Demo / EP / Split

Obscure Burial – Imago Mortis [Finland, Death] (2017)

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Self Released | 6-29-17

Well, fuck. It was only recently that I discarded the category of “Single” for this site as bands usually do not release singles. Here we are with a single from Obscure Burial and me looking fucking stupid. I guess a single could work in the same fashion of a demo though this one seems to be from a forthcoming debut. Whatever it is and whatever you want tocall it, the clouds and winds are just right for some hellish storms.

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SunSpell / Suadade – From the Mist… We Are but Dust [US / Canada, Black] (2017)

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Iron Bonehead | 06 – 09 – 17

Reviewing an Iron Bonehead release feels like cheating since this label is legendary for being consistent with their output. Not only does this label find and support great acts, but their status only grows with each release. This is why a split from two up and coming artists isn’t much of a find but rather a sure bet in the gambling parlor of the underworld. Continue reading

Cosmic Void Ritual – Gateways Through Septic Flesh [US, Death] (2017)

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Self Released | 6-7-17

This is it. My everything. Few times is there a corning of an aesthetic that works so perfectly that it is staggering to thing how a band arrived at it. Not only does the Us based Cosmic Void Ritual worship the idea mystic astronomy and Lovecraftian entities but the devotion to surgical autopsy of aliens. While this sounds bizarre and niche, the crawling otherworldly sounds of Cosmic Void Ritual make this short demo / EP more than worth the trip through the astral plane.
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Defecrator / Ritual Genocide – Anti-Human Deathcult/Death Exalted [US, Death / Black] (2017)

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Black Plague Records | 2-20-17

I mentioned before, somewhere on this blog about my love for splits and ultimately the reason why I cover so few. Even though splits are a fantastic way to experience multiple bands and cover a wade expanse of underground, splits are unwieldy when it comes to titling. Multiple bands combined with multiple titles and artwork lead to a cataloging nightmare when it comes to organization. The Defecrator / Ritual Genocide split is no different as it has two titles and is going to be difficult to neatly pack away. Perhaps this is how it is meant to be as it is beyond human with its sound and does not really belong, safe, anywhere. Continue reading

Chorazos – Demo [US, Raw Black] (2017)

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Self Released | 5-29-17

Album art is important ad it seems that the cover for this demo is the same image used on LVTHN’s 2013 demo. The image depicts a woodblock goat which does not seem to have a source material or if it did, it has been lost in a sea of appropriations. Albums covers to stickers, to social media pictures, this particular goat has become almost as synonymous with darkness as the black and white Baphomet image. Perhaps it is like a mantle which gets passed from one disgusting demo to another. Right now it is the dawn of Chorazos.
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Rotten Tomb – Necropolis [Chile, Death] (2017)

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Self Released | 5-3-17

I must have made mention of Chile at one point. For the last year or so, the influx of great death and black metal from Chile and also surrounding South American countries has been staggering. Already this year we had a fantastic demo from Hypnosinosis with Putrid Coffin a close memory in 2016. While metal exists in many countries without pause, the type of metal and the bands that nail the aesthetic and sound is the most important. With the tone and timbre of Rotten Tomb’s first EP, these guys are ready for something perhaps anything.

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Ühtceare – La Inexorable Amargura En La Existencia [Argentina, Black] (2017)

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Self Released | 05-15-17

I usually joke about finding bands that are nowhere to be found on the internet. When I found the La Inexorable Amargura En La Existencia demo, I thought I struck gold and could retire early. Here was a fantastic Argentinian atmospheric black metal demo that had two mentions on Facebook and no Metal Archives entry. If band discovery was investment stock, this has the potential to be gigantic.

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Draghkar – World Unraveled [US, Death] (2017)

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Self Released | 2-3-17

I am so late on this one. This release came out in February and was given to me by an acquaintance. Reviewing things from people I know personally is odd since I feel the need to either be brutally honest or exceedingly positive. From the few albums on this site that are from acquaintances, they are included since I actually enjoy it, with Draghkar’s demo being one of them.

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Jera – Jera [US, Black] (2017)

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Self Released | 3-26-17

I think at one point, I will do an article or feature of local Baltimore / DC metal bands that I inadvertently have contacts through or at least see at multiple shows. Jera was something that I have see really early in their career with even a live show without a singer. This first demo (?) represents the start for a band who is trying super hard not to wipe their shoes before entering the house.

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Sores – Demo I [Greece, Black] (2017)

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Self Released | 3-21-17

Since we are not keeping track, this recommendation was totally stolen from a friend who also scours the internet for cool black and death demos. I would have found this eventually but it is good to have more eyes lest we all miss something. I say this all now since the debut demo from Greek black metal act Sores is not only blistering buts its precision execution combined with what sounds like the band turning to ash and cinder is something remarkable.

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