Rotten Soil--I Worship Death (Digital) {2026 Independent}

rottensoil.bandcamp.com

3/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS (8/10 FOR THE VOCALS)

This is the second full length from this German death metal band. They play rather simple death metal, firmly rooted in the sounds of the '90s. There are two vocal styles at work here. The first is a deep growl, a chesty, powerful roar that reeks of death. His tone here rather reminds me of Dan Swano on earlier Edge of Sanity material. The second is a high-range, raspy growl, and is used to trade off with the lower vocals, as well as layering for effect. Unfortunately, the riffs here are nowhere near as interesting as the vocals, being pretty average overall, and failing to capture my attention for the most part. There are no defects in the playing, just that the riffs aren't terribly awesome. In the end, the awesome vocals weren't quite enough to save this one for me.

Ephemerality--Obsessed with Homicide (CD) {2026 Brutal Cave Productions}

brutalcaveproductions.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This is a one-man death metal project from Romania that's remarkably well-played and well-composed. It reminds me just a little of early- to mid-period Death at times, and that's not a bad thing. I think it's the vocal cadence over some of the picking and melodic passages that give me that feel. Of course, this is just an influence showing through. The guitar solos are excellent, soaring over top the death metal when they appear. They're not throwaway solos, they have musical value, and they show the skill of the guitar playing. There is a brutal side to this band as well, and blastbeats are used sparingly but effectively to increase the violence of the music at appropriate times. The songs themselves are quite varied and are dynamic, sticking with the listener sometimes immediately. The production of the album is quite nice, very natural sounding, and doesn't give me ear fatigue while I listen. That is a huge plus. One thing that stuck out to me is the quality of the vocals, most of them being mid-range growls, but there is some experimentation here and there on the album as well with different styles. I really liked the dueling vocals at the beginning of "Necrophilicon." Overall, this is fairly unique music, and was definitely a nice change of pace to review.

Nuclear Tomb--Terror Labyrinthian (CD/LP/CS) {2024 Everlasting Spew Records}

www.everlastingspew.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Nuclear Tomb play death thrash somewhat reminiscent of the great Coroner, with a similar level of technicality and musical talent. I enjoy the little sweep accents like at the beginning of "Vile Humanity," and there's a lot of little embellishments like that on this record, showing off their mastery of their instruments and craft. As technical as the band is, they're not overplaying. This is just their style, and a damn fine one. You won't get lost in the songs due to confusion over masturbatory playing, rather you'll get lost in them because they're well-written and entertaining. This is unpretentious technicality that is balanced by plenty of savagery, and it's metal as fuck, much in the same way as a band like Hellwitch. To my ears, this isn't just thrash, but first wave death metal with a dose of technical thrash. As such, it deserves inclusion in these pages. It's quite a ride from start to finish, and I listened to the album at least three times to let it sink in, because this was required of these songs. I could have written the review based on first impressions only, but I don't think I would have truly heard these songs if I had done that. 

Constant Torment--Suspended in Desolate Permanence (Digital) {2025 Independent}

constanttorment.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Constant Torment play somewhat technical death metal that definitely reminds me of early Suffocation. The guitars are nice and thick and create that chunky wall of distortion this style needs, while the drums (very convincingly programmed drums) and bass do their thing behind it. I was surprised when we got a rather melodic solo in the song "From Vitality to Stillness," because that's not usually in the cards on a brutal release like this. Let's talk vocals, since that is my favorite part of this (or any) release. The vocals here are powerful, dominating growls, and all with a perfect tone. The singing remains quite understandable even without lyrics in hand. Let me stress how difficult that is to do - you often have to adjust the vocal pattern to remain understandable while growling and have excellent control of your throat and mouth, and this has clearly been planned meticulously. I'll wait for the next record to see if I declare myself a fan of this band, but I am definitely a fan of the vocals laid down here, and I'll be waiting to see what this band does next.

Vengeance Horde--Rising Vengeance (LP) {2024 Nuclear War Now! Productions}

www.nwnprod.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Here we have some truly vicious black death metal from the US, and it reminds me of Angelcorpse mixed with Bestial Warlust. One man does everything in this band and he does it all extremely well, even the drums, which notoriously suffer in a lot of one-man projects. This is about as extreme as it gets this side of grind and war metal, and I love every minute of it. I always saw this style as a natural progression from extreme thrash and early death metal, and you can draw a line directly to this from Possessed and Bathory with a stop-off at Angelcorpse and Blasphemy. The drums blast most of the time but the songwriting is dynamic enough to withstand it, and still the songs remain varied and distinct. The vocals are a harsh mid-range raspy growl like many of the bands mentioned in this review already. This is the true shit, for true metalists, and you should do the work and get a copy of this (you might have to get on Discogs to find one)! And take a look at that promo photo, the guy's a beast!

