They're mid-paced quite a lot, with very few truly fast parts, and that's just one more reason I'm impressed they keep my attention (I usually don't like slower death metal at all). This, however, really works. It may not be the most impressive thing I've heard so far this year, but it's quality nonetheless.

Pure Massacre "Altar of the Scum" (Review)

Pure Massacre Altar of the Scum

2025 Alkolik Holocaust Records (CD) / Sick Rites Records (CS)

facebook.com/Sick-Rites-Records

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

A fairly new project from Argentina, this is the band's first EP, with one split and a demo coming before. The mainman of Abominablood is also the driving force behind this project, so I knew I had to check it out. Pure Massacre plays furious death metal in the ancient style with vocals that land somewhere between John Tardy and Martin Van Drunen stylistically. The music itself falls into the category of modern bands sounding like the 1990s again, but this is no weak attempt at nostalgia. This is the real death, death metal by death metal fans for death metal fans. The drumming helps this record stand out, having a perfect drum sound for this type of death metal. Standout track "In Life Melted" starts with one heavy fucking riff with a solo on top, before launching into a groove in the first verse. This is easily the best track on the record. "Altar of the Scum" manages to slow down and maintain interest, being heavy enough with enough hooks to keep my attention. This is an excellent introduction to this band's style, and I want to hear a full length next.

Zombie Ritual "Day of the Zombie Demons" (Review)

Zombie Ritual Day of the Zombie Demons

2024 Bang the Head Records (CD)

facebook.com/BangTheHeadRecords

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Japan is a wild place for metal, and one of the best examples of this wildness is Zombie Ritual. They were once on the highly-regarded Razorback Records, and their sound fit that label well, with its focus on grind-influenced thrashing death metal with a horror fixation. Their legacy lies in these high quality bands, and Zombie Ritual is among them. I stopped following Zombie Ritual after the Razorback days, for no particular reason other than they escaped my notice. They're still playing zombie-obsessed death/thrash - so obsessed in fact, that the word "zombie" features in every song title. Stylistically, imagine a newer version of Bay Area style thrash with blastbeats and insane vocals, with grindcore influences. In fact, the vocals are crazy in a way only Japanese bands can deliver. It's as if one of the zombies they love to write about was performing the vocals, with all sorts of weird groans and half-pronounced words. Nobody sounds like Zombie Ritual, and all these years later they're still plying their trade, and that is to be commended. If you're into the old Razorback style, you could do worse than check this out.

Abominablood "Darkness in Planetary Transmutation" (Review)

Abominablood Darkness in Planetary Transmutation

2024 Putrid Cult Records & Ablaze Productions (CD) / Anti-Human Productions (CS)

putridcult.pl

6/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is the third full length from this Argentinian band, consisting of one member who handles everything, L. Warpig Venomous Abominator, which is a mouthful to say or type. Abominablood plays vicious and vile black/death metal that owes a lot of its pedigree to Blasphemy, Conqueror, and other similar bands that we sometimes call "war metal." It's a mixture of dark death metal and blasting black metal with rasping growls. There are some interesting tricks, though, like haunting guitar solos (or perhaps textures would be a better word for these), and generally a more death metal approach to the music. The songs are generally memorable, which is a little unusual for this style. Most bands that play this warring style get hemmed in by speed and brutality to the point where repetition is the only way out. Not so much here. When they slow down occasionally, they get truly heavy with big, open, chunky riffs. I found a lot to like here, and while it didn't shatter me and make me rush out to buy it, it's a good listen. Recommended for those who like the style.

Blood Offer "All That Dies... Is Forsaken" (Review)

Blood Offer All That Dies... Is Forsaken

2025 Iron Fortress Records (CD/CS)

ironfortressrecords.com

9/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Italy's Blood Offer give us thrashing death metal in the classic style, not unlike Death, Massacre, Mortuary (Mex), or Demolition Hammer, even Nunslaughter. I do perhaps hear a hint of the Australian sound, too, like Nocturnal Graves. Whatever the case, this could have come from the steaming swamps of Florida in the 1990s and stood tall. Hooks abound, especially when they switch from one technically proficient riff to another. There are tiny little musical flourishes everywhere on this record that really grab your attention. The drummer especially stands out, anchoring the entire performance, and he has personality to his playing, which is unusual in death metal. The tempo changes often make the songs, and the little stop/start moments in some of these songs are fucking killer. I like the use of reverb on the vocals, it makes for a totally occult feel, and the singer's delivery is both powerful and rhythmic, which I prefer to anything else. When these guys slow into a groove they make sure to take our heads with them, firmly decapitating us with headbanging power. The biggest takeaway: these guys can write a fuckin' song, and each song is distinct. That's how real death metal is made. Iron Fortress has found yet another young band doing things the right way, and are quickly becoming one of my go-to labels for finding great stuff.

Grotesque Desecration "Dawn of Abomination" (Review)

Grotesque Desecration Dawn of Abomination

2024 Inherited Suffering Records

inheritedsufferingrecords.com

2/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Grotesque Desecration from Russia have given us their first album, and it's no fucking good. Fuck bass drops. They completely ruin what is actually a decent, simplistic brutal death metal record with a ton of  heavy slam riffs. They have some unique riffs that stand them apart from the pack, but 10 bass drops in the first three tracks alone is so distracting that this shit is unlistenable. There is no need for this bass drop bullshit in death metal. What the fuck are they there for, emphasis? For fuck's sake, let your music do the job. If it's good you wouldn't need all that shit. Skip this one unless you happen to like bass drops relentlessly force fed to you.

Putrescent "Darkness Embraced" (Review)

Putrescent Darkness Embraced

2025 Rotted Life Records

rottedlife.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

L.A.'s Putrescent grace us with their first full length, and they've had just one EP prior to this, so I was interested to hear what they had to offer being such a new band. They remind me a tiny bit of Demolition from L.A., but not necessarily because they sound exactly like them; there are just a few things that remind me of things Demolition would do musically. The drumming is stiff, militant, and I love the drum sound. It's punchy and easy to listen to. The vocalist could expand his patterns a bit more with a more rhythmic approach, but what he's doing serves them well anyhow. He tends toward long growled and drawn out syllables. The guitars have a bit of fuzz to them that reminds me of the early 1990s, as does their songwriting, but that's a good thing. There's almost a war metal aspect to this album, too, at times, with perhaps some Blasphemy influence. Overall, it's an impressive debut, and a band I look forward to hearing more from in the future.

Trephining "Cranial Offerings" (Review)

Trephining Cranial Offerings

2025 Fucking Kill Records (LP)

trephiningdeathmetal.bandcamp.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Switzerland's Trephining give us a monster of a record with their first full length, of which I hope there are many more to come. They play solid 1990s style death metal with a distinctly European flavor, and more than a few Swedish-tinged riffs. The riffs themselves are big, memorable, and aggressive. The vocals are unique - their vocalist sounds like no one else, helped out by the fact that she is female, so her tones are different. She manages to sprinkle in some gutturals but mostly sticks to the middle register, and the patterns are great. She has plenty of personality. Perhaps there's a little Asphyx influence to her style? I seem to hear some. All the performances here are tight and powerful, spiked with an almost Celtic Frost-like punked-up atmosphere. The recording is perfectly raw, rough around the edges in just the right ways, giving the record a distinct feel, but also maintaining clarity. This is comfort food death metal - a tried and true formula done extremely well and with a genuine love for the music. Go fucking find it or die in ignorance.