Death

HECATOMB – Horrid Invocations [Austrailia, Death] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-27-20

If you have not seen the band’s profile picture on Bandcamp, take a gander at a raw and grainy photo which completly fits the music. Somewhere out in the woods are two figures weilding rusty tools in your face. There are about a 12 Hecatombs so it is difficult to parse through all of the different bands but if you ever get lost travel towards the sound of ripping steel and animals going into a frenzy. In this short debut demo, the listener is given a glimpse of chaos which has perpetual motion and a force which tears through the countryside. Through blown out production and an air of raviging terror, Hecatomb has made a demo that is one of the most powerful statements this year. To what they are declaring, I do not know, but I am frightened and enthralled.

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Witch Ward – Sacrificial Monolith [US, Punk / Metal] (2020)

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Caligari Records | 5-1-20

It is true that Witch Ward only has one preview track available. it is true that preview track is 9\around 90 seconds. It is true there are better descriptions out there than just “punk/metal.” It is true, there is a lot of uncertainty about this release that could give moments of pause. This, however, is alleviated seeing it is from Caligari, which is one of the top labels in the trade of absolutely vile material. Through that 90 second preview track, one is exposed to a blistering world of raw insanity that reeks of body odor, stale beer, and grave soil. I will patiently away the release of the whole record but I can already tell its going to be a party in Hell.

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Spitgrave – Purge [Portugal(?), Black / Death / Thrash(?)] (2020)

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MIASMA OF BARBARITY | 3-30-20

Miasma of Barbarity is a Portuguese label that puts out really gross things. Spitgrave was the first thing i found from this label and despite its odd looking logo, was two tracks of blistering death/thrash that was like a sledgehammer of riffs in a darken closet. I have put lots of question marks on this entry since I do not really know due to its primitive nature. What I do know is this swings and most certainly leaves a wound behind.

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Disrotter – Plague [US, Death / Grind] (2020)

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Self Released | 3-25-20

It is funny to think of heavy metal being topical at any point but the title of this demo as well as the Bandcamp message of “Confusion blinding the panic is rising. Disruption commencing this chaos ascension” gives the music a sharper edge not to mention the dissolving human artwork on the front. The interesting part about this whole thing is Disrotter could have come out at any point and its music would be classic death grind worship with well mixed production and killer riffs. Now, in the middle of this whole “chaos ascension,” the music feels reflective on rising tensions which is far beyond exploitative and more reaching reflective. Come throw yourself into this storm of stress.

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Throat Breach -Humiliating Distortion [US, Death / Grind] (2020)

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Desert Wasteland | 4-3-20

Desert Wasteland is fast becoming one of my favorite labels this year and the number of releases is still pretty low. With only 3 releases thus far into Spring 2020, the quality and veracity of these releases has been something to behold. Fleshrot, Wombcage, and Throat Breach have all huddled together to offer a strain of death metal that is both ruinous, rusted, and visceral. Coming after the boom of basement style death metal, Throat Breach presents an album that is both schizophrenic in its mixture of death and grind but also post apocalyptic in its style which is perfect for rusted or burned out structures. This is music for tomorrow in ruins.

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Miserable Creature – Miserable Creature [ Australia, Death] (2020)

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Self Released | 1-19-20

It should be noted that all proceeds for this cassette release will be going to the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) Bushfire Emergency Fund. Despite the monetary contributions from this new death metal act, I can appreciate the sentiment, especially given the band being from Australia. This cover is everything I love about finding tapes on the internet. Ripped from an old RPG manual and photocopied 10 times, the aesthetic of thick death over thin pages is something that has always drawn me. Miserable Creature has something here and I am excited to see this band progress over the next year in a crowding genre of lo-fi death. If anything this band possesses a party spirit which is sure to shake coffins and wake the dead.

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Mental Casket – Demo 2019 [Poland, Death] (2019)

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Self Released | 6-11-19

With a name like Mental Casket, one is going to except a certain level of grime that hopefully covers a coffin in a basement. This is it. It is all here. With a dedication to Florida style death and less of a concern for actually cropping their cover, the debut demo from Mental Casket comes just as you expected and always wanted. Though the production is lacking as per the style, the strength of Mental Casket rests in the bands ability to write riffs that stalk through the night and animate these corpses that are strewn upon the ground.

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CIVEROUS – Raw Demo [US, Death] (2019)

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Self Released | 8-6-19

I feel that this is an artifact that may get reworked into something else. Perhaps the raw aesthetic is a destination rather than a product. Despite having the name raw in the title and also one track of a supposedly cassette rip, the music for Civerous’ demo is pretty well produced in terms of clarity. This is important as the band excels as making dirty sounding music with rhythm and energy. I do not think they need to explore the raw side of death metal as it is scary and infectious. This is fine for now.

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Sněť – Promo [Czech Republic, Death] (2019)

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Self Released | 4-8-19

It takes a certain cover for me to assume that everything, musically, inside will line up with my interests. While this is not a guarantee on quality, the craft of an aesthetic is a good indication on the care the band will have on the music. Sněť’s promo / demo pays close attention to crafting the look of vomit drenched death metal that sounds like it was recorded in a flooded warehouse than anywhere natural. This type of grimy concrete death metal, which comes with photocopied tape covers, is something that is specific to an audience who will love every second. There really is only one song on this demo as the first is a long introduction to the world of disease, sickness and endless riffs. If you are here then we do not need to say anything as we all have heard the call of wretched death.

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Tenebro – Demo [Italy, Death] (2019)

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Desert Wastelands Productions | 5-1-19

Allow the reverberations of instinct to take over. I think this is from Italy since the tag indicates it is “Horror Glorifying Death Metal from Fulci’s Land.” This demo comes by the way of Desert Wasteland which also released Astriferous’ demo. If that Costa Rican massacre was any indication then Tenebro is going to be of the same caliber. We will go with that. If the lack of information is offsetting, it is just apart of the luddite style death metal that I have come to love and worship. If any sound was akin to kunckledragging ogres then Tenebro is one of the grossest abominations to stalk the land. Heavy, inattentive, and only concerned with the lust for violence, this is death metal with a 10th grade reading level that dumps intelligence for strength.

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