Scorching Tomb--Ossuary (CD/LP/CS) {2025 Time to Kill Records}

www.timetokill-records.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

I'll say it again - I'm a fan of the new wave of death metal bands that are taking inspiration from the masters and updating the sound in ways they see fit. Scorching Tomb fits right in with acts like Sanguisugabogg and 200 Stab Wounds with big chunky riffs and lots of groove to get your ass moving, all the while not losing their sinister edge. They temper all the groove with plenty of straight-ahead death metal that hearkens back to the masters of old like Obituary and Jungle Rot. The vocalist uses primarily a deep, powerful death growl that's quite understandable even without accompanying lyrics in front of me. His patterns are top notch, very rhythmic, and they elevate the music above the level of just ok, to must-hear. The riffs are also nonstop heavy-as-fuck, and they grind away at your ears while making you want to move. That's what good death metal should do. This is one seriously heavy bastard of a record, and I will be adding this to my collection soon. A perfect death metal album.

Brain Stem--Nullified (CD/LP/CS) {2025 CDN Records}

www.cdnrecords.com

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Brain Stem play modern sounding death metal with plenty of groove and a quite percussive attack, with plenty of technicality. During their more melodic moments (which are few and far between) and during some of their groovier moments, they remind me of Kataklysm, even though they don't sound terribly like them. It's more the rhythms that make me think of them, and the songwriting. The drummer turns in a fabulous performance and I would definitely consider him one of the top drummers in the scene today. In fact, all the instrumentation is this talented. The guitars and bass are technical, and weave a tapestry for the drums to color. The vocals are the high point here. They're incredibly well-sung, using all sorts of growling techniques, sometimes in the same measure, and the vocalists delivery is rapid-fire and forceful as fuck. He elevates this from just another talented tech death offering to something I want to listen to, because of his vocals. He also knows when to use each of his different growls for maximum effect, and routinely embellishes his lines with little grunts or extraneous roars. It's quite the performance, and one I'll be listening to again soon! I hope to add this to my collection at some point.

Phlegmesis--The New Wave of Rotten Fornication (CS) {2024 Iron Fortress Records}

www.ironfortressrecords.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

When I saw this band had a song called "Puke Your Guts Out" I had to review it. We love our fellow vomitfiends here at Ominous Vomit! This is heavy, simple death metal with one goal - to stomp the life out of the listener. The vocals are echo-filled, sounding like they're recorded in a cave in the fashion that's so in vogue right now. I love all the little synth accents and passages in "Viagra Overdose," it fits the music and rather reminds me of the way Acid Witch adds synths to their shit. They continue to add these throughout the album, and it really provides atmosphere, and is a unique take on death metal. I thought the title of the album was apropos, this band is definitely part of the new wave of death metal in the scene and they do share some sonic qualities with the big bands like Sanguisugabogg and 200 Stab Wounds. The song titles are absolutely badass, like "Septic Euphoria," "Filthspeak," and "The Excremental." This is filthy stuff, and I highly recommend it to those metalists searching for the most dirty underground bands they can find.

Funeral Whore--The Crystal Lake Massacres (CD) {2024 Brutal Insanity Records}

funeralwhore.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Hailing from the Netherlands, this is Funeral Whore's fourth full length. What we have here is an entire album of material based on the Friday the 13th film franchise. It's been done before, but I don't think it's ever been done this thoroughly, touching on many of the movies in the series, with samples from a few. In their sound I can hear Autopsy, Cianide, Nihilist, and even Mortician due to how blown out the bass and guitars sound at times, and the riffing. The drums are super thick and heavy, almost muddy, which just adds to the overall malaise of this record. The vocals are a deep growl that isn't the most powerful but reminds me of the early 1990s in the way the lyrics are delivered and his cadence, almost like Chris Barnes' early work. This would honestly fit right in with all the old Razorback bands like Frightmare, Ghoul, and Engorged, not necessarily in style, but in content and atmosphere. It's a fun ride, and one the real deathmaniacs should at least hear once.

Coffin Curse--The Continuous Nothing (CD) {2024 Memento Mori Records}

www.memento-mori.es

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Chilean band Coffin Curse has been around since 2012, and this is their second full length. I can hear a myriad of influences in their sound, but most notably Autopsy, Morbid Angel, and Deicide. If I had to guess, I might also accuse them of having Sadistic Intent and Possessed as influences! I can hear it in the riffs and the drumming. The guitars are quite bright on this recording, and the record is rightly focused on them, but all the instruments are audible and the mix is perfect for death metal. The rhythm section gets a real workout, with the bass and drums working in tandem to create a rumble to rival any band, and sticking tightly to one another. The vocals are a deep growl with some serious power behind it, with a rich tone and a chesty sound with excellent vocal patterns. There are some really catchy songs here, with the most catchy probably being "Reeking Filth of Ages," with its stop/start beginning. Plus, that song title kicks ass. This entire record is worth hearing, and this is indeed a bit of an older release so it might be harder to find, but it is indeed worth it.

Orbstruct--Ostracism (CD) {2025 Paragon Records}

www.paragonrecords.org

8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

This death squad hails from Ukraine, and has delivered their third full length, this time for Paragon Records. They play extremely heavy death metal with a decidedly old-school leaning. I can hear influence ranging from Incantation to Vader in their sound. The vocals are guttural growls and they make extensive use of layering on the recording for both emphasis and effect. They may be slightly high in the mix, but this is nitpicky. They use quite a bit of groove to make their riffs catchy, and it works like a charm on tracks like the eponymous "Ostracism," a clear stand-out track on the album. The guitarists are riff masters, with badass riff after badass riff emanating from their cabinets. They use varying degrees of technicality, and are clearly masters of their instruments. Their songs tend toward being a bit long, with most in the four to five minute range, and they balance their compositions in such a way that the songs don't seem to take that long at all. The CD itself deserves a note: it's a digipak, which I like, and the lyric sheet doubles as a band photo poster, which is a great idea and sets this release apart a bit. Usually it's a booklet stuck in there, but a poster is top notch. This is one the real death fiends should hear, and while it didn't completely blow me out of the water, it got pretty damn close, and that's a feat that shouldn't be ignored. I'll be watching for more from this band. It's got to be hard to create music while a war is going on in your country, and I wish them luck and success.

Recidivist--Madness Malformed (LP) {2024 Creator-Destructor Records}

www.creator-destructor.com

10/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Sometimes, when death metal and hardcore meet, a beast is formed that is both catchy, crushing, and aggressive. That's the case here with Recidivist. Weaved in and out of the more typical death metal riffing are riffs that are very hardcore-oriented, with that bounce we all associate with the genre. However, here they're positioned in such a way that it elevates the music to something more than hardcore masquerading as death metal, and turns it into just good, hard death metal with simpler, catchy riffs. I'm a huge fan of certain bands like Jungle Rot and Mutagenic Host who do the same thing, and it works so well here. Some people have compared this band to Gatecreeper, and I guess I can see that at a basic level, but they're really nothing alike to me once you really get into what the bands do. Recidivist keeps their music mostly in the mid-tempo range, focusing on the heavy and aggressive guitars, with the drums' driving beats inflicting violence behind them, in much the same way as the first couple of Grave records accomplish. The vocals are deep, strong, powerful death growls, and they perfectly mirror what the music itself is trying to accomplish: violence. I'll be attempting to hunt down this LP now that I've heard this record, and I encourage deathmaniacs who are into simpler, easier-to-digest death metal to seek this out. It's catchy as fuck, and I can't put it down. They get bonus points for the Night of the Living Dead sample at the beginning of the record, too.

Ranzer--Leidkultur (Digital) {2025 Independent}

ranzer.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for d-beat crust punk. It's another musical love of mine, even though I haven't been involved in that scene much. I stick to my metal scene, but welcome the crossover potential of different bands, and Ranzer is one of them. They play a mixture of death, thrash, and crust, heavy on the crust on the musical side and heavy on the death metal on the vocal side. They bring a punk sense of melody to their material while the d-beats hammer away behind the music. Because all the songs are in German, I can't say what their songs are about but if I had to venture a guess it would be war, the misery it brings, and capitalistic exploitation. The cover screams it with some very Warhammer 40K-ish imagery, reminiscent of what we expect of crust and of death metal both, and has a very crust aesthetic with mohawked demons and industrialized human zombies. This is honestly as pure a blend of crust and death metal as you'll find, being evenly balanced, and it's not pretentious, it's just what these gents happen to play.

Lay Waste--Lay Waste (Digital) {2025 Independent}

laywaste2.bandcamp.com

7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS

Lay Waste play harsh HM-2 powered deathgrind that reminds me a little bit of Nasum at their best. They also have quite a bit of anarcho-punk influence in the music and lyrically, as their views and topics skew left of center. The cover is very cool - it's a collage of chaos, of recent events, and of confrontational imagery. That fuckface Elon Musk is on the cover, and just looking at that fucker gets me in the mood for grind this violent. The blastbeats are like a machine gun when present (and they're present a lot), steady and with a heavy snare sound. The guitars are sludgy when they slow down to give us a catchy riff, and they maintain the violent atmosphere perfectly. The more times you listen to this record, the more distinct the songs become, which I find is true of all good deathgrind, because you're able to see past the lightspeed compositions and hear the catchy parts more. I recommend this highly for grind freaks and deathmaniacs alike.

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

facebook.com/testimonyrecords

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.